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Gorman Farm Council Committee Meeting Minutes 06/25/14
GORMAN FARM CONTRACT
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

June 25, 2014

        The Gorman Farm Contract Committee met at 5:30 pm on June 25, 2014.  Present were Councilmembers Albrinck, Hartman, and Schaefer. Concilmember Schaefer had asked that the Farm representatives not to attend this meeting so that the committee could more easily discuss negotiating positions.  The farm representatives honored the request and did not attend.

        The committee discussed aspects of the current contract and the five year plan adopted by the Farm.  Eventually, the committee determined the best approach is to not dwell upon the prior agreement and what was followed and what was not followed.  Instead, the committee agreed that the focus should be upon what the Farm is currently doing, the cost of what the Farm is doing, the Competence of the Farm as an organization in carrying out the functions required, and whether the Village is being provided with value for its appropriations of money for Farm operations. The minimum that must be done is contained in the deed restrictions on the Gorman Farm Property and the Trosset house.

        With those factors in mind, the Committee will request that the Farm put together the following information:

  • A list of Functions (and sub functions) the Farm is performing, including but not limited to:
(A) Farm Education (individual items in this category include Camps, School Visits, Child and Adult Programming, and casual visitors to the Farm);
(B) General Farming (individual items in this category include care of animals, field crops, gardening, bee keeping, fruit trees);
(C) Special Events (individual items in this category include Row by Row, Sunflower Festival, Savor the Season and rentals of facilities);
(D) Forestry/Trails (individual items in this category include forestry management, trail maintenance, care of wild flowers; and,
(E) Maintenance of the Facility.  

If there are other functions or sub-functions the Farm performs, these should be listed as well.

  • For each function and sub-function listed above the committee would like to know:
(A) the cost to the Farm, including paid employees for each function or sub function;
(B) the income generated by (including sales, specific grants) each function and sub function;
(C) the net profit or loss of each function;
(D) list income or grants not directly tied to a function or sub-function; and,
(E) provide the number of people being served by the function or sub-function.

This can be done as a spreadsheet. If an employee devotes time to multiple functions, the cost of the employee to each function or sub-function should be allocated based upon the time spent performing each function or sub-function. The committee realizes that some functions or sub-functions generate no revenue.  Part (D) would apply to functions or sub-functions that have direct participants like camps, classes, special events and the market garden.  The committee understands that direct counts of people walking the trails, enjoying the forest or buying products from the farming operation may not be known.

  • For each function or sub-function the committee would like information concerning the quality of the service provided.  This would include:
(A) the manner the function or sub-function is carried out ( this could be carried out by Farm employees directly, by one or more volunteers on a regular basis, or employees directly;
(B) particular problems or issues the farm has in carrying out the function or sub-function; and,
(C) the number of volunteers and , if available, volunteer hours devoted to each function or sub-function.


  • Where is does the Farm need to go in the future.  Are there functions it would like to discontinue?  Are there other functions it would like to assume?  How is the Farm doing as far as its endowment?

        The meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm.


                                                ___________________________
                                                Christian J. Schaefer
                                                Committee Chairman