SMART Board of Directors Meeting – July 2024
Board of Directors Meeting
Minutes
July 23, 2024
NOON – Thee Garage Steakhouse
Members Present: Jodi Varner (President), Krista Nemitz (Vice President), Karol Zachmann (Treasurer), Sharon Gookin, Deborah Walraven-Wenger
Members Absent: Kevin Dukart, Mindi Murnion
Staff Present: Vaughn Zenko (Executive Director), Madison Butori (Development Specialist)
Public Present: None
Meeting called to order at 12:04pm by President Jodi Varner
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes: The Board reviewed the minutes from the June 25 Monthly Meeting and the July 3 Special Meeting.• MOTION (Deborah Walraven Wenger): To approve both sets of meeting minutes as written
• SECOND: Sharon Gookin
• Four in favor, none opposed, two absent. Minutes from the June 25, 2024 Monthly Meeting and the July 3 Special Meeting were approved as written.
Financial Reports: Vaughn presented the financial reports prepared by Alyson Lineback. He noted that the Budget vs. Actual report was incorrect, The Actuals were correct, but the FY24 Budget had not been properly imported into Quickbooks. He provided the board with a copy of the FY24 Budget for reference. He also pointed out that the Restricted Funds Account and the Bank of Baker Operating Account were not accurate, as some money previously spent on the Visitor Center and Pocket Park out of the general operating fund were transferred to the Restricted Funds. Currently, SMART has $71,630.53 in the Operating Account and $54,499.01 in the Restricted Funds. SMART has $162,541.19 in total bank accounts.
There was a question about why the payroll expense shows as negative numbers in the Statement of Financial Position. Vaughn will address this with Alyson.
The board discussed the need for the Audit Committee to meet for the July Audit. The Committee consists of Treasurer Karol Zachmann and Kevin Dukart, along with SMART Assistant Alyson Lineback. The Audit Committee will set up a date/time to meet.
Welcome of New SMART Employee Madison Butori: Vaughn introduced new employee, Madison Butori, to the full Board. He stated she had been doing great work already on the Food Forest Project. Madison presented the board with a Food Forest Budget based on the AARP grant, that showed a $4,000 contingency on the entire $24,000 grant.
Director’s Report: Vaughn reported that downtown businesses were very pleased with the Art Walk, seeing increased sales and foot traffic. The Arts & Culture Council reported a loss of about $1000 on the event, as donations and wine glass sales were down significantly from the first Art Walk.
Vaughn also reported that the initial $25,000 grant from Otto Bremer Foundation that SMART helped get for the Mental Health Council to establish Catalyst for Change in Fallon County was upped to a $50,000 grant after his initial report to the board.
Vaughn reported that he had been a judge at the Miss Montana Volunteer Pageant in Glendive July 17-20. He said it was a good event and promotes volunteerism across the state and he made several contacts that will be able to benefit SMART’s mission as well.
Vaughn also reported on the progress of EMEDA’s Child Care Project, which SMART has assisted on since its inception.
Old Business:
Committee Updates (Visitor Center Committee and Pocket Park Committee): Krista Nemitz from the Visitor Center Committee said she will order blinds for both the SMART and Chamber offices. She also will pick out supplies for the Visitor Center and send an invoice for reimbursement. It was agreed that Madison Butori can pick out and purchase a mop for cleaning the floors.
The Pocket Park Committee reported they are still planning for a park dedication event on August 17 during the Fallon County Fair. They’re hopeful that they can include an Old Time Photo booth at the event. Madison also said she’d been working on a project for kids to make “paver blocks” that can be placed in the park along the building sides. Krista shared a shade structure for the stage area that she had picked out and asked Vaughn to order it.
Krista also stated that she would like to see a drilldown of Pocket Park and Visitor Center expenses to get a better idea of how much is left in the budget for both.
Food Forest Planning: Madison Butori has taken the lead on the Food Forest Project, with assistance from Vaughn and Mindi.
Signing of Bylaws: The final draft of bylaws was not prepared and will be addressed at the next meeting for board signatures.
Shannon Johnson Overpayment Forgiveness: President Varner stated that she is inclined not to sign the document prepared by Vaughn. There was no objection. No further discussion.
Review of Leases and Rent for SMART Tenants: Sharon Gookin stated that all of the leases looked okay to her. President Varner moved to table discussion on the lease arrangements until a future meeting. There was no objection.
Employee Policy Document: Tabled by President Varner.
Other Old Business: The Job Application presented by Vaughn at the previous meeting was reviewed by Karol and Sharon, they offered their initial feedback. No further discussion.
New Business:
Movie Theater Project: Vaughn reported that he had received permission to have a Preliminary Architectural Review done on the building adjacent to Thee Garage for purposes of potentially turning it into a movie theater / community stage. Both SDI and Brosz were suggested as potential firms who could complete the PAR. Vaughn will solicit estimates for the PAR and apply for a grant during the next Grid United Community Investment Grant cycle.
Other New Business: Krista Nemitz asked if a storage closet could be added into the Visitor Center bathroom. There were no objections to looking into that.
Having no other business to attend to at this time, Krista Nemitz motioned to adjourn. Having concluded all business on the agenda, there was no need for a vote. Meeting adjourned at 12:54pm
The next scheduled SMART meeting will be August 27, 2024 at noon at Thee Garage Steakhouse
Respectfully submitted:
s\ Jodi L. Varner, President s\ Vaughn Zenko Jr, Executive Director