Area 4 Committee Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Teleconference – 1 p.m. Central Time

Designated Federal Official

• Martin, Betty - Nashville, TN - LTA

Committee Members Present

• Blanchard, Greg - Cordova, TN - Member
• Hurr, Joe - Dayton, OH - Member
• Kennedy, Jeff - Louisville, KY - Vice Chair
• Khan, Anne - Chicago, IL - Member
• Melchior, Jerome - Vincennes, IN - Member
• Monnier, David - Indianapolis, IN - Member
• Spiotto, Ann - Lincolnwood, IL - Member
• Taylor, Rita - Cincinnati, OH - Member
• Wernz, Stanley - Cincinnati, OH - Chair
• Wingard, Kelly - Decatur, IL - Member

Committee Members Excused

• Adams-Dodds, Carolyn - Detroit, MI - Member
• Bryant, Patricia - Millington, TN - Member
• Buschmann, Ray - Lake Forest, IL - Member
• Meister, David - Franklin, WI - Member
• Mull, Bob - Ann Arbor, MI - Member
• Verwiel, John - Cottage Grove, WI - Member

Committee Members Absent

• Martyniuk, Lev - Cincinnati, OH - Member
• White, Regina - Southfield, MI - Member

TAP Staff

• Delzer, Mary Ann - Milwaukee, WI - Program Analyst
• Patti Robb - Milwaukee, WI - Program Analyst                             

Welcome / Roll Call / Review Agenda
Stan Wernz welcomed everyone.  As the meeting began, the committee did not have quorum.  (During the meeting, a couple more members signed on.)

Wernz congratulated Mary Ann Delzer for being selected in the Front-Line Manager Readiness Program (FLRP)  .

Area 4 Chair Report – Stan Wernz

• Joint Committee Report

See attached chair/joint committee report.  Attachment 1.  We need to remember that the quality review checklist has to be completed and submitted with an elevated recommendation before they will approve it for elevation. 

• Issue 4484 – Business CP 163

Elevated to IRS by the Joint Committee.

• Issue 4243 – Notices of Deficiency

This recommendation will go back before the Joint Committee for approval.  It was held up because it did not have the quality review checklist, and data supporting the issue was omitted.  Delzer has researched the data and amended the Issue to include that information.  The Issue has been resubmitted.

• Face-to-Face Meeting May 12-13, 2008

Please forward suggested agenda items to Wernz and Delzer.  Most committee members will be arriving on Monday, May 12.  The meeting is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, and 8 a.m. to Noon on Wednesday, May 14.  Monday and Wednesday afternoon/evening are travel days.  The meeting will be held in the Garfield Suites in Downtown Cincinnati and according to Wernz, it is a very nice facility.

Springfield Town Hall update – Trish DeTimmerman
The plans for the Springfield Town Hall are moving along.  The marketing materials already went out to our partners.  There will be another town hall call next week. Kelly Wingard has a few interviews already lined up; one with a radio station and one with a television station. 

Public Input
None

Issue Discussion

• RAL-ANPRM – Stan Wernz

Comments/input was requested on the ANPRM.  Wernz did make comments online.  He said he would like to discuss this at the face-to-face meeting as to what is actually in the best interest for the IRS.  We should not support the RAL.  The IRS needs to get their system up to speed so people can get their refunds within a couple days.  They also need to have the free services available sooner.  Betty Martin interjected that she is very involved with this issue and it is a very sensitive and complex issue.  It is in the top 20 Most Serious Problems (MSP) noted in the National Taxpayer Advocate Report to Congress.  There is free file vendor, as well as other companies that offer free e-file; it is free, completely reliable, and secure.  This is a really tough issue.  Delzer said the Area 5 committee is struggling with this issue too.  She pulled a report released by GAO and is willing to send it out if anyone wants it – just let her know if you are interested.

• Issue 3632 – Failure of Audit Reconsideration Processing – Mary Ann Delzer

This is the #19 MSP as identified by the NTA Nina Olson.  The Committee can write a letter to let Olson know they support her position.

• Unclaimed Telephone Excise Tax – Lev Martyniuk

This issue will be tabled and discussed at the next meeting.

• IRS use of PSAs – John Verwiel

This issue will be tabled and discussed at the next meeting.

New Issue Review – Anne Khan
Two issues were identified to work.

• # 4340 – Capital Gains Processing Errors – a Schedule D issue – A practitioner experienced a problem with the 2006 tax year returns.  We need to see if this is an e-file only  issue or if it is a recurring problem at the IRS.  Jeff Kennedy noted if a Schedule D is not required you can check a box, however TaxWise will not let you e-file this way. 

ACTION:  Delzer will check into the magnitude of the Schedule D issue.
Kennedy will be the subcommittee chair for this issue.

• # 4521 – Estate Return Concerns – An executor of a small estate felt there should be an “EZ” process for estates that do not owe taxes. 

Subcommittee will be Wernz, Bob Mull, and Kelly Wingard.  Wernz said he will ask Mull to be subcommittee chair since this was his issue.
ACTION:  Delzer will run the issue report to ensure the clearing committee has it by the second Tuesday of each month as the plan was to have them review the new issues each month. 

ACTION Item Review
All action items completed.

Outreach
February: 19 by four members
March: 3 by three members
Greg Blanchard shared that he and Pat Bryant attended the Congressional Liaison meeting in Memphis.  They were attempting to update the congressional aids with TAP information and other various issues. 

Issue Committee Highlights – All
Anne khan – Communication Committee – The new member surveys have been sent out already.  Please complete yours and send it in if you haven’t already done so. 

Kelly Wingard Communication Committee – they are working on getting new marketing materials (handouts). 

Joe Hurr – Notices Committee has their face-to-face meeting later this week.

The EITC Committee also has their face-to-face meeting at the end of this week.

Office Report – Mary Ann Delzer
Recruitment is progressing very well. 
Patti Robb was selected as the junior analyst for the Area 4 and Area 5 committees. 

We have also selected a secretary, Lisa Gabriel, but we’re not sure when she will be reporting for duty.  We are hoping she will be able to attend the Town Hall meeting and the Area 4 meeting in Cincinnati as well.   Barbara Foley is leaving at the end of this month for her new position in W&I.  DeTimmerman announced her detail is over at the end of April. 

The budget is looking somewhat tight, so as a result, Bernie Coston will not be attending any of the face-to-face meetings. 
Please remember your pre-read will be posted at least one week before the meeting on TAPSpace. 

Closing/Assessment-Kennedy
The meeting went well even though we didn’t start out with quorum.  Meeting adjourned