2004 LWVC LEADERSHIP COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
The President and the newly-elected Voters Service Director were the LWVMP representatives to the State Leadership Council, held May 15-16 in Sacramento.
Financial Situation
In September 2003 the newly elected LWVC board became aware of some serious financial problems. These included many unpaid bills resulting in several hundred dollars in accrued interest charges and over $20,000 in unearned income paid to the Office Manager. The subsequent investigation resulted in the resignation of the Office Manager, filing of insurance claims and a police report, and a reorganization of the LWVC Board responsibilities. After an audit by the new LWVC Treasurer, Donna Chipps, the Board adopted the following policy changes:
- All paid positions except Trudy Schafer and an office assistant were frozen and the office work carried out by board members.
- The firm that had been hired to do audits was dismissed.
- The bookkeeping methods were changed and a segregation of authority was developed.
The end of year LWVC fiscal balance was approximately $66,000 in cash and $104,951 in total assets. Most of the money considered to have been embezzled, about $22,000, was later recovered from the insurance policy.
The LWVC recommended to the local Leagues to segregate authority and have checks and balances in place. In larger Leagues, this could mean external audits.
2004-2005 Budget
To prevent future fiscal problems and to increase the effectiveness of the LWVC administration, the Board recommended hiring a full time Executive Director with a $60,000 salary plus benefits. The job would include fiscal oversight and membership development. This recommendation was adopted in the new budget and required an increase of $2.00 in the PMP.
Issues for Emphasis
The issues for emphasis are State and Local Finances, Health Care, and the Community College System.
It is anticipated there will be fourteen initiatives on the fall ballot. The LWVC will probably not state a position on many of them.
Kevin Shelley, CA Secretary of State
In his presentation, Mr. Shelley indicated that all machines, with the exception of the ones manufactured by Diebold, could be used in November if paper ballots were also available. A related issue: A motion was made that the LWVC Board consider sending a letter to the National Board requesting neutrality on the question of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails(VVPATs). The motion passed by an approximate 2:1 margin, and the letter was sent.
