Apr 25, 2025 Budget Comm Minutes
Attendees:
Name
Attendance
Role
Voting Seat (Y/N)
Marc Gorman
Yes
Secretary
Dave Dionisio
Yes
Observer
Lloyd Duhon
Yes
Budget Secretary
Andreas Pletscher
Yes
Observer, COO of Cardano Foundation. (Temporary Voting member while Rita Mistry was on sabbatical.)
Gerard Moroney
Yes
Board Member, IOG Staff, Budget Task Force
Kriss Baird
Yes
Voting Member, IOG, Catalyst
Kristijan Kowalsky
Yes
Voting Member, Tweag
Mercy
Yes
Voting Member, WADA
Danielle Stanko
Yes
Budget Task Force, IOG Staff
Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YLjwZ3N0-TAXKzHyn1gYl_gDmXaIfAfqtfW6K-Bpv-M/edit?tab=t.ayb02bblkbp4
Agenda 1.16.25
Finalizing preparations for the upcoming budget reconciliation workshops.
Key discussions included the status of governance actions, smart contract work, and the readiness of the hydro voting tool.
Key discussions included the status of governance actions, smart contract work, and the readiness of the hydro voting tool.
Decisions/Actions
Topic
Discussion
Action Items
Info Action Planning
Two info actions are planned: one after the first workshop and one after the second. Education workshops are complete, and gov tool data is being snapshotted for reconciliation. Knowledge base updated with reconciliation details, FAQs, and communications for increased participation (videos and tweets).
Snapshot gov tool data for reconciliation. Continue comm's push for reconciliation.
On-chain Governance Actions
The 300 million net change limit expired without passing. The 350 million limit passed with 76% approval. A 200 million alternative limit is now on-chain. The team will proceed with the approved 350 million plan and adjust based on the 200 million limit's outcome.
Monitor 200 million net change limit.
Smart Contract Work
Smart contract requirements work continues. A misalignment in requirements needs urgent resolution next week to ensure smooth integration with back-office processes. Readiness work for intersector has begun, including a presentation on the contracting process.
Deep dive next week to sort out requirements misalignment for smart contracts. Team to present contracting process to the committee for feedback. Make recommendation to the Intersect board on contracting process.
Vendor Proposals
188 proposals received, totaling approximately 491 million ADA. Duplications and overlapping proposals are present, and some will not be funded. Gov tool state-weighted voting data will be snapshotted today to support the reconciliation process as an evidence base for DREPs.
DREPs will poll on each submission after reconciliation workshops.
Community Tools
Several community tools have gone live using the gov tool API, which will broaden options for 2026 and beyond.
N/A
Reconciliation Workshop Plan
The reconciliation workshop is scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Saturday will cover Marketing and Innovation, then Governance Support. Sunday will cover Core, Research, and No Category (mostly technical topics). Monday will focus on reviewing proposals currently above the threshold based on polling results, allowing DREPs to make final adjustments and consider contingencies.
Staff to organize behind-the-scenes to support reconciliation workshop.
Proposal Roll-over
Proposals not funded in the first round will roll over to the next weekend. Nuance may be added if DREPs strongly believe a proposal belongs in Catalyst and not in the budget process.
Discuss nuances of proposal roll-over this week.
Staffing Needs
The staffing list for the weekend is filled. Kristijan Kowalsky volunteered for May 3rd and 4th. Committee members are encouraged to take on presenting roles for the info action approach.
Kristijan Kowalsky to take roles for May 3rd and 4th.
Workshop Prioritization
Prioritization of proposals for the workshop will be based on sentiment scores from gov tool comments (DREPs, committee, other comments). Proposals will be categorized as roadmap, roadmap support, Catalyst, or none of those. Tempo feedback is being explored for inclusion.
Continue using sentiment and gov tool for prioritization.
Splitting Budgets for 2026
A suggestion was raised to split budgets that spill over into 2026, requiring separate funding requests for 2025 and 2026. This was largely dismissed due to the impracticality of splitting contracts and standard accounting practices (accruals for multi-year contracts).
Discuss Yuya's suggestion with him to clarify his intent.
On-chain Voting Governance Action
The governance action for on-chain voting will be prepared by other members of the Intersect team, with Danielle Stanko providing review and oversight to ensure robustness and prevent constitutional challenges. Lloyd Duhon and Nick Cook are drafting surrounding text and supporting materials, which will be immutable document links. An oversight process must be detailed in the text.
Intersect team to draft on-chain governance action. Danielle Stanko to review the governance action for solidity. Lloyd Duhon and Nick Cook to continue preparing supporting materials and ensure oversight process is included.
Spreadsheet Feedback
The spreadsheet used for the workshop is a tool to present sentiment and is not the source of truth. Vendors can raise concerns during the workshop. A vendor's proposal (119 - Global Vision and African Perspective) was noted as incorrectly marked for committee alignment, though the ranking for this proposal is not yet complete.
Make spreadsheet available for feedback (commenter access) once unlocked. Ensure vendors know they can correct facts during the workshop. Consider showing only the score, not detailed calculations, to avoid lengthy discussions on individual cells.
Hydro Voting Tool Readiness
The hydro voting tool has undergone load testing and checks. It supports search, filter, and ballot setup. User testing and front-end work are ongoing. If Hydra rollups fail, data can be exported as a transaction on the blockchain. Danielle Stanko will have access to the tool at 11 PM UTC today for UAT. The tool will import proposals from gov tool, allowing DREPs to vote on inclusion in the info action and for ad hoc questions.
Danielle Stanko to provide an update on tool readiness after UAT.
Contingency Planning for Voting Tool
If the tool experiences issues, the workshop can proceed without it, as it's for discussion, not decision-making. The preferred method for tool issues is to extend the polling period. This is the first time with new processes and tools, so adaptability is key.
N/A
Vendor Clarification Process
There is a need for a clear process for vendors to address issues with information presented, to avoid claims of sabotage. The current process involves vendors raising concerns during the workshop itself.
Develop a more formal process for vendor clarifications regarding spreadsheet data.
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