Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
October 13, 2012
Lawrence County Recreational Park, Springville, IN


Executive Director Jay Jackson opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance at 2:05. Those present were: Region 00-Ray Bodle; Region 01-Wayne Kopec; Region 02-Don ‘Bear’ & Judy Hewitt; Region 03-Rodney Walker; Region 04-Jan Johns; Region 06-Bob Stoner; Region 07-Kenny Harris; Region 08-Greg Turner; Region 09-Mo Kintner; Region 10-Darla Abel & Thom ‘Hippy’ Henderson; Region 11-Kenny Casey; Region 12-Dave Hawkins; Region 13-Paul Douglas III; LINC-Mike Meyer; DIRT-Al Pivonka; Membership Committee-Tom Finney & Chuck Powell; AdComm-Dave ‘Frosty’ Frost; State Office-Operations Director Gary Williams & Secretary/Treasurer Tina McCormack; Rick Thompson. Region 05 previously notified that they could not attend.

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

ITEM 2: Jay stated that while Gino is unable to attend today, he, Jay & Tina had discussion regarding the financial state of ABATE; Gino feels our bottom line is healthy. Tina addressed July/August financials by explaining the dashboard numbers. The monthly summary & event insurance reports are updated with reports received through 10/15. Tina summarized Boogie financials & thanked the group for their efforts in reducing expenses to yield positive net revenue for Boogie 2012. Some discussion followed.

ITEM 3: Gary explained that while our charitable gaming revenue is down over this period last year, the dollars spent per player is up. October 6 was our semi-annual $10,000 bingo night; attendance was less than expected because another bingo operation in Fort Wayne conducted their $10,000 bingo that same date, although earlier in the day. A recent edition of Indiana Gaming Insight published that the Muncie AmVets, the 6th largest bingo operation in the state, has closed its bingo operation.

ITEM 4: Gary reported that rider attendance at LCRP has increased by about 25% over this time last year. Polaris held an event there recently, & complimented us on the condition of our trails. Gary recognized our Boogie volunteers, Roy Garrett & Mike Gibbs for trail maintenance. Our efforts are ongoing to finalize the approval of our Amusement & Entertainment permit. Gary directed the group’s attention to the Kubota tractor & mowers in the field. Our John Deere tractor is in disrepair & in need of replacement. Had it not been for a loaner from a dealer, we would not have been able to finish mowing for Boogie this year. Gary presented three quotes on replacement equipment. Discussion followed.
(MOTION #2)

ITEM 5: Al stated that he & Roy are working with different parties to schedule 2013 OHV events.

ITEM 6: Jay announced that on the national level, there are a couple of motorcycle safety related surveys out, mostly positive conclusions. Jay attended the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA) conference in August, & the Meeting of the Minds (MOTM) in September, & commented on the professionalism of MRF & ABATE of Indiana when hosting conferences. Jay alerted the group that if we are to continue rider education everyone needs to contribute. We should be very proud of our accomplishments in developing & maintaining our rider education program, which hasn’t been without challenges. However, the task of obtaining use of a site for a range is becoming more challenging. Jay reviewed the probability of continued use of our current sites; 6 of 16 sites are either questionable or no longer available for our use in 2013. Jay implored the board to solicit their members’ assistance in obtaining additional sites; a single basic rider course range requires 160’ x 260’ of unobstructed pavement. He also listed the organizations that currently have a RERP number (Rider Education Recognized Provider) through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) to provide rider education in Indiana.

Greg added that our rider education program presents an incredible opportunity for us to meet with the students. Kenny Casey commented on his visits to the Indy West class.

ITEM 7: Mike reminded everyone that Election Day is November 6 this year, which encompasses the Presidential race, all of the House of Representatives, and a US Senate seat on the federal level, our state’s gubernatorial race, several state senators & all of Indiana’s representatives. Mike shared a website, indianavoter.in.gov, where one can view the ballot for their precinct, as well as confirm voter registration. The deadline for registering has passed.

Jay added that the Attorney General & Superintendent of Public Instruction offices are also up for election this year. Jay reminded the group that, as a 501(c) (3), ABATE of Indiana cannot & will not endorse or financially contribute to any candidate. We would like for members to research which candidate would most support motorcyclists, and consider that when voting. Mike Karickhoff has drafted preliminary language on the Dead Red bill, & Milo Smith is still working on motorized bicycle language.

Jay stated that ABATE of Indiana was well represented at MOTM, & asked Wayne to share his experience with the group. Wayne felt the breakout where the CDC (Center for Disease Control) survey was dissected was an outstanding presentation. Wayne informed everyone that the Power Point presentation is available on MRF’s website. Another presentation available on the website gives direction on challenging a citation through the research of the statute involved; some statutes contain contradictory language. Wayne said we need to get our members motivated to get involved in the issues that affect us so we might accomplish our legislative goals. Jay then asked Greg to reflect on his first trip to MOTM. Greg stated that he was disappointed (humor) in being unable to attend all breakouts due to useful sessions being presented simultaneously; Jan agreed. However, Greg stated that it was a phenomenal learning experience. He shared that he’s been more involved on the state level because he didn’t think there was that much happening on the federal level that affected us on the state level; he learned there’s a lot of federal issues that we need to be aware of because it will affect us in our state. Mike added that he talked to several members of rights organizations from across the country, & found that they have many of the same concerns that we do in Indiana. Impaired riding & the motorized bicycle issues are two that we share. Mike enjoyed conversing with members from other states, & suggested more of our board attend MOTM next year. Jay announced that it will be hosted by ABATE of Ohio next year, & will be in Columbus, OH.

