Chebucto Community Net Society
Annual General Meeting for 2004
April 14, 2005
Minutes

Approved April 20, 2006

Welcome from Bernie Hart at 6:40 PM. We received regrets from our Chair, Marilyn MacDonald, due to a family emergency. Ed Dyer (Vice-Chair) was present but feeling ill so Bernie agreed to chair the meeting.

 

Presentation from Andrew Wright to review our 10th Anniversary year.

Highlights - Tall ships, PR efforts

Lowlights - server crashes, changes in technology, snow & power outages

First viewing of a "Thibodeau, Thibodeau, & Wright" film on the situation with the webcam on top of Fenwick Tower. Hopefully the movie will be available in a reduced size for downloading/viewing via the web site.

 

Call to Order at 7 PM by Bernie Hart.

 

Minutes of 2004 AGM

Reports referenced in the minutes are available on the web site

Moved by Mary Rigby / Bill Matheson that the minutes be accepted as presented. CARRIED

 

Report from the Chair

A report on Chebucto activities in the year 2004, written by Marilyn, was presented by Bernie.

Highlights:

• Anniversary celebrations.
• No further growth in membership following PR work.
• Have work to do in convincing text account holders to switch to graphical service rather than close account.
• Board membership changes.

 

Reports from Committee Chairs

 

Financial (delivered by Bernie Hart)

Highlights:

• Used up some reserve funds on PR work.
• There were some unexpected capital expenditures on equipment and our ACORN (Atlantic Canada Organization of Research Networks) membership.
• We ended the year with a small loss in addition to special expenses for PR.
• Budget is balanced for 2005 but assumes an increase in account revenue, which will require some initiatives on our part. If difficult, staffing hours and new equipment purchases can be reduced.
• The auditor's report is not included in the handout package, but will be posted on the web site when we get it.
• Tax receipts are available for donations.

 

Technical (delivered by Ed Dyer)

Highlights:

• Plans to improve our ability to deal with power outages.
• Lots of things are going on.
• Comments re: advantages of text access; how to access one. Info on this is available on the web site or from the office.
• There are several levels of backup protection in place, and another one is "in the works".
• Support for v.92 is coming later this year.

Bernie - vote of thanks on behalf of the membership to Ed for all of his dedication and extra hours to keep the services running. (Round of Applause)

 

Policy (delivered by Andrew Wright)

Highlights:

• There were only two complaints of 'bad users' this year, both of which turned out to be unfounded. This is our second year with no users (getting caught) doing things that violate the User Agreement.
• Work is in progress to streamline user sign-ups.
• Membership changes are outlined in the report.
• Introduction of Chebucto Plus Quarterly accounts, if it goes well, will be followed by a Quarterly option for Chebucto Plus Family accounts.
• The User Agreement had to be modified slightly to account for these changes; a copy has been included in the handout package.

 

Internal (delivered by Bill Matheson)

Highlights:

• Chair has changed a few times again this year.
• Seeking new membership beyond Board members this year.
• Overview of account types (group & individual) and numbers of each.

 

Report on CCN Strategic Planning Initiatives

Presented by Bernie Hart (separate slide show - The Second Decade)

Highlights:

• Brief overview of historical origins of CCN.
• Summary of sessions with professional facilitator.
• Board & membership will develop consensus on the role & direction of CCN.
• Determine the needs of the membership - individuals and groups - as well as those of prospective members.
• Align the organization (Board, staff, and volunteers) to address those needs.
• Conduct a comprehensive marketing campaigns with the assistance of professionals.

Draft Mission: Improving / Supporting our local community by enabling individuals and community organizations to participate in the global online community through provision of Internet services, infrastructure and internet-based support.

This statement and other items from the facilitator's report will be posted on the web site shortly, for reference and feedback. It is very important that we hear back from the membership on these items, so we can provide a service that is helpful to our community.

Moved by Doug Rigby / Alan Turner that we accept all these reports as presented. CARRIED

 

Election of Directors for 2005 - 2007

John McKay chaired the Nominating Committee for 2005-06 Board nominations. Bernie presented the report as John was on the slate for re-election.

Six positions were open. The slate presented by the Nominating Committee is: John McKay, Ed Dyer, Marni Tuttle, Dale Crory, Bill Matheson, Bob Ashley.

Moved by Ambros Prechtl / Bill Matheson that we accept the report of the nominating committee.

Further nominations were called for three times; none were offered. Bernie declared nominations closed. The slate was declared elected. Round of applause for the new Board members.

 

Appointment of auditor

Moved by Bill Matheson / Andrew Wright that the Board appoint an auditor for the 2005 fiscal year. CARRIED.

 

Other business

Comments -

• Advertising the benefits of NO SPAM at no cost.
• E-mail current users and ask them to pass on the word. Include suggestions that people can use in telling others about the CCN service. So people get to know the name.
• Ads that compare our service to others locally.
• Can we get mentioned on Live at Five or Breakfast Television?
• Create a flyer that people can download and hand out.
• Noted that Committee Chairs don't have to be Board members. Feel free to sign up as you leave, or leave your red card with name & contact info.
• Bring back the T-shirts! "I'm a member, why aren't you?" Have different styles for men, women and kids. Hats are still available @ $20, but sales have been slow. Dale noted that these kind of items are often given away as sales promotions, so it can be difficult to convince people to buy them.

Vote of thanks to Bernie Hart and Marilyn MacDonald moved by John McKay for all their work and hours put in over the past year. APPLAUSE.

 

Adjournment

Moved by Alan Turner at 8:05 PM.