Present:
Nancy Larson, Jamie Steffen, Angie Vincent, and Ben Frost

Roll Call:
Vice Chair Larson called the meeting to order at 10:15 AM at the Local Government Center.

Minutes of Meetings on November 10, 2004:
The minutes of November 10, 2004 were reviewed. Vincent noted her recent name change and asked for the minutes to reflect that. Also, the meeting adjourned at 11 AM, not 11 PM. Moved by Steffen, seconded by Frost, that the minutes be approved as amended. All were in favor of the motion.

Treasurer's Report:
Steffen presented the treasurer's report. He said that all conference costs had been accounted for, and the checking account had a balance of $5,414.65 as of the end of November. Moved by Frost, seconded by Vincent, that the treasurer's report be accepted. All were in favor of the motion.

Website:
Larson noted that she had had some trouble accessing the website a couple weeks ago. Frost said that this might have been caused by a system update at LGC; the domain name “www.nhplanners.org” is registered with Network Solutions, which forwards to the NHPA site maintained by the LGC.

NHPA Spring Conference
Vincent said that five proposals had been submitted, and that they had been narrowed down to Steele Hill in Sanbornton and Grand Summit at Attitash in Bartlett. Prices are comparable; both offer rooms for break-out sessions or multiple tracks. Grand Summit offers a wider array of recreational opportunities, even though golf is not part of the package; Grand Summit is also more accessible to off-site networking opportunities. Moved by Frost, seconded by Steffen, that NHPA commit to the Grand Summit. All were in favor. After discussion, it was agreed to hold the conference on May 19 and 20.

NHPA Executive Committee Structure and 2005 Work Plan:
Frost discussed the proposed changes to NHPA bylaws as prepared by the Governance Re-organizing Group (GROG)(other members: Diers and Hammond Rowan). He said that the proposal is to eliminate election of officers by the NHPA membership, and to replace it with elections to the Executive Committee, members of which would then select its officers on an annual basis. Executive Committee terms would be changed from the current two years to three years, with staggered terms of office. Larson expressed concern over the proposed elimination of the office of Past President, noting that it is beneficial for ensuring continuity. Frost agreed, but said that the staggered terms of office would ensure that there would never be a wholesale change of membership on the Executive Committee. The Committee deferred further discussion until more members of the Executive Committee were present.

NHPA Membership
Frost presented a list of local officials culled from the NHPA directory and the NHMA directory. Steffen noted that John Harwood is now the planner in Hampton. The list will be corrected and forwarded to NHMA to send out invitations to these individuals to join the NHPA.

Next Meeting :
Vincent said she has a periodic conflict with the schedule Executive Committee meeting times. After discussion it was agreed that the meeting could be held on the fourth Monday of the month in the afternoon, as opposed to the morning. Vincent will circulate an email to Executive Committee members soliciting their input on this proposal.

The next meeting will be on January 24, 2004 at 9:00 a.m. at the LGC, and will remain as scheduled, unless Vincent can convince the Executive Committee to change it to the afternoon.

Adjournment :
The meeting adjourned at precisely 11:05 AM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ben Frost
Secretary Pro Tempore