WG/Financial Accountability/Proposals (Consented)

Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal #1, consented to by the General Assembly, on 10/15/11.

The Finance Working Group will oversee the accounting of all monetary donations and monetary disbursements. Specific targeted funds, such as the Legal/Bail fund, are already allocated and do not require any further approval by the General Assembly.

For the general Occupy Boston funds, Working Groups and individual requests for cash disbursements in amounts more than $100 per week must be proposed directly to and approved by the General Assembly.  The Finance  Working Group has the authority to approve and disburse up to $100 per week to each Working Group. Each Working Group will determine at least two (2) pointpersons for monetary disbursements and register those names and contact information with the Finance Acountability Working Group, in order to ensure accountability and transparency in monetary disbursements. Working groups will fill out cash disbursement request forms and submit them to the Finance Working Group. Part of that process will be to detail the items requested and to check first with Logistics Working Group to make sure that the requested items are not readily available as in-kind donations.
Working Groups must submit receipts for purchased items and any change back to the Finance Working Group. If a Working Group pointperson does not provide receipts or absconds with the funds, that pointperson will not be allowed to receive further cash disbursements. 

Monetary donations made to the Food Working Group stay autonomous with transparency through biweekly reports of money taken in and going out and copies of receipts to the Finance Working Group.

Members of the Finance Working Group will be on site at a specified time each day to accept disbursement forms and to make disbursements.

Minutes of the Finance Working Group will be posted publicly. The Finance Working Group will make financial records publicly available.

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Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal #2, consented to by the General Assembly, on 11/03/11.

Be that there currently exists a signed and registered City of Boston Business Certificate for Occupy Boston, filed on 10/18/11 . . . 

and . . .

be that that there currently exists a signed and notarized City of Boston Withdrawal of Business Certificate for Occupy Boston, dated 10/31/11 . . .

Occupy Boston’s Financial Accountability Working Group proposes that this executed City of Boston Withdrawal of Business Certificate in the name of Occupy Boston be filed and registered with the City of Boston City Clerk, this week.

Occupy Boston’s Financial Accountability Working Group further proposes that once said Withdrawal of Business Certificate is filed and in full effect, that, on behalf of Occupy Boston, members of Occupy Boston’s Financial Accountability Working Group and other Working Groups file and sign a new Business Certificate in the name of Occupy Boston, to hold and protect said name, from this point forward.

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Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal #3, consented to by the General Assembly, on 12/04/11

Whereas, Occupy Boston has, at last count, 57 working groups listed on its website, and . . .

Whereas,the GA has previously authorized the Financial Accountability Working Group to disburse up to $100 per week to working groups, and . . .

Whereas, it is important to have a transparent process for establishing minimum standards for working group activity and membership for the purpose of receiving Occupy Boston funding,

The Financial Accountability Working Group proposes the following process for Occupy Boston authorization of working groups to receive Occupy Boston funds:

The process for obtaining authorization consists of three steps:

1. The working group completes an Occupy Boston Working Group Funding Authorization Form, which includes, at a minimum:  
   1. Name of the Working Group
   2. Mission and Goals of the working group and what the working group expects to accomplish
   3. Working group email address
   4. Names, email addresses and phone #s of 3 working group liaisons to FAWG who will be responsible for signing off on individual funding requests*
   5. Weekly meeting schedule of the working group
   6. Proposed or typical expenses of the working group
2. FAWG reviews form for completeness and accuracy, and requests additional information or clarifications from the working group, if necessary.
3. FAWGreaches a decision about authorizing funding for the working group, and let’s the working group know and publishes the information on the FAWG wiki.

Ifa working group is denied authorization for funding from FAWG, it may ask FAWG to reconsider its decision.  If upon reconsideration, FAWG again determines that the working group does not meet the minimum requirements, as stated above, the working group may bring its proposal for funding authorization directly to General Assembly.

