documents:officers [La Reunion Cooperative]

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====== Officer Descriptions ======

===== Steward (4 hours) =====

  * Monitor central responsibilities of house officers and reporting delinquencies first to the officer, then to the house if necessary.
  * Be familiar with other officers' jobs to the extent that s/he may continue the performance of that job in an emergency or transitional period.
  * Make sure that house meetings expedite business and function according to the procedures (through the facilitator).
  * Make sure minutes from house meetings and house policies are clear, current and posted for members to see.
  * Be the first source to members for general information about the co-op and CHEA.
  * Carry out evictions on behalf of the house membership and/or CHEA Board of Directors through collaboration with membership coordinator and/or treasurer.
  * Oversee membership reviews. Ensure that house policies regarding eviction meetings are followed. Inform the membership and the member being reviewed of all relevant policies.
  * Conduct elections for officers and receive resignations of elected members.
  * Make sure that there are regular meetings between officers and that they are doing their job.
  * Encourage and maintain a spirit of cooperation and democratic participation within the house.
  * Train officers in the absence of previous officer to do the same.
  * Act as the official spokesperson for the house.
  * Pick up slack whenever necessary. Catch any important issues that fall through the cracks and ensure that they are dealt with.
  * Register your phone and other contact info with the Austin Fire Department as an emergency point of contact for the coop.

<sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-12-06#agenda_item_5|[HM 12-6-15]]]<font 13.125px/inherit;;inherit;;inherit></font>[[:meetings:archive:2016-02-07#agenda_item_3|[HM 2-7-16]]]</sub>

===== Membership Coordinator (4 hours) =====

  * Keep the cooperative as close to full occupancy as humanly possible.
  * Advertise! Post and update our ads on Craigslist. Regularly reach out in other ways to ensure a diverse membership: this can include flyers, Facebook posts, events, contact social services that work with affordable housing etc. It’s always a good thing for more people to know about us.
  * Answer emails/questions from prospective members and give them tours when you’re around. Answer e-mails to the “info” address in a timely manner. Learn to recognize scam emails (bad grammar/punctuation, usually from a foreign country, says “advert,” claims to be a model or working for some altruistic cause, attaches a picture of a beautiful girl, weird email addresses, obviously didn’t read the ad, immediately starts asking about how much rent and deposit to pay, etc). Don’t be a sucker. If you aren’t sure if an email is a scam, send it to the house for advice.
  * Keep the information sent to prospective members updated, public to current members, and thorough.
  * Serve as primary liaison with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin. Answer their correspondence promptly. Handle the renewal process for tenants' receiving HCV (Section 8) vouchers. If communication from HACA concerns other coordinators’ areas of oversight promptly inform them and the committees working with them.
  * Keep the originals of all signed contracts. Under no circumstance should the Membership Coordinator let a member borrow the original contract if there are no copies on-hand, or the final copy if for some reason the original is not on-hand.
  * Keep an updated list of members. Be aware of whose contract is ending soon, and make sure they renew their contract. If, 6 weeks before their contract ends, they will not guarantee that they will renew their contract, start advertising that their room will open up soon. They can renew their contract at any time then, but if someone signs a contract for the room before they do, then they must either move out or, if other rooms are available, switch rooms. If their contract is not renewed a month before the end of the contract period, then advertise their room and let someone else sign for their room (after first giving them a chance).
  * Jack’s Law: Make sure that new members pay their deposit and pet fees when they sign their contract and income disclosure affidavit. People who do not pay their deposit and fees and sign the income disclosure form cannot sign a contract. DO NOT let people move in if they haven’t paid and signed these. Once the contract has been signed to send copies of the income discloser and the final page of the contract to the chea operations manager, La Reunion treasurer, and La Reunion bookkeeper. <sub>[[https://www.lareunioncoop.org/meetings/archive/2020-01-05|[HM 01-05-2020]]] [[meetings:archive:2024-05-19|HM 05-19-24]]</sub>
  * Keep track of who attended two meetings and when. Keep the waiting list updated. After a prospective member has been accepted, make sure they are added to the email list for when a room opens up. Keep track of what prospective members have pets, pet allergies, and if their preference is for a room or a whole unit.
  * If several people are interested in the same room or unit, decide who gets it. Be very familiar with the Member Acceptance Policy, and follow it faithfully. Update the Member Acceptance Policy, with the house’s help, if you encounter situations that the policy does not adequately handle.
  * Keep extra copies of all of the room keys. Keep them organized. With the maintenance coordinator’s help, make sure that everyone has a key and a functional lock on their door.
  * Determine how much a member’s deposit will be charged upon move-out.
  * Notify the house by email via the house mailing list within 5 business days when membership is newly granted or revoked <sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-03-15#agenda_item_1|[HM 3-15-15]]].</sub>

