Re: [802SEC] +++ 10 Day EC Email Ballot +++ Exec Secretary T&L Funding
Dear EC members
I vote Disapprove and urge other EC members to vote disapprove as well
for the following reasons:
1. The EC has already received a commitment from Dr. Rigsbee to provide
"the time, travel expenses, and resources necessary ... from March 2008
through March 2010". If there is a need going forward, then we could
discuss that at the March meeting. I strongly object to paying for
expenses for a meeting that has already occurred (i.e., November 2009)
and a meeting for which the payment was already committed (March 2010).
2. I don't find in our rules any procedure to handle this type of
expenditure. Which EC members have the responsibility to review and
approve the expenses? What is reasonable cost for meals? Do we have a
per diem? What is the policy for airfare (coach, cheapest regardless of
carrier, etc.). If we are to consider support, I would say that we
should restrict it to airfare and hotel only as it would be much easier
to determine the correct policies and to audit the bills.
3. Other individuals in the EC pay for travel out of their own budge (as
they are consultants). Shouldn't we pay $1000 per meeting for their
expenses? The travel budget at my company has been restricted, it would
be a lot easier to justify my travel and continuing commitment if 802
covered some of my travel expenses as well. What is the going to be the
criteria that we use to determine that someone's travel expenses should
be paid by 802 members?
4. At the March meeting, all candidates for the EC (and vice chairs)
will have to provide a signed letter from their supervisor (if the
expenses are to be paid by the company) or from themselves (in the case
of the self-employed) that commits to providing the time and financial
support for the meetings from the July 2010 to March 2012. If we agree
to fund through November 2010, then we still need a commitment from Dr.
Rigsbee to fund his effort for the meetings in 2011 and March 2012.
Failing that, we cannot approve his appointment as Executive Secretary.
If he does agree to provide the funding, then the motion should only be
for the July and November 2010 meetings.
5. We do not know if there will be someone who can take over as
Executive Secretary if Dr. Rigsbee is unable to find sponsorship unless
we ask the 802 membership. If no candidate steps forward and Dr.
Rigsbee then requires additional support, only then should the EC could
consider funding to assist him.
6. Traditionally, we have used EC email ballots to approve things that
we either do on a regular basis (e.g., press releases) or that we have
already discussed for some time. This is a new issue that has no
precedence (Arnie's funding was explicitly declared to not set a
precedence). It is not even clear to me that we are allowed to do this
under the rules which govern this committee. When we spend money, we
define the task and seek competing bids to get the best value for our
money. Do we need to do that in this case?
James Gilb
802 Recording Secretary.
John Hawkins wrote:
> Dear EC members,
>
> I should have brought this up in November, but alas it didn't get
> done. Apologies in advance for cluttering your inboxes with another
> email ballot.
>
> Paul has delegated the conduct of the IEEE 802 EC 10-day ballot on the
> following motion to me.
>
> Motion:
> The EC approves the use of IEEE 802 resources for reimbursement of
> reasonable and customary expenses (e.g. airfare, hotel, meals, etc)
> for Buzz Rigsbee, the IEEE 802 Executive Secretary, for the following
> plenaries, or until he is replaced, whichever is sooner:
>
> - 2009 November plenary
> - 2010 March, July, November plenaries
>
> Such reimbursement will be not to exceed $1,000 per plenary, averaged
> over the period
>
> Moved: John Hawkins
> Seconded: Steve Shellhammer
>
> Start of ballot: Tuesday 12th January, 2010
> Close of ballot: Friday 22nd January 2010, 11:59PM EDT
>
> Early close: As required in subclause 3.1.2.2 'Electronic Balloting'
> of the IEEE project 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee (LMSC) Operations
> Manual, this is notice that this ballot may close early once
> sufficient responses are received to clearly decide a matter.
>
> Rationale:
>
> - As most of you are aware, Buzz has now formally retired from Boeing
> and therefore has lost them as source of support for attending our
> meetings. Fortunately for us, Buzz is willing to continue his service
> as Executive Secretary for the IEEE 802. Given the complexity of this
> function, and the significant time and commitment involved, this is a
> positive for us.
>
> - The motion proposes that we cover his expenses, at least in part.
> Mostly these would consist of airfare and local transportation, but
> may also involve hotel/meals in certain instances. Note that hotels
> often "comp" Buzz's room expenses given his role in negotiating
> contracts on our behalf, but there could be an exception here or there
> so I'm leaving the motion open to that possibility. Note also that we
> are limiting the commitment to actual expenses, not to exceed $1,000
> per plenary on average and would be limited to the listed sessions
> requiring new approval thereafter. This is modeled after the approach
> we used with supporting Arnie's T&L a few years ago, and certainly is
> a level we can handle within our current budget.
>
> - I have communicated with Paul and Buzz and we agree that this is
> not a long-term solution, as Buzz will someday desire to "retire"
> from IEEE 802 as well. We agree that a succession plan is needed and
> are investigating the best way forward there. This will be a difficult
> function to fill with a volunteer, as it involves little
> technical/standards work, and yet consumes significant time and
> commitment. Since Buzz is willing and able, I think this is a wise
> investment of a limited amount of our funds in the short term.
>
> Regards,
> John
>
> ----------
> This email is sent from the 802 Executive Committee email reflector. This list is maintained by Listserv.
>
----------
This email is sent from the 802 Executive Committee email reflector. This list is maintained by Listserv.