General Membership

General Membership Meeting and Occupy Madison Board Meeting
Special Meeting Time 5:00 In person or via Google Hangout

GETTING STARTED

Members Present: Luca, Leslie, Brenda, Amanda, Gene, Chris, Russ, Sofia

Meeting called to Order by Russ at 5:06pm

1. How’s everyone doing?
2. Anything need to be added to the agenda or taken out of order?
3. Treasurer’s Report- Helen = officially done
   Quickbooks – doesn’t need to be done daily. The treasurers report for the previous month should be done by following month.
   Gene gave us the amounts in each Account. Will send out figures to everyone soon.
   1.Process for verifying if groups approved spending
   2. Debit card privileges -Must be approved by workgroup and receipt presented
   3. Spending on items for Volunteers – who approves the spending

Board must approve spending on Volunteers. At the end of the Month Board will decide which category the items go into.

Agreement- Workgroups decide how to spend the money they’ve been budgeted by the Board, In order to get reimbursed for purchases, a receipt is needed. For purchases used with debit card, you must have a receipt.

RESPONDING TO CORONAVIRUS AND COMMUNITY NEEDS

1. General Agreement: = We are moving this discussion to number 8 to discuss at the end of this section.
   1. Is it time to act based on the heart and soul of being Occupy Madison?  Is it time to push the limits?
   2. Any limits on pushing the limits?
2. Spend up to $2,500 for:
   1. Free Pantry – take some, leave some
      1. Take wood out of tiny houses and use them to have a pantry – food, supplies, toiletries, etc.
      2. Use the loom house for items that might need to be warm, put loom in the “back room”
      3. Allow other uses as they come up.
         1. Potential partnership with Social Justice Center, Friends of the State Street Family and others
         2. For quick decision making, potential uses can be done if
            1. They are outside of the building in the parking lot and front area
            2. No residents object
      4. Protections
         1. No more than one person in a tiny house at a time
         2. No more than 4 people on the property at a time
         3. Hand washing station (check for cost)
         4. Zero tolerance for discrimination
         5. No alcohol or drugs

Proposal: We approve using two tiny houses as some sort of distribution center and Residents will discuss safety precautions and come in with more solutions at the next meeting. They will also discuss certain times and limiting people allowed on property at a time.

All Members present agree with this proposal.
NOTE *City Regulations may override any decisions made by group

1. 1. Bike and Cart Tinier Homes Prototypes
      1. Build a prototype of a “tinier home” that can be pulled behind a bike.
      2. Build a prototype of a “tinier home” that can be pushed like a cart
      3. Goals of the “tinier homes” are to be
         1. Light in weight
         2. Cost of about $250
         3. Lockable
         4. Space to store things
         5. Build with potential to add amenities later
         6. Be built to build them quickly
2. Spend up to $5,000 to buy supplies as needed for

1. 1. 1. “Tinier House” Production – build about 20 “tinier houses”
         1. The “tinier houses” would be free and no expectations of giving back to Occupy
         2. If repairs are needed, people can bring them back to us and we will help with repairs
         3. Once we have a prototype and people who want them – we fundraise to get the $5,000 back and build more.

• Keep building tinier houses as much as needed as long as we keep fundraising and there is need – but don’t spend more than $5,000 of our own money.

Proposal: See 3a.i-iv.

All Members present agree with this proposal.
Note-Houses are simple to make- take about 4-6 hours.

1. 1. Loan up to $10,000 to IWW/General Defense Fund while they wait for Facebook to get the funds to them.
      1. Social Justice Center will lend their Facebook button to IWW/General Defense Fund
      2. Occupy Madison would lend up to 75% of the money raised on Facebook (we don’t know how much the fees will be)
      3. Social Justice Center would send money directly to Occupy Madison when they get the money from Facebook.
      4. Encourage donations to the IWW General Defense Fund on our website and Facebook page

• Agreement with IWW/Social Justice Center to be signed by Luca or Gene

Proposal: See 4 a-e as long as we will be reimbursed.

All Members present agree with this proposal.

