Positions are for independent contractors, and are based on the 1998 median income level for Eugene/Springfield area, adjusted upward for self-employment taxes. The initial positions probably ought to be filled by people chosen by the steering committee (potential SC membership is in the cc'd list above, plus others already demonstrably active locally in y2k - SC could be state-based - Multnomah and Jackson County are already at work on y2k). County coordination makes a lot of sense, since counties receive and redistribute most state and federal funds, and coordinating the best allocations of dollars and resources based on changes that y2k brings will probably be most flexible/effective at the county level.

Subsequent staff positions, if any, can go through posting processes applicable to the organizations filling them. This formal team I'm proposing should stay small, and grow by stimulating action in identified partners whenever possible.

All jobs should not exceed 1/2 time, for as long as possible, to ensure that more people are brought in, and more perspectives are embraced. First funded amount should cover people through June, 2000, to ensure continuity of the project's awareness mission. Later stages can be funded if needed.

An additional amount of money in the initial (or subsequent) grants should cover:

1) Additional server space and software use/licensing (Bill Dale has specifics) and webmaster time. This particular portion should not be volunteer - it takes too much knowledge, and too much time. A considerable personal investment has already been made by Bill Dale, and several vehicles are up and ready for use, including very flexible forum software already used by professional remediators. Additional volunteers for site-mastering assistance can be coordinated through the IPAC coordinator, to work under the paid web-operations team when possible, and SCORE and SAO members and students in software clubs in our schools and colleges are likely candidates. A separate grant can be written for this, since the need will be more dynamic.

2) Minimal legal counsel - funding may not be necessary, but service will be; if the project is useful, members of the Practicing Law Institute's Y2K group may donate services, since they're frustrated with the lack of many tools that look like what I'm proposing, and realize that community discombobulation probably dooms some of their clients more surely than y2k itself.

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-- Cynthia (cabeal@efn.org), May 30, 1998