1. The American Legion Post 176 General Membership Meeting was called to order at 1930 on 5 September 2006, with Commander Myers presiding.

a. The vice Adjutant called roll. All officers were present with the exception of Chaplain Reed and Adjutant Braman who were excused. The Commander asked for EXCOM members to remain after the meeting for a special session.

b. A motion was made to dispense with reading the minutes of the 1 Aug 06 meeting. The motion was carried by unanimous vote. Meeting minutes will be published on the Post Web site.

c. Commander Myers welcomed the Ladies Auxiliary, which is holding their first Legion Year 2007 meeting this evening. New President is Marty McGrail; Loretta Smith is continuing as the Auxiliary Chairperson for Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation (VA&R).

2. Committee reports were as follows:

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

1.) Membership Committee: One transfer candidate and four new candidates were presented for membership this evening. The names were read and approved in block. In addition, there were eight renewal members. The Post now has 1,211 members.

2.) Ways & Means Committee: The next Friday night dinner is 8 Sep, and the Sunday breakfast is 10 Sep from 9:00-11:00 AM. The next event is the Oktoberfest on 23 Sep.

b. 2^nd Vice Commander Younts reported on the following activities.

1.) Blood Drive: The next bi-monthly blood drive will be 17 Oct at the Post Home. Please call Joe Finch to make a reservation.

2.) Boys State: The Post has received donations totaling $150 from Hazel Babler for Boys State. The donations are in memory of her husband, Dick Babler, who died recently.

3.) Oratorical: Next year’s oratorical contest will be held at the Post in Jan 07. Jerry Mittelbach is working with local high schools to get the word out.

3.) Sons of the American Legion (SAL): Boy Scout Troop 1344 now has 22 members. The first meeting for Legion Year 2007 will be held this month. The Scout Master (Tim Dioquino) is looking for merit badge counselors for community, nation, and world badges.

c. 3^rd Vice Commander Dzierski reported on the following activities:

1.) Bingo: Bingo has resumed every Monday and Thursday nights. Additional volunteers are needed to increase the number of teams to six.

2.) Junior Shooting Sports: The Post is purchasing eight new air rifles for $1900 for the Edison High School Junior ROTC shooting team.

d. Finance Report: John Sawyer, former Finance Officer, gave a summary of the current financial statement which was handed out for review. Net revenue (cash plus CDs) after expenditures was $419,607 as of 31 Aug. The balance decreased by approximately $34 K from last month to pay back invoices of $40 K to the catering manager. A new baseline will start at the end of Sep after the final audit. An annual statement will be compiled at the end of the year.

e. Chaplain. No Status to Report.

f. Service Officer: Ali Nikolai reported that the Post has made a loan of $450 to a Vietnam veteran in need of financial assistance to move into an apartment. The individual (John Kukor) also has become a member of the Post.

g. Corporate Board: The external audit is still in progress but should be completed by the end of the month. The nature of the audit has been changed to a cash basis of accounting. Changes will be made to internal controls following the establishment of a new baseline.

3. Old Business: The Commander asked members to delete E-mail messages sent by William Snyder concerning accusations against Post officers. He is no longer pursuing legal action.

4. New Business:

a. Elections were held for the vacant posts of 1^st Vice Commander and 3 yr Committeeman-at-Large . Klaus Dahlke and Ed Taborek were nominated and seconded for 1^st Vice Commander. Stu Bailey and Jimmy Jones were nominated and seconded for Committeeman-at-Large. Ballots were counted and Ed Taborek and Stu Bailey were elected by majority vote. Fifty-six voting members present at the meeting.

b. A question was asked about a permanent general manager. The Commander replied that the process to hire a general manager is underway and someone should be selected within the next two months. Bill Strawsburg is filling the position on a temporary basis (as a volunteer).

c. Bill Strawsburg announced that a poster of the American Legion NASCAR automobile will be raffled at the Oktoberfest on 23 Sep. The poster is signed by race car driver, Jared Johnson. Tickets can be purchased for $1.

d. There being no further business, a motion was made and carried to adjourn the meeting. Dick Vatter won the 50-50 drawing and donated the amount ($56) to VA&R. The meeting was adjourned at 2032.

Ali Nikolai Tony Dzierski

Vice Adjutant Acting Commander