|
|
|
|
Council of Geographic Names Authorities (COGNA) Business Meeting Asilomar
Conference Center October 2, 2003 __________________________________________________________ In attendance: Jo Antonson, Alaska Non-Voting: Julie Hoff, Arizona __________________________________________________________ AGENDA Call to Order and Opening Remarks Acceptance of Agenda I. Old Business II. Reports on Future
Conferences and Election of Officers
Item 2: 2005, Presentations III. New Business IV. Adjourn The Business Meeting was called to order at 4:15 p.m. The Agenda was reviewed and the Executive Secretary asked if any additional items needed to be added. None were offered. Due to time constraints, the Executive Secretary suggested that any discussion of Items 1-3 under Old Business be suspended. A motion was made and seconded to suspend Items 1-3 (Payne/Smith), and was approved unanimously. Old Business, Item 4 was reviewed. The Executive Secretary reminded the members that at the 2002 Business Meeting, it was decided that future meetings would be closed but that invitations would be made to select individuals. However, it has since been learned that under IRS regulations, as a 509 (a) 2 organization, the meetings must be open to the public. A motion was made and seconded to concur with the IRS regulation and to open future meetings to all interested parties (Smith/Antonson). It was further stated that voting would be limited to one vote per State, plus two for the Federal government (one each for the Executive Secretary and the Chairperson of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names/Domestic Names Committee). The Executive Secretary asked for a roll call of State representatives. It was also suggested that as a representative of the Executive Committee of American Name Society/Toponomic Interest Group, Jennifer Runyon should be permitted to cast a vote. The motion was approved unanimously. 2004 Conference The Executive Secretary reported that in 2002 the State of New Mexico, with the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service, had expressed interest in hosting the 2004 Conference. However, due to scheduling and resource limitations, New Mexico has since asked to be withdrawn from consideration. Subsequent conversations with Jim Anderson, Chair of the Florida State Board on Geographic Names, have resulted in that State offering to host the conference. A contract has been signed with the Radisson Riverwalk in Jacksonville, Florida, with a room rate of $81 per night. The selected dates are October 19-23. An invitation to COGNA 2004 was provided in everyone’s packet at this year’s conference, and the Executive Secretary will extend an invitation to all interested participants at the conclusion of this conference. A motion was made and seconded to accept the invitation to hold the 2004 COGNA Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, with the Florida State Board on Geographic Names as host and Jim Anderson as Chair (Payne/Vasiliev). The motion passed unanimously. There was some discussion regarding the format of the agenda, with the consensus being that the current format works very well. Lewis McArthur suggested more time should be set aside for small group discussions. Roger Payne agreed and suggested that perhaps an additional day should be added to the conference. The Executive Secretary stated that the issue has been under consideration for some time, and asked that members and others contact him or the host of the 2004 Conference if they wished to suggest additional topics for the agenda. There continues to be some concern regarding the increasing costs of the annual conferences. This is partly a result of the current economic situation, but there also seems to be a tendency for each host to wish to “out do” previous conferences. More effort needs to be made to solicit additional funding, but there also needs to be increased participation by State and Federal agencies. Grant Smith suggested that the format and cost should be at the discretion of the host, and that each host must weigh the available resources, benefits, and costs of having a successful conference and a good turnout, which can often be difficult to anticipate. The question was asked whether the conference can be permitted to overrun its budget; that is, who is responsible for overruns? Jane Messenger suggested that recent conferences have become very “upscale”, and that future hosts should consider smaller and less expensive locations. The Executive Secretary reported that he is in the process of preparing a document on finding ways to solicit cheaper venues. It is hoped that in the future hosts will make an effort to stay within the Federal per diem rate. Bob Julyan pointed out the success of a conference should not be dependent on the opulence of the venue. Roger Payne stressed that it must be made clear to each host that the cost of the conference cannot exceed its budget. The Executive Secretary offered to forward a copy of the aforementioned document to Cynthia Gardiner and Lewis McArthur, who have offered to host the 2005 Conference, for their consideration. Grant Smith asked when was the last time a conference ended with a deficit, to which the Executive Secretary responded it was in 1996 when the conference was held in Utah. Grant Smith suggested that, for the most part, the current situation is working, but that the host organization must expect to absorb some of the costs. 2005 ConferenceThe Executive Secretary reported that the State of Oregon has offered to host the 2005 Conference, with the venue likely to be in Portland. Lewis McArthur offered a tentative date of September 20. He also suggested a preliminary budget and agenda would be available at the 2004 Conference. The 2005 Conference will provide an emphasis on the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration, including a possible visit to Fort Clatsop. It was noted that Cynthia Gardiner is representing the State of Oregon at this Business Meeting, but that she and Lewis McArthur would like to be considered as Co-Chairs of the 2005 Conference. Grant Smith asked that the conference not be scheduled to conflict with the 2005 ICOS Conference, which is likely to be in late July. A motion was made and seconded to accept the invitation to hold the 2005 COGNA Conference in Oregon, with the Oregon Geographic Names Board as host and Lewis McArthur and Cynthia Gardiner as Co-Chairs (Strock/Vasiliev). The motion was approved unanimously. New BusinessThe Executive Secretary reported that the following are items for discussion and may not necessarily require any formal action. Item 1. Frequency of Conferences. There was some concern after New Mexico indicated it would have to withdraw from hosting the 2004 conference that it would not be possible to hold the conference annually, but with plans now made for the next two years, things are in good shape. The existing bylaws require that an annual conference be held, so if a change a made, it would be necessary to amend the bylaws. Item 2. Jointly Sponsored Conferences. The Executive Secretary suggested this should be considered, but Bob Julyan pointed out it may not be very efficient to do so. Grant Smith reminded the members that the conference in Astoria was hosted jointly by