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NRWA Board Minutes - 1999
MINUTES President Randy Van Dyke called the conference call meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. CST. All members of the Executive Committee along with Robert Johnson were present. Motion by Charlie Lawson and seconded by Bobby Scott to dispense with dealing with the minutes of Executive Committee meeting in Branson. Motion passed by unanimous vote. President Van Dyke said the dates for the next Executive Committee Meeting will be January 28-30, 2000 in Tempe, Arizona. Dennis Schwartz presented a recommendation from the Finance Committee and moved that NRWA contribute up to $232,500 to the Rural Water Education and Research Foundation contingent upon their finding other funding. Bill Killian seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. (Attachment A) Phil Bastin presented the Legislative-Appropriations Committee report with the goals for the coming year. He moved that the report be accepted. Ernie Faucett seconded the motion, which passed. (Attachment B) Jim Dunlap gave an overview of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council Small System Implementation Working Groups report. He questioned several items in the report that offer concern for small systems. He recommended offering amendments to the report. The committee discussed press releases for Y2K. The committee also discussed the 25th anniversary celebration of the SDWA. Charlie Lawson move to adjourn, which was seconded by Dennis Schwartz and passed at 11:30 a.m. CST. ___________________________________ I, Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the National Rural Water Association, do hereby certify that I was present on the NRWA Executive Committee Conference call held on Monday, November 22, 1999, and I further certify that the foregoing minutes are true and correct. _______________________________ click here to return to the top of the page
MINUTES President Randall Van Dyke called the meeting of the National Rural Water Association Board of Directors' meeting to order at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 16, 1999 at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Secretary Clark Cronquist read the Notice of Meeting. Richard Gist introduced a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and approve as mailed. The motion was seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. Bobby Scott, Treasurer and Claudette Atwood presented the Financial Report. A motion to accept the Financial Report as presented was introduced by Ernie Faucett, seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote. The Events of the Week were presented by Sam Wade. Michael Gibson, CPA from Cole and Reed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, presented the NRWA annual audit report for March 1, 1998 to February 28, 1999. J.C. Walker introduced a motion to accept the audit report as presented. The motion was seconded by Dennis Schwartz and passed by unanimous vote. Chairman Phil Bastin presented the Legislative Appropriations Committee Report. He informed the Directors that funding in the Circuit Rider and EPA Programs would be increased. The Circuit Rider Program would add an additional 14 Circuit Riders with a 5% increase for total funding at $7.3 million, Wastewater Technicians at $16.2 million, grants and loans for FY 2000 would be $631.088 million and the increase in EPA was from $8.0 to $8.5 million. The Source Water Protection Program was at $1.5 and the SRF $820 million. John Montgomery followed with a brief update on legislative activities. A motion was introduced to accept the Legislative Appropriations Committee Report by Phil Bastin, seconded by Dale Kennedy and passed by unanimous vote. The Regulatory Committee Report was presented by Rodney Tart, Chairman. He talked on the issues concerning radon and arsenic. John Regnier provided some in-sight on the radon subject along with two (2) recommendations for consideration. They were: 1) That NRWA push for delay of implementation of the rule whenever it is promulgated for small systems, that is with a population of less than 10,000, for five (5) years beyond the maximum compliance for larger systems; and 2) instead of a dual standard we strive for a single standard of 4,000 pcl per liter. A motion was introduced by Rodney Tart, seconded by John Regnier and following discussion passed by unanimous vote to accept the two radon recommendations as presented. Rodney Tart introduced a motion as a recommendation from the Regulatory Committee that arsenic be retained at 50 parts per billion at the current time. The motion was seconded by David Saddler and passed by unanimous vote. A motion to accept the Regulatory Committee Report was introduced by Rodney Tart, seconded by Wayne Fontenot and passed by unanimous vote. The Program Review Committee Report was presented by Bobby Scott, Chairman. (Attachment A) Bobby Scott introduced a motion to accept the report as presented. The motion was seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. Chairman Dennis Schwartz presented the Finance Committee Report. He presented the recommendations of the committee as follows:
A motion to accept the recommendation was introduced by Dennis Schwartz and seconded by Bill Killian. Following discussion the motion passed by unanimous vote.
Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion to approve the recommendation. The motion was seconded by Wayne Fontenot. Following discussion, the motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion to approve the budget modification was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Bobby Scott, and passed by unanimous vote.
Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion to approve the allocation for the Foundation. The motion was seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote.
A motion to approve the recommendation was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Teresa Rissmiller and passed by unanimous vote.
