I had previously written about the Revolutionary Trails Council (RTC) and the Otschodela Council (OC) proposed merger of the two Councils.
While the merger was overwhelmingly approved by the RTC, it only had a small majority in the OC vote. Apparently NY Law requires a 2/3 majority for this type of consolidation.
National however felt otherwise:
This simple majority satisfied the requirements of BSA, but not the requirements of the State of New York. The state requires a 2/3 majority, thus the merger was defeated. Following that vote, our Area Director informed us that we would not be allowed to conduct a search for a Scout Executive and must merge with another council to meet the minimum standards set by the national office. Our future is in our hands and we are forced to make some timely decisions.
In the wake of the defeat, an Ad-hoc committee (with a majority of members speaking against the original merge) was formed to take a closer look at our neighboring councils to consider which one(s) we should consider for a merge. The results of that committee’s findings are attached. Some local councils would present financial challenges, others would force the closure of Henderson.
The Committee felt it was best to:
…continue talks with Revolutionary Trails, as we address the three issues that appear to be of the utmost concern for people who are on “both sides of the fenceâ€, 1) the preservation of Henderson Scout Reservation, 2) assurance that our financial situation is secure and 3) a continued office presence in the Oneonta area.
A new vote is scheduled for November 16, 2015.
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“I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles.” Thomas Jefferson
