2016-11-24 AGM Transcript
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Rob Hunt [6:56 PM] Welcome to the 2016 Nottingham Hackspace AGM being held on Thursday 24th November at Antenna Rob Hunt [7:05 PM] Okay we're quorate at 103 members, 37 present, 8 represented by proxies and 58 proxied via email Rob Hunt [7:24 PM] AGM started at 19:24 [7:25] No AOB like every other AGM [7:25] Agenda: [7:25] Roll Call [7:25] State of the union [7:25] financial report [7:25] special resolution: definitions [7:25] special resolution: elections [7:25] Patrick McDonald [7:26] 1. State of the Union (hackspace) [7:26] up to 494 members [7:26] average of 8.9 members/month [7:26] Feel free to ask questions, Daniel will provide a mic [7:27] Tasos: question about members per month [7:27] Members per month is joined - left [7:27] Some team are struggling for members, especially #membership and #comms (edited) [7:28] Question about team membership: Can we sign up at any time if we didn't do it on the way in? [7:29] Yes [7:29] Kate: Comms team is currently only 2 people [7:29] James: We will be running some drives over the next year for teams [7:29] New Tools: mini lathe, milling machine, bench PSU, CNC mill, projectors, new fridge [7:30] Complaints: 14 since November last year, 1 still active [7:31] EMF: Electro Magnetic Field - big geek festival, we had a huge village there [7:31] Every 2 years, next one is 2018, keep an eye on the google group [7:31] We took 2 big things to EMF: Fire Pong by Mouse and Ian, also took Toby's Mystery machine [7:33] Hackspace 2.5, took on new space last December [7:33] Had loans from members in April this year [7:33] Also got a £10,000 lottery grant around the same time [7:34] Since December we've taken down many walls, cleared 4 skips and 2 lorries worth of rubbish [7:35] Hack evenings on Tuesdays making progress [7:35] Doors are taking much longer than expected [7:35] Budget was predicted at £1000 for 10 doors last December Ben Seeley [7:35 PM] joined #meetingminutes Rob Hunt [7:36 PM] Doors orders being finalised over the next few weeks [7:36] Progress should speed up once the doors are in place [7:36] We plan to move into the back of the downstairs around March/April next year [7:37] Question from Tasos: can we get an idea about what sort of things the complaints were about? (edited) [7:38] Things like misuse of tools, data protection issues, number of behaviour (safe spaces) complaints things like that [7:38] James F: I know the hackspace 2.5 has a lot of questions about progress, I'd just like to thank all the volunteers [7:39] Froggy: for those who weren't there the front floor in HS2.5 was raised, it was about 6-10 flat pack MDF boards with carpet glued to it and nailed [7:39] All the wood was damp and all the help to remove that was appreciated [7:39] James: Was everyone aware about the survey we sent out? [7:40] First question was to thing of a word to describe the hackspace [7:40] (word cloud on screens at Antenna) [7:41] Tried to classify them as negative/positive/neutral (edited) [7:41] 12 negative 12 neutral and 38 positive [7:41] We asked people if they volunteered at the hackspace [7:42] 35 said they did, 25 didn't [7:42] of people who did they spent 0-10 hours at the space [7:42] We had some questions on diversity - we wanted to figure out the make up of the space [7:43] to see if we could improve the situation in some way [7:43] vast majority is white, male, middle aged [7:44] we will release the full results at a later date [7:44] Quesiton: what was the percentage that was not white/male/middle aged [7:44] about half not middle aged (edited) [7:46] less than 10% is none-white or other [7:46] we have 494 members but only had around 70 responses so far so it's not fully representative [7:48] Matts going to move onto our financial report for the year [7:49] Turnover £62k, Expenditure £51k, Surplus £1725 (edited) [7:49] fixed assets £3822 [7:49] current assets, stock £52, debtors £6850 (rent deposit), £30k in bank (edited) [7:51] Richard: question about surplus [7:51] Toby: question - over the