2010

     On March 11, 2010, the Executive Board met with Immediate Past President Janice Newman (Carroll County) acting as Chairman. Ms. Newman delayed the report of the Conference Committee Chairman John Smoot to the end of the meeting, and recognized TEMA Director Jim Bassham who announced a support grant of $70,000 for EMAT training. The funds are contingent on classroom presentation during the conference of TVA, DOE, HAZMAT, EMST, communications, and other type-specific training, based on the origin of the funds being used. The funds include $5000 for TEMA staff attendance. Director Bassham said the funds require an agenda and a budget in writing. He announced that TEMA support to the conference would be coordinated through Executive Officer Donnie Smith who would work more closely with EMAT this year.

     Legislative Committee Chairman Ricky Graves reported that Senator Haynes had withdrawn the bill supported by EMAT since it had not been adjusted to require the Comptroller to fund the bill. Although disappointed, Chairman Graves also requested the bill to be withdrawn (the bill was not withdrawn, but it was temporarily removed from consideration). Chairman Graves said a booth was set up by West Tennessee region members to provide information to lawmakers regarding the bill being proposed. A tour of the SEOC was also arranged for these supporters and to go through TEMA.

     President Newman, who continued to act as Chairperson of the Membership Committee, recommended that Ms. Diane Pryor of TEMA be removed from the committee. Director Bassham had decided there would be only one point of contact between TEMA and EMAT. Mr. John Riley volunteered to become a member of this committee to replace Ms. Pryor, and it was approved.

     Ms. Newman asked Ms. Patsy Hargis to present the K-9 report by teleconference, and she reported that several Bloodhound puppies had been presented to selected EMAT handlers by the Urban Search and Rescue Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. She said the dogs must be trained according to EMAT guidelines as "scent-discriminating tracking and trailing search dogs." Ms. Hargis requested that additional shirts for K-9 be postponed until the March 11 meeting.

     President Newman reported that the post office box previously used by EMAT had been closed and the new mailing address would be in Pigeon Forge, TN (at the office of Danette Rolen, the EMAT Treasurer).

     Ms. Marilyn White (Vendor Subcommittee Chairperson and Deputy Director, Hardeman County EMA) brought out several problems encountered by having only one person responsible for receiving all mail, especially invoices, and being handled by the one person responsible for receiving checks and deposits and sending out payments. Mr. James Medling (Dyer County) moved to have all materials sent to this address, but then adjusted his motion to arrange for a second required signature on all checks (to be the President or President-Elect). This motion was passed.

     Tyler Smith, Chairman of the CEMP Committee (Putnam County EMA), said the CEMP program had been revised to stress classroom hours and address changes. CEMP Committee member Donnie Smith reported that the new on-line forms were on the EMAT web site and working well.

     President Newman requested that Edwin Hogan (Cheatham County EMA) check on continuing education units or credits (CEU) for conference training. Mr. Hogan agreed to do so.

     President Newman provided an e-mail from Elliot Data Systems to request being placed on the agenda for the March 11 meeting to present information that he gathered at the 2009 conference. There were no objections, and he was added to the agenda.

     Mr. Hogan reported that the 501c3 application would have to be amended to include the new address of the association and financial information would be required up to December 31, 2009.

     Secretary Jim Barnes, acting for the Treasurer, reported that he had received financial information from Ms. Diane Pryor (TEMA), but not from Ms. Danette Rolen, the Treasurer, for expenditures. Treasurer Rolen was not present to discuss the amount of cash on hand. Mr. Jim Barnes (Davidson County E911), Secretary, said only the treasurer knows how much the association has exactly, but he presented a summary of the year's revenue and expenditures. He said the summary did not include November and December. He reported that as of September 7, 2013, the association had $118,265.62. Vice President Brown said he believed that the Executive Board should know more about finances of the association and after considerable discussion, an Oversight Committee for Financial Affairs was established. Appointed members were John Smoot (Benton County), chairman, and members John Riley (AEDC), Jim Barnes (Davidson County 911), Paula Powers (Gibson County), and Marilyn White (Hardeman County).

     Secretary Barnes asked for clarification of a motion approved by the board indicating that a copy of the Executive Board minutes be sent to every member for review and comment, and it was confirmed that this would be done before the minutes were finalized at the following board meeting.

     Mr. Donnie Smith (TEMA) announced that Melisa Hucks, the TEMA Finance Director, had been promoted to a position in the Department of Military (Adjutant General's Office) and that her position was officially vacant in TEMA.

     Conference Committee Chairman John Smoot (Benton County) presented a briefing on the activities planned for the conference. Mr. Bill Brown (Greene County) presented a preliminary schedule of events starting at 12 Noon and ending at 12 Noon on the third day. Possible sites included a state park, but the board entered a lengthy discussion and decided on Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro as having the best facilities and services for attendees and visitors. Mr. Smoot stated that only 220 rooms would be available, but overflow could go to Hampton Inn. Projected cost was $69,000. Mr. Smoot moved to accept Embassy Suites as the conference site and to allow him to enter into an agreement with them. He said he would bring the contract to the next meeting for approval. A motion was made and carried to set the registration fee at $100 per attendee and $300 per vendor.

