MNA Steering Committee Meeting Minutes, August 1, 2018

Mueller Neighborhood Association Steering Committee Meeting

Location: Aldrich 51

Members present:  Lila Valencia (Chair), Bill Berman, Alison Raffalovich (Secretary), Dan Updegrove, Audrey Glaser, Bill Kirwin, Andrew Clements, Preston Tyree (Vice Chair), Luke Downs (Treasurer), Ana Acosta

Members absent: Evan McLendon, Joan Quenan, Kathy Farley,

Meeting called to order: 7:04 p.m.                         Meeting adjourned: 9:15 p.m.

1. Greetings and pleasantries [Lila Valencia]
2. Approval of previous meeting minutes – [Alison Raffalovich] Minutes were approved by email and have been posted on the website.
3. Treasurer’s Report [Luke Downs] – currently at 359 members. Fourth of July expenses are finalized at this point. We met our budget goals for our first two major events of the year (the Egg Roll and Fourth of July) and year-to-date we are ahead of schedule on revenues and below projected expenses. Given we are ahead of plan, a motion was made and approved to authorize a $3,000 budget for Fall Fest, the higher of the two budget options that were set earlier, with organizers encouraged to expend in-kind assets such as HEB gift cards where possible.

There is a balance left in the block party grant pool so we will send a reminder when summer is past to remind block captains that the grants exist.

The Steering Committee discussed an existing grant request for “Cramming for the Midterms” to encourage voter turnout in November, a nonpartisan event on August 25 at 10 a.m. at Paggi Square, is for $150 for materials for signs, postcards and posters. The Steering Committee is willing to reimburse for refreshments rather than for materials that may end up being used for a specific candidate or party. Steering Committee members are reminded not to publicly affiliate with a specific candidate or party on behalf of the MNA.

4. We have a new in-kind sponsor: Drop Inn Day Care is offering neighbors discounts for daycare during MNA general meetings.
5. Committee Updates
   1. Neighborhood Engagement (15 mins)
      1. MNA Flyer [Alison & Audrey] (10 mins) – Content has been reviewed by many Steering Committee members. Alison will update copy to state that we aim to have block captains for every block or apartment to have a block captain (not that we already do) and will add the newest sponsors – Drop Inn (in kind) and Mi Casa es Tu Casa (friend of the MNA). Ty will take a look at the current flyer and update fonts and colors to more closely dovetail with the website look and feel for identity and brand consistency. Andrew will offer to engage proofreading.
      2. There was a discussion about how long the Steering Committee is committed to holding dues to $5, and whether to be more explicit at indicating a $10 level for households of more than one adult. In the flyer and elsewhere we will specify that dues are “currently” $5. A motion was made and approved to reimburse flyer printing costs up to $250 for 1000 copies.
      3. MNA Facebook Page [Lila] (10 mins) – There is a mockup of the Facebook page for early feedback. Target a launch in ~two weeks. Non-administrators can’t post content without going through review and approval. Its goal is to be a communication channel from the MNA to neighbors.
      4. Front Porch Flyer, update [Lila] (2 mins) – Dusty Harshman and the Front Porch Flyer committee have been notified about the RFP process. They opened the 30-day window for preparing the RFP starting July 24. Andrew is volunteering to help Dusty. The goal would be to report to the Steering Committee at the September meeting. The Steering Committee agreed to begin using a usage trademark for the Front Porch Flyer on all MNA communications and continue to assess whether to pursue mark registration.
   2. Bylaws: finalize language, possible action [Preston Tyree] (15 mins) – For the transition from 1-year to staggered 2-year terms, one possibility is to give newly recruited members the option to sign up for 1 or 2 years. Starting a year later, all terms would be two years. There is concern that two-year terms may make recruiting more challenging. Officers will continue to be elected annually. The election will be in November and start the term year in January. Ty will update the draft language to align with existing Steering Committee members abiding by the 3-year term limits that were in the bylaws when they were elected.  Steering Committee members will work to vote on updated language in time to present Bylaws updates to general membership. We’ll also ask representative ex officio Steering Committee members to review and offer any feedback.

• Transportation Committee, update and possible action [Andrew Clements] (30 mins) –Betsy Hilton raised the proposed city bike lane updates on Zach Scott between Airport and Berkman, similar to what is on Zach Scott East of Berkman, which was discussed at the recent MNA Transportation Committee meeting. The proposal has been circulated to Steering Committee members. The Transportation Committee is concerned about only having a slightly raised or just painted barrier between the cars and the bike lane rather than a more substantive barrier like a bollard. There will be a one-hour discussion/comment period at the city meeting on August 8 and people can send in comments to two designated planners. The Committee wants to try to slow speeding traffic on Zach Scott. Ty has prepared graphic renderings of various options for configuring the bike, parking and car lanes.  There is also concern about two-way bike lanes being more problematic than one-way bike lanes, yet people still should be able to park directly in front of their houses and not have their children have to cross a busy street to get from the car to their home. Safety concerns need to be weighed for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and residents. The committee is proposing keeping parking on both sides of the street with one two-way bike lane. Ty will update the proposal and re-distribute to the Steering Committee. There was a motion, which passed, to present the document as drafted from the Transportation Committee with updates as discussed at the August 8 meeting, to be shared at the General Meeting on August 18. Ty will make the updates and redistribute to the Steering Committee within a day or two.

6. Upcoming Meeting Agendas [Lila] (10 minutes)
7. September
   1. Development update
   2. City of Austin Transportation Department
8. October
   1. Candidate recruitment
   2. Fall Fest

• Candidate forum

1. November
   1. Elections
2. December
   1. Holiday Potluck
   2. Sponsor appreciation
3. August General Meeting agenda [Lila]
4. Waller Street Conservancy update
5. Audit Committee update
6. By-laws update and possible action
7. Zach Scott Roadway Modifications Proposal, update and possible action
8. Local Business Spotlight: Frost Bank

General Meeting 8/18 10AM @ Wildflower Terrace       

Steering Committee Meeting 9/5 7PM @ Aldrich 51

Respectfully submitted 8/16/2018