last year we've been looking at how much members pay per month, has this worked [7:51] Yes, positive improvement over the past 12 months [7:52] Additional £1500 fixed assets is from new fridge, 2 projectors and embroidery machine [7:52] Took in £41,761 in membership payments [7:53] Average of about £8.80 membership payments [7:53] Workshop income much higher this year: due to more workshops being run, EMF (sweets, barbot) [7:54] Snackspace £3,991 [7:54] Tool Usage £4323 [7:54] (all the laser cutter) [7:54] Tool Inductions £820 [7:54] Donations £452 [7:55] Members Box and RFID cards £63 [7:55] Material Shop £291 [7:55] Materials shop was missing a good portion of money so we're not sure we can continue it (edited) [7:56] Might have a solution to this in near future [7:56] Expenditure [7:56] £27k rent (due to new space downstairs) [7:56] £7k electricity [7:57] Other Utilities £1119 [7:57] Infrastructure £319 Joe [7:57 PM] joined #meetingminutes Rob Hunt [7:57 PM] Hackspace 2.5 £656 [8:00] Martin F: Heating solutions - electric heaters are expensive [8:00] We're considering electric panel heaters for HS2.5 and upstairs [8:00] Possibly have them on timers to prevent them being left on [8:01] A lot of the electricity is actually from the old light fittings upstairs [8:01] LED lighting is a significant outlay but long term savings [8:02] Other ways of heating the space is gas heaters but Bizspace have put restrictions on their usage now [8:02] Dominic: Questions about teams [8:02] some teams are meant to make money can you clarify which [8:02] Yes, snackspace and materials shop [8:04] Events expenditure is high because of several workshops where equipment was needed and EMF [8:04] End of the finances [8:05] Kate: thanks to everyone who has run a workshop this year, it has bought in money and more members [8:05] Next: Constitution [8:05] Going to quickly go over the 2 parts [8:05] First will be definitions [8:05] https://wiki.nottinghack.org.uk/wiki/2016-11-24_AGM_Agenda/Special_Resolution:_Definitions Rob Hunt [8:12 PM] Can 6.3.2 be change to a total of 4 or more [8:13] Can "normal decisions" be clarified for 6.3 [8:14] Josh: can you clarify what benefit the complex definition gives you [8:15] James H: the point is to help when there is a strong disagreement amongst the board, it leads to compromise and better decisions [8:15] Michael E: is it worth having this section 6 defined where it's used [8:16] Dominic: Just to confirm that this is something you already do but want to formalise it in the constitution [8:16] James H: Yes [8:17] Michael E: 6.1 use of dash make it looks like -N-1 [8:18] Change 6.3 to 6.3: with the definition [8:19] Moop: does the majority mean the majority of all current trustees? [8:19] Vote: [8:20] Clear Majority in favour [8:21] Next up will be Special resolution: Elections [8:21] https://wiki.nottinghack.org.uk/wiki/2016-11-24_AGM_Agenda/Special_Resolution:_Elections Rob Hunt [8:31 PM] We're looking at elections now - we've had quite a lot in the last 12-18 months and have rewritten some of the constitution based on what we've learnt [8:31] 1.7.1 covers stuff about standing down nick_b [8:32 PM] joined #meetingminutes Rob Hunt [8:33 PM] Michael: did trustees have to announce they didn't intent to re-stand in the past [8:33] No, but some did [8:33] Richard: standardise the capitals on Trustee Rob Hunt [8:39 PM] James F: 5.3.4 slight modification "ana election for all trustees should be run" [8:39] David C: in the vent that 1 steps down within the end and another steps down this is requiring an election to be run? [8:39] Yes (edited) [8:40] David C: would it make sense to defer to the upcoming man election? [8:40] 5.3.5 can accommodate this Mouse [8:41 PM] joined #meetingminutes Rob Hunt [8:42 PM] Josh: 5.3.5 why did you choose to have all the trustees rather than an EGM? [8:42] James H: it's not an easy thing to do or organise - 14 days notice is required [8:42] James H: may not be time to run one before the election needs to be run anyway [8:43] Michael E: 5.3.5 refers to deviations in 5.3 including