dons2346

Spuds. the problem is that this vote will change the charter I hope people that decide to not renew or ask for a refund let it be known why. Not on this board but via a phone call to Cincinnati.

Carl, it is now to late to send in a vote. If you read the ballot page, it says that"BALLOT MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT BY NOVEMBER 30, 2017" Now can you say "welcome trailers"?

Carl, Bob Lee just passed away a few weeks ago. It is his brother Ron Lee that is driving the newest and last Country Coach built. I have seen pictures of it and it is ugly as a mud fence . Real retro in the colors and just plain old ugly

The two large manufacturers are Flexsteel and Villa. They make a range of chairs but the hard part is finding enough of the different models in one place to try them all out. Our first coach had Flexsteel and they were ok for 100 to 200 miles a day. Our Villa seats are good for up to 800 miles a day when I need to but usually we do 300-350 nowdays

I would not like to see a running tally. Depending on the way the votes are swinging, a running tally could convince some members that there is no use in voting and they won't

Close the thread. It is obvious that you delete whatever you don't want to hear therefore making you a dictator and we don't need it. Oh, by the way, I sent you a question as to why one of my posts was deleted. You haven't the courtesy of a reply. Could you explain that?

Chris, the info I stated about the positive years was stated to me by two past AVPs that were in office at the time. Guess you can't trust any info received from those that were in charge. Did this happen following the change in the way active members are counted? The idea for towables was never presented to the GB, there was nothing ever said about any "study". All that was put to us by Charlie during one of his "workshops" before the GB meeting was that we need to change our articles so that FMCA can explore other areas of the rv industry. Out of the blue the following motion was brought to the floor with the following discussion: Ken Carpenter, F312233, with the Diesel RV Club chapter, moved to authorize the Executive Board to initiate and supervise the amendment of the purpose statement in the Articles of Incorporation so that it is as broad as possible to avoid an overly restrictive constraint on FMCA’s mission (which may evolve over time) and activities in serving the needs and expectations of its members. The motion was seconded and discussion followed. The current Articles of Incorporation were briefly reviewed. A question was raised regarding whether the Governing Board or Executive Board would be deciding whether to allow towable vehicles. It was answered that it would eventually be a Governing Board decision. A question was raised regarding whether the bottom line intent of the motion was to allow towables into FMCA. It was answered that that is not the ultimate question, but this motion opens the door. A question was raised regarding how much the cost would be to change the Articles of Incorporation. It was answered that it would be less than $10,000. Several members spoke in favor of the motion. The answer as to who will make the ultimate decision on allowing towables is wrong, the final decision is in the hands of the total membership thus the ballot in the magazine. The money to be given to rVillage started out at the amount of $500,000! and the owner said he could gain us 7,000 new members. That amount was later reduced to $250,000 thanks to a few AVPs. At the time of this happening (May,2016) rVillage had approximately 44,900 members. (Todays rVillage says they have 75,000). Not quite the 150% as you state. Unless something has happened, there is no way to tabulate the number of new members FMCA has received as a direct result of rVillage

" ................... I firmly believe we need to vote with the recommendation of the Board. They have studied the issues involved and know the subjects much better than I could ever do so nor want to do so at this stage of my life. I believe they are good well meaning people who want the very best for this organization................... " Sundance, here is the problem with your analogy. There was zero study done on the subject of "recreation vehicles" becoming a part of FMCA. From here on out, I'll use "towable". Not one towable club or manufacturer was contacted about this endeavor, not one. This was brought about by one person and one only. In fact this person, at one of his rallies had a towable show up. He took his treasurer over to the trailer and told him he was not welcome and the treasurer wrote a check for the rally fees and he was told to leave. Now all of a sudden he thinks this is the greatest idea since sliced bread. Another example of the executive board using bad judgement is the giving of $250,000 to the owner of rVillage, a facebook wanna be. The so called details of the gift is that FMCA will supposedly receive 5% interest on the money OR the owner has the option to issue FMCA stock in the company which is supposed to happen in 2019. This info was found out when I requested a copy of the current annual audit. It had to be covered there to justify the $250,000. You might think this is great in that we will get something however our investments are regulated by our Policy & Procedures. Those tell the organization what investments can be invested in. One that we cannot invest in is private stock. rVillage is not listed on any stock exchange. During the last GB meeting I questioned the then treasurer about the 5% interest and had we received it yet. The treasurer informed the entire GB that the "money is gone". Not one member of the GB stood up and raised any issue with it. Any member can get any document from FMCA by calling and asking to talk to "membership services". You can get meeting minutes from any meeting, monthly treasurer reports, etc.