A motion to accept the recommendation for the new auditing firm was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by J.C. Walker and passed by unanimous vote. Charlie Lawson introduced a motion to accept the Finance Committee Report. The motion was seconded by Anna Jacobi and passed by unanimous vote. The next item of discussion was a review of the aircraft upgrade. Jim Brewer, pilot and owner of Brewer Aviation in Duncan, Oklahoma briefed the Board members on the aircraft and their differences. Robert Johnson discussed the management of the new aircraft and its utilization. Questions were asked and discussion occurred on the issue. On the aircraft issue, the Legislative Committee recommendation as presented by Phil Bastin, Chairman, was that NRWA Board commit whatever resources necessary to do the work of fulfilling the appropriation goals. Dennis Schwartz, Chairman, presented the Finance Committee's recommendation which was that it would be appropriate to consider an aircraft upgrade at this time. The Program Review Committee's recommendation as presented by Bobby Scott, Chairman, was that NRWA purchase a jet aircraft. President Van Dyke suggested that the motion for this issue be postponed until after lunch. Rodney Tart introduced a motion to go into executive session to be updated on the OIG investigation with Bill Gardner by telephone. The motion was seconded by David Saddler and passed by unanimous vote. The Board went into executive session at 12:15 p.m. and recessed for lunch at 12:30 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 1:30 p.m. President Van Dyke recognized Miriam Brown and Gary King, who were going off the Board, for their many years of service. Bobby Scott introduced a motion to upgrade the aircraft from a 421 to a 1121B with a price range of $400,000 - $450,000. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian. Clark Cronquist offered an amendment to the motion to keep and maintain the 421 and buy the 1121B with a leasing plan when it was not being used by NRWA. The motion was seconded by Bob Paffile. Discussion ensued on the amendment. Fred Stottlemyer made a point of order on the amendment that it was the policy of the Board that all financial items must be brought before the Finance Committee before any decision is made. Darryl Brown noted that the amendment was out of order. President Van Dyke ruled that the amendment was not in order. Following further discussion the question was called. The vote on the original motion was 27 - yes and 11 - no. The purchase of the aircraft passed. Jim Dunlap, Chairman, presented the Capacity Development Committee Report. (Attachment B) A motion to approve the report was introduced by Jim Dunlap, seconded by J.C. Walker and passed by unanimous vote. The Nominating and Credentials Committee Report was presented by Gary King, Chairman. Gary King introduced a motion to accept the report. The motion was seconded by Jim Dunlap and passed by unanimous vote. John Regnier, Chairman, presented the Convention Committee Report. He informed the members that a problem was still existing with the overbooking of hotel rooms by state associations. He noted that NRWA staff had been requested to investigate the possibility of future hotel contracts requiring advance payment of at least one room night. After much deliberation the committee selected the Mississippi Gulfport area as the 2004 conference site and recommended its approval. A motion to accept the committee's selection of the Mississippi Gulfport area for the 2004 conference was introduced by John Regnier, seconded by Bob Paffile and passed by unanimous vote. John Regnier introduced a motion that the Convention Committee's Report be accepted as stated. The motion was seconded by Ernie Faucett and passed by unanimous vote. Bob Paffile, Chairman, presented the Professional Development Committee Report. (Attachment C) A motion to accept the report was introduced by Bob Paffile, seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote. The Marketing/Public Relations Report was presented by Chairman Rodney Tart. (Attachment D) Rodney Tart introduced a motion to accept the Marketing/Public Relations Plan as presented. The motion was seconded by Wayne Fontenot and passed by unanimous vote. Clark Cronquist, Chairman, presented an update on the Rural Municipal Retirement Plan. He noted that there were 45 remaining plans out of 145 that had not made any arrangements to transfer their funds to a new provider. A letter (attachment E) was being mailed to all plan sponsors. The systems who had not indicated where their funds were to be transferred would be contacted by phone during the course of the week. No contributions would be accepted to the plan after November 30th and it would be valued and a check would be sent to those systems in December who had not transferred funds. Jim Dunlap introduced a motion that the Retirement Report be added to the NRWA minutes for the record. The motion was seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. The Privatization Committee Report was presented by Chairman Fred Stottlemyer. It was recommended that NRWA continue and strengthen it efforts in the regulatory area to protect systems from unfair takeover efforts. It was also urged that the NRWA capacity development effort recognize and educate systems on the privatization risks involved in not having capacity. Fred Stottlemyer introduced a motion to accept the report as presented. The motion was seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote. Chairman Neil Forster presented the Awards Committee Report. The committee recommended that the "Win With Members" campaign be dropped due to the lack of interest and that NRWA staff look at something new with a cash award. A motion to accept the recommendation was introduced by Neil