Committee Minutes March 13, 2001

Financial Report

• Treasurer presented a summary of the Troop's accounts and reviewed recent activities.
• Treasurer also provided a look at upcoming activities.
• Treasurer will be moving funds from savings to checking to cover recent expenses.

Old Business
Equipment Update

• Need to buy 3 new propane trees ($75-90) for the propane tanks and in the future we will need to purchase new propane tanks.
• Don't need a bigger cook kit for the patrol.
• Would like to buy a propane burner for heating water
• Need to look at camp style utensils and a dinning fly
• Have 4 new tents, they need to be processed and checked in. Keith will save the poles from the tents being retired

Fund Raising

Popcorn Sales

• Literature and forms were handed out to the Scouts at the last meeting.
• We tasted the popcorn and everyone agreed it was good

Troop Policies

• Approved the discipline pollicy.
• Paul will move the draft from the minutes to the proper place on the website.
• The equipment policy will be addressed in its own policy (see below)

Discipline Policy

• The discipline plan is intended to be self-enforced by the Scouts, with assistance from adult leaders.  Scouts must therefore understand the policy and commit to honoring it.
• Actions beyond verbal warnings are administered by the Scoutmaster or an adult in charge of the meeting or activity
• As suggested by the points below, there is a great deal of discretion in this policy.  This is intentional as many incidents of inappropriate behavior have extenuating circumstances that require a thoughtful and measured response.
• Parents of offending Scouts will be contacted by the Scoutmaster or adult in charge before initiating an action to send a Scout home or suspend a Scout.  The rationale for this action is to inform a parent of the behavior and subsequent discipline action of the troop.
• The policy is effective upon its mailing to every Scout and their parent or guardian
• Every Scout and their parent or guardian are expected to sign the policy
• Rules of the Troop are the Scout Oath and Law!  A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."  Scouts and their leaders must set an example and be consistent in the application of the discipline policy.
• Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to; lying, stealing, fighting or failing to follow directions.  It is also inappropriate to 'talk back' to leaders, or be unkind to any other Scout. 
• When a Scout intentionally violates a rule, or exhibits and unacceptable behavior, the Leader will not yell or lecture.  The Leader will obtain the Scout's attention and inform the Scout of what action (or inaction) the Scout took that is in question.  The Leader will also inform the Scout of the consequences of continuing to perform that action.  It is recommended, but not required, that the intervention include two adults, the Senior or Assistant Patrol Leader, and the Scout involved in the indiscretion.
• Consequences for a first violation are at the Leader's discretion and may include, but are not limited to; a verbal warning, a phone call to the Scout's guardians, a "fifteen minutes time-out," or service hours performed for the troop.
• A behavior or action that places the safety of a Scout at risk, may result in the immediate removal of the offending Scout from the meeting or event.
• In the event inappropriate behavior continues after the first intervention; the Scoutmaster, in consultation with the offending Scout's Patrol Leader and another adult leaders, may suspend the Scout from the Troop for a specified period of time from all events; including but not limited to meetings, activities and campouts. 
• At the time a suspension is enforced, the Scout should pursue a self-evaluation to determine why he is in Scouting; what he expects to give to Scouting and what he expects to gain from Scouting.  Before being re-admitted to the Troop and its activities, the Scout must appear before the Troop leadership to reaffirm his commitment to the ideals of Scouting.
• If the Scout continues with inappropriate behavior after the second intervention, a second one month suspension will be imposed.  The Scout may return to the Troop and activities after the suspension, if accompanied by a parent who will be held responsible for the Scout's behavior.
• If the Scout continues to exhibit inappropriate behavior or actions after the second intervention and suspension, the Scout will be asked to leave the Troop permanently by a Troop leader.  
• Leader as described above includes any adult or Scout who is in a position of leadership; such as a Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Patrol Leader, or an adult leading a meeting or event.

Equipment Policy Update

• The individual work instructions for the proper use and care of the equipment need to be developed.
• Blaine will develop the cooking equipment and Keith will address tents and tarps

Equipment Policy as it Stand Today
Typical uses of equipment:

• Troop Events
• Patrol Events
• Cub Scout Events (Pack 224)
• Personal Scout related events.

