Meeting Minutes
BITS Annual Business Meeting Minutes
December 8-15-22, 2021
Part One of BITS annual business meeting:
December 8, 2021:
President Earlene Hughes called the BITS annual meeting to order at 8:01 PM.
She dispensed with the reading of the roll call indicating the roll call would be generated from the Zoom meeting report. When asked, John McCann confirmed over 10% of BITS members were in attendance which constituted a quorum for conducting business. At the time the quorum was verified 38 members were in attendance. As the meeting progressed, more members joined.
President Earlene asked everyone to indicate whether they approved the adoption of the agenda as circulated. Approval of the agenda was voted on by raised hands. Fifty were in favor of adopting the agenda as circulated, four were opposed. President Earlene declared the agenda is adopted.
John McCann moved that the 2020 minutes of the BITS Annual meeting be adopted as circulated, which was seconded by Viola Bentson. Out of 51 participants, 26 were in favor of adopting the minutes. None were opposed to the adoption of the minutes as circulated. President Earlene declared the 2020 minutes are adopted.
John McCann gave the Interim Treasurer’s report for 2021, since the year has not ended.
BITS Interim 2021 Fiscal Year Report
January 1-November 30, 2021
checking
Beginning balance: $7,088.55
Credits:
Deposits from PayPal account: $3,289.80
Deposits from convention registration: $1,790.00
Deposits from Amazon Smile donations: $0.00
Quarterly ACB monthly monetary support disbursements: $170.00
Seven regular membership payments: $140.00
Donations: $10.00
=$5,399.80
Debits:
Transfer to savings: $4,000.00
Yearly ACB affiliate dues remittance: $1,105.00
BITS convention door prizes: $200.00
Website security deluxe: $479.76
Two-year renewal of one SSL certificate: $189.98
BITS-ACB.ORG domain renewal, (one year): $21.17
Yearly groups.io premium email list administration plan: $220.00
Yearly Zoom account payment: $149.90
Yearly Incorp (corporate registered agent) service fee: $99.00
Biennial corporation filing fee: $80.00
ACB radio advertisement: $75.00
Remittance of erroneous dues payment: $15.00
Bank service fee (three counter checks): $2.00
=$6,636.81
Ending balance: $5,851.54
PayPal:
Beginning balance: $38.52
Credits:
One hundred fifty-seven regular membership payments: $3,140.00
Four BITS life membership payments: $1,000.00
Five ACB life membership payments: $75.00
One erroneous dues payment: $15.00
One donation: $60.00
=$4,290.00
Debits:
Disbursements to checking: $4,135.15
Transaction fees: $155.15
=$4,290.30
Ending balance: $38.22
Savings
Beginning balance: $22,618.84
Credits:
Transfer from checking: $4,000.00
Interest: $2.41
=$4,002.41
Debits:
None
Total debits: $0.00
Ending balance: $26,621.25
Total all accounts:
01/01/2021: $29,745.91
11/30/2021: $32,511.01
Net gain / loss: +$2,765.10
After John gave the report, he answered questions from the membership. Karyn Campbell moved to approve the Treasurer’s report which was seconded by Viola Bentson. Thirty-five members voted to accept the Treasurer’s report as given. There was no opposition to this motion. President Earlene declared the Treasurer’s report is adopted. She thanked John for his hard work as Treasurer.
Earlene Hughes gave the President’s report. She announced a committee is working on developing a BITS handbook which is still a work in progress. It has not yet been reviewed by the Board. She said when it is ready to be reviewed, it will be discussed in a Board meeting. Earlene held a BITS caucus for most nights during the ACB 2021 convention, to discuss candidates and convention issues. This caucus was very popular, many enjoyed it, and the feedback Earlene received was positive. She indicated she plans to hold the caucus again during the 2022 ACB convention.
