1. The American Legion Post 176 General Membership Meeting was called to order at 1937 on 1 August 2006, with 3^rd Vice Commander Dzierski presiding.

a. The vice Adjutant called roll. The following officers were excused from the meeting: Commander Myers, 2^nd Vice Commander Younts, Chaplain Reed, and Sergeant-at-Arms Thiebaut. All other officers were present with the exception of Adjutant Braman.

b. A motion was made to dispense with reading the minutes of the 11 July 06 meeting. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.

c. Acting Commander Dzierski asked for support of the membership in conducting the meeting. He stated we are all comrades and we should be considerate of other members in resolving differences. Election of the 1 yr Committeeman-at-Large will be held this evening. Election of the 1^st Vice Commander and the 3 yr Committeeman-at-Large is scheduled for the September meeting.

2. Committee reports were as follows:

a. Acting Commander Dzierski gave the following report for the 1^st Vice Commander:

1.) Membership Committee: Seven new and five transfer candidates were presented for membership this evening. The names were read and approved in block. The Post also has 173 life members.

2.) Ways & Means Committee: The Friday night dinners will resume the second Friday in August. The Sunday breakfast is 13 Aug from 9:00-11:00 AM. Tickets are $6 each.

b. Acting Commander Dzierski gave the following report for 2^nd Vice Commander Braman:

1.) Blood Drive: The next bi-monthly blood drive will be 15 Aug at the Post Home. Please call Joe Finch to make a reservation.

2.) Boys State: The Post has received donations for next year’s Boys State. The cost is $3375 to sponsor 15 boys for Boys State week, along with $600 for transportation.

3.) Sons of the American Legion (SAL): The SAL has received the 2006 White House ornaments. The cost is $17. The SAL also has flag kits for sale for $15.

c. Acting Commander Dzierski gave the following report for 3^rd Vice Commander Younts:

1.) Bingo: Bingo has resumed every Monday and Thursday nights, with five teams of volunteers. No shortages have been noted in money collection with the new teams. Minimal discrepancies (less than $5) occurred on two occasions.

2.) Junior Shooting Sports: Next year, the Post will have state-of-the-art air rifles for the Junior Shooting Sports competitions.

d. Finance Report: Finance Officer Sawyer submitted a detailed account of Post finances for the month of July. He reported on the following cost centers, but noted that the accounting system has errors and omissions.

1.) Lounge. Lounge revenue comes from beverage, food, and beer and wine sales, as well as sales of pull tabs.

2.) Bingo. The bingo account provides the revenue to pay the Post mortgage.

3.) Membership. Membership revenue comes from dues. So far, 810 persons have paid Legion Year 2007 dues.

4.) Banquets. John Young reported that the numbers are not accurate. The Post may owe the catering manager $90K in back payments (over a two year period). In addition, a safe in the manager’s office contains 17K in cash that should be deposited in the checking account.

5.) Charity. The Post is a non profit organization; no donations have been received.

6.) Programs. Donations have been received for Boys State and Legion Baseball. Expenditures have been recorded for other Post programs.

7.) Building & Grounds. Revenue comes from parking lot rental to the State of Virginia. Income is $1500 a month, and $4500 a quarter.

8.) Checking Accounts. Accounts in Prosperity Bank total $303,003; however, $90K still may be owed to the catering manager.

9.) Certificates of Deposit (CDs). The Post has three CDs for $50K each.

10.) Mortgage. The Post mortgage is $590,039. All payments are current to date.

A question was asked about the external audit. Rod Carlone replied that the status would be addressed in the Corporate Board report. A question also was asked about why the internal audit committee didn’t report on any discrepancies in the accounting system. John Young replied that highly skilled people were not involved in auditing the Post finances. A comment was made from the membership commending the Finance Officer for his detailed report.

e. Chaplain. No Status to Report.

f. Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation: No Status to Report.

g. Corporate Board: The first Corporate Board meeting for Legion Year 2007 was held on 27 July. All Corporate Board positions currently are filled. Rod Carlone reported on the following items:

1.) Condition of Building. The roof leak has been fixed; but the Post may be closed for a few days to complete upstairs renovations. The sprinkler system is also being repaired.

2.) Audit Update. The external audit is still in progress; there were problems with internal delays. The Commander, the Finance Officer, and the Corporate Board President will meet with Goodman and Associates on 17 Aug. The audit period is 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2005.

3.) Finance Report. The financial records will be accurate; the General Manager and the Finance Officer will be invited to Corporate Board meetings.

4.) Hiring of General Manager. The Corporate Board voted that the hiring of General Managers should be done by the Board, with the decision approved by the EXCOM.

h. Post Scripts: The Aug 06 Post Scripts are in the mail; the current publication is 8 pages instead of the usual 12. The publication should be back to its regular size next month. The Corporate Board also will have a section in the Post Scripts. The Post Scripts should be a publication of open and complete communication on programs, activities, and items of interest to the membership. Our newsletter won second place in the State Legion Publication Contest.

3. The following Unfinished Business Item was discussed.

In reference to paragraph 1c above, election of the 1^st Vice Commander and the 3 yr Committeeman-at-Large is scheduled for the September meeting.

4. New Business:

a. Nominations were opened from the floor for the vacant post of 1 yr Committeeman-at-Large. George Tesla and Jimmy Jones were nominated and seconded. Ballots were counted and George Tesla was elected by majority vote. Forty-four voting members present at the meeting.

b. A motion was made and seconded to give the Corporate Board sole authority to hire and fire General Managers and other Post workers. Comrade Vatter pointed out that the motion was in conflict with EXCOM responsibilities in the American Legion Officers Guide. Judge Advocate Dentz commented that the Judge Advocate does not make rulings, but if the Commander were here, he would rule the motion out of order because Article III, Section 5 of the By Laws states that "The order of business for this Post shall conform to that set forth in The American Legion Officers Guide and Manual of Ceremonies." The Commander’s ruling, however, can be overturned by two-thirds majority vote. Acting Commander Dzierski stated that he would allow the motion to stand based on precedent, since the Corporate Board has hired General Managers in the past and the General Managers have reported to the Corporate Board. The motion was carried by majority vote.

c. Judge Advocate Dentz stated that an apology was in order from Comrade Sawyer for his personal attack on the character of Junior Past Commander Kampanos. Comrade Sawyer believed his remarks were in order and declined to apologize. Acting Commander Dzierski again appealed for comradeship among the members. He asked members to be considerate of each other and to resolve differences in an amicable manner.

d. There being no further business, a motion was made and carried to Adjourn the meeting. ?????won the 50-50 drawing and donated the amount ($75) to Children and Youth. The Post will make a matching contribution. The meeting was adjourned at 2053.

Ali Nikolai Tony Dzierski

Vice Adjutant Acting Commander