Board Meeting Minutes - December
Board of Directors Meeting
Chattanooga BID/Downtown Chattanooga Alliance
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Time: 2:00 p.m.-3:33 p.m.
Location: By Zoom
1. CALL TO ORDER
Steve Hunt, Chairman of the DCA, called the meeting to order. Board members attending were Kelly Fitzgerald, Travis Lytle, Walter Johnson, Lisa Maragnano, Matt McGauley, Donald O’Connor, Charles Perry, Darian Scott, Gordon Stalans, and Erskine Oglesby.
Not attending were Pierre Dabit, Ember Souchet, Todd Gardenhire, and Robin Smith.
Also present were Julia Bursch of River City Company and Steve Brookes, Executive Director of the DCA.2. The Board minutes of December 16, 2020 (with two abstentions by A. Kinsey and K. Love, who were not on the Board in December) and the Executive Committee minutes of January 13, 2021 were approved.
2. The Board minutes of October 21, 2020 and November 18, 2020 and the Executive Committee minutes of December 11, 2020 were approved.
3. OLD BUSINESS
(a) There was discussion of the December 1 meeting with the City Council Committee meeting where S. Hunt and S. Brookes represented the DCA. At that meeting S. Hunt, using a three-page letter, reviewed the work of the DCA. The report was well received by the Council.
4. NEW BUSINESS
(a) For the Nominating Committee, K. Fitzgerald reported that W. Johnson and T. Lytle are rolling off the Board. Thanks were offered to Johnson and Lytle for their service on the Board. Johnson nominated Kevin Love and Lytle nominated Adam Kinsey, each to serve three-year terms. They were elected. Also elected to three-year terms were L. Maragnano and D. O’Connor, both of whom had served one-year terms. The Executive Committee (S. Hunt Chair, K. Fitzgerald Vice-Chair, C. Perry Secretary, and G. Stalans Treasurer) will serve one more year.
5. FINANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE
(a) G. Stalans reported that as of November 30th, there was $606,000 in the DCA bank account. For the year revenue was $932,000 and expenses $266,000. (One unintended consequence of the pandemic was that it delayed
the launch of the DCA by four months, reducing expenditures.) There remain $50,000 to $60,000 in unpaid assessments for 2019.
(b) A motion to split a $230,000 reserve fund between 2 banks, Pinnacle and First Horizon, passed with one abstention (T. Lytle).
(c) Stalans reported that he is at work on clarifying the procedures for abatement of assessment requests from non-profits.
6. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE
(a) S. Brookes reviewed the 7 Days of Giving program. One thousand $25 gift cards will be purchased from approximately 100 merchants in the district. The Enterprise Center will fund $10,000 of the cost with the DCA covering $15,000. Other expenses will be $5,000 to monitor and publicize the program and $ 5,000 to produce a promotional video on the DCA. It was pointed out the DCA should issue a RFP for help with public relations.
(b) Brookes addressed concerns with the problems faced by the homeless and the DCA’s partnership with the Good Samaritans and the City of Chattanooga Street Outreach group to alleviate some of them by distributing clothing and PPE.
(c) Among others matters covered were the Mastercard Cash for Trash program in San Jose, CA and possible improvements to the deployment of Ambassadors.
Warm congratulations were offered to S. Brookes for his good work in what has been a difficult year.
The meeting adjourned at 3:33.