[Wyewood] FW: [STEPS] An Tir Kingdom Events Fee Change.

[Ruslund Geyer]

An important missive from Kingdom.

Avine 


-----Original Message-----
From: Steps [mailto:steps-bounces at antir.sca.org] On Behalf Of arontius--- via Steps
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2017 5:25 PM
To: Steps; steps-announce at antir.sca.org
Cc: antir-exchequers at antir.sca.org
Subject: [STEPS] An Tir Kingdom Events Fee Change.

Greetings An Tir, 

Starting at Twelfth Night, 2018, the Registration Fee for SCA Members at An Tir Kingdom and Crown Events will rise from its current $20 per adult member to $25 per adult member. Attendance for minors (17 and under in the U.S., and 18 and under in Canada) will remain free of charge.

Last weekend, on Sunday of September Crown, the Kingdom Financial Committee finished discussion on this topic, and it was not an easy decision to make as we all realize it increases the burden for the average citizen of An Tir to attend the most important events in the Kingdom. The decision was based on a number of factors:

First, the costs to hold events continues to rise, both at our indoor and outdoor events. Most significantly, many outdoor sites are raising rental rates as open lands for hosting large events, especially in the central core of An Tir, become more and more scarce. The other significant increase in site support is the cost of biffies (porta-potties). While the actual rental of the units has risen slowly, the costs of waste disposal continues to rise significantly as environmental laws and rules place more restrictions on the containment and disposal of waste products and water.

Second, An Tir is not made up solely of the branches of the I-5 corridor. It is recognized that An Tir is made up of ALL ITS BRANCHES, no matter the location. What this means in concrete terms is that we must accept the fact that Kingdom and Crown Events WILL happen at some of the farthest branches away from the central core of the Kingdom. Even though this might mean lower site rental costs, it will also mean reduced attendance and reduced revenue from that event.

What does all of this mean in the larger picture? An Tir relies on the income of Kingdom and Crown Events to support the machinery that keeps the Kingdom in operation. This means things such as (but not limited to):

  • the upkeep of Kingdom owned equipment (pavilions, regalia, etc.)
  • the upkeep of transportation equipment (Kingdom and Crown Trailers)
  • the rental of storage until to house required paperwork and materials that we cannot / should not lose
  • the everyday basic supplies and materials we use to keep the Kingdom moving forward (office supplies, awards token materials, scroll materials, etc.)

All of the above themselves having gone up in price (significantly in cases such as storage unit rental fees). 

Over the past five years we have witnessed a steady decrease in the amount of income to the Kingdom. In 2016, this 'profit margin' was approximately $2,000. In 2017, depending upon the income from September Crown itself (which saw low attendance in comparison to the past several September Crowns) we will see even less (and may even be in the red for the year). In past years we could rely on a certain amount of 'tithing,' or donations, from the local branches of An Tir; however, even that is dropping significantly as the local branches of An Tir struggle with the same issues the Kingdom itself is seeing.

It may be tempting to look at the bank account numbers for the Kingdom and think that, as a Kingdom, we are well-off financially. But if you take a closer look, and break it down, the final numbers do not look quite as nice. A year's worth of operational budget for An Tir stands currently at close to $40,000. To be fiscally responsible, we are charged to maintain two years worth of operating expenses available as needed at all times (three years would be better). Take that much off the top, and it still looks as if An Tir has significant financial resources. However, what is left also includes many other sub-funds where major fund-raising efforts and required fees play into that amount. Much of the residual funds from Ithra are in the account (with the hopes of resurrecting this institution fully in the next several years). There are a number of Kingdom Guilds and specialized groups that have funds that make up part of the Kingdom bank account (Armorers Guild for example). At least one Kingdom-wide event holds its funds within the general accounts (Kingdom Feast). As well, NMR Fees paid to SCA, Inc., flow through the Kingdom Accounts, adding upwards of $10,000 (and more) to the overall amount at any given moment.

We realize that this is not something anyone wants to see. But if seen in the context of other similar activities, a weekend of activities for $25 an adult member is still not a bad deal.

If you have any questions, please contact myself or Viscountess Lenora (Kingdom Seneschale).

Thank you, Arontius of Bygelswade
Exchequer, Kingdom of An Tir