February 26, 2013, Minutes

Moraine Valley Community College Annuitants Association

General Membership Meeting

Tuesday, February 26, 2013, Room M201

Members Present:  P. Bauhs, N. Bentley, J. Fett, N. Hessler, S. Lebre, J. Norton, C. Razor, K. Stewart, J. Tyler

Guests:  Addison Woodward; Wes Christiansen, Legislative Liaison to SUAA; Sue Gray and Jack Leifel, MVCC IT Dept.

Welcome and Introductions
President Patricia Bauhs called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.  She welcomed the two guests and introduced the MVCCAA Board members.  She thanked everyone for attending in spite of adverse weather conditions.

Approval of Minutes
Minutes from the General Membership Meeting held on October 16, 2012, were approved as written

Treasurer’s Report
Steve Lebre reported a balance of $5,265.00 as of January 31, 2013.  The MVAA contributed $350 to help defeat CA49 legislation.

E-Mail Request Update
Sue Gray and Jack Leifel discussed the college’s proposal for granting e-mail to retirees.

1)   The e-mail address will distinguish retirees from current employees.

2)  Mail can be shared among retirees only; no internal users.

3)  Directions on how to use the system will be available on the website.

4)  Contacts regarding the system are Sue Gray and Jack Leifel, IT, Office L141.

Legislative Process and Pensions
Wes Christiansen discussed the current status of pension issues.  He compared the various proposals (SB1 vs. SB2404).  He commented that the best defense is an educated membership.  He encouraged sharing information on the website.

MVAA Dues Increase
The proposal to increase MVAA dues from $36 to $40 was deferred for the present.

Book Club
Due to inclement weather, Vita Bates was unable to attend the meeting and give a report.

NI Leaders Meeting
Kathleen Stewart discussed several suggestions for how the State can generate revenue to solve the pension crisis.  Current discussion focused on:

1)  Linking COLA to Social Security
2)  Graduated income tax

Members were encouraged to check the SUAA web page for descriptions of current bills.

Communications
Members were asked to consider volunteering for a leadership or other position with MVAA.  Pat encouraged members to become more active in the association and to let her know of their interest.  For example, the position of President-Elect is vacant at this time.  Help with the newsletter would also be appreciated.  There are 226 MVAA members, representing 2/3 of Moraine Valley SURS participants.  It was suggested that an online and paper Newsletter be sent to all Moraine SURS participants, not just the MVAA members.  Members were asked to complete a personal data sheet that could become the basis for Newsletter articles.

Other and Adjournment
1)   The Northern Illinois Regional SUAA meeting will be held on April 26, 2013 at MVCC.

2)  The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.

Charlotte Razor, Secretary