(January 1, 2007) By the NC
The January 2007 meeting was opened by Scott Burow, NC

Call To Order & Agenda
Grievance Committee
Motion 07-02: Grievance Committee
Motion 07-01: FGS Membership
Resignation: Paul Buckley
Election Committee 4th Quarter Report
Motion 07-03: Grievance Committee Bylaws Amendment
Motion 07-03a: Table Motion 07-03
Motion 07-04: Appointment Of Freddie Spradlin
Adjourn

(January 3, 2007) By the N.C.
Please forward to all Project lists.

In accordance with the Grievance Committee Procedures, the Advisory Board has received and reviewed the qualifications and made recommendations on those members who volunteered to be on the initial Grievance Committee. The slate of committee members is listed below and will remain open for member comment for a period of ten days. After that date, the board will vote to accept or reject the slate based upon the discussions and member input at the first opportunity.

We wish to thank all those who volunteered. As always happens when there are more volunteers than positions, the selection process was difficult.

For the initial appointments to the committee we selected those members who either expressed life experience in handling grievances with mediation and arbitration through their employment, and those who have experience in training others. We also heavily favored those who have a familiarity with the process itself due to input into the committee or other processes similar to the GPC. These individuals have a hard job to establish the committee and to recruit and train volunteers. Individuals with experience in the area and with the procedures will help significantly.

CC/LC Representatives:
Ray Ensing - CC CAGenWeb, MTGenWeb and MNGenWeb - 2 years
Cheryl Rothwell - CC ILGenWeb - 2 years
Bob Sweeney - CC PAGenWeb - 2 years

SP Representative:
Alice Warner - Tombstone Project - Arkansas/Archives FM - Iowa

SC Representative:
Sharon Craig - ASC Indiana - 1 year

At Large Representatives
Sharyl Farrell - CC - 2 years - 1st year as Grievance Coordinator
Bill Utterback - CC KYGenWeb - 1 year

Please feel free to send your comments to myself, Mike Peterson the Representative At Large, or your Advisory Board representative for consideration.

(January 13, 2007) By the N.C.
The ten day period for member comment upon the proposed slate of members of the initial grievance committee has been completed. The chair will entertain a motion to accept or reject the proposed slate based upon that member input.

As a reminder, the proposed slate for the initial grievance committee is:

CC/LC Representatives:
Ray Ensing - CC CAGenWeb, MTGenWeb and MNGenWeb - 2 years
Cheryl Rothwell - CC ILGenWeb - 2 years
Bob Sweeney - CC PAGenWeb - 2 years

SP Representative:
Alice Warner - Tombstone Project - Arkansas/Archives FM - Iowa - 1 year

SC Representative:
Sharon Craig - ASC Indiana - 1 year

At Large Representatives
Sharyl Farrell - CC - 2 years - 1st year as Grievance Coordinator
Bill Utterback - CC KYGenWeb - 1 year

(January 13, 2007) Made by Mike Peterson, seconded by Karen De Groote-Johnson
I move that the proposed slate of the initial Grievance Committee members be accepted as follows:

CC/LC Representatives:
Ray Ensing - CC CAGenWeb, MTGenWeb and MNGenWeb - 2 years
Cheryl Rothwell - CC ILGenWeb - 2 years
Bob Sweeney - CC PAGenWeb - 2 years

SP Representative:
Alice Warner - Tombstone Project - Arkansas/Archives FM - Iowa - 1 year

SC Representative:
Sharon Craig - ASC Indiana - 1 year

At Large Representatives
Sharyl Farrell - CC - 2 years - 1st year as Grievance Coordinator
Bill Utterback - CC KYGenWeb - 1 year

(January 13, 2007) By the N.C.
Call for discussion was issued

(January 17, 2007) By the N.C.
Call for vote was issued

(January 19, 2007) By the N.C.
Motion passed
Members voting Yes: Alice Allen, Cyndie Enfinger, Greta Thompson, Jan Cortez, Suzanne Shephard, George Waller, Phyllis Rippee, Sundee Maynez, Mike Peterson, Karen De Groote-Johnson, Linda Blum-Barton, Bettie Wood.
Members voting No: None
Members not responding: SEMA SC Position - Vacant

(January 6, 2007) Motion by Linda Blum-Barton, seconded by Bettie Wood
I move that the Standing Operating Procedure referenced in Motion 05-18 regarding membership in FGS be referred to the current SOP Committee to be included with their work, and, in the meantime, if there is an offer made of further membership in FGS that the NC accept such an offer as part of the day to day activities of the project.

