Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
April 22, 2012
Bargersville, IN


Executive Director Jay Jackson called the meeting to order at 12:15pm. Everyone rose for the Pledge of Allegiance. Those present were: Region 00-Teresa and Ray Bodle; Region 01-Wayne Kopec; Region 02-Don ‘Bear’ Hewitt, Judy Hewitt, & Terry Young; Region 03-Rodney Walker; Region 04-Jan Johns; Region 06-Bob Stoner; Region 07-Ernie Davidson; Region 09-Mo Kintner; Region 10-Frank Ira and Darla Abel; Region 11-Ken Casey; Region 12-Dave Hawkins; Region 13-Paul Douglas III & Paul Douglas II; Ad Comm-Gino Johnson, Rod Taylor & Dave ‘Frosty’ Frost; LINC-Mike Meyer; Membership Committee-Mike Seiler; State Office-Secretary/Treasurer Tina McCormack, Operations Director Gary Williams, and Editor/Publisher Marc Falsetti. Regions 05 & 08 were absent.

ITEM 1: Jay welcomed the BOD to the Bargersville office and remarked how great it is to finally be able to host the meeting at our state office. He explained the intended layout of the newly purchased building.

ITEM 2: With no questions on the November/December financials, Tina asked for a motion to approve.
(MOTION #1)

Tina asked that any questions regarding procedures & deadlines be directed to Jay, Gary, Marc or her. She then distributed and reviewed January/February financials. Gaming, membership & rider ed revenues are all up over this period last year. Tina distributed a letter from Dollar General Stores to be used when purchasing tax exempt supplies from their retail stores. Tina reminded the board that ABATE funds cannot be deposited into personal bank accounts. Gino, Jay & Marc expounded on the perception of comingling of funds, and urged members to either join/renew online, or mail their membership directly to the state office. There will be a statement in the June issue of the HMC pertaining to this issue.

Tina explained that in order to reduce our enormous postage expense, we will be mailing some memberships bulk rate this year. Frank stated that some of the members in his region just recently received their April HMC. Marc detailed the post office process of the magazine mailing, and stated that they should still be delivered within 10 business days. Marc can initiate an investigation with the post office if the problem persists.

Gino informed the BOD that all proceeds from the ABC State Charity events must be directly deposited into the separate & segregated checking account, not the individual region accounts. The expenses also need to be paid from the separate & segregated checking account. Tina explained that the raffle license applications for the ABC State Charity and Boogie Bike require personal information from the persons working each of these events.

ITEM 3: Jay congratulated ABATE of Michigan on their victory in defeating their state’s helmet law. ABATE of Indiana, its members, & Governor Daniels were involved in supporting ABATE of Michigan in their struggle to pass the legislation.

Vince Consiglio, ABATE of Michigan, has asked ABATE of Indiana to assist in conducting an audit of their rider ed program. They are prepared to compensate for the audit, and specifics will be addressed through our Advisory Committee.

ITEM 4: Jay advised that we’re looking to extend the barn at LCRP. Gary collected the following quotes (approximate): Morton Bldgs - $74,000; Bertolet Construction - $40,000; Daviess Co Metal - $25,000. The quotes are for a 96” x 34” addition & do not include site preparation. Discussion followed.
(MOTION #2)

ITEM 5: The BOD toured the state office.

ITEM 6: Kenny Casey reported that Tom Umbarger has removed the tanker from LCRP at our request. Ad Comm discussed the barn addition in their meeting. Kenny announced that 2 1/2 acres adjacent to our property at LCRP is available for sale; the owner contacted the state office and is asking $2,700. Gary will follow up with the owner. ABATE will incur the expense to repave a portion of the Seymour rider ed site; the new Lafayette & Elkhart sites incurred minimal startup expenses. Kenny introduced a discussion regarding Mickey’s Camp at Bradford Woods. One of the founders, Mickey Maurer, who is also a writer for the Indianapolis Business Journal, has asked ABATE to conduct a 90 minute seminar on rider education. Jay explained the camp’s origin and proposed schedule. Southside HD & Tucker Rocky will also contribute to the experience. Kenny said Ad Comm reviewed Boogie entertainment (Buck Cherry & Here Come the Mummies), & discussed the National Coalition of Motorcyclists’ (NCOM) convention that will be at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis this Mother’s Day weekend. ABATE will co-host a hospitality suite there. Lastly, Tuesday, May 1, is the celebration on the circle for Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Month.

