Monday, July 9, 2012

Council Merging

All,
As you know, Pack 93 is part of the Monterey Bay Area council.  The council has been having major financial issues over the past few years.  Partly as a result of that, and other issues, a merger has been begun with the Santa Clara council.  Below is a letter from the Council discussing the path ahead.

Steve Tackett



Dear Scouting Families,
Two great Boy Scout councils, the Santa Clara County Council and the Monterey Bay Area Council, each with historic and heartfelt Scouting traditions, each with extraordinarily dedicated and capable volunteers, each committed to instilling Scouting values in the next generation of leaders, have begun discussions to merge the two councils into a combined council that would serve the counties of Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz.
Between 1920 and 1933, in the early days of Scouting, these four counties were served by the same council headquartered in San Jose. In 1933, the Monterey Bay Area Council was formed as an independent council headquartered in Salinas. We now have the opportunity to create a greater council to continue delivering Scouting’s promise to serve as many young people as possible.What the merger means to you?
Increased support for all units;
Additional resources for training, volunteer recruitment, programs and activities; Significant operational savings;
Potential of additional camp properties to utilize;
Full service National Scout shop in Salinas.
At its core, Scouting is a local movement and the Scouting experience in this area will not change. The merger will streamline operations and offer additional opportunities to Scouts. This merger will also help make Scouting stronger in this area. Over the past decade, the Monterey Bay Area Council has faced several challenges. During this period, updates and improvements to Camp Pico Blanco, many of which were requirements to comply with changing environmental regulations, have made it difficult for the council to cover operational expenses. Plus, in these difficult economic times, meeting these continuing responsibilities has compounded the difficulty of raising sufficient ongoing revenue to meet the council’s needs. The Monterey Bay Area Council initially introduced the idea of a merger and after careful review both councils concluded that a combined council would benefit from the staff and volunteer resources of a larger council to best support units, membership recruitment and fundraising.The merger would also create efficiencies and cost savings in the operations of the combined council including:
Additional youth serving executives working in community; Reduce duplication of support services;
Staff structure to support longevity and production.
Representatives of the Executive Boards for the two councils met on Monday, June 25, 2012, as a
Plan of Merger Committee and agreed on two guiding principles for the merger discussions:
Our focus, discussions, and decisions must be grounded in Scouting values and premised on how we can best serve the Scouts and youth in all of our communities and on what is best for the Scouting movement;
Fiscal and resource sustainability of the combined council is of paramount importance and the shared responsibility of the two Executive Boards and the communities we serve.
The Plan of Merger Committee is Co-Chaired by Rich Brenner, a former Santa Clara County Council
President and member of the Western Region Board, and Bill Tebbe, Monterey Bay Area Council President-Elect. Using a template provided by the National Office, the Plan of Merger Committee will be discussing and developing recommended resolutions in the Plan of Merger for such topics as:
Operating budget creation and combining endowments
Council operations, including maintaining existing District boundaries pending further study and professional and support staff organization and deployment
Reviewing with National Office assistance the utilization and need for Council properties, including office space, Scout Shops, and camps
Internal and external marketing and promotion, including the process for naming the combined council, development of a website for information on the merger, a schedule of fireside chats, and communications with the media
Coordination and combination of Council programs, including Order of the Arrow, training, advancement, and Council-level activities
Composition of the Executive Board and Officers
Friends of Scouting and fundraising events
The anticipated outcome of the Plan of Merger process is a merger agreement that would be voted on by the respective Executive Boards of the two Councils, as well as by the all of the chartered
partners. The tentative timeline for completing this process is December 17, 2012.
Including parents, volunteers and other friends of Scouting in this process is crucial. We are currently developing a website to help share updated information related to the merger and to answer
questions. We are committed to do everything we can to ensure a transparent and smooth process. If you have any questions please reach out to one of us below.
An Old Friendship Renewed: We are Stronger Together.

Sincerely,
Dick Noack President
Santa Clara County Council

Tim Morgan
President
Monterey Bay Area Council
tmorgan@morganlaw.us
 Rich Brenner
Plan of Merger Committee Co-Chair



Bill Tebbe
Plan of Merger Committee Co-Chair
bill.tebbe@rabobank.com
rbrenner@thebrennergroup.com
RNoack@hopkinscarley.com

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