# Mar 31, 2025 Budget Meeting

**Budget Committee Weekly Catch-Up**\
**Date/Time:** March 31, 2025 – 10:58 EDT\
**Location:** Virtual Meeting (Update-Only Session, No Quorum)

***

### Attendees

* **Committee Members/Presenters:**
  * Lloyd Duhon (Chair/Facilitator)
  * Dave Dionisio
  * J.J. Siler
  * Jack Briggs
  * Kristijan Kowalsky
  * Lawrence Clark
  * Marc Gorman
  * Mercy
  * Prof. Steven
  * Shunsuke Murasaki
* **Observers/Other Participants:**
  * Nicolas Cerny
  * Simo Simovic

*(Note: No quorum was established; thus no formal votes or decisions could be taken.)*

***

### Agenda

1. **Budget Ratification Task Force Updates** (Presented by Marc Gorman)
2. **Request for Clarity on Internal Budgets, Events, and Travel - Postponed**
3. **TSC Proposed Budget Process Update - Postponed**
4. **Meeting Times: UTC vs. BST/Daylight Savings Considerations**

Because there was no quorum, the meeting was informational only.

***

### Key Discussion Points

#### 1. Budget Ratification Task Force / Vendor Proposal Updates

* **Proposals Launch:**
  * Marc announced that a new proposal submission form (Gov Tool) would go live on **April 1** (subject to final QA).
  * Approximately **50 proposals** have been received so far; more are expected throughout April (notably from CDEC & IO).
  * Once published, proposals will be publicly visible unless they require confidentiality due to security considerations.
* **Voting/Delegation Integration:**
  * Up-/Down-voting, stake delegation, and temperature checks will be added to the Gov Tool soon, allowing DReps to gauge community sentiment.
  * An API will be available so other community-driven tools (e.g., Tempo) can fetch and display proposal data.
* **Community Engagement & Roadshow:**
  * Plans for virtual sessions or “roadshow” events will allow DReps to meet vendors, discuss proposals, and make informed decisions.
  * Topical workshops and roundtables are expected to run in April to provide clarity and gather feedback.

#### 2. In-Person vs. Virtual Reconciliation Workshops

* **DRep Survey Results:**
  * A **survey** was conducted to assess whether DReps would prefer an in-person workshop.
  * Overall, smaller-stake DReps showed higher interest in in-person; however, **most high-stake DReps** (≥1% voting power) preferred a **virtual** format.
  * Conclusion: **An in-person reconciliation workshop would not capture the majority of the high-stake voting power**; thus, **virtual workshops are recommended**.
* **Next Steps:**
  * Formal communication on the final workshop approach (virtual) will be published soon, pending feedback from absent voting members.
  * Community-led “pizza party” events and local hubs can still be organized independently to discuss proposals in an informal setting.

#### 3. Proposed Path: From Proposals to Budget Reconciliation

* **Process Outline:**
  1. **Proposal Submissions:** Proposers self-tag alignment (e.g., TSC Roadmap, Governance, Marketing, etc.).
  2. **Committee Reviews (in Parallel):** Relevant committees (Technical, Governance, Marketing, etc.) analyze proposals for quality, overlaps, or gaps and provide non-binding assessments for DReps.
  3. **DRep Prioritization:** DReps use voting and delegation tools to rank/weight proposals.
  4. **Topical Workshops:** Virtual sessions during April (see below) to address specific categories and gather community input.
  5. **Reconciliation Workshops:**
     * Aim to confirm up to \~70% of the budget quickly on widely supported proposals.
     * More complex or controversial items can be deferred or require deeper discussion.
  6. **Finalize Budget & On-Chain Actions:** Potentially in early May if reconciliation workshops go smoothly.
* **Committees’ Role:**
  * Committees do not have veto power; they provide expertise, technical assessments, or identify duplication/gaps. DReps still decide final prioritization.

#### 4. Proposed April Workshop Topics & Dates

*(Dates are subject to change; final schedule pending.)*

1. **NCL (Net Change Limit) & Overall Budget Size**
2. **Product Roadmap, Open Source, and Critical Infrastructure**
3. **Growth, Marketing, & Community**
4. **Governance, Audit & Oversight, Intersect Administration, and Open Topics**

* **Format:** Each workshop is expected to last around three hours. Two time slots will be offered (e.g., 4–7 p.m. UTC and 2–5 a.m. UTC) to accommodate global time zones.
* **Rationale:** Group proposals by theme to streamline the discussion; encourages vendors and DReps with relevant expertise to attend sessions most pertinent to them.

#### 5. TSC Proposed Budget Process Update

* There is ongoing coordination to clarify **TSC proposals** (for core roadmap items) vs. individual vendor proposals.
* This topic was deferred since the requesting committee member was absent. It will appear on a future agenda when more details are available.

#### 6. Next Steps on Net Change Limit (NCL) for 2025 and 2026

* Lawrence Clark noted confusion about how multiple NCL info actions might overlap or replace each other.
* The Constitution wording indicates only **one** net change limit can be effective at a time; adopting a new limit fully supersedes any previous multi-year limit.
* A revised 2026 NCL draft exists; committees will review it, but the issue will likely come forward only after the 2025 NCL is settled.

#### 7. Smart Contract & Treasury Withdrawal UI Testing

* Intersect, IO, and Sundae Labs are developing smart contracts for treasury withdrawals and administration.
* Volunteers (from the Budget Committee or community) are needed to test UX/UI for these tools.
* The next working session is tentatively planned for Thursday (time TBD). Anyone interested should contact Lawrence Clark to coordinate.

#### 8. Meeting Time (UTC vs. BST)

* Due to daylight savings changes, the meeting shifted by one hour from the original schedule.
* A final decision on meeting time alignment (i.e., strict UTC vs. local daylight time shifts) will be made when a voting quorum is present.

***

### Action Items / Follow-Ups

1. **Virtual Workshop Confirmation**
   * Task force to finalize and publicly confirm that **all reconciliation workshops** will be virtual, given DRep feedback.
   * A memo will be circulated, and absent members are asked to provide any objections or additions promptly.
2. **Topical Workshop Scheduling**
   * Publish final schedule for the four proposed workshops (late April).
   * Consider adding a fifth workshop if necessary (especially for complex product roadmap items).
3. **Committee & Vendor Reviews**
   * Committees are encouraged to begin reviewing newly submitted proposals, focusing on technical feasibility, overlap/gaps, and objective feedback.
   * Vendors should proactively request committee feedback or present to the community.
4. **Net Change Limit Clarifications**
   * Budget Committee to review the updated 2026 NCL language provided by Lawrence Clark.
   * Clarify whether adopting a new 2025 NCL automatically supersedes any 2026 reference.
5. **Smart Contracts UI Testing**
   * Committee members (and any interested community members) to contact Lawrence Clark about joining Thursday’s session (time TBD).
   * Provide input on contract structure, user interface, and auditing requirements.
6. **Meeting Times**
   * Conduct an asynchronous poll or discussion in the Budget Committee Discord to decide on a fixed UTC time or keep the current timeslot with DST shifts.

***

### Closing

* Meeting ended at **00:51:58** (recording duration).
* **Next Meeting:** Date/time to be confirmed (pending finalizing the meeting time approach).

*These minutes reflect an update-only session. No formal decisions or votes were taken due to the lack of quorum.*