ITEM 7: Gary informed the group that attendance at bingo continues to struggle on Tuesday nights. We may hold a $10k night in May. Friday night rider ed classroom sessions are being conducted at Freedom Hall. Jay explained the staggered schedule, which allows for 48 students in any weekend.

ITEM 8: Gary announced that attendance at LCRP has been good with 241 in March, & 98 the first week of April. The GNCC race is scheduled for May 12-13; Miracle Trail Ride (MTR) will be June 16, with the race on June 17; Silverado will play June 16. Mike Gibbs continues to work to repair the roads & crossings. Polaris will be holding a conference at LCRP on May 3rd, where they will train their dealers & sales persons. Al stated there’s a lot of chatter online regarding LCRP activities; Roy added that they expect growth in attendance.

ITEM 9: Jay discussed the upcoming elections in Indiana, & reminded the BOD that, as a 501 (c) (3), we are not allowed to endorse any candidate. On the federal level, we will be sending a small delegation to DC for Bikers Inside the Beltway on May 17th, & advised that anyone interested in attending should let us know as soon as possible. Jay reiterated that we will see a large number of freshmen in our state legislature after this year’s election; we’ll need to work next year to educate the new legislators on our positions. Mike Meyer reminded everyone that Indiana’s redistricting could affect who their representatives are. This year’s Ride with the Governor is planned for August 10, & has been renamed for this year to The Final Round-Up, since this will be Mitch Daniels’ last year as our governor. While the route has not been finalized, the ride will again head south. Jay stated that we hope to continue this ride, but that will depend on who our next governor is.

ITEM 10: Jay updated the group on the tasks of locating rider ed sites in the greater Lafayette & South Bend areas. He recognized Jan Johns for her role in securing a location for the classroom & storage trailers for our Lafayette site. Richard Watson, Kirt Wagner, & Wayne Kopec also contributed in the search for a site in the South Bend area. Jay then detailed the new sites in West Lafayette & Elkhart. As of January 1, 2012 there is no wait to take the motorcycle licensing examination after obtaining a permit. We anticipate the BMV will waive the requirement for the written test (permit) upon successful completion of the MSF rider course, but are awaiting official word. A few of our students have experienced some confusion from their local BMV branches with the completion certificate that BMV requested we use to replace the completion card. Discussion led into Michigan’s newly repealed helmet law, as the law states the rider will need proof of completion of an MSF rider course to comply. Students still receive an MSF completion card, but as Jay stated, there’s some question as to the enforceability of a requirement to prove completion of the course. Kenny requested clarification of the Michigan helmet law. Marc added that the information will be in the May issue of HMC. Discussion followed.

Jay informed that we are looking at ways to use grant money for current projects; for example, we would like to purchase the plastic barriers that would eliminate the need for hay bales used with Tiny Tots. This expenditure is not eligible for grant dollars, but the expense ABATE recently incurred for rider ed student handbooks would. Therefore, if we obtain a grant to pay for the handbooks next year, we could use ABATE dollars to purchase the plastic barriers.

The Nicki Hayden PSA, sponsored by ICJI, has been airing around the state. All motorcyclists should be properly licensed & free of impairments to avoid unnecessary problems in the event of a traffic stop.

Jay updated the BOD on Lock vs. the State of Indiana, a habitual traffic offender riding a Yamaha Zuma at 42 mph, claiming he was riding a moped.

ITEM 11: During Boogie Committee report, Jay asked for consensus on whether we should bring the burnout pit back this year. Discussion followed; general consensus was that we don’t believe the burnout pit is enough of an attraction to justify the expense; we may reevaluate for next year. Jay announced that, in addition to our current entertainment schedule for Boogie, Half Track will be playing on the main stage. Tina asked for clarification on the price of ice this year; it will increase to $3/bag. Frank stated the Boogie Committee will meet again at the conclusion of this meeting.

