Montana Association USATF 2023 Annual Meeting The meeting was conducted both in person and via Zoom. Zoom invites were sent to all persons that expressed an interest in attending the meeting. Board Members in Attendance: Bill Brist, Sara Brist, Greg Mohl, Chad Coley, Jesse Zents, Liza Dennehy, Alan Cress, Dave Skelton, Kay Newman (Via ZOOM), Call to order at 1:04 2022 Annual Meeting Minutes – Motion by Liza seconded by chad to accept the 2022 Annual Meeting minutes as posted on the website. The motion passed unanimously by hand vote. President’s report (Greg Mohl) Obviously a challenging year for the Montana Association and USATF in general. The Montana Association will be Accredited in 2023 after returning to the normal Accreditation requirements. We will be provisionally accredited as we were short on Championships and one newsletter. The Montana Association did not apply for either the Associations grant or the Grow to Impact Grant. We intended to apply for the Grow to Impact but as we had funds remaining from the 2022 GTI were able to continue the initiatives that we started in 2022 it did not impact our continued development. Dave Skelton in his role as Regional Representative for the NW region (Pacific NW, Oregon, Inland NW, Snake River, Montana, and Utah) continues to assist me with accreditation related activities and helps Associations with their interactions with other Associations and the National Office. Vice President report – (Alan Cress) no report. Secretary Report– (Kay Newman) Greg reported that the business duties of the Association, primarily the filing of the Secretary of State’s report, the IRS form 990, and the report to the National Office to make sure the Montana Association remains in the USATF Group Exemption was completed as required. We are in the process of filing for our own 501-C3 designation with the IRS and hopefully that will be granted soon. Treasurer – (Bill Brist) The Treasurers report consists of two items as usual (a year to date and a last fiscal year). Looking first at the 2022 fiscal year, The Montana Association recorded $18,043.05 in income (includes proportionate share of membership and sanctions as well as any grant money received). This was offset by expenses totaling $5071.47 for a net gain of $12,971.58. Our year to date reflects only partial income up through April but expense to date. The partial income was $5462.00 and expense of $6020.15. The income reflects membership and sanctions proportionate share, and the expenses reflect not only general operating but club grant disbursements associated the GTI grant. Currently this reflects a deficit of $558.15 but with our strong membership and increasing sanctions it is anticipated that full year will be on par with usual net gains. A motion to accept the Treasurers report as written was made by Dave Skelton and seconded by Alan Cress. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Committee reports Officials – (Chad Coley) Currently we have 35 certified officials which exceeds minimum accreditation requirements. 7 new Missoula area Officials were added this year in support of the Association Championships. MSU is hosting the Big Sky Outdoor Championships so there may be some new officials for that but with this being the last year for the Olympiad we will need to re-certify everyone next year. Greg Mohl was selected as the Montana Association outstanding official for 2023. The Officials chairs duties will transition from Chad to Mike Perry. Greg will notify the National office of the change. SafeSport Coordinator – Dave Skelton Dave has been doing SafeSport while also building clubs. We need to transition the SafeSport role out of Dave so if anyone has any suggestions we need to fill that position. Also, SafeSport is going to start doing audits at Association and Regional events (much like USADA – without advance notice). Seniors – (Kay Newman) no report. There was considerable discussion regarding Bob Sager’s request from last year to the possibility of hosting a throws championship in either July or August. Alan Cress is assisting but the problem is finding a site where there are suitable facilities. Race Walk – (Kay Newman) Greg again reported that Big Sky State Games had a handful of participants but do not know off hand whether any were USATF members and none of the race walkers were competitive walkers. Associations Workshop (Greg Mohl) The Association Workshop coincided with the Annual meeting and was attended by Greg and Dave. Also, there was a virtual Associations Workshop that coincided with the BTC Allcomers. Greg attended on behalf of Montana. LDR – (Bill Brist) No report. There was discussion regarding adding championship events as we were short. . Mens track/Masters – (Alan Cress) Trying to put together a NW region Masters Track and field and a throws championship. We are at the point where we need to order more medals for the Open and Masters Champions. Education – Diane Cummins