Present:
Jim Campbell, Kerrie Diers, Ben Frost, Nancy Larson, Angie Rapp, Steve Whitman, June Hammond Rowan

Roll Call:
The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Chair Diers.

Minutes of Meetings on 2/11/04:
The minutes of February 11, 2004 were reviewed. Campbell made a motion to accept the minutes and Larson seconded the motion. All were in favor.

Treasurer’s Report and Discussion of NHPA Funds:
The Committee reviewed the Treasurer’s Report sent by Steffen. It was noted that NHPA has a lot of money in the checking account and none in the savings account. It was suggested it would be helpful to have the maturation date and interest rate of the certificate of deposit listed on the report.

There was discussion on if the Committee should spend some of the money in the checking account or invest it in a certificate of deposit. Final expenses for the NNECAPA might not have been paid and the NHPA spring conference is coming up. The Committee also expressed interest in a different format for the annual meeting that might include a lunch and half day long training session for NHPA members. Funds could be used to help offset these costs.

Frost made a motion to approve the report, which was seconded by Rapp and all were in favor.

Membership Certificate:
Membership certificates used to be mailed out annually to NHPA members. It was decided that this was not worthwhile. A welcome to new members could be included in the newsletter.

Member Handbook:
Discussion on the handbook was tabled until the discussion on the website.

Newsletter:
Campbell noted he is waiting for a letter from the president. All other material for the newsletter is at NHMA so it will go out soon. It will also include information on the spring conference.

Legislative Issues:
Frost provided an update of the legislative session and outlined several bills of interest to planners. Overall, it appears to be a good session.

Spring Conference:
Rapp reported on the spring conference scheduled for May 20-21 in Waterville Valley. The theme is “Put A LID On It”, or Low Impact Development. Rapp outlined the proposed schedule and several suggestions were made. Rapp was congratulated for putting together a great conference.
There was discussion on paying speakers. Frost made a motion to pay speakers for their food and lodging in Waterville or the equivalent in cash. Campbell seconded this motion and all were in favor.

Website:
Committee members agreed that the work NHMA has done on the website has been a big improvement. Minutes from 2004 need to be added along with the bylaws and strategic plan. An announcement about the conference would also be good to post. Links to OEP and NNECAPA need to be updated. Rowan will work on these items.

Frost suggested establishing a list serve for NHPA members. This would differ from PlanLink as it would be designed to be only for professional planners and NHPA members. All agreed this was a good idea and Frost offered to look into it and to manage it.

Email Voting:
The Executive Committee has occasionally discussed and voted on issues by email. It was agreed that this is useful to do. The Bylaws were reviewed and it was agreed that Section 5-4(b) allows the Board to discuss and vote by email.

Strategic Plan:
The Strategic Plan was reviewed. Many items are being addressed. It was noted that the Committee has not yet done anything on offering assistance to towns looking for planners. It was suggested that an article in NHMA’s Town and City publication from the Public Information Officer might be one way to let communities know about NHPA and to offer some assistance.

Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be April 14, 2004 at noon at NHMA. Bring lunch!

Respectfully Submitted,
June Hammond Rowan
Secretary