MGEC Board Minutes 7.22.24

	Present		Present
President Fernando Nacionales	X	Director Blake Nelson	X
Vice President Corey Mathisen	X	Director Brandon JB Nelson	X
Past President Dan Sullivan	X	Director Luke Schuette	X
Treasurer Wes Leksell	X	Director Mike Rude	X
Secretary Benton Campbell	X	Director Mark Trogstad-Isaacson	X
Director Carroll Aasen	X	Executive Director Dana Wheeler	X
Director John Dalton		Administrative Assistant Donna Blackwell	X
Director Jared DeMaster	X	Labor Relations Specialist Tony Kelly	X
Director Bruce Henningsgaard	X

Meeting called to order by President Fernando Nacionales at 4:33 PM.

Review & Approve Agenda (Fernando Nacionales)

Carroll Aasen moves to approve the agenda with the addition of a safety footwear update by Blake Nelson, Blake Nelson seconds. Motion Carries.

Secretary’s Report – Review & Approve Past Minutes (Benton Campbell)

1. June 24^th, 2024 Meeting Minutes
   • Bruce Henningsgaard moves to approve the minutes, Mike Rude seconds. Motion Carries.

President’s Report (Fernando Nacionales)

1. Will be calling a special board meeting to discuss staffing contracts and updates.
2. Excited for Annual Meeting in a few months.

Executive Director’s Report (Dana Wheeler)

1. Staff Leave Balances
   • Reviewed

Treasurer’s Report (Wes Leksell)

1. Finance Committee Update
   • Credit Union has mis-deposited one $475 rent check for the building. Staff and Wes Leksell will track this down and ensure it is corrected.

Committee Reports

1. Membership Committee Report (Mike/Donna)
   • Met July 17^th
   • Scholarship update:
     • Recommend for Board approval $2000 for Applicant #2
     • Recommend for Board approval $1000 for Applicants 1 and 3

• Corey Mathisen moves to approve the three scholarship awards, Jared DeMaster seconds. Motion Carries.

1. Discussion of Bylaw update
   • Question about the nature of Bylaw 5
     • Will be redirected to the Committee
   • Updates from specific dates to “first Tuesday of November”, etc.

• No vote on June’s set of proposals. Mike Rude moves to send the proposed Bylaw and Article changes to the membership. Luke Schuette seconds. Motion Carries.

Membership Update (Donna Blackwell)

1. New hires, retirees, outstanding list of recent potential members.
   • Good recent full membership rates
2. Reminder to Board Members to register for the dinner at Annual Meeting. 36/64 spots registered already. Bruce Henningsgaard claims he will be “registering soon” for golf

Labor Relations Update (Tony Kelly)

1. Grievances
   • Reviewed PAL, mileage, and reallocation grievances
2. Plan for in-person December board meeting

Vice President’s Report (Corey)

1. Question for MnDOT employees: Is a 4-yr degree required for the ES position? A: No, often, ES promoted from TS series, likely a 2-yr degree. Some do have 4-yr degrees, but more often those are grad engineers who couldn’t pass the PE.

Other updates

1. Blake Nelson: Went through a safety training today led by MnDOT state safety officer. Trainers recommended boots with an ice cleat built in.
2. Discussion from hiring managers in MnDOT that senior engineer positions may be considered “Hard to Fill” and come with a $5,000 hiring bonus.

Past President’s Report (Dan)

1. No updates

Adjourn

1. Blake Nelson moves to adjourn. Corey Mathisen seconds. Motion Carries. Meeting adjourned 5:26 PM.