ATTENDEES (b=board member):

  • Debra Banks (b),
  • John Lee Ellis(b),
  • Lynne Fitzsimmons(b),
  • Rob Hawks(b),
  • Spencer Klaassen(b),
  • Susan Otcenas(b),
  • Mark Thomas (b).

Meeting called to order January 6, 2016, 5:00pm PST.

  1. Prior meeting minutes approval
    Passed

  2. Election of 2016 Officers
    • President -- Rob Hawks
    • VP -- John Lee Ellis
    • Secretary -- Lynne Fitzsimmons
    • Treasurer -- Susan Otcenas


  3. 2016 Budget (Susan)

    1. 2015 Summary

      RUSA finished 2015 approximately $4000 in the black, and our cash position is good, $83000 in the bank. Inventory is down $36000 from end of January 2015; we generated some cash.

      We were running behind paid membership years for all of 2015, and very behind in September. Susan thanked everyone who got the message out to encourage members to renew.

    2. 2016 Insurance Proposal Discussion

      The proposed changes to RUSA's insurance policy will have the biggest impact on the budget, encompassing how we run the organization. Our insurance policy changed last year, but our billing scheme (bill RBAs for each rider-day) did not.

      The proposal is to bring the insurance scheme more in line with how we work. We will no longer ask RBAs for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) as third party covered. For many RBAs, the insurance we have will be sufficient. Some RBAs may still opt to purchase outside insurance.

      1. Questions before purchasing the insurance included:
        • Would the insurance extend to covering local clubs which are incorporated entities? The agent offered to produce a Certificate of Insurance (COI) for clubs which are affiliated entities.
        • What about non-member coverage? The policy covers 300 non-member rider-days. Last year RUSA had a total of >1300 non-members ride. A $5.00 charge is proposed for all rides except for populaires.
        • What about clubs which continue to purchase their own insurance -- would RUSA still charge for non-members riding their events? Yes. RUSA has to pay for any recorded non-member rides.
        • Last Question -- what about COIs for landowners? -- 5 different RBAs do in fact provide COIs for third parties -- national parks and other private properties. Our agent will issue a COI as needed, there will be a COI Request Form provided on the RBA page on the website.
        • Finally, to offset this cost to RUSA, the RBA reimbursement program will be discontinued. The majority of RBAs who submitted expenses used their insurance payment receipts for the reimbursement amount.
        • There will be a website change required, from charging for rider-days to non-member riders.

      2. 2016 Insurance Motion
        • No longer billing RBAs for member rider-days
        • Dropping the RBA Reimbursement Program
        • Billing RBAs $5 for each non-member rider for all rides EXCEPT Populaires
        • Change is retroactive to Jan 1, 2016.

      3. 2016 Insurance Vote
        Passed.

    3. RUSA Store
      On paper, the store broke even in 2015, but if we hadn't had the PBP jerseys, it would have lost money. The general consensus seems to be that the store should pay for itself, reflectivity items and awards. The store will lose money in 2016; lots of old stock to clear out. The treasurer's assumption is that the awards subcategory would break even, but did not detail how it would get there. Right now, RUSA underwrites the cost of the Mondial and Galaxy awards, somewhere between $4000 to $6000 annually. If RUSA wants to continue to absorb the cost of those awards, revenue has to come from somewhere else. We want to break even on reflective/safety items. We'll probably lose money on apparel, because of all the dead stock. The budget includes $1000 commissions for third party sales, maybe we can make money on that. It has the potential to be a good earner for RUSA, maybe that is how we can pay for those awards.
      The question was raised -- so we'd break even if we updated the logo? The treasurer -- we need things that people want to buy.

    4. Membership
      The revenue coming in from membership renewals is disconnected from our membership count, because the revenue is membership-years.

    5. Donations
      1. Motion
        Put a Donate button on the RUSA website.
      2. Vote
        Passed.
    6. Other Budget Items
      The largest budget expense is the RUSA magazine. The budget assumes the continuing third party expense for magazine layout.

      The treasurer noted that the RUSA bylaws require the Board to have and approve a budget, and that Board approval is required for all non-budgeted expenses in excess of $100.

      1. Vote to Approve the 2016 RUSA Budget
        Passed.

  4. RUSA Membership Chair Succession
    1. Vote to appoint Nigel Greene as the new membership chair.
      Passed.

  5. Expanding the Website committee personnel numbers
    Lynne noted that this is a real job with specific skills requirements. The discussion will move to email.

  6. AZ Sierra Vista RBA Application
    Discussion deferred to email.

  7. Routes Committee Question on Distance between Services
    Discussion deferred to email.

  8. American Randonneur Award Nominations
    A request was made to update the relevant RUSA Website pages.

  9. Next Meeting
    Adjourned 7:04pm

    Next meeting: Feb 3, 2016, 5pm PST