Retirees Association Meeting Minutes

Present: Candi Agnew, Tom Eyssell, Dave Ganz, Joel Glassman, Melissa Hattman, Clark Hickman, Connie Jeffries, Jennifer Jezek-Taussig, Faith Lucas, Susan Moody, Michael Murray.
Ex-Officio Present: David Garin
Ex Officio Absent: Lol Barton

The first meeting of the 2025-26 RA Board was called to order at 10:34 am by President  Connie Jeffries .

A.. Approval of Minutes:  The Minutes from June 6,  2025 were accepted as written.

B. Board Reports: 

• Alumni Association: Jennifer Jezek-Taussig provided an update on events such as the Legacy Pinning ceremony, UMSL night at the Ballpark and the 5K run.  In the past, members of the Board provided assistance for the 5K run and are encouraged to do so again.  A new initiative that will start this year will spotlight Alumni-owned business.  Tom Eyssell encouraged Jennifer to disseminate information on all of these events to not only faculty, staff and students but to members of the Retirees Association as well.  

• Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Faith Lucas presented the financial report, noting a balance of $13,811.34.  There has been no new activity. 

• Communications: Due to Sue Baber’s absence, there was no report. 

• Planning and Events: Joel Glassman provided discussion on the following events:

-  A breakfast discussion to be held on September 24th, featuring a discussion on senior property tax freeze.
-  A proposed visit to the International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis was suggested for October.  A motion to proceed was made, seconded and approved.
-  A breakfast discussion was proposed for November, inviting an economics expert to discuss the tariff situation.  A motion to proceed was made, seconded and approved.

• Membership: Prior to today’s meeting, Membership Chair Melissa Hattman and Treasurer Faith Lucas met and discussed coordinating the membership and treasurer activities.  It was decided that the membership committee will maintain/update the membership files.  Melissa will work with Susan Moody on membership activities and Mimi Duncan (the previous membership chair) agreed to assist if needed.

 C. Old Business.  There was no old business to discuss.

D. New Business

• Ad hoc Benefits Committee—Tom Eyssell
  Tom will chair an ad hoc benefits committee that will monitor benefits for current and future retirees.  There will be an additional member on the Committee.  The expectation is that this committee will eventually become a standing committee of the UMSLRA.  

In response to a question regarding the possibility of a cost-of-living increase for pension payments, Tom provided an article from the Columbia Daily Tribune, April 22, 2022, that stated “Under no circumstances will pension payments increase.”  

There was a discussion about the pension plan's funding and performance, as well as upcoming changes to healthcare premiums.

• Membership—Master membership Assistance.

The board discussed the challenges of maintaining an accurate membership list, particularly with regard to deceased members and the lack of assistance from UM System.

• Request for contact list of membership.
  Concerns were raised about providing general access to the membership list due to privacy considerations.  The board discussed the need to balance inclusivity with security when approving membership requests.  A decision was made to restrict access to the membership list to a small number of people.  

• UMSLRA Facebook Friend Requests “phishing.”
  A resolution was distributed and discussed to outline the members of the Board who will have access to the UMSLRA Facebook account.  The resolution will be revised to make an exception to include former board member, Steve Spaner. 

• Spending Limit. Faith requested guidance on when to question expenses and what constitutes a valid expense.  The board discussed the process for approving expenses and the need for clear guidelines.  A suggestion was made that expenses over $100 will require approval by the Board president, or the entire board if necessary.

 E. Announcements 

• Tom will send a get-well token to encourage Kevin Smith on behalf of the Board. 

• October 1^st is the deadline for information for the next newsletter. Please send information to Sue Baber by that date. 
  Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 12:20 pm.

 Prepared by Candi Agnew, UMSLRA Secretary, 2025-2026

 Next meeting:  Wednesday, November 5, 10:00 am-1:00 pm, 411 Woods Hall.