     President Newman suggested that the board may need a nominating committee for filling vacancies, and this should be discussed at the next meeting.

​

[EDITOR’s NOTE: There are no records to support this entry, but by comparing other records it is apparent that President-Elect Jody Zorsch became Acting President in April. There were apparently no formal proceedings to make her the President in the official absence of President Newman. She returned to preside as President at the conference in September.

​

     On April 8, 2010 Acting President Jody Zorsch asked if everyone had reviewed the minutes, and Secretary Jim Barnes stated that those minutes were incorrect. He passed out the corrected minutes.

     There was no Treasurer's Report since Danette Rolen was with her father who had had surgery. President-Elect Bill Brown stated that the conference agenda was being firmed up, and President Zorsch said she was waiting for board approval regarding vendor notice of facilities and times. She also said she would call Conference Chairman Smoot for details and would forward the information to Ms. Marilyn White (Deputy Director, Hardeman County EMA) who asked for specifics. Discussion ensued regarding due dates for payment of registration fees with the consensus being after July 1, but early in July. Secretary Barnes was asked to search previous minutes to see if deadlines had already been established.

     Membership Chairman John Riley said he had not been able to communicate with Treasurer Danette Rolen for membership lists or activity. Mr. Riley said he would be soliciting members at a veterans’ meeting later this month.

     Constitution & By-Laws Chairman Edwin Hogan reported that he would have a draft of proposed changes to the by-laws by next meeting.

     Mr. Hogan, acting for Chairman Ricky Graves, said that Senator Haynes had reported that a proposed bill (local director hiring and education requirements) had been pulled from consideration, but Donnie Smith (TEMA Liaison) who tracked legislation for TEMA said the bill still appeared to be active on his legislative list from the Governor’s Office. President-Elect Brown asked if the bill could be re-initiated with the funding requirement removed. After much discussion, President Zorsch instructed the issue to be tabled while the answer was sought, and it was scheduled for the next meeting's agenda.

     Mr. Hogan said the EMAT Day on the Hill had progressed smoothly, but there needed to be more show of participation and support to get the desired legislation passed. About 10 EMAT members were in attendance, but this appeared to be a good percentage of membership compared to the other associations who also set up that day.

     Secretary Jim Barnes, acting for Chairman John Smoot (Benton County EMA), stated that the Oversight Committee had been communicating by e-mail and had presented a draft of proposed operational procedures to be followed in order to have better internal control over revenue and expenditures. He said he would send out the draft to all Executive Committee members for suggestions and input by next meeting. Mr. Barnes said he could not reach Ms. Danette Rolen either and could not obtain the figures on expenditures for November and December which were needed for completion of the 501(c)3 application.

     Mr. Barnes asked Mr. Hogan if he had established a post office box for EMAT yet, and Mr. Hogan replied that he was waiting on authority from the Executive Committee.

     CEMP Committee member Donnie Smith provided Chairman Tyler Smith with two certificates to be signed by Janice Newman as president and then mailed them to the members: Kenneth Garner, CEMP, and Benjamin Barrett, EM-2. Mr. Smith announced that the training provided at the EMAT Conference had been declared eligible for credit toward CEMP and that TEMA would print the certificates upon completion by conference attendees. President-Elect Brown moved to have a training certificate printed for all eligible attendees at the conference and to have it ready to be presented after the last training session. This motion passed.

     Secretary Barnes reported that Ms. Patsy Hargis had telephoned her report to him and that the K-9 Subcommittee was working with recently acquired puppies. She  asked that the purchase of more shirts for K-9 be postponed until the next meeting. This was presented as a motion and passed.

     Acting President Zorsch said that Elliott Data Systems, Inc. had planned to present their conference findings this meeting, but he asked for them to be delayed until next meeting. No one objected, and it was added to the agenda for May.

     Marilyn White (Deputy Director, Hardeman County), Vendor Subcommittee Chairperson, opened a discussion of the EMAT web site and complained that it needed to be updated with more current information. She also said the web site is not being routinely maintained. Mr. Tyler Smith said the webmaster only made changes directed by the Executive Committee, so everyone was requested to examine the web site and be prepared to submit suggestions to get caught up at the next meeting.

     On June 10, 2010, Acting President Jody Zorsch called the meeting to order and introduced Mr. Jason Rezabek and Mr. Chris Henson for a presentation on their digital tracking results in the 2009 conference. Ms. Marilyn White, vendor subcommittee chairperson, offered that the August LEPC conference in West Tennessee be used for a trial run to test the revised procedures at the conference. President-Elect Bill Brown said he had heard several comments about not being counted for class credit on activities at the conference. Mr. Rezabek provided the board members with a copy of the computer- calculated attendance activity at the 2009 conference, after which a lengthy discussion ensued.

