Event:2024/04/04 Delegates

Meeting Details

• Talk at https://omnicommons.org/meet or 515-428-1108 (PIN: 465814905)
• Type at https://omnicommons.org/notes
• Send proposals to consensus@lists.omnicommons.org prior to the meeting
• Someone should go check incoming mail RIGHT NOW.

Roles

• Facilitator/s: Alex
• Stacktaker:
• Timekeeper:
• Notetaker/s: Paige
• Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

• CCL: Christian/Joshua
• FNB: Toan
• LL:
• SMAC: Ruby
• SM: juul
• SR: William
• DG: Dom
• Quorum (2/3 of active groups):

intros

BRIEF INTROS MAY INCLUDE: name, pronouns, groups you're in, land you're on, if you're a delegate, unmet access needs, meeting roles you'd like to help with, discussion topics or proposals to add to agenda, announcements/updates/report-backs from your groups, safe space issues or updates PROMPT people to share contact info in the chat, so we can stay in touch

• Alex - not delegate but here to discuss the loan from current anonymous sudo room member. Jake may come later. Want to add property tax and conflict resolution on agenda
• William - delegate for Sudo Room
• Paige - they/them no additional agenda items
• Dane - not delegate, agenda items, conflict with Troy and here to offer info on I. and T.
• Toan - volunteer EFNB and delegate. items - announcing decision on proposal with Wood St. Commons to become tenant.
• Christian - former president of CCL
• Dominic - Deb Gives no agenda items
• June - SMAC but Ruby is going to be delegate, just here to weigh in. Hygiene issue discussion
• Ruby - delegate today SMAC. no extra agenda items. If talking about people potentially banned we have weigh ins on that
• Joshua - CCL, just here to back up Christian who is delegate.
• Marc - and or Juul, delegate for SM with update on bank loans I checked in on
• Azadeh - part of SMAC and just here to weigh in and support and listen
• K.O. - with CCL, just listening to keep in touch, thanks for being here

Action items

• juul: Figure out who's on the Beneficial account and schedule a meeting with Loan Officer together with that person

Bank loan update

Update from Marc

• Marc - asked Unify for loan, they dont do business loans or even business accounts. they wont kick us off but may want to think of different union. Beneficial - None of people at bank able to talk about loan, nor give info because I was not on the account.
  • Jenny may still be (Other cosigner was Brian F), will call tomorrow AM and go in with someone in afternoon as needed. Would be helpful to find ~2020 draft loan application folder from Omni Share..

Property Tax Loan

current anonymous lender willing to loan $120k for property tax deadline

• Jake - talked to <redact> - oh is this lawyer consult, sorry.., was very excited about loan. She reviewed pdf and thinks we should empower someone to sign it after review. Because Jesse is on vacation, then delegates should empower Alex to bring it to Christina, and negotiate and sign on behalf of Omni.
  • Jake - no pro vision for early repayment. $138k over 18months. roughly 10% APR. IF we go into default, fees tacked on probably very significant.
• Marc - is early repayment negotionable?
• jnny: Would like to see a spreadsheet with scenarios associated to variable rates, etc.. is this someone "in the family"..?
• Alex - amortization schedule spreadsheet, I can write up +1 (jnny: um, also what happened to omni's google drive share which had all of this kina shit??)
• Alex - if we do not keep up with payment plan, immediately go on county auction market, no way to push deadline. We were expecting county to get back to us on the exemption, because expecting a large amount of this to get waived.
  • jnny: is there an upcoming mtg planned w/ lawyer hired on this? alameda county promised feedback after no more than 5 years. it's been 6.5... should take this straight to the DA, imo
• Alex - vote, empower one person to sign based on input from the lawyer. Empowering one person because time sensitive issue.
• Joshua - I think CCL should wait for Patrik to look at it
  • Marc - CCL can abstain?

