The Finance Committee will soon prepare a draft budget for the Board of Trustees. The budget will reflect our estimates of recurring costs, some discretionary changes such as salary increases, and will attach a list of all requested changes submitted to us. Our draft budget will reflect the Board’s guidance to keep it flat yet open to strategical priorities. As those of you who attended the midyear update learned, next year will have higher costs, primarily due to a full-time called minister, inflation and staff salaries. We have been stashing unanticipated income in a special account to help us meet those costs. We will not have much, if any, room for new items, yet we believe it is important to stay open to emerging strategic priorities.
As the Finance Committee starts this process, we seek input from the congregation on strategic priorities that the Finance Committee and Board should consider, in the general environment of a flat budget. Please send your suggestions to the Finance Committee. To help us, please be as specific as possible on: 1) what the funding is for, 2) why it’s a strategic priority, and if income is involved, 3) where the income will come from. To help you, the current budget is attached HERE. Send your email to finance@wsuu.org. If you don’t use email, you can deliver it to the Finance Committee box in the Office, put it in the offering basket on Sunday, or give it to Alan Mendel or myself.
send your input to the Finance Committee by March 8. You will have another opportunity to weigh in on the budget when the Board begins their work later in April, and of course to review and comment on the Board’s proposed budget in late April and early May. The Finance Committee’s work is just the first phase.
Thank you!
Paula vanHaagen
Finance Committee Chair