A&F Committee                     cc:ARRL-ODV

Tom (A&F Chairman),

I have two items I request the A&F committee consider and take action on. I am sending this to the ODV reflector so everyone will be aware of this email and also be aware of the situations that have prompted my proposal.

Let’s be very serious about this everyone – these practices are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated! This includes every Officer (yes, even me), Director and Vice Director.

Here are my proposals:

1. Mandating a time frame with which to submit expenses for reimbursement.

2. Set a policy that requires each person that has an ARRL sponsored Corporate American Express Card to pay their own bill, and that no ARRL sponsored Corporate American Express Card bill for Officers, Directors or Vice Directors will be sent directly to or paid directly by ARRL.

Regarding # 1, we still experience difficulty in getting expense reports filed promptly. In fact, one director waited until January 2007 to file expense accounts for the entire year of 2006. This does not allow us to accurately account for and track expenses throughout the year. I would suggest the committee consider a quarterly requirement. Of course, there may be situations that warrant consideration outside such a requirement and those can be dealt with on an individual basis, however there is no excuse for not filing any expense account for the entire year.

Regarding # 2 we have a few situations where individuals have an ARRL sponsored American Express Card and have the bill is sent directly to ARRL. ARRL pays the bill and then it is a futile effort to get expense accounts filed from the individual to indicate what the expenses exactly are. One situation involved a Vice Director and there are a few others. This can NOT be tolerated. ARRL is liable to account for the money that is paid to American Express and without the proper expense accounts we have no way to prove what the money is for. I propose that the A&F committee, and recommend the board subsequently approve a policy that any eligible Officer, Director or Vice Director that is assigned an ARRL sponsored corporate American Express Card shall have the bill sent direct to their specified address and they are responsible for payment in accordance with the terms of the credit card agreement. Once you receive your bill, if you have not already filed your expense report, you will have 30 days in which to file your expense account and receive reimbursement, which is plenty of time to pay the bill.  This is a standard practice today for just about every company that participates in the American Express Corporate Card program.

I would also like the committee to review our policy regarding issuance of ARRL sponsored corporate American Express Cards. This is a benefit that is afforded to you as a board member which serves a good purpose, however it must be respected. I’m not recommending any change in our issuance policy, just recommending a review to ensure it meets our current needs.

If you have any questions pertaining to these two matters, you may discuss them with me.

73 Joel W5ZN