MajBob

Out troop has weekly dues collected by the Scribe. This is a relatively new process, and a couple of the families - yes - the parents - are rebelling by not allowing their scouts to pay the dues. Three or foru of the scouts, in fact, are 17 and 18 weeks in arrears. All of the other scouts are current, and seem to have no problems with it. (The parents in opposition are former SM and committee members - who had a 'No Dues, Period!' policy - and generally object to the notion of dues . . . Our Troop bylaws state that scouts who are not paid current may not participate in troop activitie

Dear Welilissit, Thank you for your sage advice. I for one, need to keep that distinction in mind when working in and around the troop. Our oldest scout is about ready to turn 15, and there are unrealistic expectations on these young boys. Our SM has been in place for about the limit that you mention - Committee Chair has been in place for about the same. Neither has sons in the troop any longer - all 5 of them have made Eagle Scout and movet on to adulthod. So they are both easily distracted and overworked. But rather than ask for help, they let things slide down in that

Thanks to all of you who have provided valuable advice. I will present a summary of your ideas to the commetee when it meets next Tuesday. I continue to marvel at the incredible value of this forum, as well as the willingness of so many 'seasoned' members to share ideas with us 'greenhorns'. Thanks again. Cheers! Bob Hendry Troop 908 Southern Maryland (Zekiah District)

We are haveing some confusion in our troop, mainly among the adults, about who and how troop meeting agenda are set. Because of (fill in the blank) ______________, PLCs are rarely held. Five out of the last 6 troop meetings have been "planning" meetings where no other activities have tken place - the boys 'plan' from immediately after the opening ceremony until immediately before the close. (the 6th meeting was the Court of Honor, and the 2 meetings prior to that were devoted to planning that!) The response we newer members get from the old timers is along the lines that "this is a boy

Greetings from Southern Maryland! Can anyone advise me of BSA policy regarding customized troop t-shirts? Our troop would like to have some made-up to be worn as a class B uniform shirt. Are there any published policies which limit or advise in any way? Is there a difference between class B uniform shirts and 'activity shirts'? Can we extend the t-shirt idea to sweatshirts? Neckerchives? Hats? I have seen all of the above worn by various troops at jamborees, scout nights, and other places/events. Are they all legit? They almost always look great! Also, is t

Thanks to all for the links to some terrific graphics sites. I found what I was looking for. Kahuna, Thanks for the advice. I shall 'cast away my fears', and just have fun . . . Cheers! Bob H Troop 908

Greetings, Guess who is the new website advisor? We do not have a website, and we are starting from scratch. I have seen a number of great Troop sites, and have suggeted that those scouts interested in webmastering go out and review several sites to determine which kinds of information would best serve our scouting community. It is becomming clear that I will have to build a strawman site, and then have the scouts give a go /no-go. (We would lkike to have it up by the end of the year.) I will probably use Frontpage 2003 because I have it. Does anyone knbow if there are copyr

At last night's troop meeting, I overheard a heated debate between a parent and her scout, and a committee member, regarding the checklists that are printed in the scout handbook. There are a number of checklists throughout the handbook, but the discussion was focused on the checklists in the back of the handbook that list the requirements of the next rank. On the right is a line for the initials and on the left is a small box for checking off the requirements as they are met. Who initials-off and who checks-off these requirements? One party maintained that the SM does both, the second

Dear eisely & Vicki, I agree with eisely - the preparation is the hardest part. I _could_ add that the colonoscopy in more analagous to drinking warm beer, while the audit is like drinking a bottle of Texas Pete - it can continue to frustrate after the fact . . . But I won't go there! Cheers. Bob Hendry Troop 908

Thanks, Kurt.

Dear Vicki, Thank you for you good advice. I am very appreciative. I am also treasurer for a couple of Political Action Committees, and get audited by both the State Board of Elections as well as federal audit agencies, so I am, not so much 'gun shy' as 'audit aware'. So in my ignorance of BSA policy, I tend to go the the extreme. In my former life, I ran an internal audit division in the Army - another reason why I tend to be a stickler . . . ANd I would really like to simplify this to the level necessary - and no more! I will indeed bring what I have gained from this threa

Sage advice indeed! What is generally the upper limit on checks before two signatures are required? Also, is $50.00 normally the SM petty cash limit? Just a couple more questions: It is clear to me that as treasurer, my job is to account for and manage the finances for the troop. Does this typically include the Venture Crew? (We are currently a very small troop and a very small Venture Crew; about 10 total kids) And to whom do I report most directly; the SM or the CC? At the last troop meeting, a scout who had been inactive since Christmas came back with a $50.00 d

A while back, AK-Eagle mentioned the WOSM eStore. Can anybody tell me what that is and how I can get in touch with them? Thanks. Bob Hendry

I am the treasurer of my son's troop. We just started using TroopLedger ME to track all finances. While going back through the manual records, I discovered that at one point in time, the troop setup passbook accounts for each scout and for each parent/adult-friend of the troop. Does anyone else use separate accounts for adults? I am inclined to proposed that these accounts not be continued and that the funds raised by the adults go into their sons' accounts or into the general fund. Has anyone else faced this? How do most of you deal with adults and fundraisers? Does BSA have any

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. You have been most helpful, and I really appreciate hearing the experiences of others more steeped in the culture of the BSA than I. I am also treasurer for a political action committee, where we use a Request for Disbursement form. The requestor provides a description of the purpose of the disburse, attaches itemized receipts, and/or the bill. After PAC President signs the request, as approval, she forwards it to me for disbursement. This process has been commended by several external auditors. Would something similar to this work in L