Forster, seconded by David Saddler and passed by unanimous vote. A motion was introduced by Neil Forster to accept the report as presented. The motion was seconded by Jeff Sarvis and passed by unanimous vote. President Van Dyke, on a point of order, noted that Clark Cronquist's term of appointment was up on the Rural Municipal Trust Board. Dennis Schwartz nominated Clark Cronquist to be reappointed to the position on the Trust Board. The nomination was seconded by Ernie Faucett. A motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Bob Selchert and passed by unanimous vote. The Scholarship Committee Report was presented by John Baerg, Chairman. (Attachment F) John Baerg introduced a motion to accept the report. The motion was seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. Bill Secrest, Chairman of the By-Laws Committee, reported that no amendments had been submitted for approval this year. A motion to accept the report was introduced by Bill Secrest, seconded by Gary King and approved by unanimous vote. Darryl Brown, Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, informed the Board that the committee would be meeting in January to review the long range process for the next five (5) to ten (10) years. Any comments or suggestions in regards to this issue were welcomed. It was noted that a web page would be created to post their suggestions. Rodney Tart talked about the Future Forum Statement that was considered by the Regulatory Committee. The Board reviewed the NRWA Future Forum Statement. (Attachment G) Darryl Brown introduced a motion to not sign on to the original language but to approve the amended Future Forums Statement. The motion was seconded by Dennis Schwartz. During the discussion, Jim Dunlap suggested changing the word "good" to "proven" in the statement. The change was agreed upon by the motion maker and the second and passed by unanimous vote. Tommy Duck, President, and Diane Snyder, Executive Director, gave a presentation from the Rural Water Research and Education Foundation. They talked about the upcoming expo in Phoenix, Arizona in January, 2000. On behalf of the Foundation, Tommy recommended that Jimmy Matthews be reappointed to a full three (3) year term on the Board of Governors. A motion to appoint Jimmy Matthews was introduced by Charlie Lawson, seconded by Ernie Faucett and passed by unanimous vote. Fred Stottlemyer gave a report from the International Rural Water Association. He talked about the chlorine bank that had been established from donations after Hurricane Mitch and the good that it had done. The Board was informed that the IntRWA had requested more money this year in order to fund another Circuit Rider since AWWA Water for People was discontinuing their support in Honduras. He announced that a proposal from Honduras would be received on the continued operation of the chlorine bank to distribute and generate chlorine as this was a tremendously successful and transferable program. On behalf of the IntRWA, Fred Stottlemyer recommended that Dan Keil, Tim Edwards and he be reappointed to three (3) year terms. Clark Cronquist introduced a motion to reappoint Fred Stottlemyer, Dan Keil and Tim Edwards to new three (3) year terms and to place the vote by unanimous ballot. The motion was seconded by Teresa Rissmiller and passed by unanimous vote. John Gaston from AWWA addressed the Board as a special guest. The Federal Contract Programs Report was presented by Sam Wade. The next item of business was the election of officers. The floor was opened for nominations for the three (3) positions of Executive Director. Bill Secrest nominated Ernie Faucett. Charlie Lawson nominated Jim Alsobrook. Bill Killian nominated Charlie Lawson. Fred Sheldon nominated Bill Killian. A motion that the nominations cease was introduced by Darryl Brown, seconded by Bob Selchert and passed by unanimous vote. Those being elected to the Executive Director positions were: Ernie Faucett, Charlie Lawson, and Bill Killian. Nominations were accepted for the office of Treasurer. Bill Killian nominated Bobby Scott. Charlie Lawson introduced a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast. The motion was seconded by Fred Stottlemyer and passed by unanimous vote. The floor was opened for nominations for the office of Secretary. Anna Jacobi nominated Clark Cronquist. A motion that nominations cease and that a unanimous ballot be cast was introduced by Rodney Tart, seconded by Wayne Fontenot and passed by unanimous vote. Nominations were then accepted for the office of Vice President. Bill Secrest nominated Phil Bastin. A motion was introduced by Bobby Scott that nominations cease and that a unanimous ballot be cast. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. The next office receiving nominations was that of Sr. Vice President. Bob Paffile nominated Dennis Schwartz. Anna Jacobi introduced a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast. The motion was seconded by Teresa Rissmiller and passed by unanimous vote. The floor was then opened for nominations for the office of President. Bobby Scott nominated Randy Van Dyke. Rodney Tart introduced a motion that nominations cease and that Randy be elected by acclamation. