September 2015 President's Message

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

If you have never read your newsletter, then today is the day that you should make an exception! As you will see in this issue of the NLTAPA newsletter, we have a very important election going on: Beginning with last January’s NLTAPA business meeting, the membership began discussing a possible dues increase and/or change in operations to meet the financial obligations of our association, and as a result of these discussions, the Association membership voted to consider an annual dues increase.

The good news is, we are not in financial trouble. The association has been meeting its obligations while continuing the successful work group, joint programs, conference, and membership-wide activities. Our work groups and joint programs are stronger and more effective than ever. We have very talented, enthusiastic, and active members engaged in all of our national activities. Our relationship with our partners is stronger than ever, and we are expanding partner agreements and activities to better serve our clients and our centers. So what is the bad news?

The bad news is that costs are rising, particularly for travel, and without a drastic change to work plans and/or executive committee activities, our annual expenses will continue to grow beyond our annual income. Our last dues increase was in 2009, and in the meantime, we have already begun to budget for more than our annual dues income, making up the difference from unexpended funds and reserve. This is not a sustainable financial footing. Without a dues increase, we will sharply reduce national activities to meet income constraints.

We have a very lean operation and continue to keep costs controlled through less travel, combining Association work with other trips that reduce or eliminate costs to the Association, and leveraging telecommunications whenever possible. When we do meet face to face, we have shortened the trips and reduced expenses for meeting space, meals, and other associated meeting costs. We have an excellent financial manager who keeps us well aware of our cash flow and is always looking at ways to save money and even earn a few dollars through safe and prudent savings and certificate accounts.

The membership is asking you to consider a dues increase that will make NLTAPA’s operations sustainable for many more years. The alternative is to change or eliminate national activities that have kept NLTAPA strong and effective. The question before membership is a little complicated, so please read the ballot carefully: You can vote for or against a dues increase, and you can vote again for either a $250 or $125 increase if one is approved. Even if you are against a dues increase, you should still vote for the amount of an increase. Think of this as an instant runoff election. You vote for your favorite candidate, and if he or she loses, you still get a voice in the final outcome. The ballot and process is described in further detail in the “Official Ballot” section of this newsletter.

Whatever the outcome of this election, please be assured that NLTAPA is supporting EVERY center to make our programs the most effective and valued partners for transportation workforce development, training, technology transfer, and technical assistance.

John Velat
NLTAPA President
Director, Eastern TTAP