New Hampshire Planners Association
Annual Meeting
Local Government Center
November 7, 2008, Draft
1. Welcome / Call to Order:
J. Czysz called the meeting to order at 3:30.
2. Minutes:
T. Thompson moved to approve the minutes of the 2007 Annual Meeting. S. Whitman seconded the motion; all in favor; motion passed.
3. Treasurer’s Report:
B. Frost presented an overview of the proposed 2009 annual budget and provided an update of NHPA’s current finances. The money coming in from membership dues has increased due to an increase in the overall membership; NHPA has approximately 204 members and all of the RPC’s have joined. This year NHPA will be updating the directory, but this should pay for itself with advertisements within the booklet. Revenues total approximately $25,000. The spring conference broke even. B. Frost further explained that NHPA will be looking into applying for 501(c)(3) status as this will significantly reduce the cost of CM credits. There would only be one annual fee of $900. NHPA needs to have three years of financial information. J. Campbell moved to accept the Treasurer’s report. The motion was approved unanimously.
4. Election Results:
R. Hebert announced the Executive Committee election results. Jen Czysz, Pierce Rigrod, and Mikaela Engert were all elected to serve a three year term on the Executive Committee and the Sarah Marchant was elected to serve a two year term.
5. Executive Committee Report:
J. Czysz provided a report on the work of the Executive Committee including the hiring of a lobbyist to represent NHPA in legislature, emphasis on outreach to other professional organizations, development of an Action Plan which was based on the Strategic Plan, and the review of a sustainability policy for the organization.
6. Membership List Distribution and Rental Policy:
J. Czysz explained the proposed membership list distribution and rental policy. There would be no distribution of the membership list without permission of the group. The policy was borrowed from APA and revised to be made applicable to NHPA. A fee would be charged and the rental would be for a one time use only. J. Czysz asked for comments from the group. There was some concern about receiving additional junk mail. The fee would be $30 for an educational opportunity and $100 for other approved uses. NHPA would always reserve the right to deny the rental and would only approve membership rental for planning related reasons. R. Sawyer moved to support the policy; all in favor; motion passed.
7. Sustainability Policy:
C. Koehler explained that APA has adopted a sustainability policy, which serves as a guideline for the organizations internal practices to reduce their carbon footprint. A link to the policy is on the NHPA website. A. Tuner made a motion for NHPA to recognize the policy. J. Campbell seconded the motion; all in favor; motion passed.
8. Member Survey Results:
C. Mitchell provided an overview of the membership survey results. Most members have been with NHPA for more than five years; the membership showed a strong interest in innovation in septic design, alternatives to large scale development, and developing an energy chapter for master plans; members also favored two hour workshops; webinars; and one day conference. The legislative priorities included the following: impact fees for open space, amending the building code to incorporate green building, rewriting statutory standards for variances, eliminating the differences between area and use variances, providing for an ex-officio member of the Planning Board on the ZBA, local options for auto registration fees, and the gas tax.
9. NNECAPA Updates:
B. Frost reported that the Milford Community Facilities Planning Process received a NNECAPA award. The next NNECAPA conference will be in Belfast, Maine with an in-town venue and non-central lodging options. The APA conference will be in Minneapolis. There is also a need for a NH NNECAPA State Director to fill a position for the remainder of a one year term. Tim Thompson volunteered to serve as the State Director.
Meeting adjourned at 4:15
Respectfully Submitted,
Rebecca Hebert, Secretary
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