by Jo-Ann Munn-Gafuik
The new Board held its first meeting on August 19th. This meeting was a good opportunity for the two new members of the Board - Garth Clark and me - to 'catch up' on current ASA projects and activities. If things go as planned, this could prove to be a busy year for the ASA.
I can report that, as of September 1st, we have no word on the status of our applications for 2005 .... nor has there been an announcement about federal CAIN funding yet. As soon as we hear anything, ASA members will be informed. You will be pleased to hear, though, that the Board has extended Michael Gourlie's contract until March 31, 2002 and Kathryn Ivany's contract until March 31, 2001. We are fortunate to be served by this strong administrative team.
One other important subject discussed at this first meeting was the need to review the business operations of the ASA and rationalize the budget approval process. We are almost half way into the new fiscal year without an approved budget and this is, in my view, unacceptable. The Treasurer and others have worked hard to assemble the required data in a timely fashion but our financial reporting systems and information gathering processes are inadequate. In order to remedy the situation, the Board has asked all committee chairs to produce a 3-year business plan for their committees by October 15th. The business plan will provide the basis for the committee's budget request which will be due on January 15th. The Board has also approved the Treasurer's proposal to convert from a cash to an accrual method of accounting in order to get a better or more accurate picture of annual revenue and expenses. We have also created a Finance Committee to help the Treasurer manage the conversion and assist with the development of the budget.
Karen Baron, who has kindly agreed to stay on for a second term as Treasurer, is soliciting volunteers to serve on the new Finance Committee. If you have a particular interest or aptitude in finance, let her know.
Please feel free to contact me or any member of the board regarding this or any other issue that needs to be addressed.