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CITIZEN ADVOCACY PANEL (CAP) Brooklyn District Meeting Minutes Date: January 18, 2001 Time: 6:00-9:30 PM Location: 10 MetroTech Center, 625 Fulton Street, 6th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Panel Members Attending:
IRS Staff Attending:
Absentees:
Guests:
Opening of the Meeting Vice-Chairperson Maher opened the meeting at 6:15 PM. Review of December 8, 2000 Minutes The panel accepted the minutes as written. Attendance Issue Vice-Chair Maher stated that the chair had sent all panel members a letter indicating that he was stepping down as chairperson. Maher also indicated that he spoke to the panel member whose absences had been discussed at the last meeting. She indicated that it was her intention to remain on the panel while not attending meetings. She would try to attend tonight’s meeting to address her position on this issue. Maher sent her a letter confirming the intent of the panel to vote on whether or not to recommend her removal to Treasury. Since that discussion, the panel member has issued an e-mail indicating her intention to "resign" from the panel. Maher expressed his opinion that, since she did not intend to continue for the additional year, it should be left at that. A concern was raised if she should change her mind. It was decided that it that should occur, the panel would resume action on its vote. Kristen Bailey, DFO, has been selected for another job. The CAP Manager, Eileen Cain, will act as DFO until a permanent replacement has been made for Kristen. Procedures There was a discussion of procedures for the election of officers. The term for officers needs to correspond to the term of panel members. It was decided to amend procedures to state that officers serve from the date of their election for one year or the end of their term on the panel, whichever is first. The issue was raised that there is currently no chairperson. It was decided to elect a new chair and vice-chair now, for the one-year term. Panel member Mihovich made a motion to elect Ed Maher as Chair. Panel member Richards seconded this motion. The motion passed by a unanimous vote of panel members present. The floor was then opened for nominations for vice-chair. Panel member Mihovich nominated Tony Fandozzi; seconded by panel member Kahn. No additional candidates were nominated. Since there was only one candidate, a vote was taken. Panel member Fandozzi was elected by a unanimous vote of those present. It was further suggested to make a change to page 1 of the procedures to change the number of absences to 3, to be consistent with Treasury’s document. This change was agreed to. Procedures accepted with the above changes. Further changes can be made as needed. Video Panel member Fandozzi introduced Gail Ellis, IRS Communications, and asked her to give her impression of the presentation he had just made to her regarding the educational video. Gail indicated that this is an excellent recommendation. It fits in with IRS initiatives to work on all walk-in sites. The IRS is trying to bring more uniformity to the set up of its sites. There are about 400 sites and currently only 20 have TVs. The timing of the proposal is very good. There are some issues about funding. Her function is user- funded meaning that a segment of the organization needs to fund the project. The funding issue needs to be resolved to get the project done. Guests It was noted that guests were present, including Joseph Noel, a CPA; and Marjorie Louer, former panel member. Introductions were made of everyone in the room for the benefit of the guests present. Calendar for 2001 There was further discussion of the proposals for the meeting calendar. All panel members were in agreement that an expeditious resolution was needed. A calendar was agreed upon, a copy of which is attached. Appreciation Mike Lewis of Treasury was present at the meeting. He spoke briefly about the timeframes for bringing on new panel members, indicating that he anticipated it being June. He also spoke about his appreciation of the work the panel is doing. Plaques were distributed to each member, commemorating their two-year service. Recruitment CAP Manager Cain spoke about the recruitment efforts. She spoke about callers (either potential panel members or press) who might want information on what it is like to be a panel member. She indicated that she would like for panel members to respond to these callers and asked for volunteers. The following panel members volunteered: Fandozzi, Mihovich, Maher, Aiken, Kahn, Cintron, and Richards. Panel members will only speak to their own experiences. If the caller (particularly the press) needs further information, they can be referred. CAP Manager will provide panel members with names and phone numbers for referral. Suggestion Subcommittee Panel member Kahn spoke about several new suggestions:
Small Business Subcommittee Small Business Chairperson, Richards suggested that panel members look for listings in the paper of meetings of small business groups. Panel members should notify her of upcoming events. Her committee will follow up on these activities and try to arrange for CAP to attend and speak about the functions of the panel. Additional Items
Procedures for CAP proposals Staff member, Gita Hecht, gave a presentation and summary of the new procedures and provided the panel with copies of reports on the new tracking system. Copies of both of these items are attached and are an integral part of these minutes. She also gave the panel information on the AMT for small businesses. A copy of that report is attached. Town Hall Meeting An issue was raised that the panel should start thinking about where to hold the May town hall meeting. The panel decided to pursue holding it in Manhattan. There was some discussion of possible neighborhoods and sites. The staff will confer with the marketing subcommittee as to next steps to pursue to find an appropriate site. New Name The panel decided to rename itself NEW YORK METRO CAP. Guest Joseph Noel was asked if he would like to say anything. He stated that he thought this was a great program. He thinks it might be helpful to have one or two practitioners in attendance at the meeting to bounce ideas off. Adjournment Panel member Mihovich made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Panel member Cintron seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM Attachments:
The Panel members accepted these minutes as written on February 9, 2001. I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge,
the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.
Edward Maher - Chairperson Brooklyn District Citizen Advocacy Panel |