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. Robert Johnson provided closing remarks by commending the Directors for their professional attitude when conducting business. He briefly spoke on appropriations and the increases to the federal programs and the part that everyone played in this success, the laptop computers that the Directors were now using, the new training program and Native American Program that had been initiated and he recognized Miriam Brown and Gary King for the work they had done while serving on the NRWA Board. Clark Cronquist introduced a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Wayne Fontenot and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m. _____________________________ I, Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the National Rural Water Association, do hereby certify that I was present at the NRWA Board of Directors Meeting held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 16, 1999, and I further certify that the foregoing minutes are true and correct. ______________________________ click here to return to the top of the page Draft Copy - Waiting for Signatures MINUTES President Randall Van Dyke called the National Rural Water Association's Twenty-fourth Annual Membership Meeting to order at 1:37 p.m. on Monday, October 18, 1999 at the Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Secretary Clark Cronquist read the notice of meeting to the members. A motion to accept the reading of the notice was introduced by Wayne Winebrenner, seconded by P.M. Woods and passed by unanimous vote. Paul Brayton introduced a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and accept as mailed. The motion was seconded by Larry Epps and passed by unanimous vote. Certification that the credentials for the voting delegates were in order and that a quorum was present was made by Secretary Clark Cronquist. Treasurer Bobby Scott presented the financial report. He introduced Michael Gibson, CPA from Cole & Reed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who presented the National Rural Water Association annual audit report for March 1, 1998 to February 28, 1999. Phil Bastin, Chairman, presented the Legislative Appropriations Committee Report. He announced the increases in program monies that would be received. The importance of state association participation in the appropriations process was stressed to continue the support that the association was receiving from Congress. The Regulatory Committee Report was presented by Rodney Tart, Chairman. He addressed the delegates on the issues of radon, arsenic and disinfection/disinfection by-products. Bob Paffile, Chairman, presented the Professional Development Committee Report and the seven recommendations approved by the NRWA Board of Directors. They were 1) NRWA establish a state board page to provide information on NRWA and national issues; 2) with each audience review and emphasize that the purpose of NRWA programs is to train rather than fix and repair; 3) continued budgeting for training and professional development of NRWA staff and encourage the same to state associations; 4) that all state associations be encouraged to implement web pages and notify states of the availability of NRWA assistance and hosting; 5) that the Awards Committee consider an award for the best new web page; 6) encourage the association to continue to condense information for the ease of understanding; and 7) that NRWA strive to keep in the forefront of NRWA and state associations the competitive forces that affect us and gather information to compete successfully. The Marketing & Public Relations Committee Report was given by John O'Connell, Vice Chairman. He spoke of the key elements discussed during the committee's meeting which involved ways to better serve the state associations. The delegates were informed that prepared news releases on important issues were one aspect of meeting association needs. The committee will be setting goals for their continued work. Capacity Development Committee Chairman Jim Dunlap presented their report. He talked about the importance of capacity development and the template that had been formulated. Every state was encouraged to be active in capacity development. The Long Range Planning Committee Report was given by Darryl Brown, Chairman. The importance of the grassroots efforts and this organization was stressed. He noted the significance of planning ahead for a period of five years. A motion was introduced by Joe Liles, seconded by J.C. Peevy and passed by unanimous vote to accept the committee reports as presented. Gary King, Chairman of the Credentials and Nominating Committee, presented the Directors nominated for election and found each person qualified. They were as follows: John E. Regnier Alabama David Saddler Arizona William Killian California Gary Ensign Colorado Roberta Neilson Delaware Paul Brayton Florida Robert Paffile Idaho Steve Fletcher Illinois James Alsobrook Maryland Rolland Olney Michigan Thad Shows Mississippi Jim Sheldon Nebraska Charles Lawson Nevada Anna B. Jacobi New Jersey John O'Connell New York Rodney Tart North Carolina Ardyce Cochran Northeast Charles Hilton South Carolina Dale Kennedy South Dakota Richard Gist Texas John Kiplinger Wyoming A motion to elect these directors was introduced by Gary King, seconded by Bill Secrest and passed by unanimous vote. Representatives from Evergreen Rural Water Association in Washington presented a check to the National Rural Water Association as final payment on their loan. J.C. Walker introduced a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Tom Wootten and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m. ______________________________ I, Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the National Rural Water Association, do hereby certify that I was present at the National Rural Water Association Membership Meeting held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 18, 1999, and I do further certify that the foregoing minutes are true and correct. ______________________________ click here to return to the top of the page MINUTES President Randall Van Dyke called the meeting of the National Rural Water Association Executive Committee to order at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, July 17, 1999, at the Chateau on the Lake Hotel in Branson, Missouri. Present were Dennis Schwartz, Phil Bastin, Clark Cronquist, Bobby Scott, Jim Dunlap, Jim Alsobrook, Charlie Lawson, and Bill Killian. Also present were Robert Johnson, Sam Wade, Claudette Atwood, John Montgomery, Rodney Tart, Darryl Brown, and Fred Sheldon. A motion to dispense with the reading of the Notice of Meeting was introduced by Bill Killian, seconded by Jim Alsobrook, and passed by unanimous vote. Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the last meeting and approve as mailed. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. Bobby Scott, Treasurer, and Claudette Atwood presented the Financial Report. Following discussion a motion was introduced by Charlie Lawson that the Financial Report be approved as presented with the condition that the Finance Committee be presented with a breakdown of Board travel. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. The Finance Committee Report was presented by Dennis Schwartz. The members were informed that the budget cycle period and the Long Range Financial Plan were both discussed and reviewed. The first recommendation was that the current budget be prorated for the period of October 1999 through February 2000. This motion was made by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Jim Alsobrook and passed by unanimous vote. Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion that the policy be changed on the net asset ratio from .75 to .50. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. The third recommendation brought forward by Chairman Schwartz was the addition of restrictions, adding two items to be listed as number 4 "Options" and number 5 "Other High Risk Investments" to the investment policy. This motion was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote. A recommendation to change the split from 60% equities 40% fixed income securities to 70% equities 30% fixed income securities to be reflected on the Total Investments balance was brought forward by Dennis Schwartz on behalf of the Finance Committee. Dennis Schwartz made this motion which was seconded by Bobby Scott and passed by unanimous vote. The next Finance Committee recommendation was to eliminate the line in the second paragraph under performance objectives which states "the target of an absolute rate of return of 10% is considered more important than the relative goal." This motion was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Bobby Scott and passed by unanimous vote. A recommendation to add a new heading indicating "total investments" was submitted by Chairman Schwartz for consideration on behalf of the committee. Dennis Schwartz introduced this motion. It was seconded by Jim Alsobrook and passed by unanimous vote. Changing the language in the loan policy to reflect that the loans are for states during the funding lags specifically was another recommendation submitted for approval by the committee. Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion to adopt the language change as presented. The motion was seconded by Jim Alsobrook and following discussion passed by unanimous vote. Action on the Finance Committee Report was deferred until after the Regulatory Report. Robert Johnson reported on the Implementation Plan of the Long Range Plan. (Attachment A) Phil Bastin provided an update on the Legislative Committees activities which was followed by John Montgomerys brief update on the legislative arena. A motion to accept the report as presented was introduced by Phil Bastin, seconded by Charlie Lawson, and passed by unanimous vote. The Capacity Development Committee Report was presented by Jim Dunlap. He informed the members of the draft, self-assessment questionnaire that had been developed. It will be field tested prior to being sent out to the state associations for use by water systems all across the country. A motion to accept the Capacity Development Committee Report was introduced by Charlie Lawson, seconded by Clark Cronquist. Following discussion the motion passed by unanimous vote. Rodney Tart and John Trax, via telephone, provided an update on regulatory issues. It was indicated that three major issues existed: 1) arsenic, 2) radon, and 3) FACA disinfection/disinfection by-products. The meeting recessed for lunch at noon and reconvened at 1:30 p.m. The meeting returned to the discussion on the regulatory issues. The floor was turned back to Dennis Schwartz, Chairman of the Finance Committee, who made a motion that the Executive Committee consider committing $150,000 to support the FACA disinfection/disinfection by-product survey project. The motion was seconded by Jim Alsobrook. Following discussion the motion passed by unanimous vote. A motion to accept the Finance Committee Report was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous report. A motion to accept the Regulatory Committee Report was introduced by Charlie Lawson, seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. Robert Johnson briefly updated the members on the OIG investigation. Each member was given the opportunity to ask questions. Clark Cronquist presented the Rural Municipal Retirement Report. He informed the members on where the Trust was currently. Jim Alsobrook introduced a motion to accept the report of the Retirement Trust. The motion was seconded by Jim Dunlap and passed by unanimous vote. President Van Dyke reported on the WUC, WICC and AWWA meetings. A motion to accept these reports as presented was introduced by Bill Killian, seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed. Sam Wade presented a report on the Federal Contract Programs. Charlie Lawson introduced a motion to accept the report, Jim Dunlap seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote. A motion to adjourn the meeting was introduced by Jim Alsobrook, seconded by Bobby Scott and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. ______________________________ Randall Van Dyke, President I, Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the National Rural Water Association, do hereby certify that I was present at the National Rural Water Association Executive Committee Meeting held in Branson, Missouri on July 17, 1999, and I do further certify that the foregoing minutes are true and correct. ______________________________ Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary click here to return to the top of the page MINUTES President Randall Van Dyke called the meeting of the National Rural Water Association Board of Directors to order at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, April 10, 1999 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. A motion to dispense with the reading of the Noticeof Meeting and the minutes of the last meeting and approve as mailed was introduced by Richard Gist, seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. President Van Dyke told the Directors that following the Board meeting on Sunday an informed question and answer type session would be conducted to inform and help orient both old and new Board members. The Financial Report was presented by Bobby Scott, Treasurer, and Claudette Atwood. Bobby Scott introduced a motion to accept the Financial Report as presented. The motion was seconded by John Regnier and passed by unanimous vote. A motion to seat Gary Ensign, Colorado; Rolland Olney, Michigan; and John Kiplinger, Wyoming as new NRWA Directors was introduced by Jim Dunlap, seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. The Events of the Week was presented by Sam Wade. Phil Bastin, Chairman, presented an update on the Legislative Committee activities. A re-evaluation of the goal set for the loan and grant appropriations was changed per a motion in the Legislative Committee meeting to reduce the request from $1 Billion to $645 million. This was due to the budget resolution and the amount that had been requested by the Administration for USDA Grants and Loans. The regulatory portion of the report was presented by Rodney Tart. He briefly talked about the various meetings that had been attended and what was happening as a result of those discussions. (Attachment A) Comments and discussion followed. John Regnier brought forward the Radon Ad Hoc Committees recommendation. Following discussion a motion was introduced by Darryl Brown that NRWA agrees that the states should have maximum flexibility in developing the state specific program and that EPA has no review authority over the public process. Further moved that our Washington staff prepare legislation to get EPA out of the review/evaluation of the multi-media mediagation programs. The motion was seconded by John Regnier and passed by unanimous vote. A motion to change the appropriation goal of $1 billion back to $645 million was introduced by Phil Bastin, seconded by Bob Selchert and passed by unanimous vote. J.C. Walker introduced a motion to accept the full Legislative and Regulatory Reports. The motion was seconded by Ernie Faucett and passed by unanimous vote. A motion to go into executive session to receive an update on the OIG investigation was introduced by Clark Cronquist, seconded by Ernie Faucett and passed by unanimous vote. The Board went into executive session at 10:25 a.m. Rodney Tart introduced a motion to come out of executive session. The motion was seconded by John OConnell and passed by unanimous vote. The executive session ended at 11:30 a.m. A draft of the Long Range Plan was presented by Darryl Brown. (Attachment B) A two part motion was introduced by Darryl Brown to approve the Long Range Plan with the following provisions: 1) direct staff to develop an implementation plan to be presented to the Executive Board at its summer 1999 meeting; and 2) encourage President Van Dyke to appoint a standing committee on Long Range Planning to monitor the implementation of the Long Range Plan and to continually review the Long Range Plan to assure that it is currently meeting the needs of the association. The motion was seconded by Gary King. Following discussion a motion was introduced by Darryl Brown to table the issue until after lunch. The motion was seconded by Jim Dunlap and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:10 p.m. and reconvened at 1:30 p.m. A motion to remove the issue of the Long Range Plan from the table was introduced by Darryl Brown, seconded by Neil Forster and passed by unanimous vote. An amendment to the motion to add "item G" under the goal "Professional Development, Technical Expertise" which reads as follows: Develop in-house capability within NRWA to thoroughly assess the scientific/technical implications of drinking water regulations was introduced by John Regnier and seconded by Darryl Brown. Following discussion, the question was called and the amendment passed by unanimous vote. The main motion as amended with the recommendations as presented was passed by unanimous vote. The Program Review Committee Report was presented by Bobby Scott, Chairman. It was the recommendation of the committee that the Board support the resolution submitted by the Rural Municipal Trust Administrators. (Attachment C) Clark Cronquist, Chairman, gave the Rural Municipal Trust update. He presented to the Board of Directors a resolution agreed upon by the Trust Administrators to dissolve the retirement plan. (Attachment D) A motion to adopt the resolution as set forth by the Rural Municipal Trust Administrators was introduced by Clark Cronquist and seconded by Gary King. Questions were asked and discussion was held on the issue of the dissolution and how the participants would be affected. The question was called for by Bobby Scott and the motion passed by unanimous vote. A motion was made by John Baerg to change the NRWA policy so that state affiliates or NRWA staff has the flexibility to choose any retirement plan. Any expenditures from this plan may be used as a direct or indirect expense of the NRWA federally funded programs. