Are we going to get warm again soon? All January I kept saying “it sure has been one of the warmest Januarys I can remember”. Boy, did that ever change overnight! So, with snow all around, it’s a bit strange to be writing about boating, but here goes. Hopefully, the crew in Wenatchee is enjoying the conditions. The Snowbird Race for Saturday the 9th was, of course, cancelled due to weather – although the diehards would probably insist it was only due to problems with getting to Shilshole, not the sailing.
You may recall that one of the goals or focus items I put out to this year’s Board is to “ensure the financial viability of our Club.” Managing the Club’s finances and budget is one of the key responsibilities of the Board. One of my concerns in that arena has been a decline in our Cash Position. In fact, our Treasurer has calculated over the past six years we’ve had a net decline in our checking account balance of $670/year on average. We’ve gone from a typical bank account balance in the 11k to 12k range to a current 8k to 9k. This is a trend we need to stop or even reverse.
At the annual Board Budget Meeting (first meeting of the year in January), the Board again looked for ways to trim expenses, but we’ve also had to accept various costs that have increased, over which we have no real control. An example is the fee for our Club mailbox, which has increased by more than $100 going into 2019. Other costs out of our direct control have also increased in the past few years.
The solution to this trend lies mostly with increasing revenue, and the main revenue source is our Annual Dues with the Club Initiation Fee. After considerable discussion over the past 5-6 weeks (and much prior discussion on this topic by previous Boards), our 2019 Board has arrived at a revised schedule for Club Dues and Initiation Fees, which would take effect with the collection of 2020 Dues next Fall. The existing rates and recommended new rates are below:
Membership Category Annual Dues 2019 Annual Dues 2020
Captain $70 $85
Bosun $35 $45
Yeoman $10 $15
Cruising $10 $15
Membership Category Initiation Fee 2019 Initiation Fee 2020
Captain $100 $120
Bosun $25 $35
Yeoman $5 $10
These changes, in order to be finalized, require a 10-day notification to the overall Club Membership (per Article IX of the By-Laws, page 31 in your 2019 Club Roster.) Therefore, we are hereby notifying all Club members of this proposed change by this article in the Rudderpost.
If you have questions or wish to voice a concern about this proposed change, please reach out to any of us on the Board. Our expectation is to have a second and final vote to approve these changes at the March Board Meeting.
With these Snow Days keeping us mostly at home and relaxing, it’s a perfect time to look at the Club’s upcoming Cruise Calendar and make some plans. We’re going to make every effort to attend more of the functions this year. We’ve got some projects underway on the boat right now, and we’ve got our trusty Chicken friend ready for spreader-level look-out duty at a moment’s notice.
I hope everyone fares well through this Winter blast. We’ll hope to see you soon at an upcoming Dinner Meeting or Cruise Event!