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Board of Directors Meeting
November 4, 2000

Members Present:
Larry Self, President
Randall Dodd, Vice-President
Michael Yosko, Secretary
Tim Lovett, Treasurer
Mike Andrews, Director Region II
Ed Johnson, Director Region III
Ed Robinson, Director Region VI
Conrad Dippel, Past President
Joe Montgomery, Past President
Ric Sadler, Past President

Members Absent:
Ken Britten, Director Region I
Jeff Tippet, Director Region IV
Antonio Alvarado, Director Region V

Others Present:
Randy Pazzaglia

President Larry Self called the meeting to order, at 10:30 p.m.

Self called for the reading of the minutes from the last Board meeting.

Motion to accept the minutes as previously published by Robinson, 2nd by Johnson. Vote taken, motion passed. The minutes are to be posted on the TAARS web site.

Self called for a treasurer's report. Lovett was not present at this time. Sadler reported on the checks that had been written since the last report. He also gave an update on the progress in the work being done by the accounting firm. Because of the ongoing work to implement the new accounting procedures, the report was informational and no action was taken.

Committee Reports:

Self called for a Membership Committee report. Yosko reported that one application had been received that qualified for Regular Membership, but lacked documentation. He recommended that the applicant be accepted as an Associate member and upgraded to Regular when proper documentation is received.

Motion to accept recommendations by Yosko, 2nd by Andrews. Motion passed.

Yosko also reported the actual loss of 21 members due to non-payment of dues. A roster generated by the new computer program produced a different number of members than the old program, so a comparison will have to be made and the new program updated before a roster can be published.

Self asked for an update on the E. R. Williams Scholarship program. Yosko reported that the presentation had been made to Port Arthur Police Officer Charles Cobb. The other award packet had been sent to Tippit, but has not yet been presented to Deer Park Officer Ne. Self will have scholarship information put onto the web site.

Self reported that the newsletter has not yet been assembled for publication. Britten was absent, but excused, due to a family medical situation.

Self reported that Jim Moore, topics committee chairman was not able to attend the meeting, but reported by e-mail, that he has not received any new suggestions for topic at future meetings. Joe Thornhill has expressed an interest in a study of off-tracking of commercial vehicles making turns.

Special projects chairman, Robinson, has been making individual inquiries, and is waiting on a mailing list before making a mass mailing of surveys to the entire membership.

Self called for a WREX2000 report. Dippel reported that the accounting is still under way. The cost of video and CD production is uncertain, and he continues to work with possible providers. A full report will be prepared at a later date.

Dry goods chairman, Johnson, presented a complete inventory of goods on hand. He also gave an overview of costs, value of inventory, and projections of possible new items. The report will be forwarded to the accounting firm.

Self called upon the Archives chairman, Pazzaglia, for a report on the status of our information database. Pazzaglia presented a catalogue of current information in the records. He showed a sample of the data base information request form and reviewed the data base flow chart, demonstrating the various ways information can be searched and retrieved.

All hard copy information has been entered into the computer and is now available. Pazzaglia has experienced some difficulty with the video archives, with some tapes being in Super VHS format and some tapes being unlabeled. He will confer with some of the older members who may be able to identify the locations and dates on these tapes. The next step in the process is to advertise the existence of the database. With the information and resources in our possession, TAARS has the potential of becoming the preeminent source of information in the industry. It was recognized that, in order to accomplish this goal, it is necessary to hire an archive manager. Pazzaglia proposed an hourly rate for an individual to enter data received and process orders. Approval for such expenditure was given at a previous Board meeting, so Pazzaglia is authorized to spend necessary funds.

Pazzaglia was asked to meet with the web master, to begin the task of setting up the necessary page on the TAARS web site that would allow preliminary searches and requests. He also suggested links to and from other organization sites, to broaden our base. He would also like to see more people share data and information so we may continue to build the recourse.

Motion to have Pazzaglia meet with web master and move forward with plans, by Andrews, 2nd by Robinson. Motion passed.

Old Business:

Self again reminded the Board that the newsletter has not been published for over a year. He suggested that the newsletter could be sent as an e-mail attachment, in Adobe format. No action taken, until Self has an opportunity to speak with Britten.

The data and videos from the 1999 Annual Conference have still not been produced. Andrews said he would request that Tippit return the videos to him, and Andrews will investigate the possibility of having the video and data put onto a CD for distribution. It was estimated that this could cost as much as $1000.00.

Motion to authorize Andrews to proceed and authorize up to $1000.00 to fund the project by Yosko, 2nd by Robinson. Motion passed.

Self asked about the printing of a membership roster. Yosko reported that, until today, when the disparity between the two programs was discovered, the roster was ready to be produced. Yosko had approached printers in his area for cost estimates, but had received only one response. As soon as the program reconciliation is complete, he will move forward. Yosko also suggested that an original copy of the Paradox program is needed to allow changes to be made, allow the database to be put onto more than one computer, and to prevent a computer crash from destroying the entire database. There is currently no way to back up files. Sadler will ask if a copy of the original program might be obtained from the programmer. If not, Montgomery may be able to purchase a copy through the university bookstore at a discounted price.

