Weekly Sync — 2026-02-20 — LaMarie Billing Decision

End-of-week sync. Primary outcome for LaMarie: a firm decision to bill for all work requested after today, as the project is over budget and current work is uncompensated.

Overview

The LaMarie project has exceeded its budget. All work being performed at the time of this meeting was described as "gravy" — uncompensated effort beyond what the client has paid. Melissa had already communicated to the client that the project is over budget. The team aligned on a clear cutoff: anything requested after 2026-02-20 will be billed.

Attendees: Mark Hope, Melissa Cusumano, Isalia Ramirez

Source: Fathom recording

Key Decisions

Bill for all future work. Any work LaMarie requests after 2026-02-20 must be billed. This is a hard line, not a soft guideline.
Client has been informed. Melissa had already told the client the project is over budget, so the billing shift is not a surprise. No additional budget negotiation was discussed — the expectation is simply that new requests generate new invoices.

Action Items

[ ] Melissa — Formally inform LaMarie that all future work will be billed going forward.

Context & Background

The LaMarie relationship has been strained. The client contact is described as difficult to work with, and the team's sentiment is that the project has been more trouble than it is worth. The decision to bill going forward is both a financial correction and a boundary-setting measure.

There is no indication the project is being terminated — Melissa expressed a desire to get it wrapped up — but the team is no longer absorbing scope without compensation.

Relevant Transcript

Mark Hope: Everything we're doing now is just gravy, right?

Melissa Cusumano: Exactly. She is aware, though, that we are above what they paid. So if anything moving forward would be extra.

Mark Hope: I think you draw a line in the sand today and say anything they asked for after today, we have to bill them for it.

Melissa Cusumano: Yeah. I agree.

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