legalxml-sc — archive

FW: Invoice for meetings during CTC

From: Scott McGrath <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 19:15:00 -0000

Jim, (First, I removed NCSC folks from this thread, here is why) As it stands now, we cannot make payment on the invoices you submitted. I realize this is an awkward situation with NCSC expecting prompt payment, so we should address this promptly. That said, the reimbursement process expects the Steering Committee vote to authorize the specific expenditure (which is presumably supported by the budget) and also to approve the invoice before it is submitted for payment. This situation, candidly, is exemplar of why that process exists. First, the invoice for the meeting break service of $306.39 is obviously the meeting expense fee. While it wasn't specifically authorized as expected, that is the smaller problem we must face. To move forward, the SC should approve that payment as evidence they acknowledge receiving what was ordered on their behalf. This is a formality, but an important one given the group's responsibility for spending their member's dues on their member's behalf and benefit. The invoice for a private reception for 100 people is far more problematic. I see no record in the SC meeting minutes that this specific expense was preauthorized. The budget contains a placeholder for meeting support and booth rental but there is no authorization for a private reception. If there was a budget shuffle, the SC should help make that tacit decision and document their decision that funding a reception is in their professional view a good use of member dues. Candidly, I have significant reservations about that use of funds, given the budget constraints and given the opportunity would have tried to dissuade it. As I read the September meeting minutes, I see a report there will be a reception, but no expectation of funding it was documented or what the cost/benefit was. Further, the SC meeting following the event did not benefit from a report on the outcome of the event, there appears to be no broad member benefit or means to know this expense was incurred for good member purpose. And the SC did not authorize the payment of the invoice as presented. So start to finish, however it was decided that this reception was to be funded, it didn't follow our prescribed process which is designed to prevent problems like the one we are facing. What concerns me most is that your payment request implies someone made an unauthorized purchasing request for a reception and by sidestepping the process for approval of the payment puts at risk our mutual relationship with NCSC. If the SC approves payment now after the fact, we will pay the invoice to protect our relationship with NCSC. Please understand using funds this year for "discretionary" items, like receptions, reduces available funding for more critical needs later on. That is why we must be pre-alerted of spending decisions, so we can bring that clarity when the evolving forecast requires that. More importantly, making unauthorized purchasing requests on behalf of OASIS puts all MS funding at risk. So please initiate a SC vote either by ballot or in the next minuted SC meeting authorizing the expenses as appropriate use of member dues. We understand the need to protect the NCSC relationship and want to move forward on that. thanks in advance for your follow through on this. Scott... On Fri, Oct 11, 2013 at 12:45 PM, James E Cabral <[email protected]> wrote: > Cathie, > > > > Please reimburse the National Center for State Courts $3166.80 for the > conference and meeting expenses described in the attached invoice. You can > forward payment to Valerie Gardner at NCSC at 300 Newport Ave, Williamsburg, > VA 23185. > > > > These expenses were approved by the Steering Committee in the FY 2013 Member > Section Budget as follows: > > > > CTC: Expense for Booth, Baltimore (Sept) $ 2,500 > > ECF TC F2F Meeting space expense, Baltimore (Sept) $ 3,000 > > > > We do not expect another invoice related to these budget line items so there > will be an unused amount of $2333.20 left over. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Jim Cabral > MTG Management Consultants, L.L.C. > www.mtgmc.com > (206) 442-5010 Phone > (502) 509-4532 Mobile > > > > Helping our clients make a difference in the lives of the people they serve. > > > > The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to > which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged > material. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and > delete the material from any computer. > > > > From: Gardner, Valerie [ mailto:[email protected] ] > Sent: Friday, October 11, 2013 10:53 AM > To: James E Cabral; Harris, Jim > Cc: Gardner, Valerie; McMillan, Jim > Subject: Invoice for meetings during CTC > > > > Happy Friday JIM’s~ > > > > Attached are the invoices for your events held at CTC. > > > > JIM HARRIS – please provide if possible today a project number and also an > email that you are signing off on charges for me to submit to accounting. It > of course takes forever for the hotel to provide an invoice but they want > their money right away and it affects NCSC’s credit as a whole if we don’t > process quickly. > > > Of course if you have any questions, let me know. > > > Thanks! Val > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from this mail list, you must leave the OASIS TC that > generates this mail. Follow this link to all your TCs in OASIS at: > https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/portal/my_workgroups.php -- Scott McGrath COO [email protected] Tel +1 781-425-5073 x202 Fax +1 781-425-5072 Follow OASIS on: LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/OASISopen Twitter: http://twitter.com/OASISopen Facebook: http://facebook.com/oasis.open