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2025-12-11 Spokescouncil Meeting

Spokescouncil Meeting - Date: 12-11-2025

Agenda 

agenda wishlist: https://cryptpad.fr/sheet/#/2/sheet/edit/i7YbsaTtZ5WBf9FYDY3WrVBx/

6:30-9 pm

Agenda 

  • Role call (5 min)
  • Role assignments (5 min)   

    • facilitator - Katelyn

    • meeting notes 

    • stack

    • timer 

  • Spokescouncil process (15 min)

    • Spokescouncil Overview Slides

    • quick review from SP WG (e.g. how voting works, etc) + only voting delegate votes but all members of WGs present can contribute to discussion (5 mins) 

      • RC made up of working group s who use the space and daily operations maintained by admin committees
      • Admin groups report back to spokes councils during meetings, are accountable to those working groups 
      • Proposals are proposed by either working groups or admin groups, open for friendly amendments and then voted on using a fist to five system
      • As of right now, admin groups don't vote, only working groups do. 

      • reminder that this is an experiment! we need ideas and hands to shape this collective process of self-governance 

      • Write down your questions as we go, we will have discussion at the end 

    • Q&A/ Feedback about Spokescouncil process (OPEN TO ALL IN ATTENDANCE 10 mins; strict stack :)

  • Passed Proposal Check-in (5 min), ask bottom liners to do a very short reportback:

      • Political Education Charter

      • Library proposal update 

      • *Tabled proposal check-in: comms needs a bottomliner

  • Admin committee updates -

  • Report on what was done this month, challenges faced, upcoming plans/needs, and any requests for support or approval. (25 mins; 5 min each) 

    • General announcement: admin committees need more help! 

    • Legal/ Liability

    • Finance

    • Fundraising

    • Facilities

      • LP's presentation: front of house cleaning station and bathroom storage hutch  (4 min)
      • Group report back

    • Tech and comms

    • Programming and rentals (shea)

  • Disaster preparedness reportback (5 min) 
  • Woodbine Closeout (comments + brief discussion 10 min)
    • gym money moved to open collective
    • woodbine still hasn't announced split on IG. we dont need to come to any resolution. this is a placeholder to follow up and see what has happened and how people are feeling about this. 
    • discussion: 
      • WB/RC contract and agreement documents. are they stored somewhere we can see them? can we get access?

  • BREAK (10 min)

  • Proposal voting and friendly amendments

  • (30 min) (https://wiki.commons.nyc/books/spokescouncil-proposals/chapter/pending-proposals - First, ask if there are any Blocks and any FA's. If not and no discussion feels necessary, move on to next proposal

  • Working group announcements (10 min)

    • pantry: sunday distro day, need volunteers
    • programming/rentals: NYE party, need volunteers
    • planning group: do people want remote meetings? (poll to come later after special announcements, think about it) + we need you!
    • finance: recurring donations update

  • Special announcements (5 min):

    • free store on sat, 
    • You don't need a proposal to start a fundraiser, please start one!
    • bake sale on sunday! 11 am - 3pm, people cant drop off 9:30-10:30. we need bakers! 
    • general assembly, call for help planning 
    • Festivus (fuck jerry seinfeld) airing of grievances + feats of strength TBD
  • Open discussion/ feedback/ Q&A  (OPEN TO ALL IN ATTENDANCE; ideally 10 min) 
  • Remote Meeting Poll + brief discussion (10 min)
  • Action item review (5 min)

  • Closing remarks (1 min)


Detailed Meeting Notes

  • Role call (5 min)
    • Working Groups not present: Dinner, Tutoring 
    • Admin committees not present: Legal/ Liability
  • Role assignments (5 min)   

    • facilitator - Katelyn

    • meeting notes- Shea 

    • stack- Iris/ Katelyn

    • timer- Iris/ Ash 

  • Spokescouncil process (15 min) 

    • working groups work IN the space

    • admin committees work ON the space
    • point of process- are three working groups/ voting parties at a meeting enough to establish quorum?

