Rotary best practices require the outgoing Board of Directors to approve the club's operating budget for the next fiscal year. This year, with the social distancing guidelines that were implemented mid-March, and lasted through the end of our 2019-20 fiscal year, Mesa West Rotary finished the 2019-20 year in a strong financial position. As a result, the outgoing board set funds aside as a liability to cover a $120 credit on the July 1 dues invoice for each Rotarian who paid the full $250 dues option for the final quarter of the year. For a variety of reasons, the board approved a budget that will bill all members, except honorary members and Family of Rotary members, $130/member for the first quarter in July. It also approved all budgeted expenditures except meal costs, which are currently unknown. The outgoing board placed the responsibility on the new board to re-evaluate dues and meal costs throughout the year to see when they feel safe in resuming in-person meetings and make appropriate budget adjustments. The approved budget reflects that lower figure for dues income throughout the year, and shows no meal income or expense.
Some of the issues the Board is currently dealing with include:
- Changing policies at the Hilton. We have been told meal costs at the Hilton will go up $4 per person when we resume meetings there. We are currently trying to renegotiate our weekly minimums. Current guidelines at the Hilton only allow three individuals at each round table to maintain social distancing.
- We have been notified that the Liability Insurance which clubs in the United States are billed for with their semi-annual; dues will not cover liability for transmittal of COVID-19 or other communicable diseases.
- Rotary District and Zone educational activities that were originally scheduled to be in-person through November, 2020 have been cancelled and will be held virtually.
- Significant recent spikes in identified cases of COVID-19 in Arizona.
We are grateful for your continued attendance at our Mesa West Rotary Zoom meetings, which has been very close to the average attendance at our in-person meetings.