Minutes of SETI League 2013 Annual Membership Meeting

Membership Services Department

Minutes of the Nineteenth Annual Membership Meeting
21 April 2013, SETI League Headquarters, Little Ferry, NJ

Call to Order
The meeting was convened at 13:00 hours EDT at SETI League Headquarters in Little Ferry NJ, by Executive Director Emeritus Dr. H. Paul Shuch (attending via telepresence). Three SETI League members in good standing present. Our Bylaws requiring one percent of the current membership to be in attendance for the conduct of SETI League business, the above represents a quorum.
Minutes of 2012 Membership Meeting
The Minutes of the 2012 Membership Meeting having been previously posted to The SETI League's World Wide Web site, a motion was then passed to accept the minutes as posted.
Treasurer's Report
Presented jointly by Dr. Shuch and Secretary/Treasurer Heather Wood, covering the calendar year 2012 (as e-filed).
1. Revenues: Dues and Contributions $11,088, Interest Income $2, Total $11,090.
2. Expenses: Educational/Scientific Programs $11,895, Management/General $1,667, Fundraising $1,462, Total $15,024.
3. Revenues minus Expenses: $(3,934).
4. End of 2012, SETI League account balances equalled $2,917. 2011 beginning net assets $6,851.
5. 2013 Budget: Projected Revenues $11,002, Program Expenses $10,000, Management/General Expenses $1,600, Fundraising Expenses $1,400, Total Expenses $13,000, Projected deficit ($1,998), Projected Ending Balance $919.
6. This report was accepted by those present.
Executive Director's Report
The Executive Director's annual report of Program Service Accomplishments having been previously posted to The SETI League's World Wide Web site, a motion was passed to accept the report as published.
Committee Reports
EME Committee
Report by SETI League president and station trustee Richard Factor. The EME beacon remains off the air during Mr. Factor's relocation to Arizona.
Awards Committee
Awards Committee chairman David Ocame being absent, Dr. Shuch announced the selection of this year's Giordano Bruno Award and Orville N. Greene Award recipients. Twelve websites have been given the SETI SuperStar award this year. More nominations are requested from the members. Paul will note this in the next issue of SearchLites.
Old Business
1. Very Small Array
  Dr. Shuch reports that the project remains on hold, due to lack of funding, with no progress to report since last year.
2. Mid-Year Renewal Letter
  Ms. Wood will email a mid-year appeal to lapsed members, with hardcopies to be distributed to members for whom we have no current email address. Last year's letter generated several reinstatements of lapsed members.
3. Annual Report
  The SETI League's 2012 Annual Report is available to members via the website, in Portable Document Format (PDF). Ms. Wood will distribute hard-copies of this report to our major donors.
4. Web Server
  Mr. Factor reports that new servers are online, and the website is online and working properly. Weekly web updates are currently being performed manually. Mr. Factor will investigate means for automating the process. Our email server remains offline, and alternatives for restoring our various email lists are being investigated.
New Business
1. The impact of the current email server outage, and possible mitigating measures, were discussed.
2. Next Meeting
  The next Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday 22 April 2014. The date has been verified as not in conflict with Easter, Passover, or US tax season. Mr. Factor and Ms. Wood will explore facilities for conducting the meeting online. The meeting will be at 1300 hours EDT, to be followed immediately by the Board of Trustees meeting. The date and time, as well as telepresence procedures if available, will be announced to the membership via the website and newsletter.
Good and Welfare
- The membership remembered longtime member Allen Tough, who passed away shortly after last year's annual meeting. The SETI League is considering an appropriate memorial to Dr. Tough.
Adjournment
The Annual Membership Meeting was adjourned by the Executive Director Emeritus at 13:33 hours EDT on 21 April 2013. A Regular Board of Trustees meeting followed.
Business Transacted by Board of Trustees:
1. Quorum Call
  Trustees and Officers present: A. Heather Wood, Richard Factor, H. Paul Shuch
  Trustees and Officers absent: Martin Schreiber
  A quorum is present.
2. Election of Officers
  The following slate of officers was retained for an additional one-year term:
  President - Richard Factor, serving without compensation.
  Secretary/Treasurer - A. Heather Wood
  Executive Director Emeritus - H. Paul Shuch, serving on a volunteer basis.
3. Personnel matters
  - In executive session, the Secretary/Treasurer's annual performance review was completed.
  - In executive session, the Board of Trustees voted to continue cost-sharing of Executive Director Emeritus' health insurance premiums, as a program expense, pending availability of funds and subject to periodic review. Dr. Shuch abstaining.
4. Advisory Board
  The Executive Director Emeritus will draft a letter to our Advisory Board members, thanking them for their continued service to The SETI League.
5. Bank Fees
  Fees charged for our various bank accounts were discussed. The Secretary/Treasurer will investigate the use of PayPal, Intuit, and other alternatives for lower-cost processing of credit cards.
6. Registered Agent
  The New Jersey Division of Revenue requires that we designate a Registered Agent to execute certain state documents. Mr. Factor was previously appointed to this post, and has agreed to continue serving in this capacity for an additional year.
7. Adjournment
  The Board of Trustees meeting was adjourned at 13:51 EDT.

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