 |
RE: FW: [RC] Attention all ride managers- fee hike - Steph TeeterThe Board voted on this issue (by roll call) last night in a (private) phone conference call meeting. I believe California Corporate Code actually states that a CA non-profit corporation may not conduct business meetings in private. I hope that our legal committee and AERC president will consider the legality as well as the ethics of these monthly meetings. They were originally intended to be used for 'housekeeping' issues, trivial issues that the membership 'really shouldn't care about anyway'. I really hope that the BoD will reconsider this hastily made decision. Steph -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Truman Prevatt Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 12:13 PM Cc: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: FW: [RC] Attention all ride managers- fee hike Steph, I am a bit perplexed at this also. For the past while we had been told no decisions had been made on fee increases, then today the Email hits that tells us there has been one. My question is which way is it - has there or has there not been a fee increase? Truman Steph Teeter wrote: *Subject:* RE: [RC] Attention all ride managers- fee hike *When was this decision made? And why was there no discussion with the membership prior to the decision?* I don't recall seeing any notice in the EN that the BoD was considering raising AERC's rider fees. Which directors voted for this, and why? I hope this was a roll call vote, as I truly want to know. AERC does not exist without rides, without ride managers. I can think of many better places to raise the extra funds that are apparently needed to keep the organization afloat, once again. Just a few years ago AERC was rolling in extra funds, and half the Board was proposing new ways to spend all this extra money. What happened? The rides, the riders, the ride managers are the heart of this sport. I would much rather see less money spent on the zillions of awards given out at year's end, or the thousands spent on research and trails grants, than ask more money from the people that define the sport - the riders and ride managers. This is foolish. I have recommended in the past, and recommend again that the Board consider a professional to assist in the area of spending and budgeting. The AERC is a corporation with a sizeable yearly budget, and to place the responsibility for managing the financial affairs of the corporation in the hands of a non-professional elected volunteer (treasurer) and expect a large Board comprised of volunteers to understand the nuances of corporate finances well enough to make sound decisions regarding the spending and budgeting of these funds is ridiculous. Plus I once again ask this Board to stop conducting your business in a vacuum. 90% of BoD discussion of important issues occurs on the private BoD email list. During my time as a director I watched this list (which seemed like a good idea when the 'net was new and exciting) evolve into a powerful persuasive tool for some individuals, and on several occasions was personally harrassed for trying to keep the membership informed of some of the issues that were being discussed and settled on this list. I have often questioned the ethics and legalities of the BoD list, where even though votes are not cast, many decisions are made. The general membership has no idea what it's elected corporate directors are discussing on a daily basis! This is OUR organization, you guys are supposed to be managing it responsibly, and for the sake of the entire organization (including the rest of us - the 5000+ people that support and fund the organization). Also the monthly private telephone conference calls are marginally acceptable, where discussions are made and votes are cast in private. Steph (mad) -- "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." Niels Bohr -- Nobel Laureate, Physics =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|