Taxpayer Assistance Center
Issue Committee
Teleconference Minutes
February 6, 2007

Program Owner
Estelle Tunley (absent)

Attendance
Jerry Fireman, Chair
Bill Matheny
Jerry Melchior
Wayne Whitehead
Doug Wilhelm
Bruce Zgoda, Vice Chair

Absent
Bob Haines

Staff
Judi Nicholas, Designated Federal Official
Dave Coffman, Program Analyst
Marla Ofilas, Note Taker

Guest
Carol Dille Hatch, TAS Research Analyst
Laureen Foard

Opening/Welcome
Judi opened the meeting and Jerry Fireman welcomed the members. Marla took roll call and a quorum was met.

Customer Survey Subcommittee Report
Bruce informed the committee that the mandatory orientation sessions, required of all volunteer survey administrators, have been delivered.  These sessions were presented by both subcommittee members and TAP staff.  Customer surveys will be administered the week of February 12 and then during another week in March.  Wayne noted that he participated in the orientation sessions and provided guidance on what the TAP members should look for and what they should expect.  Wayne felt that the most important point to remember is not to give out any tax information or advice while administering the surveys.

Judi explained that Dave will e-mail the name and number of an on-site contact to all survey administrators.  Judi stressed the importance of calling the on-site contact prior to visiting the TAC.  In addition, Judi informed the members that pens and tri-fold brochures may be the only available marketing materials. The clocks that were ordered as thank-you gifts have taken longer then expected and may not be available for the February surveys.

The members continued to discuss actions and logistics in administering the survey.

Employee Survey Subcommittee Report
The subcommittee met to discuss the status of the employee survey. Bill explained that Estelle wanted to avoid duplication of the yearly IRS all-employee survey and suggested that the employee survey developed by the committee mirrors the questions asked on the customer experience survey. The subcommittee also discussed the purpose and goals of the employee survey.

The next steps for the subcommittee are to review the IRS all-employee survey and a draft survey prepared by Jerry Fireman.

March Meeting Date
The members discussed selecting an alternate meeting date for their March teleconference. Currently, the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 6; however, the staff may not be available on that day.

Decision: The members decided that their next meeting will be on Friday March 9, 2007 at 9:00 am Pacific time. Dave will check with the program owner and her staff to determine if this date/time fits within their schedule. 

Member Comments
Jerry asked if there were additional comments. No additional comments were made. Judi thanked the members and closed the meeting.