No report. Women’s track - (Sara Brist) No report Law and Legal (Bill Brist) We will need to update bylaws again next year after this years National Annual meeting as it expected there will be changes required. We need to update the definition of actively engaged athletes at a minimum. Communications (Sara Brist) We are still having our Association news items buried in the National feed and the upcoming events which must be prepared by hand. The biggest thing is we need to send news items in to post. Dave stepped in last year to help with posting news items and Greg will discuss with the IT department our challenges in getting events added to our calander. Membership and Sanctions (Greg Mohl) Membership is record high of 1124 members. Up from 924 as of this weekend which is up from 713 the same weekend post COVID. We currently have 176 adult members, which has been consistent through the years. Our percentage of youth membership is 80% also consistent with historical averages. We are continuing our rebound from last year. On the Sanctions side, currently we have 34 which is up from 29 which is up from the 20 that we had at this time crawling out of COVID. They are still down from pre-Covid numbers but we are benefiting from trail races sanctioned in the northern part of Wyoming. Our target is 48. New clubs are tending to be athlete started. We would like to expand our promoting at the BTC all comers to other events as it appears that we are catching a lot of kids there. We still have concerns with assisting to transition from starting to sustainable so any help we can give to new clubs starting out would be appreciated. The all comers meet keeps getting more expensive to host so given that it is our showcase event in the winter there may come a time when USATF Montana needs to help with the increasing expenses. Thoughts or suggestions are welcome. Currently the Montana Association adds $15 for Association members to sanction events and $40 for nonmembers. Club fees are $35 Greg submitted that we will hold with the same numbers Youth – (Jesse Zentz) A formal youth meeting was not held again this year but there were a number of youth meeting held throughout the year as the needs arose. The youth awards presented in conjunction with the Allcomers indoor meet in Bozeman seems to be a welcomed event. The Association Track and Field Championship was held in Missoula in June and after careful consideration and consultation with clubs and administrations of the Snake River and Utah Associations it was decided that the excessive cost of hotel rooms in Bozeman precluded the Montana Association from hosting the Region 11 championship in Bozeman as planned. A survey of other potential venues in the Association indicated that there were no other hosting options so the region 11 championship was moved back to Utah for the third year running. The hope is that Montana can take it’s turn in the rotation next year Looking forward to the Montana Association will host the Association Cross Country Championships on November 5, golf course is going up in cost. There was considerable discussion on ways to increase participation at all levels with good ideas that may be worked into the Grow to Impact Grant. The indoor season is looking viable with Simplot definitely going this year, the Bozeman Allcomers and a number of meets to be held at the new facility in Spokane. For outdoor, we are planning on the Association meet June 14-15 in Helena and the Regional meet 20-21 in Bozeman (*** editorial add… Bozeman was not available so Missoula will host the regional meet) The JO Nationals will be at Texas A&M and the Youth Nationals are planned for Eugene at Hayward field which should be a real draw for our local athletes. (*** editorial add *** the Olympic Trials ended up taking that slot in Eugene so the Youth Nationals moved to New York) Old business Club Incentives Subcommittee The Clubs Incentives Subcommittee was supplanted with the 2022 Associations Grant and the 2022 Grow to Impact Grant. The strategic plan that Greg and Dave put together as a strategic plan is if anything more viable with the addition of new clubs but we need to keep the process going. We plan to submit a new 2024 STI grant to continue iniatives. New Business This was a year to get back on schedule for elections. When the Annual meeting was announced via email to memberships, nominations were requested but none received. Also, In the absence of the Youth Committee holding independent elections and with no request from membership for such, the position of Youth Chair was added to the normal slate for consideration. Nominations from the floor were similarly requested. There was discussion regarding whether Kay wanted to continue as Secretary through another term but the communications via Zoom were not great. Greg offered to discuss with Kay offline and if she wanted to retire have Chad Coley take her place. With that nominations were solicited from