I'm new to this site but I would certainly like to ask about the CO relationship. I am a committee member with a Cub Scout Pack that is going through a particularly difficult time with the CO. Prior to this 2003-2004 our unit was allowed use of the basement for meetings and we share storage place with the Boy Scout troop. The CO/unit relationship has been an on/off relationship depending on the senior leadership at the CO (we are chartered by a Church). When it came time to schedule meetings for the year the CO's main office was illusive (the CO had just finished adding on to their building). The first issue was getting any sort of communication with the CO at all - emails and phone calls seemed to go into a big black hole and never reemerge. When we finally got Pack and Committee meetings scheduled we noted that the Blue & Gold meeting was not on the schedule. We were told the CO committee was looking at use policies. About 2 months later (after more emails and calls) we were informed that for the B&G we would have to pay custodial fees (per hour), kitchen use fees (per hour) and facility use fees (per hour). We had not planned for these expenses in our budget and they were not trivial amounts (read here at least $150-200). Our CO rep tried to assist us but was told that was the way it was, too bad. One should note here that the CO's use policies use the Cub Scout pack as an example in writing up their use policies and shows what the charges would be. Currently we are not charged for any monthly meetings (that last only 1-1.5 hours) but the use policy is pretty "gray," a strict interpretation of the use policy would require us to pay for all meetings -monthly pack and committee meetings if the CO so ruled. Our DE tried to help with communications but was ignored until the committee started discussing the possibility of letting this unit fold and the boys could join another unit in the community that had been meeting with us and would fold if boys did not join that unit (the other unit was graduating all their boys from Webelos and there were no new recruits). Then a rep from our CO met with the DE, but after that meeting the DE came out of it with not only would we have to pay for B&G but also the pinewood derby, the DE also explained that our CO was meeting their CO obligations. Needless to say we held the B&G at another facility. The other unit's CO would be more than happy to have the current leadership and boys with them. In the process of looking at "moving" we have been informed that the current CO would have to signoff on releasing us and any funds that the boys have earned (which are in a checking account, with only the unit name on the account) the original CO would have to sign off on releasing the funds. The original CO has never contributed money to the unit, nor has the unit asked for funds - all the money has come from unit fundraising and participating in recycling programs.
The committee has tried to keep this transparent to the boys but it is wearing on our committee chair and leadership - all but one member of the committee has boys that will be graduating from cubs next year and no one really wants to be on the committee given the current issues - which means this unit may fold in another year.
Can I get some feed back about what others think?
