MC Meeting Minutes Monday August 24, 2009
Meeting opened: 7.30pm

ATTENDANCE
MC: Genevieve Derwent, Jo Rose, Sam Byrne
Others/visitors: Nija Dalal (Co-op Coordinator), Monika Baumann (Groceries Coordinator), Dave Tilley (Shop Coordinator), Stevie Bee (Info Coordinator), Jamie Payne (F+V Coordinator), Julia Gray (Finance Coordinator)
Apologies: Linda Grkinic (MC)

The meeting was inquorate so all proposals are recommendations to be adopted at the next mMeeting.

CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
The meeting recommended that the minutes of the July meeting be adopted.
Jo/Genevieve
No business arising from the minutes.

MEMBERSHIP

NEW MEMBERS (55)
Proposal: That the meeting recommends Alfalfa House accept applicants with membership numbers 5540–5594 as members. Jo/Genevieve

RESIGNATIONS
Proposal: That the meeting recommends Alfalfa House accept the resignations of members 4969, 2956 and 4115. Genevieve/Jo

FORFEITURES
Proposal: That the meeting recommends that the shares of members 1008, 1762, 1777, 2951, 3008, 3045, 3101, 3121, 3203, 3352, 3496, 3530, 3588, 3647, 3659, 3738, 3826, 3859, 3927, 3949, 3951 3991, 4239, 4347, 4365, 4368, 387, 4393, 4401, 3827, 4359, 3654, 2888, 3488, 3026 be forfeited.
Genevieve/Jo

STAFFING
Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House accept the resignation of Susannah Fox. Genevieve/Jo

• The MC awaits feedback on whether extra staff hours are required to cover Nija’s absence in the event that her hours are reduced.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (OH+S)
• Jamie has noticed that staff often lift more than 14kg at a time.
Action: Staff to discuss at the next staff meeting and report back on possible solutions.
• Julia twisted her ankle on the walk back from the bank to the co-op. At this stage her ankle is not getting better and so further tests are being conducted. The workers' compensation forms are in progress.

REPORTS

FINANCE
• There was a profit of $1650 for the month of July.
• Workers comp payments and internet expenses $1900
• So far August is looking positive.
• Sales in the first weeks of July were low and the feeling was that many people stocked up on groceries during the stocktake sale.

CO-OP COORDINATOR
Action: Nija to work with Monika on getting volunteers and a carpenter to assist with the work over the October long weekend.

• Cut + Paste: Volunteers are in the process of being organised for the stall at the festival.
• AGM and fundraiser: It was agreed to hold the AGM and a fundraising event following at the Red Rattler if possible. Nija to speak with Nassim about whether this would be possible.
• Energy efficiency measures: Nija to seek quotes and provide information for MC approval where required.

Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House accept the report. Jo/Genevieve

F & V PRODUCE
• There was discussion about the hours required for Jamie to do the job to a high standard and it was agreed to continue with the plan to review the hours in October.

Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House accept the report. Jo/Genevieve

GROCERIES
• The gravity bin fundraising is going well.
• Re-modelling of shelves is happening this weekend, the carpenter plus five volunteers are confirmed.
Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House accept the report. Jo/Genevieve

STAFF MEETING (Presented by Dave (staff delegate))
• There was discussion about the stocktake sale. The key aspects to keep in mind if something like this is to occur in the future: the event should not be over a weekend; it should be one day only; not on June 30; and that there could be discounts on specific items only, not the entire shop.
• Jo suggested putting together a fold of notes compiling feedback on the various promotional activities the co-op has engaged in to ensure that the experiences are passed on.

Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House accept the report. Genevieve/Jo

CORRESPONDENCE
• City of Sydney grant to be discussed later in the agenda.

FOOD GRANTS
Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House accept the Food Grant application. Genevieve/Jo

CURRENT MATTERS

MC-STAFF DISCUSSION
• It was agreed that the dispute resolution process should be distributed for input and feedback.

BUDGET 2009-10
Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House thank Teddy Cook for his hard work as Treasurer and MC member. Sam/Jo

• It was noted that December 2009 and January 2010 will be counted as one month due to many suppliers being closed in January so larger groceries orders will be made in December.

Proposal: That the meeting recommends that Alfalfa House adopt the 2009-10 Budget. Jo/Genevieve

BLUE MOUNTAINS CO-OP
• We are still waiting to hear back from the Blue Mountains Co-op. It was agreed that any time staff spend working with the Blue Mountains co-op be considered work time.

CITY OF SYDNEY GRANT
• Some more information from the Council is required regarding parameters for use of the funding.
• One possible use for some of the funding could be a warehouse visit to Honest to Goodness that would include people from other co-ops in the Sydney area.

MC MEETING TIME
• There was some discussion about the meeting time and what would work best. However, it was agreed that it was a discussion for the next Management Committee.

SAFER SPACES POLICY
• The policy is to be read and discussed by MC then sent out in the eNews for feedback from members.

SHOP THIEF
• It was clarified that the member stealing can only be expelled at a general meeting. It was agreed that a letter be sent to the member advising that their membership could be terminated at the AGM and that the co-op reserves the right to refuse entry.

Meeting closed: 10.30pm