6-5-20204-Executive Board Meeting Minutes

United Church of Ludlow
Executive Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 5:30 PM

Minutes

United Church of Ludlow, 48 Pleasant St, Ludlow, VT 05149

Present: Laura Creaser, Michelle Fountain, Andy Otnicky, Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Dean Alexander, Bret Harlow
Present by Zoom: Bob Malecki
Absent: None

1. Call Meeting to Order – The meeting was called to order by Laura Creaser at 5:33 PM. Michelle led an opening prayer.  
2. Minutes – Board Clerk Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt presented the minutes from the April 3, 2024, meeting. Dean made a motion to approve the Minutes, and Bret seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.   
3. Treasurer’s Report – 
   1. Bob had submitted the May Treasurer’s Report by email. Dean made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. Andy seconded. The motion was approved unanimously. 
   2. Ring Out Love - $64,700 has been pledged, including $32,000 in the bank. There is also $12,500 donated as seed money, which has been released to the campaign. 
   3. Bob wants to review the new financial statement formats in person at the summer meeting. 
   4. Bob made a proposal to modify the annual budgeting timeline, to create more structure around targets and give the executive board more time to review. He proposed the following timeline, to be discussed and decided on at summer meeting:    
      1. Oct – prepare a draft budget with deacons, trustees, and Michelle. It would set a target/goal level. 
      2. Nov – conduct a pledge campaign to get an estimate of giving. 
      3. Early Jan – Tweak budget based on pledges. 
      4. Mid-Jan – Put the budget out to the congregation in advance of the Annual Meeting in late January. 
   5. Bob proposed a higher hourly rate for cleaning services. Colleen has been with us since 2014 and has been paid $12.50 an hour the whole time. If aggregated, it should be $16 an hour now. Karey makes $15.93 an hour; he proposes matching her. Dean made a motion to raise Colleen’s salary to $16 an hour starting July 1, and to readdress the salary issue on Jan. 1, 2025. Andy seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Laura will communicate the raise to Colleen with a thank you card. 
   6. Examine policies covering the Building and Vanguard funds - Bob will address this at the summer meeting.
   7. Research payroll services options for Pastor Michelle and direct deposit options for other UCL service providers - Bob started this and will continue. Quickbooks could handle payroll and do direct deposits for staff and providers, but the cost is $600 a year. He is looking into Berkshire Bank. Michelle should be getting paid in the usual payroll tactics. Bret looked into direct deposits for his company and pointed out that they lag a week.
   8. Research potentially lower-cost insurance options for the church - looking at this for the summer meeting.
   9. Lisa suggested a website DONATE button and encouragement of electronic giving. Bob suggested this could possibly through Square, which is connected to Weebly, our website interface. Again, action postponed until some research can be done.

 

1. Pastor’s Report – The Pastor’s report was sent to the Board via email. Highlights:
   1. Michelle finished her pastoral preparation last weekend. This Sunday afternoon, she will get her diploma at Castleton Church.
   2. She is taking one course this summer, online on Christian wisdom.
   3. She is attending racial justice task force meetings. 
   4. Pastoral visits are way up, partly because members are in Rutland medical facilities, near her home. Laura Caravatt and John Wu are both home. She has also visited Ralph Pace, Brenda Dansingburg, and the Almonds. 
   5. She held a Celebration of Life of Sylvia Williams last month. Pat Liao’s is this Sunday.
   6. She expressed thanks for Lisa overhauling and taking over management of the website, and Lisa told people what it now offers, including pastors’ sermons, regular updates and a calendar.
   7. She is concerned about gaps in services, and thinks perhaps we could hold a resource fair or assemble small groups to discuss what is needed in the community, such as an informational evening for aging people. Lisa pointed out that Senior Solutions is holding an Aging Successfully Fair next Friday; she will pick up fliers for Michelle. 
   8. The Building Inclusivity Team will take the next steps this summer.  
   9. Michelle will be gone to Savannah for a week in July to take a course for school. Has a vacation day left from May. Aug 11 week she will be 
   10. on vacation. 
   11. Wild Church and Annual Picnic will be held on July 21st, and we will celebrate Michelle Fountain’s graduation.
   12. She is considering doing another Holy Hilarity Sunday but hasn’t decided on the date.
2. Deacon’s Report
   1. Membership Lists - Laura turned the two lists into three: Active, Inactive and Former Membership Lists. Michelle suggests we print them out and put them in a binder. Andy says to make sure Anne has these lists.
3. Trustees
   1. Capital Campaign. Dean reported that we have exceeded our goal. Should we still reach out to the community for support? Dean has written a letter to businesses and associations. Michelle said it should say “at least $50,000.” Dean sees other needs such as painting that we didn’t include in the goal, and not all the money is in. Lisa will edit the letter. The bell can be used to commemorate big events and special occasions. Lisa is also updating the business spreadsheet.
      1. Projects: On the Bell, we’ve had two visits for measurements. It won’t be done till fall. Sound system - they have everything in except microphones, which are still being fabricated.
      2. Michelle raised the issue of how we should let the congregation know what we have collected. She suggested telling people who ask that we have collected $32,000, and we have some more pledges. 
      3. “SINGO for the Church Bell” event publicity - Lisa has sent press releases and put the event on local online calendars, the website, and Facebook. She has created flyers and will print them Sunday and put them up around the church. Lisa will announce the event on Sunday, and ask people to put posters up around the community.  
   2. Thermostats: Bret presented two online programmable thermostats, Nest ($250 X 2) and Ecobee ($178 x 2). Nest is more expensive and requires batteries. Ecobee can be put on current wiring so no batteries. They can learn our schedule and adapt to the need to warm people before meetings; setting can be overwritten. Bret can install the Ecobee. Dean made a motion to purchase two of Ecobees. Laura seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
   3. Keyless entry: Dean reported that he got a recommendation from Springfield locksmith to add deadbolts at the front and back, which can be operated using a keypad or Wifi, so that we can remotely open the building without giving a code or a key. The existing knobs would be left unlocked and just the deadbolt would be used for locking. The cost is $200-250 per unit, plus $75 per unit to install, plus a service fee. Total $180. Dean didn’t have the exact numbers with him and will send info and recommendations by email. We will do an email vote. 
4. New Business
   1. Dean said we received notification that Bob Smith passed away in 2023 and named us as a beneficiary of his will. He signed a 30-year lease agreement with Magris Talc to give them mining rights to his land in 1994. We are to receive 4 percent of the payout, up to $400,000. He still needs to confirm the amount we are to receive, but it’s about $16,000. The will is being contested because he made a new will 4 months before he died and cut out his son, who was a major beneficiary. Probate court is still considering; Dean is attending meetings. This will affect the timing of the receipt of the bequest.
5. Next Meeting Dates 
   1. The next meeting was set for Wed., Aug. 7, 2024, at 5:30 PM.
6. Laura made a motion to end the meeting. Dean seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned by Laura Creaser at 655 PM.

Minutes submitted by Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Clerk