Oh,, it will get counted, don't worry about it.

Well let me throw this out there. Policy & Procedure 1001 details the procedure for balloting on changes to the constitution of which you are balloting on for change. Please read under "Submission to the Membership" item number two ( 2) where it says that the ballot shall be mailed to the CPA in an envelope on which the member has signed his or her name and FMCA number indicating that the envelope contains a ballot from a voting member. I will bet you a dollar to a donut that there has not been one ballot submitted that that meets those requirements. POLICY To adopt any change in the Constitution, an affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes returned by the membership is required. Amendments adopted take effective immediately, and are to be published in the FMCA publication. PROCEDURE Submitting Proposals 1. A proposal to amend the Constitution may be initiated by the Governing Board, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, the Executive Board, or by a petition signed by twenty memberships. 2. Proposed amendments with rationale shall be clearly set forth in writing. 3. Proposals shall be sent to the Secretary and a duplicate to the President. Preliminary Consideration The text of any proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be referred to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for its review. The Committee shall present proposed Constitution amendments to the Executive Board for its review, discussion and comment. The proposal, along with any recommendations, shall then be forwarded to the Governing Board. Submission to the Membership 1. If approved by the Governing Board, the text of a proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership of FMCA by publication of its text in the FMCA publication, along with an appropriate ballot. 2. Ballots shall be mailed to FMCA’s certified public accountant in an envelope on which the voting member has signed his or her name and FMCA membership number indicating that the envelope contains a ballot from a voting member. Action on Referenda Ninety days from the magazine’s mailing date, the ballots returned shall be validated, counted, and the results announced. Special Actions The Constitution and Bylaws Committee may make corrections to the Constitution for the sole purpose of eliminating or correcting clerical or typographical errors without prior notice.

First thing is that FMCA is not a "club". This guy has no clue

The projected cost of the Assist program is a little under $12/yr and that is per F number. Most numbers have at least two people on that number. Back when we voted to raise dues, 5 bucks, people came unglued. The largest gain in membership was in the two years that we didn't have any type of assist program.

Say good bye Bill

The message basically is that if we don't let towables into FMCA, the organization will fold. This is simply not true. Everyone keeps talking about "towables". The fact is the proper wording is "recreation vehicles". I know there is some wording about wheeled, self contained, sleeping area, etc as being the accepted definition of a "recreation vehicle" however those words do not appear anywhere in the proposed document changes. Therefore, someone with a seadoo, boat, or motorcycle could challenge the association in court for being denied membership. Another thing to consider is your chapter. You determine who can join or not. Lets say that your chapter declines membership to a "towable". Could your club be left on the hook for discrimination? Very possible. My chapter is brand specific along with a few others so if we don't allow a "towable" because they are not covered in our bylaws, are we also on the hook for possible legal action by a disgruntled person? Also, has anyone put any thought as to the cost of implementing the new paperwork? NO