(January 6, 2007) By the N.C.
Issued call for discussion

(January 10, 2007) By the N.C.
Call to vote was issued

(January 12, 2007) By the N.C.
Voting is concluded, motion passes
Members voting Yes: Alice Allen, Bettie Wood ,Cyndie Enfinger, George Waller , Greta Thompson , Jan Cortez , Karen De Groote-Johnson , Larry Flesher , Linda Blum-Barton , Mike Peterson , Phyllis Rippee , Sundee Maynez, Suzanne Shephard,
Members voting No: None
Members not responding: None

(January 7, 2007) By the N.C. forwarded from ABChat
[Thread leading up to Paul Buckley's Resignation is found in USGENWEB-ALL archives beginning at:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/USGENWEB-ALL/2007-01/1168222627]
[Paul Buckley] This has turned into total BS. I asked a question and was called a liar by another member and responded with the word "silly". I do not have the time nor inclination to continue with these kinds of discussions. My resignation from the AB is effective immediately.

(January 8, 2007) By the N.C. forwarded from ABChat
[The N.C.] You asked a very undetailed and unspecific question. Greta's reply was succinct and to the point asking specific questions to better understand it.

Your reply - minus the first paragraph - was what was needed to explain the question. The insulting first paragraph of your reply was totally unnecessary and undignified conduct as a board member. You at no point were called a liar, and called a fellow board member's questions 'asinine', not silly.

Your resignation, effective immediately is accepted per Sturgis page 225-226.

(January 12, 2007) By the N.C.
The Elections Committee has submitted their Fourth Quarter Report to the Board, as follows:

Scott Burow
NC - USGenWeb Project

TO: National Coordinator and Advisory Board, USGenWeb
FROM: USGenWeb Elections Committee
SUBJECT: EC REPORT FOURTH QUARTER 2006
DATE: December 31, 2006

OCTOBER

A call for EC volunteers was issued.

October 24 - The Membership list prepared for the October Newsletter
which was sent on Oct 31. There were 119 bounces. Of those, 28 were
blocked by spam filters, most by http://www.spamcop.net. This is a
much higher figure than the EC usually sees, so the newsletter editor
was notified. Of the remaining bounces, 22 members were removed from
the lists due to chronic bounces.

NOVEMBER

November 28 - The EC submitted a slate of six new volunteers for
membership on the EC.

DECEMBER

December 5 - The EC sent an announcement to the AB regarding EC
Technical and Administrative Upgrades that may be found (in the
interest of space) here:
http://newsarch.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BOARD/2006-12/1166189054

On December 12 the AB approved the submitted slate, and the EC
welcomed new members:

Christine Sweet-Heart - Representative At Large - Term ending 31
December 2008.
Martha A. Crosby Graham - NENC - Term ending December 31, 2008.
Linda Ziemann - NWPL - Term ending 31 December 2008.
Everette Carr - Term ending 31 December 2008.
Linda K. Lewis - Term ending 31 December 2008
Bryant W. Walker - Special Projects - Term ending 31 December 2008

On December 15 an election for EC officers for the year 2007 was
begun. Jo (Castleberry) Branch was elected Chair, and Debbie
Gerischer was elected Sec/Pub.

December 28 - In light of the ongoing work on the new dataset, the EC
invited Ellen Pack to remain on the EC list as a temporary special
advisor until the dataset is implemented.

Respectfully submitted,
The USGenWeb Election Committee

(January 19, 2007) Motion made by Mike Peterson, seconded by Phyllis Rippee
I move the following proposed amendment to the USGenWeb Bylaws be presented to the USGenWeb Project membership for approval in accordance with Bylaws Article XVI, Section 5. To this end: it shall be posted to the Project website and mailing lists within two (2) business days; it will remain posted for a minimum of three (3) business days; and notification of a five day voting period will be given by the Election Committee:

These USGenWeb Bylaws; Article VI (Duties/Qualifications of Advisory Board), Section 3 and Article XIV (Grievance Procedures and Appeals Process) are repealed and replaced as stated below.

Article VI, Section 3.
The responsibilities of the Advisory Board shall include addressing any problem issues as they arise; aiding the state projects upon request; establishing and overseeing committees; reviewing grievance appeals in accordance with the Grievance Committee Procedures, and appointing a webmaster to maintain the national website

Article XIV, Section 1.
A standing Grievance Committee will be established.

Article XIV, Section 2.
The Grievance Committee will operate under the Grievance Policies and Procedures. Changes to the Grievance Policies and Procedures may be made by the Advisory Board or may be proposed by the Grievance Committee for approval by the Advisory Board. The current Grievance Policies and Procedures shall be displayed on the National website.

Article XIV, Section 3.
The Advisory Board will appoint the initial members of the Grievance Committee. Thereafter, the Grievance Committee will recommend for approval by the Advisory Board a slate of members to fill vacant positions.

Article XIV, Section 4.
The Grievance Committee will administer a fair, orderly, and timely resolution of a grievance in accordance with the Grievance Policies and Procedures.

Article XIV, Section 5.
The resolution of a grievance is binding upon the membership.

Article XIV, Section 6.
All actions, whether by the national Grievance Committee or by a grievance process at a state or special project level, shall be characterized by fairness, courtesy, and respect for the dignity and the rights of each individual. To that end, the following rights and responsibilities apply to all grievance processes within the USGenWeb Project, XXGenWeb Projects, and Special Projects.