     Conference Chairman John Smoot suggested that changed duties for the conference be worked out before the conference (rather than have them assigned at the conference).

     President Zorsch tabled the digital attendance issue saying that activities and the 2010 schedule needed to be firmed up before further work on digitization.

     Since Treasurer Danette Rolen could not be present, she sent a report through Jody Zorsch showing there was $28,136.41 in the EMAT account as of May 31st. Ms. White, vendor subcommittee chairperson, asked if the trip to Greece (which was a door prize at the conference) had been deducted from the balance. No one knew (it had not).

     Membership Chairman John Riley said he still had not been able to communicate with Treasurer Danette Rolen to obtain membership lists or activity. President Zorsch said she is helping the Treasurer and is almost ready to send out conference budget material. Secretary Barnes asked whether the revised fees were discussed with her, that is, the $50 membership and $100 conference fee. Mr. Smith questioned the conference fee for vendors which is budgeted for $375 and yet the Treasurer was reporting the fee as $300. President-Elect Bill Brown moved to reaffirm the conference registration fee at $100 and the board passed the motion to confirm that amount. Conference Committee Chairman Smoot reported that the Treasurer was handling the printing of the conference brochure and it should be sent out by June 30th.

     Communications, By-Laws & TARS Committee Chairman Edwin Hogan said he would have a draft of proposed by-laws changes at the next meeting.

     TEMA Liaison Donnie Smith, Legislative Committee member, acting for Chairman Rickey Graves, reported that the General Assembly had adjourned and their actions at the end of the session resulted in passing a tax law to grant some tax relief privileges to flood victims.

     He also reported there had been some changes to the interstate EMAC (emergency management assistance compact) which were applicable to all states.

     Secretary Barnes said the purchasing ability of municipal government had been changed to more closely resemble local education agencies.

     There had not been any action on the local director education bill, but it was still active (and on the Governor’s watch list).

     Awards Committee Chairman James Medling said he needed nominees for awards being mailed to be received no later than August 16 and that the deadline should be announced in the conference brochure.

     Oversight Committee Vice Chairman Jim Barnes presented a draft of proposed operational procedures to be followed by the Treasurer and other board members for finances. These procedures would provide better internal controls over revenue and expenditures. Committee Chairman Smoot commented that there were a lot of time factors and delays in financial information and that someone needs to be held responsible. Mr. Smoot stated that the Executive Committee (sic) [Board] should be the approval level to pay bills and that the board needs financial statements from the Treasurer, not just the bank statement. Ms. Marilyn White, vendor subcommittee chairperson, said the draft fiscal control guidance looks "pretty good."

     She asked Mr. Hogan if he would accept mailbox duties (he agreed).

     President-Elect Bill Brown said there may be a problem with debit cards and the authority to use them. A motion was passed to have the Oversight Committee meet and make recommendations for procedures by the next meeting.

     Secretary Barnes said he had not obtained expenditure statements for November and December 2009 which are required to complete the 501(c)3 application for the IRS filing by Mr. Hogan and the CPA. He further stated that since the current fiscal year is nearly over, the application may as well now include the entire fiscal year of 2010.

     CEMP Committee Chairman Tyler Smith said no new applications have been received. Mr. James Jarrett (Lauderdale County) asked for a summary of the CEMP process and Mr. Donnie Smith (TEMA Liaison and committee member) provided one to him. Mr. Jarrett suggested promoting the CEMP program in the counties (since most directors do not know the process for an application), and this was discussed at length with no motion forthcoming.

     Mr. Smith also stated that the web site domain was up for renewal and needed to be updated. President Zorsch suggested frequent updates of the web site and that the association should consider obtaining more space or memory storage. Ms. Patsy Hargis suggested that some pictures could be deleted to save space. A motion was passed to renew the web site for one year.

     Conference Committee Chairman John Smoot said he was meeting with the new coordinator for Embassy Suites after the Executive Board meeting and would confirm the agreement and working relationship. TEMA Liaison Donnie Smith said the conference agenda is still being adjusted by TEMA and although still flexible, a tentative agenda has been published and provided to the board. Ms. Marilyn White, vendor subcommittee chairperson, said she needed this schedule as soon as possible to communicate the conference agenda to vendors.

     On July 8, 2010 Acting President Jody Zorsch called the Executive Board to order and reported a balance of $27,981.41 in the bank as of June 30, 2010. President-Elect Bill Brown questioned a check to Bill Cooper (TEMA Logistics), and it was determined that it was to reimburse him for the purchase of golf shirts for EMAT. Ms. Danette Rolen reported that she had received a direct billing from the Chattanooga Marriott that did not require any action (the assumption being that it had already been paid). Treasurer Rolen said she had received an application for a “Sam’s Card,” and after discussion, the board decided not to obtain this card. The Treasurer’s Report was approved.