Earlene thanked Jim Stanga and Chris Maae, members of the My Account team, for their help in managing member accounts and resetting passwords. She expressed appreciation for their hard work. She announce Jim Stanga will not continue in this role, but that Ray Campbell now has account privileges. She reminded everyone that at the end of every email there is a link to the My Account team, for those who need assistance. Earlene explained when new members join BITS, a membership account is created for them and they are subscribed to the BITS email list. Although there are some who unsubscribe to this list due to excessive email traffic, Earlene emphasized that the BITS email list is the main way to send out information to members. Earlene reminded members that everyone is reading the messages they post on the BITS email list. She asked them to find ways to consolidate messages in order to maintain list traffic.
Earlene thanked those who have participated in BITS Roundtables and presentations. These events have helped BITS recruit new members because they have given members something they enjoy. Also, these events have been very popular. She explained the differences between the BITS presentations and Roundtables.
Presentations occur in the “Presentation” Zoom meeting room, and are facilitated by presenters on various topics. Participants are permitted to ask questions only at the end of each presentation. However, the Roundtables are less formal. They occur on the second Wednesday of each month. Although a topic is selected, the Roundtable is conducted as a discussion, where members can ask questions and comments throughout this event. Every effort is made to keep the presentations and roundtables on a professional level.
Earlene stated Kliph Miller hosted Mack by the BIT, which has been a new presentation. She indicated that because of the holiday season, he will send a recording of this presentation that she will put on the BITS website. She said he will not do any more presentations until February. Herbie Allen hosted Apple Bytes. Earlene thanked Kliph and Herbie for these presentations. She stated the BITS chats are on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday nights, but will be closed until the election is over.
Earlene thanked the BITS Board of Directors for helping BITS to be successful and grow. She stated they have gone into Executive Session whenever she has asked them to. She expressed appreciation for their hard work and support.
Earlene Hughes, Chair of the BITS Zoom host committee reported on their activities. She thanked those who hosted the Zoom rooms through 2021 including: Chanelle Allen, Rosanna Beaudrie, Viola Bentson, David Edick, Becky Knaub, Penny Moss, John Ogilvie, Diane Scalzi, Brad Snyder, and Pam Washam. Earlene said they helped manage all the Zoom rooms. She explained she creates an excel spread sheet which lists all the dates and times Zoom hosts are needed. When she sends the spread sheet to the Zoom host, they are asked to email her their available dates. When they do, she sends out another copy of this spread sheet when it is updated. Then Zoom hosts are able to see when hosts slots are filled, and can volunteer to host in any of the slots that are still available.
Chris Maae, Chair of the Presentations committee, thanked everyone on the committee for their hard work. He expressed appreciation to the presenters for their work and the information they provided to all members. He thanked Kelsey Nicolay for her work with Screenreader Tips and Tricks, and to Kliph Miller for conducting Mac by the BIT and Herbie Allen for facilitating Apple Bytes. He also thanked anyone else who helped with presentations or Roundtables during 2021. Chris said he is looking forward to the 2022 presentations. He stated he wants to have presentations on topics of interest to everyone. He asked for feedback from BITS members regarding presentations and roundtables.
Rosanna Beaudrie, Chair of the Membership committee reported on their work. She was very excited about the BITS membership for 2021, stating that it had been an excellent year. She announced BITS has 253 members for 2021, which includes 24 Life members. Renewal letters were sent out in November, and membership renewals are starting to come in. John McCann indicated 14 people prepaid for 2022, 39 have renewed their membership, and BITS has 24 Life members, which gives BITS a total of 77 members for 2022. Rosanna maintained the Mac by the BIT and the roundtables have brought in new members, because they are new educational programs which have helped BITS move forward. Rosanna said the Membership committee will resume its work in January. Earlene thanked Rosanna for all her hard work on the Membership committee.
Chris Maae, Chair of Social Media, reported he launched two Facebook pages for BITS. He explained one is a public Facebook page that is open to anyone. Those interested can go to this page and read information about BITS. The other Facebook page is a private page for BITS members only. He stated the private Facebook page gives members “an extra option” to obtain information about BITS, if they do not want to subscribe to the email list due to list traffic. He reported the Facebook pages are “running very slow.” He thanked people for joining and supporting the BITS Facebook pages. Chris indicated there is not enough interest from BITS members in pursuing Clubhouse at this time. However, he urged people to let him know if they become more interested in pursuing this social media platform. Earlene thanked Chris for all his work on Social Media.
