[Phoenix] Phoenix Sail & Power Squadron – Something to Think About
Schloemanb at aol.com
Schloemanb at aol.com
Sat Jul 14 19:37:22 EDT 2007
It was the end of the winter boating class in 1991 that I was approached by
Dick Meinert, the squadron membership chairman, and invited to join the
squadron. Dick was a very persuasive individual, and when I said I was only
interested in the courses, that didn’t faze him a bit as we completed the
membership form.
Well, since then I have completed all but one of the courses, Navigation.
Why not, well I found out that the squadron had a lot more to offer than what
my first impression was. Next thing I knew I was serving on the Executive
Committee, then as Executive Officer and then as Squadron Commander.
Navigation had to wait. Getting involved, you bet I was and I have enjoyed every
minute of it since.
I have seen the operation of the squadron, the district and national up
close and personal. So much so that basically when I retried from Honeywell in
1993 I have taken on a full time job working at numerous positions within
USPS. The cut in pay, to zero, is more than offset by the enjoyment it has
afforded me and the great people from all over USPS that I have come to call my
friends.
I spend a lot of time looking at the organizations and how I can contribute
in any way to make them better. If there is a job to be done I want to help
get it accomplished. That approach leads me to think about what we are doing
and see if any improvements can be made. And that brings me to the thrust
of this letter.
For as long as I have been a member of the squadron I do not recall there
has ever been a dues increase. The same can be said for the district.
National on the other hand has had to make several increases to try to balance its
budget.
At the squadron level each year we approve a balanced or slightly negative
budget. Each year we seem to end up with a small surplus. How does that
happen with everything costing more each year? Simple. Many of our members are
not only generous with their time but also with their pocket book, and I for
one thank them for that. But that is not the end of the story. Each year
the squadron must make hard decisions on what it can afford to do and what it
cannot. There just is never any room to expand, only stay the same or
contract a bit and the latter is cause for concern. Remember, the only real
source of income for the squadron is dues and that is getting spread thinner
every year. Also, the squadron subsidizes the cost of the Christmas Party and
Change of Watch which have escalated noticeably the last few years.
Where am I headed with this? A dues increase? Yes and no, but first some
background.
The squadron bylaws, “Section 7.1 The entrance fees and annual dues of
dues-paying classes of membership shall be reviewed each year by the Executive
Committee, and its recommendations for the following year shall be presented to
and voted upon by the active members no later than the last regular squadron
meeting prior to 1 February. Such fees and dues shall be as so determined
provided, however, that in the event no such fees or dues are so fixed for any
USPS dues year, fees and dues shall be the same as for the preceding year.”
As you read that, note the words “dues-paying classes of membership” and
the “following year”. The latter means that dues cannot be raised for the
current year. The dues-paying classes of membership need some further
explanation.
Currently for the squadron there are basically 5 classes of dues paying
membership, Active, Additional Active, Adult Family, Junior Family and Associate
members. Each class has its own privileges. All classes may take USPS member
courses and earn merit marks. Active and Additional Active members may
hold elected and appointed offices and vote on all matters. Adult and Junior
Family members can only hold appointed positions, but cannot vote, fly the
ENSIGN or wear the uniform. The basic dues are structured around these
privileges.
Section 17 of the squadron Procedures defines the current squadron dues as:
Primary Active $24.00
Additional Adult Active $0
Adult Family Member $0
Junior Family Member $0
Life Member (voluntary) $25.00
Apprentice $0
Associate Member $10.00
But this is not the whole picture; there are district and national dues as
well. To put things in context let's take a look at all three:
Phoenix
District
National
Total
Membership Category
Dues
Dues
Dues
Dues
Active Member
$24.00
$7.00
$31.80
$62.80
Additional Active Member
$0.00
$3.50
$15.90
$19.40
Life Member (voluntary)
$25.00
$0.00
$0.00
$25.00
Adult Family Member
$0.00
$0.00
$7.95
$7.95
Junior Family Member
$0.00
$0.00
$2.00
$2.00
Apprentice
$0.00
$0.00
$12.00
$12.00
Apprentice Sea Scout
$0.00
$0.00
$12.00
$12.00
Woman Certificate
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Associate Member
$10.00
$0.00
$0.00
$10.00
Honorary
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
When the class of Additional Active members was introduced the Phoenix SPS
decided not to charge any squadron dues. Additional Active members have all
the privileges of an Active member except they do not receive an independent
copy of the Bos’n’s Pipe. They do pay district and national dues at a rate
of one-half that of the Active member. One could argue that the same should
apply at the squadron level.
The Family Adult member pays national dues at a rate of one-fourth of an
Active member but do not pay squadron or district dues.
Associate members dues are only to cover the cost of mailing the Bos’n’s
Pipe if they so choose a hard copy.
Each year the squadron contributes to the National Education Fund at the
rate of $1 per active member, including Life Members.
A few years ago when we had a particular budget crunch the Life Members agre
ed to a $25 a year voluntary squadron dues and we should all thank them for
that continued support.
Might I suggest consideration of the following?
1) The dues for Active members be raised $1 from $24 to $25 per year or the
equivalent of a Life Member contribution.
2) The dues for Additional Active members be set at one half that of an
Active member to $12.50 per year.
3) The dues for a Family Adult member be set at one-fourth of an Active
member to $6.25. Junior Family member dues to remain at $0
4) Associate dues be set to the current printing and mailing costs of 10
issues of the Bos’n’s Pipe per year
In December the squadron Executive Committee will be reviewing the next
year's budget and considering if a dues increase or decrease is appropriate. I
would hope that you will think about the proposals as it relates to the entire
squadron and not just how it impacts you personally. Let your opinions be
known so that a representative decision can be made. Any change in squadron
dues will not become effective until 2009.
Bob Schloeman
Wizard First Class
Phoenix SPS Past Commander, ExCom member, R/T chairman, I/T chairman,
Policies & Procedures chairman, Database manager, Mailing list Administrator,
Webmaster.
Lake Mohave PS Database manager, Webmaster
District 28 Past District Commander, R/T chairman, I/T chairman, Arizona
Legislative committee, Rules committee member, Database manager, Mailing list
Administrator, Webmaster
National Chairman of the Squadron Activities Committee and also serving as
the Webmaster, and Database manager for Amateur Radio and Port Captains
programs. Member of the Committee on Rules. Member of the Electromechanical
Committee. Webmaster for the national Treasurer and Planned Giving Committee.
Shields are up and phaser's set for stun ---- Now let me see what other
trouble I can get into J
************************************** Get a sneak peak of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.usps.org/pipermail/phoenix/attachments/20070714/b81079d9/attachment-0001.html
More information about the Phoenix
mailing list