Minutes – October 13th, 2020

CHAMBER/MAIN STREET BOARD MEETING

October 13, 2020 – 7:00 a.m.

Present: Jason Knox, Jamie Hoey, Jayde Blue, Tiffany Johansen, Rick Trumm (left early), Chris DeBack (phone partial), Tracy Johnson, Garrett Crandall (left early)

Guests:

Absent: Kennon Gumm

1. Organization/Operations
   1. Meeting was called to order at 7:00 a.m. by President Jason Knox.
   2. October’s agenda amended item 2J to include a “Management Committee”. Amended agenda was motioned to approve by Jamie; seconded by Tiffany; approved by all.
   3. September’s meeting minutes were reviewed and motioned to approve by Tiffany; seconded by Rick; approved by all. Minutes are not to be published until approved.
   4. August and September’s finances were reviewed. Discussion was had over new financials being presented. Tiffany continues to work on financials as many line items have not been reconciled since creation of financials. Some items are not being pulled into the correct categories. Jayde will be sending an Excel document from Derek H at Bank 1^st to Tiffany. Once Tiffany gets accounts reconciled, we can then see a year comparison and 3-month trend. THANK YOU, TIFFANY, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS!!!
2. Board Topics
   1. Chamber & City Director Agreement- Pat Ritter is working on this draft; Jason will share it once complete.
   2. Reassignment of Officers- Tiffany is the bookkeeper as in-kind donation so being Treasurer would be a conflict of interest. Once financials are done, financials go to Chris as Treasurer and he will do the presenting at the Board meeting unless unavailable.
   3. Jamie motioned to approve, and Chris seconded to have the following members as ex-officio members for the Chamber/Main Street Board: West Union City Administrator and Fayette County Economic Development representative. All approved. These positions are non-voting members.
   4. We believe board member terms are based off of Main Street Iowa terms and are not in our By Laws. Right now, we believe members can be on for two-terms of three years. Jason Knox – 2022 (2^nd term); Tiffany Johansen -2022 (1^st term); Jamie Hoey – 2021 (1^st term); Chris DeBack -2020 (1^st term); Kennon Gumm (city rep, no term limits); Rick Trumm – 2022 (1^st term); Garrett Crandall – 2021 (1^st term).
   5. Strategic planning budget meeting date will be Wednesday, November 18, 6 p.m. at Chamber.
   6. The Chamber has adopted the two flower beds outside the building. Jayde is waiting on a sign from city stating we sponsor the beds. We will look at Board days next year for upkeep.
   7. Main Street Minute/Take Over Tuesday- a Board member will do a write-up the 2^nd Tuesday of each month in 2021. This will include a Facebook and newspaper post of getting to know Board members, upcoming events, etc. Tabled until next month.
   8. Chamber after 5 events – 2021 goal starting in January to be held on Wednesdays. We need to discuss this more.
   9. Social Media Policy- Board reviewed and provided feedback prior to the meeting. Jamie motioned to approve the new policy with recommended edits; Chris seconded; all approved. Jayde will send an updated policy. Let Jayde know if a specific person needs Facebook access who is not a committee chair.
   10. Ad-Hoc Committees Needed: NFV Spark, DLO, & Management. Jason motioned; all approved.
       1. NFV Spark: Jamie, Tiffany, Chris. Jayde will work directly with the students and keep the group abreast of needs. Garrett mentioned they are doing something through NFV Work Experience program for special education students with the possibility of a weekly schedule.
       2. DLO- Rick & Kennon

• WU Ambassadors- Jayde does the setup for ribbon cutting already. What is the goal of the Ambassadors? Can we get a representative come to a meeting to discuss? We would love to have a partnership with them to assist their goals as well. Jayde will reach out to have someone come speak with us about their purpose and how we can help.

1. Management: day-to-day Director management needs a committee. Delegation of oversight of Director would go to Tiffany as Vice President and Tracy as the City Administrator at this time due to other Executive Committee obligations. Tiffany and Tracy will reach out to the Board as needed.

