Councilors – Attached and copied below, please find a motion for consideration during our 20 APR meeting to adopt the Draft GNSO Comment on ICANN’s FY18 Budget and OpPlan. The Draft Comment is also attached. Thank you, J. ------------------- Whereas, 1. Following initial community review, a revised proposed Budget and Operating Plan for FY2018 was published for public comments on 13 March 2017 (https://www.icann.org/public-comments/fy18-budget-2017-03-08-en). 2. At its Wrap Up Session at ICANN58 in Copenhagen, the GNSO Council agreed to form a small team of volunteers to draft comments on the revised Budget for Council consideration (https://www.icann.org/public-comments/fy18-budget-2017-03-08-en). 3. At the Council’s request, ICANN’s Finance Team conducted a webinar on 4 April 2017 covering those aspects of the proposed Budget of interest to the GNSO community (https://gnso.icann.org/en/meetings/presentation-gnso-update-04apr17-en.pdf). 4. A draft of the proposed Council comments was circulated to the GNSO Council on [INSERT DATE]. 5. The GNSO is a Decisional Participant within the new Empowered Community, and the GNSO Council recognizes (a) that the Empowered Community’s powers as contained in the revised ICANN Bylaws includes the ability to veto budgets adopted by the ICANN Board; and (b) the importance of fully understanding the funding and expenses of ICANN’s operations. Resolved, 1. The GNSO Council approves the FY18 Draft Budget comments prepared on behalf of the GNSO Council, and instructs ICANN staff to formally submit the approved comment to the Public Comment Forum. 2. The GNSO Council thanks the volunteers who prepared the comments and ICANN staff who provided invaluable assistance to the volunteers in the drafting of the comments.