|
|
 |
 |
|
|
MBOIA
Board of Directors Meeting
Maine Municipal Association, Augusta
September 11, 2008
9:00 a.m.
- Tim Nelson called the meeting to order at 8:58 a.m.
- Roll Call: In attendance were Tim Nelson, Bruce Smith, Barbara Skelton, Al Farris, Kathryn Joiner, Richard Lambert, Jodine Adams, Jonathan Reed, Paul Demers, Freeman Abbott, Dabney Lewis, and Ryan Keith. Determined that there was a quorum.
Absent: Frank Tracy.
- Before starting the items on the agenda, Tim Nelson announced that he had resigned his position with the City of Biddeford, effective October 3, 2008. The officer elections are today and he has no definite job prospects in Code Enforcement. Tim Nelson announced his intention to still run for the office of President. However, he and Richard Lambert did discuss that if he doesn't find anything in that vocation, he will resign. As Vice President, Richard Lambert will take over. There was a brief discussion about this arrangement and Bruce Smith stated that he was okay with this.
-
Reading of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting: Since the Minutes were sent out a few months ago, no one had remembered reading them prior. Tim Nelson gave everyone time to read them.
- Tim Nelson introduced some guests who were in attendance for the Board of Directors meeting and would be attending the Business meeting and session.
- Guests - Don Vigneau - N.E.E.P. and the newest member.
- Dottie Harris - V.P. of State and Local Government Relations. Her area includes the State of Maine .
- Gordon MacEwan - from (MIAP) with whom Tim Nelson is working with from the ICC (talking about books for the October plumbing class).
- Communications and Bills:
- Tim Nelson and Richard Lambert had a conference call with Mike Starn and Joan Kiszely on August 25, 2008 . This call was to discuss the MMA restructuring, including a change in the current contract. The new contract fee will include what MMA is calling an "equity adjustment" or an increase in contract charges of about $1,000 to $4,381, plus inflation (estimated at about 5%). After passing out a copy of an email that discussed these changes, Tim Nelson asked for thoughts. During the brief discussion, Barbara Skelton stated that the continuity aspect along with the support with membership, checks and follow-ups makes the contract well worth it. It has become harder and harder for the officers to spend time doing these jobs with the legislature time. Tim noted that Dick and he had discussed that the increase of $1,000 is high, but things have run more smoothly and will only get better as MMA becomes better staffed. Richard Lambert moved to authorize the increase of $1,000 and that the President can sign the contract once it is finalized. Al Farris seconded and all approved.
- Richard Lambert received a correspondence from Ravi Shaw out of TX. Dottie had a list of the candidates, although there was only one contested race for Secretary/ Treasurer between Gerry George and Jimmy Brothers. Dick sat in meeting of the Northeast region to determine which candidates to support. The group drafted a letter showing supporting for candidates that included Adolf Zubia, Ron Lynn, Ravi Shaw, and Pat Parsley. Richard Nelson noted that for the other candidates, the group didn't make a recommendation. Tim Nelson reminded everyone that the voting is to take place in Minneapolis next week.
- Bills: Barbara Skelton announced that she only had one bill for breakfast for $39.51 for Dick Lambert and the meeting guests. Paul Demers made a motion to pay. Tim Nelson seconded the motion. All approved.
- Barbara Skelton reported that all assets for the group totaled $18,496.43. Bruce Smith made a motion to approve, Tim Nelson seconded. All approved the Treasurer's report.
- Unfinished Business:
- NEBOEA/U-MASS seminar October 6-9, 2008 : The brochure for the upcoming seminar was sent out last week. Paul Demers noted that although not much time has passed since the brochure was distributed, all interested must send in very soon (the registration deadline is September 22, 2008 ) or the reservation will be subject to a late fee. There is a new facilitator who is about 1.5 months behind getting the registrations, which is the reason for the short lead-time. Paul did assure that the program is worthwhile.
- Fire Chiefs Annual Meeting - October 23 & 24, 2008: The Maine Fire Chiefs' Association is co-sponsoring Friday's program with MBOIA at the Captain's Galley in Old Orchard Beach . It is expected that Adolf Zubia, incoming ICC President will be speaking, and Bruce Johnson will be speaking in the morning. The afternoon session will touch upon home sprinklers; although, Richard Lambert is still working on finalizing a different speaker. Tim Nelson did note that Bruce Johnson from the ICC Fire Service side was willing to step in if they didn't find anyone.
