Where we are:As we reach the end of our fiscal year, I felt it best to let members know of what the new Executive Council has advanced and the areas of important interest to us for the coming year. Some of this has been seen on the website, and therefore old news to those who noticed, but I trust a brief review will not annoy you. For the rest, this can be a synopsis.The main interest as John Fleming left office was to get a new Executive Director and keep the day-to-day operations of contacts, mailings, and other business progressing seamlessly. The office was accepted by Jim Egan and has been moving forward very well. The position of Scholarship Chair also required replacement, and Bob Torborg has taken that responsibility with enthusiasm. Norb Lehmann is still our Treasurer, Ed Armbruster has remained as editor of the CHORISTER, and Dave Thomas is still our Webmaster. George Pecor was active in getting a good portion of these leaders as the transition president and has agreed to assist us at the fall meeting, My personal thanks are given to all of these men for their dedication and commitment to service of the AMCA. The Executive Council is now composed of the District heads (President or Governor) of each AMCA District, now being Bill Rowe (WUM), Joel McLay (UMW) and myself (Ric Addenbrooke -NYP) with the Exec. Dir. We will need assistance at some meetings, requiring committee chairs to report in person or new faces to enter discussions with our business, but travel will eventually be reduced to the lowest cost we can control, with one annual meeting being savings from the start. Looking ahead:Cost control is an important item to AMCA members from what was said previously at AMCA meetings. The Executive Council will have to watch expenditures more carefully as we move forward, but I caution that members do not expect miracles. Working with the executives through many budgets in the past I have seen cost containment done well, even as inflation encroached on our treasury income, and still people complained about the money. We have cut meetings (AMCA) in half and we have sought assistance from staff to hold down costs.Less meetings brings some difficulties requiring creative solutions:
As part of the business I will ask that any items or issues members request to be placed on the AGENDA be sent to either Jim Egan or myself. Please forward these by the end of September and be as comprehensive as you can with the information you send. We will try to address these as they arrive so they can come to the Council with all the information to be addressed formally, and Thank You for your concerns. Continuity of this organization is still important to the new executives as well, since there remains much of what we are organized for with singing, fellowship and service. Maintaining goals while preserving values should not become a difficult balancing act.
Best regards to all of the choruses and I anticipate another letter sent prior to the meeting to inform everyone of the AGENDA items. Please note that we are currently working on a tentative budget to start the fiscal year, with discussions to make corrections at the fall meeting. (The budget usually is recommended at the old June meetings.)
Respectfully submitted, |