The Quartermaster and Patrol Leaders will determine when and where the equipment will be used for troop and patrol events.  Cub Scout Pack 224, as well as Scouts and adults on a personal scouting event, will need to contact Troop 224's Scoutmaster or Troop Committee to reserve the equipment.  The Committee typically meets on a bi-monthly schedule and therefore empowers the Scoutmaster to make a decision regarding the reservation and use of the equipment.  A 'personal scouting event' is defined as a scout training event, or an event with another scout troop/group.

All equipment must be returned in the same (or better) condition, when compared to the condition it was in, when it was checked out.  Equipment used in a 'long event' will go home with (one of) the user(s) to be cleaned thoroughly.  If the equipment is returned in a unsatisfactory state, as determined by the Scoutmaster or one of his delegates, the user will be warned and told to repair, dry and/or clean the equipment.  If the equipment is returned a second time in an unsatisfactory state, or the person refuses to comply with the first request to repair/clean the equipment, the user(s) will be informed that they will need to provide their own equipment at future events.

Meetings

Committee

Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 8, 2002
7:00 p.m.
Haywood Residence

Outings

• April 19-21 Blaine and Keith to co-sponsor
• Jim will address the tour permit
• Announce the plans for the campout on April 1st to the troop
• Need to address Tenderfoot requirements for the new Scouts
• Blaine will contact the new Scouts and request that they review the tenderfoot requirements and come equipped to camp, as described in the Scout book
• Divide the boys; those working on cooking merit badge to cook for those who are not
• Dutch oven demonstration

Biking, April 28

• Widins to sponsor
• Jim will address the tour permit
• Start at the parking lot in Oakdale (across from Fleet Farm on 36) and ride toward Stillwater.
• A reminder will be handed out prior that bike and helmet inspections will occur before the start and that the Scout must come prepared (e.g. water and proper clothing to prevent hypothermia)

District Expo, May 3-5

• Troup Committee to sponsor our Troops preparation
• Jim will address the tour permit

Merit Badge

• No news

Sponsors - Lions Club

• Steve Madsen will be our new representative
• There will be no pancake breakfast this year
• The Troop should receive a check for their support of the ice fishing contest

Miscellaneous

One of the new dad's is a potential candidate for mentoring the incoming Scouts

District Unit Award & Dinner

• Jim Hunter has received the award this year
• Keith will reserve a table

Jim Hunter has qualified as an Adult OA

Re-Chartering

• We have carried boys that have not been active
• We need to develop a policy that states the boy must be active in the last year and have participated in the last fund-raiser
• After the second year, the boy would have to provide the funds for their registration
• We have 3 boys that would have been subject to the policy

Scouts need to be reminded that the campership fund exists

Blaine will forward a blank permission slip to be use for outings that Paul will add to the website

Keith handed out a list of practices:

Practices that have been established over the years.  I am presenting these for review and formalization by the committee.

Fees:
Typically the troop has picked up the cost of the campground and the per person fee. On occasion when the camp costs have been high there is an additional cost to the basic fee structure.  For weekend events the charges are ten dollars for the first night [during the meeting is was agreed to raise this to $12.00] and five for each night after. For Tomahawk the boys pay the troop and the troop will pay the bill.
For events that are not troop events, the boys involved will take care of all fees and registrations. This includes the Tomahawk high adventure opportunities and OA events.

Tomahawk Camperships:
If a family has more than one boy going to tomahawk the troop will offer to pay for the additional boys.
If a family is needy, the scoutmaster and chairman will let whoever is in charge of the event know that the troop will pickup the decided amount. This is true for all outings.
The last few years the troop has picked up the cost for adults that spend a portion of the week at camp. Also the troop has awarded tomahawk leader cups to the adults that spend the whole week at camp.

Camping Fund:
When the troop started helping at a dog show it was decided to create separate accounts where each boy would build credit for use at events. This money is kept in the general fund with a record of how much credit each boy has. The last I saw of the sheet that had current amounts was fall of '01 I turned over to Tom K. so he could update it with the Aug. '01 dog show results. Following this decision it was decided that when a boy left the troop the funds that were in his name would forfeit to the general fund. It was also decided that the troop would participate in the spring popcorn sales and any profit that a scout generated would go into his camp account.

Adult Costs:
When the troop started the adults picked up the same costs as the boys. As the troop became more financially stable this has changed to the point it is at now.  The troop will pickup all adult costs for tomahawk. The charge for weekend events will be the second night charge for all nights. On trips that have high mileage the troop will reimburse gas with receipts. These trips will be pre-approved by the board.