2024 Arts Carleton Place – Annual General Meeting
Each year, the Arts Carleton Place (ACP) Board must hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the members.
You are asked to VOTE on each of seven (7) resolutions. See form at bottom.
At each AGM, ACP needs to legally complete three things (Annual Report, Audit, Board Members), and therefore it must get approval, or not, for five (5) significant resolutions. This fulfills its legal obligations under the new Ontario Non-Profit Corporation Act (ONCA) launched in October 2021:
- Increase Membership Fees – Resolution 1
- Approve Financial Statements – Resolutions 2 & 3
- Approve Dispensation of Financial Audit – Resolution 4
- Hold an election for new Board members – Resolutions 5 & 6
- Approve Annual Report as Presented – Resolution 7
- Thoughts on ACP surplus … new projects?
For each of these items, you are requested to vote on one or more formal motions, which will then be recorded in the meeting’s minutes and formally filed in its Minute Book. To that end, members have received the required documentation by email including the motions that they need to vote on.
This webpage has been set up for the AGM which will allow you to register your vote and make comments. Deadline is April 21, 2024 (Midnight) to vote.
FIRST, there are short Reminders of the fuller annual report information, then
AT THE BOTTOM there is a form for you to vote on resolutions related to these items.
1. Membership Fees
New annual expenses are being incurred and consequently an increase in membership fees is recommended.
- Mailer Lite / MailChimp paid subscription required $350 / yr
- Requirement for domain specific email (i.e. [email protected]) $100 / yr
- Grid Storage $500
- Membership is 160 ($950/160 = ~$6 per member)
- Proposed 2025 membership fee increase is $5 (Membership Fee for 2025 – $30)
2. Financial Tables
Revenue and Expense Table
Revenue and Expense Notes for 2023 and 2024
- The Revenue and Expense statement for 2022 is restated per the 2023 AGM motion to eliminate passthrough payments to artists for sales at the SFAS, Itty Bitty show and Art-in-Public-Places.
- Bursary payments were increased from $2000 (2022) to $3600 (2023 , 2024).
- Money budgeted for the Paint-In program under ‘CP Gallery’ is reported under ‘Artful Gatherings/Workshops/Paint-Ins’.
- The Radio advertising expense is for Rouge FM and Lake 88.1 ads taken for Itty Bitty 2023. The radio advertising budget for 2024 has been increase to include ads with Weather Network / Météomédia, Rouge FM and Lake 88.1.
- Membership numbers for 2024 are expected to return to normal levels – 160 members. 2023 experienced increased membership due to a larger spring show and interest related to CP Gallery.
- ‘Bank Fees’ include CIBC and Square fees. In 2022, CIBC banking fees averaged $13.60 per month. In 2023 the average increased to $28.20 per month due to increased transactions for the larger membership and show participants.
Assets and Liabilities Table
Assets and Liabilities Notes for 2023 and 2024
- The large tent is irreparably damaged and will be disposed of in 2024.
- Grid assets value has decreased due to the sale of 15 grids.
3. Auditor
“Public benefit corporations that receive less than $100,000 a year can waive both audits and financial reviews, again by passing an “extraordinary” resolution (80% or more of votes cast at a members’ meeting) at your annual meeting and renewing it each year. You will still need to report on finances to your members, but your report will not have to be independently verified.”
… from the Ontario Non-Profit Corporation Act.
The cost of a financial review would be ~ $5,000. ACP will continue the same method of reporting on finances to its board and members, but it will not undertake additional costs to provide an independently verified document.
4. Election of Directors
Executive
The Board of Directors selects an executive committee to oversee day-to-day operations. These position are currently: President (Suzanne Deschênes), Treasurer (Danielle Barabé-Bussières), Membership (Lise Sanderson).
This team meets by exception, all activities are done electronically, and year end reports are included in the financial reports. A membership listing is include in the Minute Book, as per the requirements of the ONCA. The holders of these positions are basically unpaid employees and have no definite period for holding their respective position. This ensures stability in operations.
Board of Directors
Returning Directors (elected in 2022 for a 4 yr term):
Susan Gray
April Judson
Lee Thirlwall
Nominees for 2024 New Directorships
Thérèse Boisclair
Patti D. Clarke
Trina Ganson
Laura Piggott
Robert Reid
5. Approve Annual Report
The above constitutes the key items of the Annual Report to members, and you are invited to vote (below) on resolutions resulting from this report.
6. What to do with ACP surplus funds?
At the end of the Member Voting form is a ‘Comments’ box for you to make suggestions for the use of the $10,000 cash surplus and any other recommendations.