Board of Governors approves change allowing section funds to buy alcohol, 10-4

The Board of Governors voted 10–4 to approve a recommendation from the Member Engagement Council to amend the board’s fiscal policy to allow purchases of alcohol with section funds.

The vote concluded a short discussion in which several members said they would vote against the change, citing added risk and equity concerns for people with substance-use disorders. The motion passed after a roll-call vote that produced 10 yes votes and four no votes.

The recommendation — described in the meeting as a change to the fiscal policy to permit sections to use section funds to purchase alcohol — was moved by a member who identified themselves as the motion’s maker and seconded (the transcript records a second but does not name the seconder). The mover also acknowledged the Member Engagement Council’s lengthy work on the proposal and urged governors to follow legal advice when voting. “I want to acknowledge the work that the member engagement council did on this… It’s a lot of work… I don’t want to rubbish that at all… but I urge you… to vote based on the legal advice that you have obtained,” the mover said.

Two members spoke against the recommendation during discussion. Tom said he would vote no because he considered the change “an unnecessary addition of risk.” Another member, identified in the transcript as Chris, said he would “probably be voting no” but praised the contributors to the conversation for narrowing his objections and raised an equity concern: “there are people in our profession that… do have substance abuse problems… I do think as written to… invite that is just not… a good look nor is it, I think the way we want to or should be inviting people to become part of our community.”

During roll call, the transcript records votes as follows: Governor Ahern — no; Governor Bloom — negative; Governor Bang — no; Governor Dresden — yes; Governor Larry — yes; Governor Whitney — yes; Governor Rathbone — yes; Governor Arneson — no; Governor Couch — aye; Governor Wynne — yes; Governor Petrasic — yes; Governor Price — yes; Governor Villeneuve — yes; Governor Faye — yes. The clerk announced, “Motion passes 10 to 4.”

The meeting record does not specify the effective date of the fiscal-policy change, any required implementing procedures, whether additional legal review or administrative steps are required, or what limits (if any) will apply to alcohol purchases charged to section funds. A participant asked governors to defer to legal advice; the transcript contains no formal direction to staff to seek further counsel and no referenced ordinance, statute, or other external authority was cited during the discussion.

The Member Engagement Council’s recommendation and the board’s vote conclude a process the mover described as taking “almost a year or a year and a half.” The transcript does not provide details on how the policy change will be operationalized, which line items of the budget are affected, or whether the change requires notice to, or approval by, outside funders.

The board moved on after the roll call; the transcript records the chair saying, “That is dealt with.”