[Businessmtg] Review of ASP's Motions and Financial Obligations

[logmark at comcast.net]

(For those who have not been with us long....) 

  

Following my actions as ASP Treasurer of having donated ASP's Excess Funds 

for a particular quarter to the WSO as I felt I was required, the following 

Motion was discussed and passed in  ASP's Business Meeting:   

  

______________________________________________________________________________ 

Motion # 5 



"It is moved that no funds be disbursed to any Al-Anon entity until such time as the prudent reserve & disbursement of excess funds issues have been resolved by group conscience. Funds for the operating expenses of ASP shall continue to be disbursed normally." 



Moved by Steve, seconded by Ed G., Thu 10/11/2007 8:51 PM ET 
PASSED : 12 for, 0 against 

  

The Business meeting then took up half the question left unresolved as follows: 

  

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Motion #6 

"It is moved that ASP's Prudent Reserve be set at one calendar year's expenses." 


Moved by Jerry, seconded by Beth - Fri 1/18/2008 5:53 PM ET 
PASSED: 20 for, 1 against Moved by Jerry, seconded by Beth - Fri 1/18/2008 5:53 PM ET 
PASSED: 20 for, 1 against 

    

  

It is clear that Motion #5 - passed unanimously in 2007 - states the two parts 

then in need of resolution. The first part was resolved by 2008's Motion #6 which 

- unanimously - defines our Prudent Reserve as one year's expenses. Motion #6 

by deduction also defines our Excess: everything over our P.R. It is only the 

question of to which Al-Anon entity the now-defined Excess Funds should go which remains 

on our table and we seem to have that decision made already by acclimation, but maybe 

I'm wrong. 

  

By definition Al-Anon Family Groups, upon registration, agree to abide by Al-Anon 

Principles. AFG is a Registered AFG . We are therefore obliged to support our 

service arms once our individual group's needs are met. As an on-line AFG we 

have no service arm except the WSO. In many past years our needs were met 

with substantial funds left over which we failed to disburse. 

  

Further, ASP notes to members calling for donations ("Passing the Basket") regularly 

mentioned support of both ASP and Al-Anon as a whole. Even further every AFG member 

who attends f2f meetings and pays attention is aware of this support obligation. 

To state that this is not the case demonstrates a disregard for all the knowledge 

and information available to each of us in Al-Anon in our CAL. 

  

Now some wish to mine this build up of past excess donations for new projects. I see 

our obligation as now returning to our Financial Statement and calculating how much 

should have been donated had we followed ASP Principles in the first place. Take 

either year-end figures of Excess Funds one by one, add them up and cut the check. 

Better yet, take each quarter's Excess Fund number and add those up for the final amount. 

  

We ought do what we said we'd do. 

  

Future increases in our Prudent Reserve should come after new expenses are approved 

and calculated into a new P.R. The Excess Funds being held for donation for all these 

past years until we could agree on where they should go should not now be dispensed 

on future projects. That, by another word, would be called fraud. Bait and switch. 

As the ASP Treasurer for most of the period in question (5 years,) I can not be a part 

of continuing this misrepresentation. 

  

Jerry 

-