February 4, 2025, Board Meeting Recap
Snow has finally arrived along with some cold temperatures! Let’s be careful out there!
The Moscow Food Co-op Board of Directors held their February Board meeting on Tuesday the 4th at the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Present were seven of our nine Board members, our General Manager, Board Administrative Assistant, and one Co-op owner present on Zoom.
The General Manager presented her monitoring report for policy B1, Financial Conditions and Activities policy, for third quarter, 2024. The Co-op has transitioned to a new financial records reporting system, which delayed monitoring of this policy until February. The report showed that sales growth did not meet our preset target; however, this was also seen in other similar sized stores in our corridor. Increases in prices and uncertainty in an election year were discussed as possible reasons for the decline in sales growth. On the bright side, our net income was positive for the quarter and reports from the GM indicated December sales were up 5% from 2023. The Board approved the monitoring report as presented. Additional and interesting details from the January meeting can be found in the General Manager’s FYI report on the Meetings and Minutes page of the Co-op’s webpage.
The Board reviewed policies D1, Unity of Control, and D2, Accountability of the GM, and accepted the monitoring reports in compliance with policy language. The D1 policy prohibits individual Board members from directing the GM, unless authorized by the Board, and limits unauthorized requests for information by individual Directors or committees that would disrupt operations or be an undue burden on staff or resources. The D2 policy assigns accountability of the Co-op’s performance to the GM and prohibits the Board from evaluating or instructing staff other than the GM. Our policies are available for everyone to read on the Co-op webpage under the “Meet Your Board of Directors” tab and then “Board Information.”
In other business, the Board voted to approve our election slate for the 2025 Board election, which includes current Board members Candis Claiborn and Kelsey Manning. Because there were only two qualified candidates for three seats, the Board will consider appointing a third Director sometime after the election. Furthermore, the Board discussed chapters four and five of the book “US History in 15 Foods,” which we are reading to help us better understand the relationships between food and social structures in our country. We are reading this book as a Board to help educate ourselves on how we can best serve our community as described in our Ends policy (see below). We also are planning to conduct a Board-driven food drive to help replenish food bank shelves that have gone a bit bare since the holiday season.
For our Study and Engagement Series, the Board heard from Bex Riehm from the Latah Human Rights Task Force. The Latah County Human Rights Task Force is a community-based grass-roots organization that works to lift up human rights and dignity for all individuals, to educate and ensure fairness, and to stand against hate and bigotry. Activities have included the Human Rights Day at the Moscow Farmers Market, Martin Luther King Annual Breakfast, Rosa Parks Art and Essay contest, K-12 activities, and health and wellness presentations. The Latah County Human Rights Task Force is welcomed and supported in our area, but financial donations are needed. Participation is open to everyone, and more information can be found on their webpage at https://www.humanrightslatah.org/.
Our Study and Engagement Series helps Board and staff members become better informed about issues and activities that affect our community. One of the Seven Cooperative Principles states that we have “Concern for Community,” and listening to people describe issues of concern in our community is directly tied to our Ends.
If you have questions or comments regarding these recaps, please email me your thoughts at mthorne@moscowfood.coop. It would be good to know that they are reaching our owners.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 4, 2025, at the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center (411 S Main St, Moscow, ID). The meeting will run from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Current Co-op owners can attend in person or via Zoom. To attend via Zoom, contact the Board's Administrative Assistant at boardadmin@moscowfood.coop for more information and to RSVP.
Further information about our Board meetings is at https://www.moscowfood.coop/board-meetings.
Sincerely,
Mark Thorne, Board President
Moscow Food Co-op Ends Policy
The Moscow Food Co-op is at the heart of a thriving, healthy, and inclusive community where:
1. We embody and embrace cooperative principles and values.
2. All community members have local access to environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and healthful choices.