ACA WSO TELECONFERENCE MINUTES

April 11, 2015

A. Called to Order: The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of ACA WSO was called to order at 2:00 p.m. EST by Larry A., Chairman, and opened with the Serenity Prayer.

Tradition Four was read by the Chairman.

B. Roll Call of Board Members: Larry A., Chair and Literature Committee Chairman; Joan B., Vice Chairman, and chair of the H & I Committee; Mary Jo L, Treasurer, and Finance Committee Chair; Karen R, Secretary; Vonnie G., MPS Chair and Trustee; Majbrit M., European Committee Chair and Trustee; Ines Z, Spanish Liaison and Spanish Translations Committee Chair and Trustee; Martin C, Finance Committee Member, Chairman of the Intergroup Liaison Committee and Trustee.

C. Quorum established

           

D. Guest Introductions: Guests who chose to introduce themselves at this time included (number of TC meetings attended shown in parenthesis if known): Marietta, CT (12);Robin, TX (Literature Committee Production Asst.; John M., CA (15); Jude, VA, MPS committee member); Paula, CO (8); Bonnie, TX (12); Mona, Chicago IL (47); Phyllis, AZ (former board member and many TCs); Dennis, VA (1); Paul, CT (1); Suzanne, CA (1); Ami, CA; Laura, CA; Marti, MT; Jeanne, Brooklyn; Tracey, CA; Sam B., WSO Distribution Office Manager, Signal Hill, CA (many);

E. Approval of Minutes: A motion was made and 2nd, and the minutes of the March 14, 2015 teleconference meeting were unanimously approved as posted.

F. Committee Reports:

            1. ACA WSO Finance Committee, (Mary Jo L.): Contributions for March were higher than usual; there have been some additional expenses since the launch of the new website. An ad has been placed for a financial assistant in the Signal Hill office; Martin C reported on the first quarter surplus. Full report may be found on the Repository.

            2.Literature Committee, (Larry A.): Robin asks for volunteers with experience in layout and design; states the ComLine launched on the website continues with edits and updates; Audio BRB sales are rising and e-BRB sales continue to do well. Ines continues working with volunteers, vetting the BRB translations, as well as a donated translation of the meditation book; Phyllis states there have been overwhelming positive results from the re-launched ComLine, and encourages contributions for the next issue (deadline May 30 regarding Steps/Traditions 7-8-9). Full Literature Committee report may be found on the Repository.

          3. Distribution Office Report, (Sam): Reports the impact of the new website launch, assisting with order placement and shipping options. Explores ways to decrease shipping costs and to print shipping labels more efficiently; is providing input for system enhancements to the Board and is working on a document required by the state regarding worker injury and illness prevention. Full report may be found on the Repository.

          4. ACA Members and Public Service (MPS) Committee, Vonnie G.: This month continues to respond to requests from USA and non-USA groups; notes growth and establishment happening on the intergroup level. Welcomes new staff and volunteers, applauds teamwork to MPS as this is her final report due to ending her term of service, officially at the close of the 2015 ABC.   

          5. Hospitals and Institutions Committee (Joan B.) Reports termination of her term of service as Vice Chair officially at the close of the 2015 ABC, but states her plans to continue involvement with H & I Committee. Has no written report for this meeting, but states continued efforts of outreach and response to various chaplains and counselors through H & I.

          6. Intergroup Liaison Committee (Martin C.) Appreciates the opportunity to be another forum for groups to discuss and help each other; special thanks to Bonnie in TX. Full report may be found on the Repository.    

            7. Website/Database (Larry): The new website has been up for about 7 weeks; we continue to find a few gaps and glitches, often with logistical issues; are hoping to get meeting directories upgraded. Full report may be found on the Repository.

            8. European Activity Report, (Majbrit M): Has participated in another European conference call and appreciates the volunteers willing to assist with translations with the Danish and Norwegian languages; they have Group Service meetings similar to what is called, "Intergroups" in the USA, and continue with much excitement of the ACA growth. Full report may be found on the Repository.

          9. OPPM Review Committee, (Karen):   The OPPM Committee continues to meet more frequently and makes progress without so much time passing between discussions. Karen also reports that her service on the OPPM Committee will be ending with her term's expiration as WSO Secretary, but that she will continue efforts through the end of the month. They have another meeting scheduled for next week.