Earlene Hughes, the Chair of the Convention Program committee, discussed the previous ACB convention. She thanked Rosanna Beaudrie, Penny Moss, Pam Washam, tom Jones, and Chris Maae for their hard work on this committee. She indicated 179 people registered for, and attended the BITS presentations that were held during the convention. All presentations were virtual.
Delegates to the ACB convention: Earlene served as the delegate to the ACB Nominating committee. Earlene served as the delegate and Chris Maae served as the alternate delegate to the convention. They attended all affiliate meetings which were conducted in the “Affiliate Zoom Room.” Earlene said she will “again try to plan” a good convention in 2022.
There was no unfinished business.
There was no new business.
Earlene Hughes, Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws committee reported on their work. Ray Campbell and Rosanna Beaudrie worked with her and were very helpful. She thanked them for their hard work. The committee considered changes to three amendments to the BITS Constitution and one bylaw. The amendments that were considered were amendments 3.2, 9.2, and 10.0. Bylaw 4.1.4 was also under consideration. After the committee met and reviewed the proposed changes to the Constitution amendments and the bylaw, they emailed these amendments and the bylaw to the BITS email list. Each amendment and bylaw contained the current wording and proposed wording, which documented the changes under consideration. During the annual meeting, Earlene read each amendment and bylaw, including the current and proposed wording, so everyone would understand the proposed changes being considered. Each amendment and bylaw were thoroughly discussed, and members were given opportunities to ask questions before the vote was taken. Each amendment and bylaw were voted on separately. Ray Campbell pointed out that those who abstain from voting are not counted in the vote tally. All amendments have to have a 2/3 majority of those “present and voting.”
3.2. Application for Membership:
Current wording:
3.2. Application for Membership: Applications for membership shall be submitted to the treasurer. The application shall specify the type of membership sought and whether the applicant is sighted or legally blind. Payment of the appropriate dues as stated in Bylaw Article 1, shall be received between January 1 and October 31 in order to confer membership for that fiscal year. If tendered on or after November 1, such payment only confers membership for the following fiscal year.
Proposed wording:
3.2. Application for Membership:
3.2.1. Applications for membership shall be submitted to the treasurer. The application shall specify the type of membership sought and whether the applicant is sighted or legally blind. Payment of the appropriate dues as stated in Bylaw Article 1, shall be received between January 1 and October 31 in order to confer membership for that calendar year. If tendered on or after November 1, such payment only confers membership for the following calendar year.
3.2.2. Any person who joins BITS, and their dues are paid within the last 6 (six) months of a calendar year, shall be considered as a member in good standing for the calendar year immediately following said year. This provision shall not apply to those persons who are listed on the previous year’s membership roster.
The proposed change in the above amendment allows new BITS members who paid dues from July 1 through October 31 to be granted membership for the following year. This provision does not apply to BITS members who were on the membership roster for the previous year. This new provision is seen as a way to encourage people to join BITS and is thought of as a recruitment tool.
David Edick proposed a friendly amendment indicating the new provision of 3.2.2 should only apply to individuals who join BITS for the first time. However, others did not view this proposed change as a friendly amendment, indicating it would require additional tracking of new members when they join BITS. Questions and comments were addressed regarding the proposed change to Article 3.2.1. Karyn Campbell moved to adopt the proposed change to this amendment, which was seconded by John McCann.
Those in favor of adopting the proposed change to Article 3.2.1 were: 32
Opposed: None
Since the amendment had a 2/3 majority, it passed. Earlene declared the amendment was agreed to.
9.2. Standing Committees:
Current wording:
Convention Program
Proposed wording:
Convention Planning
In amendment 9.2, the proposed change was to change the name of the “Convention Program” committee to the “Convention Planning” committee. Earlene explained the rationale for changing the name of this committee to the “Convention Planning Committee” reflects more accurately what this committee actually does.
