January 2023 – Club Meeting Minutes

Member Meeting Agenda

January 12th, 2023

Call to order:  7:01 pm            Adjourn:  8:35 pm

Idaho Off-Road 4×4 Club is an association of people brought together to share a single passion: Four Wheeling!  We are a FAMILY oriented club dedicated to keeping our public lands open while practicing the policy of TREAD LIGHTLY!

Bells

“Yank Me” – Bill Hargreaves

“Prank Me” – Micke Barnes

“I’m Broke” – Aaron Malin

Jim asked that if you have had a bell for a while, bring it to a meeting or trail run and pay $5 to get rid of it, so it can be passed on to another lucky club member. 😊

Call to Order

Jim Miller (president@idaho4x4.com)

Sergeant at Arms

Council will maintain order in the room. There is a $1.00 charge for unnecessary disruptions. 

Membership

Current count: 90 memberships                  Prospective Members Up for Vote:    Anthony Gonzales

Financials

Rachael Rhoads, Treasurer

• Last month’s 50/50 raffle brought in $240.00 Thanks to everyone who supported this raffle!
• 2022 Year-End Financial Report

Sunshine

January Birthdays: Klint Breeding (13th), Rose Martin (14th), Aaron Malin (15th), Matt Aldape (24th), Tally Varnell (27th), Rob Robinson (31st)

Land Use & State Association (Patti Evans)

Land Use

Valley County Backcountry Deputy Division

§  Led by Sgt. Kevin Turner will be dedicated to working primarily weekends, throughout the backcountry areas of Valley County.

§  Their primary mission will be to educate recreationalists on how to safely recreate in the backcountry and of course if enforcement action needs to occur, they are capable of doing that as well.

Boise National Forest

§  A committee of recreationalists has been formed.

§  I was asked to represent 4×4 recreationalist by Sandra Mitchell

§  I’ll find out more at the first meeting.

Idaho State 4×4 Association

• Annual State 4×4 Association Meeting is set for March 11 in Twin Falls.  
• There is a run planned in the morning, before the meeting.
• Lunch at Idaho Pizza Company @ 11 am
• Election of Officers for 2023-2024
• The next meeting will be:
  • February 1st @ 7pm via Zoom
  • us06web.zoom.us/j/81951055693?pwd=Zm9oaDlRbU9KY1hMRjdmMWlrV09OUT09

Education (Aaron Malin)

• Winter Preparedness – Whenever the weather gets colder, ensure to always have the appropriate gear to keep yourself safe. Extra winter clothes, boots, gloves, hats, coats, etc. Ensure to have enough food, water and required medications for at minimum 24 hours. Airing down tires for better traction. Keep a compressor in your vehicle to air up again. Chains, traction boards, winch are all good recovery gear along with tow ropes.

Previous Events and Old Business

• IOR Winter/Christmas Party – December 10th
  • 108 attendees – lots of fun and shenanigans were had. Thank you, Jim, Bridget, Nathan and Lynette for all your hard work!  Big thanks to our helpers, Cindy and Elaine!!!

Upcoming Events

• Atlanta Snow Run – January 28th (Christian Dahlström) – Please RSVP via our website
  • Bring a back-up lunch in case the lodge is overrun and you do not get a chance to order lunch there.
  • Bring extra cash to “Fill the Boot” for the Atlanta firefighters – they keep the roads plowed and open to us.
  • They have a bar in the lodge – drink responsibly!
• Basic Winching Class – February 11th @ 9 am, meet at the dirt parking lot, across from the Fire Station #12 on Hwy 21, just east of the Micron Way. (Aaron Malin)
• Robie Creek Run in the Mud – February 18th (Aaron Malin)
• Idaho State 4×4 Association Annual Meeting – March 11th in Twin Falls. Lunch @ 11 am – Idaho Pizza Company. A trail run is scheduled prior to the meeting.
• All Club Run – March 25th, more details to come
• Ride for 22 – April 15th. We will organize a meet-up for club members prior to the event so that we can caravan there.
  • Event posted on our FB member page
  • Pre-registration: March 17th
  • $15/ride card
  • Registration 8:00 am to 10:00 am
  • More information to come

Active & New Business

• Sunshine – We are in need of a replacement to support Sunshine needs. This role does require some time, but it is funny and easy.
• 2023 Rocket Run (May 6^th, 2023)
  • Next planning meeting: Thursday, January 19th @ 6:30 pm, arrive @ 5:30 pm if you plan to have dinner. Yogurtz Grill, 1560 N Locust Grove Rd, Meridian
• 2023 State Association Ride & Rally @ Warm Lake
  • Planning meeting: Tuesday, January 24th @ 7 pm, Smoky Mountain Pizza, Meridian
  • We need a small group of volunteers to assist with planning
  • Please reach out to Jim @ president@idaho4x4.com if you are able to help.
• 2023 Officer Nominations – Nominations must be submitted by February 10th @ close of member meeting, with voting in March.
  • Jeannette Adams was nominated for Treasurer by Patti Evans, David Hopkins seconded
• Proposed Increase in Membership Dues for 2023

The council has proposed to increase membership dues.  Annual dues = $45, and new member dues: $60 ($45 annual dues + $15 initiation fee).

