There are two proposals on tonight's ballot. One is for the membership to approve a dues increase from $24 per year to $35 per year. I am in favor of this. It has been a very long time since the dues were raised, inflation has taken its toll, our systems are aging, and we have taken on many new projects.
The other proposal is in my opinion far more dangerous, and I urge you to vote against it. As the Club is presently structured, the Board of directors sets the dues. This has been the case for several decades. Once the Board votes to change the dues, this change must be approved by the membership at a regular meeting. The proposed change to the bylaws removes the provision that the membership ratify any dues increase.
Having the Club membership ratify dues increases is an important safeguard against a future Board that seeks to take on more than the membership can support and fund it on the backs of an unwilling membership.
To the best of my knowledge, the membership has never failed to ratify any increase in dues presented in my 40-plus years of SBARC membership, so there should not be any need to change the bylaws removing this important protection.
The Board asks that we trust them. The Board already sets the dues. This doesn't change that, but it removes the safeguard against unreasonable increases that we now enjoy. Ronald Reagan used to quote an old Russian proverb, "Trust, but verify". This proposed change removes your ability as members to verify.
This Board may be reasonable, but future Boards may not. Even with this Board, I have evidence that there was an attempt to raise one member's dues even before the increase was to be voted on at tonight's meeting. Despite assurances that this would be corrected, the evidence shows that it has not been. This is a hint of what may happen in the future.
Please vote to approve the dues increase.
Please vote NO on the bylaws change that would give this and future Boards the ability to raise your dues at will and remove your ability to prevent unreasonable increases.
-- Jay Hennigan - CCIE #7880 - Network Engineering - jay@impulse.net Impulse Internet Service - http://www.impulse.net/ Your local telephone and internet company - 805 884-6323 - WB6RDV