Proposed Bylaws Changes

Whereas there are probably US Army first operated the Caribou as the CV2, and
Whereas there may be other Caribou Associations, and
Whereas the USAF redesignated the Caribou as the C7A, and
To better define our organization with the USAF's designation;
I make a motion that our official organizational title be the "C7A Caribou Association"

Whereas the balance of the fund at its current amount will earn interest of $1,000 per year, and;
Whereas this amount of reserve causes concern for our nonprofit status in the event of a tax audit, and; 
Whereas some of our members can not afford the entire cost of attending the reunions and therefore do not attend, and;
Whereas if the cost of the reunions were subsidized by the Association's reserve fund would likely provide an incentive for greater reunion attendance, 
I propose that at future reunions that the hotel rooms be subsidized by an agreed upon amount which would be advertised in the announcement of the future reunions. 

Whereas there is a large surplus of reserve funds that earns interest in an interest bearing account,
I propose that all future reunions be administered as a breakeven event after considering the annual income from all sources versus all expenses. In the event that there are short falls or unexpected expenses, those expenses will be covered by the funds in reserve.

Whereas the membership database is improved, and
Whereas in the past there was an honorary membership status designated without established criteria, and
Whereas there have been individuals identified in this honorary membership status without known qualification
I therefore move that the honorary designation be eliminated for anyone except for the following:
John Davis and Nick Evanish, the recognized founders of the association -- each will be honorary members for life.
The staff and board members in addition to Pete Bird (webmaster) for those years in which they contribute in the management and administration of the association.
I further move that the criteria for this honorary membership status shall only include the waiver of their annual membership fees "tax." Honorary members will incur all costs of reunion attendance.

Whereas the associations funds held in reserve are significant, and
Whereas there has been several proposals regarding the objectives for projected use of these funds, and
Whereas the membership is in the autumn of there lives with increasing numbers taking their final caribou flight West, and
Whereas it is not likely that the association will be notified with sufficient notice to send flowers to the funeral, and
Whereas it is desirable to have a lasting memento to both the departed member and of the Caribou Association which would likely be seen by future generations,
I make a motion that whenever the association learns that an active paid member has died, that our association send a message of condolence to the member's family with offer to purchase an appropriate book for a local library in that member's memory. We would require that this book have an appropriate inscription describing the deceased person's military service and the Caribou Association's objectives.

Whereas some members question whether an annual reunion is optimal for attendance, and
Whereas a high number of attendees is an indicator of the level of success for a reunion regarding the chances of reuniting with squadron mates.
Whereas planning for quality reunions require significant lead time and great effort by those who are involved with the newsletter development and the reunion's operation, and
Whereas there was a mail-in vote taken in 1998 to determine the desired interval between reunions, and
Whereas the results of the mail-in vote on the interval between reunions indicated a preference of the interval being greater than an annual basis, with more than 50% of those voting for a two year interval, and with the percentage of those voting for a 3 year interval exceeding the one year interval (22% favoring annual, 52% choosing a two year interval, and 26% choosing a three year interval), and
Whereas because of this issue was tabled by the members attending the last reunion meeting,
I move that the future interval between reunions be at approximately two year intervals to be in compliance of that vote or that we now determine this issue by a vote after appropriate discussion.

Whereas the balance of the fund at its current amount will earn interest of about $1,000 per year, and;
Whereas the annual $10 membership fee charged when combined with the interest income received greatly exceeds the annual 
administrative costs, and;
Whereas the continued tax in the amount of $10 per year per member will cause the balance of the association's funds to continue to grow unless operating procedures are not changed, and;
Whereas this amount of reserve causes concern for our nonprofit status in the event of a tax audit;
If the annual income from all sources exceed the total expenses per member by 200%, I make a motion to stabilize the funds by reducing the annual membership fee by 50% to $5 per year.
Because many members have paid ahead for varying numbers of future years, I further propose the following formula for fairly distributing credit: Each year that a member has paid membership dues beyond T98 will receive two years membership credit for each year paid.