PROPOSED INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP DUES
Club members; A recommendation to increase our membership dues has been made to the board. Some of us can remember that our dues of $70 per year have remained at that lever for approximately twenty years. In this day of rising costs for everything, mainly due to inflation, it can seem only natural that our dues will climb along with our costs for club operation.
In order to consider all sides of any increase in our membership dues, a committee of five interested members was formed. This was the same committee that worked on the subject of increasing our annual assessment, which we agreed should stay at $80 per year. Perhaps you didn’t even hear about that because no changes were recommended.
On the subject of an increase in the annual membership dues, this committee argued several points, from rising inflation to major proposed expenses. Our club is not in trouble but we must look to the future. Points that were considered included how much money would be generated in our accounts with particular dues increases, providing that our membership numbers would remain the same. We have to realize that an un-warranted increase in dues will likely drive some members away. We also realize that the club, CCR&P, is a club for the members which simply means that without a strong membership, we will fail. And we wanted any increase in membership fees to be acceptable to all members. A certain amount or percentage of our members are on fixed incomes, perhaps Social Security or disability compensation, and we recognize that as a fact without the need to determine the exact number of fixed income members. Any increase in dues will certainly affect those lower income shooters. We also considered leaving the annual dues as they are, at $70, and asking for further voluntary donations in addition to the annual dues. One tiny point in favor of the donation is that they wouldn’t be sales taxed. What finally boiled out of the committee was to recommend a $10 increase in the annual dues for all members, which will increase the dues to $80 per year, primarily to counter inflation that has long since taken place. In addition, the committee is to prepare a 5-year rotating plan of expenses so the club will have a good idea about financial needs for the future.
This recommendation will be presented to the board at the September meeting, where it will naturally be discussed further. While the board will vote on whether to increase our club’s dues or not, general members are certainly invited to attend the meeting and to offer their points for the discussion. The intention is, if the dues are raised at the September meeting, to advertise the change for three months in the Plinker and on the web site, before having the change take effect on January 1st, 2023. We’re all interested in this subject, please consider attending.
Mike Nesbitt, V.P./Membership Director