Annual and General Meetings Cover Audit, Board, and Officer Elections
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP Established 1973 Volume LL, Number 14 July 20, 2017 The June Double Feature: Urban Forester Guides Annual and General Meetings Cover Your Shopping Home Audit, Board, and Officer Elections By Heidi Brown cat had safely fallen from the ate one night this summer, tree. Galiley’s services were LJosh Galiley got a call from no longer required. a Fort Greene woman who If you’ve ever had a walker sounded desperate. Her cat help you get your purchases was stuck in a tree after being back home on a Thursday chased by a dog. An enter- evening, there’s a chance you prising rock climber had tried were accompanied by a pro- to rescue the cat and had no fessional tree climber. For the luck. A tree pruner had also last 10 years, Josh Galiley, a made the attempt without Park Slope resident and the success. A while later, Gali- son of a Brooklyn native, has ley grabbed his gear and was been the Tree Care Supervi- headed out the door when he sor for the Central Park Con- got another call: The woman’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 ILLUSTRATION BY DEBORAH TINT By Frank Haberle candidate for the Board, corporation.” Encouraging n June 27, Coop mem- incumbent Bill Penner, was members to ask questions, Obers filled the Saint overwhelming elected to a Joe introduced Robert Reit- Francis Xavier Auditorium new term, and the officers man of Cornick, Gabler and on President Street to par- of the corporation were all Sandler LLP, the Coop’s out- ticipate in a dual meeting— re-elected. General Coor- side auditors, to provide an the Coop’s Annual Meeting, dinator reports covered overview of the audit. Robert ILLUSTRATION BY ETHAN PETTIT in which the annual audit extended Sunday hours, reported that, in summary, Rescuing cats is just one of the things urban forester Josh was presented for approv- produce, and results of the the Coop has a “clean opin- Galiley gets called on to do. al by the membership, and recent food drive. ion”—in auditing terms, an election of Board mem- meaning that the financial Next General Meeting on July 25 bers was conducted; and Approving the Audit statements presented in the The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held the June General Meeting, in General Coordinator document represent fairly on the last Tuesday of each month. The July General Meet- which a proposal to renew Joe Holtz opened this dis- all of the material respects ing will be on Tuesday, July 25, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Francis our relationship with our cussion by explaining that and financial position of the Xavier School, 763 President St., between Sixth and auditor was presented and “we, as a cooperative, must Coop as of January 29, 2017 Seventh Aves. the membership elected abide by New York State and January 31, 2016. In The agenda is in this Gazette, on www.foodcoop.com and officers of the corporation. laws requiring that the terms of assets, the Coop’s available as a flier in the entryway of the Coop. For more The audit was approved; the audit must be submitted to cash positions increased information about the GM and about Coop governance, auditors retained; the lone an annual meeting of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 please see the center of this issue. IN THIS ISSUE Puzzle...............................................2 Food Politics: Interview with Marion Nestle ...............4 Welcome ............................................7 Coop Calendar, Governance Information, Mission Statement ....7 Calendar of Events . 8 Letters to the Editor..................................10 Classifieds ..........................................11 Community Calendar .................................11 Exciting Workslot Opportunities........................12 Thank You ..........................................12 Read the Gazette while you’re standing on line OR online at www.foodcoop.com 2 July 20, 2017 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY Double Feature concentrating on the main were asked. Voting ballets duce, and they were looking Open Forum points. And another asked for new squad members for In the open forum, a mem- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 were distributed and col- about changes in how funds lected. By the end of the these shifts. General Coor- ber asked why we no longer by $1.5 million, while prop- were allocated in the pen- meeting, it was announced dinator Joe Szladek provid- have a product suggestion erty and equipment went sion fund. Joe responded that Bill had won re-election ed an update on food and book (we do), Joe Szladek down—with the Coop dis- that, because it was very by an overwhelming margin. produce, mentioning