Christina O. (property tax attorney)

• Christina - should run this by first lender, given collateral of building. that first agreement might restrict you from getting a second mortgage
• Alex - "letters of incorporation"? is this standard boilerpoint
  • Christina - not standard to CA law. Some funny terms, might be copied from another state. "articles of incorporation" of Omni are already public.
  • Jake - if its satisfactory to lender is it okay?
  • Christina - I wouldnt worry about it
  • Alex - is there an advantage to us designated a board officer or can it be anyone who signs it
    • Christina - custom president or secretary. what typical lender would expect, but fine to authorize and director or officer. if secured by deed of trust, someone at omni will have to sign documents with a notary. So make sure someone signing can be available to do in person tax quickly. This is for deed of trust signing
    • Jake - if lender okay with filing deed of trust later okay
    • Christina - yes lender could waive requirement
• Christina - I have not thoroughly reviewed this document, because I assumed Jesse would.
  • William - could we share mulberry trust agreement with Christina, to see if there was restriction
  • Jake - tax default risk more worrisome
• Marc - Im emailing Jesse, to see about if the clause exists, and ask if it is if he can ask for permission.
• Paige - also can Christina contact Mulberry Trust?
• No
• Jake - also chance Mulberry might pay it themselves if we get hold of them
• Ruby - is there a chance that notifying Mulberry will cause them to foreclose?
• Christina - very common provision for one of conditions of agreemement that borrower must keep current on property taxes. quite possible that you could say in default on loan.
• Alex - ok we should appoint officer, so Jake might be best because on paper, and have him pass this by lawyer, probably Christina, and go through with deal.
• Christina - news to me that Mulberry was not informed. But this plan or something else is preferable to going to tax auction
• Dom - makes sense to meet with Mulberry before
  • Alex - right but will be very challenging, would have to communicate with lawyer who is on vacation.
  • William - we have 3 business days
• Marc - empower Jake to sign it on the 9th, at same time email Jesse, tell him we will do this on the 9th unless we get word from Mulberry. Can you please contact them and tell them that is our plan.
• Dominic - what is the payment plan for taxes owed?
  • Jake - next payment is $120k due on Wednesday, and then probably another 100k a year later. If we take this loan, loan will make that payment and the repayment is $1k a month for 18 months then $120k due at the end.
  • Dom - exemption?
  • Jake - working on it, but that would probably only at best wipe out $180k still due after Wednesday (and not affect what we have to pay Wednesday)
  • Christina - a lot of what is due is late penalties and interest. Tax collector charges an extremely high rate of interest, even if you get welfare, will exempt taxes due but not the late payments. System wants you to pay taxes while exemption process approved. Even when orgs get welfare exepmption, only exempts the base tax, but not property taxes tacked on by local governments. Omni leaders before I was on were under assumption that they would get exemption, and old bills would get wiped out. Even when successful, get bulk of taxes removed but still amount. One assessment is $7k due a year once the exemption process. This was calculation last year but might go up in future.
  • Azadeh - why hasnt omni paid taxes?
  • Christina - omni had failed assumption they didnt need to pay it given welfare exemption
  • Ruby - do we need to talk in this meeting how we will pay $1k a month?

Dont have it figured out yet, new tenants, help from CAST, etc.

• Christina - this is a good quick fix to looming bill due, but Omni still needs to pursue more comprehensive refinance of the building.
• Dominic - who's omni's tax advisor and is there a financial committee?
  • Christina - I dont prepare omnis income tax, but talked to Yar about this. Some alarm bells starting going off. I have just come on as counsel. I have been sending email to finance@omni. Also been communicating with Jake, but if someone else I should be in contact with.
• Paige - answering Doms question
• Dom - yea I can volunteer. Definitely gone to the wayside. Silver saying theyre doing less time. I can get update on Yar. Sounds like one
• Alex - fair to say finance group is defunct right now. So all finances now reverted to the delegates

Vote Empower Jake to talk with Christina or Jesse to review the loan agreement, and empower Jake to make those recommended changes and sign on Omni's behalf

• • at same time email Jesse asking him to infomrm Mulberry, tell him we will do this plan with the individual lender on the 9th unless we get word from Mulberry
  • we are waiting until the 9th to give Mulberry time to step in, and time for Christina to review the document.

Vote?

• Yes: Deb Gives/Dominic SMAC/Ruby, CCL/Joshua, FNB/Toan, SR/William, Sudo Mesh/juul
• Block:
• Abstain:

Vote Empower Marc to contact lawyer/mulberry trust to inform of plan to go with individual lender on the 9th

• Yes: Deb Gives/Dominic SMAC/Ruby, CCL/Joshua, FNB/Toan, SR/William, Sudo Mesh/juul

Wood St.Commons tenant proposal

Proposal:

• Toan - FNB are supportive, no concerns.

Vote: admitting Wood St as renters?

