There were 20 members and 1 guest present.
Bruce Entwistle called the meeting to order at 12:42 p.m. The meeting began after a delicious lunch from the Town and Country Kitchen in Norton, KS. The secretary was not present and the minutes of the last two meetings were read by the president. A correction was made to the October 2001 minutes regarding scholarship amount awarded at the 5th High Plains Conference. Both sets of minutes were approved.
REPORT OF THE TREASURY
Mike Moritz presented the treasurer's report. Financial activity since
the last meeting was minimal, as deposits totaled $280.00 plus $2.71 in
interest. There were no expenses. The current balance is $2207.41.
Mike also gave a brief presentation regarding tax-exempt status of
the chapter. He felt the chapter did not need to file for tax-exempt status
because the chapter is already considered tax-exempt under Section 501
(c)(3) of IRS code. Our three-year gross receipts are less than $15,000
and we meet the criteria of an educational or scientific organization.
No forms need to be filed, nor do any federal income tax forms. Mike stated
the primary disadvantage of not being officially tax-exempt would be the
potential loss of any large gift or donation. If that were the case, the
chapter may want to consider gaining official tax-exempt status.
The report of the treasury was accepted as read.
OLD BUSINESS
The president stated Goodland sent out the AMS Minority Scholarship
application to 33 schools. North Platte sent the scholarship to 56 schools.
Hastings did not get the scholarships sent, but the deadline is February
22. There is still time and Hastings will work on it. No report was received
from Dodge City, however an inquiry was made as to the chapter covering
the costs of mailing the Scholarship applications. Bruce Entwistle stated
any costs incurred should be submitted to the chapter for reimbursement,
such as costs of stamps, envelopes, etc..
The vice president stated most of the presentations from the 5th
High Plains conference have been posted on the web and are available for
view.
NEW BUSINESS
Guest. Rick Sloan, Service Hydrologist from Dodge City, introduced
Wes Moore from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Rick thanked
Wes for his involvement in helping correct a wire-weight gauge extension
problem on bridges. Mr. Moore offered the use of the KDOT offices in Norton
as a possible site for future High Plains meetings, if a more technical
aspect setting for presentations was needed. Their conference room is set
up for nearly any type of presentation format.
Election Committee. The president wanted to get the chapter election
ballots counted and called for one member of each office to serve on the
election committee to count the ballots. Rick Ewald, Jeff Zeltwanger, Matt
Gerard and Randy Coleman volunteered to validate and count the ballots.
Those four men were sequestered to count the ballots.
By-law Changes. The president proposed a change to the chapter
by-laws to clarify national AMS and NWA membership requirements for local
chapter officers. He proposed Part 1, Article III, Paragraph 3 of the by-laws
be
amended to read "All officers must meet membership obligations set forth
by the national organizations of the National Weather Associations and
of the American Meteorological Society." The president stated the only
current requirement is the local chapter president is to be member of the
AMS and no official requirements are set forth by the NWA. Other officers
do not have to be members of the national organizations at this time. He
stated this would prevent the need to re-write the by-laws every time there
was a change at the national level regarding this point.
Tim Burke had some questions about the wording of the proposed amended and suggested some clarification was needed. Scott Lockhart asked whether local chapter members need to be national AMS or NWA members. The president stated there was no obligation of local members to national organizations. The president stated a quorum was not present and voting would have to take place via email. He would clarify any questions about the wording of the amendment in that email.
AMS Chapter of the Year. The president stated he had the AMS Chapter of the Year applications. In the past, we had not met requirements, primarily in terms of not submitting minutes to the national headquarters in a timely manner. Mike Moritz stated we could easily compete for such an award based upon his interpretations of the most recent winner. Jared Guyer stated we should take the same approach and authority to apply for the NWA Chapter of the Year award.
Temporary Adjournment. The president motioned for a temporary
adjournment while the ballots were being counted at 1:20 pm. The motion
passed.
Re-adjournment and Voting Results for New Officers. The meeting
was called back to order at 1:25 pm and the results of the 2002 election
were presented by the election committee. The officers for 2002 are: John
Stoppkotte, President; Jim Johnson, Vice President; Tim Burke, Secretary;
and Mike Moritz, Treasurer. Congratulations.
6th High Plains conference. A brief report was given
by Matt Gerard regarding the planning for the 6th High Plains
conference in Dodge City. The dates are October 9-11, 2002. The was little
additional information since our most recent meeting. Matt stated the committee
was working to block rooms at local motels. He noted the need for session
chairs. He also stated the committee was ready to set forth the call for
papers and the scholarship application. He noted Mark Anderson from UNL
said four students were already interested in the student paper competition.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by the newly elected President, John Stoppkotte,
at 1:40 pm.
The next meeting date has not been set yet.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael L. Moritz, Treasurer Tim Burke, Secretary John Stoppkotte, President