STANDING RULES

Section 6: Facilities

6.1. Facilities Committee Discretionary Fund Policy
1. 1. Establishment of Fund: When fiscally possible, a Facilities Committee Discretionary Fund will be included in the ICC budget. The amount of money in the fund will be based on expenditures during the previous fiscal years and expected future use.
2. 2. Purpose of Fund: The Facilities Committee Discretionary Fund provides money for home improvement projects. The intent is to give motivated members with ideas the means to pay for medium-sized projects on a short timeframe. Generally, projects should provide more than a short-term benefit. The fund allows members to directly participate in spending organizational money on an on-going basis.
3. 3. Exclusions: The Facilities Committee Discretionary Fund should not be used to cover expenses that normally would be paid for from House Discretionary Accounts unless reasonable justification is provided. Typically, House Discretionary funds cover the following: minor maintenance, new furnishings like couches, tables, lamps, and shelves, paint, small kitchen appliances, VCR's, TVs, computers, and service calls that are a result of house member negligence.
4. 4. Allocation Guidelines:
  1. 4.1. Projects must be proposed to the Facilities Committee for approval.
  2. 4.2. Proposals must be presented in written form and include an outline of the project, itemized costs and explanation of benefits to the house and/or organization.
  3. 4.3. Projects approved must be completed within 2 months. If the project is not completed within two months approval is void pending re-approval and funds allocated revert to the common pool for immediate availability to other projects.
  4. 4.4. Members may request compensation for the work accomplished and will work with Facilities Committee to determine fair compensation. Facilities Committee will have decision-making authority in compensation but must report the decision to the Board of Directors who may exercise veto power in the event of over-compensation.
  5. 4.5. Compensation will be given for labor upon satisfactory completion for the project. Either the House at which the project was undertaken or the Facilities Committee will make the determination of satisfactory completion. The Facilities Administrator will not make the determination.
  6. 4.6. Full reimbursement for project materials will be provided when receipts are submitted to the Facilities Administrator no later than one month after completion. After the one-month period has passed reimbursement will be reduced by $20 each month.
  7. 4.7. No house may receive more than 30% of the total Facilities Committee Discretionary funds in a single fiscal year without a Facilities Committee recommendation that has been approved by the Board of Directors.
  8. 4.8. Approval for proposals passed at Facilities Committee meetings must be present in the Facilities Committee minutes located in the ICC Library. The minutes must include the meeting date, the members present and vote outcome.
  9. 4.9. In the absence of a functioning Facilities Committee proposals may be presented directly to the Board of Directors.
5. 5. Disbursement of Funds: Whenever possible, Houses will pay for material expenses out of their respective House Discretionary Accounts and provide receipts to the ICC Facilities Administrator for reimbursement. In all other cases, arrangements will need to be made with the Facilities Administrator to provide for payment. Payment for services provided by members will follow the normal contract employee procedures and be in accordance with city, state and federal employment law.
6. 6. Fund Tracking and Oversight: The Facilities Administrator will be responsible for tracking the Maintenance Committee Discretionary budget, verifying that funds are being disbursed per ICC Maintenance Committee Discretionary Policy, and provide regular reporting to the Board of Directors including an annual report of all Maintenance Committee Discretionary expenditures. The Board of Directors reserves the right to suspend Maintenance Committee spending authority should it find evidence of inappropriate use.
6.2. Key Policy
1. 1. The membership officer and at least one other house officer will hold keys to all rooms in their house.
2. 2. Key holders will sign a contract acknowledging conditions of opening rooms and only those officers that have signed these contracts will be allowed to open rooms.
3. 3. All ICC members may sign a waiver stating under what conditions, if any, and by whom other than the key holders the may be opened. The absence of a waiver implies that another house member may not enter the room without the presence of the person living in that room for any purposes other than to show the room to a potential member, maintenance purposes, or emergencies such as a potential health risk. These waivers will be kept by the membership officer at each house.
4. 4. Each house will keep an individual house key policy addressing specific house key issues such as consequences of the key policy violation by a house officer of member (fines, membership review, or whatever the house finds necessary), the number of key holders (if it is to exceed membership and another officer), where keys are to be kept (officers' rooms, combination lockbox), security of keys, and any other specific issues the house chooses to address. This policy will be kept at the individual houses and in the office.
6.3. House Maintenance Responsibilities Defined (Passed 11-22-04)
1. 1. Houses are solely responsible for the following routine maintenance and maintenance issues (by area):
  1. 1.1. Plumbing (bathrooms and kitchens primarily):
    1. 1. Internal mechanisms of toilets
    2. 2. Caulking
    3. 3. Water taps/faucets
    4. 4. Shower heads
    5. 5. Water shut-off(s)
    6. 6. Ensuring toilets are up to city code
  2. 1.2. Electrical:
    1. 1. Knowing where electrical breakers are
    2. 2. Repair of cracked outlets
    3. 3. Replacement of light bulbs located under fifteen feet of height
