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LCUAS board appoints local advocate, authorizes up to $950 for shed move and seeks auditors
Summary
At its regular meeting, the LCUAS board appointed Ryan Kathu to fill its final vacancy, approved a conditional $950 spending limit for relocating a shed at Canseco House, and agreed to solicit additional proposals and hold a special meeting to select an independent auditor for FY2025.
The Laredo Community Urban Agriculture Society board filled its final vacancy and took several administrative steps at a meeting that focused on operations, facilities and an urgent push to secure an independent auditor.
Board members voted to accept Ryan Kathu to the open board seat designated for a local urban agriculture and sustainability advocate. Kathu introduced himself to the board, saying he was "born and raised here in Laredo, Texas" and described nonprofit and cultural programming experience he said would help connect regional partners to Laredo. The board approved the appointment, and the meeting chair said Kathu will now count toward the board's quorum.
The board also authorized the executive director to proceed with relocating a shed currently at Canseco House if no lower, reasonable quote is identified. After staff reported difficulty finding local contractors able to move the structure, members discussed logistics and insurance; the board approved a conditional spending limit of up to $950 to secure relocation services if needed and asked staff to document vendor outreach and alternative quotes.
A prolonged discussion focused on contracting an independent auditor for the fiscal year 2025 audit required by the organization's bylaws. Staff reported one proposal from a local CPA firm that quoted $12,700 for an independent financial statement audit and related IRS filing preparation. Board members and staff noted that some CPAs declined to bid because of seasonality or the organization's size, and suggested seeking additional quotes, exploring pro bono options and, longer term, discussing whether the bylaw audit frequency should be revised.
The board directed staff to circulate the request for proposal more widely and to collect additional bids within days, then hold a special meeting to approve a contractor before the statutory deadline. Members discussed potential funding sources — including sponsorships, farmer's market sales and general operations — and asked staff to produce a report on available funds before the special meeting.
Other procedural items: members approved corrected minutes from prior meetings, had no public comments, and tabled the Pensacola House rehabilitation discussion to a future meeting. Staff were asked to gather utility provider quotes for Conseco/Canseco House and to seek bids for irrigation timer work, to be returned to the board with cost estimates.
"We placed the workshop on Dec. 20 and it had 81 participants," Executive Director Jose Garcia said in his status report on recent programming and sponsorships. Garcia also reported that the water account for Lucas has been transferred to the organization.
The meeting adjourned at about 2:53 p.m. Plans for a special meeting were discussed to finalize an auditor selection and address time-sensitive procurement.
