- Consistent with the FY 2022/23 budget, the ISBA Assembly and Board have approved a FY 23/24 organizational budget that authorizes section council and committee member expense reimbursement for attendance at in-person meetings held at the Annual and Midyear meetings. The approved budget does not include expense reimbursement for any other in-person meetings.
- The approved FY 23/24 budget envisions that all section council and committee meetings held outside the Annual and Midyear meetings will be conducted by Zoom (or similar interactive audio-visual means).1 This too is consistent with the FY 22/23 budget and practice.
- In-person section council and committee meetings held at times not associated with the Annual and Midyear Meetings are not prohibited. However, to comply with the approved FY 23/24 budget and to take advantage of the benefits resulting from Zoom meetings, the following meeting protocols are in place:
- the meeting must be accessible via Zoom by all members;
- no travel, food, lodging, or other member expense reimbursements will be made by the ISBA;
- all venue health and safety measures must be followed;
- ISBA staff liaisons are expected to attend via Zoom (but if they attend in person they will not be reimbursed for expenses); and
- Meeting venue typically only includes non-CRO locations.
- Section council and committee member expense reimbursement is not authorized for in-person meetings not associated with the Annual and Midyear Meetings. However, a section council or committee may request member expense reimbursement in extraordinary circumstances. The section council or committee must make such a request to the Manager of Section Services well in advance of the meeting. The request must be supported by a description of the extraordinary circumstances justifying a deviation from the generally applicable “no member expense reimbursement” policy. The description should include all relevant factors necessary to fully evaluate the request including, at a minimum, how member expense reimbursement will materially advance the purposes of the meeting that cannot otherwise be advanced via Zoom participation. Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and determinations promptly communicated to the requesting group.
[1] During the Covid pandemic, all section council and committee meetings were held via Zoom. The attendance rate was a significant increase over pre-pandemic section council and committee attendance. The use of Zoom (or other audio-visual media) has resulted in improved member engagement, greater convenience for members, and meeting administration efficiency.