News & Notes August 2000

Executive Council Passes Budget/Dues Structure

During the last day of the PACD summer meeting, the PACD Executive Council approved a new dues structure for the association and unanimously approved the budget for fiscal year 2000-2001.

Prior to the meeting, a letter was sent to each of the district chairs, asking them to consider several options and direct their PACD delegate to vote accordingly.

PACD Treasurer Keith Eisenhart gave a run-down of each of the proposed options and then presented the council with the reccomendation to pass Option 2, as reccomended by the PACD Finance Committee.

Eisenhart said that PACD has been working on establishing a dues structure that is reflective of the diversity of resoureces across the state.

Assigned tellers then distributed ballots containing four options for the dues structure to the Executive Council for voting. Of a total of 29 ballots, the voting was as follows: Option 1 (based on the number of district employees) - 5 votes, Option 2 (based on county classification) - 19 votes, Option 3 (flat fee) - 4 votes, and Option 4 (relegated for write-in suggestions) - 1 vote.

The Executive Council then approved a motion to accept Option 2 as the new PACD Dues Structure.

Historically, many of the conservation districts have voiced their approval of moving away from the "flat fee" dues structure, particularly the counties with smaller populations.

Under the new structure, annual dues will be determined by county classification, which is determined by population.

The new dues structure begins at $1,700 a year, for a first class county (in PA Philadelphia is the only one), and descending to $1,000 a year for a county of the eighth class, of which there are a total of six.

PACD Vice President Ron Rohall said that the current PACD dues do not cover basic operating costs and that an increase will allow the Executive Director and the office to continue operating should grant monies be reduced.

This problem was intitally pointed out by PACD's auditor, who reccomended that the dues structure be reviewed.

Executive Council asked that the PACD staff send out invoices based on the new dues structure as soon as possible, in order to allow the districts to include the new amounts in their budgets.

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