Passed [[:meetings:archive:2013-06-23|]]

<sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-12-06#agenda_item_5|[HM 12-6-15]]]</sub>


===== Labor Czar (4 hours) =====

  * Plan and post the labor schedule for each week. Maintain running no-show sheet with who was indicted, what for, the plaintiff, and action taken to resolve the situation.
  * Maintain a running tally of each individual house members number of no-shows and make-up hours owed. Penalize no-shows' according to house policy. Maintain a publicly available format of each house member's no-shows', make-up labor hours owed, make-up labor hours completed, and labor fines owed; update this spreadsheet every month when make-up labor is assessed and labor fines are assessed. Follow the any fine policy the house chooses. When assessing make-up labor hours, email them to the house. When assessing labor fines, email them to the house, the Treasurer, and the Bookkeeper. When a member exceeds the evictable limit for no-shows, inform the house.
  * Create and maintain labor descriptions.
  * Mediate between no-show plaintiffs and defendants when possible. Communicate with house via meetings when plaintiff/defendant can’t come to a solution.
  * Work with house officers to plan labor holidays.
  * Ensure that all labor matters are accessible and available to all members of the cooperative in a timely manner, regardless of ability or means of communication.

Amended [[:meetings:archive:2013-04-21|]]

<sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-12-13#agenda_item_31|[HM 12-13-15]]]</sub>

===== Grounds Coordinator (3 hours) =====

Work with and coordinate grounds crew in weekly grounds maintenance labor.

  * Ensure the regular watering and maintenance of the courtyard garden beds with an eye towards their health and attractiveness.
  * Keep regular maintenance and project/improvement to-do lists up to date and available to house members.
  * Field suggestion for projects/improvements from house members and add them to running list.
  * Plan and manage landscape improvement projects.
  * Communicate with house to ensure that the grounds projects being performed are both wanted and needed. Request house-level input (e.g. emailing the entire house, discussing it at a meeting, or calling an informal meeting for discussion) for non-routine and/or aesthetic decisions. Routine tasks include maintaining the compost pile, raking leaves, picking up trash, and keeping clutter in the yard to a minimum. (Note: If something is potentially useful, it needs to have a place where it will neither be ruined by weather nor be an eyesore.) Examples of non-routine and/or aesthetic decisions include, but are not limited to, the removal and/or disassembly of existing structures and the assembly of new structures. Request and encourage house input, and work to facilitate the needs and interests of the members.
  * Work with Labor Czar and Maintenance Coordinator to plan effective and efficient labor holidays.Communicate with the house to determine what the house wants to accomplish on the labor holiday.
  * Report weekly to house on what grounds crew is doing.
  * Remove sources of standing water – fight mosquitoes!

Passed [[:meetings:archive:2013-06-30|]]

===== Food Buyer (3 hours) =====

  - Keeps fiduciary records of all cooperative food activities.
  - Maintains a stock of coop's food, spices, condiments, and other appropriate items for member consumption.
  - Accepts requests weekly and attempts to satisfy them as allowed by cost, necessity, or other reasonable constraints.
  - Maintains communication with the house regarding any relevant issues.
  - Turn in receipts to the Rent-Box within 24 hours of making a purchase. <sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-08-09#agenda_item_1|[HM 8-9-15]]]</sub>.
  - Use the CHEA Tax ID number to make tax-exempt purchases. <sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-08-09#agenda_item_1|[HM 8-9-15]]]</sub>.
  - Works with other officers as necessary.
  - Include a “Grocery Run done” email to be sent to the House after unloading groceries. This email should include the next expected grocery run date. <sub>[[https://www.lareunioncoop.org/meetings/2020-10-04|[HM 10-4-20]]]</sub>.
  - Email a picture of all physical grocery receipts to the House or forward emails with digital receipts to the House within 48 hours of the grocery run. Included with this should be a list of items requested by members that were not purchased and the reason for not purchasing them (i.e. out of stock, not an appropriate co-op purchase, etc.). <sub>[[https://www.lareunioncoop.org/meetings/2020-10-04|[HM 10-4-20]]]</sub>.

<sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-02-15#agenda_item_5|[HM 2-15-15]]]</sub>

===== Kitchen Manager (4 hours) =====

  - Oversee cooks, including training and development.
  - Maintain inventory levels for all staples and special requests, and ensuring proper storage.
  - Send a list of needed items to the food buyer weekly.
  - Maintain a list of all food allergies and dietary restrictions and ensure all meals are labeled properly.
  - Ensure food safety and quality.
  - Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, as well as state, federal, and local food handling requirements.
  - Promptly address issues such as equipment breakdowns or supply shortages.
  - Organize the pantry and fridges to maximize space.
  - Coordinate with the Labor Czar if there are changes to cooks or other kitchen laborers, and coordinate with other officers as necessary.

<sub>[[https://www.lareunioncoop.org/meetings/2024-11-17|[HM 11-17-2024]]]</sub>


===== Treasurer (4 hours) =====

  * Take a leading role in helping the House create an annual budget. Seek and encourage input from the membership. Create at least three options to propose to the House, by changing the amounts of the food budget, reserve fund, rent, or other variables as needed to provide some options to choose from. The budget should be based on comparisons of actual income and spending compared to the previous budget, and on the coop's income relative to the price of comparable housing.
  * Ensure the House follows that budget by keeping records of what spending occurs in what budget categories, and comparing the actual spending with the budgeted amounts.
  * Keep track of deposits, credits, money owed to us, and money we owe.
  * Calculate vacancy cost at the end of every month and deduct it from the rent payment to CHEA.
  * Calculate reimbursable maintenance expenses at the end of every month, send a reimbursement bill to NASCO Properties, and deduct the total from the rent payment to CHEA.
  * Pay all our rent and bills in full and on time.
  * Maintain an efficient and convenient bank account for the House.
  * Ensure that the account is as resistant to embezzlement as possible.
  * Answer financial questions from the membership. Encourage input from the membership.
  * When handing out checks, ensure that the person responsible for the check is named in the memo slot for accountability. Any checks that are lost or stolen can therefore be the responsibility of the person to whom the check was issued, so make sure that the carriers of checks are aware of this and take care of the checks they are issued.
  * Ensure the House follows any of its relevant spending policies.
  * Share responsibility with Steward and Membership Coordinator on evicting members who are overdue on rent and will not or cannot get on a payment plan.
  * Process bank feeds and reconcile accounts in CHEA’s books for all La Reunion bank accounts.
  * Ensure that the La Reunion financials, including all revenue and expenses in CHEA’s book classified to La Reunion, La Reunion A/R balances, and La Reunion Security/Pet Deposit balances are accurate.
  * Uphold the Open Books Policy. Upon request, show any current member the bookkeeping records, bank account statements, deposit slips, and any other financial information that is requested, including how money is spent and what members owe money, who is facing eviction, who is on a payment plan, etc.
  * Send out monthly Profit and Loss and payment plan reports.
  * Write deposit return checks to members who are moving out, after being informed of the amount by the Membership Coordinator.
  * If a new Bookkeeper is elected during your term, help to train them.
  * When stepping down from the position, train the new Treasurer. Do whatever needs to be done to assist in removing yourself as a signer on the bank account. If you are moving out, your deposit will not be returned until you have removed yourself as a signer.
  * You are not allowed to be Bookkeeper while you are Treasurer or vice versa.
  * Consult with the internal knowledge resources (other financial officers, CHEA staff members) before asking questions of our external bookkeepers. If external bookkeepers are consulted, include dates and amounts charged in monthly reports.

Passed [[:meetings:archive:2021-04-11|]]

===== Bookkeeper (4 hours) =====

  * Maintain Accounts Receivable bookkeeping system, tracking all charges to, payments from, and outstanding balances carried by La Reunion members.
  * Cash is never, ever to be accepted from any members. Ever. Cash has no paper trail and is far too easy to steal. Accept only checks and money orders.
  * Provide older financial data to members regarding their balances, upon request.
  * Notify the Treasurer of any member that is falling behind on rent payments. Be aware of all payment plans, and alert the Treasurer if someone has fallen off their payment plan schedule.
  * Ensure that overdue member balances are sent to the Treasurer.
  * If a member has a past due balance over $250 by the 16th of the month they can go on a payment plan, which should be done in consultation with the Bookkeeper.
  * Communicate with the Labor Czar every month to ensure that labor fines are being assessed in a timely manner.
  * Deposit checks received into the appropriate bank account.
  * Deposit funds from laundry machines.
  * If a new Bookkeeper is elected during your term, help to train them.
  * You are not allowed to be Treasurer while you are Bookkeeper or vice versa.
  * Consult with the internal knowledge resources (other financial officers, CHEA staff members) before asking questions of our external bookkeepers. If external bookkeepers are consulted, include the dates and amount charged in monthly reports.
  * Collect all expense receipts and enter them into Quickbooks, ensure that receipts are attached to transactions in Quickbooks and that all maintenance expenses are marked as billable to NASCO Properties.
  * Email monthly income and expense reports to all La Reunion members.

