To AGM - To AGM 2013-11-17
Option to Waive Membership Fee
Introduction
From: Michael Tänzer <michael.taenzer AT cacert.org> To: "'CAcert Inc. Secretary (Tomáš Trnka)'" <secretary AT cacert.org>, cacert-members AT lists.cacert.org Subject: Special Resolution: Option to Waive Membership Fee Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 03:16:48 +0100 Openpgp: id=9940BEF1 Dear Secretary, Dear Fellow Members, I'd like to propose the following resolution to be handled as a special resolution on the upcoming AGM: Add a paragraph to rule §9 (Fees and subscriptions) stating the following: (2) The committee may waive the membership fee on a case-by-case basis for members actively helping the community and facing a tense financial situation. Reasoning: We need the financial support stemming from membership fees but we also need to acknowledge that there are some situations where active community members can't afford the fee. Those members, while doing valuable work for CAcert, might then (by the current rules) be deprived of the voting rights at general meetings (the right to have a say in where CAcert is headed), and even be expelled from the association. The current CAcert board therefore would like to have the option to waive the fee on a case-by-case basis in such situations. This decision should always only concern a single member and currently outstanding membership fees and not automatically extend to the next years. So a yearly assessment of the situation would be neccessary. This is different from the discussion we had while back, that membership fees in general pose a problem in certain areas of the world. Back then we tried to find a general rule to solve the problem however we didn't come to any consensus which it should be. For me this indicates that there might not be a general rule that fits our needs or it's overly complex. That's why I propose a case-by-case board decision. However the general notion of when this exception may be applied is provided to give reasoning and clear expectations. Sorry, that the proposal comes in so late I was struggling with the exact wording. If you have any comments, I would be happy to hear about them. -- Have a nice rest of the weekend, Michael Tänzer