# April 20 2026

## Attendees: 

| Name                                                 | Attendance | Role                            | Voting Seat (Y/N) |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| [Simo Simovic](mailto:simo.simovic@intersectmbo.org) | Yes        | Secretary                       | N                 |
| Jack Briggs                                          | Yes        | Executive Director              | Y                 |
| Nick Cook                                            | No         | Director - Operations (Interim) | Y                 |
| Sheldon Hunt                                         | No         | Community Member Seat           | Y                 |
| Fred Tanaka                                          | Yes        | Community Member Seat           | Y                 |
| Kristijan Kowalsky                                   | Yes        | Community Member Seat           | Y                 |
| Jose Miguel de Gamboa                                | Yes        | Community Member Seat           | Y                 |
| Georg Link                                           | No         | OSC Chair                       | Y                 |
| Samuel Leathers                                      | Yes        | Product Chair                   | Y                 |
| Maureen Wepngogn                                     | Yes        | MCC Chair                       | Y                 |
| Megan Hess                                           | Yes        | CBC Chair                       | Y                 |
| Kevin Hammond                                        | Yes        | TSC Chair                       | Y                 |
| Tim Harrison                                         | No         | GMC Chair                       | Y                 |
| Nicolas Cerny                                        | Yes        | CCC Chair                       | Y                 |
| Lorenzo Bruno                                        | Yes        | Head of Product & Membership    | N                 |
| Bosko Majdanac                                       | Yes        | Secretary of TSC                | N                 |
| Abhik Nag                                            | No         | Secretary of MCC                | N                 |
| Lloyd Duhon                                          | Yes        | Secretary of Budget Committee   | N                 |
| Larisa Mcfarlane                                     | Yes        | Head of Ecosystem & Community   | N                 |
| Terence McCutcheon                                   | Yes        | Secretary of OSC                | N                 |
| Lara Bonasorte                                       | Yes        | Secretary of GMC                | N                 |
| Thomas Lindseth                                      | No         | Secretary of CCC                | <p><br></p>       |

### Additional Attendees:

Ken-Erik Ølmheim - Vice Chair of Civics

Thiago Nunes - Observer

## Agenda:

* Committee Updates
* Committee Elections
* Intersect budget proposal
* Committees Reward
* ISC Voting Seats discussion

## Discussion/Actions

### 1. Opening & Agenda

The meeting opened with attendance confirmation and quorum established. The agenda included committee updates, an update on committee elections, a walkthrough of the Intersect budget proposal, and discussions on committee rewards and ISC voting seat structure. Due to time constraints, some topics were deferred for follow-up.

### 2. Committee Updates

* Technical Steering Committee (TSC) reported strong progress toward the Van Rossum hard fork, with node version 10.7.1 resolving prior performance issues and potentially improving performance relative to the current mainnet version. The Plutus cost model update is now live on preview and progressing toward mainnet, with DApp compatibility identified as a key risk area requiring active engagement. Work has also begun on defining scope for the next ledger era (“Dystra”), with plans to involve DReps in prioritization.
* Civics Committee has entered the user acceptance testing phase for the constitutional amendment process tooling, with strong progress reported. The committee is also supporting the upcoming Constitutional Committee elections, including planned community engagement (X Space). Budget discussions are ongoing, with emphasis placed on ensuring alignment and commitment rather than submitting proposals without clear purpose.
* Budget Committee continues development of its proposal, focusing on defining scope and responsibilities (RACI) and aligning with the Intersect proposal to avoid duplication. It was also confirmed that the budget submission platform is live, with the first proposal successfully submitted, validating system readiness.
* Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC) provided updates asynchronously (shared in chat), continuing work aligned with its strategic framework approach.

### 3. Committee Elections Update

The committee application phase closed with 105 applications (102 valid after validation adjustments). Voting has now opened and will run for the coming weeks.

Key points:

* This is the first election implementing two-year terms, increasing its importance
* Improvements in the voting interface include candidate participation data and voter transparency (who has voted)
* Clarifications were provided on eligibility requirements, including the need for either 3-month membership or identity verification

It was also noted that some candidates were excluded due to already holding active seats, highlighting a need for improved validation in future application flows.

### 4. Intersect Budget Proposal (Walkthrough & Discussion)

Intersect presented its 2026 budget proposal, structured into three work packages:

#### Work Package 1: Core Operations

Covers operational running of Intersect and Cardano Development Holdings, including compliance, infrastructure, and committee support.\
Estimated cost: \~$1.5M

#### Work Package 2: Technical Coordination & Stewardship

Largest component, focused on:

* Network security (bug bounty, incident response, security tooling)
* Release stewardship and multi-contributor node management
* Technical coordination across ecosystem stakeholders
* Infrastructure and repository management

Estimated cost: Majority of total budget (\~70%)

#### Work Package 3: Critical Process Reserve

A small reserve for unplanned but necessary coordination activities (e.g., elections or urgent governance processes).\
Estimated cost: \~$150K

#### Key Changes & Context

* Total budget request reduced to \~$6.35M (down from \~$7.9M in 2025)
* Introduction of a separate 3% administration fee model, removing administration costs from the core budget
* Increased focus on technical coordination as a critical ecosystem function
* Budget assumptions based on $0.25 ADA price, with commitment to return unused funds

#### Discussion Points

* Need for stronger justification of cost structure and resource assumptions
* Importance of avoiding duplication with committee proposals (e.g., TSC overlap)
* Clarification that the budget process itself should be explicitly reflected, given its reliance on Intersect operational delivery
* Alignment across ecosystem actors (IOG, CF, EMURGO) is ongoing and integrated into execution

### 5. Budget Process & Proposal Interaction

Guidance was provided on how committees should engage with proposals:

* Individuals can comment freely
* Committee-level feedback should be agreed collectively and submitted via secretaries
* Need for clearer guidelines to ensure objective and consistent evaluation

This will be formalized through additional guidance for committees.

### 6. Committee Rewards (Next Steps)

It was proposed to organize a dedicated workshop session to review the committee rewards policy, including:

* Effectiveness of rewards in driving participation and outcomes
* Feedback on current structure and perceived value
* Consideration of future adjustments

This aligns with the requirement for annual review of the policy.

It was also noted that:

* Contribution summaries are being collected but not yet publicly visible
* This visibility and usage will be included in the upcoming policy review discussion

### 7. Governance & Process Updates

* A new public ISC Discord channel has been created to improve transparency and allow community interaction with ISC members
* Progress is ongoing on consolidating the code of conduct and complaint handling framework, currently spread across multiple documents, into a clearer and more actionable process

### 8. Deferred Topics

Due to time constraints, the following were deferred:

* Review and potential update of ISC voting seat structure
* Full discussion on committee rewards policy changes

***

### 9. Actions & Next Steps

* Incorporate feedback into budget proposal (clarity, justification, scope alignment)
* Schedule committee rewards policy workshop
* Review ISC voting seat structure in next session
* Review updated code of conduct and complaint process once consolidated
* Continue refining proposals and align with Intersect budget to avoid duplication


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