Dues Referendum 2014 - Council costs

Council may represent a small minority of association costs (8%), but we didn't leave our finances unexamined, either.

It may be useful to start with a few facts about Council…

We are members just like you, and you elect us to run the organisation on your behalf for a three year term. Council seats are allotted proportional to membership across all nine geographical regions, with an additional five seats to ensure national representation from the minority disciplines of opera, dance and stage management. There are a total of 22 Councillors, and we meet ten times per year: seven times by conference call, and three times in person.

Basic meeting costs represent about one-quarter of our total expense, or about 2% of the association budget. The seven teleconference meetings do not cost a lot, however the in-person meetings are much more expensive, due to travel and accommodation. We have periodically looked at converting an additional in-person meeting to teleconferences, but it would mean adding another 10 phone meetings to handle the same amount of Council business. That's really not a practical option, and despite the higher cost, it is far, far more efficient to get together in person in order to hash out major topics.

Council, itself, has changed over time for a reduction in costs. Prior to 2006, Council used to be 38 people, and we met three times per year for three days each time. On top of that, add ten conference calls for an Executive Committee, plus resources for all the advisories and various committees, and the money added up quickly. The decision to downsize Council, aside from lending the governance structure greater efficiency, was a big cost-saver. We've also streamlined our committee structure, to more closely reflect the issues members have asked us to address.

The remaining ¾ of our budget goes toward supporting the various issues advisories, and fostering improvement in how Equity provides benefits and services to the membership. This includes all research costs, outside advisors, and even particularly big ticket items such as this dues referendum.

As an example, totally rebuilding the insurance plan took about a year and a half of steady Council work, including significant research costs to find out what the membership wanted. A massive review of independent and small-scale theatre saw a similar investment, and culminated in the creation of two new-and-improved engagement policies, and the Tangerine provisions in the CTA.

In summary, we spend about one-quarter of our budget talking about stuff, and three-quarters of it doing it – that is an excellent balance.

When you receive your voter package, Council encourages you to vote “yes”. It’s your association – please support Equity, so Equity can support you.