Board Corner – March/April

I’m excited to let you know that after more than a year of dreaming and research and drafting and deliberation, the board has come up with a set of proposed changes to our bylaws that attempt to restore and strengthen our cooperative culture by prioritizing member participation and transparency and empowering staff.

Some of the highlights of the changes include: making it easier for members to request special meetings and vote on referenda; limiting the use of appointments to the board; limiting the use of closed-session meetings; prioritizing the substance of the annual meeting; and increasing the number of staff members who can serve on the board.

We’ll be holding several public meetings to make sure members understand what is being proposed and to get your feedback. All meetings will be held in our conference room on the first floor of The Factory. We hope you can join us on either Thursday, April 2nd (from 6:30-9:00 PM) or Saturday, April 18th (from 2:30-5:00 PM). There will also be opportunities to submit your comments online, and we may add additional meetings if needed. After we receive your feedback, we’ll attempt to produce a draft that satisfies any major concerns that have come up, and we’ll put the final version to a vote, along with the vote for new board members in the fall.

Please also keep an eye out for a new survey that the board has initiated to understand more about members’ ideas for our co-op. This survey was developed by the board’s Member-Owner Participation Committee, with help from a “Research Methods in Food and Agriculture” class that is part of Chatham University’s Food Studies program. The goals are for the board to understand how members participate, to solicit your input into the values and direction of the co-op, and to determine your preferred ways of being involved. If you aren’t already getting co-op emails and would like to receive the survey, please go to here.

Your input is important. Thanks in advance for being an active member of our co-op!