John McCann moved that BITS change the name of the “Convention Program committee” to the “Convention Planning Committee.” This motion was seconded by Chris Maae. Questions and comments were addressed. John McCann called for the question.
Those in favor of changing the name of the “Convention Program Committee” to the “Convention Planning Committee” were: 34
Opposed: None
Earlene declared this amendment passed with a 2/3 majority.
The proposed change to amendment 10.0 was the timeline when BITS delegates are appointed or elected to represent BITS at the business sessions of the ACB national convention. Until this time, delegates were appointed or elected to represent BITS at the beginning of the BITS annual meeting. The proposed change would permit BITS to elect or appoint these delegates at the BITS Board meeting immediately proceeding the ACB national convention.
Amendment 10: AFFILIATION:
Current wording:
BITS shall be an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind Inc. and comply with all requirements associated with such affiliation. One delegate and one alternate delegate shall be appointed or elected at the beginning of each annual meeting to represent BITS during the business sessions of the American Council of the Blind convention.
Proposed wording:
BITS shall be an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind Inc. and comply with all requirements associated with such affiliation. One delegate and one alternate delegate shall be appointed or elected at the BITS Board meeting immediately preceding each annual National convention to represent BITS during the business sessions of the American Council of the Blind convention.
After some discussion, John McCann proposed a friendly amendment that would include the nominating committee representative. He suggested that the word “and” be removed before the words “alternate delegate”, and that a comma be inserted before adding the phrase “and one nominating representative” to this amendment.
The proposed amendment would read:
BITS shall be an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind Inc. and comply with all requirements associated with such affiliation. One delegate, one alternate delegate, and one nominating representative shall be appointed or elected at the BITS Board meeting immediately preceding each annual National convention to represent BITS during the business sessions of the American Council of the Blind convention.
Those in favor of adopting the friendly amendment: 29
Those opposed: 1
Those who abstained from voting: 6 (these votes do not count)
Earlene declared the friendly amendment passes.
Those in favor of changing the timeline specified in amendment 10 were: 32
Opposed None.
Earlene declared the amendment passed with a 2/3 majority and is adopted.
Bylaws
4.1.4. Convention Program Committee:
Current wording:
Subject to confirmation by the board of directors, the President shall appoint a qualified member to serve as chair of the Convention Program Committee. The president shall appoint at least two other members to serve on the Convention Program committee. The Convention Program committee shall plan and present the program sessions for each annual BITS convention.
Proposed wording:
Subject to confirmation by the board of directors, the President shall appoint a qualified member to serve as chair of the Convention Planning Committee. The president shall appoint at least two other members to serve on the Convention Planning committee. The Convention Planning committee shall plan and present the program sessions for each annual BITS convention.
In Bylaw 4.1.4, the proposed change is to change the name of the “Convention Program Committee” to the “Convention Planning Committee” which coincides with amendment 9.2. Earlene explained that a simple majority is required for this bylaw to pass. Ray Campbell moved that the name of the “Convention Program Committee” be changed to “Convention Planning Committee” which would coincide with amendment 9.2. This motion was seconded by Rosanna Beaudrie. Questions were answered. Viola Bentson called for the question.
Those in favor of changing the “Convention Program” committee to “Convention Planning” committee in Bylaw 4.1.4 were: 31
Opposed: None.
Earlene declared the majority voted in favor of the proposed change to this bylaw so it is adopted.
Ray Campbell moved that all new members who joined BITS on or after July 1, 2021, have their dues membership carried over through 2022, provided they were not on the 2020 roster. The motion was seconded by Rosanna Beaudrie. All in favor of this motion: 34
Opposed: None.
Earlene declared the motion was adopted.
Ray Campbell, Chair of the Nominating committee gave their report. The members of the Nominating committee were: Ray Campbell Chair, Pam Washam, and Scott Edwards. Ray thanked the candidates for participating in the interview process. He also thanked Scott Edwards and Pam Washam for serving on this committee, expressing appreciation for their hard work. He presented the slate of officers and Board members for the upcoming BITS 2021 election. They were as follows:
Vice President: Chris Maae, 1-year term
Secretary: Penny Moss, 1-year term
Board Member: Brad Snyder, 3-year term
Board Member:, Viola Bentson, 2-year term
Ray explained how the election would be conducted. Those running for office or a Board position would be voted on separately. When each position was presented, there would be calls for nominations from the floor three times. Individuals could nominate themselves from the floor if they wished to run for a BITS position.