      • Q&A/ Feedback about Spokescouncil process (OPEN TO ALL IN ATTENDANCE 10 mins; strict stack :)

        • Is a list of admin committee point people available?
          • in admin committee chat description-  needs to be accessible to wider community
          • clarification- point person is meant to "hold it down"/ keep things from falling through cracks in the committee but labor is meant to be shared by all committee members  

  • Passed Proposal Check-in (5 min), ask bottom liners to do a very short reportback:

      • Political Education Charter- no update/ progress here 

        • spokescouncil planning to review possible FAs tied to charter
        • need more folks to participate
        • open call for speaker suggestions

      • Library proposal update- next actions:

        • will announce when clearing the area
        • speaking with tutoring to establish what is tutoring materials 
        • will clear out remainder and submit proposal for new use of space

      • *Tabled proposal check-in- comms charter

        • comms needs a bottomliner- Does anyone have capacity to take this on?
        • need someone to take lead w social media + newsletter
          • current instagram point person: Vanessa
          • Kohlman tapped to take over- active in gym
            • pls share their signal handle  
        • lack of cohesion in outward comms- this group would address 
        • point of process: how to join admin committees?
          • opinion: admin committees should be fairly open, we need people to help!
          • suggestion: break out meeting to discuss further- we can't keep pushing this off
            • comms is much more than just socials
              • interface w media
              • inter-group communications- currently a lack of transparency around what's going on unless you're in multiple groups
          • Needs: 
            • point person for charter
            • process development for insta, newsletter, media 

  • Admin committee updates -store here

  • Report on what was done this month, challenges faced, upcoming plans/needs, and any requests for support or approval. (25 mins; 5 min each) 

    • General announcement: admin committees need more help! 

    • Legal/ Liability

      • Dino received rent check!

      • Insurance renewing this month ~$5k 

    • Finance

      • Natalie is transitioning out, finance meeting to ensure gap in duty coverage is filled
      • Gavin working hard to organize finances, breakdown:
        • $2705/mo in recurring donations- down ~$100 from last month
          • we need more coworkers + recurring donations!
        • $4400 rent/ $6k after utilities
        • operating on deficit of $3k/mo 
        • Discussion:
          • Frustration w lack of transparency around $$- still don't have the full picture
          • fundraising is burning people out, we will start seeing diminishing returns 
          • Q: Who is putting on fundraisers?
            • A: Currently being handled by fundraising committee but working groups are encouraged to organize their own fundraisers!
            • Other contributors: Food Pantry applies for grants; Iris + Mike organizing show/ fundraiser @ Purgatory; Shea/ Paul/ Ollie working with ILC on NYE fund-rager 

    • Fundraising

    • holiday market brought in $3400 after expenses- yay!
    • Bakesale coming up 12/14 11-3p
      • call for bakers and day of volunteers!
      • fundraising needs help- call for new committee members
        • Vanessa leaving fundraising after 12/14 bakesale 
        • Shelby leaving fundraising after Feb chili cookoff
      • call for working groups to do their own fundraising- get creative!
      • chili cookoff in Feb is the last fundraiser on the books 
      • call for people to design and pass out flyers for events
      • Discussion:
        • is fundraising really a sustainable way to bridge the deficit?
        • disseminate to WGs- we need to pay rent to keep the space open + provide programming
        • Q: should we more aggressive about WG members contributing $$/ labor?
          • A: this historically has not been our stance, we do need to stress the importance of financial contributions from WGs tho 

    • Facilities

      • LP's presentation: front of house cleaning station and bathroom storage hutch  (4 min)
      • Group report back
      • please give feedback on the castille soaps currently in use around the space- sourced by facilities- clean ingredients, small business, cheaper than amazon 
      • if you'd like to be involved in setting up the proposed cleaning stations please reach out to Lippy 

    • Tech and comms

    • working on a distribution system for admin labor- need admin committee members to play w it 
    • buildig relationship with a coop cloud to strenthen our digital and physical community ties

    • Programming and rentals (shea)

      • planning NYE fund-rager with ILC- volunteers needed 
  • Disaster preparedness reportback (5 min) 
  • Woodbine Closeout (comments + brief discussion 10 min)
    • gym money moved to open collective
    • woodbine still hasn't announced split on IG. we dont need to come to any resolution. this is a placeholder to follow up and see what has happened and how people are feeling about this. 
    • discussion: 
      • WB/RC contract and agreement documents. are they stored somewhere we can see them? can we get access?

