Minutes
District 22 Minutes, October 11, 2020
Location: via Zoom Teleconference, 1:00 pm meeting.
Next Meeting: via Zoom Teleconference, 1:00 pm meeting. via Email direct to GSRs
The meeting was opened by Gregg T. with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer.
Michelle B. read “Why We Need a Conference”
David A. presented Tradition 10
Matt C. presented Concept 10
Introductions – We went around the room, introduced ourselves and gave our service positions. Welcomed visitors.
Poll of eligible voters taken – 16 eligible voters.
Officer’s Reports:
Secretary’s Report – Diane W. - Read the minutes from the September District 22 meeting. Jose asked if his change of motion should be noted in the September minutes and Gregg said it would be in the Old Business today. Minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report – David A. – Gave the Treasurer’s report for September. Financials were shared to Zoom. Some information needed update. Final financials will be emailed. Report was approved.
DCM Report – Gregg T. – Gregg asked who had attended the NETA 65 Fall Assembly and a good portion present did attend. There is normally no business at the Fall Assembly, but Summer Assembly had to push some off to fall. A “mini-Assembly” was conducted yesterday to finish the business left after the close of the Fall Assembly. Concerns from the Area Inventory created several motions, one of which Gregg represented. This motion was to add language to the NETA 65 P&P encouraging people not to serve in any position they had already served a full term in another General Service Area. Motion failed. The 2021 NETA 65 budget was passed. The motion regarding the newsletter mailout was withdrawn. Gregg’s motion to amend the Area P&P to put GSR’s first to mirror the structure page S16 of the Service Manual passed unanimously. This requires significant update to the P&P. A motion to designate that odd-numbered year Fall Assemblies will be Assembly/Service Workshops passed. The DCM’s met afterwards and talked about COVID and what different districts are dealing with. Some groups have split over whether to meet via Zoom or face-to-face. There were very few DCM’s present, so Gregg suggested meeting again via Zoom on November 22 at 2 pm.
Standing Committee reports:
PI/CPC –Richard C. – No report due to COVID.
Treatment Facilities – Brad M. – Brad gave the Treatment report for Dave as he is off to his honeymoon! Wysong at Medical City McKinney is opening to in-person meetings starting either October 11th or 18th. Awaiting final confirmation. They have moved locations and are now located at 4500 Medical Center Drive, McKinney. The meeting will be on the same days and times as before, Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday nights at 7:30. The McKinney Miracle group has the lead in organizing and manning the meetings. Please reach out to Lydia D. if you are interested in supporting one of the meetings, as primary or back-up. Rhonda C. reported that the Dream Center has been sold and there are no longer meetings there.
Corrections –Matt C. – Matt is working with the Corrections Committee on the 2020 Corrections Conference. Agenda and conference speakers have been finalized. The format will be a Zoon meeting. A new flyer has been created and there is information on the NETA 65 website. Reaching out to GSO to see if we can step up letter writing with inmates. TDJC has begun to explore the idea of Zoom meetings and allowing a limited amount of external visitation. A request for information about the “Orange Cans” came in a couple of months ago from Dave H. Matt connected with Bill H., Area 65 Corrections Chair, who provided the following information:
“The current balance in the Orange can fund is just over $14000 as of the Fall Assembly. This current surplus is the result of the generosity of AA members and groups around Area 65 in spite of the Covid19 issues we have all been dealing with. This is obviously a temporary surplus which is a result of only about $2000 in expenditures so far this year. As a comparison last year were a little over $11000.
TDJC is currently creating Covid protocols and plans to allow volunteers into a few prisons on a test basis, we think in the next month or so and when that happens we are preparing for a big uptick in demand for literature as we will be “playing catch up” and also the protocols may limit sharing a common library of books which means a need for more personal copies.
The figures I gave above are round numbers from memory but are pretty close. I have requested an update from the Area Treasurer on revenues and expenses to date. I will pass that along as soon as he responds but it may not be today.
Also I want to summarize the Orange Can process of which you and your members may or may not be aware. All funds received by the Area Treasurer or Corrections Committee which are marked “Orange Can” or “inmate Literature” or otherwise indicated as such are not held by the Corrections Committee, instead they go to the Area Treasury where they are separately and specifically accounted for. By law and by Area policy they can be used to purchase literature for inmates in our jails and prisons and no other purpose.”
Most prisons only allow books sent by the publisher. Jose asked if there is discussion of pooling delivery of books to a particular institution. Matt said yes, possibly going through the pastor, etc. The Corrections Conference will be held via Zoom on October 24th.
WebServant – Michelle B. – Area is still running into a few permissions issues. Via email during the District meeting: Bobbye reports that no progress has been made on the District 22 website since the last meeting and she will be reaching out to Keith D. for a consultation. The evening of the district meeting, Chris B. from Area emailed the following:
“ My whole approach was to make the District site a subset of the NETA65 site, meaning you wouldn’t have to go through the effort of registering a domain, paying for site tools, etc. Apparently, this was incorrect. A subdomain, as such, is still its own site with its own operations (therefore its own costs); the only real difference is that the URL would be “dist22.neta65.org” (or whatever).