- October 22, 2008 Plumbing Class: The one-day class is scheduled in Bangor and it will be broken into two (2) sessions, each class will be 4-hours and will hold 50 - 55 people. The speaker will be Roger Rotundo from Phoenix . The class will be held at the Parks & Recreation Center in Bangor , and they are hoping to attract some people from as far north as possible. Jonathan Reed has contacted some people in the north, including Tony Levesque in Fort Fairfield to announce the class. ICC has worked with MBOIA, and they have negotiated a reasonable fee. Gordon MacEwan from MIAP has agreed to front the books and take back any that will not be sold at the event. Room was donated.
- ICC Annual Meeting: Tim Nelson and Dick Lambert will be flying out Saturday and will bring back reports to the next meeting. Dottie had made a request to her office to find out who else will be in attendance, but had not yet received.
- State Planning Office: Lana Clough is moving over to another department at the State Planning Office. There was discussion about the November 12 - 13 Annual Code Official's Multi-issue Workshop at Black Bear Inn. The Conference changes from north to south each year and normally offers good topics. Tim Nelson urged to go earn some credits for free. He reported that there is a block of rooms available for $65 plus 7% tax and the registration deadline is October 24, 2008 . There was some discussion if one had been held in South Portland about one (1) year ago.
- New Members: James Gardner - Kennebunk/Town of Lyman. Richard Lambert made a motion to approve the new member candidate, seconded by Barbara Skelton. All approved.
- The Good and Welfare of the Association:
- New England BOI: Tim Nelson presented Paul Demers with a plaque for his five (5) years from Secretary, Ron Whitmore.
- Modular Housing Board: Jodine Adams wanted a discussion about the Modular Housing Board. She was concerned about the representation this Board gives to the consumer when there are issues. There was a brief discussion about the issues that these structures have as they are self-regulated and many of them come from out-of-state. Don Vigneau noted that there was an interstate compact and the Eastern states that have an agreement on inspection services. Tim Nelson recommended that these issues be brought up directly to the speakers during the presentation.
- December Meeting: Barbara Skelton asked Tim Nelson and Jonathan Reed if the China Rose was confirmed for the December meeting. Jonathan Reed noted that the reservation had been made, but had not yet been confirmed. Barbara will call the China Rose to confirm the date.
- Email: There was a question if there was any interest in serving on committees. Tim Nelson suggested making an announcement. Since it was still early in the renewal process, the Board would look at them at the next Board meeting as well as seeing who checked off the boxes for interest in committees.
- Governance Committee: There are Bylaw changes that will be brought forward at the Annual Business Meeting in Minnesota . Tim Nelson reported that ICC was looking at changing districts with a distribution of geographical representation. Maine would be in a district that would go as far south as Washington DC and as far north as Canada (including Newfoundland and Quebec ). Interesting debate next week and there is a conference call today about this issue. Dottie Harris noted that she had some instructions about viewing the hearings and meetings via the web. Right now, there is no voting via the web, although the ICC is looking into remote voting.
- Paul Demers reported that there was a 3:00 p.m. meeting in Augusta to discuss changes to wastewater rules about the definition of a filled site. This hearing is the last by the Committee. He noted that the current definition indicates that fill site, pre-1974 is considered to be new soil, after that date is not. Paul Demers expressed that this is not a reasonable timeframe; a rolling schedule would be more reasonable. There was a brief discussion about the efficacy of bringing in someone from Russ Martin's office.
- Al Farris reported that he attended the Field Day at Reid State Park . There were exercise sheets and the day included evaluations of soil, etc. Al Farris reported that the regulators at this year's event reported that naturalized vernal pools do not exist.
- Adjournment: Tim Nelson moved to adjourn at 9:50 a.m. seconded by Dabney Lewis. All approved.
|
|
|
|
General Business Meeting
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Spring Meadows Gray , ME
1:00 p.m.
- Call to Order: President Timothy Nelson called the meeting to order at 12:51 p.m. on September 11, 2008.
