Mid-Florida Officials Association
SUBJECT: Executive Board Meeting of December 9, 2007
The Executive Board meeting, which was held at the MLK Center in Gainesville, was called to order by the President, Bud Holt, at 4:19 PM. The meeting was held immediately following the scheduled basketball meeting.
Attending: A.F.”Bud“ Holt, Jr., Ralph Messer, Jeff Pole, Wade Clayton, Ted Bedford, Carl Dill, Reid Sergent, Terry Lee, Dan Cannon, Jeff D’Amelio, and Paul Gery.
Not Attending: Al Summers, Richard Sullivan, James Law, Saul Speights, Tracy Goodwin.
Old Business:
A letter was presented to the board from Richard Wilson, requesting credit for two scrimmages he worked during the 2006-07 preseason. The concern by the board was that neither scrimmage was booked by the Booking Commissioner or the Basketball Directors and the timeliness of the request. Richard was allowed to present his side of the reason for his request. No action was taken by the board.
The Secretary gave the board an update on basketball registration, the Relative Rating for basketball and problems with the on-line exam. We have a total of 131 officials on the FHSAA muster, two of whom have not registered with the MFOA. Wade advised that those two will not be booked until they have registered. The relative rating is on hold because of the problems the state had with the on-line exam. When these problems are corrected, and the grades and state ratings posted on the muster, a relative rating will be completed.
The board discussed fees for student officials. In the past student officials have only been charged booking fees for the sport(s) they call, the same as first year officials. However, since they are not allowed work games other than Junior High and Middle School, they are restricted in the amount they can earn during the season. It was determined that this is a constitutional issue and should be resolved at the annual business meeting. The secretary was directed to prepare a constitutional change to be introduced at that time.
Reid Serg4nt discussed problems being encountered with the evaluation system for basketball, primarily not being authorized to bring outside evaluati rs. This was caused by the lack of funds to pay the outside people. However, it remains a problem and must be addressed. It was determined that everyone should get involved in the evaluation process and turn in evaluations to Reid. A motion was made by Messer that the President appoint a committee to research and make recommendations in order to resolve the problem. Second by Carl Dill. It was recommended that Ted Bedford, Jeff Pole, Jeff D’Amelio, Dan Cannon, and Terry Lee serve on the committee. Each agreed to do so.
New Business:
Paul Gery, baseball director discussed some of the problems being encountered in baseball and softball, primarily the non- attendance at board meetings by board members and other MFOA functions by other members. Reid Sergent pointed out that the MFOA Constitution requires that board members who miss three consecutive meetings or a total of 6 during his/her term shall be replaced. Ralph Messer requested that the provisions of this section can be set aside until the President and Paul have the opportunity to meet with these officials.
It was also pointed out that some baseball/softball members think they cannot register after a given date, either with the FHSAA or the MFOA. This is a misconception. Officials are allowed to register after the prescribed date, but a fine will be included by the FHSAA and a late fee by the MFOA. Jeff will put this information on the MFOA web site.
Wade again discussed his telephone (cell) bill. He stated that the cost is going way beyond his basic fee and is getting to be more that he can afford. Reid Sergent stated that he can purchase a cell phone at Wal-Mart and other locations and the fee is $50.00 a month flat rate, regardless of the number of calls made. The board authorized Wade to purchase one of these phones in the name of the MFOA.
There being no further business to come before the board, a motion to adjourn prevailed.