     Membership Chairman Danette Rolen reported that $1200 in membership fees had been deposited through June 30th. President Jody Zorsch stated that the membership packets (to apply or extend) went out the previous week. VOAD Committee Chairman John Riley asked if it would be OK if he sent a letter to solicit members from the ranks of his committee and no one objected. President-Elect Brown asked how many local EMA directors were “not members of EMAT,” and Ms. Rolen responded that about 30 directors were not members.

     Legislative Committee Chairman Ricky Graves moved to send out a key chain with the membership cards, and the motion passed.

     Then Chairman Graves reported that the “Florida bill” had passed (in the state of Florida), and the results look promising (in Tennessee). Chairman Graves apparently assumed the members knew the contents of the bill and did not describe its features. He said he had been in contact with both legislative and insurance representatives and that this year promised to be the best chance for the bill to be accepted. Both Republicans and Democrats seemed to be willing to support the bill, he said. Chairman Graves stated that he would have a suggestion (of a date) for the EMAT Day on the Hill for 2011 by next meeting.

     Secretary Jim Barnes reported that Awards Committee Chairman James Medling had e-mailed a notification that he could not attend the meeting. There was no report.

     Secretary Barnes asked if anyone had a suggestion regarding the draft of the proposed operational procedures for finance that he had e-mailed to board members. Mr. Graves stated that there should be a maximum limit on the amount anyone could purchase. Discussion ensued regarding the process of obtaining two or more signatures on checks and what it would require for board authorization to make a purchase. Treasurer Danette Rolen stated that some kind of emergency purchase authority may (would) be necessary when at least two authorized committee members could not be found and asked if phone authorization was acceptable. Discussion ensued on obtaining an accounting package to keep the books for EMAT. Paula Powers (Gibson County) stated that QuickBooks could be shared and used to generate purchase orders and reports. As the discussion was concluded, Secretary Barnes was directed by Acting President Zorsch to re-work the proposed procedures just approved by discussion and to bring the draft to the next meeting.

     Ms. Patsy Hargis, Chairman of the K-9 Subcommittee, reported that new shirts were finally purchased for K-9 team members. She requested that awards be presented to Richard Taylor (TEMA district coordinator for lower East Tennessee) and his K-9 “Buddy,” and for Anthony Lashbough (volunteer handler) and “Ruby.” President Zorsch signed the awards, and Ms. Hargis said she would make the presentation.

     Conference Committee Chairman John Smoot said he had met with the new Embassy Suites conference coordinator to review the contract to keep everything on track. Conference materials were sent out with a deadline for registration of August 9th. Chairman Smoot said overflow rooms are designated and that Embassy Suites will coordinate the overflow. He said board members should arrive for the conference on Sunday in order to make last minute preparations and adjustments. Shirts with the EMAT logo were discussed, and Acting President Zorsch said these shirts are to be worn by the board officers (black on Monday, red on Tuesday, and blue on Wednesday). President Zorsch authorized new members of the board to purchase the required shirts. A discussion ensued regarding meals for non-registered attendees with the conclusion that lunch tickets could be purchased for $25 and dinner tickets could be purchased for $35 for any person who had not paid the registration fee. Receipt of payment for the tickets should be sent not later that the registration deadline of August 9th. This would allow for enough food to be ordered and to be available. Ms. Rolen said she would announce this again in her registration acceptance notification.

     Vendor Subcommittee Chair Marilyn White (Hardeman County) reported that she had the vendor registration form prepared notifying vendors of the conditions and circumstances in the vendor area. Discussion ensued regarding vendor activities and fees. A motion was passed to raise the vendor registration fee to the amount established last year, $375.

     TEMA Liaison Donnie Smith confirmed that the conference agenda is full and that speakers have been assigned, but the lineup can still be adjusted if required. After the discussion it was decided that no paid speakers would be needed for either the luncheons or dinners.

     Acting President Zorsch initiated a discussion regarding gifts and awards. It was moved and approved to limit the amount paid to session speakers to approximately $12 per speaker with a maximum of $20 for non-state employees or special circumstances. A motion was made and approved to obtain a gift for the outgoing president, Janice Newman, at the cost of last year’s gift. President Zorsch said that door prizes were being solicited and collected, and that she had prepared a survey form to be included in the registration materials to obtain input and comments to help planning for the 2011 conference. She also initiated a discussion regarding the registration packages and gifts to be handed out to attendees. She presented samples and advertisements of token gifts. A motion was passed to purchase lighted key chains, pen knives and silver key chains as gifts for inclusion in the registration bags.

     Conference Committee Chairman Smoot said he had received a complaint from a member that the web site was not current. Everyone agreed that the web site should be worked on, but no motions were made, and no action was taken.