- Roll Call: Freeman Abbott, Jodine Adams, Alan Borg, Diana Brown, Justin Brown, William Chipman, Jamie Cole, John Cooper, Clinton Cushman, Paul Demers, Lawrence Dunham, Arthur Dunlap, Charles Ellis, Fred Farnham, Albert Farris, Richard Gouzie, Eric Grondahl, David Gryskwicz, Dorothy Harris, Jack Hart, John Hebert, Daniel Hill, Leslie Hinz, Kathryn Joiner, Ryan Keith, Richard Lambert, Matthew LeConte, Dabney Lewis, William Longley, Gordon MacEwan, James Nagle, Robert Neff, Timothy Nelson, Kathy Newell, Michael Nugent, Richard Peterson, Ron Phinney, Jonathan Reed, Thomas Reinsborough, Boni Rickett, Carroll Shepard, Barbara Skelton, Bruce Smith, Lowell Smith, Elwin Thorpe, Donald Vigneau, William Wells, Paul White.
- Communication:
- NERF Conference Calls: Tim Nelson reported that the coalition supported four (4) candidates: Ravi Shaw as Director, Adolf Zubia for President, Ron Lynn for Vice President and Jimmy Brothers for Treasurer/Secretary.
- Maine Municipal Association (MMA): Tim Nelson had a conference call with Mike Starn and Joan Kiszely regarding MBOIA's new contract with MMA. Tim Nelson reported that MMA revamped their office setup for operations and committees and added 1/5 person. Because of this increase in personnel, MMA went through their contract fees and made equity adjustments on the fees all the contracted affiliate groups were paying. When MBOIA initially signed with MMA, the original agreement was for $4,500. Because during the first two (2) years, the services MBOIA was using was less than anticipated, this fee dropped. Tim Nelson reported that the increase (which includes a cost of living adjustment) will bring the contracted amount back to the initial amount. There was no discussion on this matter.
- Guests :
Tim Nelson introduced the guests that were attending the meeting, including:
- Gordon MacEwan, MIAP Representative.
- Dottie Harris, ICC. She is the contact for this area and has direct oversight of this area, including New England . She spoke to the group and invited everyone to contact her regarding any needs of the group. She will be in direct contact with Tim Nelson, who will be circulating any information out to the membership. Dottie also spoke about the code hearing, which will be available on webcast. There will be webcasts of other events in Minneapolis , including the elections. Those attending will have voting keypads so those watching the election will know the results quicker. Dottie Harris invited everyone to participate in President Shapiro's Fireside chat on September 12, 2008 , and to call in. Participants are required to register ahead of time, both to submit questions and to listen in. Dottie Harris also explained the ICC has their eye on upcoming Legislation, including alerts setup if a Bill in Maine will affect building codes. She invited everyone to sign up for the E-Newsletter, which will be very informative. Dottie Harris reported on Federal Legislation proposed by ICC. There was a grant administered through HUD to building officials or CEOs, but is not fire related. The Bill still needs to pass the Senate, including Senator Dodd's banking committee because the financing is tied to the Bill. Dottie Harris anticipates that ICC would offer a training program to fill-out the grant applications. She also suggested that an MBOIA sponsored letter would be helpful to the cause. This Bill would help raise awareness of what they do. There is a draft letter available from ICC.
- Don Vigneau , Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (N.E.E.P.): Don Vigneau encouraged everyone to get out to the meeting in Minnesota , as there will be an extended agenda. There are key portions, which will include both energy and residential sprinklers, at the end of the agenda. Don Vigneau left cards for everyone to take. The cards explored the Energy Provisions - "The 30% Solution" that will be challenged at the Minneapolis meeting.
- Communications and Bills:
- Barbara Skelton reported that current Bills included the Bill for the MIAP, ICC breakfast meeting which was approved at the Board meeting, Today's Spring Meadows' Bill is outstanding. Barbara Skelton reported that the current checking account balance is $10,553.24, which leaves $18,496.43 in total assets. Tim Nelson made a motion to approve the financial report, seconded by Dabney Lewis. All approved.