Once a Working Group has been authorized for funding, actual requests for funding should follow the Cash Disbursement Policy and Procedure.

FAWG suggests that each Working Groups that is authorized for funding send a liaison to at least one FAWG meeting per month.

Members of FAWG will sign up for all Working Group email lists to be able to monitor Working Group development and activities.

* WG liaisons to FAWG are simply the messengers and the WG assigned purchasing agents. Decisions on any monies to be spent are made at the WG level.

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Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal #4, consented to by the General Assembly, on 01/17/12

Proposal to Rent Church Space for General Assembly           

Identified Need– secure, dependable indoor meeting space to hold OB  General Assemblies

Prelude
PostDewey Square, Occupy Boston has been leaning on the kindness of localspiritual institutions to hold General Assembly (and now, Action Assemblies.)  These churches incur an expense to house our meetings, including personnel and utility costs.To date, one church has been levying a rental fee, $20 per hour for use of the Community Church of Boston.Emmanuel Church is now asking OB for $80 per night.  

Proposal
FinancialAccountability Working Group (FAWG) propose that Occupy Boston paythese churches specific fees for use of their space, for these specificdays and times:

Arlington Street Church - $80 for Tuesdays, 7:00 to 11:00 PM         

Emmanuel Church - $80 for Thursdays, 7:00 to 11:00 PM

Community Church of Boston - $80 for Saturdays – 5:00 to 9:00 PM

Community Church of Boston - $80 for Sunday – 5:00 to 9:00 PM

Also,if another space is used for GA, instead of one of these churches, FAWG proposes that Occupy Boston will offer the owners of that space up to$80 for its use. (Note: this does not preclude any Occupy Boston member from finding and soliciting a free space, for GA use.)

Also,FAWG proposes that Tuesday and Thursday General Assemblies end at 10:30 PM, and that Saturday and Sunday General Assemblies end at 8:30 PM.

Also FAWG proposes that the proceeds from the GA donation box be allocatedto help pay this rental expense, in the hopes that the General Assembly becomes self sustaining.

Ifconsented to by the General Assembly, this arrangement stands untilother accommodations are secured, or until Occupy Boston decides to holdGeneral Assemblies, outside.

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Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal #5, consented to by the General Assembly, on 01/19/12

Identified Need -  to address diminished revenue stream, post-Dewey Square

Proposal

Because cash donations to Occupy Boston have declined, while expenses have risen, since our eviction from Dewey Square, the Financial Accountability Working Group proposes that weekly stipends be temprarily suspended, except for a $2000 set aside for Actions.* 

Following compeltion of a 2012 budget, including an analysis of potential revenues, FAWG will bring a new proposal for working group stipends to General Assembly, on March 6, 2012.

• FAWG defines Actions to include, e.g., rallies, marches, speakouts, demonstrations, etc.  Action monies are not to be spent on travel.

Also, FAWG proposes that this $2000 Action set aside become available, as soon as Occupy Boston completes five Actions, from this date forward.

Note:  existing working group stipend policies remain in effect: up to $100 per week, receipts required.

Note: this proposal will be in effect, as of 12:01 AM, on Monday, January 23.

Note: FAWG will notify all working groups of this consented proposal and provide a window of opportunity, to 12:00 PM, Saturday, January 22, to make a weekly stipend request.

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Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal #6, consented to by the General Assembly, on 03/27/12

Occupy Boston's Financial Accountability Working Group invites the OB community to hear FAWG's story, to consider its history,  to feel its distress, to understand its observations and concerns, to think about OB's relationship to FAWG and to money  - and to engage in a conversation.

FAWG proposes to tell this story and to facilitate this conversation, at Occupy Boston's General Assembly, for two hours, on Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

(Amendment)
FAWG will take minutes of the conversation and capture key ideas, issues and concerns on easel pad paper, all of which will be made available for review on FAWG's wiki page.

FAWG will ask for evaluation and possible next steps, at the end of the meeting.