     During the fall conference in 2010 at Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro, James Barnes resigned from the Secretary position and left the office vacant.

     At 12:40 pm, President Janice Newman, who had arrived in Chattanooga to attend the conference, called the Executive Board to order and discussed preparations for the Chattanooga Conference. The Treasurer’s Report showed $27,981.41 in the bank. There appeared to be nothing to report from the Constitution and By-Laws Committee although there was some work going on to re-word some of the language of the changes being proposed. The Membership Committee Chairman reported 180 members, plus 100 TEMA members making membership a total of 280, or nearly 300 as the minutes read. The Legislative Committee Chairman reported that we were advised by the sponsor to take the funding requirement out of the proposed bill for EMA qualification although State Farm Insurance is supposedly in support. The Conference Committee Chairman reported that the exercise has been canceled at the conference, and a video will be run in its place.

     The election of officers resulted in the nomination of Bill Brown (Greene County) as President-Elect, Alan Lawson (Knox County) as Vice President-East Region, Jimmy Floyd (Coffee County) as Vice President-Middle Region, and Ron Watkins (Henry County) as Vice President-West Region.

     Acting President (again) Jody Zorsch called the executive board to order on August 18, 2010 at the SEOC in Nashville, TN, but turned the meeting over to President  Newman when she arrived. The minutes were reviewed and approved.

     The Treasurer’s report was presented by Jody Zorsch, and she reported that there was a $32,631.88 balance as of August 16, 2010. Ms. Marilyn White, vendor subcommittee chairperson, asked about the process to obtain stamps for vendor mail-outs. She was informed by Ms. Zorsch to just buy them and present the receipt to Treasurer Danette Rolen for reimbursement.

     Conference Chairman Smoot (Benton County) asked for a head count on registration, and Ms. Zorsch said there are now 94 persons who are registered for the conference, representing 44 counties. Ms. Marilyn White said there were 18 people from 10 vendors who had registered. Ms. Zorsch confirmed that five percent of the reserved rooms not needed could now be dropped without penalty (with a deadline of September 13th). Mr. Donnie Smith, Registration Subcommittee Chairman, reported on room deposits that had been received and stated that the conference reminder notices were still being mailed to the counties and regions. Ms. Zorsch presented a list of board members who had confirmed their intent to attend the conference.

     She announced colors of the EMAT logo shirts for days selected and stated that shirts could still be purchased, if needed.

     President-Elect Zorsch said token gifts had been ordered, and Mr. Smoot asked if there were any other issues or items to be included. Mr. Donnie Smith (TEMA Liaison) reported that the initial EMAT history brochure had been accomplished and that CEMP Chairman Tyler Smith has the CEMP materials for the conference.

     Mr. Bill Brown said he had just received two requests from vendors to be added to the agenda, but that he had told them the agenda was set and time was not available for the change. Mr. Brown said that First Response wanted to provide a hospitality room and discussion ensued without any action or motion. Since, it was so late, it was suggested that First Response negotiate with the hotel directly regarding the hospitality room.

     Ms. Marilyn White reported that she was looking for additional vendors and asked about vendor space in the parking lot so additional booths could be set up. After discussion, it was decided that the vendors who had paid for an inside booth could use four parking spaces outside to set up an additional booth. Any vendor without an inside booth would have to pay a full vendor registration fee to obtain authority to use any outside space.

     There was no report from the CEMP Committee, and Mr. James Medling asked if the CEMP program could run through the University of Tennessee. Ms. Marilyn White explained that this had been discussed a couple of years ago, and a problem came up about EMAT having no representation in CTAS or MTAS (which UT sponsors) and would use for support. Mr. Donnie Smith stated that these groups stressed education and cooperation, but Mr. Ricky Graves said EMAT needs representation in the decision-making process, however, no action resulted.

     Mr. Medling said he had received one nomination for the Hyder Award, but there was little justification for the award and without additional information to warrant this level of award, he opposed it. He suggested an Achievement Award be substituted, and the board approved. A motion was made and carried to approve an Achievement Award.

     Membership Chairman Jody Zorsch reported that there are now 146 members, and that membership cards will be mailed out with key chains.

     Ms. Zorsch stated that she would also prepare a notice to Charlie Via who had just inquired about membership. She said she would handle his membership card.

     Mr. Donnie Smith (TEMA Liaison) said a check was being cut for 100 TEMA staff members (membership), and a list of names would be provided after revision to be submitted later.

     Mr. Edwin Hogan, Constitution and By-Laws Committee, submitted a written report on changes in by-laws, although he was not physically present. (A copy was not included in the minutes).

     James Barnes of the Oversight Committee presented a draft of proposed operational procedures and stated that it was a very limited scope of procedures requiring mail handling and bill paying. Ms. Janice Newman asked everyone to review the document for discussion at the next meeting. Ms. Newman requested everyone to be prepared for a long meeting in September to work on legislation, by-laws and operations.

