Hi Asaf, I think Steve should convince the board and WMKE members about the expenditure first before he does that to you. I hope that the WMKE chairperson will convene a meeting soon (If possible within 3 weeks) so that we can have the issue sorted and the remaining amount transferred to a joint account. I also hope that this meeting (when convened) will run smoothly.
Best Isaac On 9 August 2012 00:59, Asaf Bartov <abar...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Dear WMKE colleagues, > > Following the recent conversations around finances, I wanted to make a few > comments, hoping the uncertainty can be resolved: > > 1. We acknowledge it is an unfortunate situation where chapter funds are > in anyone's personal bank account. In hindsight, WMF should have insisted > a separate bank account be created to wire the money, even if not yet the > official WMKE bank account. > > 1b. Now that that's done, we should seek to transfer the remaining grant > funds to a dedicated account as soon as possible: either the WMKE account > (if incorporation and the subsequent creation of the bank account seem > around the corner -- any updates?), or an interim, joint-ownership > dedicated account, with access to _at least_ two board members (one of whom > would be the treasurer, of course). It would be good if the WMKE board can > decide to pursue that course of action. > > 2. The current treasurer has sent me his tracking sheet of the grant > funds, and it generally looks in good order. I hope the board has a copy > too and can review as well. > > 3. The treasurer did confirm he has made some decisions to spend money > (for chapter business) on his own, without board approval, citing previous > experience with sending messages to the list and receiving no response for > days. This is _not okay_. The way to fix this, now, is for the board to > review all those spending decisions and _retroactively_ approve them > (unless there's genuine concern about the expense). If there are expenses > the board does not approve _per se_ (i.e. on material rather than > procedural grounds), the treasurer will have to return those funds to the > chapter. > > 3b. The board would do well to discuss and establish a clear procedure for > authorizing expenses. "When it's everybody's job it's nobody's job." Once > a procedure is adopted, the board members should _commit to following_ that > procedure, as it would be unfair to the treasurer (already doing much > unenviable work for the rest of us) to leave his requests hanging. > > 4. I have no reason to think the current treasurer has otherwise > mishandled funds. Unless anyone has material proof to the contrary, we > shall assume good faith, and once funds are transferred to a separate > account, a full audit by the board can confirm this to everyone's > satisfaction. > > 5. I understood there have been some payments to chapter members for > expenses incurred, that have been issued on the understanding receipts will > be furnished, but the treasurer is still awaiting receipts from several > members. That, too, is _not okay_. Please submit your receipts to the > treasurer as soon as possible. If you ever received a reimbursement from > the treasurer and you're not sure whether or not you owe any receipts, > please contact the treasurer privately to make sure. > > 6. I also understand there is some confusion about per diem allowances and > receipts: the usual way per diems work is that the rate is determined by > the board (You can use the WMF travel policy[1] if it helps), and then > money is disbursed according to the number of days (deducting appropriate > amounts when meals are provided, as in the case of lunches in Berlin and at > Wikimania), but _no receipts_ are required. This as distinct from other > expenses, which do require receipts. The rationale for this flexibility is > that on the one hand there are all kinds of small unforeseen expenses, > including (in some places) expenses that don't issue receipts (like the > matatu :)), that are not specifically budgeted for in the per diem, and on > the other hand the allowance is enough to cover them, without requiring > minute record-keeping. This is easier for both sides, and is based on > trust and good judgment. But that's just the usual way, and it's fine if > WMKE chooses to commit to providing receipts for per diems as well. > > I hope this helps WMKE move forward toward incorporation and program > activity with clarity and confidence. > > As always, please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. > > Cheers, > > Asaf > > [1] http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Travel_policy -- specifically, > guideline 7 under "ALLOWANCES FOR MEALS AND INCIDENTALS" > -- > Asaf Bartov > Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org> > > Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the > sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality! > https://donate.wikimedia.org > > > _______________________________________________ > WikimediaKE mailing list > WikimediaKE@lists.wikimedia.org > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediake > >
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