that responded—it is kept by the posing of more equipment clear that many members the recent food drive for check-in desks and staff review than it purchased. Total were not happy with the way Renewing the Services CHiPS collected 50 banana it regularly; another notified the assets were $7.7 million, funds were only distributed of the Auditor boxes of nonperishable group that a member is running while total liabilities were in a small number of indi- The General Meeting foods for their soup kitch- for the Office of Public Advo- $3.4 million—down from vidual stocks, most of the then commenced with the en. The Diversity Committee cate and asked us to sign her $5.3 million the prior year, funding is now invested in proposal, submitted by the presented on its work ensur- petition; and another member due in large part to the pen- mutual funds. General Coordinators, ask- ing that the Coop remain an spoke of the efforts to gut the sion fund’s increased per- When someone asked ing the members to consid- inclusive and welcoming Affordable Care Act and how formance and in small part why maintenance costs had er retaining the services of place by conducting surveys the ACA had helped him, not due to a contribution from doubled. Joe explained that outside auditors Cornick, and providing trainings for only with his own health needs the Coop. Among other key “while we have a number of Garber and Sandler LLP staff and reviewing bias but to gain training as an addic- points from the audit, Rob- service contracts with peo- for the coming fiscal year, complaints. tion counselor. n ert noted that “the Coop’s ple who keep our refriger- ending January 28, 2018. gross profit margin was ators and freezers going, Joe Holtz provided back- 17.2% this year and 17.4% this does not cover costs for ground on the auditing pro- Crossword Puzzle the prior year—consistent installation and purchase of cess. “Until we incorporated with the Coop’s mission to new equipment—for exam- in 1977 we didn’t have an 123 45678 9 10 11 12 13 maintain a gross profit mar- ple, a new misting system audit,” he recalled. “And gin of 17%” and that rebates installed in our vegetable then we had an auditor for 14 15 16 from UNFI due to our new bins. Secondly, we added 30 years, who retired. We 17 18 19 membership in Nation- checkout stations, the then started a committee al Cooperative Grocers (a equipment for which cost of four members and three 20 21 22 national buying coopera- $38,000—but which have General Coordinators. We 23 24 tive) were close to $10,000, contributed to shorter and interviewed about seven not the $158,000 from Unit- faster lines.” outside firms and settled 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 ed the prior year—but the The members then voted on this one. As they get to 35 36 37 38 lower rebate was more than and the audit was over- know us better each year, replaced directly in the whelmingly approved. we get better advice from 39 40 41 lower cost of our food. Rob- them on how to manage our 42 43 44 ert also noted that payroll Board of Directors finances.” Again, no ques- increased in the last year Election tions were asked. A vote by 45 46 47 48 because we hired more full- One position was open hands passed the proposal 49 50 51 time receiving coordinators. for the Board of Directors, unanimously. Health care costs and real and Bill Penner was the sole 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 estate taxes also increased candidate, running for re- Election of Officers 60 61 62 in the past year. election. In his statement, Each year, following the Bill identified the respon- election of Board members 63 64 65 sibility of the Board as an at the annual meeting, a [Because] many members 66 67 68 oversight role, ensuring second vote is held where were not happy with that the best policies are members choose the offi- Across 3. Top secrets? the way funds were formulated at the General cers of the corporation: 1. Outburst from Scrooge 4. Shaw of 1930s-’40s swing 4. Spanish girlfriend 5. “Vivir Mi Vida” singer Anthony only distributed Meetings. “The board takes President, Vice President, 9. Beginning of a Flintstones cry 6. Notion in a small number of responsibility for your deci- Treasurer, and Secretary. 14. Big name in electronics 7. World Cup highlight individual stocks, sions,” Bill said. “We make While President and Vice 15. Home inspector’s concern 8. On edge sure decisions are made President must be held by 16. Like a smooth-running machine 9. Sports legend with a museum dedicat- most of the funding is now 17. His 2016 obituary in the New York ed to him in Little Falls, New Jersey that that are legal, that won’t Board members, Secretary Times featured the headline “Titan of boasts “We’re open ‘til we close” invested in mutual funds.