Tx you, Ed, for your leadership in this matter - all who assisted you. This is a critical area of NCSG involvement. Best, Kathy On 4/30/2016 9:29 PM, Edward Morris wrote: > Hello everybody, > Perhaps the most important public comment opportunity every year is > our chance to post a comment on ICANN's budget and operating plan. > This is our chance as representatives of the noncommercial community > to ask for different spending priorities to be made, to question any > and all aspects of ICANN's operations and to express our views on the > functioning of ICANN the corporation. > The comment period for the fiscal year 2017 budget and operating plan > ended last night. You can read the proposed budget and operating plan > and all the comments received > here: https://www.icann.org/public-comments/op-budget-fy17-five-year-2016-03-05-en . > The NCSG was heavily involved in preparing the GNSO Council's comments > on the budget. The Council set up a small group consisting of Carlos > Raśl Gutierrez of NPOC/NCSG, Keith Drazek of Versisgn and myself to > draft the comment of the GNSO Council. I've attached the result of our > work, which was submitted earlier today. > As the community obtains veto power over ICANN's budget through the > corporate reorganisation currently underway, it will be imperative > that our stakeholder group be proactive in monitoring and > participating in the budget process. I look forward to working with > those NCSG members with interest in this area going forward as we meet > our obligations to our members and the wider ICANN community in > ensuring that ICANN corporate operationally functions in the way the > community has directed it to. > I'm more than happy to answer any questions anyone in the NCSG has on > this years budget and operating plan, the Council response or on the > budget process in general. > Kind Regards, > Ed Morris