[Steppes] Radical Idea

[Elinor Salter]

Exchequer's point of view:

The official Society land policy (from 
http://www.sca.org/docs/finpolicies/SocietyExchequerPolicies.pdf)

V. Land Policy
1) Funds may be designated to the purchase of real estate by SCA 
branches, provided that the source, maintenance, and purpose of such 
funds is clearly designated within the branch’s financial policy.
2) No representative of the SCA may financially obligate the SCA to the 
purchase or substantial improvement of real estate without prior 
approval of the Board of Directors. An improvement will be considered to 
be substantial if it requires
A) A building permit or other clearance from the local government;
B) Increases the fair market value of the property; or
C) Is constructed in a manner that makes its portability to another site 
questionable or unfeasible.
3) A separate incorporation, for the purpose of holding real estate by 
an SCA branch, may be required by the Board of Directors. (April 2002)

My interpretation - if we intend to build anything that would require a 
building permit, increase the value of the land it sits on or cannot be 
moved easily (however I dimly remember reading somewhere that 
technically the gate at Gulf Wars is "portable" because of this), we 
will have to get the approval of the BOD first. We may be required to 
form a separate incorporation, for liability purposes I'm guessing. If 
the barony has to incorporate, there will be yearly costs for running a 
separate corporation above and beyond building maintenance costs and 
materials that the barony will have to absorb. However, I don't know all 
the facts, so the Kingdom seneschal and/or exchequer should be consulted 
if we want to take this idea any further.

As for actually owning land, an article I found on pg 101 of the 
Seneschal's Handbook addresses everything we would have to consider in 
that case.
http://www.sca.org/docs/seneschals-hb.pdf

Another option would be to exchange work for reduced site fees. My 
former shire in Calontir has had an agreement with a local camp for 
several years now where they get reduced site rental in exchange for 2 
work days (or more as requested) a year. At a minimum, we would clean 
out the cabins to open or close the season and bring out or store the 
mattresses, but we also moved bales of hay, cut down underbrush, gutted 
a trailer, painted, etc. I wasn't privy to the actual agreement at the 
time but I could ask when I'm there this weekend.

-- 
Ly. Elinor Salter
Exchequer, Barony of the Steppes, Ansteorra



Faelan Caimbeul wrote:
> I had an idea yesterday, and I'm trying to see if people would be interested
> in helping with this.
>
> *snipped for brevity*