Report Out from the July 29-30, 2011, Board of Directors Meeting

This is a report to the membership of the official actions taken during the Board of Directors meeting held on July 29-30, 2011, in Rosemont, Ill. These are not the official meeting minutes, as discussion items and withdrawn and failed motions are not included. The official minutes of this meeting will be presented for Board approval at its next meeting, October 22, 2011, in Rosemont, Ill.

We encourage you to review this report in order to be fully informed of actions taken by the ASHI Board on behalf of the members. If you have questions, you are invited to contact any member of the Board of Directors to discuss. (Note: Contact information for the Board is available in the Online Membership Directory.)

Minutes approved and amended

The minutes from the April 30, 2011, ASHI Board of Directors meeting were approved and the minutes from the January 25, 2011, Board meeting were amended to include the motion to move $45,000 into reserves.

Executive Director EvaluationCommittee

Charles Zehner was selected to replace Jack McGraw on the Executive Director Evaluation Committee. McGraw resigned as director to accept the position of The ASHI School Executive Director.

Membership Committee

Scott Patterson, Membership Committee chair, reviewed the results from the recent member survey.

MOTION
The ASHI Board directed the Membership Committee to develop a plan/strategy and time line to do the following:
 
Create a Member Category and Logo that recognizes licensed inspectors in states that require licensing and who have passed an approved proctored exam or the NHIE or a course of approved instruction of 80 or more hours and passed the NHIE exam and agrees to abide by the Code of Ethics and conduct their inspections in accordance with the ASHI Standards of Practice.

MOTION
Legal counsel was directed to apply to the Trademark Office for use of the gold logo both for certified member use and for ASHI corporate use.

Chapter Relations Committee

Dave Haught, Chapter Relations Committee chair, reviewed his committee’s report and the motion passed to accept the changes to Section 7 of ASHI Policy and Procedures Manual subject to fine-tuning by the committee and final approval at the ASHI Board of Directors Meeting in October 2011. A full report of the changes will follow final approval. Some of the policy being fine-tuned by the committee is as follows.

• The use of Local Meeting Groups (LMG) to facilitate new chapter formation, chapter viability and to service members who cannot routinely participate in chapter activities due to geographic and drive-time limitations. LMGs will eliminate the need for Special Interest Groups.

• Chapter Incorporation and Compliance to reduce potential liability to ASHI, the ASHI Chapter and society leaders.

• Chapter leadership election cycles allowing for timely and consistent reporting, representation at the Leadership Training Conference, identification of all leadership positions prior to LTC and the ASHI National Election Schedule.

• Chapter viability, specifically the following additions.

1. The Chapter Relations Committee (CRC) shall review the viability and compliance with the ASHI Bylaws and Policy and Procedure Manual of all chapters annually.

2. In cases where chapter membership falls below ten members and/or (which also) fails to increase membership for a period of two years, the CRC shall work with the Chapter to assist it in becoming more active and providing more value to its members. If the chapter should continue to struggle, the CRC may make a recommendation as to the future status of the chapter to the ASHI Board of Directors, including becoming a division/section (Local Meeting Group – LMG)

3. Each chapter shall annually provide to the CRC a minimum set of criteria to measure ASHI chapter viability. The Viability Checklist will help identify those chapters that need assistance to regain lost interest and viability, and to ensure that all other chapters are in substantial compliance with this policy.

4. The CRC will use the following as their specific guidelines, but is not limited to, the following areas:

1. Chapter Activity and working toward membership growth
2. Have regularly scheduled meetings
3. Provide approved (State & ASHI) CE hours to members
4. Associate Development & Mentoring
5. Marketing on behalf of chapter members
6. Chapter has a website with members listed
7. Leadership Development through participating in LTC & encouragement to attend CoR and IW
8. Number of chapter members serving on national committee, BOD and officers Compliance

A. Incorporated
B. IRS & State Tax-Exempt Status (Group Exemption or 501-(C)-(6))
C. Financials – provide Balance Sheet, Income Statements
D. Chapter Roster
E. Chapter Elections
F. Checking Account with dual signatures required over $1,000
G. FEIN Number
H. State & Federal Tax Returns Filed.
I. (Recommended) Liability Insurance / Treasurer’s Bond

Election Task Force

Following are the significant changes to the Officer Election Policies and Procedures that were accepted as amended by the Board on recommendation of the Task Force as reported by Bill Jacques, Election Task Force chair.

