OnLine Petition to call Special SCCA Meeting on Club Finances

[peterzekert]

Are you concerned with SCCA Club Funds being used to finance SCCA Pro and/or Enterprises?

Please go to http://www.petitiononline.com/PZ89532/petition.html to view and sign an online petition directing the SCCA Board of Directors to call a special meeting on Club Finances [as outlined in the SCCA Bylaws].

Thank you, Peter Zekert, Petition Author

PS. Please spread the word to any "non computer" members [a paper petition is available] and to other sites where SCCA members post.

[peterzekert]

Apr. 6 Update: After 3 weeks, more than 700 Members have signed the petition. [570 Members have signed the on line version of the petition and between 150-200 have signed the paper form of the petition.]

Please discuss this petition with your local SCCA region members, your regional board and your area board members. Thank you, Peter Zekert, petition author

[RSTPerformance]

I think that SCCA Pro and/or Enterprises is a vital part of SCCA, and I see no reason to have a special meeting, other than for those interested to better understand where our money goes...

However I firmly believe a majority of the people on your petition probably have no clue as to where a majority of thier money sent to SCCA such as entry fees for events goes. Try going to a local comp board meeting to learn where most of the money goes, I think you will be suprised. SCCA in Topeka doesn't earn that much from us regional guys...

Get involved as a volunteer, if you still have questions, ask those that you have networked with within the organization.

After getting involved I bet you will see that you are asking people to waste thier time educating those who have little interest in adding value to the overall club.

If I am wrong and thier is a real issue, please tell me, as I am more involved than most (so I know a lot) but much less involved than the 10% that make things go (so I don't know everything!!!).

Raymond "Please educate me on what the issue is" Blethen

[pgipson]

If I am wrong and thier is a real issue, please tell me[/b]

I, for one, think you're right.

The national office exists (in my view) to do a few things that are better done as a large group or that apply consistently to all members. Some examples are a first class insurance program that covers all members, guests and property owners at sanctioned events; National Championship events conducted for the club programs; licensing and rules mantained in a consistent manner across all club entities.

But there exists a group that believe that the club has no business building race cars or conducting professional events.

In the end, there will always be people that think they can make better decisions than the ones being made. The internet has just given them a louder voice. Doesn't mean it's a smarter message.

Or, as a writer from the 1920's put it
Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible."
--Frank Moore Colby; American encyclopaedia editor and essayist

[AntonioGG]

The issue is not necessarily whether we should be in pro racing or building race cars, the issue is how those entities are managed, whether they can stand alone, and whether club racing money should be "loaned" or "invested" in those organizations to the tune of several million dollars. Thankfully Eric is now at Enterprises and he seems to be doing the right things. I don't know about pro racing though.

How about this one for asking the right questions...why were insurance fees raised when there was a $100k insurance surplus in 2004?

I think a big part of the reason why people are so interested, is that when information is asked for we are turned down or the question is deflected.

[tom_sprecher]

At present I do not have enough information to pass judgement on whether National is doing a good job or not. Is it possible to look at the books for 2004? It would be interesting to see exactly how my money is spent.

As far as regional club and national races I can say that from what I have seen of my region's budget the vast majority of all income ends up offsetting expenses incurred by hosting races.

Besides insurance I am not sure what I get for the $55 portion of my dues that goes to National or the sanction fees charged the region for a race. For one thing I would like to see the National and Regional portion of my dues reversed so the majority goes where I can use it.

I strongly feel if any section of National can not stand on its own financially it needs to be eliminated. If your region could not cover its bills the same would occur so why should National be any different?

[lateapex911]

Well, the "books" are (were) published as a CPA statement in Sportscar yearly.

Now, I have to tell you that I am probably more likely to read Greek effectively, but it looked to me that what i have heard about both Pro Racing and Enterprises losses are indeed continuing, and are significant.

There are lots of arguements as to why the club portion funds the losses of the Pro portion, such as exposure and advertising benefits, but it's certainly not clear, nor expalined in any easy to find manner to the average club racer, AFAIK.....

[bldn10]

I for one do not think SCCA should be building and selling race cars. I haven't seen the books but I understand that Enterprises has cost us lots of money over the years and owes SCCA a chunk of change. But that aside, it is a conflict of interest because Enterprises creates a car like the FSCCA and then the Club ends up breaking long-standing rules/precedent in giving that car/class preferential treatment to protect its investment and its accounts receivable. On top of that SCCA gets sued for antitrust by manufacturers of competing cars that are legislated out of the class, again to protect the Enterprises car. Our class rules and car classifications should be dictated by what the Membership wants to race and nothing else.

[JWiley]

I also agree that The Club has no business building and selling race cars;
my initial reaction to the FSCCA cars was "Why is SCCA essentially duplicating
cars already in existence?" One only need look back at the Shelby Can-Am debacle of
15 years ago or so to see the woeful lack of common sense and business acumen that
Enterprises seems to possess; they got bailed out with our dollars that time, too. May just
be a little touch of personal paranoia, but I have always felt that National was a bit autocratic
for what is supposed to be a grassroots organization. Not to change the subject, but has anyone
else ever been peeved that they charge an outrageous "Special Handling Fee" of an extra $125.00 to process an overnight return of a license renewal? I'd expect to pay for shipping, but just exactly
what is their main and normal function if not this this?

James Wiley

[ITANorm]

. . . has anyone else ever been peeved that they charge an outrageous "Special Handling Fee" of an extra $125.00 to process an overnight return of a license renewal? I'd expect to pay for shipping, but just exactly
what is their main and normal function if not this this?[/b]

It's called a "deterrent fee". IOW: get your act together beforehand, and don't cause them a pain - or you'll pay.

[tom_sprecher]

Don't bother with overnight as I got mine in 3 days. I guess the feeling is if they have to drop everything to provide special processing for your mistake and inconsiderate delay of the receipt of everyone else's license that you shall pay dearly. And so you should.

National should only be there to arrange for insurance, issue the various licenses and maintain the GCR. Everthing else is a waste of our money and serves no other purpose that to realize the agendas of a few people that do not have our best interests at heart. If you don't feel this way replace "our" with "my" in the previous sentence.

BTW sanction fees for a single - $450, a double - $750, a national - $1150. Now, I don't know what the rest of the counrty has for a schedule but in the SEDiv there is an event on average just about every weekend except Dec. and Jan. Not a lot of money but not chump change either. Then there's the dues and fees and required decals and patches and even "special handling fees". I bet it adds up to quite a stack.