In some ways, this is bad news – but in others it’s good, in the sense that we can now proceed on getting y’all a site as originally planned. Having said that, I would definitely prefer Michelle to talk to Keith, and if anything is said contradictory to what I’ve just typed, please go with that!
My apologies for my lack of understanding creating an unnecessary delay in getting your website working. I will pledge to District 22 to give whatever time you need to expediting site creation before end of Panel if you so choose.”
Special Needs and Accessibility- Joanne U.- Nothing to report due to COVID. Has tried several times to contact the new Area 65 SN&A chair, Stephanie O. Left messages but has not received a response.
Grapevine/La Vina-Shannon C. – No report.
GSR Reports
Allen Group: Jose C. – Attendance and finances are improving with newcomers arriving and finding sponsors as well as contributions increasing monthly. We held a very successful “catch-up” Birthday Night meeting on Saturday, September 26th. It was a hybrid in-person and Zoom meeting, our first attempt at this outside of our Group Conscience meetings. We had about a dozen celebrants and about 40 attendees in total. We voted in our September Group Conscience meeting to hold ongoing hybrid Birthday nights on the last Friday of the month starting in October. Lastly, we are holding elections Monday, October 26th and have been announcing it at our meetings. We are using breakout rooms for the Zoom candidates and anonymous polls for the voting process, in addition to the voting process in the room.
Lakeview Group of Tawakoni: Richard C. – Lakeview has returned to face-to-face meetings M-W-F-Sa-Su at 7 pm. All meetings are open format. We are not having birthday night due to COVID. Attendance is low. Trusted servant elections will be held in November with new officers starting in January.
Lakeside Group: Patti W. – Thank you to David A. for bringing to our attention that the quarterly 7th Tradition contribution was sent to the District in error. Trusted servant elections were held on Thursday, October 1st. As a result of our group inventory earlier this year PI/CPC, Corrections and Treatment positions were added… and each has been filled! Kathy M. will serve as Lakeside’s first ever Treatment Chair. Lakeside continues to meet on Zoom. Due to space re-allocation and expansion, Lakeside no longer has a room at Lakepointe Church. An ad hoc committee has been formed to search for a new meeting place. Finances and attendance remain steady.
Greenville Tradition Group: Carlee A. – Finances are good, and we average 15-20 people per meeting. We do not hold Zoom meetings because attendance on them was too low. Speakers are starting to come back for Thursdays and Saturdays. We have Birthday night on the last Saturday of the month, but only the medallion/chip presentation, no potluck fellowship before. Tradition group will hold trusted servant elections in November.
Paris Downtown: Rhonda C. – Attendance is great with lots of newcomers. We have way too much money and are starting a prudent reserve. Anything over $1200 at the end of the month will go into the prudent reserve which will cap off at $3500. Some vehicles were broken into outside our group and someone had their guns stolen. Police were called. We have had lots of speakers and lots of attendance. We have a 16-year-old member and a 19-year-old member, and they continue to attend. They are hilarious females, and we love them. The campout and fish fry were amazing!
Wylie Group: Jackie L.— No report.
McKinney Fellowship Group: Lisa S. – McKinney Fellowship is doing really well. We will have elections in October. We had our first post-COVID Birthday night last month and are there is talk of a Halloween Party. We are trying to get more people to chair meetings.
McKinney Miracle Group: Mark G . – McKinney Miracle is doing outside meetings and Zoom meetings, both at the same times, noon and 7:30 pm M-Sa and 7:30 on Sundays. Attendance at the outside meets continues to increase, averaging 35-40 with Sunday/Wednesday night Newcomer meetings bringing around 50 people. For the month of September, Miracle Group held a Traditions review. The event was held on Thursdays at 7:30 pm. Mark F. hosted the meetings which were a big success averaging 50 people per night. Finances are good with the digital collection basket for Zoom meetings and outside collections. At our Group Conscience meeting tonight at 6 pm, McKinney Miracle Group will discuss that the DCM and Treasurer have the opportunity to propose a revised 2021 budget and evaluate available funds before any further disbursements are made from the general fund.
McKinney Women’s Group: Wendy G. – We meet Zoom only at 9 am Saturdays. There are other meetings nearby that are face-to-face. There are approximately 15 people per week including some from out of state. The Women’s group opted to postpone trusted servants’ elections until December. We will determine what positions are needed in November.
Sisters in Sobriety Group: Karen R. – Things remain steady. We average 20 people per week at the face-to-face meeting and 6-8 people on Zoom meetings. There was a really good turnout for our campout this month, where we covered Step/Tradition/Concept 10.
Vision for You Group: Bobbye E. – No report.
Virginia Parkway Group: David A. – Group is doing well. Attendance varies from 4 to 14 the last couple of weeks. Normally around 10 people per meeting. Income is pretty good. There is a lot of sobriety in the group.
