Event:2021/01/21 Delegates

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Omni Delegates' Meeting - January 21st, 2021 7pm-9pm

1. Joining info:

2. URL of these notes: https://omnicommons.org/notes

3. Please add items to the agenda below and send any proposals to consensus@lists.omnicommons.org prior to the meeting

4. For instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom.

Agenda

  • Introductions [15 minutes]
    • Meeting Roles
    • Delegates Count
    • Access Check-in
  • Check-ins, Updates & Report-Backs [30 minutes]
    • Brief Announcements
    • Working Groups
    • Member Collectives
    • Conflicts, Mediation & Safe Space
  • Proposals & Discussions

Introductions

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

  • WHY DO WE ASK PRONOUNS? To make space for people who are trans, nonbinary, gender noncomforming or otherwise vulnerable to being misgendered. It's not an invitation to make jokes or trivialize the idea of pronouns. If you are fine with the gender and pronouns society generally assigns to you, please just say what they are without fanfare or embellishment. Conversely, please don't pressure anybody to give their pronouns, as that can harm trans people who are closeted or questioning. The point is to prompt and normalize asking, but not to mandate or enforce. Thank you! <3 Yar
  • michael he/him ccl
  • yar she/her sudoroom
  • jane
  • maryann she/her csc
  • robb fnb he/him
  • helen fnb she/her
  • rachel gws she/her
  • shido fye he/him
  • john gws he/they

Access Check In

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

Meeting Roles

  • Facilitator/s: "me i guess, michael"
  • Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
  • Stacktaker: robb
  • Timekeeper: michael
  • Notetaker/s: yar, john
  • Vibe Reader: rachel
  • Who will out next meeting's agenda beforehand:
  • Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

  • ANV: inactive
  • CCL: michael
  • CSC: maryann
  • FNB: helen
  • FYE: shido
  • GWS: jane, rachel
  • LL: inactive
  • Sudo Room: yar
  • Sudo Mesh: inactive
  • Quorum: yes

Working Group Report-Backs

Building & permits

  • Meetings: only the kitchen group meets regularly, new times tbd
  • https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building
  • installing external outlets to support town fridge, need more funds, need more internal maintenance & cleaning folks that Phil had been doing
    • clean floors, bathrooms, take out trash, sweep away pine needles under trees, pick up trash outside

Commons

  • Meetings: 2nd & 4th Mondays at 5:30pm @ https://omnicommons.live/commons
  • Join! * https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
  • jesse wrote a new draft contract for unincorporated associations and others use of space - see discussion below
  • right now the only use of common space is NOMA
  • hopefully the medical training will use new contract so as not to "contaminate" ballroom for 2020 and beyond property taxes?

Communications

Finance & Fundraising

  • Meetings: Tuesdays 2:00 - 3:00 pm
  • Join! https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/finance
  • Join! https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/fundraising
  • close to hiring a bookkeeper, evaluating contract now - see proposal below
  • state covid-19 grant was to be submitted we do not know if it went in
  • will start on loan application to self-help credit union, we need a business plan, and they need the rent roll too.
  • Jane working small business loan application they say that driver's license needed to be re-submitted repeatedly
  • we should complain about the problems we're having with Small Business Administration. they don't seem to be able to handle the work.
  • right now we don't even know who's paying rent.
    • "looks like everybody's on time except LL hasn't paid in several months, and FYE has paid intermittently but has been in communication. not fully up to date, but making efforts. sudo mesh paid $1200 forward so they're good for a while"
  • maryann: we gotta start talking about a written business plan for omni. lenders will want to see specific language. looks fairly simple to me, but who knows what will happen when we start talking about it and when we present it.
  • rachel: meeting with ... people in washington state about their loan policies and how they do it, just to get comparisons
  • maryann: still some potential lenders on jesse's list to compare / do due diligence. i'm going to contact Community Vision. we have a relationship with them - they worked with us as NCCLT before, and gave us a grant at some point.

Member Collective Updates

What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

ANV

  • nobody here

CCL

  • top issues at last 2 meetings have been .... a lawyer has advice for our insurance, cancellation can be delayed

CSC

  • csc buying coffee from Mexico

FNB

  • continue meals, hand sanitizer, tarps and warm clothing distribution

FYE

  • no real update. it's transitional time for FYE

GWS

  • continuing push as GWS and with poor peoples campaign to get biden to do things on poverty in the USA at national scale, 73% in poverty are women and children, internationally working on care and agricultural worker incomes

LL

  • nobody here

Sudo Room

  • pass

Sudo Mesh

  • nobody here

Conflicts, Mediation & Safe Space

  • Updates for any ongoing issues
  • Has anybody been asked to leave? asked to leave

