In attendance:

Scott MacPherson, E.D.
Jennifer Myszkowski, President
Carey Baker, Clerk (remote)
Mike Hines (remote)
Daniel O’Sullivan, Treasurer (remote)
Vinnie Bonilla (remote)
Ismary Santiago (remote)
Jayne Melendez (remote)
Keisha Archeval

Not in attendance:

Carolyn Rogers-Harris, Clerk R.I.P.

Call to order: 6:34pm

Acceptance of prior meeting minutes – November 21, 2024

• Motion to accept prior meeting minutes: Denis
• Second: Daniel
• Vote is unanimous, the motion carries.

Director’s Report

P and L

Balance Sheet

2025 Budget Proposal

• The HM board meeting covered several key points. The minutes from the November 21 meeting were approved. A $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation was noted, bringing external revenue to $25,000. The budget includes a $1,000 increase for software and a monthly contract labor line. A new grant writer, Morgan Holland, was introduced. Health insurance costs are projected to rise by 10%. The board approved the budget and grievance policy updates. The mobile City Hall gift was approved. Gloria Abayer Roca and Ron DeSoto were discussed as potential new board members. The meeting concluded with holiday wishes and a reminder of the next meeting date.
• Discussion on Budget and Health Insurance
  • Scott mentions a 10% increase in health insurance costs for the year, though they express uncertainty about this percentage.
  • Dennis asks about increasing the advertising and marketing budget, and Scott agrees, emphasizing the need to target within current staffing capacity.
  • Scott and Dan reviewed the budget, noting that revenues from Comcast were worked out well.
    • Motion to accept 2025 Budget: Daniel
    • Second: Vinnie
    • Vote is unanimous, the motion carries.
• Mobile City Hall and Pilot Program Updates
  • Scott provides an update on the mobile City Hall, noting that conversations are productive but may not meet the end-of-year goal.
    • Motion to give the mobile van to the City: Denis
    • Second: Ismary
    • Vote is unanimous, the motion carries.
• Scott discusses the city’s blanket pilot policy and the need for exceptions due to their budget allocation for citizen programs.
• An updated grievance policy is introduced, with minor changes to include staff in the grievance process.
  • Motion to the accept grievance policy for staff: Vinnie
  • Second: Denis
  • Vote is unanimous, the motion carries.
• Scott announces holiday closures, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s, and New Year’s Day, with limited availability in between.
• Jennifer expresses gratitude for the team’s hard work and acknowledges Denis’s last board meeting.

Old Business

• Discussion on the process for filling the open board position, with a decision to invite Gloria to join in January. Jennifer will talk to Gloria about rejoining the board.
• Next month we will have committee votes for officers.
• Annual responsibilities:
  • Planning the Annual Meeting of the Board in January
• Jennifer addresses the board about her tenure as President. She would be happy and willing to pass the torch, and mentor a new candidate for President.
• Marketing/Development Committee:
  • Marketing update
  • Ticketing – recouping funds
  • Membership update
  • Newsletter and linking our news and events to it
  • Presence of Board at events in our space
  • Grants and other fundraising
  • Sponsorship scheme – by June or July meetings
• Facility & Technology Committee:
  • Check in on sign repair
    • In progress
  • Replacing BoxCast for video hosting
  • Building Insurance
  • Resolution: Egress from studio during shows, people on ramp, etc. Signs need to go up
• Personnel Committee
  • Current staff check-in?
  • Funding staff person to manage the event space
• Diversity:
  • Establishment of youth advisory committee
  • Diversity statement update
  • Latest anti-racism consultant actions
• Finance Committee:
  • Update re: MOU with the city

7:00-7:55 p.m.: New business

• Assigning the Editorial Committee of the Board (should have been done as part of annual meeting in Jan. 2024)
  • Scott provides an update on the editorial policy, mentioning research into the differences between 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.
  • The Johnson Amendment is discussed, clarifying what nonprofits can and cannot advocate for under federal law.
  • The importance of maintaining editorial independence and avoiding any appearance of bias among staff is emphasized.
    • Our current editorial policy
  • Committee to meet in Jan
    • Scott to share the Johnson amendment for non profits

Future tasks:

• Ad Hoc Art Committee
• Sign

Motion to adjourn:

• Motion to adjourn Denis
• Second Jayne
• Vote is unanimous, the motion carries.

8:11pm: Adjourn