PPG McKinney: Claudia W. – Meetings are held once per week, both in person and Zoom. We have the ability to hold foundation meetings in person and potentially via Zoom as well. Financials are very healthy, with contributions in person and digitally. Average attendance remains around 16 per meeting. PPG voted to support workshops but not spending $1800 on them. The group believes the workshops would be cheaper if there is the potential for them to be virtual. We also voted at GC to hold funds until new trusted servants are in place in 2021. Shared open district positions and asked for resumes. GC voted to increase our contributions to GSO to 50% and Intergroup to 30%, with district and area to be 10% each.
McKinney Men’s Group: Mark C. – Men’s Group meets once a week on Saturdays at 8:30 am outside in Finch Park and also via Zoom. It is not a hybrid meeting. The group continues to thrive, with a lot of newcomers the last few months. The average age seems to be going down. Finances are appropriate. Mark is looking forward to learning more about AA and being a solid representative for his group.
Pockets of Enthusiasm: Joann U. – Finances are very good, and attendance is good. Pockets of Enthusiasm is exploring placing pocket-sized Big Books in the 60 rooms at the EcoLodge Inn & Suites in McKinney. All books would be stamped with the group’s contact information.
Commerce Group: David R. – (via email after district met) We continue to meet once a week on Fridays at 7 pm. Attendance is still low due to COVID-19. Finances are good.
Old Business: Jose C. read his previous motion to that District 22 make a $3000 contribution to GSO. David A. seconds. Since making that motion, he has had a conversation with Gregg about the incoming Panel and not depleting funds for that Panel. Jose C. revised the motion as follows: Increase the Prudent Reserve by $1800 to $2800 and add Workshop line item to the 2021 budget. Matt C. commented that the Prudent Reserve should be as small as possible and that we have a budget. He has gotten feedback from several folks and wants to figure out how to go forward healthy and viable. He realizes the impact COVID-19 has had on expenditures. Matt will try to stay out of it as he has a biased opinion as incoming DCM, adding that we need to ensure we do not operate out of fear, but when COVID ends, it will be like flipping a switch.
Jose C. responded that our discussion was to wait until the end of the year before making a dispersal. Planning prudently is not acting out of fear. That is the spirit of my motion.
Lisa S. stated that her group believes that the money sent to district is to be used at district and not sent to GSO. We could purchase pamphlets. My group sees it like coffee can money.
Claudia W. reports that her group does not think any of these workshops will be in person, so $1800 seems excessive. Some thought we should wait on elections and should hang on to it.
Gregg T. stated that we have a fiduciary responsibility to the groups. One group has provided close to $9000. We have tried putting on workshops to spend funds. I spoke with Wayne H. at Area 65 about Area’s Prudent Reserve and we could consider increasing our Prudent Reserve.
Jose C. made a point of information that the group referenced is no longer contributing to District 22.
Gregg T. said that things get done (i.e. not contributing to district), people (i.e. treasurers) get stuck doing what their predecessor did. Before long, district could find itself in financial straits.
Patti W. said that her group had discussed decreasing its Prudent Reserve but, thank God, did not. Now we are looking for a new place to meet. It’s okay to be prudent. I think we should hold off dispersing the entire amount.
Gregg T. does not believe we can decide without GSR and group input.
Jose C. restated his motion: To dispense with his original motion and increase Prudent Reserve by $1800 for a total of $2800 going into 2021. For 11, against 3.
Minority opinion – Matt C. said that he can appreciate the thought of what is being done but does not see a need for increasing the Prudent Reserve at this time. He believes it would be wiser to wait until next year and see what we need. Then we could get a better handle on where our money is. He feels it is a hollow gesture.
Three voters in the majority wanted a re-vote. For 7, against 6. Failing to achieve substantial unanimity, motion fails. Panel 71 will decide what to do with finances.
New Business: Our last workshop is on the Concepts and Patti W. has been asked to get presenters. We need a date as soon as possible. It will be conducted via Zoom. Patti W. asked who the audience is, Gregg T. said all AA’s. Motion by Diane W. to conduct workshop on November 14, 2020, seconded by Chuck G. Motion passes will 14 for, none against. Patti W. accepted responsibility for lining up the presenters.
Chuck G. has been asked to serve as the Area 65 Panel 71 Alternate Technology Chair. No one saw a conflict with his District 22 position.
Gregg T. pointed out that we still need a secretary for Panel 71. Patti W. volunteered to serve, and Diane W. said she would be her alternate.
Next District Meetings:
Nov, 8th – via Zoom.
Dec. 13th – via Zoom, ID: 833 4331 4591, PW: 862011.
Please E-mail or call any requested new business to the DCM, Gregg T. and the District Secretary, Diane W. for next month’s agenda.
Motion to close. Seconded. None opposed.
The meeting was closed with the Lord’s Prayer.
Please send contributions to:
| GSO: General Service Office Grand Central Station P.O. Box 459 New York, NY 10163 | Area: NETA 65 222 E. McKinney St. Suite 100 Denton, TX 76227 | District 22: %David Andrews P.O. Box 412 McKinney, TX 75070 | Orange Can Contributions: NETA 65 222 E. McKinney St. Suite 100 Denton, TX. 76201 (make check to NETA 65 and in memo, write Orange Can and Group.) |
Respectfully submitted,
Diane W., District 22 Secretary