EPIC Board Meeting Minutes
August 7, 2021, 10am – 11am
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Email: epic.ssantiago@gmail.com
Office: 2433 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (608) 513-5107
Board Roster: Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, David Ingold, Shontal Lajeunesse, Steve Sandberg, Earl Simms, Karen Townsend, Nikolas Winter-Simat
Board Members Present: Nikolas Winter-Simat, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, David Ingold, Steve Sandberg, Karen Townsend, Cassandra Holmes, Shontal Lajeunesse
Board Members Not Present: Earl Simms
Members: Emrys S
Guests: Jack Byers
10:07 Review vision and mission
Welcome guests/intros
Approve agenda, MG, KT, approved
Approve minutes, NWS, StS, approved
Reminders:
Next Community Meeting will be: Thursday, August 12 from 6:30 to 7:30 at Cedar Field Park and online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)
The focus will be on a community discussion about issues on Bloomington Ave - invite your neighbors!
September community meeting - proposal to have Mike, the city planner focused on traffic safety along 24th, 26th and 28th Streets and potentially 4 Sisters (more on this at the end of the meeting). At the lot at Cedar and 27th
October community meeting - proposal to invite the various organizations organizing around the charter amendments
Next Board Meeting will be: Saturday, September 4 from 10am to 11am TBD and online (link to join meeting can be found at eastphillips.org)
Board Meetings are open to the public
Update on Indoor Urban Farm Project
City Council vote postponed until August 18th POGO Committee
5 are supportive
Osman was supportive, but may no longer be
EPNI organizing press conference with supporters
Add to community meeting agenda
10:20 Jack Byers from Payne-Phalen Neighborhood
District plan - small area plan for neighborhoods
Independent of city and of one another
Do get funding from city
Most racial and economic diversity
Planning staff at city of St Paul is much smaller, so rely on n’hood orgs
This is where district plans come into play
Board had been entirely white until a few years ago
Had 21 board members and many committees
Committees became more powerful than board
Neither board nor committees were reflective of neighborhood
Trimmed down board and committees
Changed so all business came to board
Board members were very deliberate about recruiting board members
Wrote equity action plan
Set out goal to be ⅔ people of color since that is what neighborhood is
Going to talk to neighbors, to recruit board members and volunteers
Started going to stores and talking to people
Talked about future of neighborhood
Cohort within board - 60% of board is people of color
Relaxing about bylaws, thinking about whether it makes sense to continue using Robert’s Rules, meeting like a council meeting with community meetings sitting behind
Began meeting in circle
Rethinking simple structures
Got a grant so they can provide food
Children can stay at table with parents or go to area where someone is watching them
Board development
A lot of people don’t understand how boards work
Reminders about meetings include why important to attend
Develop why their own voice matters in the board
Giving everyone opportunity to speak before decision is made
Coming together to provide food for neighbors helped bring board members together
Prioritized community partners
Who are those located in neighborhood and those serving neighborhood
Separated into cultural, resident, service organizations
Look at organization as ecosystem of a lot of other orgs
What do you do, what can we do for you?
Helps them know about us, increases participation in our organization
Reaching out, relaxing about rules and white decision making ways, staying in touch, keeping people in touch with each other and supporting one another
Comment that committees in Payne Phalen led to chaos and splintering
How to decentralize
How to have meaningful engagement
Outreach that has been helpful: being at events in community
Avoid passive tabling - be in front of table and engage people
September 25th - Annual Meeting and Harvest Parade and solidarity street gallery
Extend Meeting to 11:30
11:11 Report/Update from Executive Coordinator:
Probation Update
Outreach Update
1073 Knocks
271 Contacts
198 Completed Surveys
130 Emails
164 Phone Numbers
Still looking for a somali or oromo speaker to join the team.
They have completed the whole turf at least twice so far and some parts are on the third stage. Something that they have been encountering is that a good amount of people don't have access to either the internet or to a cellular device
Somali Museum and Abah
Report from Departments
Scope and goals of each department
Vision Department
A catch for creative ideas for the board and community members, network ideas, project events, cultivating and inspiring engagement, cultivating positive feedback loops, developing strategic vision, mapping with other organizations
Community and Board Engagement Department
Scope of the department priorities
The Community and Board Engagement department works on: personnel, board and community relations; creating opportunities for community to come together at events and connect over shared interests; directing the board on ways to inform and engage the community with events and important issues; build and maintain community partnerships with community based organizations; help to plan board retreats.
Goals of the department
The goal of the Community and Board Engagement department is to increase community engagement with the organization and to work to improve the connections amongst board members.
Legal/Finance department
Scope of the department priorities
The Legal/finance department works to: review budgets from the Treasurer and recommend them to the full Board of Directors; bring solutions about legal concerns regarding EPIC projects, initiatives and personnel matters to the full Board of Directors
Goals of the department
The goal of the Legal/finance department is to make for more efficient and productive EPIC meetings by having important legal and finance discussions prior to Board or Community Meetings and bringing solutions and recommendations to these meetings.