Jay presented a draft Fact or Fiction paper that he & Matt Danielson are collaborating on which points out some of the omissions, errors & fallacies of the CDC study. He also brought attention to the Intelligent Transportation System presentation on MRF’s website. Jay announced that a national helmet bill is looming; it’s imperative that we ensure this issue remains a state issue by lobbying our federal legislators, & by keeping our presence through the MRF in Washington, DC. He observed that he, Mike & Gary always ride with full gear, and he does that because he chooses to, not because it’s law. Jay recognized that ABATE of Indiana’s financial support is much appreciated by not only the MRF, but by motorcyclists throughout our country.

Wayne announced that ABATE of Indiana received two awards at MOTM; one for support of an MRF Board Member, the second is a Federal Legislative award for our legislative work at the federal level. Jay thanked everyone for their support of the MRF.

ITEM 8: Jay stated we have some ideas for our Fall Seminar, & is pleased that the breakout format was discussed earlier. We prefer the general session format, so that all attendees are involved in all presentations. We are due to reprint our Guidebook prior to this year’s Fall Seminar. Jay requested that any suggested revisions be submitted to either Marc or Jay immediately. We also plan to add a disclaimer on the Officer Acceptance form, to protect the organization in the event an officer’s opinion is misconstrued to be the position of ABATE of Indiana. With the complexities of disseminating information regarding the positions our Board of Directors decide upon, there could be instances where a member or officer might misstate ABATE’s position; the disclaimer should provide for some level of accountability. Discussion followed.

Tina requested the directors have their treasurers email to her any questions that they would like addressed at the Fall Seminar.

We will have the Region Hospitality & Air Guitar contests again this year. Jay informed the board that Wanda Hummel might be present this year, to expound on the founding of ABATE of Indiana.

ITEM 9: Kenny Casey stated that topics reviewed in today’s Advisory Committee meeting have been discussed in this meeting, & are: financials, condition of the tractor & mower, member & officer conduct, rider education, & Fall Seminar. Concerns & ideas from the Membership Committee were tabled. KMA/KBA (Kentucky Motorcycle Association/Kentucky Bikers’ Association) has expressed interest in conducting rider education, but discussion may be premature. Jay agreed that it is premature to discuss in further detail, but KMA/KBA has some interest in getting involved in Kentucky’s rider education on a contractor level; Greg offered assistance if/when needed.

ITEM 10: Jay introduced discussion regarding all regions conducting their ABC State Charity event in the month of August. Discussion followed. All regions are encouraged to host their ABC event in the month of August, with the understanding that materials may not be available for events hosted prior to August.

Kenny Casey reviewed the process for selecting a charity for our annual event; Hoosier Burn Camp is the only charity that has requested consideration to be our 2013 state charity.
(MOTION #3)

Bob & Jay reminded the regions to review their election procedures.

Ray stated Teresa did not send anything with him regarding policies for the board to review.

Tom Finney stated the new database will allow us to forward new member information to county reps & region directors sooner. The Membership Committee plans to increase efforts on retaining members. The Membership Committee will stage a presentation at Fall Seminar.
(MOTION #4)

Jay updated the group on the progress of the new database; we anticipate it will be complete prior to commencing rider education registrations in 2013.

ITEM 11: Jay thanked the board members that responded to Parr Sound’s request for an advance on Boogie 2013 services, & noted that the organization will recognize a significant discount with the advance.

Bob reviewed the membership study project from last year. The paper is finished; Bob will email to the directors for their review & opinions on publication.

ITEM 12: Tina will email suggested/confirmed dates for 2013 board meetings & events to the board. Region sanctioned event dates are due at the state office by October 31 & will be finalized at the November board meeting.

Jay restated that as a 501 (c) (3), ABATE of Indiana cannot endorse or contribute to any political candidate. However, we are evaluating the candidates that are of the most concern to us. We are a state motorcyclists’ rights organization; therefore, we will focus on the state elections. Marc sent a survey to each of the three gubernatorial candidates & received a response from only John Gregg, which was printed in the October issue of the Hoosier Motorcyclist. We received Mike Pence’s response just this week, and are working to include it in the November publication. We are meeting with Mike Pence on Monday, October 22nd. In the interest of bipartisanship we will listen to each & every candidate.

Since many of our regions host family events where kids are involved, Marc & Jay are contemplating a designation for flyers that would indicate the event is family oriented.

To encourage volunteer participation, we’ve considered including volunteer participation in the calculations for region awards. We recently were the beneficiary of a member’s bequeath. Discussion followed regarding the region receiving credit for the donation. Jay asked the board to contemplate for further discussion at the November board meeting.

Wayne inquired about next year’s charitable gaming license. Tom Finney asked if we could obtain the Boogie Bike Raffle tickets by January next year. Tina replied that she, Gary & Izzy will be attending a charitable gaming seminar on October 26, & will also discuss the questions with Gino.

The next scheduled BOD meeting is November 16th at Clarion on the Waterfront.

MOTIONS

Motion 1: Jan made a motion to approve the May/June financials, Rodney seconded. Region 05 was absent; all other regions in favor, motion carried.

Motion 2: Kenny Casey made a motion to expend $34,120 to purchase a new tractor & used woods mower, & to accept the advertising trade for the zero radius mower, Paul seconded. Region 05 was absent; all other regions in favor, motion carried.

Motion 3: Tabled until the November BOD meeting.

Motion 4: Kenny Casey motioned that the membership drive will continue until otherwise specified; Bear seconded. Region 05 was absent; all others in favor, motion carried.

Motion 5: Kenny Casey motioned to adjourn; Region 05 was absent, all others in favor.