Number of Councils in the US

[Apache Bob]

This weekend I was discussing the Scouting program with a friend who is not in Scouting. In the course of our conversation he asked me how many councils are in the USA.

I had no idea. When I got home I googled it - got no answer. Then to the National site - no answer.

Does anyone out there know or can tell me where to look to find the answer?

Thanks

 

[AlFansome]

It's right around 299 or 300 at this point, if I counted right.

 

Go to myscouting.scouting.org, login with your username and password, and click on "Update my profile" on the left. At the bottom of the next screen is a place where you can enter your council and membership number. The Council drop-down list contains all councils (plus council numbers) along with National and the regions.

 

Couldn't find any other official list on a BSA site, however.

 

 

[Apache Bob]

Thanks AIFansome. It's so simple where you know where to look.

Yours in Scouting

[oldisnewagain1]

With the way councils are merging, I not sure you could get an accurcate number right now.

 

For example, if I go into myscouting.scouting.org and try to find my council, it is not listed. (It does list my old council and we were merged with another council over a year ago.)

[jhankins]

Two years ago when I last saw the council list it was just over 300.

[BadenP]

To give another perspective, in the 1980's there were 500- 600 councils in the USA and we are less than half that number today. Part of the reason was supposedly for economic reasons however the reality is it was mainly due to fiscal mismanagement by the council SE's many of whom have little experience or training in managing money or properties. Thats one reason why we are seeing a plethora of council camps and properties being sold nationally, so the councils can dig themselves out of debt created by years of poor management.

 

My question is how many more councils will bite the dust under Mazzuca's term, I have worked for him and know his background and management style, personally I do not see the situation getting better anytime soon. Of the four councils I have been associated with over the years only one is still in exsistence.(This message has been edited by BadenP)

[jhankins]

Bob has turned over the majority of national council operations to Jim Terry and Gary Butler, both guys I've only met and interacted with on occasion, but they were quite tenacious! I really like Wayne Brock. He seemed sincere and organized and he's got a clear vision of operations that I didn't get from Bob.

[eaglescout1996]

Wayne Brock was our long time SE in Central Florida Council (about 13 years), and did a lot for the Council. I remember seeing somewhere when he left about 5 years when he was promoted to Regional Director that the number of youth served tripled in the time he was there.

 

I really liked his style and he loved Scouting and the voluteers and youth in CFLC thought very highly of him.

[John-in-KC]

Jim Terry (Chief Eagle from the Sun in the Tribe of Mic-o-Say) was the SE at Heart of America Council from the late 90s to 2005 or so. I've worked down his food chain as a volunteer. He is one tremendous orator, with skills on the order of the Great Chief Lone Bear, Roe Bartle (who went from being SE of KC Council to Mayor of Kansas City).

 

Jim led the effort to recapitalize our properties. Theodore Naish Scout Reservation was fully renovated on his watch. It's a beautiful property, and is approaching the point of having more demands for use than facility available throughout the program year. Where it was once outside the KC metro, it's now wilderness inside the major urban area.

 

Our capital campaign also redeveloped the staff villages at the H Roe Bartle Scout Reservation. They were due and overdue this! Finally, he built in a maintenance endowment into the campaign, so facilities would not be dependent on annual fundraising for lifecycle maintenance.

 

Let me put it this way. There are folks in Kansas City who'd love to see Mr Terry retire (which we believe he will late this year) back to Kansas City, and there are folks who'd like him to be the Council Commissioner. He knows the content of the program every bit as much as he knows managing the business of Scouting.