15.6A Policy: Confidentiality of Meetings
All contents, discussions and documents of the meetings and their results are strictly confidential. The committee chair will verify that all members understand the nature of the confidentiality. Revised 7/30/11

15.8A Policy: Nominating Policy
2. Petitions
a. All Petition candidates are to complete and submit the official Nomination Matrix Form prior to the official election. ASHI will provide the official petition to the member requesting the petition. ASHI will notify the ASHI membership by email of the member who is requesting the petition. This notice will be sent out two (2) times by ASHI (the last week of September and the second (2nd) week of October and shall include the names of those candidates chosen by the nomination committees. If the official petition form is changed in any manner, the petition will NOT be accepted with the exception of a change to the fax or phone number and email of the candidates. The candidate will be allowed to purchase only the ASHI mailing list of addresses. Email addresses and fax numbers will NOT be provided to nominated or petition candidates. The mailing list may be used only for the current election cycle. Revised 7/30/11

3. Official Instructions for Those Obtaining Petitions for the Officer Elections

a. All petitions must be received on or before October 21, 2011, at noon (CT) at ASHI headquarters, 932 Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois, 60016 by physical delivery, U.S. mail, email or FAX at 847-759-1620 directly from the candidate. Postmark dates or mail “stored” at the post office will not be counted.

b. An ASHI Certified Inspector may sign more than one candidate’s petition for the same position, but only one signature per individual candidate.

c. If the Official Petition Form is changed or altered in any manner, the petition will not be accepted — with the exception of the insertion of the fax or phone number or the email — to the prospective candidate.

d. All fields on the petition shall be filled in. The signature and printed name of the signer must be original.

e. All petitions must be submitted directly from the prospective petitioning candidate to headquarters, not from signers. Petitions faxed, emailed, sent by U.S. mail or delivered by anyone other than the petition candidate will not be counted.

f. Qualified ASHI voting members (ACIs and retired members) may also sign petitions.

g. ASHI will inform members twice by email that an ACI has requested a blank Official Petition Form.

h. You may purchase and use mailing labels from ASHI. You may not purchase email, fax or telephone number lists from ASHI. ASHI will not sponsor or send email blasts for any prospective or actual candidate.

15.9A Policy: Campaigning
3. Nominee or Petition Candidates for either Officer or Board of Director positions may purchase mailing labels or lists of qualified voting member’s contact information from headquarters at cost. The mailing list will only have the USPS address of the member. Email addresses and fax numbers will not be provided to anyone, petition candidate or nominated candidate. Revised 7/30/11

15.10A Policy: Election Committee
2. The committee will consist of three (3) past-presidents and three (3) past Board members, who are willing to serve. The president-elect shall recommend to the Board a new past-president committee member each year. The Speaker of the COR shall recommend to the Board a new past Board member committee member each year.

Terms of the six (6) committee members will be three (3) years. One (1) past-president and one past Board member will rotate off each year. The members of the Election committee will be free from any conflicts of interest, such as for-profit vendor or other contractual relationships or partners of a for-profit relationship with The ASHI School, ASHI Education, Inc. or the ASHI Foundation. The chairperson will be a past-president member in the third (3rd) year of his /her term on the committee. If a member resigns from the committee, the ASHI president or speaker will appoint a replacement to fill the remaining term. Revised 7/30/2011

Standards Committee

Bruce Barker, Standards Committee chair, presented the Standards Committee work and recommendations.

MOTION
A motion was made and seconded that the 2011 Standards Committee should keep the current format of the 2006 Standards of Practice and abandon the proposed reformatting and numerous changes. Further, the changes to the standards should include, but not be limited to, the following updates:

1. Adding how Arc-Fault Interrupter will be addressed.

2. Add to exclusions that identifying product recalls will be added to the exclusions of the Standard of Practice.

3. Identifying the presence of carbon monoxide alarms.

The 2011 Standards Committee should come back to the October Board meeting with the current format with “technical update” for a Board vote.

Senior Home Safety Inspection Standard

The Board directed the Standards Committee to develop a senior home safety inspection standard.

Proposed Group Tax Exemption

After Jeff Arnold, ASHI executive director/CEO, explained the benefits of the Proposed Group Tax Exemption Letter, the Board directed the staff to apply for a Group Tax Exemption with the IRS beginning Fiscal Year 2013 (October 1, 2012). The benefits will be presented to the Chapter Leadership at LTC in October.

Marketing Committee

The Board voted to create a Marketing Committee as a standing committee. The purpose of the committee is to develop marketing programs. The initial chair will be named at the October 2011 board meeting.
 
President Kurt Salomon adjourned the meeting at 3:25 pm.

Note: An updated ASHI Policy and Procedure Manual is available on the Members-Only website in the Publications section.