itself [8:43] should be 5.4 to allow deviations from 5.3 [8:44] Moving onto 5.4 (will become 5.5) Rob Hunt [8:49 PM] 5.5.7 allows us to run elections with terms of different lengths [8:49] the winning candidate will be appointed the longer of the terms [8:50] Dominic: with 1 candidate what happens with a draw with the RON [8:50] next section deals with ties [8:51] Any more questions about these changes? [8:51] (none) [8:52] Abstain: 1 (via proxy in room) [8:52] Against: 0 [8:52] Vote passes [8:53] Constitution will be moving to Read The Docs type formatting we have used on the new rules [8:53] Pat McDonald [8:54] You should have seen an email regarding a temporary ban [8:54] Pats been a member for many years, been an ex member for the last year and rejoined a month ago [8:55] in the first 3 weeks of his membership we had 4 safe space complaints [8:55] in the past there has been 2 informal and 1 formal warning [8:55] Last Tuesday the trustees decided to enact section 4.4 of the constitution to remove a member [8:56] Given a letter informing him of 21 days to attend a meeting to decide on the ban [8:56] Pat tried to access the space and was given a copy of the letter [8:56] Russell was assaulted at the space and the police were involved [8:57] Pat wrote a letter with various complaints which various members may have received [8:58] Passed onto our legal representive who will deal with communications [8:58] Question: do you think he is a danger to the space? [8:58] James H: he has verbally abused members in the past [8:58] Question: are we/you in danger [8:59] James H: not likely unless he'd directed them at you [8:59] Kirsty: In his email he mentioned Women in Tech [8:59] Froggy: they have been emailed about the situation and have both responded [9:00] Dominic: I just want to say I have had great reason to be made uncomfortable by his actions in the past [9:01] Dominic: I don't think he is generally physically dangerous [9:01] James H: we need to decide what to do at the meeting in a few weeks regarding his membership Leah Hallissey [9:02 PM] joined #meetingminutes Rob Hunt [9:02 PM] James H: we don't think this will be a permeant ban but with a opportunity to be reviewed at some point [9:02] Matt L: is there any example of other hackspaces banning memebrs [9:03] Kate: Noisebridge has banned several members in the past Tony Shannon [9:03 PM] I believe Southampton did 4-5 years ago Rob Hunt [9:03 PM] London has also banned members for a period of time [9:03] Temporary ban is part of the complaints policy not the constitution [9:04] Toby: understand this is a difficult and new situation, thanks [9:05] Andrew: would this ban include open evenings? [9:05] Possibly if the decision is passed at the meeting [9:06] Tasos: can he collect belongings? [9:06] Yes, but he has to give 7 days notice and provide a list of items to allow us to sort it out [9:06] Question: I'm just wondering if you have anything in place to prevent incidents in the future? [9:07] Mouse has proposed new members inductions to possibly help but we don't think that would have worked in this situation [9:08] Andrew: If there is a way you can stop him sending more messages to us? [9:09] Richard: there is already a harassment warning which was centred upon when he tried to access the space but it's not related to his communications via email so please let trustees know [9:10] James H: I don't think he'll force himself into the hackspace - you don not have to let anyone into the hackspace [9:11] Matt Little: you shouldn't try and restrict someone if they are trying to force there way in, call the police and contact the trustees [9:11] James F: the email that several members got sent to - already people asking questions, wise not to have uncertainty on it [9:12] James H: we will be sending out an email to all members regarding this [9:13] Hazel: I introduced a new member to the space called Patrick Mcdonald [9:13] We'll make sure this is handled properly to avoid issues [9:15] (prize draw) [9:15] Thank you everyone for coming to support the space [9:15] --End of AGM--