Q&A
VAB meeting logistics and resource constraints
1:20:35
ยท
4 min
Council Member Robert Holden questions VAB Chair Mercedes Elias about the logistics and resource constraints of VAB meetings. They discuss the lack of budget for refreshments, meeting locations, and technology needs such as Zoom accounts for virtual meetings.
- VAB has no budget for refreshments or meeting spaces, relying on free venues from legions or universities
- There's a need for a paid Zoom account to host meetings with over 100 attendees
- The lack of basic support, such as a few hundred dollars for resources, is highlighted as a concern
Robert Holden
1:20:35
Thank you, chair.
1:20:36
Brian, do you have something to, testimony to read?
1:20:39
Okay.
1:20:40
Well, we're gonna ask you some questions though.
1:20:44
So so when you you you select a location to have the, the meeting, it's 5 a year.
Mercedes Elias
1:20:49
Mhmm.
Robert Holden
1:20:51
You get no budget for refreshments, bottles of water.
Mercedes Elias
1:20:57
Nothing.
1:20:58
So most of the time, if we host it at the legions, the legions will pay out of pocket.
1:21:02
If we work with, local universities, the universities will use their budgets to pay for it.
1:21:08
So we don't have any sort of budget allocated to us.
Robert Holden
1:21:13
So for 5 meetings a year, that and I I assume you don't get charged for DBS doesn't get charged for the hall, the meeting place.
Mercedes Elias
1:21:22
No.
1:21:23
Normally, it is our members that are participating members of the Legion or the VFWs, and they get it gratis through the, VSO.
Robert Holden
1:21:31
So what what would you say if you had a budget?
1:21:35
Would it make life easier for the board?
Mercedes Elias
1:21:37
It would make life easier.
1:21:38
The issue that the DBS referred to about the Zoom was when we had the heirs, the meeting with the errors report with the 2 people that represented the VA, both the Bronx facility and Manhattan facility, there were over a 100 members present on that call, which Zoom you have to pay for.
1:21:54
My company hosted the previous Zoom account, which was a paid for account.
1:21:59
I left the company.
1:21:59
So that was why there was an issue with needing to host Zooms that are over a 100 people in attendance.
1:22:04
So something as simple as a Zoom account, that's Yeah.
Robert Holden
1:22:07
I mean money for.
1:22:08
Get a Zoom professional, it costs.
Timothy Pena
1:22:10
I don't
Robert Holden
1:22:10
know how I I it costs a few 100.
Mercedes Elias
1:22:13
It's it's not even.
Josh Sooklal
1:22:13
It's not
Robert Holden
1:22:14
We're not talking about a lot of money.
Mercedes Elias
1:22:15
50 something something Yeah.
Robert Holden
1:22:16
But you don't have that account.
Mercedes Elias
1:22:18
Nothing.
1:22:19
No.
1:22:19
So that's why we had to work with DBS to get them to pay for it, because previously when they used to run the Webex, nobody on the DBS staff was monitoring the actual hearing.
1:22:30
People were coming off mute.
1:22:32
Nobody was kind of silencing and letting the speaker talk.
1:22:35
So then that's why we said, okay.
1:22:36
We're gonna take care of it since nobody is really monitoring the sessions.
1:22:40
Then when we took over and we started having a significant amount of attendees, that's when we needed to pay for the separate Zoom account.
Robert Holden
1:22:46
So who who actually monitors it's I think it's Zoom, not Webex anymore.
1:22:50
Zoom.
Mercedes Elias
1:22:51
Zoom.
Robert Holden
1:22:51
So who monitors Zoom?
1:22:53
Like, who's the the person that does that?
Mercedes Elias
1:22:55
I do.
Robert Holden
1:22:56
You do it?
Vickie Paladino
1:22:57
I do.
Robert Holden
1:22:57
See?
1:22:58
So there's not even somebody that you could have just monitor it.
1:23:02
So you can because
Mercedes Elias
1:23:02
you need to monitor the chat, especially when people are submitting questions.
Robert Holden
1:23:06
That's that's difficult in
Mercedes Elias
1:23:07
running around.
1:23:08
Attention and making sure people don't come off mute.
1:23:10
There was one instance where we had a previous VA secretary come.
1:23:14
Somebody hacked into the meeting and took control over it, so you'd have to kick them out.
1:23:18
Things like that.
1:23:19
So cybersecurity, monitoring the chat, submitting questions.
1:23:20
Yes.
1:23:20
Somebody needs to be there facilitating the meeting.
1:23:20
Yeah.
1:23:20
It it's really, really hard to support,
Robert Holden
1:23:33
basic support.
1:23:34
We're not like, we're talking we're not talking folks.
1:23:34
We're not talking, you know, we're talking about the basic support.
1:23:36
We're not like, we're talking we're not talking folks, we're not talking, like, a $100,000.
1:23:41
We're talking about a few 100.
1:23:43
So this is this is the lack of commitment that we're seeing from the city, that they could the city could make it easier.
1:23:50
The council could make it easier, and the mayor's office could make it easier for you guys to run these giving, let's say, a stipend for for refreshments.
UNKNOWN
1:24:02
Mhmm.
Robert Holden
1:24:03
How what would what percentage of your members, I mean, I remember the the meetings that I were I was on, there was, like, a few in the room, but then most people were on Zoom.
1:24:14
Is it has it changed at all?
Mercedes Elias
1:24:16
For the VAB members or the actual
Robert Holden
1:24:18
The VAB members.
Mercedes Elias
1:24:19
The VAB attendees, it's normally, I would say, a third to if half at best per meeting, public sessions.
Robert Holden
1:24:26
So a third, you said a third are on remote?
Mercedes Elias
1:24:32
Oh, in person, combination of
Robert Holden
1:24:34
in person and remote.
1:24:35
Alright.
1:24:35
But how many attendees is the average for the v for the VAB?
Mercedes Elias
1:24:40
In person, it does depend by borough because if, let's say, one of our members in Staten Island is very active with his legion, so his whole legion will attend.
1:24:49
Whereas if we do it somewhere like, Queens or the Bronx, perhaps not, but 20 roughly 20.