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote following discussion. Dennis Schwartz, Chairman, presented the Finance Committee Report. (Attachment E) The committee recommended approval of the following budget adjustments which increase the Wastewater Program from $5.94 million to $7.624 million. 1) increase the Wastewater Program by $531,500 for June 1 September 30, 1999, 2) increase the County-by-County Program by 5% which will retain the same number of programs, 3) increase the Asset Management Program the difference between the 1.5% increase earlier received and the 6% increase normally received. A motion to adopt the budget modifications as presented was introduced by Dennis Schwartz, seconded by Gary King and passed by unanimous vote. Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion to change the fiscal year for the current period to get in line for a new fiscal year period of March 1 February 28. The motion was seconded by Neil Forster and passed by unanimous vote. A motion to accept the Finance Committee Report was introduced by Neil Forster, seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. Jim Dunlap, Chairman, reported on the meeting of the Capacity Development Ad Hoc Committee. He noted that the committees primary goal is to develop a template for capacity development like the CCR. The Professional Development Committee Report was presented by Bob Paffile, Chairman. (Attachment F) A motion to accept the Professional Development Committee Report was introduced by Jim Dunlap, seconded by Ernie Faucett and passed by unanimous vote. Fred Stottlemyer, Chairman, presented the Privatization Committee Report. He stated that a survey would be mailed to each state association to find what is happening within their state in regards to privatization to develop the direction the committee needed to go. The Public Relations/Marketing Committee Report was given by Rodney Tart, Chairman. (Attachment G) Tommy Duck, President, and Diane Snyder, Executive Director, presented a report from the Rural Water Research and Education Foundation on the work they had been doing. It was announced that due to a by-laws change the RWREF Board of Directors had been increased by two and there was presently one vacancy on their Board due to the resignation of David Kubala. Tommy Duck made the recommendation to elect Jimmy Matthews to replace David Kubala and to elect Gary Williams and Rodney Tart to their Board. A motion to accept the recommendation to elect Jimmy Matthews, Gary Williams and Rodney Tart to the Rural Water Research and Education Foundation Board was introduced by Jim Alsobrook, seconded by Neil Forster and passed by unanimous vote. The Awards Committee Report was given by Neil Forster. He announced that the nomination packets would be mailed to the state association offices by the end of April or the first of May. The committee set July 31 August 2 as the date of the meeting in Duncan to select the award recipients. John Regnier introduced a motion to accept the Awards Committee Report. The motion was seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote. John Regnier presented the Convention Committee Report. (Attachment H) He announced that seven (7) states had submitted proposals from the eastern region for the 2004 convention site. The Scholarship Committee Report was presented by John Baerg. (Attachment I) It was reported that 20 scholarships had been awarded for the 1999-2000 school term. A motion to accept the Scholarship Committee Report was introduced by John Baerg, seconded by Bob Paffile, and passed by unanimous vote. The International Rural Water Association Report was presented by Fred Stottlemyer. He spoke about his trip to Honduras and the destruction that was caused by Hurricane Mitch. He reported on the chlorine bank established by IntRWA and the good it had done in dealing with disinfection problems. The Board members were given the opportunity to ask questions on the federal contract reports. President Van Dyke provided the Board members the chance to announce their intention to run for office in the fall. Those announcing were: Randy Van Dyke President Ernest Faucett Executive Director Dennis Schwartz Sr. Vice President Phil Bastin Vice President Jim Alsobrook Executive Director Bill Killian Executive Director Bobby Scott Treasurer Charlie Lawson Executive Director Clark Cronquist Secretary Robert Johnson provided closing remarks for the meeting to the effect that 1) there were seven (7) new Directors on the NRWA Board; 2) a new Long Range Plan had been approved; 3) the Directors have a new way of communicating with their laptop computers; 4) two new programs, the Board Training and Native American, have been added; 5) the budget was increased by $1.7 million which added 13 new state association staff; 6) this is an era of more opportunities than ever before; 7) capacity development product will be developed; and 8) the legislative quick start program was effective. A motion to adjourn was introduced by John OConnell, seconded by Bobby Scott and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------ Randy Van Dyke, President I, Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the National Rural Water Association, do hereby certify that I was present at the NRWA Board of Directors Meeting held in Washington, D.C. on April 10, 1999 and I further certify that the foregoing minutes are true and correct. ------------------------------------------------------ Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary click here to return to the top of the page MINUTES President Randall Van Dyke called