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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM072303Jefferson County Service Officers Association MEETING MINUTES July 23, 2003 Service Officers present: Delmer Sayer, VFW 7498; Pat Bowen, VFW 7498; Peter Jewel, AL26 and Edward Brostrom, VFW 10706 Chairman Delmer Sayer called the meeting to order at the appointed time. Approval ofMinutes. Peter moved to approve the minutes of May 8, 2003 as submitted. Pat seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. Discussion re: Millage Rate for 2004 Budget The Service Officers reviewed the revenue and expenditure amounts to date for 2003. They agreed to have the Chairman sign a letter to the Assessor requesting the minimum millage rate per the RCW. This is the same millage rate that was levied in 2003. Accept Resignation ofLee Morgan; Representative of VFW Post #3213: Lee Morgan has submitted his resignation from the Service Officers' Association due to health reasons. The members accepted his resignation with regret. A certificate was sent to him a few weeks ago in honor of his status as a founding member of the Service Officers' Association. The members concurred that Peter be installed as interim Secretary/Treasurer until the next election of officers. Delmer will visit Lee to collect any paperwork pertaining to the organization. Ed noted that members of VFW Post #3213, Quilcene, have approached members of VFW Post #10706, Brinnon, about merging the two organizations. Service Officer to Represent VFW Post #7014: Several of the Service Officers have talked with Dick Wiltse of Post #7014 about the need for their continued participation in the Service Officers' Association. Delmer stated that he will contact him again. Julie Matthes, Administrative Secretary, suggested that the Service Officers ask the County Commissioners to send a letter to Post #7014 and Post #3213 requesting their participation in the Service Officers' Association. Service Officers' Association Minutes: July 23, 2003 Page: 2 Discussion re: Revising the Application: The Members agreed that certain sections on the application are no longer necessary for the current operation of the Service Officers' Association. Several deletions were suggested. Julie will revise the application and have a draft available for the Service Officers to review. There was a discussion about the requirement of 2 Service Officer's signatures for approval of the application. There are currently 4 active Service Officers. It was suggested that the bylaws be reviewed to determine if I Service Officer and the Administrative Secretary could sign the application. The application will still go to the County Administrator for final approval. The members concurred that, if it is acceptable for the Administrative Secretary to sign the application, this procedure be adopted as soon as possible. Request for Assistance; Fishing Dock at Teal Lake: County Commissioner Glen Huntingford asked the Service Officers if they felt the Veterans' Relief Fund could contribute to rebuilding a fishing dock for disabled persons at Teal Lake. The dock was recently destroyed in a fire and several disabled Veterans used the dock. Delmer noted that this is not an appropriate expenditure according to the State law. It was suggested that the Posts may have money that they could contribute for the dock. Mileage Reimbursement: Pat pointed out that he has to drive over 60 miles roundtrip to Port Townsend to meet with applicants and Ed has to drive almost 100 miles roundtrip from Brinnon. The members agreed that there needs to be some sort of mileage reimbursement system in place to compensate the Service Officers. Peter moved to approve reimbursement of mileage for any Service Officer who has to drive more than 20 miles roundtrip for appointments at the Courthouse in Port Townsend. Pat seconded the motion which carried by unanimous vote. Julie will check with the Prosecuting Attorney to see if this is an appropriate expense that can be paid from the fund. Administrative Costs: Peter moved to authorize an expenditure of $500 from the Veterans' Relief Fund to the County Commissioners Office for administrative support. Pat seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. MEETING ADJOURNED Service Officers' Association Minutes: July 23, 2003 Page: 3 Legal Opinion from Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Alvarez On July 24, Julie and Lorna Delaney, Clerk of the Board, met with Da vid Alvarez about changing the procedure to allow one Service Officer's signature and the Administrative Secretary's signature as approval of an application. The Prosecuting Attorney said that the RCW requires 2 signatures from the Post (Commander, Adjutant, or Service Officer) on the application for assistance except for the funeral benefit which only requires the Commander's signature. Regarding the Service Officers' Association approval, the Service Officers' agreement with the County states that 2 Service Officers' signatures are required This agreement doesn't expire until October 28, 2004, but can be amended before that date. David Alvarez suggested that Julie talk to the Treasurer about how to allow a per diem of $25--$40 as part of the administrati ve costs for the Service Officers rather than reimbursement for mileage. Julie met with the Treasurer to discuss the possibility cf per diem or mileage reimbursement. The Treasurer did some research and found an AG's opinion on the subject. The opinion stated that this would not be an appropriate expense for the Veterans' Relief Fund.