Multiple members shared thoughts on the proposal. The majority were in favor of raising dues.

Glenn Morgan agrees that dues should be raised given the cost of doing business is rising. The club is growing, which in turn requires more resources to manage

Nathan White also discussed the proposal and he does not remember the club ever raising dues since the early 90s. It is likely time to do so.

Ben and Jo Allison Wicke expressed concerns about how much is being spent on technology and in purchasing Quickbooks. Could we be doing our operations in a way that does not require added expense.

Micke Barnes stood up and discussed the technology expenses as they support the current website functionality.

Jim discussed that the Quickbooks purchase was done to better manage our accounting. As the club grows, we need to be able track higher volumes of transactions. We did not have/receive an accounting method before this.

• Creation of the “Sunshine Fund” – Proposal to create a separate Sunshine account to fund these activities. Funded by raffle income, similar to that of the Joe Adalpe Land Use fund.
  • 40% of each raffle will be transferred to the account until a $1,200 maximum is reached.
  • Funds to be used to supply birthday and sympathy cards/gifts
  • May be used to help a member that experiences a catastrophic event, based off need.
    • Expenditures > $50 from this account will require a council vote.
    • A single expenditure > $250 will be brought to the general membership for vote.

Most of the discussions were in favor of this. When someone buys raffle tickets, they will know that this generates funds for Sunshine. This will play less burden on our membership dues income.

• Spouse/Partner Membership

As a result of the proposal debate, some member units are electing to make each spouse/partner an official member. This means that they will pay annual dues and have the voting rights of two memberships. The Board of Directors have determined that the initiation fee will be waved and a formal club vote is not required; however, a free t-shirt will not be included in this membership as the initiation fee will not be levied.

• • • If you wish to obtain a second membership for your spouse/partner, email vicepresident@idaho4x4.com.

Prospective Member Discussion

• Anthony Gonzales

Voting

• Membership Dues Increase for 2023 – Passed
• Sunshine Fund Creation – Passed
• Prospective Member Vote – Anthony Gonzales – Welcome! 49 Yes votes

Communication Sent to All Members via Email…

Hello again Idaho Off-Road 4×4 Club members!

Due to the significant changes to the club bylaws and business operations, here are the results of the voting and discussions that occurred at the January 2023 Member Meeting:

1. Proposed Increase in Membership Dues – Passed

45 – YES and 4 – NO votes

Starting this month, membership dues are as follows:

• Annual dues are $45/membership
• New memberships are $60/membership ($45 annual dues + $15 initiation fee)

NOTE: As a result of the proposal debate, some member units are electing to make each spouse/partner an official member. This means that they will pay annual dues and have the voting rights of two memberships. The Board of Directors have determined that the initiation fee will be waved and a formal club vote is not required; however, a free t-shirt will not be included in this membership as the initiation fee will not be levied.

If you wish to obtain a second membership for your spouse/partner, email vicepresident@idaho4x4.com.

Annual Membership Dues Payment:  An invoice will be emailed to each member via Quickbooks – expect this email within the next 7 days. From a link in this email, members can pay annual dues electronically. Members may elect to pay by cash or check as well. Check payments may be mailed to: PO Box 995; Meridian, ID 83680

Payment is due by Friday, February 10th. Payments made after this will be subject to a late fee. If a member does not make payment of their dues by the beginning of the March 2023 Member Meeting, their membership will be suspended.

2. Creation of a Sunshine Fund – Passed

49 – YES and 0 – NO votes

The Sunshine Fund will be utilized to cover club Sunshine needs. It will be funded by raffle income (as opposed to our membership dues). 40% of the monthly raffle proceeds will be transferred to the account until a maximum of $1,200 is reached.

• A single expenditure > $50 will be voted on by the Board of Directors.
• A single expenditure > $250 will be brought to the general membership for vote.

And as a reminder, our monthly member meeting minutes can be found on the idaho4x4.com website, with a registered member login.

Additionally, we wanted to convey our thanks to everyone that attended last night, and participated in the debate and in-person/absentee voting. THANK YOU!

2023 Membership Dues

• We will be utilizing Intuit Quickbooks to email invoices to members. Members can submit payment online.
• Due by Friday, February 10th

Next Meetings

Council:           Thursday, February 2nd @ 7 pm via Teams (online)

General Club:  Thursday, February 9th @ 7 pm at Idaho Pizza Company

Raffle

This month’s club raffle has been brought to you by volunteer club members:

Mark Gamas

Jeff Palmer

Marina Balliet

Mark & Lola Hartnoll

Jo Allison & Ben Wicke

The Arnolds

Need more volunteers for February & March 2023

January 2023

Volunteer Club Members

May 2023

Volunteer Club Members

September 2023

Volunteer Club Members

February 2023

Volunteer Club Members

June 2023

Volunteer Club Members

October 2023

Volunteer Club Members

March 2023

Volunteer Club Members

July 2023

Volunteer Club Members

November 2022

Rob & Brenda Robinson

April 2023

Dan Sullivan

August 2023

Volunteer Club Members

December 2022

50/50 Raffle