S.A.R.A. Minutes from meeting on 3/10/2004
Saratoga City Hall
The minutes were respectfully submitted by Rob Vance, acting secretary.

In attendance were:

• John Glass, NU6P
• Don Anastasia, AA6W
• Lou DeGive, WA6RAG
• Christina Sand, KG6ORH
• Rob Vance, N6ROB

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by John Glass.

Old Business:

• Rob submitted receipts for reimbursement for donation to QSL.NET, and for the club mailer.
• John recapped last month’s presentation by Mike McRobert’s KD6FTR of the SCC Sheriff’s office regarding emergency communications in the county.

New Business:

• Treasurer’s Report - Christina reported the current bank account balance and that we have 28 members.
• The club has no mailing address. Lou DeGive’s home address has been used as the club’s mailing address for regulatory compliance purposes. A discussion was had regarding obtaining a P.O. Box. The cost of a P.O. Box is $38/year with a $1 deposit per key. It was decided to obtain a P.O. Box for the club.
• Regulatory Compliance Issues:
  • The club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, as of 1995.
  • The club is required to file a Section 1502 “Statement of Domestic NonProfit Corporation” every two years with the California Secretary of State. A copy of our filing for year 2002 cannot be found. It was decided to order a copy.
  • The club is required to file a Form RRF-1 with California Attorney General’s Office every year. We cannot find a copy of our filing for year 2003. It was decided to order a copy.
  • The club is not currently required to file income tax returns either with the Franchise Tax Board or the Internal Revenue Service.
  • The club has official tax exempt status from the Franchise Tax Board.
  • The club does not have official tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. This means that the club can not offer an opinion as to the federal tax deductibility of any donations made to the club. Further, if the Internal Revenue Service ever challenges a taxpayer’s deduction with respect to the club, the club could be required to make the application to prove tax deductibility. There was no reason, other than the cost of attorneys’ fees, that the club did not make the application for tax exempt status in the first place. The process is complicated, but Christina will attempt to make the application on the club’s behalf. To gain tax exempt status the club needs to:
    • Obtain a taxpayer identification number by filing Form SS-4.
    • Make the application on Form 1023. We need to collect any missing bank statements and any missing minutes in order to document our status as a public charity. Don Anastasia can help with the last two items.
    • File a Form 2848 (Power of Attorney & Declaration of Representation) and Form 8821 (Tax Information Authorization). These forms may not be required immediately, but may be required later on.
• ARRL Affiliation.
  • Discussion was had regarding affiliation with the ARRL. This could bring the club benefits such as being listed on the ARRL’s website. Christina read the text of a resolution to affiliate with the ARRL. After discussion, the resolution was adopted.
  • In order to make the application we need to send the ARRL a copy of our bylaws. After review, it appears that the Club’s bylaws need to be revised. Christina will post them for review and ask the membership to comment.
  • The members will vote on the adoption of the amended Bylaws at the April meeting.
  • The affiliation documents will be sent to the ARRL after the April meeting.
• Board of Director’s Meeting.
  • The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 24th at 7:30 PM at Christina Sand’s home. John, NU6P will prepare an agenda. Christina will email the address and directions to the members of the Board.
• City of Saratoga Emergency Operations Drill.
  • On April 19th the City of Saratoga will perform an EOC drill. Christina will forward an email to the club.
• Video Presentation re Space Program.
  • Don Anastasia played a video about NASA and the space shuttle. Visit Chris Valentine’s website to see this video.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.