Motion to authorize Montgomery to purchase the program, if it cannot be obtained from the programmer by Yosko, 2nd by Dodd. Motion passed.

Self reported that the work on the web site is continuing.

Sadler reported on some miscellaneous expenses incurred during WREX2000 that were TAARS prerogative, and not authorized by the WREX steering committee or chairman.

Motion to pay for these expenses from the TAARS general fund by Dodd, 2nd by Robinson. Motion passed.

New Business:

Self called for suggestions for the next meetings. After discussion, it was decided to hold the next mini-seminar in Corpus Christi on February 9 & 10, 2001, with alternate dates of 2/02-2/03. Topic suggestions included metallurgy, by a Rimkus engineer. Robinson will seek a speaker on tire failure, and Dodd agreed to give additional information gathered at WREX.

Other WREX researchers could be approached to present more detailed information on data collected at WREX. Self will coordinate speakers. Sadler will arrange the accommodations.

Additional suggestions were made to provide incentives for greater attendance.

Motion to provide TAARS embroidered logo shirts to all members who pre-register and attend the conference by Lovett, 2nd by Yosko. Motion passed.

Motion to award one registration fee for the next Annual Meeting to a member who pre-registers and is in attendance at the mini-seminar by Sadler, 2nd by Yosko. Motion passed

Dodd suggested expanding the scholarship program to include other reconstruction courses through donations from corporate sponsors, such as attorneys, businesses, etc. Solicited money would be deposited into a designated account to pay for approved schools or other reconstruction training for members.

Implementation suggestions included having a set dollar amount for each award, requiring pre-approval for the recipient's choice of training, requiring the recipient to attend the training and then be reimbursed for expenses up to the amount awarded, and having the award limited to Regular members who pre-register for, and are present at the mini-seminar when the award is given. TAARS will match the amount of the donated funds to get the program started. Dodd will produce and present guidelines and procedures at the next Board meeting.

Motion to establish the CEU fund committee and authorize it to move forward with solicitations, with TAARS to guaranty the funds for the initial award if solicitation is not successful, by Robinson, 2nd by Lovett. Motion passed. Dodd was appointed to be the committee chairman.

When the idea of combined conferences with SOAR and WATAI was initially accepted, the annual business meeting for each of the organizations was to become part of the combined conference. Through the years, TAARS has had a practice of holding its own Annual Meeting, and participating in the combined conferences hosted by the other organizations as an additional meeting. It has been suggested that TAARS begin the practice of holding its Annual Meeting at the location and time of the combined conference, when the combined conference is hosted by either of the other organizations. Self expressed reservations, due to the possibility of lower attendance. Sadler and Dippel encouraged the Board to support the idea of supporting SOAR in 2001, when it is their turn to host the combined conference by holding the Annual Meeting during this conference.

Motion to schedule TAARS Annual Meeting to be held in conjunction with the SOAR, WATAI, and TAARS combined conference in 2001, by Robinson, 2nd by Andrews. Motion passed.

Dippel presented the possibility of TAARS offering financial support to SOAR, as seed money to help defray the planning and up front expenses normally associated with conducting a large event. This idea showed itself to be very successful in WREX2000 and may be continued by each of the organizations in the future.

Motion to offer SOAR up to $1000.00 seed money, regardless of whether other organizations follow suit by Lovett, 2nd by Yosko. Motion passed.

Dippel addressed the possibility of additional dry goods stock, specifically logo merchandise. He suggested insulated travel mugs as a start, with jackets, mini-mag penlights, and palm pilot cases as future additions.

Motion to order a gross of insulated mugs in assorted colors with gold TAARS logo, to be sold for $5.00 each by Andrews, 2nd by Lovett. Motion passed

There was additional discussion on the previous dues and fees proposals.

Motion to propose a by-laws amendment to raise annual dues to $40.00, with a one time $10.00 application fee, to be presented to the members prior to the next Annual Meeting, when a vote will be taken, by Lovett, 2nd by Andrews. Motion passed. Dale Felton will be approached for guidance on the wording of the proposed amendment.

Andrews had raised the question of procedure for reinstating members who had been dropped from the rolls. It was generally agreed that such a person must submit a new completed application, dues and application fee. No additional documentation would be required of a former Regular Member. After reinstatement, a new membership certificate will be issued, bearing the new membership date.

Self reintroduced the idea of a reorganizing the Board by changing the regional representation to an at-large system. The Board is still experiencing difficulty in gathering enough Board members for meetings, primarily due to distance and related travel time and expense. Other possibilities presented included redistricting, conference calls, and Internet conferences. The topic was deferred until the next meeting.

There being no further business, Motion to adjourn by Robinson, 2nd by Dodd. The meeting was adjourned at 2:05 p.m.

Submitted by:
Michael Yosko, Secretary

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