Shutting down Troop

[Jeff5521]

So our troop is winding down, we have no more adult leaders able / willing to step up and take over.  Scout Master and Committee Chair are stepping down at the end of the year.

The COR is not involved in the troop and has not shown up for any meetings since taking over a year ago..  The parents and the boys have elected to move over to a troop with more leaders / boys rather then continue with the current troop.

 

What are the logistics of shutting down the troop?   Obviously we need to let the COR  & CO know our plans,  do we just tell them you have no more boys or adult leaders and "we" are not rechartering?

I believe its their choice to recharter but our council will not recharter a troop with less then 5 boys...  

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Contact your:
Unit Commissioner
District Executive.

Institutional Head
 

Make arrangements to transfer property and funds to the chartered partner.

 

Ensure all youth transfer out with up to date records.

Edited August 7, 2017 by John-in-KC

[Back Pack]

Clearly there's no UC or they'd already know.

[SSScout]

Treasury? Have a final picnic/campout. Use the funds "for the boys". The remainder goes to the Charter Org.

Equipment? Ask the IH and COR if they really want the tents, cook kits, etc. If not, get their OK to parcel them out to the new Troops. Seems right to me. Who would buy them , after all? Craigs List? eBay? You could do that , I suppose.

Anything else? When the boys are happily transferred to the other Troops, take the Troop flag, sign it, and present it to the final Scoutmaster or IH as a thank you for their service. Depart with memories, not remorse. It was a good run, yes? Any wall decorations, plaques, does the CO want them as remembrance? Probably not. Pack them away, give them to whomever wants to keep them. DE? No... Commissioner? As was mentioned, no...

Sad day, but try to remember the good times.

 

See you on the trail....

Edited August 8, 2017 by RememberSchiff

[scoutldr]

Technically, all equipment and funds belong to the CO.  Really can't sell it without their permission.  According to the "Rules and Regulations", the DE should meet with the CO and determine their intent to recharter now or sometime in the future.  This really does not affect current members.  If you have an established troop to go to, contact them and submit a transfer application for each youth/adult.  Transfer fee is $1.  Then walk away and let Council and the old CO handle the details of the old troop.  You have already done the "Courteous" thing and advised them of your intent.  

[RememberSchiff]

Treasury? Have a final picnic/campout. Use the funds "for the boys". The remainder goes to the Charter Org.

Equipment? Ask the IH and COR if they really want the tents, cook kits, etc. If not, get their OK to parcel them out to the new Troops. Seems right to me. Who would buy them , after all? Craigs List? eBay? You could do that , I suppose.

Anything else? When the boys are happily transferred to the other Troops, take the Troop flag, sign it, and present it to the final Scoutmaster or IH as a thank you for their service. Depart with memories, not remorse. It was a good run, yes? Any wall decorations, plaques, does the CO want them as remembrance? Probably not. Pack them away, give them to whomever wants to keep them. DE? No... Commissioner? As was mentioned, no...

Sad day, but try to remember the good times.

See you on the trail....

Uggh i hit red arrow by mistake. Maybe i can fix later on a pc. Sorry, i agreeuhh

 

@@Back Pack with the save. Thanks.

Edited August 8, 2017 by RememberSchiff

[Col. Flagg]

Technically, all equipment and funds belong to the CO.  Really can't sell it without their permission.

 

Money bet says the CO has no clue about that, nor would they care. Just tell them you are selling the gear or donating it and ask if they agree.

[SouthernTierScouter]

Make sure you help the boys transition into another troop. That should be top on the list!

[Ankylus]

Sorry to hear that. The troop I grew up in disbanded, too. Very sad. 

[Sentinel947]

Take care of your current Scouts, make the transition as seamless as you can. A troop is just a vehicle for serving boys. Sometimes a particular troop runs its course. I hope that never happens to my Troop, but chances are it might. 

[Jeff5521]

Thanks for the feedback... I emailed the Unit Commissioner and COR to let them know what was going on.   The COR said he would see if anyone is available to take over.  I'm not holding out much hope for that. 

 

As far as selling the equipment we are not going down that road.  We will simply turn it all over to the CO and let them start back up the troop down the road or dispose of it all as they see fit.

 

One question, as the treasurer I have a stack of receipts, bank statements and other paperwork.  Should I just turn that all over to the CO in case they need it?   Again I'm closing out the bank account unless the CO can provide someone else to put the name on the account and get my name off of it.  I don't want a bank account hanging around attached to my name until the CO restarts the troop years down the road.

[CalicoPenn]

Don't close the account until after you have personally talked to the COR.  The CO may not want the account closed - they may just want to take the current signatories off the account and have new ones on the account.  You should also make arrangements to turn over all the financial records to the COR.  It is their Troop, their bank account and their financial records.  If they want new signatories on the bank account, stick around long enough to follow-up to make sure they have taken you off the account.

[fred johnson]

You need to let the CO know, but I'd reflect the shut down similar to how the CO supported the troop.  If you have an active CO, involve them.  If not, I wouldn't grow the relationships at this time. 

 

IMHO, one of the nicest way I've seen this done is a troop brings equipment to roundtable or sends a message to near by troops about extra equipment.  The only sale I'd see is selling the trailer.  Or give the trailer to a troop that doesn't have one. 

 

I know our CO knows nothing about our budget or equipment.  If our troop folded, they would want nothing to do with the equipment.  Nothing.  Money is a different issue.  But we'd spend down on the scouts involved in the unit.  Perhaps if scouts joined a different unit, the money would go with those scouts ... either as a donation or as a scout account.

[scoutldr]

Any time the signatories on the bank account change, there should be an audit by the CO and Troop Committee.  This is for your protection.

[Eagle69]

" According to the "Rules and Regulations", the DE should meet with the CO and determine their intent to recharter now or sometime in the future."

 

Ha, ha. 11 Years ago I shut down a troop that had been chartered for 43 straight years and never heard a word from the District or Council professionals.  I keep the gear in storage for several years hoping we would restart until the CO said we need the space and the gear has to go.  I gave some of it away to other troops and since I had associated with a new troop I gave them first dibs on gear they wanted out of our stock.  We had some gear that was specifically used by the leaders (tent, stove, cook set, lantern) and I took that myself for payment of 28 years as SM.