Article XIV, Section 6(1).
A member may choose to act as his or her own representative, or may select someone to act as his or her representative. The member retains the right to change or dismiss the representative at any step of the procedure; however, such action will not affect the point at which the change or dismissal occurs.

Article XIV, Section 6(2).
When a member is dismissed from a position in a State, Local, or Special Project, that member's position may not be filled until the expiration of the time for that member to file a grievance. When the said member files a grievance, that position may not be filled unless the grievance resolution against the member calls for the member to lose that position. Nothing should prevent the unlinking of the member's website and establishing a temporary website pending resolution of any grievance.

Article XIV, Section 6(2).
Nobody shall be discriminated against for participating in the grievance process.

(January 20, 2007) By the N.C.
Call for discussion the motion

(January 20, 2007) By Bettie Wood
Yes I have some....the members of SWSC region that have written me-- since the Grievance Committee has been under discussion for some time now, they want "an explanation that justifies this motion being considered "urgent."

(January 20, 2007) By the N.C.
Bettie, the determination that this action would be taken was made by the AB in Motion 06-14. The question before this board at this time is whether this proposal is the proposal that the AB will submit to a member vote. Essentially, a 'yes' vote means we will propose this version of the amendment; a 'no' vote means that this proposal is not satisfactory and needs to be sent back for revision before being placed before the membership.

(January 27, 2007) Motion made by Bettie Wood, seconded by Suzanne Shephard
There has been no new discussion on this in several days. The EC says they won't be "open for business" until April 1st.

For those reasons, I move that the motion 07-03 be temporarily tabled.

(January 27, 2007) By the N.C.
It has been moved by Bettie Wood and seconded by Suzanne Shepherd that Motion 07-03 be temporarily tabled as there has been no new discussion amongst the Board on the issue and that the Election Committee has indicated that they would be unavailable to conduct a special election until April 1. This motion is numbered Motion 07-03(a)

The chair has received a private inquiry as to the rules and requirements of a motion to temporarily table in view of the differences between the majority requirements for passage in Sturgis and the USGenWeb bylaws.

Per Sturgis (p 68-71) a motion to postpone temporarily, also known as a motion to table temporarily, is a subsidary motion which is not debatable and which takes precedence over all other subsidary motions. The motion requires a simple majority vote to table the motion; and requires a simple majority vote to bring the matter back for further consideration at some future date. If it remains a tabled issue without being brought back for further consideration, it becomes a dead issue on September 1, 2007.

As the USGenWeb Bylaws, Article VIII, section 2 states that all Advisory Board issues shall require a 2/3 majority for passage, and the bylaws take precedence over parliamentary procedure, a 2/3 majority is required to table the motion and a 2/3 majority would be required to bring the matter from the table for further consideration.

As the motion is not debatable, please cast your vote on motion 07-03(a). If you agree with the motion please signify with Yes, if you disagree please signify with No. Voting will continue until Monday January 29, 7:00 p.m. CT, unless concluded earlier.

(January 29, 2007) By the N.C.
With 12 members voting of 13 possible members, a quorum has been met. With 11 members voting "yes", 1 member voting "no", and 1 member not voting, Motion 07-03(a) passes with greater than a 2/3 majority.

Motion 07-03 has been tabled until such time as it is recalled for discussion or expires at the end of this term.

Members voting yes: Bettie Wood, Cyndie Enfinger, Suzanne Shephard, Larry Flesher, George Waller, Greta Thompson, Karen De Groote-Johnson, Jan Cortez, Linda Blum-Barton, Alice Allen, Sundee Maynez.

Members voting No:Mike Peterson

Members not voting: Phyllis Rippee

Vacant Position not voting: SEMA SC Rep.

(January 29, 2007) Motion made by Bettie Wood, seconded by Karen De Groote-Johnson
I move that that Freddie Spradlin, SC of Virginia, be appointed to the vacant SEMA SC rep seat.

(January 29, 2007) By the N.C.
As the Chair is aware the Mr. Spradlin was the only candidate to volunteer to fulfill the post after contacting all eligible candidates within the SEMA region, the Chair would ask general consent to the appointment of Mr. Spradlin to the position.

Is there any objection from the Board to this appointment?

(January 31, 2007) By the N.C.
There being no objection raised to motion 07-04, the same is passed by general consent of the Advisory Board.

Freddie Spradlin, SC of Virginia, is appointed to fill the vacant SEMA SC Representative seat on the Advisory Board, to serve until August 31, 2007. The Elections Committee is advised to place the SEMA SC Representative position on the next annual election cycle for a single 1 year term to maintain the consistency of the election cycle.

On behalf of the entire Board I welcome Mr. Spradlin to his new position within the project and look forward to working with him in the coming months.

(January 31, 2007) By the N.C.
The January 31, 2007 session was adjourned