Thanks to everyone for a fantastic meeting. Of course, it's unavoidable that disruptions occur, but I'm very pleased to say that everyone from the Dunes/Barrens who were present were very civil, courteous, and orderly. I'm proud to be part of this with all of you.

Attendees

• Present:
  • AnvilFrost
  • CadrienK
  • jmichaelc1
  • Lizzycakes
  • nmjk
  • Obsidious_D
  • Puma_Eric
  • Shadowgamer42
  • vK_InFaMy
• Guests:
  • Abatida
  • Byrdybyrd
  • (others? we lost the recording!)
• Problematic visitors, not invited to return
  • Naku12 (SouthShire heckler)
  • Rajrage (SouthShire heckler)
  • TheWafflesofGod
• Not present:
  • Ecguy
  • Flame363
  • MrRocketGames

Agenda (table of contents for this post)

• Timeline for this Council
• Appoint/elect Council members
• Discuss guild plot
• Discuss desired relationship with Barrens and Barrens 13 Council

Council Timeline

At our first meeting, October 5, there weren't many of us. We were concerned that going ahead as a council would be shaky because Dunes community has not been thriving recently, and it would be impossible with such short notice to ensure we had a mandate from the Dunes residents to serve as Council. However, not moving foward wasn't the answer, either, as we all do want a thriving community.

What we decided was to go ahead with choosing a Council, but to do so on a short term basis. This was unanimously approved in today's meeting: the current Council will exist until mid-November, at which time every Council member will step down, and if they like, run for election again.

Our goal between now and then is to continue to build community awareness:

1. about this Reddit
2. about the Council, its members, mandate, and policies
3. about community life in general

Council Members as elected

Due to the short timeline for the current Council, it was unanimously agreed that only those present would be considered for election. We agreed that we didn't want to shut people out of participating, but that we did need to move forward. We affirmed the value of stepping down after this Council term.

• Master of Coin: /u/CadrienK
• Master of Commerce: /u/vK_InFaMy, by a 6-3 vote against Byrdybyrd
• Master of Diplomacy: /u/Puma_Eric
• Master of Events: /u/Obsidious_D
• Master of Laws: held until next week's by-election
• Master of Residence: /u/nmjk

Master of Laws has been held in reserve until next week's by-election because no candidates had declared their intent before the meeting, and three (later only two) did so during the meeting. By unanimous vote it was decided that it was better, with such contention, to wait until we can see the candidates' statements. The candidates are: AnvilFrost (reddit /u/AnvilFall), jmichaelc1 (no reddit yet). Both candidates will post their statements for the position before the next meeting. (Please use the thread below called "Master of Laws Candidate Statements")

Council Chair and Vice-Chair were held in reserve, but for a different reason: we acknowledged that Chair is a role that goes beyond roleplay. In order to serve as Chair there are a lot of hard and soft skills that we really can't do without. We chose to not discuss this during the meeting, but at first glance, those skills include organization, attention to detail, timeliness, the ability to moderate discussion well and fairly, the ability to keep a meeting on track (time and content), etc. Either before or at the next meeting, we will need to decide what to do about this.

Each newly elected Council member has agreed to write a description of their position and responsibilities before the next meeting. (Please use the thread below called "Council Position Descriptions and Responsibilities")

Finally, the newly elected Council as a whole unanimously agreed to the following as our understanding of the Council:

• We exist to serve the Dunes, and to a lesser extent, the Barrens
• We are committed to a policy of openness
• Every meeting will be announced on this Reddit well in advance
• Emergency meetings, should they arise, will still be announced with as much warning as possible
• The results of every meeting will be posted for all to see
• Any member of the Dunes/Barrens is welcome at the meeting. We do ask and require respect for the acting Chair. This means not speaking out of turn or disrupting. Simply attending is open to all Dunes/Barrens residents, as is voting when the situation calls for it
• Any member of the server outside Dunes/Barrens is welcome to attend, but silently (unless otherwise agreed) and with respect for the acting Chair and the Council.

Guild plot discussion

• The plot's current owner is missing in action due to a fallout with Redacted
• We consider the plot to be of primary and exclusive importance to the Dunes
• We strongly desire supreme excellence in building skill -- this is the crown of our citadel
• We also strongly desire Dunes community participation -- we want the plot owner to see themselves as part of the Dunes
• We know of at least two interested parties and nmjk, as Master of Residence, will continue to connect with them
• We would like to proceed with creating a vision for what we would love to see
• If we can, as representatives of the Dunes, choose and commission a glorious build, that would be our preference

Desired relationship with Barrens, and Barrens 13 Council

As Dunes residents (most of us) and Council, we feel strongly that we have a distinct identity, and we wish to ensure that identity continues. However, We also have a strong sense of affinity with the Barrens and we wish to have a very fuzzy line between us. We want to co-exist in mutual community and cooperation. "Distinct but together," perhaps.

As Dunes Council, we would like to explore our future relationship with the Barrens 13 Council. To that end, /u/Puma_Eric (Master of Diplomacy) has already approached the Barrens 13 with a request that they send two of their representatives to join us next meeting (date/time/location TBD), and with a request that they invite two of our Council (Puma_Eric being one, nmjk expressing interest in being the second) to an upcoming meeting. We would like to start this off well!

Corrections/additions? Questions?

Please comment below.

NEXT MEETING

Date, time, and location are yet to be decided. We will prioritize scheduling for Council members and those who are running for positions. We will be looking for a meeting place that is far enough from the Barrens 13 Council that neither has to interfere with the other. We will also avoid scheduling conflicts with Barrens 13 to facilitate mutual attendance.