     K-9 Subcommittee Chairperson Patsy Hargis reported that our K-9 reputation and standing in the state is very good. She recently had a meeting with Chief Mike Franklin and Chief S. Halford at the Nashville Fire Department regarding procedures for requesting K-9 services and going through TEMA’s EOC for scheduling and tracking services. The Executive Committee agreed that TEMA should be the control point for K-9 activities in an emergency. Ms. Hargis asked in EMAT liability coverage could be extended to cover K-9 volunteers or if another option exists to provide liability and medical insurance for volunteers. Ms. Newman asked how many might be eligible, and Ms. Hargis replied that 29 handlers were certified. Ms. Newman said that she would check with the EMAT carrier of insurance for the cost and types of coverage that might be eligible.

     A motion was received and approved to authorize payment of expenses for the conference connected to shirts, registration and speaker gifts, printing of survey forms and postage stamps for mail-outs.

     On October 1, 2010 the Treasurer reported that EMAT had $28,217.89 in the bank on January 31, 2010 and by May 31, 2010 had $27,981.41. On November 30, 2010 the association had $38,975.41 in the account (even though the report is dated October 1, 2010).

     On October 5, 2010 at 4:15 pm, President Janice Newman called a special Executive Board meeting to discuss the award of a trip to Greece which occurred in the last conference. She said the winner of the grand prize was Betty Hamby, but she was not given any information from EMAT (or a packet) regarding the particulars of the trip and did not get any material concerning the trip until January (over three months later, apparently past the “use or lose” date). When she e-mailed the travel agency, they returned the e-mail (essentially refusing to honor the trip) to Bill Cooper (TEMA Liaison) and Diane Pryor (TEMA). After a great deal of discussion, the board recommended another gift, and a motion was passed that Ms. Hamby be given in lieu of the trip to Greece four season passes to Dollywood in addition to nights at the Norma Dan Motel in Pigeon Forge, TN.

     President-Elect Bill Brown convened the board on November 10, 2010 and began to discuss the financial situation of the association. It was reported that Danette’s money (Treasurer) and John Smoot’s figures (Chairman, Oversight Committee) do not match. Making the situation worse EMAT was told by Embassy Suites that they must pay for rooms that were “no-shows.” There were 17 “no-shows,” which is $2,142.00. There were 85 meals for lunch and 176 meals for dinner. Chairman Smoot said he would double check with the hotel on the billing. Mr. Smith identified four breaks, and TEMA could pay for those. TEMA Fiscal was already working to close the bill out.

     General Bassham said that he had had a conversation with the TEMA staff about EMAT and the conference, and he wants the board to realize that TEMA thinks EMAT is “really important.” There was a lot of feedback from the last conference saying there is too much TEMA at the conference, but the membership never realized how much TEMA support was required. General Bassham wanted the board to understand that when TEMA funded the conference, the fund source must match the training provided and this stream could not be changed from that source. He said that for the health of EMAT, a look needs to be taken of the membership and the participation at the conference. He said EMAT has work to do and needs to plan on what it wants the association to look like five years from now. Marilyn White (Hardin County) suggested EMAT meetings in each region, putting minutes on the web site and sending a copy to the members of the association, not just the board. The association was requested to review its customer service and see what it was giving the membership.

     The Conference Committee revised its numbers and said 215 meals were served at lunch on the fifth and 176 meals for dinner. A total of 196 members attended the opening ceremony and 156 were present for the session on the fifth. Only 126 came in on Wednesday morning. Deposits from early registration were mixed, but membership and registration took in $18,000. Chairman Smoot recommended that next year, membership renewals go out a couple of months prior to the conference so separating the receipts will be easier. Chairman Smoot recommended sending the representatives from Crockett County a bill for the cost of their room since they were a no-show. It was reported that vendors brought in $16,690.00.

     Donnie Smith (TEMA Liaison) reported that he had put together an operational guide for future conferences so we won’t have to re-learn every lesson each year. There is already a rough guide in draft, and it could be sent to the board for review.

     Edwin Hogan, By-Laws Committee Chairman, said the association is a chartered organization, but not yet a 501(c)(3) yet. He wanted to know if we are filing with the state, and Treasurer Danette Rolen said yes. He said emergency managers are not yet declared as first responders, but we need to do an actuarial study to see what the financial implications of that would be. He recommended going through each county commission. The 501(c)(3) requirement is a balance sheet for every month, a budget every year and an annual audit. This should make it easier to get donations, however.

     A discussion ensued highlighting the pros and cons of being a 501(c)(3) organization. Chairman Hogan said he would like to have an attorney to work on the application and to go over the financials with the Treasurer. The budget should be from July 1 to June 30. He said we now need to do a budget for the 2010-2011 time frame to get caught up on the requirement for application.

