The sub-committee formed last month to collect and evaluate ideas for funding TMAC met in an open forum on Tuesday, April 28.
They explained the situation once again and the need to have a reliable income for TMAC. Basic expenses to keep TMAC solvent are just short of $5000 a year. The main bills come from insurance and accounting services. In addition, they need extra every year to cover the expenses of day-to-day and special needs, such as a Bingo Board or decks of playing cards or someday (hopefully) a new stove for the kitchen.
The public was invited to speak, and several did. Most of them were respectful.
Some of the ideas suggested were:
*Have every TMAC committee contribute $200 a year
*Have every TMAC committee charge their members dues, even nominal amounts, which would go to TMAC
*Go back to clearing out committees’ accounts at the end of each fiscal year, then providing them with a $200 allowance to get started
*Go back to the proposed 2% levy on every deposit a committee makes into their account
*Ensure that a committee who runs a 50/50 returns their 50% to TMAC, rather than a charity
*Have HTA assess every household $5 or $10 annually, which would go to fund TMAC, and
*Put our current operating balance into an interest-earning CD or account, let it earn some money for us. This suggestion received a hearty round of applause.
Gary Braun, chairman of this group, thanked all the participants and the audience. They will continue to re-evaluate the suggestions and hopefully return with a solid proposal for the May TMAC meeting.
Members of the sub-committee included Amy Wills, Jeff Nauman, Jeff Laurion, Wendell Crouch, Gary Friar, and had significant input from Jerry Bernstein and Steve Batey.

