SBARC Election: November 17, 2017

We will be conducting a special vote at the SBARC General Club Meeting on November 17, 2017 on a proposed change to the SBARC bylaws.

Background:
After much discussion, the Board of Directors is recommending that we raise the annual club dues from $24.00 to $35.00. The dues have not been raised in over 16 years, and the modest increase we are recommending helps us keep our revenues more in line with current expenses. At our current membership levels, the $11.00 increase will provide approximately $1600 per year in additional revenue for the club. Over the past 16 years, costs for things like insurance, vehicle maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, etc. have risen, and the dues increase will help us prevent having to dip into the club’s reserves for regular expenses. This averages out to be a 91¢ per month increase per member. Most other clubs have significantly higher dues than ours.

Reason for bylaws change:
The current bylaws require a vote by the membership on any dues increase. We feel that any adjustments in the dues amount should be a function of the Board of Directors. The Board spends many hours over the course of a year discussing and implementing cost cutting policies, and we endeavor to be responsible custodians of the club’s finances.

Under the current reading of the bylaws, any adjustment in the annual dues amount could be decided by a very small number of members. It is not unusual to have meetings with a total attendance of 25 or less. That means at a meeting where a vote is taken, any proposal could be decided with a majority decision of 13 members or less. This could be unhealthy for the club as it could prevent a dues increase of even $1.00 that may be needed to ensure we can pay our regular fixed expenses.

Proposal:
The current bylaws can be read in their entirety at http://sbarc.org/documents/bylaws.pdf.

The Board of Directors proposes to eliminate the following paragraph in Section 2:
(a) The amount of dues shall be set by the Board of Directors and shall take effect when confirmed by a majority of voting members present at a regular meeting. Prior to said meeting, the Board shall cause a notice of such dues vote to be sent to each member of record at least one week in advance of said meeting.

And replace it with this paragraph:
(a) The amount of dues shall be set by the Board of Directors. In the event that the Board recommends that the dues should be adjusted, the Board shall cause notice of such change to be sent electronically or by mail to each member of record at least twenty-five (25) days prior to the next scheduled meeting of Board. Members will be allowed to submit their arguments or recommendations electronically, by mail, or in person for consideration before the final vote is taken by the Board. Any such change shall take effect at the Board’s discretion, but no sooner than 30 days after its adoption.