Board Meeting Minutes - September
Board of Directors Meeting
Chattanooga BID/Downtown Chattanooga Alliance
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Time: 2:00 p.m.-3:12 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, Walter Johnson, Lisa Maragnano, Matt McGauley, Donald O’Connor, Charles Perry, Ember Souchet, Gordon Stalans, and Erskine Oglesby.
Not attending were Pierre Dabit, Travis Lytle, Darian Scott, Todd Gardenhire, and Robin Smith.
Also present were Julia Bursch of River City Company and Steve Brookes, Executive Director of the Chattanooga DCA.
2. The Board minutes of August 19, 2020 were approved. The Executive Committee minutes of September 9, 2020 were approved.
3. OLD BUSINESS
(a) The Block by Block contract is fully executed.
(b) Renovation of the new offices at 407 Broad St. is almost complete.
4. FINANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE
For the Finance Committee, Gordon Stalans reported on year-to-date expenditures, a forecast of the 2020 budget and the proposed 2021 budget. (These documents had been earlier circulated to the Board.)
Among the points he made are the following:
(a) Assessment revenue in 2020 ($915,886) is higher than that budgeted for 2021 ($867,800) because the 2020 figure includes 3 months of assessments collected in 2019.
(b) In the total revenue figure for 2020 is a $100,000 grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation. Stalans urged that the DCA continue to submit grant proposals.
(c) The 2020 forecast for the Clean and Hospitality program ($207,668) represents costs for a partial year, while the 2021 figure ($623,000) represents costs for a full year.
(d) $100,000 is included in the 2021 budget for deferred maintenance and beautification projects.
(e) It is anticipated that consultant and legal fees will drop significantly in 2021.
(f) The rent budget for office space in 2021 is for 12 months as opposed to 5 months in 2020.
(g) $60,000 of 2020 assessments remain uncollected.
(h) Discussions with the four non-profits over the question of assessments will resume when a mutually agreeable meeting schedule can be set.
A motion passed unanimously to approve the proposed 2021 budget with the following provisos: (1) that a $230,00 reserve fund should be established and (2) that the Finance Committee be empowered to choose an appropriate instrument into which to place the fund with an appropriate bank.
5. NEW BUSINESS
(a) S. Hunt reported on recent discussions with the City of Chattanooga Budget and Finance Committee and the City Council.
(b) There were brief discussions as to how property owners might coordinate with the DCA on projects and how the DCA should move to present grant proposals.
6. M. McGauley reported that the Strategic Initiative and Planning Committee will meet before the end of September.
7. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE
(a) S. Brookes reviewed his work on the DCA Services Card, the Safety and Umbrella Escort Service, the Sprouts Program, a survey of interested parties on DCA services, EPB sponsorship of improvements in the district, his walk of the district with Chief Roddy, and the DCA’s efforts with housing challenged individuals.
The meeting adjourned at 3:12 p.m.