Robert Burns: $50 dues & $100 EA, $100 FC, and $115 MM
Parsons: $70 dues & $125 EA, $125 FC, $150 MM
Let's do a little quick math. Please don't think I'm trying to reduce the beauty of the Sublime Craft to something as crude as business, for me Masonry is far more than an interest or a hobby. However, my Brothers, when we buy property and pay taxes we must be responsible about such things.
I looked up the valuation & 2008 Tax rate in TCAD and Hays CAD of some lil ole Country Lodges I know of that own their own buildings. The least expensive was $3406 the most expensive was 6580. Lets call it $4000 in taxes for the sake of arguement. And lets suppose we have about 60 dues paying members (not 50 year or endowed) and dues are say $40 per year.
$14.25 off the top goes to GL, leaving $25.75 x 60 dues paying members = $1545. So in this little exercise assuming a fee of about $40 for each degree (all of that for the MM is going to JP Luther / GL or whomever to cover the cost of Bible, Apron, Monitor, GW, et cetera, that lodge needs to raise about 30 Masons a year
just to pay the taxes on the building.
That's a MM degree about every 12 days. 30 new masons a year just to keep Nelda Well Spears from putting a pad lock on the door. And that's before paying one utility bill or making one improvement to our 100+ year old building. Can anyone say, "pancake breakfast?"
This touches on the thread, "Is Masonry too Cheep?" To the assertion that a significant increase in dues and fees would kill many rural lodges... I would have to argue that they're already dead... they're just not broke yet.
This conversation being particularly apropos as from Hill City # 456 with her 400 or so members down to Robert Burns # 127 with her 40 or so members, it looks like nobody is getting an endowment return this year. I'm very thankful RB owns no property.
check out this article from the SR Journal:
http://www.scottishrite.org/web/journal-files/Issues/jul-aug06/jacobson.html