• • yes: SR, FNB, SMAC, SM, CCL
  • no: <none>
  • abstain: <none>

• Wood St wants to do meeting Sunday. Toan and Paige volunteer to help move in Saturday. Will contact Silver and new bookkeeper? about rental agreement.

• don't know rental agreement process and preferred payments. Jenny do you know about this?
  • jenny: sure, let's chat tomorrow AM (someone else DM my number and do not post it here? <3)
• rent is $200 with potential increase once deal made with CAST +1

• • housebreaking celebration?? or wtvr it's called..

(is there a publicly written governance process for Wood St you could share here, Toan? - jnny)

• • found it! https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2024/03/28_Delegates#Wood_St_rental
    • still needs section on goals and governance / decision-making processes..

Hygiene issue

• Should we apply conflict steward or deal with in the delegates meeting?
• FNB taking steps to address it right now.
• SMAC brought up issue, feel good about way FNB handling it. Thanks Toan
• Shower works but clogs easily.
• Said that medical condition causes odor, needs more understanding still.

Jnny - Note: There is a process (https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Conflict_Resolution_Policy) and lists for addressing conflicts so as not to immediately escalate to delegates..

Conflict - Troy, Dane, Phil

• Dane - Troy reported to interrupt events. We should immediately confront issues like this.
• Marc - we should just be assigning conflict stewards, not going into details
• Need assigned conflict mediator
  • Jenny open to it if we can work to resolve by end of month.- I think knowing each of you fairly well we could resolve things quickly and peacefully..
• Marc can take on informing Troy that he cannot interrupt Omni events
• Marc - willing to be conflict steward, any volunteer to mediate.
  • Paige - I can offer to mediate

Conflict - I, T, S,

• Alex Not everything should be escalated to delegates council, is that something we should deal with here?
• June - from my understanding, I dont think fair to ignore violence of what I. said. Feel safer with T present. Felt like T protecting and defending
• Paige - very clear it was in reaction to violent comment
• Joshua - CCL decided on safe space indefinite ban. Preference for some sort of discussion with T.
• Marc - conflict steward can be assigned. Can wait for CCL
• Azadeh - what is deciscion process for permanently banning someone?
• Marc - suggesting CCL does temporary ban of some length, and then when that time is up, must be a mediation process before potentially allowed back. We have done permanent bans before
• Joshua - CCL did an indefinite safe space ban, just recommending something for T as well. Separate process for removing from membership in CCL
• June - can anybody just call for safe space ban at any time? does it have to be same collective as person? Does it automatically remove them?
• marc - anyone can call for safe space ban, we will respect it, and then at next Omni meeting we will figure out better of what to do. Will we keep enforcing? OR conflict resolution? Can be challenging to get people out of space sometimes
• jnny: anyone at any time, yes. which triggers a 24 hr mandatory stay away
• June - also wondering how are these bans enforced, what happens if disagreement about a safe space ban
  • Marc - enforcement hasnt been issue, some time issue about removing stuff. In few situations where come back or not leave, if someone notices, we form half circle of people shoulder to shoulder, and stand nonviolently, not engaging til tired and their leaving. sometimes takes a long time, sometimes it doesnt. If disagreement about safe space ban, collective decision making, would be consensus - 1 to remove safe space ban.
• Alex - how are we going to deal with this from here? Other party has banned so how do we have mediation
  • Marc - if people are still uncomfortable with T, then they should either set up mediation or talk to Sudo Room about this, and hopefully come to resolution.
  • Alex - okay, goes back to Sudo Room. William?
  • William - yes can do that
• Ruby - since our collective was involved with this, is something we can participate in?
  • Alex - yes can be arranged. Maybe representatives of 3 collectives?
  • Ruby - if mediation, we would like to participate. Support I. being banned indefinitely
• June - Our collective as a whole was involved and want to be part of these conversations. My concern is this goes to sudo room and they do whatever they want to do, we want to be involved.
  • jnny: all sudo room mtgs, events,and public chatroom/ML convos are public and open to anybody to participate and weigh in as well (idk that SMAC's are?)
    • it's not a requirement, but i think it's a pretty rad model :)
  • Joshua - CCL supports ban of T for physical assault
• William - suggest we move topic to Wood St.

jnny: ideal is that collectives sort out conflicts internally according to their wn process.. if escalated to cross-project conflicts, reach out to omni-wide mediation WG / mailing list. final hail mary is resolving via delegates, which has never been positively effective...

End of Meeting

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