CMM 2016-09-11

Minutes of Meeting for Worship for Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

Ninth Month 11, 2016

Present: 14

9.1  The meeting opened with worship.

9.2  Finance Report:  The Treasurer reports total income for the FY to date of $5,082.  Expenses are $3,167.  With 25% of the year passed, income is at 20% of budget.  Expenses are at 12% of budget.

9.3  Solar Project Report:  J.J. Smith reported on the components of the grant the Meeting has received for this project.  They are to

• Gather a group of electricity users to take advantage of our solar-oriented roof.  The Meeting only needs a small portion of the roof for its own use.
• Overcome the obstacles that exist so we can take advantage of tax and other incentives.
• Promote the concept of group net metering [1] and act as a resource that other faith communities and nonprofits will be encouraged to copy our work.

To take advantage of the tax and other incentives, the solar panels need to be owned by an entity that is taxable and our research has determined that an LLC or Limited Liability Company is the appropriate type of entity.

The LLC would be owned by investors that come from the various churches or nonprofits that become our group for net metering purposes.  Once the panels begin to generate energy, the churches will immediately benefit through the knowledge that their energy is clean and renewable.  Once those investors are paid back with a return on their investment (as yet undefined), the members of the group begin to get payments that offset their energy bills.

Legal assistance is required for us to work out the details to be able to proceed to find the net meter group members and the investors.  The meeting approves the use of grant funds to solicit such legal assistance and to try to develop the net metering group and to find investors from such groups.  One attender stood aside.

9.4  AFSC-NH Program Fundraiser:  Sponsorship of the AFSC Annual Fundraiser – Give Light [2].  A decision is required today due to their deadline.  The Meeting considered sponsoring the AFSC Annual Fundraiser and will sponsor at the amount of $500.  We will add $250 to our budget for AFSC from unallocated resources.  It is our intention to make up the additional $250 as we arrive at the end of our fiscal year so that AFSC has a real increase in giving from the Meeting of $500.

9.5  The meeting closed with worship.

Submitted by

Acting Recording Clerk, Greg Heath

Presiding Co-Clerk, Mark Barker