     The discussion then turned to a dress code for emergency managers. Apparently, the West Tennessee EMA Director’s Association wants a standardized uniform for all directors. Early suggestions include dark gray or black jacket with a new EMA logo on it.

     Tyler Smith (Putnam County) has resigned as CEMP chairman (due to the added demands of twins at home), and the file cabinet has been turned over to Immediate Past President Jody Zorsch for the time being. Donnie Smith presented a nomination for Charles Via to be recognized as an EM-1 and the motion passed. Jody will send out a certificate and letter of congratulations. There is one more application in the review process.

     It was stated that the West Tennessee directors believe the CEMP process is more complicated now, and they are not clear on what is being required for the CEMP. There are problems with the scenario and there is a different scenario for each level (although this is intentional). There is also a perception that an actual event cannot be used as qualification (which is not true). People are complaining that they cannot meet the new standards, so the board thought a review is needed to determine if a change needs to be made.

     Ricky Graves, chairman of the Legislative Committee, said that we have taken advice from the legislature and are looking to take the funding requirement out of the proposed legislation for director education. We propose to press forward to require minimum EMA qualifications and will put out information at the regional directors’ meetings. He said State Farm insurance is still with us on this legislation. He thinks we will have a law this next year. He said there will be an EMA Day on the Hill this year and directors are encouraged to come.

     Patsy Hargis, K-9 subcommittee chairperson, said that K-9 handlers are doing a field test and evaluators are being requested to review all their training records. Two new handlers have been deployed twice. Richard Taylor (TEMA area coordinator) and K-9 “Buddy” have been sent in on a search in Bradley County, and they will be given a certificate of recognition. She said K-9 handlers work out of their own pocket since they are volunteers and are not part of any organization. The fact that EMAT credentials them is a source of pride for the K-9 members. The 501(c)(3) process may help civilian handlers since the money they spend could be used to reduce their taxes. The K-9 Task Force is both EMAT and federal credentialed. She said K-9 teams are brought under EMAT liability if they are dispatched by TEMA and recognized by EMAT. She said they are covered by insurance with no additional fee. VFIS asked if K-9 teams are members of EMAT, and they are. This places them under the $1 million liability and errors and omissions insurance. A motion was passed to place K-9 under EMAT insurance at no additional cost.

     Vice President-Middle Region Jimmy Floyd (Tullahoma EMA) gave a presentation on a possible new website and the new things it could do for us. Mike Hillman is the current webmaster. He showed a slide of mtars.org and what the web site could do, including mass mailing to members that sign up for the option. It could post newsletters and so forth on the site. It would also allow members-only discussions and other possibilities. He recommended a company called QTH for $59.40 a year for 1 GHz of hosting, which, he said, we would probably never exceed. A motion passed to move EMAT to QTH with Jimmy Floyd as the lead.

     One of the items brought up about membership in EMAT is what is the value? The board then set a goal of trying to do more things for members. At the conference the board looked at a pocket calculator which could be gifted to members at Christmas. Discussion them moved to purchase a date book for members, vendors and, additionally, enough for the executive board to hand out to legislators at the EMA Day on the Hill. A motion passed to purchase 400 calculators and the cost of postage. A motion then passed to purchase the same number of date books and calendars as well.

     On November 30, 2010 Executive Administration Officer Donnie K. Smith, TEMA, sent a memorandum to the TEMA Finance Officer, Andrea Fenwick, recommending payment of $70,000 (grant) for allowable expenses to EMAT (as billed) for the training conference in 2010. Expenses were shown as $72,328.38, but the grant could not be exceed the cap of $70,000. There were other rooms or persons not allowable which were detailed specifically in an attachment. This meant that EMAT was responsible to pay these expenses, a total of $2,328.38 or alternatively, seek reimbursement from the person or persons who did not follow the guidelines (thus not meeting the criteria for payment by the state.

     On December 2, 2010 the Executive Board was called to order by Immediate Past President Jody Zorsch (Morgan County). Later, President Bill Brown (Greene County) came in and then appointed Janet Kelley (Hickman County) as Secretary. (The sign-in incorrectly shows Jody as President, Bill Brown as President-Elect and Janice Newman as Immediate Past President.) Officers are shown as Alan Lawson-VP East (Knox County), Jimmy Floyd-VP Middle (Coffee County), Ron Watkins-VP West (Henry County), Ricky Graves-Chair, Legislative (Gibson County), Danette Rolen-Treasurer (Sevier County)-not present, Patsy Hargis-K9 Chair-not present, James Medling-Chair, Awards (Dyer County)-not present, Rudy Moore-Chair, LEPC (McNairy County), Paula Powers-Chair, EMA Training and Operations (Gibson County), John Riley, Chair, Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters/Military/ National Guard (Coffee County), Donnie Smith-TEMA Exec Admin Officer, John Smoot-Chairman for CEMP (Benton County), Marilyn White-EMA (Hardin County), Tyler Smith-Chairman for Homeland Security (Putnam County) and Ken Weidner-Member, CEMP (Sumner County).