The Nominating committee presented Chris Maae as their candidate for Vice President. Earlene called for nominations from the floor three times. There were no nominations from the floor. John McCann moved that nominations cease and that a unanimous ballot be cast for Chris Maae as Vice President. The motion was seconded by Viola Bentson. There was no discussion. The motion was voted on by raised hands.
All in favor of casting a unanimous ballot for Chris Maae as Vice President: 31
Opposed None.
Earlene ruled the majority of the membership voted to cast a ballot for Chris Maae, who will be the BITS Vice President for a one-year term.
The Nominating committee presented Penny Moss as their candidate for Secretary. Earlene called for nominations from the floor three times. There were none. John McCann moved that nominations cease and that a unanimous ballot be cast for Penny Moss as Secretary. The motion was seconded by Ray Campbell. This motion was voted upon by raised hands.
Those in favor of casting a unanimous ballot for Penny Moss as BITS Secretary: 33
Opposed: 1
Earlene ruled the majority of the membership voted to cast a ballot for Penny Moss who will be the BITS Secretary for a one-year term.
The Nominating committee presented Brad Snyder as their candidate for a 3-year BITS Board position. Earlene called for nominations from the floor three times. There were none. Ray Campbell moved that nominations cease and that a unanimous ballot be cast for Brad Snyder to be elected to the Board for a 3-year term. The motion was seconded by John McCann. Those in favor of casting a unanimous ballot for Brad Snyder to be elected to the BITS Board for a three-year term: 38
Opposed: None
Earlene declared that the majority of the membership voted to cast a unanimous ballot for Brad Snyder, to serve a 3-year term on the BITS Board.
The Nominating committee presented Viola Bentson as their candidate for a 2-year BITS Board position. Earlene called for nominations from the floor three times. This time two candidates were nominated from the floor. John McCann nominated David Edick. David gave his consent to have his name placed in nomination for the 2-year Board position. Chanelle Allen nominated Rosanna Beaudrie for the same position. Rosanna accepted this nomination. John McCann moved that nominations cease, which was seconded by Ray Campbell.
All in favor of closing the nominations: 31
Opposed: None
Earlene declared the motion was approved.
Each candidate was told they had five minutes to speak for themselves, or could have others speak on their behalf. If there was time left within their five-minute slot, they could say a few remarks after others had spoken for them. Reginald George spoke on behalf of Viola Bentson. When he finished speaking, Viola declined to make any additional comments. Frank Cuta and Steve Wolf spoke for David Edick. David thanked those who spoke for him. Diane Scalzi spoke for Rosanna Beaudrie. After she finished speaking, Rosanna mentioned she is a team player, has enjoyed working on the Board, and working for BITS. She thanked Diane for speaking on her behalf.
Ray Campbell gave instructions concerning the election process. He stated BITS members would receive an email indicating when polls are open. He said they are to log into the BITS website and locate the link to the election ballot and vote for one candidate. If anyone forgot their password, they are to request to have the password reset. He emphasized they should not keep entering a password if it is invalid, because they will be locked out of the BITS website. If this happens, or if assistance is needed, he urged BITS members to contact the “My account” team. Ray announced voting will end on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at 11:59 PM ET. Maria Kristic, Becky Knaub, and Ray Campbell will count the votes. The results will be sent to the President. If their is not a majority, the candidate who has the lowest number of votes will be dropped. He said those who paid dues after October 31, 2021, are not eligible to vote in this election. The President will reconvene this meeting on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 8:00 PM ET.
John McCann moved the BITS annual meeting go into recess until Wednesday December 15, 2021, at 8:00 PM ET. The motion was seconded by Ray Campbell. The meeting went into recess at approximately 11:02 PM ET.