Quarterly Financial Report - will share at Community Meeting
Move funds to cover annual fee for CEE loan programs
a) We need to add more funds to cover CEE's annual fee, which is $2,500. Sarah proposes we move $5,000 (budgeting for 2 years) from the homebuyer assistance program to cover the immediate need for funds, since I believe the annual fee is due in September.
b) We only have $3,112 left in the Deferred & Emergency deferred loan program (minimum loan amount is $1,000 and maximum is $10,000. The original amount in this program was $48,871.00). We could move money from CPP to this program or we also have a little over $18,000 in Phase II Program Income in the Deferred Rehab Loan Strategy that we could use for this and it wouldn't require a plan modification.
c) We have $43,967 left in the home buyer assistance program. This would likely cover 4 more loans, since the maximum loan amount is $10,000. We haven't had much activity with this program (just $10,000), but if we are moving the above funds, I wonder if we add more to this fund as well since we have CPP money.
MOTION: The EPIC Board approves of moving $5,000 from our CEE homebuyer assistance program to cover CEE's annual fee for two years, MG, DI, Approved.
Does this need 2 community meeting votes? We are only moving money from a CEE program to cover fees for the loan programs.
MOTION: The EPIC Board approves of moving $18,000 from the Phase II Program Income in the Deferred Rehab Loan Strategy to the CEE Deferred and Emergency deferred loan program, MG, NWS, Approved
This will require 2 community meeting votes.
Put on legal/finance department agenda
New policies and procedures
Procurement and Competitive Bidding Policy (auditor strongly encouraged, we agreed to implement)
Decide how much to put: "EPIC’s employees, board of directors or volunteers shall neither solicit nor accept gratuities, gifts, consulting fees, trips, favors or anything having a monetary value in excess of $50 dollars ($50.00) from a vendor, potential vendor, or from the family or employees of a vendor, potential vendor or bidder; or from any party to a sub-agreement or ancillary contract. All gifts, favors and meals below $50 shall be disclosed.
Discussion:
Change to no gifts, taking out to meals, should go to organization
Disclosure is important
Social Media Policy (board discussed needing one in past, also in probation requirements)
Small changes to Operating Policies and Procedures and Board Manual
Chart of Accounts, watch your email, we will need your approval for this and it will go in policies and procedures
Page 40: "Two authorized check signers will sign any disbursement over $3,000.00." Changed from $1,000.
Page 36:
Change: All expenditures above $1,000 and not already included in the Organizational Budget CPP administrative budget with jurisdiction at the time, shall require a board recommendation, a community review vote at the next community meeting and a final affirmative vote at the following community meeting, which must take place at least 21 days from the prior reviewing meeting.
Add: All expenditures less than $1,000 and included in the Organizational Budget will be provided to the board in a written proposal outlining the purpose and line item the expense will come from three business days before purchase
MOTION: The board approves the addition of the Social Media Policy and Procurement and Competitive Bidding Policy as well as the changes discussed to the Operating Policies and Procedures and Board Manual DI, NWS, Approved.
11:55 New business:
In the past EPIC has offered reimbursement for materials for National Night Out - we have $6,500 in family events and outreach, David and Sarah approved a request from a block leader and sent out a message to the email list and on Facebook saying we will reimburse people up to $100 per block party up to $1,000 before the end of October.
Do we want to expand this through the summer to reimburse block parties? - Affirmative (board vote not needed)
$100 per block party to be used for block party materials i.e. decorations, plates, cups, kids activities (no food or entertainment)?
EPIC outreach would need to be a part of the block party - we drop off EPIC flyers
49% of survey respondents have shared that block parties are a way they prefer to engage with East Phillips
MIGIZI is filing for a variance for their addition and remodeling project at 1845 East Lake Street:
To allow for the addition to be setback from the property line a distance greater than the municipal zoning code allows for Pedestrian Overlay district.
The proposed two story addition connects to the existing two story building and includes an elevator bringing accessibility to a floor that is not currently accessible.
The project adds building area in a place of surface parking. The proposed project moves the site towards conformity as the design adds windows fronting Lake Street.
The proposed site plan adds greenspace fronting the street where fence and asphalt parking currently exist.
The City Planning Commission will meet on Monday, August 16, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. During the declared local public health emergency, Minneapolis has transitioned to an electronic format for its public meetings and hearings, authorized under Minn. Stat. Section 13D.021, to minimize the risk of exposure to or potential spread of COVID-19. The public may view the public hearing using the following options: Watch on Comcast Channel 14 or 799 or live on www.minneapolismn.gov/tv/citycounciltv.
If you have questions about the project, please contact the City staff person listed below. If you would like to submit comments, you may submit them via the link above or by emailing:
Lindsey Silas, Senior City Planner – 505 4th Ave S #320, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Phone (612) 673-2653
E-mail: Lindsey.Silas@minneapolismn.gov.
This announcement has been added to our community meeting agenda
Any further action?
Help host Ward 9 Forum?
NACDI, MNVoice, Powderhorn Park and others who are planning mayoral candidate forum, working to do Ward 9 forum
September 21
How do we want to contribute - help planning? Financially?
We will contribute financially, wait to see what budget looks like
Sarah will continue to attend planning meetings
NACDI/4 Sisters Farm/LERA Farm coordination
How to coordinate with Cedar/27th land option
Others want to join?
Remind board in text
Connect 17th Ave Garden and Center School Garden in the future
12:15 Adjourn
