DW and DH clarified the existing system: BOTLab members vote for and against each candidate, who is elected if #for > #against. This has no mechanism for regulating committee size except by limiting #candidates. Every year 1/3 of committee must step down for re-election. No aversion to increasing size of committee…

Concerns: system that we have favours incumbents, need to give new people a chance

TG: people need to understand that elections are happening and people can join the committee

DH: Issue with committee size - how do we regulate this?

Issue of new people and regulating sizes are different issues

Do we open up voting to the whole membership or just the people at the AGM?

TG: have an “associate committee” role in parallel with full committee members - give people an easy route into seeing how the committtee works - PN: perhaps treasurer needs an associate

2 posts will be available at next AGM

⇒ publicise better in advance of next AGM?

DH: Hackspace has many members who take part in running of the space/organisation without being on the committee - role of the committee is solely a way of formalising the decision-making process - ⇒ associates not really needed as yet, except for admin! ⇒ before the AGM, committee to discuss and publicise admin roles - ACTION

Committee also has a role for ensuring things are done - e.g. random emails from 3rd parties - could just be passed on to mailing list, but committee should filter

DH: perhaps there is a role for associates in taking a greater part in e.g. responding to incoming requests - “if anybody *wants* to have access to this list…” as an opt-in

Returning to discussion of mechanism: use counting of votes for and against, and choose people with strongest majority? but what if we have multiple unanimous votes?; people apply to specific roles? DH: important to be clear to everyone at the start of the meeting what the system is, e.g. there will be 5 committee members at the end of the meeting and votes count accordingly?

PN: have a set period to apply for election; if we have too many candidates *then* we decide how to deal with it?

TG: start by saying you have to be at the AGM to vote? With some proxy system to allow for input from people who are unable to attend?

TG: if we have too many candidates, get them all to cast lots for places? Only problem is if there is 1 person noone wants to work with…

Decision: General consensus on TG's proposal!

TG: has been sorting them - proposes sorting them, picking out a quantity that we could conceiveably use (of the useful ones) and sending others to other hackspaces

RD: improvement: before distributing them, make the unwanted ones available to hackspace members if they want for >=1week

RD: split up big boxes of resistors first into smaller quantities? but that's a lot of work. Or just keep them in stock if they aren't going to go off?

First job is to stock-take so we know what we have

Problems with sending to other spaces: don't know if they want them, and have to pay the postage? (get people to come and pick up their own stuff!)

TG: happy to sort the ICs, wants 1% resistors kept, not going to do it all! RD will help - make a spreadsheet with all items

3 piles: unsorted, sorted-to-be-kept, surplus (open to membership/other hackspaces/anybody)

Jay points out other hackspaces are just getting started and would appreciate any donations - invite them to get in touch!

TG: what do we do with other donations? do we accept them, what happens?

RD: what if equipment with value turns up? Would be a shame if it was just dumped…

Have just instituted 3 bin system]- gives people 3 weeks to express interest. Is 3 weeks long enough? Esp. if we get a big donation that fills the bins?

PN: still in beta, will see how it works and adjust accordingly!

TG: what if companies tried to use us as a dumping ground? Hasn't really been a problem in the past and we do have a fairly clear policy on what we accept e.g. no CRTs!

DH: storage boxes for members - e.g. Really Useful Boxes (strongly suggest that people use those, because they stack) - or just *require* people to use specific box

Jay: could get a discount if we buy in bulk - get people to express interest on mailing list

Shelving - should we spend money on it? Tarim: has sorted it - we have the frame parts, all we need is wood for the shelves…

Buy in a stack of boxes and let members pay for it? Matt V has already bought in some boxes - but maybe invest in a good system for the future. Filing cabinets as a better use of space? Not necessarily for members' personal storage

Size of boxes: e.g. RUB 35l & 18l half that height - ~£5 and ~£10

⇒ ACTION: DH to put a proposal to the mailing list

(storage - see above)

RD: better chairs! something padded, more consistent… Pam: could get office chairs cheaply from auctions (BCVA business auctions in Ashton - also other things)? Diversity is good… “Contemporary and eclectic”!

Not enough time to get a committee decision between listing and auction - but someone could get approval to spend up to a certain amount on a certain number of chairs - RD to put a proposal to the list once he has an idea of the figures involved

TG: surface-mount soldering equipment? We have a hot-air rework station and Ian's toaster oven, but something a bit more professional? Nudge Ian to provide instructions on use of his oven?

DH: hand tools? good screwdrivers etc., tinsnips

DH: ask the mailing list! ACTION: DW to organise

RD: MarkForged carbon-fibre 3d printer?! $5000, shipping in “second half of 2014”? Tarim: suggest to Knowle West Media Centre as they have big funding…

Tarim: Happening at end of May - Weekend of 31 May/1 June

Good opportunity to show our work off

PN: make some fliers to distribute? Barney made some for the Maker Faire