2008 Journal Cover Pages.pub - Wisconsin Conference United ...

2008 Wisconsin Conference Journalon parishes and individual pastors to plan and coordinate the simultaneous and sequentialmoves needed to maintain itinerancy. Most moves are billed directly to the Conference, soneither local parishes nor pastors are required to pay large amounts on moving day.Information1. The Conference Moving Policy (Section 20.0.0 of the Conference Rules) describesour support of household moves for pastors and Conference staff. Important limitationsand cautions are included (Sec. 20.2.3, ff.) to clarify the extent and financial limits of theMoving Expense Fund. The policy and current information are provided to persons whoare moving. The Moving Director also advises those who request an alternate professionalmover, support for a self-move, or have unusual circumstances.2. Budget & Expenses.Budget: At the beginning of each calendar year when the Moving Director is expected tosubmit a budget to the Commission on Finance & Administration (CF&A) for the movesneeded for the next calendar year, at least six months before the current moves are talliedand a year before the number of retirements can be counted. As a substitute, conferencemoving data have been compiled and are used to make 20-,10-, and 5-year statisticalprojections for the number of moves 2 years in the future. Average costs for the most recentyear, current trends and moving industry information (such as fuel surcharges, increasingservice and packing costs), and consultation with the Cabinet are used to arrive at theestimated cost submitted to CF&A.Expenses: The Moving Director receives all estimates and invoices from professionalmovers and the reimbursement requests from individual pastors. The estimates are reviewedfor unusual and questionable charges such as the intention to . Whenever possible, they arepursued with the movers and/or person moving. Likewise, “weight additives” and bulkyitem surcharges prohibited by Conference rules (cited above) are called to the attention ofthe person moving. Requests for reimbursement of the cost of packing materials, self-moverentals , etc. are reviewed. Once questionable items are clarified, vouchers are preparedand sent to the Conference Treasurer for payment.Based on the cost of our professional moves within the Conference during 2007, theexcess weight charge-back rate for 2008 will be $36.00 per CWT (36¢ per pound).3. Moving Costs. Perhaps due to the decreasing number of moves in each of the previousthree years and CF&A’s urging of fiscal restraint; the Moving Expense Fund budget for2007 was set at $189,800. Instead, there was a 37.5% increase in the number of moves, anda 17% increase in the average cost per move. Thus, the 2007 total cost was $239,981.In this table each appointed member of a clergy couple and staff couple is counted in the“Nr. Moved” and used to find the average. The total cost for each year includes the MovingDirector Administration cost. Reimbursements to the Conference for excess weight andpacking charges, mentioned in 2.(above) and shown in the following tables, occasionallycontinue into the following year and are not included in this accounting. Although fuel costswere again unstable during most of 2007, Graebel Van Lines, Inc. continued to honor theirwaiver of fuel surcharges for moves within Wisconsin. However, because fuel surchargesdo apply to interstate shipments, we have been obliged to pay them for our interstate moves.In 2005 they added $400 to our total cost. With surcharges 12% to 18% in 2006, fuel costs252 Reports of Boards and Agencies