February 14, 2022 BOARD MEETING MINUTES
KCFA Board of Directors Meeting--Zoom Meeting Because of Coronavirus
IN ATTENDANCE: Board Members: Colehour Bondera, Bruce Corker, Chet Gardiner, Jim Monk, Mark Petersen, Suzanne Shriner, Cea Smith, Franz Weber, John Zulkowski. Not present: Barbara Anderson, Kay Dixon, John Koontz, Shamira Linnett. Also in attendance: Clair Wilson.
Call to Order: 2:32 pm
GENERAL
Welcome by Colehour Bondera
Approval of Minutes: The January 17, 2022 meeting minutes--M/S/C for approval.
Treasurer’s Report Discussion: Jim Monk reported that January was a good but not spectacular month of KCFA finances, with a positive income so far for this fiscal year of over $3,000.
Approval of Committee Reports and Treasurer’s Report: M/S/C for approval
Class Action Distributions: Colerhour reported that settlement payments to class members from the first round of settlements in the federal class action lawsuit alleging fraudulent labeling of Kona coffee have been mailed and should be delivered this week.
OLD BUSINESS
Annual General Membership Meeting: There was an extended discussion of the Annual General Membership meeting scheduled for the Rodeo Grounds on Sunday February 20. Among the subjects reviewed were
--Proposed Agenda: Lunch provided to attendees at 2:00 and the meeting to begin at 2:30; Masks and 6-foot distancing are required by the County; sign-in for attendees and opportunities to join or renew memberships before the meeting; offering of KCFA merchandise for sale; ballots prepared for the election of new Board members.
--Food Arrangement: Attendees have been asked to make selections from catered food options that will be provided.
--Permits & Beverages: Permits for the rodeo grounds and for serving beer will be obtained from the County and HPD. Fruit drinks and water selections will be offered.
---Announcements & Quorum Status: Emailed announcements and invitations have been sent; RSVPs indicate that the quorum requirement will be satisfied.
--Entertainment/Sound System: Chet Gardiner described the arrangements he is making for both music during lunch and the sound system for the meeting.
--Nominations: As Nominations Committee Chair, Chet indicated that the following have so far agreed to be nominated for election to the Board: Barbara Anderson, Colehour Bondera, Bruce Corker, John Zulkowski, Clare Wilson, and Una Greenaway. There was an indication that one other person is considering being nominated for the Board. Board members continuing into their second year on the Board are: Kay Dixon; Shamira Linnett, Jim Monk, Mark Petersen, Suzanne Shriner, Cea Smith, and Franz Weber. Colehour indicated that he will speak with Kay Dixon as to whether she will be able to continue as a Board member. Nominations can also be made from the floor at the meeting. Under the by-laws, the membership will vote on the total number of Board members to serve in the coming year.
Strategic Planning: Colehour reported that John Barnett will be at the AGM and encouraged everyone to discuss with him their thoughts on and interest in proceeding with a strategic planning event for the KCFA.
NEW BUSINESS
President as Spokesperson to the Legislature: At the request of Suzanne Shriner, this item was added to the agenda. Suzanne moved, and Cea seconded, that: “All legislative positions of KCFA will be vetted through the Legislative Committee and voted on by the entire Board prior to testimony”. There was a lengthy discussion on the motion. Those in favor objected to legislative testimony submitted in opposition to SB2909 by President Colehour Bondera without express authorization from the Board. That bill would have allowed privatization of the State’s plant quarantine system in order to speed replacement of Kona Typica trees with other varieties. Colehour noted that the by-laws provide that the President shall be the liaison to other organizations; that his testimony accurately reflected the KCFA’s long-standing written policy of protecting and defending Kona Typica as Kona’s heritage coffee varietal; and that time was short for submitting the KCFA position to the legislative hearing. Other Board members expressed concern that the motion would place unnecessary burdens on KCFA’s ability to express the independent voice of Kona coffee farmers to the Legislature and the public. The motion failed: 3 ayes; 5 nays.
Meeting Adjourned: 4:07 pm
--Submitted by Bruce Corker, Secretary
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Treasurer's Report
Attached is a P&L for January and FY 2022 to date as well as a Balance Sheet as of 1/31/22. Also attached is a copy of the Financial Report which is copied below for your convenience.
January was a good but not spectacular month for the Association. Membership dues income was almost $1,000, there was a reasonable amount of merchandise sales and expenses were low, resulting in a positive cash flow for the month.
Expenses were very low in January with our storage rent being the only item of any size. We did pay for our annual dues to oriGin in January but the actual expense will not hit the books until February.
All together, the last three months have produced more income than expenses, providing us with a net positive income so far this fiscal year of over $3,000.
Our balance sheet still looks good. The Hawaii GE tax account was paid down in January. The positive cash flow of operations has allowed our Total Assets to actually grow from last month!
Your Association is doing well financially but needs to continue to be careful with its funds.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Monk
Treasurer
Kona Coffee Farmers Association