  • BREAK (10 min)

  • Proposal voting and friendly amendments

  • (30 min) (https://wiki.commons.nyc/books/spokescouncil-proposals/chapter/pending-proposals - First, ask if there are any Blocks and any FA's. If not and no discussion feels necessary, move on to next proposal

  • Proposal to Change Spokescouncil Meeting Dates
    • FA- Spokesplanning: in the event that the new regular meeting cadence conflicts with a holiday, the spokescouncil planning working group is empowered to use best judgement in selecting a new meeting day that does not conflict with regularly scheduled programming or rental bookings
    • proposal passed with friendly amendment
    • next spokecouncil date: January 10, 2026 

  • Working group announcements (10 min)

    • pantry: moving forward with sunday distro day, first day of service 12/21 
      •  need volunteers to sign up for sorting on Saturday and distro on Sunday- regular AND new volunteers 
      • reviving old distro sign up to make sure this is properly supported 
    • programming/rentals: NYE fund-rager, need volunteers for set-up, party maintenance roles, and next day clean up 
    • planning group: do people want remote meetings? (poll to come later after special announcements, think about it)
      •  we need more participants! Come help us think critically about spokescouncil structure, non-heirachichal governance, and how best to empower working groups 
    • Gym: non-gym members have been using the gym without signing up for an intro training- this is an insurance liability! 
      • reminder to all community members to adhere to gym usage guidelines
    • Tech collective: 1/9 coding skill share: Hack the Planet
      • working to restructure basement after contractors finish 

  • Special announcements (5 min):

    • free store on sat, 
    • You don't need a proposal to start a fundraiser, please start one!
    • bake sale on sunday! 11 am - 3pm, people can drop off 9:30-10:30. we need bakers and day of volunteers!
    • general assembly, call for help planning 
    • Festivus (fuck jerry seinfeld) airing of grievances + feats of strength TBD
    • Basement update: contractors work is safe but shoddy
      • right side of basement may also be at risk 
      • Additional problem areas:
        • no basement ceiling 
        • continued flooding 
        • backflow issues in kitchen and bathroom 
      • Dino not open to doing more work
        • what are our rights as tenants? 
  • Open discussion/ feedback/ Q&A  (OPEN TO ALL IN ATTENDANCE; ideally 10 min) 
    • decision to revisit remote meeting poll
  • Remote Meeting Poll + brief discussion (10 min)
  • Q: Do we open Spokescouncil meetings up to remote attendance?
    • suggestion: poll individual WG chats 
    • concern that old WB patterns are repeating 
      • remote participants tend to be more disengaged, distracted 
        • emphasis on being present remotely 
    • remote meetings could help integrate participation, attendance is falling 
    • helpful in winter with travel/ weather/ seasonal fatigue considerations 
    • we should try it, emphasize this is an experiment to ease the strain of participating in winter months 
    • concern that remote participants will have trouble hearing live mtg attendees, suggestion that meetings move fully remote for experiment
      • point of process: if stack and facilitation are enforced there shouldn't be cross talk 
  • Action item review (5 min)
    • Political education working group needs help: suggestions for speakers and events: where is there email or signal to get in contact?
    • possible meeting recurring topic: "weird stuff" to ID and remove random items from space 
    • Comms Admin Committee needs a bottom liner + a charter
      • Clarification on how people can send flyers to be posted to Instagram
      • How to deal with the media (journalists etc)
    • Clarification and documentation needed for how to join admin committees
    • Orientation Day to invite new people in and show them how the space runs (maybe in the spring?)
    • Can screenings become a real working group?
    • Legal/Liability need to give updates at meetings. they have been absent for many meetings in a row.
    • Finance admin committee:
      • ppl want to see deeper updates at meetings. Maybe every 3 months deep dive?
      • what is in our savings account?
    • Fundraising:
      • Donation drive for the holidays 
      • call for more fundraisers started by anyone
      • personal donations
      • need help with physical flyering
      • Jan 25 show at purgatory (iris)
      • help with finding grants!
    • Sunday dinner used as community announcements and onboarding opportunity (paul)
    • tenants rights lawyer to consult for flooding in basement and ceiling repairs (shea)
    • need user testers for digital infrastructure, talk to paul
    • Spokescouncil planning action items:
      • needs a clear process for requesting admin updates and proposal updates prior to meetings and someone to do that task every cycle
      • why isn't dinner coming to spokes meetings?
      • admin form feedback: keep it simpler, keep it to 2 min long update if possible. max 5 min

  • Closing remarks (1 min)

  • Thank you for coming, please help reset and clean dishes :)

 

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