- Unfinished Business:
- Fire Chiefs' Annual Meeting (October 23 & 24, 2008): Tim Nelson reported that MBOIA is co-sponsoring "Day 2" of this event. This Conference represents the first time the Maine Fire Chiefs' Association has contacted them about working together. Adolf Zubia of ICC and Bruce Johnson will both be available to talk about next week's changes in Minneapolis . There will also be a discussion on the home sprinklers issue, which ICC will be voting on at the Business meeting and should be a great topic.
- NEBOEA/U-MASS Seminar (October 6 & 9, 2008): Tim Nelson reported that the brochure for the 3-day class at U-MASS was distributed, and there are copies available at the meeting. He encouraged everyone to attend the class.
- Plumbing Seminar on October 22, 2008 : Jon Reed reported that the class will be very similar to the one held earlier in the year in Biddeford . The ICC instructor will be Roger Rotundo. Gordon MacEwan from MIAP gave a good price ($1,600-fixed price) up to fifty (50) people. Jonathan Reed is hoping to make $10 a head by paying discount rate and not paying for the books ahead of time.
- November State Planning Office: Tim Nelson reported that the Annual Code Seminar is planned for November 12 & 13, 2008, and is a good way to earn Maine code credits for certification.
- ESBOF: Al Farris reported that he has not been able to attend, but that the UNH Durham classes are still scheduled in Durham , NH in April. The available classes will be very similar to Amherst class. However, these will be close by and most will not have to stay overnight. ESBOF will be getting the program together soon.
- No correspondences aside from other parties.
- Annual Election of Officers and Directors:
- Tim Nelson reported that Richard Lambert would run the elections, except for the election of the Vice President (2008 is an odd year, when all positions are available). The Bylaws require that the highest office be elected first and proceed downward from there.
- President - 2-year term (expires September 2010): The Nominating Committee nominated Timothy Nelson. There were no nominations from the floor. Al Farris made a motion to cease nominations and to cast one ballot, seconded by Dabney Lewis. All approved.
- Vice President - 2-year term (expires September 2010): The Nominating Committee nominated Richard Lambert. There were no nominations from the floor. Bill Longley made a motion to cease nominations. Tim Nelson seconded the motion and made a motion to cast one ballot. Arthur Dunlap seconded the motion. All approved.
- Secretary - 3-year term (expires September 2011): The Nominating Committee nominated Jodine Adams. There were no nominations from the floor. Tim Nelson made a motion to cease nominations and to cast one ballot, seconded by Dabney Lewis. All in favor.
- Treasurer - 3-year term (expires September 2011): Barbara Skelton was nominated by the Nominating Committee. There were no nominations from the floor. Tim Nelson made a motion to cease nominations and to cast one ballot, seconded by Freeman Abbott. All approved.
- One Director Seat - 3-year term (expires September 2011): Bruce Smith was nominated by the Nominating Committee. There were no nominations from the floor. Tim Nelson made a motion to cease nominations and to cast one ballot, seconded by Bill Longley. All approved.
- One Director from Northern Maine ( Washington or Hancock County ) - 3-year term (expires September 2011): Frank Tracey was nominated by the Nominating Committee. There were no nominations from the floor. Barbara Skelton made a motion to cease nominations and to cast one ballot, seconded by Tim Nelson. All approved.
- One Director from Northern Maine (Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, or Somerset County) - 3-year term: Richard Lambert noted that this was a vacant Board position that can be filled at any meeting if someone is interested or knows someone.
- One Subscribing Member Director - 3-year term: Subscribing Member, Kathryn Joiner was nominated by the Nominating Committee. There were no nominations from the floor. Tim Nelson made a motion to cease nominations and to cast one ballot, seconded by Jonathan Reed. All approved.
- The Good and Welfare of the Association:
- Tim has the Association's sound system in his car, as he can no longer store it. He was looking for a volunteer to store somewhere. Bruce Smith agreed.
- New Member: New member, James Gardner, Kennebunk/Town of Lyman. Dabney Lewis made a motion to approve Mr. Gardner as a new member. Seconded by Freeman Abbott. All approved.
- Al Farris wanted to remind the group that the grant money is available to do more for public safety. The opportunity associated with the grant money is significant in helping to raise the profile in the community, beyond public service announcements.
- Adjournment : Mike Nugent moved to adjourn the meeting at 1:38 p.m. . Al Farris seconded. All approved.
|
|
|
|
|