3. Facility/Building- Jamie suggested creating a committee for this as it appears to be a need.
   1. Basement Carpet- carpet has mold. Judy stated there is carpet at Dessels. Jayde will contact Dessels. Jamie will get a contact name for mold investigation.
   2. Building Maintenance- Jamie will check with Imperial on roof- many times they come without letting the Chamber know. Rick will check again with Gage & Gage on geothermal.
   3. Building Potential Sale- no update.
   4. Building Refinance- signed and refinanced.
   5. Rental Contracts- all been distributed. Some returned already but everyone was fine with the changes.
   6. Tile Replacement- needs to be done in Pat’s office. Jason will send Jayde contact information.
4. Main Street Accreditation
   2021. Accreditation- we will reach accreditation; however, Jayde would like to see us up our scores in 2021. Right now, we are doing the minimum, but we could do so much more!
   2022. Actions- Jayde will finish filling out and send to Jamie to review. They will bring to November meeting for Board approval to submit.
5. Membership/Investment Drive
   1. COVID suspension retrospective- Jayde is finding that many organizations still wanted to give something even with COVID. Many times during the visit, they would give their donation.
   2. $500 Town Square Media (radio) that is in-kind donation that we must use by the end of the year. Jayde plans to use it for punch card promotion.
   3. Membership date renewal- anniversary vs fiscal year? Talking with other Chambers, anniversary dates are used. This helps with member satisfaction, but we can’t count on the money coming at the beginning of the year. Jayde would like a committee- the Organizational Committee typically assists with this. That committee will discuss and bring recommendation to the next meeting as we need to vote on this next month.
6. Director Report – refer to her monthly report for details
   1. Business Members- Jayde does 50+ visits per month. Many aren’t members, but she is creating relationships.
   2. Website- Jayde is updating it regularly and making changes as needed. She continues to upload meeting minutes from the Board and committees. Reminder to get meeting minutes to her for the website.
   3. Board- Jayde will get a few dates from MSI for Board training and send them out to the Board. We want the training in-person if possible.
   4. Redtail- Jayde has moved most of the information over to the new system and is using the database.
   5. Business Survey Results- Jayde sent surveys via email
   6. Chamber locks- how many keys are out there for the front door? After discussion, Jayde will contact Roger’s Lock and Key in Decorah and mention that Jason referred us as a non-profit. Jayde will create a procedure for new keys going forward.
   7. Copier- we are not on a service contract. Jayde readjusted, and it works now. Tiffany will share Manchester contact for purchasing ink, and they will service for free. Jayde shop around for printer/ink.
7. Committee Reports- send minutes, action plans, meeting information, etc. to the Board and Director.
   1. Promotions- planning for Trunk of Treat on October 18, 2-4:30 p.m. Trunks will not hand out candy as it is a walk-through parade with bags at the end. 12 Trunks are registered as of right now (typically 30-40). Committee is starting to plan for the Community Awards Banquet. A date will be shared at November’s meeting for the January event.
   2. Design & Business- the committee is starting to look at 2021 goals and creating action sheets. Jamie worked with MSI to review minutes, actions sheets, and goals. In addition, MSI, provided feedback and ideas going forward for the committee.
   3. Economic Vitality- meeting coming up.
   4. Organization- looking at November 7 for SXS/UTV Ride. The Event Center is booked that day. In the future, can we tie the SXS with another event. If able to get the ride details, they may have it; however, the Board is fine if they wait until next year. Overall, the Organizational Committee needs to meet by the end of the year to create a calendar for 2021 and will start meeting regularly. Jayde will get information regarding the Organization Committee to both Rick and Garrett.
8. For good of order- nothing

Next meeting – November 10, 2020 at 7:00 am at the Chamber/Main Street office.

Submitted by Jamie Hoey, Secretary