Part Two BITS annual meeting:
December 15, 2021:
President Earlene Hughes reconvened the 2021 annual meeting at 8:05 PM. She wanted it to be understood that she is not a part of the election process. She emphasized she does not have anything to do with the ballots and does not see or count them. She stated she cannot assist anyone with resetting passwords, so she refers those requests to the “My Account” team. She also said that if anyone files a Code of Conduct complaint, she is obligated to forward it to the Board for their consideration, no matter the subject of the complaint.
Ray Campbell discussed how the election was conducted. Initial and reminder emails were sent concerning the election. Voting ended at 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, December 14. Then the ballot was removed from the BITS website, all submissions were downloaded, and all information was saved so a “paper trail” could be accessed. Votes were counted independently by three tellers, and the results were forwarded to the President. The vote counters were: Ray Campbell, Becky Knaub, and Maria Kristic. Although there were a few discrepancies, they easily resolved them, compared their election results, in which their numbers were in agreement.
Ray reported 52 ballots were cast. The results were as follows:
Viola Bentson: 17 votes (32.69%)
David Edick: 22 votes (42.31%)
Rosanna Beaudrie: 13 votes (25%)
Ray declared no candidate received a majority, which will require “repeat balloting.” Since Rosanna Beaudrie received the lowest number of votes, she would be dropped from the list of candidates. Ray recommended a run-off election be conducted between Viola Bentson and David Edick. The election would be conducted in the same manner as the previous one. No one opposed this recommendation.
Ray indicated an email will be sent when the polls open just as it was in the previous election. He said the election will end on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 11:59 PM. He stated all this information will be included in an email. Questions were answered about the voting process. The chat will be closed until after the election, which was a Board decision. Ray thanked everyone for voting and for their support. He also thanked the vote counters for their hard work.
The meeting went into recess at 8:23 PM ET.
Part 3 of BITS annual meeting:
December 22, 2021
President Earlene Hughes reconvened the third session of the 2021 BITS annual meeting at 8:00 PM ET. The purpose of this meeting was to report the run-off election results between David Edick and Viola Bentson for the 2-year Board position. There would also be two $100 drawings for Amazon gift cards.
Ray Campbell thanked everyone for attending the annual meeting. The run-off election closed on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 11:59 PM ET. Ray Campbell, Maria Kristic, and Becky Knaub independently counted the votes as before. They used Excel in different ways. Ray also counted the votes manually. Although there were a few discrepancies, the vote counters checked and verified the number of votes, which were in agreement. The vote counters downloaded the votes using excel, and sent the results to the President as before. Ray indicated the results revealed a close vote. He reported 58 ballots were cast. The results were as follows:
Viola Bentson: 32 votes (55.17%)
David Edick: 26 votes (44.83%)
Earlene declared that Viola Bentson won this election for the 2-year BITS Board position. Viola thanked everyone “for the confidence” they placed in her. David thanked those who voted for him, and congratulated Viola for winning the election. Rosanna also congratulated Viola indicating she was looking forward to a great 2022. Ray thanked members of the Nominating committee, candidates, and vote counters for their hard work. He stated Becky Knaub and Maria Kristic did an excellent job as vote tellers. Earlene thanked the members of the Nominating committee, candidates, and vote counters for their hard work and helping to make the election run smoothly. She emphasized her door is always open and that anything can be solved when “everyone works together to find the best solution that works.”
Earlene begin the two drawings for the $100 Amazon gift cards. BITS members did not have to be present to win. Every member was given a number. Ray Campbell conducted the drawing using SIRI. He asked Siri to pick a number between 1 and 253 on two occasions. The first time Siri picked a number it was number 92, which belonged to Douglas Hunsinger. The second number Siri picked was 88 which belonged to Cindy Hollis. Douglas Hunsinger and Cindy Hollis were declared winners of the $100 Amazon gift cards.
Ray Campbell moved that the 2021 BITS annual meeting be adjourned, which was seconded by Rosanna Beaudrie. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 PM ET.
Respectfully submitted,
Penny Moss Secretary
Blind Information Technology Specialists