Passed [[:meetings:archive:2021-04-11|]]

===== Events Coordinator (3 hours) =====

  - Organize and supervise a minimum of one well-organized house event a month.
  - Events should bring people together and build community (//Examples: Movie screenings, Discussion groups, Guest speakers, Game nights, Craft nights, Parties//).
  - Events should be advertised via e-mail and print.
  - Larger events should be advertised on Facebook, with smaller events being advertised on Facebook at the Outreach Coordinator’s discretion.
  - Connect and foster relationships with the wider community on behalf of La Reunion (//Example: Attend neighborhood association meetings//).
  - Plan La Reunion's annual birthday party sometime in March-May. This includes advertising the party, ensuring food and beverages are available, and organizing party clean-up.
  - Once per term organize an event that brings together members from La Reunion and Sasona with the intention of expanding intercoop familiarity amongst members.
  - Work with other officers as necessary.

<sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-05-24#agenda_item_4|[HM 5-24-15]]]</sub> <sub>[[:meetings:archive:2015-10-18#agenda_item_3|[HM 10-18-15]]]</sub>

===== Maintenance Coordinator (4 hours) =====

  * Keep a running maintenance request list clearly posted.
  * Work with people on maintenance team to keep house in running order.
  * Teach people how to fix basic problems themselves, e.g. clogged faucet, running toilet, etc.
  * Communicate with treasurer and bookkeeper when larger projects requiring significant funds are being planned. Keep track of how much money is left in the maintenance fund, and budget accordingly. Spend money frugally so that there will be some Minor Maintenance money left near the end of the fiscal year. Be aware of and follow NASCO Properties' policies on spending Major Maintenance money; communicate with NASCO Properties before spending Major Maintenance money.
  * Turn in receipts to the Treasurer within 24 hours of making a purchase. Use the CHEA Tax ID number to make tax-exempt purchases.
  * Communicate with house to ensure that the maintenance projects being performed are both wanted and needed. Request house-level input (e.g. emailing the entire house, discussing it at a meeting, or calling an informal meeting for discussion) for non-routine and/or aesthetic decisions. Request and encourage house input, and work to facilitate the needs and interests of the members.
  * Report weekly to the house on what the maintenance crew is doing.
  * Work with Labor Czar and Grounds Coordinator to plan effective and efficient labor holidays. Communicate with the house to determine what the house wants to accomplish on the labor holiday.
  * Ensure that AC filters are changed when needed.
  * The Maintenance Coordinator is the cooperative's designated representative for handling repairs. Written requests are only accepted via email to maintenance@lareunioncoop.org or the maintenance box.
  * If a non-urgent maintenance issue involving health, safety, or structural integrity is not addressed by maintenance crew members within 7 days of the time it is reported, the Maintenance Coordinator is authorized to hire a contractor to complete the work. Urgent maintenance issues must be addressed immediately.
  * Note: members of the Maintenance Team must have been resident members of the house for at least 6 months (passed 10/29/17.)

Passed [[:meetings:archive:2017-11-12|]] Passed [[:meetings:archive:2013-08-25|]]

===== CHEA Board Representative (2 positions) (4 hours) =====

  * Attend as near to all meetings of the CHEA Board of Directors as possible. Advocate for the needs of La Reunion while keeping in perspective the needs of CHEA as an organization.
  * Expect to assist with special projects and roles on the Board. Plan to spend at least a few hours outside of the meetings each month on relevant support tasks. Expect to serve as one of the four elected positions of the Board: Secretary, Treasurer, Board Chair, or Human Resources Officer.
  * Communicate the activities of the Board to members of La Reunion. Ensure that agendas for Board meetings are distributed 72 hours in advance, and that meeting minutes are distributed in a timely manner after each meeting.
  * Help make decisions that orient CHEA towards organizational stability, mission-oriented work, and improvement in its processes. Act as a publicly-facing representative of CHEA and the cooperative movement.

[[https://www.lareunioncoop.org/meetings/2020-11-01|Passed November 1st, 2020]]