the floor. Hearing none, Sara Brist motioned and Alan seconded that the officers be installed as they currently exist by acclimation President – Greg Mohl Vice President – Alan Cress Secretary – Kay Newman / Chad Coley Treasurer – Bill Brist Youth Chair - Jesse Zentz Committee chairs By our By-Laws, the committee chairs serve as appointed by the President unless there is reason to elect them by the memberships of specific sports committees (youth and LDR in particular). By practice the Montana Association President has selected committee chairs with input from the floor at the Annual meeting. Five years ago, the Youth Chair established a youth committee which may meet if requested in advance of the annual meeting to conduct business and elect their chair. Without any business to conduct the youth meeting was not held. As discussed above the Youth Chair position was considered along with the slate of officer candidates. Chair positions: Communications – Sara Brist Education – Diane Cummins Law and Legal – Bill Brist LDR – Bill Brist until we find somebody Seniors – Kay Masters - Alan Memberships – Greg Mohl Sanctions – Liza Dennhey Mens Track – Alan Cress Womens Track – Sara Brist Officials – Mike Perry / Chad Coley (Mike will transition to chair and Chad will assist. Race Walk – Kay Newman Technology Chair - Liza Dennehy Youth – Jesse Zentz Marketing - open Safe Sport – open Clubs Chair – Dave Skelton Grants Applications Dave had previously sent to Board Members the completed Associations Grants Applications that have been received to date. Following discussion, the unanimous decision of the Board was to accept the applications and welcome new clubs into the Association pending successful completion of their year end reports and approval of the Clubs Chair for payment of the grant funds. Appropriations: It remains difficult to forecast Association budgetary needs for 2024. After discussion regarding what will need to be brought back online quickly as well as known fixed expenses it was decided that we would return 2023 appropriations at this time following the level at which they were funded in previous years and review as needed when events unfold. Executive - $ 120 (PO Box rental) Annual Meeting/Assoc Workshop $ TBD (Delegate Registration fees; Room; Airfare) Communications – $ 40 Education $ 0 Grants $ 1500 (Remaining 2022 Grow to Impact funds) Law and Legal ----- LDR $ 200 (medals for Champions/ recognition awards) Masters/ Seniors $ 100 (medals for Champions) Memberships and Sanctions ----- Mens Track $ ---- included in Masters/Seniors Officials $ 1,000 (certifying fee and background check) Officials chair expense $ 400 Race Walk ----- *Technology Chair $ 300 (Athletic live results) *Sargent at Arms ----- Women’s Track ----- Youth $ 1000 (awards and advertising) Youth Championship hosting $ 1500 (three events) $ 3000 medals Marketing $ 1000 (BTC all comers and other as requested TBD on the Associations Workshop and Annual Meeting Stipend. The USATF Annual Meeting once again returns to Orlando. The estimated amount of the stipend is expected to be in the $1200 - $1500 range but with the cash reserve that has accumulated we should be able to cover a normal delegation. Board members and if available athlete representative will coordinate with the President in the setting of the delegation. Also new this year we need to make sure our delegation consist of at least 1/3 athletes or actively engaged athletes. Those requesting funding need to submit their receipts to Bill for reimbursement. As Greg and Dave both have responsibility at the Associations level, they will seek to approximately split their funding between the Montana Association and the Associations Committee. TBD on Grants. The Grow to Impact grant includes funds for development of new clubs, LDR and Cross-Country programs. As designed new clubs that have submitted application and approved by the Board will submit their year end report and once approved by the clubs chair funds will be advanced. Similarly, the LDR and Cross Country requests will be submitted for approval by the Board and once approved funds will be advanced. Motion to advance the appropriations as recommended was made by Dave and seconded by Chad. Motion carried unanimous by voice vote. Annual Meeting delegates and Associations Workshop Representative. The Montana Association currently has an accreditation target of 4 delegates at the Annual meeting. but we can have up to 12 delegates based on our membership. At a minimum the Delegation is expected to cover: Association Workshop Designate, Required Associations meetings (President - Greg) Youth workshop Designate, Youth (Youth Chair- Jesse) Athlete Representative (from list provided by National office – then any actively engaged athlete which is defined as having participated in a USATF Sanctioned event in the last 24 months) Coach – Coach on the registry, coach by vocation, atleast one must be a high school coach