    4. 4. Air-conditioning: see HVAC policy below
  3. 1.3. Home repair:
    1. 1. Holes in walls of reasonable size (presumably not larger than an average person)
  4. 1.4. Home security:
    1. 1. Window locks
    2. 2. Door locks on individual members' rooms and house storage areas
  5. 1.5. Fire safety:
    1. 1. Ensuring that all smoke detectors in the house are operational
    2. 2. Fire extinguishers are filled
  6. 1.6. Pest control:
    1. 1. Houses that do not receive the quarterly treatment from ICC are responsible for roaches themselves. Otherwise, houses are responsible for infestations of the following:
      1. 1.1 Ants
      2. 1.2 Rats
      3. 1.3 Mice
      4. 1.4 Fleas
    2. 2. Termites are treated centrally and are not house responsibility.
  7. 1.7. Outside appearance of houses:
    1. 1. Neat appearance of the yard(aesthetic is up to the house, but it must meet city code)
2. 2. Houses are responsible for keeping city code with regard to the outside appearance of their houses, which includes: 2.5 Removal of graffiti 2.6 Removal of trash and junk
6.4. Houses Responsible for Drains 1. The houses are responsible for the maintenance of their drains (as of 7-14-02.)
6.5. Members On Roof Policy 1. The Board will fine anyone $50 for being on a roof without prior authorization from the House Trustee or Facilities Administrator. (Passed 03/28/05)
6.6. HVAC systems, including window A/C units and space heaters, will be managed centrally by staff. This will include annual inspections, regular changing of air filters, system repair, and replacement.
6.7. Previous air conditioner policies are rescinded.
6.8. Spruce Up Policy passed(07/12/04)
1. 1. Each fall, Facilities Committee will propose a house to be closed down for Spruce-Up during the following summer. Spruce-Up is an opportunity for a house to have professional work done to improve its marketability to potential members. This may include improving floors, interior and exterior paint, deep cleaning, improving bathroom facilities, and removing unwanted garbage. Spruce-Up will be coordinated and overseen by the Facilities Administrator with input from the Facilities Committee and the Spruce-Up house.
6.9. Responsibility to Report Use of a Fire Extinguisher(passed 11-22-04)
1. 1. If a fire extinguisher is discharged at any house, the house maintenance officer is responsible for communication about the cause of the discharge to the Facilities Administrator; otherwise, the house will automatically be charged a $50 fine.
6.10. Tool Shed Policy (Passed 11-10-03)
1. 1. ICC will maintain a tool shed with tools available for current ICC members to check out. Keys to the tool shed will be kept at the office and by the Facilities Committee Coordinator.
2. 2. Any member wishing to borrow an ICC-owned tool must fill out a form provided by staff and approved by the Facilities Committee. No more than two tools can be checked out to a member at one time. The time limit for keeping a tool is one week. Staff or the Facilities Committee Coordinator must witness check-in and check-out, and verify the condition of the tool and its parts.
3. 3. Tool kept over the time limit: There will be a fine of $10/week until the tool is returned or the retail cost of the tool is paid off.
4. 4. If a tool is returned in worse condition then when it was checked out, the member has three options:
  1. 4.1. Pay the value of the tool assessed by FacCom and staff
  2. 4.2. Replace the tool with an equivalent tool
  3. 4.3. Pay for repair of the tool
5. 5. If the tool is not returned within a month of check out the member will be fined the entire value of the tool. Fines will be charged to the member's account.
6. 6. If a tool is used for a labor holiday, the member who checks it out is responsible for returning the tool, and is subject to the rules above.
6.11. Room Damage Charges
1. 1. List of the standard fines charged for different kinds of room damage. Any damages not noted upon check-in will be charged to the member when he/she checks out. If it is found that the check in/out form is inaccurate in its check out evaluation after the outgoing member has been given his/her deposit back the officer who signed the check-out form will be held financially liable for the damages incurred. If the house agrees, financial responsibility may be shifted from the officer to the house.
  1. 1.1. Room not cleaned/dusted- $30
  2. 1.2. Floor not cleaned/dusted- $30
  3. 1.3. Room needs painting, member at fault (includes painting back to neutral color)- $100
  4. 1.4. Bathroom (private) not clean- $50
  5. 1.5. Broken fixtures (lights,handles, doorknobs)- $20 each
  6. 1.6. Doors need replacement- up to $100
  7. 1.7. Door has stickers, holes, need filler or paint- $50
  8. 1.8. Broken Window- $25-$50
  9. 1.9. Rug or tile replacement- at least $100
  10. 1.10. Large holes in walls- $25
  11. 1.11. Ceiling fan not working/damaged- $75
  12. 1.12. Keys not returned- $25 per key
  13. 1.13. Broken ICC furniture- $20-$100
  14. 1.14. Common area damage- Proportional share
  15. 1.15. Pet damage requiring carpet cleaning, spaying, etc.- $100 minimum
  16. 1.16. Wireless adapter from the central ICC office- $100 or replacement cost or acceptable replacement
2. 2. This list does not cover all of the potential fines that a member could be charged. Rather, the intent here is to cover basic house and ICC costs so that necessary repairs can be done with as little impact to our budgets as possible.
6.12. Room Cleaning and Check Out:
1. 1. If a room has not been cleaned by its exiting member the house may see to it that the room be cleaned, in which it would be paid for by the corporation at $10 per hour for up to 6 hours of documented cleaning. Any payment for cleaning must be approved by two house officers. If the room has not been cleaned when the new member moves in, that person may be paid by the corporation $10 per hour for up to 6 hours of documented cleaning. any payment must be approved by two house officers.

