Emily Joseph

The board opened the meeting by sharing memories of Donald Diamond, treasured community member and philanthropist, who passed away that day. The Executive Administrator reported that the current total raised by the voluntary assessment is $20,440, which is 41% our goal, from 78 families. There was discussion of the form and content of a follow-up letter to be sent to those families that have not yet responded to the appeal, emphasizing that this is an assessment to cover a deficit, not an additional fundraiser.

The governance committee chair, Harriet Kronman, reported on the congregational attorney’s review of the bylaws changes. It was decided that the bylaws amendments will be postponed until the fall to allow the board to fully resolve all issues before presenting them to the congregation.

The main topic of the meeting was the proposed 2019-2020 budget. The treasurer reported that all expenses have been reviewed and further reductions would require eliminating personnel. Our financial difficulties stem from the income side of our ledger, not the expense side. To that end, the budget includes a 15% increase in dues billing. The finance committee analyzed the likely actual increase in receivables based on current dues levels to be 9%. The board accepted the budget as presented with permission for minor modifications.

The board received an update on the response to the voluntary assessment. As of the meeting, 28 congregants had donated, for a total of $7600. The Special Events Committee announced the upcoming Celebration of Israel, which will include a concert and a raffle, on April 6.

The Nominations Committee submitted its slate of nominees, including Elaine Jones for President, Gary Kippur as First Vice President, Bev Sandock as Vice President, and Mark Ross to finish out the current term as Treasurer.

The first draft of the 2019-2020 budget was presented and discussed. The Finance Committee and staff have worked hard to carefully analyze and budget expenses. They will be continuing their work this month. After considering the feedback from the town hall, the board directed the President to appoint a team to develop a plan for a transition to a voluntary commitment model for dues, in consultation with the Finance Committee.

The board convened a special meeting to finish discussing the work of the bylaws committee. Suggested changes to Articles VII through XXI were reviewed. The most detailed discussion was about changes to make the process by which people are nominated to the board more structured.

The January meeting was convened for three hours instead of the usual two in order to allow the board to consider several important matters. Firstly, the board voted to appoint Mark Ross as Treasurer for the remainder of the year. Aaron Fisher had to resign for personal reasons, and the board thanks him for his service. Marty Zuckerman has returned to his former position as chair of the Budget & Finance Committee.

Our spending remains largely on budget. Our income is higher than expected in several areas – our High Holy Day Appeal was very successful, and the enrollment in religious school is higher than expected – but we’re facing a shortfall of about $40,000 because of lower-than-expected dues income and donations.

The board reviewed ten initiatives proposed by the Finance Committee to improve our financial situation, which will be implemented over the coming months. One immediate action item was sending out a voluntary assessment to the membership to help bridge the projected shortfall. Various options were considered, and the board approved an assessment in the amount of $250 per member unit.

Finally, the board began a discussion of the changes to the bylaws proposed by the governance committee. Suggested revisions of Articles I through VII were discussed.

In order to give the bylaws the consideration required, a special meeting of the board was called for February 4 to complete the discussion.