Carl, I envision a magazine full of trailers

I just completed a 6,000 mile tow on a '13 WK2 with zero problems

Yup, same here

Allan, it is to late to change anything in the articles of incorporation or the constitution on this round of balloting. What was put to the GB was exactly as you see it in the magazine so that is what you have to vote on. The definition of a recreation vehicle had not even been thought of by the executive board. Adcock, had what he calls a "workshop" where all the details that were overlooked in the beginning are brought up to solve. The definition was conjured up at this workshop. During discussions, I brought up the fact that I could join FMCA with a 26 foot Nordic Tug (a boat that costs more than most motorhomes) and that is when the "wheeled vehicle" portion came about. Anyway, the definition you have read was decided on as a way and method to be used to keep a seadoo, boats, bicycles, etc from joining until something "official" can be proposed at the next GB meeting. My concern is that seeing as how this definition is not in any official FMCA document, it could very easily lead to legal action if someone really wants to push the issue. Something else that probably hasn't been thought of is someone joining up and saying I have a Newell or whatever. How is the ownership of a recreation vehicle going to be determined? No one really knows what a member owns. Plus the fact that if you ever owned a motorhome and later traded for a 5th wheel, you can still remain a FMCA member. I have seen a number of trailers with the goose egg on them during our travels I like boating and motorhoming. I have found the perfect recreation vehicle for my needs. Don't worry, I will be replacing the propane tank with a wheel.

" I wonder if I could get a prorated dues refund? " Mike, FMCA does not prorate dues. The only way you would get a refund is if you paid for more than one year. Then you would be eligible to get a refund of those "unused"years. Bottom line is you will remain a member until the time you do not renew your membership

Bill, I wonder where you come from. You keep talking about who owns this "business" Do you not know who "owns" this business? News for you, it is everyone on this forum and the rest of the members of FMCA that "own" this "business". So, in reality, it is your JOB to do something instead of pontificate here on the forum Everyone keeps harping about the money issue. Bad news for everyone, FMCA is NOT BROKE and going under water. Why don't some of you read the financials? If you don't have them or know where to look for them, you can call Cincinnati and request the latest

James, as the proposal is written, there will be no differentiation between towables and motorcoaches. If you read the proposal, you will see that you will be voting on changing the wording of the documents from "motorhome" or "motorcoach" to "recreational vehicles". that is all. Any other changes will have to be done by the governing board at a later date. If you join FMCA, you should get an "F" number, period. By giving out some other designation would cause more problems than it would solve as there would appear to be two or more "classes" of membership. One type of membership is plenty. Now, did you know that there are a number of "towables" already a member of FMCA? Yup, it is true and it was done legally. If you at one time had a motorhome and joined FMCA and later traded for a towable, you can retain your membership as an associate member. A lot of people do not know this. In my vast travels I have seen a number of trailers with the goose egg on the back. I always check the back of any RV I see on the road and sometimes the wife hauls out the computer to check who belongs to the goose egg.

" So, I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist over this article. " No knickers twisted here. It just gets me that people call Good Sam a "club". There is zero club about it. Those that belong have nothing to say about how GS is run. None of those listed allow their "members" to have anything to say about how the organizations are run. FMCA on the other hand is not a club of any kind.

You are correct Carl. It was told to the membership in the Dec. 2016 magazine that towables would be a separate entity. Don't believe for one minute that it was the entire executive board that made the wording change to the documents. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't see the trouble with coming up with a separate charter. Just take ours and change the words like they did and there you go! Now FMCA will be an over priced Good Sam "Club"

Herman, I didn't miss it, just another fairy tale from old Marcus

Looks like whoever wrote the article didn't do their homework. To quote from the Good Sam "Club" " Membership includes RV assistance such as emergency towing services for all of your vehicles including cars. This can help reduce your car maintenance costs as well. It also provides full coverage RV insurance for the RV and your assets when you are travelling. Plus, the club provides an extended service plan that enables a member to continue with their vacation if the RV breaks down. With all of these benefits, an RV owner should consider this the first club to join. " GS does not provide RV assistance with their 20 buck membership, you have to pay extra for it. GS does not provide insurance coverage, you pay dearly for it. They do not provide for an extended service plan unless you pay for it. In reading the blurb, it sounds like you get all this stuff for the cost of membership. There is no "club" about GS. They are a for profit organization and the "members" have zero say as to the operation of the "club"