Other Brief Announcements

Proposals & Discussions

NOMA

  • nobody's heard from them in 2 weeks
  • maryann: last time i made a mistake and i want to apologize. i said something about requiring bylaws and that wasn't correct. it's really a fiscal sponsorship agreement we need, or a 501c3 letter. laura normally did that before, and she sent me the entire process. i went over it with her to learn how it's applied and put into practice. i don't know who worked with NOMA on that application, but usually those applications first go to the finance committee, and we work with them to try to bring it into compliance with our needs. if anyone here's from them, i'd suggest that they come to the finance committee with their application and we go over it with them so we can advise them. sorry my memory wasn't good that night.
  • the other thing is, CSC executive board said the same thing laura said: silver had already contacted them to lobby them about the proposal. and also they had complaints about our officers (?). CSC board members were concerned that NOMA had been given false information by silver. it caused them to be distrustful of omni's process. they were told the grant from SFF was for NOMA and not for omni. they thought we took their money and charged them rent, but that wasn't true. there was nothing about NOMA in the grant that we sent. so CSC is concerned about trying to bring in a new group as a member who comes in distrusting us. what they want is #1 to clarify the relationship through that memorandum of understanding that we're supposed to get. #2 they want to initiate an RJ process to clear up misinformation and distrust that's been created. so somebody needs to talk to them. when i talked to laura about the process, she'd also heard from silver. there was behind the scenes complaints about one of omni's officers.
  • maryann: there's been this attitude of mistrust. when robb and i went into the meeting with OCUEJ the very first question was about the grant.
    • robb: i brought the proposal to delegates for omni to sign on as partners to NOMA, which continued work that NORJC had been doing. cleaning up encampment under highway, serving food, etc. when covid hit they wanted to expand that to more encampments. so they invited omni, fnb, critical resistance as partners, but there was no real definition of what a partner was or what the responsibilities of a partner were. from my perspective, when we met with the financers of the mutual aid project, they were trying to figure that out. and we were waiting to hear that. it didn't have form to it
  • maryann: did you receive anything from eugenia?
    • yes we got the 1k check from OCUEJ
    • should we contact eugenia and ask?
    • robb wants to stay out of it because of a personal conflict

free store

  • not present, still doing it ad hoc as far as we know

insurance

  • lawyer gave ccl advice for stalling the insurance cancellation. michael will post his short email: "As long as Omni Commons has Business Interruption Insurance in the Business Insurance policy (a separate policy from the building policy normally) as Alameda County has been under either the Statewide or a regional Stay-at-home order for the large part of the year, with only January to March 16 being available and than possibly a few weeks in June and July before the regional Stay-at-home order, you should be able to fill for an arbitrary ruling to prevent Nationwide Mutual from ending your poli..."
  • yar will look into this more to see if we have business interruption insurance and perhaps file for an arbitrary ruling with Nationwide Mutual, and we have an insurance broker who can help us. We need documentation of a plan a for maintenance and upkeep to achieve renewal. We are doing what our broker recommended.

covid

  • reopening? vaccine?

outlets

  • agreement to have at least 2, depending on cost, yar will send exact quotes to consensus list as soon as i have them, to be agreed to online

events contracts

  • Event Presentation Agreement:https://docs.google.com/document/d/18R_nK9maZyL_5WTUM6DWcrn3QMgQ55zm/edit
  • Event Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZN6VET2-bFZDxs96UX0RVNJJq5IMfLlP/edit
  • yar: what's the difference between the two?
    • robb: in 1 way the people doing the event are paid as contractors. we do it but pay them as a contract.
    • in the other way it's put on as a fiscally sponsored project.
    • maryann: so it's alternatives? we could use either one?
    • robb: yes, we'd have both in our arsenal. we already have one for formal 501c3s or folks sponsored by another. now we have these for unincorporated groups.
  • john will try to read them and give a report next time. hopefully will be ready to consense on february 4

bookkeeper

Scope of Services for Financial Consulting for Omni Commons

Sarah Lockhart (consultant) proposes to undertake the following tasks. Consultant will bill client monthly, with invoices to be paid within 20 days of receipt via check or electronic payment. 1. Bookkeeping Services (Remote work to billed at $25/hr; on-site work to be billed at $27/hr) a. Entry of income, expense, asset, and liability items into client’s accounting system (QBO) b. Reconciliation of bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc. c. Tracking of restricted/temporarily restricted funds (e.g. fiscal client accounts) 2. Financial Reporting (Remote work to billed at $25/hr; on-site work to be billed at $27/hr) a. Develop reports and templates for more financial clarity and for other client needs b. Reporting to client on financial matters, including attendance at meetings (meeting attendance will be billed at “on-site” rate even if meeting is virtual) c. Responding to client questions regarding financial matters and accounting systems and practices

3. Tax Preparation and Filing (billed at $40/hr) a. Preparation and filing of 1099s and income tax returns (990/199), including amending prior year returns

4. Research and Review (billed at $25/hr) a. Research and reporting on tax and legal matters related to financial issues (e.g. property tax exemption) b. Review of client’s existing financial data and accounting systems for purposes of debt obligations and the refinancing thereof as well as compliance and assessment related to

“best practices” of both GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) and Non- Profit management and oversight.

I am licensed by the state of CA to do tax preparation and am registered with the IRS as a return preparer. I used to be an Enrolled Agent, but that certification lapsed when I didn't complete the required continuing education because I was busy building out an arts/community space. I have done bookkeeping for non-profits for 15 years and counting

discussion

  • robb lists her qualifications etc. she's already done a considerable amount of work for omni without charging us. did audit of village separation process in 2020. same amount we were paying jenny. familiar with doing an audit. licensed as a tax preparer with california. registered with IRS as a return preparer. she used to be an "enrolled agent" but didn't do the formal continuing education to keep that current.
  • folks feel that it's been talked about long enough we don't need to go back to collectives. do we need to wait 2 weeks? no.
  • CONSENSUS: yes (ccl, csc, gws, fnb, fye) abstain (sudoroom)

Last Meeting Notes

https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2021/01/07_Delegates

End of Meeting

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