Q: Can you provide additional detail to the budget that was published in the pre-con booklet with respect to the breakdown of the Regional Budget for 2009?
A.
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Annapolis Southern Region: |
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Total Salaries: |
$586,709 |
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Total Benefits: |
$161,345 |
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Travel: |
$31,750 |
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Continuing Education: |
$7,850 |
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Regional Strategy Program: |
$27,000 |
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Administration: |
$9,384 |
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Telecommunications: |
$8,670 |
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Property & Equipment: |
$7,753 |
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Contingency: |
$2,000 |
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Total: |
$842,461 |
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Baltimore Region: |
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Total Salaries: |
$622,892 |
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Total Benefits: |
$171,805 |
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Travel: |
$39,750 |
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Continuing Education: |
$7,850 |
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Regional Strategy Program: |
$27,000 |
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Administration: |
$10,404 |
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Telecommunications: |
$11,730 |
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Property & Equipment: |
$1,750 |
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Contingency: |
$2,000 |
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Total: |
$895,181 |
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Washington Region: |
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Total Salaries: |
$608,043 |
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Total Benefits: |
$167,212 |
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Travel: |
$26,250 |
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Continuing Education: |
$8,050 |
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Regional Strategy Program: |
$27,000 |
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Administration: |
$11,424 |
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Telecommunications: |
$9,180 |
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Property & Equipment: |
$1,800 |
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Contingency: |
$2,000 |
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Total: |
$860,959 |
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Western Region: |
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Total Salaries: |
$586,709 |
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Total Benefits: |
$161,345 |
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Travel: |
$54,250 |
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Continuing Education: |
$7,850 |
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Regional Strategy Program: |
$27,000 |
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Administration: |
$12,954 |
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Telecommunications: |
$9,180 |
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Property & Equipment: |
$9,348 |
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Contingency: |
$2,000 |
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Total: |
$870,636 |
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Q.Can a person withdraw their PIP anytime before retirement?
A. A hardship withdrawal is subject to a 10% federal excise tax. However, participants can also withdraw all or part of their participant contribution when they reach age 59 ½ for any reason (not subject to excise tax). If they have a Rollover account, they can withdraw all or part for any reason - no questions asked. Listed below are the means by which participants can have access to their UMPIP account:
Q. What constitutes the changes in the Advocacy and Partnerships budget?
A. New partnerships in Russia, Latin America and additional support in Zimbabwe.
Q. Are budget increases determined by actual cost or by a percentage?
A. Actual cost limited by how much revenue it's anticipated the conference will raise.
Q. Who is in control of budget expenditures?
A. Once the budget is approved by CFA and the Annual Conference, senior managers within the conference center track spending within their teams according to the budgets they were given.
Q. How is the DS salary determined and what are the DS and Guide Salaries?
A. In 2007, the HR Director of the Conference worked with a professional HR consulting firm to study all staff salaries compared to their peers in the marketplace. Here were the findings and conclusions:
Q. What is the apportionment formula?
A. Total church expenses excluding mission expenses and capital expenses multiplied by the benevolence factor.
Q. How will the conference help insure it meets its collection target of 90% in 2009 and how does the conference address churches that are not meeting their apportionment payments?
A. The historical collection rate has been in excess of 90%, however, dropped to about 88% in 2007. In 2008, the rate is expected to return to 89% and then back to 90% in 2009. When a church does not meet its apportionment obligations the DS, local Pastor and local church leaders work together to understand the causes of non-payment and to formulate a plan to get back on track. The newly formed Connectional Giving Committee will also be working to understandapportionment issues and will consider policies and procedures as they relate to apportionment payments. The conference has also been dropping the benevolence factor resulting in a reduction in apportionments to local churches therefore easing the payment burden which should help improve the collection rate.
Q. Does the "New Conference Center Task Force" have a timeline under which it's operating that will ensure a timely completion of its work?
A. Yes, the task force is working towards a September/October 2008 deadline.
Q. Annual conference is expensive to attend, can anything be done to reduce those costs - perhaps a change in venue?
A. The cost of annual conference reflects the cost of the area in which the conference resides. Due to the need to reserve properties well in advance of events, we are committed to holding the Annual Conference in downtown Baltimore in 2009 and 2010. This year the conference center will conduct a survey-study of all members of the annual conference to gain an understanding of the preferred venue for future annual conference events: hotels or other venues. The results will be shared with conference members.
Q. In this budget, are camping and retreat ministries expected to be self-supporting?
A. No, this budget assumes apportionment dollars in addition to grants will be used to supplement the camping budget.
Q. The 2009 episcopal budget reflects a 24.81 percent increase over 2008. Why?
A. The 2009 budget reflects some reorganization which more closely partners the Cabinet functions with in the Episcopal area. The increases are primarily due to moving the allocation of Cabinet meeting, strategy, sustentation, and episcopal committee expenses to this area from other areas within the budget.
Q. With cuts to the Deaf Ministry funding , how will Deaf Ministry programs be funded?
A. The current budget reflects a 1.4 percent increase which is a result of budget submissions and discussion with the finance committee and deaf ministry coordinator.
Q. How does the benevolence factor relate to the Deaf ministry?
A. The benevolence factor is applied to the budget as a whole, not to any specific area.
Q: Could you please supply additional information on the breakdown of the budget?A: Finance and Benefits
Salary and Benefits $ 502,852
Administration $ 27,000
Strategy and Program
Audit $ 60,320
Benefit Programs $ 21,808
Retiree Medical Premiums $1,938,500
Contingency $ 15,600
Total Strategy and Program $2,036,228
Property and Equipment $ 10,824
Total Finance and Benefits Budget: $2,576,904
Retreat and Camping Ministries
Administration
Salary and Benefits $ 96,786
Strategy and Program $ 33,993
Total Administration $135,779
Harmison
Salary and Benefits $ 9,610
Strategy and Program $ 14,001
Total Harmison $ 23,611
Manidokan
Salary and Benefits $221,631
Strategy and Program $185,121
Total Manidokan $406,752
West River
Salary and Benefits $524,920
Strategy and Program $283,461
Total West River $808,381
Total Camping Budget: $1,374,523
Communications
Total Salary and Benefits $511,493
Strategy and Program $ 36,480
Administration $ 47,195
Printing $132,000
Total Communications Budget: $727,168
Youth Ministry
Professional Expenses $ 50,000
Strategy and Program $202,500
Administration $ 2,500
Total Youth Ministry Budget: $255,000
Campus Ministry
American University
Salary and Benefits $ 71,422
Programs $ 8,750
Administration $ 2,500
Total American University: $ 82,672
Frostburg
Salary and Benefits $ 94,094
Programs $ 8,000
Administration $ 5,000
Total Frostburg: $107,094
Howard University
Salary and Benefits $ 83,189
Programs $ 8,250
Administration $ 5,000
Total Howard University: $ 96,439
Morgan State
Salary and Benefits $ 41,068
Programs $ 2,215
Administration
Total Morgan State: $ 43,283
University of Maryland
Salary and Benefits $ 86,682
Programs $ 8,250
Administration $ 5,000
Total University of Maryland: $ 99,932
Total Campus Ministry Budget: $429,420