     After reviewing the Treasurer’s Report, several members had questions and Danette Rolen was contacted by phone. A question was raised about a payment of $25,000 to Embassy Suites without a proper invoice. Secretary Rolen said this was a good faith payment towards a $40,000 invoice she had been presented by Embassy Suites that was now nearly 60 days old. The invoice by Embassy Suites was incorrect and had charges that were not incurred by EMAT so payment had been delayed by the state (TEMA). Chairman John Smoot, Conference Chairman, said he had been working with the hotel to correct the errors made at the front desk (without success). This “good faith” payment caused another issue to arise, and that is that there would be an overpayment when the correct invoice was submitted by the hotel to State of Tennessee (since the state would pay all valid expenses directly to the hotel when the invoice was finally approved). It was re-stated that TEMA has agreed to pay a grant of $70,000 of the allowable costs, and a copy of the memorandum stating this was given to members of the board. The memo shows reimbursements that TEMA will not cover (on page 3) which was announced before the conference. The board was upset that these exclusions are just now becoming visible to them. Issues that precluded payment were the attendance at the conference of county volunteers who were officially carried as employees of the county attended the conference, there were hotel errors listing names of guests incorrectly carried as members of the association, there were charges for late cancellations and charges for no-shows. Some of these were unresolved EMAT errors, such as Rex Humphrey (a 911 attendee) who was attending as a substitute and John Thomas (a Department of Transportation ESC) whose conference fee was waived by EMAT since he was a member of the SEOC. These, according to Donnie Smith, would be paid by the State, but the issued check would exceed the amount due to the hotel (an excess of $25,000 due to the “good faith” payment). Mr. Smith said he would try to reconcile these errors and did correct authorized expenses.

K-9 Subcommittee Chairperson Patsy Hargis reported that training of  bloodhounds is going well with new training every week in a different location. She thanked the association for extending their approval of insurance coverage for K-9 handlers and requested a copy of this coverage to be sent to her. Janice Newman said that the Steve Frost Agency would send her a copy of the coverage.

     Vendor Subcommittee Chairperson Marilyn White presented the board with a spreadsheet of the 2010 vender information and stated that we should have a policy of how we take care of the vendors. She said she had problems with vendors being told one thing on one day and another thing by someone else on the next day. Donnie Smith said,  to avoid this in the future the issue has been addressed in the conference operations guide so that EMAT officers can be trained and copies handed out at preparatory meetings. The operations guide also addresses other conference issues (problems) that come up every year with its solution and if anyone needs a guide he will see they get it.

     Edwin Hogan (Cheatham County) stated that attorney used by EMAT could not attend this meeting, but he presented a detailed description of the steps that needed to be taken to complete the process of application for IRS tax-exempt status. EMAT corporation status was dissolved on February 5, 2010 due to no annual report being filed. He said it is not just an issue of paying $20 to be reinstated, but the association must send in a current list of board members and answer a number of other questions. The attorney recommends that we file a tax-exempt status as of December 31, 2010 and hire someone to help get the financial reports in order. A question was then posed by the board asking if we must show a zero balance at the end of the year for filing, but the attorney said this was not required, nor do we have to show the amount committed to be spent for items or programs.

     President Bill Brown moved to use Ms. Valerie Brier (CPA) as recommended by the attorney to assist in bringing the financial records to a current status and prepare the documents for 501(c)(3) filing. This will cost $500. The motion carried.

     in regard to the corporation paperwork, Jody Zorsch said she would get in touch with Danette Rolen to take care of getting the background records for filing.

     President Brown asked Chairman Hogan to see what Ms. Brier would charge to handle EMAT accounting annually.

     Changing the EMAT mailing address was discussed and proposed to be changed to make it easier to take care of business. It is currently at Pigeon Forge, TN.

     By-Laws Chairman Jimmy Floyd moved to have the committee chairs appoint those they want to work for them on the committee after the president appoints the chairmen. The motion carried.

     Chairman Floyd is ready to move forward with the new website for EMAT, but he has not been able to get a $59.20 check to be sent to web site. He will continue to work with the treasurer to try to get this done.

     State representatives, according to Chairman Graves, would like us to pick two days for the EMAT Day on the Hill to see their legislator and either February 9 or February 23 is recommended.

     President Brown said that board members are extremely sympathetic and understanding regarding the personal issues of the Treasurer, it is extremely important that the Treasurer, Danette Rolen, attend the scheduled meetings. Without her presence, President Brown said that conducting business is extremely difficult.

     Discussion topics for next meeting will be corporation status, the corrected Embassy Suites invoice, conference operations guide, 501(c)(3) issues and hiring of Valerie Brier, by-laws updates, mailbox placement, committee member appointments and finalization of the EMA Day on the Hill schedule.