July 9th, 2025 Budget Comm Minutes

Attendees:

Name	Role
Phil Lewis	Former Voting Member
Kristijan Kowalsski	Voting Member, Tweag
Megan Hess	Voting Member
Gerard Moroney	Observer
Lloyd Duhon	Budget Secretary
Nico Cerny	Observer, Cardano Foundation Staff
Dave Dionisio	Board Member, IOG Staff, Budget Task Force

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16_TYYWdkfVLZD8NY-704Ka8r9ohOq2ehG_fz2NMkuiE/edit?pli=1&tab=t.1hkexptjng6x

Agenda 1.16.25

• Deployment and Review of Treasury Withdrawal Actions: Updates on the imminent batch deployment of all 39 governance actions, ongoing committee review for constitutionality, and technical details regarding script addresses and metadata.

• DREP Engagement and Voting Mechanics: Discussion focused on the DREP user interface for voting, the critical implications of non-votes on the 67% approval threshold, and the urgent need for DREP tutorials and targeted outreach.

• Operational Readiness and Ecosystem Impact: Final push to secure necessary signatures for deployment, concerns regarding vendor advocacy, and broader strategic discussions on overcoming constitutional challenges posed by current voting rules.

Decisions/Actions

Topic	Discussion	Action Items
Attendance	Budget Committee Members: Chris Kowalsski, Megan Hess. Intersect Steering Committee Members: Phil Lewis, Nico Cerny. Board Chair: Gerard Moroney. Observer: Dave Dionisio. Secretary: Lloyd Duhon.
Governance Action Deployment Status	The team is working rapidly to deploy all 39 governance actions. A spreadsheet with proposals is available for review by as many eyes as possible. The script address for the wallet address will be visible in the governance action once all five oversight body signatories have submitted their keys, enabling script deployment. Test plan with five keys is approved; waiting on the final (fifth) key.	Committee members to continue reviewing the provided spreadsheet of proposals.
Batch Submission of Governance Actions	All 39 proposals will be launched in a single batch/transaction. The process involves first checking proposals with no changes, then focusing on minor changes before the full launch. This avoids DREP fatigue from staggered releases.
DREP User Interface for Voting	Concerns were raised about the DREP user interface (UI) for voting. In GovTool, there will be 39 individual tiles, which will scroll down. Voted items vanish from the primary view, but DREPs can search to revote. They will be sorted by popularity (most popular at the top).
Tutorials and DREP Support	A strong need was identified for a tutorial (e.g., video) to guide DREPs on using the UI for voting, revoting, and navigating the proposals.	Lloyd Duhon to re-offer to create a tutorial video/walkthrough for DREPs and seek explicit approval from the board/executive team.
Missing Data in Proposal Review	The committee (Chris B and Chris K) noted that some data (abstain status, final wallet addresses) is missing from the proposals currently under review but is expected just before final submission.
Final Signatures for Deployment	The main outstanding item for deployment is securing all necessary signatures from the oversight body. The committee expressed a consensus to work through the weekend if needed to meet the epoch turnover deadline of July 13th.	Board/Executive team to prioritize securing all required oversight body signatures to meet the July 13th epoch turnover.
DREP Non-Vote Implication	Dave Dionisio highlighted that a DREP's non-vote effectively counts as a "no" for proposals requiring 67% approval, urging DREPs to actively vote (even "abstain") rather than remain silent. This is a critical point for community awareness.	The Executive Team (Jack, Tim, Chris Gent) to devise a strategy to broadly communicate that a non-vote equals a "no" for the 67% threshold.
Vendor Advocacy & Community Awareness	Discussion touched on the challenge of motivating vendors to advocate for their own proposals and making the broader community aware of the consequences of low DREP participation.	Gerard Moroney, Dave Dionisio, Jack Briggs, Tim Richmond, and Chris Gent to collaborate on widening the audience for this critical information, beyond just blogs, possibly via Google Spaces.
Constitution's "Auto No" Clause	The "auto no" clause for non-votes in the constitution (from 1694) was criticized for punishing apathy and hindering proposal passage, though acknowledged as a security feature by some.
Treasury Withdrawal Timeline	The target for submitting the 39 governance actions on-chain is July 13th (Sunday), to align with the epoch turnover.
Access to Metadata for Review	The metadata is available, but currently view-only. Committee members need comment access to provide feedback. A request will be sent to Ryan/Duncan to open up commenting, or Lloyd Duhon will act as a conduit for feedback.	Lloyd Duhon to message Ryan (cc Duncan) to request enabling comment access for the metadata document or to facilitate feedback collection.
Communication of Spreadsheet to DREPs	It was suggested that the spreadsheet used by the committee for reviewing proposals (with links to GovTool) could be adapted and shared with DREPs to help them navigate and assess the governance actions.	Lloyd Duhon to adapt the review spreadsheet for DREP use and publish it.