1. Statement for website and Facebook and Twitter
   1. Occupy Madison is honoring our roots and working on ways we can creatively use our assets to support the community by filling gaps to support people in need.  Occupy Madison remains open as long as none of our residents are sick but we are exercising the following precautions to protect our family and community members:
      1. Our store is closed except for online sales.
      2. We have suspended tours of the village and potlucks.
      3. Volunteers to care for the plants are welcome at the village unless any resident objects.
      4. Shop shifts are determined by the individual shop managers, shifts are limited to 4 people.  Shifts will be suspended upon request of any resident.
      5. Cleaning
         1. Spray down toilets and sinks before and after use
         2. Regularly cleaning door handles and surfaces
      6. No more than 10 people in the store, shop and public outdoor areas.

Proposal: See 5 a i-vi.

All members present agree to this proposal.

1. Loan Loom Tiny house to the Mutual Aid Network – which would be parked at the Social Justice Center

Proposal: See 6

All members present agree to this proposal. 

1. Apply for COVID-19 Funds from Boys and Girls Club/United Way $1.1M Fund?

RESPONDING TO CORONAVIRUS AT OCCUPY MADISON

1. Safety Protocols
   1. Our store is closed except for online sales.
   2. We have suspended tours of the village and potlucks.
   3. Volunteers to care for the plants are welcome at the village unless any resident objects.
   4. Shop shifts are determined by the individual shop managers, shifts are limited to 4 people.  Shifts will be suspended upon request of any resident.
   5. Cleaning
      1. Spray down toilets and sinks before and after use
      2. Regularly cleaning door handles and surfaces
   6. No more than 10 people in the store, shop and public outdoor areas.

1. 1. Things we need to purchase
      1. Lysol – can’t find it
      2. Paper towels (April 21) – Permission to borrow 2 from SJC
      3. Other?
         1. Rubbing alcohol

1. 1. 1. Use Google hangouts for all meetings, in person visits allowed unless or until residents object
         1. Where did the ipad go
      2. We have 30 masks – keep them in case residents get sick?
         1. Give 20 to the homeless medical respite staff when they become needed
      3. If someone gets sick
         1. Designate a bathroom for people with coronavirus
         2. Plan to bring food to the person who has to stay in their house
         3. Other supports we can provide??
         4. Residents will send Brenda their emergency contacts.

• Increase the amount of money the residents can spend by $250 per month for the rest of the Budget period. To be spent at the discretion of the resident group.  3 residents must be in agreement on the purchases.

Proposal: See #9

All members present agree to this proposal.

1.  Increase the internet speed and get a phone for Occupy – needs to be a phone that can recieve texts for security sign-ins
   *Gene and Brenda will work on this and Gene will come back with a proposal

ONGOING EFFORTS ADJUSTMENTS

1.  Phase 2
   1. Spend $2,000 for the CSM (survey, filing fees, etc)

Amanda, Leslie, Brenda, Gene, Chris, and Sofia all vote to Approve 11a spending.

— – – – More things to think about next meeting.. This is where we ended the Agenda.—–

1. 1. Try to figure out if we can get the foundation, tank and shed torn and do other works done so we can put the three houses on their pad in the backyard
   2. Still try to get the city to give us money (they cancelled their trainings and funding process)
      1. Need it to start building tiny houses (ask them for money)
2. Plant Sale

1. 1. Go forward with the sale
      1. No food or event
      2. Sell plants for several weeks
      3. Find ways to spread the plants out in the parking lot
      4. No more than 10 people in the store, shop and parking lot at a time
      5. Allow people to bargain if they can’t afford it
   2. Farmer’s market?
2. Things to be put on hold

1. 1. Bylaw revisions
   2. Board officer responsibilities
   3. Ramping up store sales
   4. Plan to coordinate volunteers

1. OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO DO?????????

Meeting Next Sunday 3/29 at 6pm

 

Agenda

• Plant Sale
• Spectrum
• Emergency needs

Brenda will set up a Google Hang Out

Archived meeting notes.