the National Rural Water Association Executive Board Meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 9, 1999, at the Shelter Pointe Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California. Present were Dennis Schwartz, Phil Bastin, Clark Cronquist, Bobby Scott, Bill Killian, Jim Dunlap, Charles Lawson, and Jim Alsobrook. Also present were Robert Johnson, Sam Wade, Claudette Atwood, John Regnier and John Montgomery. A motion to dispense with the reading of the Notice of Meeting and Minutes and approve as mailed was introduced by Charlie Lawson, seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. The Financial Report was presented by Bobby Scott, Treasurer, and Claudette Atwood. Jim Dunlap introduced a motion to approve the report as presented. The motion was seconded by Charlie Lawson and passed by unanimous vote. The next item of business was the seating of Doug Anderton, Georgia and Joe Liles, Kentucky as NRWA Directors due to the resignations of Joe Palmer and Elroy Larimore. A motion to seat the new NRWA Directors was introduced by Clark Cronquist, seconded by Jim Dunlap and passed by unanimous vote. Dennis Schwartz presented the Finance Committee Report. A brief summary of the committee=s actions was given. The Committee made the following recommendations: 1) propose a Demonstration Technical Assistance Training Program in Alaska in the amount of $200,000; 2) NRWA staff continue discussions with EPA to redistribute the funds between the Technical Assistance & Training and Ground Water Programs; and 3) designate the reserve for the AMP and capital improvements with the earnings to be credited to those perspective, designated accounts. Claudette Atwood was asked to expand on the budget presentation. (Attachment A) Dennis Schwartz introduced a motion to accept the Finance Committee Report, including its recommendations and the adoption of the budget as presented. The motion was seconded by Clark Cronquist and passed by unanimous vote. The Convention Committee Report was presented by John Regnier. (Attachment B) Motion to accept the report as presented was introduced by Charlie Lawson, seconded by Dennis Schwartz. Following discussion the motion passed. The meeting recessed at 11:45 a.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. Phil Bastin presented the Legislative Committee Report with the assistance of John Montgomery. The Association=s legislative goals and priorities for 1999 were presented for discussion. (Attachment C) Jim Dunlap introduced a motion to accept the report of the Legislative Regulatory Committee. The motion was seconded by Bill Killian. Following discussion the motion passed by unanimous vote. John Regnier and President Van Dyke respectively presented brief reports on radon and disinfection-disinfection by-products. Robert Johnson updated the Executive Committee members on the status of the OIG Report. The Rural Municipal Trust Retirement was the next item addressed. Robert Johnson summarized a letter from some attorneys in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma which stated the plan sponsor=s responsibilities. (Attachment D) Mr. Johnson suggested that due to the transition phase the particular issue of adopting a resolution be addressed at the Board Meeting at the Rally. A motion that NRWA staff bring to the Rally a report of the Trust which is properly prepared, IRS accepted and assurance it is a maintained plan was introduced by Jim Dunlap and seconded by Jim Alsobrook. Following some discussion the motion passed by unanimous vote. The next item of business was closure of the Connecticut/Rhode Island situation. Jim Dunlap introduced a motion to postpone indefinitely any further action of the Connecticut/Rhode Island issue. The motion was seconded by Clark Cronquist. Following discussion, motion passed by unanimous vote. Robert Johnson and Phil Bastin spoke on the request received from the Chlorine Chemistry Council to join their organization in a lawsuit with EPA over not using the kind of science they preferred in the disinfection by-products issue. John Montgomery briefly summarized the topic. A motion to not join in the Chlorine Chemistry Council lawsuit was introduced by Clark Cronquist and seconded by Jim Dunlap. Discussion followed with the motion passing. Jim Dunlap introduced a motion that staff research and draft a letter to EPA in regards to the lawsuit. The motion was seconded by Charlie Lawson with discussion following. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Sam Wade presented the reports on the Federal Contract Programs. He reviewed the Asset Management, County-by-County, EPA Ground Water, EPA Technical Assistance and Training, USDA Circuit Rider and Wastewater Programs. Performance data was available for the review of each member and time was allowed to ask questions on each of the programs. Bobby Scott introduced a motion to accept the report as presented. The motion was seconded by Dennis Schwartz and passed by unanimous vote. President Van Dyke briefed the members on the WICC meeting that Phil Bastin, Dennis Schwartz and he recently attended in New Orleans, Louisiana. A motion to adjourn was introduced by Bobby Scott, seconded by Bill Killian and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. ___________________________________ Randall Van Dyke, President I, Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the National Rural Water Association, do hereby certify that I was present at the National Rural Water Association Executive Committee Meeting held in San Diego, California on January 9, 1999, and I do further certify that the foregoing minutes are true and correct. ___________________________________ Robert Johnson, Assistant Secretary click here to return to the top of the page |
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