Masters/Track and Field (TBD) LDR Representative (TBD) Officials Representative (Officials Chair- Mike) MUT (TBD) By survey of the Board and known to be interested: Liza – Womens T&F and float as needed Kelly – Athletes and possibly Youth Sara Brist – LDR and MUT Chad Coley - could if necessary will check Greg Mohl - Associations Dave Skelton - Associations Mile Perry – Officials Jesse Zentz – if available will check Additional new Business New Business Item number 1: The process of securing our independent 501 c3 designation may require amendment to the Articles of Incorporation as filed with the Secretary of State. If required by the IRS to complete the process the President will notify the Board as to the changes required and solicit approval from the Board before making such changes. The required changes and Board Members assenting to the changes will be attached to the minutes of this meeting as an amendment. A motion to instruct Greg as President to make what changes to the Articles of Incorporation deemed necessary to accommodate IRS requirements for obtaining Independent 501 C3 designation for the Montana Association. The Motion was made by Greg and Seconded by Bill then carried by voice vote unanimously. New Business Item number 2: As a matter of business, the treasurer (Bill Brist) requests that the President (Greg Mohl) be added to the list of individuals with access to the Montana Association Bank Account so that more than one person can check the online balance. The intent is not to have check writing or other similar funds disbursement privileges, but to have a second individual that can observe the account Sara Brist motioned to add the President (Greg Mohl) to the list of individuals with access the Association Bank account for the express purpose of accessing the online balance and observing but not conducting Association business. Alan Cress seconded and motion passed unanimous by voice vote. Call for additional new business, finding none a motion to adjourn was made at 3:39 PM by Liza and seconded by jesse. By voice and without objection motion to adjourn is carried. Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Secretary Gregory B. Mohl President, Montana Association USATF Amendment to 2023 Annual Meeting minutes effective September 22, 2023 USATF Montana President president@montana.usatf.org Sept 21, 2023 12:55PM Thu, Sep 21, 2023, 12:55 PM to Liza, Bill, Chad, Mike, Sara, Kay, Greg, Jesse, Alan, Dave, diane The last item under new business that we discussed in the Annual meeting was to give me the authority as President to amend the Articles of Incorporation if required by the IRS to obtain our own 501-c3 determination. At the time I did not have the specific language required so the Motion was to instruct Greg as President to make what changes to the Articles of Incorporation deemed necessary to accommodate IRS requirements for obtaining Independent 501 C3 designation for the Montana Association. The Motion was made by Greg and Seconded by Bill then carried by voice vote unanimously. My question for you is now that I have the specific language, do you think it is ok to just modify the the language in the motion that was voted on or do I need to call a special meeting so that we have the motion properly presented, discussed, and voted on The revised Motion would be: Greg as President is instructed to change to the Articles of Incorporation of USA Track and Field, Montana Association (formerly TAC, Montana Association) to include the dissolution clause as follows in order to accommodate IRS requirements for obtaining Independent 501 C3 designation for the Montana Association. Dissolution clause : Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for the public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principle office of the organization is then located, exclusively for the purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes. Your prompt response would be appreciated as I have a fairly short window to respond to the IRS. Greg As a note, our by-laws dissolution provision is consistent with what the IRS wants, it is more specific in identifying USATF as the successor but because it does not state what happens if USATF loses its tax exemption it is not adequate for them to grant us our own. My thought is that once we have added the IRS language in the articles, we can replace our bylaws or amend them to address what we do if USATF is no longer tax exempt. ARTICLE XI DISSOLUTION Upon dissolution, the net assets of this Association will not inure to the benefit of any private shareholder, individually or corporation, but will be distributed to the success to this organization, to USA Track & Field, or shall be used exclusively for education and charitable purposes in a manner consistent with retention of this Association' s tax status Email responses to the affirmative Mike Perry Sara Brist Dave Skelton Alan Cress Liza Dennehy Jesse Zents Chad Coley Greg Mohl