6.13. Room Painting Policy

1. A white room can have any color trim and still be considered a white room. If the white paint job in your room is badly stained and still looks bad even after you've washed the walls. Talk to the Facilities Administrator. If s/he agrees that the walls are dirty and washing doesn't make them acceptable, then ICC will reimburse you up to $80 for paint and supplies. (Save your receipts and turn them into the office.) If the Facilities Administrator turns you down, you can ask your house to reimburse you. You must ask the house BEFORE you paint, not after.) The house is not obligated to reimburse you - it's up to the house.

2. Painting your room white does not threaten your deposit, unless you do a really bad job (e.g. paint on the floor or windows, failure to do enough coats to cover old color, etc.) See your house Trustee or Treasurer about getting a reimbursement. If the house took responsibility for the colored paint, the house will issue your reimbursement. If the house did not take responsibility for the paint job, your Trustee or Treasurer will refer you to the office for ICC to issue a reimbursement. You will be reimbursed only for the actual amount you spend on paint and supplies (save your receipts), up to $80 and not for any labor. If you paint your room back to white when you leave, then the painting will not affect your deposit (unless you do a really bad job). You will have to pay for all paint and supplies yourself. If you don't want to paint your room back to white when you leave, ask your house if they will take future responsibility for repainting the room back to white. If they do so, then your paint job won't affect your deposit (unless you do a really bad job). If the house does NOT take responsibility for your paint job, then $80 will be deducted from your deposit when you move out.

Original Color	New Color	Permission?	Reimbursement?	Deposit at risk?	How to get deposit returned
White	White	No	Usually Not	No	No risk
Color	White	No	Yes up to $80	No	No risk
White	Color	No	No	Yes, up to $80	See **
Color	Color	No	No	No	No risk

6.14. Facilities Repair Panel (Passed 12/2007): Adequate repairs for damage done to the common area of a house will be paid for by the members of the house at the time the damage is discovered or reported, whether by members of the house, other members of ICC, or staff. If there is a dispute (see Damage Charges clause of contract), a house can appeal to the Repair Panel through a standardized appeal.
1. 1. The appeal must include the following in writing:
  1. 1.1. House name
  2. 1.2. Area damaged and extent of damage
  3. 1.3. Estimated cost of repair
  4. 1.4. Has the damage already been paid for? If so, by whom and what was the total payment?
  5. 1.5. Can any parties be positively identified as having taken part in the damage? If so, who are they?
  6. 1.6. The house stance and proposition for sources of funding (with amounts for each source)
2. 2. The Repair Panel will resolve the dispute and designate the sources of funding. The Repair Panel will consist of:
  1. 2.1. The Facilities Coordinator
  2. 2.2. The Membership Coordinator
  3. 2.3. The Financial Coordinator
  4. 2.4. A member of the Facilities Committee selected by that committee
  5. 2.5. A member of the Membership Committee selected by that committee
  6. 2.6. A member of the Financial Committee selected by that committee
  7. 2.7. The Committee Coordinator as a discussion facilitator and non-voting member
3. 3. No member of the panel may be from the appealing house; any that are will be replaced for that appeal by other volunteer members of their committee as selected by the rest of the Repair Panel. If conflict applies to the Committee Coordinator, the order of devolvement will be Board Coordinator, Education Coordinator.
4. 4. Once a dispute arises, the house should inform staff, who will inform the Repair Panel facilitator. The facilitator will then make all reasonable efforts to convene quorum for the Repair Panel within two weeks to resolve the dispute.
5. 5. Quorum is all six voting members.
6. 6. House of Commons Pool Policy (Passed 11/2007): Responsibility for the maintenance of the ICC pool located at House of Commons will be centralized. Members of House of Commons will be responsible for keeping the area around the pool clear of leaves, trash and other debris, and emptying the skimmer basket. Furthermore, the open pool season will be April 1st – October 15th. During the closed season, the pool will be covered and not used.