Frank updated the BOD on the progress of the Motorcycle Safety Memorial renovation. We need a licensed stone mason to approve the final product. Frank also requested a sign asking visitors not to stand on the memorial.

Mike Seiler announced that membership numbers are optimistic. He reminded the directors to use their banners at events. We’ll add another region to the new member letter for the next mailing. Jay added that as compared to other motorcyclists’ rights organizations and membership based organizations, we are doing well. Mike distributed ABATE of Indiana ink pens to the group.

Teresa stated that she has not yet updated the policies to reflect the revision of the requirement for all officers to own and/or operate a motorcycle, to region directors & assistant directors only, as discussed in the February BOD meeting. Jay asked the BOD for any other revisions; none were offered. We plan to reprint the Guidebook to include the policies prior to our Fall Seminar in November. Teresa then asked for clarification on what constitutes a motorcycle for Boogie; discussion followed, Jay will confer with Mike ‘Mongo’ Pottorff & update the BOD at our June meeting.

Tina informed everyone that the memorial brick order is scheduled to be delivered to LCRP on Monday, 4/23. Tina has directed the vendor to leave all bricks at the office trailer this year, as most will be placed by the group that ordered them.

Bob Stoner reminded the group of the importance of continually reviewing & updating their region election procedures. He voiced his appreciation for the regions that did so last year.

Kenny reported that he received input from Mo today on the process of choosing a charity each year for our ABC State Charity. Mo believes our current partnership with Hoosier Burn Camp has fostered a positive atmosphere for our event, & would like to be able to retain them as our State Charity without a two year limit. Discussion followed. The committee will review the policy, but board consensus is that we have the ability to vote on an annual basis which organization will be the recipient of our ABC State Charity event, with no term limit on any organization.

ITEM 12: Jay has ridden the motorcycle we will purchase, but at this time it’s with the dealership for installation of the tour pack & some other minor adjustments.

ITEM 13: Teresa conveyed that while her officers appreciate the gift certificate awards for 2011, they would rather be awarded something unique that the public is not able to purchase. Jay explained the complaints with the style, color, size, etc that we receive every year with award shirts. Discussion followed. We will consider a unique award for 2012.

Mike Meyer informed the group that the Tour Book can be printed as a booklet from our website. We may require the booklet for next year’s program.

Kenny brought to the attention of the group that Troy Striegel has problems using the region laptop. Marc added that other directors have issues with their laptops, & explained the intended use of the computers. Jay suggested we resurrect the Electronics Committee; Dave Hawkins is Chair, Jan, Marc & Jay are members.

Marc reminded the BOD that he needs the procedure on “How to submit your charity for consideration for our ABC State Charity Event” to be posted on our website.

Tina asked that all Boogie early lists be turned in at our June meeting, but no later than June 30. Also, any RV or camper brought to Boogie will be charged a minimum of $75, including those parking in the handicap area.

Marc asked that any request for Cyndii be sent to her in writing, & that the officers be courteous with the time consuming tasks, such as artwork creation. Cyndii prioritizes requests based on event dates & HMC deadlines.

Jay reviewed this year’s MotoGP dates, & the Steel Ponies exhibit at the Eiteljorg.

The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 16 at LCRP; tentative start time is noon.


Meeting adjourned at 2:45pm.
(MOTION #3)

Respectfully submitted,

Tina McCormack
Secretary/Treasurer


MOTIONS
Motion 1: Frank Ira made the motion to approve the November/December financials; Jan Johns seconded the motion. Regions 05 & 08 absent; all other regions in favor, motion carried.

Motion 2: Rodney made a motion to accept Daviess County Metal’s bid & authorize the barn addition, with site preparation additional expense; Mo Kintner seconded. Regions 05 & 08 absent, Region 11 voted no; all other regions in favor, motion carried.

Motion 3: Wayne Kopec motioned to adjourn, Kenny seconded; all in favor, motion carried.