Council Officer Elections 

After the council’s November election, the new council met for the first time on December 10 and elected its officers for the year. This year’s officers are:  

President: Carl Etnier (re-elected)
Vice President: Jeff Roberts (formerly treasurer)
Secretary: Steven Farnham (re-elected)
Treasurer: Dvora Jonas (first time as officer) 

The officers not only have their individual duties; we also meet regularly with General Manager (GM) Mary Mullally to plan and organize the work of the council, e.g., setting the agenda for the upcoming council meetings. I look forward to continuing to work with Jeff and Steven and to working with Dvora in this capacity. 

The Co-op’s Financial Health—and Opportunities 

When I spoke earlier this year to people in the world of grocery co-ops about the GM position we were then hiring for, I heard from multiple well-informed sources that helming Hunger Mountain Co-op was seen as a plum assignment. One of the reasons was that the Co-op’s track record of good management means that it has excellent financial health and therefore opportunities for expanding its work.  

We saw the latest confirmation of that at the December 10 council meeting. The council monitors the work of our single employee, the GM, via monthly reports on compliance with policy the council sets. At December meetings, we get quarterly financial reports and reports on the Co-op’s financial position and how well protected our assets are. Much of what we review is confirmation that routine business practices are being followed: taxes are paid, insurance coverage is adequate, cash accounts in banks are insured, etc.  

One thing in the December report stands out in showing how prepared we are for future opportunities. A liabilities-to-equity ratio of less than 4.0 indicates sufficient solvency to meet long-term obligations, and if it’s less than 2.0, it indicates preparedness to invest in new opportunities. For our first fiscal quarter, our liability-to-equity ratio is not only less than 4.0, it’s well under 1.0, at 0.4. This means that for every dollar of equity, we have only 40 cents of liabilities. This strong position provides us with significant flexibility for future investments or to weather economic uncertainties. 

The council will be discussing using the upcoming year to work with member-owners to renew the ten-year vision and strategic plan that was created in 2012. I hope we embark on that work and use it to identify areas to invest in furthering our mission. Please keep an eye out in the e-newsletter and in the store for information on how you can contribute your ideas to this process.

One Weird Trick to Easily Find a Parking Spot (and Get a Healthy Exercise Spurt)

While our parking lot isn’t the most congested co-op parking lot I regularly visit (I’m looking at you, City Market in downtown Burlington!), parking spaces seem to be in even shorter supply than usual since mid-November. It’s not just holiday shopping; I’ve seen near-capacity use of our parking lot on a weekday morning ahead of a forecast winter storm. But I’ve learned one trick that nets me a parking space right away and gets me a quick exercise boost, too.  

I can always find a parking spot on Barre Street, close to the corner of a little street that goes between two apartment buildings; I just continue straight across the railroad tracks, the bike path, and Stone Cutters Way to the crosswalk by the solar carport in the parking lot. I’ve timed it, and it takes about the same amount of time for that short walk as it does to drive the extra bit on Barre Street, Granite Street, and Stone Cutters Way and then find a parking spot in our lot. When I don’t plan to leave the store with too, too much to carry, this trick works well and leaves me feeling invigorated from the short walk.  

A similar trick works for visits to businesses closer to State and Main, by the way. Despite some grumblings, Montpelier has virtually unlimited, free, on-street parking. Spots on Loomis or Liberty are easy to come by, any time, and I enjoy getting my blood flowing and seeing the sights on the five-minute walk to central downtown. 

Of course, many people visit the Co-op and downtown on foot or on bicycle, and then parking is easy… 

Wrap-Up 

It’s the time of year for drinking lots of hot beverages, so here’s a tip for drinking them healthily. The patient said to their doctor “Doc, every time I drink tea I get a stabbing pain in my eye.”  

The doctor counseled, “Then take the spoon out of the teacup.”

—Carl Etnier, Council President

Do you have any questions or comments about the council? Do you know any jokes even faintly related to food and/or co-ops? Please email them to me!