Earlier this year, the members of the community council voted to move toward a 501(c)4 structure for our council, so that we could have more freedom to lobby King County, and the state of Washington on behalf of Islanders.  We were advised to set up the new organization structure before dissolving the old one. We have been doing that, and now the new Vashon-Maury Community Council is in place, set up as a 501(c) 4 nonprofit organization. We have been holding dual meetings for several months, during the transition process. It is now time to formally dissolve the old Council, and have the new one take over. The board members are the same. The new bylaws and standing rules are similar to the old ones.

The vote to dissolve the old organization, and the vote on the plan of dissolution, will take place Monday, September 19, via Zoom. Please see details on the Next Meeting page: http://vmicc.net/next-meeting/

If you have questions, please contact Diane Emerson at dianeemerson@yahoo.com

Here’s your chance to make a difference on this very important issue. Tonight: Monday, July 11, from 7 to 8:30 pm, there will be a meeting on Affordable Housing. Morgan Brown is the committee chair. Join in if you can….

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87558828813?pwd=ckVtc213bitjY1lQYmpJT1pqd2JKdz09

Meeting ID: 875 5882 8813
Passcode: 429584

The Proposed agenda is a bit of a follow on to our stimulating discussion last month with Jason Johnson, Vashon Household’s new executive director, who will again be in attendance.

Agenda

1.       AH Cmte (i.e. Community Council) strategic cooperation/coordination with Vashon HouseHold (and potentially other organizations, such as VMI Land Trust)

2.       AH Cmte Future Focus (related to strategic cooperation in 1.)

A discussion on where best to focus the AH Cmte’s efforts and still provide important services…

·       Leadership on Island housing issues

·       Identification of problems and potential solutions (and their challenges)

·       Raising awareness among Islanders

·       Forum for discussing housing issues/projects both as they arise and that are actively identified

·       Vehicle (Community Council) for advising & lobbying County on Island housing issues

This year the Community Council will have a booth and fundraiser at the Strawberry

Festival, thanks to the generous donation of our board member Michaella Olavarri, of Mica’s Kitchen. Mica’s strawberry shortcakes are made with real whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and Mica’s own biscuits. And oh are they good! Please join in and volunteer at the shortcake booth! Here is a link to sign up: https://signup.com/go/jnEHPvm  Your reward – helping the community, meeting new friends,  and a strawberry shortcake for every shift you work. We will have a table with information on the Community Council as well, staffed by a board member.

Our booth will be open Friday, July 15 from 4pm to 8pm, Saturday, July 16 from 12 noon to 8pm, and Sunday July 17 from 12 noon to 4pm. Mica’s Kitchen is located at 17917 Vashon Hwy SW.  In addition to the strawberry shortcakes, there will be bubbles, a clown, and even a pie eating contest!

See you there! For more info, contact Diane Emerson at dianeemerson@yahoo.com

We are making excellent progress creating the new Community Council, which will apply for 501c4 status once it is incorporated. At our meeting on April 18, we voted to approve the Articles of Incorporation, with the new name of Vashon-Maury Community Council.

The proposed bylaws and standing rules have been reviewed by the board, and were opened up for viewing and comment by the community in early April.  A motion to accept them was made at the April meeting, and an advisory vote will take place at the May 16 meeting.

The process of starting up a new 501c4 Community Council while still running our existing organization means that we are now splitting both our board meetings and our community meetings into two meetings, held on the same evening. The first part of each meeting is run as always, with David Vogel chairing the meetings, and the presentations and votes related to the existing Community Council  (the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council).

When we are discussing and voting on startup issues related to the new organization, Diane Emerson takes over and runs that meeting. The interim board has chosen Diane as the interim president of the new organization, until elections take place in the fall.

Once we are far enough along with setting up the new community council, we will be discussing the dissolution of the existing Community Council. Please contact Diane Emerson if you have any questions about this process, why we are doing it, and where we are in the process. dianeemerson@yahoo.com