Oregon and Washington and that that had been successful as it allowed the States to divide up the responsibilities. Jenny Runyon reported that she had communicated with the Chair of the Massachusetts Geographic Names Board recently, and the idea of a conference hosted jointly by the New England States was raised. Roger Payne stated that there should be no limitations to seeking help or offering to assist with the conferences, to which the Executive Secretary responded that this could be addressed as needed. Item 3. Time of Year for Conferences. The conferences have traditionally been held in the September-October timeframe, but in the few exceptions, the conference has been successful too. The Executive Secretary reported that holding the conference too late in the year could result in problems with the IRS report. Roger Payne asked that in the future, the conference not be scheduled to straddle Federal fiscal years. Roberta Quigley suggested that for the Forest Service, July is good, before monies are diverted to Fire Season. Grant Smith reported that academics prefer summer as well, particularly mid-August. However, Ren Vasiliev disagreed, since many schools are preparing to reconvene at that time and therefore mid-summer is preferable. Jane Messenger asked whether spring is an option. Lewis McArthur asked whether the likelihood of there being two conferences in FY ’05 was likely to cause problems. Grant Smith suggested that clearly there is no time that is perfect for everyone, to which Ren Vasiliev asked that perhaps it should rotate and be held every 18 months? Roger Payne argued that this could cause fiscal ramifications. Grant Smith asked that future hosts look ahead and try not to conflict with other major events, such as the ICOS, ESRI, United Nations, and NCGIS conferences. Item 4. Length of Conference. Roger Payne reminded the members that over the years, the conference has been extended from two days to three and a half, and that in 1993, it was expanded to allow for the presentation of papers. There was some concern that there was insufficient time this year to complete the State-Federal Roundtable, so perhaps an additional day should be added, with the Monday to be set aside as the travel day. Grant Smith asked whether it was preferable to add more days or whether the host should offer concurrent sessions. There was general agreement that holding concurrent sessions is not recommended. Ren Vasiliev asked whether the length of the conference days should be extended, to which Lou Yost added that perhaps the number of papers could be reduced. Jo Antonson stated that the conference in Spokane was good because the host established and enforced a time limit for discussion of each State-Federal Roundtable topic. Grant Smith indicated he liked the idea of extending the length of the days, and added that the American Name Society is trying to become more active in COGNA, hence the continued interest in having papers on the agenda. Roger Payne reminded the committee that past efforts to hold separate ANS and COGNA conferences (that is, academic vs. applied toponomy) were not successful. Jo Antonson asked whether there might be interest in moving some of the papers to an evening session, to which there was some agreement. The Executive Secretary suggested that perhaps the daytime presentations should be germane to the host location, otherwise, they could be held in the evening. When asked whether the banquet could be eliminated, the Committee expressed reluctance, indicating that the banquet and opening reception are very popular. However, a more casual/informal banquet might be considered. Item 5. Special Events Liability Insurance Coverage for Conference. The Executive Secretary reported that this insurance coverage had been included in the contract with the Asilomar Conference Center and with the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore last year, but that he had requested that it be struck from the contract for Jacksonville. However, this would result in the group being liable for obtaining insurance coverage. Should the Committee consider obtaining special events coverage? The Executive Secretary will investigate the matter and provide a report in Jacksonville. Item 6. Funds for Assistance to Conference. The bylaws state that COGNA may provide advance start-up funds to the host for such costs as speakers, grants for members to attend, and other miscellaneous fees, but that this should be considered a loan. A clause in the bylaws states that these monies cannot be used to benefit an Executive Committee member. The question was asked as to what is a reasonable amount to offer as a start-up fund? Grant Smith suggested that if someone is funded to attend the conference they should reciprocate by presenting a paper or chairing a session. Dave Wolf asked whether these funds are a grant or a loan, to which it was suggested they are a loan “in kind”. Jane Messenger reported that for the 2000 Conference in St. Louis, the hosts included an additional amount in the registration fee to cover the costs of the speakers. Ren Vasiliev reported that unfortunately there is little likelihood that New York will be able to host the conference in the foreseeable future. Jenny Runyon suggested that a survey be conducted of non-attendees to determine what prevents them from being able to attend these conferences, to which the Executive Secretary responded it was almost always due to budget limitations. Cynthia Gardiner asked how many attendees typically pay their own way to these events, to which the general consensus was approximately one-third. Item 7. Mailing List Upkeep. It is incumbent upon each host to forward the current mailing list to the next host, but there will always be a need for numerous updates and additions. The Executive Secretary suggested one person is needed to maintain a current list, and as the developer and current maintainer of the new COGNA website, he will attempt to solicit updates from Federal agencies. At this point, it was suggested that the Committee take a moment to acknowledge the contributions of Donald Lance to the geographic names community. A motion was made and seconded to recognize Donald Lance for his special contributions to COGNA and to send a letter from COGNA to the Lance family (Smith/Payne). The motion passed unanimously. Item 8. Web Site. The Executive Secretary reported that he would be offering a demonstration of the new COGNA website on Friday. Also, if time permitted, the Committee would be asked to address the items under Old Business that were suspended earlier. The Meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m. Following the Conference, the Executive Secretary contacted each member of the Committee by e-mail to solicit their input and a vote on each of the suspended items (Minutes of the 2002 Conference, the Financial Report, and the IRS Update Report). A motion was made and seconded to approve all three items (Vasiliev/Tingley). After sufficient time was given for input, the motion passed by a vote of 12 in favor, 0 against, and 3 abstaining (no response). The Executive Secretary asked all members to review the Constitution and Bylaws and to forward any changes to him. The Meeting was officially adjourned by e-mail on October 16.
|
|
|
