Finance Coordinator

Monthly regular interactions with members

 * Collects 'room rent' checks and sends to COUCH PO Box or gives to COUCH Finance Coordinator to mail
 * Collects 'food rent' (food charges, utility expenses, and fines) and deposits in the Brooks Account (through Venmo, @brooks-house, or checks)
 * This rent is calculated pursuant to the House Charge Form

Other regular duties

 * Charges house members fines for missed responsibilities
 * late rent: $10 if paid on the 3rd or after
 * coordinate with Secretary for missed meetings: $10 if both meetings are missed in one month
 * coordinate with Labor Coordinator for missed chores
 * any of the above $10 fees can be replaced with 1 hour of a chore, designated by the Labor Coordinator


 * Issues reimbursements as necessary
 * allowed up to $10/person/dinner cooked
 * if you are out of the house for 4 or more consecutive days, you do not have to pay food rent that week
 * Shoppers may purchase food themselves, submit reciepts to the Finance Coordinator pocket, and be reimbursed
 * Arranges payment plans as necessary and solves financial problems when they arise
 * Checks karma box periodically for donations from visitors
 * Signs and leaves checks for UNFI (first Monday of every month)
 * Fills in the finance section in the meeting agenda for every house meeting
 * Orders stamps when necessary
 * Makes sure that reimbursements for special items are brought to a vote at the house meetings

On Member Move-In

 * Explains how finances at Brooks work by sending them the Finance Orientation
 * Collect new member security deposit (one full month's rent) and if there are room changes within Brooks, collects or returns the difference in room depositsl.
 * Collects $100 Brooks Deposit, which is used for maintaining a minimum house balance, and is returned when the individual moves out

Bill payments

 * Monitor email account (brooks505finance@gmail.com)
 * Pays utility bills through Busey Online banking.
 * Ameren and American Water are paid automatically - check that payment was successful and enter value in spreadsheet to charge house members
 * Trash: every two months, $68, the check arrives in the middle of the month
 * Gas+electric: Ameren, price is variable (~$300-600)
 * Water: American Water, ~$100/mo
 * Internet: $124.90/mo
 * Keeps track of house bank account through Busey Bank to avoid overspending
 * Sends reminders about upcoming rents due and asks when people will be out of town. Bills info:
 * Link to Brooks Bills spreadsheet
 * $17/month for parking in the back lot ($2 if you are a shopper)
 * $15/month for an in-room A/C unit
 * $145/month for food
 * The most recent gas/electric/trash/internet bills are summed and divided by number of current house members
 * When CSA delivery starts, save a fixed amount each month to reach $1100 by Jan 1 (the cost of two CSA shares from Sola Gratia)

Other notes

 * Coordinates with the COUCH treasurer and with the Harvest House Finance Coordinator with questions before going to Daniella or Daniel and NASCO Properties
 * Gets 1-2 fewer cooking assignments each month, depending on the time of the year and amount of activity.

For future generations: We have no set goal for a minimum balance in our accounts, as this depends on what our eating habits are etc. Usually, there is at least $5K in the account. We occasionally have large purchases such as a lawnmower or leaf blower (which can often be reimbursed from NASCO, but it's nice to have cash on hand to pay these).

Current Finance Contacts
Brooks Finance Coordinator: Alli Nilles

COUCH Bookkeeper: Daniella Marinov (daniellamarinov@gmail.com): Her major responsibilities are to cash the rent checks into the COUCH account, and to file our taxes.