            10. 2015 ABC Committee, (Mary Jo): Expresses appreciation to Bonnie in TX and the LoneStar Intergroup for their service; all ballots and info are listed on the Repository; Committee Reports and Delegate Packets are in the process of being gathered; a reminder that there is still time to register for the ABC.      

            11. Executive Committee Report, (Joan B): no written report, but expresses appreciation for the opportunity to be of service to ACA by serving in the role of Vice Chairperson for the past two-years.

         

G. Old Business: There was no old business to report, but Martin C. (Finance Committee) took the opportunity, followed by comments from Larry A., the Chair, to acknowledge and express appreciation for the Trusted servants who've chosen not to stand for renewal of their terms this cycle. Allen C., Finance Committee resigned his Trustee position after last month's teleconference; Joan B., Vice Chair, Karen R., Secretary, and Vonnie G, MPS Chair will all complete and leave their positions as Trustees at the close of the 2015 ABC.

H. New Business:

Motion #1: To validate on the record the Board's specific concurrence to accept the resignation of Trustee, Allen C., from the ACA WSO Board of Trustees.

The motion as read was 2nd and passed unanimously.

Motion #2:  To validate on the record the Board's specific concurrence to give a copy of the audio BRB to the group of volunteers that helped with the audio book project.

The motion as read was 2nd and passed unanimously.

Motion #3: To validate on the record the Board's specific concurrence to approve payment for Centauria's March 18th invoice for $1833.75. This includes $833.75 for work already completed as of that date and $1,000 for fixes that are currently being worked on and for future work.

The motion as read was 2nd and passed unanimously.

Motion #4: To purchase a laptop along with a copy of Microsoft Office and a laptop maintenance contract for use by the MPS Committee at a cost of approximately $600.00.  

The motion as read was 2nd and passed unanimously.

Motion #5: To approve the presentation of the "H & I Information Booklet" at the 2015 ABC for delegate approval to publish on the Website for fellowship commentary for 90 days, receive and incorporate edits, and place for sale thereafter at  price TBD.    

The motion as read was 2nd and passed unanimously.

Motion #6:  To approve the presentation of the "To the Beginner In All of Us" at the 2015 ABC for delegate approval to publish on the Website for fellowship commentary for 90 days, receive and incorporate edits, and place for sale thereafter at  price TBD.

The motion as read was 2nd, discussed and passed by majority with one (1) no and one (1) abstention.

Motion #7:   To approve the presentation of the "Intergroup Set-Up Guidelines" at the 2015 ABC for delegate approval to publish on the Website for fellowship commentary for 90 days, receive and incorporate edits, and place for sale thereafter at  price TBD.   

The motion as read was 2nd, discussed and passed by majority with three (3)abstentions.

Motion #8: To create a handbook to help meetings establish structure.  

The motion as read was 2nd, discussed and passed unanimously.

Motion #9: Put in place a system of checks and balances as they relate to the treasurer’s job. (Have someone do spot checks of the treasurer’s accounting.)

The motion as read was 2nd, discussed and passed unanimously.

Motion #10: Schedule and International Convention Day to be held along with the ABC. Beginning 2016 and thereafter, schedule a World Convention Day to be held along with the ABC on a separate day.

The motion as read was 2nd, discussed and amendments were made. Amended motion passed unanimously.

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The floor was then opened for guest comments.  In summary, it was suggested the Annual Business Conference be held in the same place each year so that members could plan for attending. Another expressed appreciation for the ABC being held in different locales to add accessibility to different areas. There were questions regarding the audio BRB and where to get them. Appreciation and hopes for acknowledgement was expressed to Scott, who as former webmaster, kept the monumental task of having ACA online for the past 20 years. Expressions of appreciation for service to the Trustees rotating out of their positions with special thanks to Vonnie for the growth and development of the MPS Committee. All discussion, input from the teleconference attending fellowship was appreciated.

It was announced: The ABC will be held April 24 and 25 in Austin, TX. The next ACA WSO Board Teleconference meeting is scheduled for May 9, 2015 at 2 p.m. EST

Adjournment: The motion to adjourn was made and 2nd. The meeting was adjourned at 3:46 p.m. EST and closed with the Serenity Prayer.

Minutes respectfully submitted by; Karen Ragan, ACA/WSO Board of Trustees, Secretary