Improvements Budget

Each quarter we have a budget for making improvements to the space, such as buying or upgrading equipment. How we spend the budget each quarter is decided at the preceding member’s meeting.

The process for deciding how we spend this budget has 3 steps:

1. Before each members' meeting: We'll ask for suggestions for things to spend the budget on in the next quarter.
2. At the meeting: We'll discuss the suggestions and vote to decide which one(s) implement this quarter.
3. After the meeting: We'll do whatever was voted for at the meeting.

In the run up to each member’s meeting, we’ll ask on the forum for suggestions. When making a suggestion, at a minimum we ask that you include:

• Details on what exactly you are suggesting.
• A breakdown of costs.
• Where it would go in the space.

The cost breakdown should include the purchase price, delivery costs, and any additional setup costs (such as signage, storage, PPE, consumable parts, etc)

If you're suggesting buying something second-hand, you can't always give an purchase price because examples will come and go at various prices. Instead the cost should be based on a reasonable maximum for the item you're looking to buy.

When you make a suggestion, you're also declaring that you would be happy to do the work needed to make it happen, if the suggestion passes the vote (or that you’re happy to lead a group effort to achieve the same)

Making it happen is likely to include:

• Buying the equipment and claiming the cost back (for very expensive items, we can purchase it directly from our funds).
• Arranging to get it to the space.
• Setting it up safely in the space.
• Writing a wikipage for it.
• If needed, working with the committee to create a risk assessment and induction.
• If needed, working with the committee to decide if anything should be added to the consumables list.

If you're not happy to do the work, please make that clear when you make the suggestion. We won’t vote on any suggestions that don't have someone willing to implement them.

The quarterly budget is set by the directors and may change from quarter-to-quarter in reflection of our overall financial headroom.

Any part of the budget for a quarter that is not allocated to a suggestion at the meeting will be rolled forward into the next quarter’s pot. This means that rather than spending the money each quarter, we can also decide to save some or all of it up over several quarters, allowing us to buy more expensive items.

Similarly, funds which are allocated to a suggestion which is then not carried out will also be rolled forward.