The initiation fee for the Chapter is a minimum of $100.00.
I have put in a resolution to Grand Council to double the minimum Council fee from $25.00 to $50.00
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Douglas Collins VEPGHP
V:.E:. Sir,
Thank you for submitting the resolution. I would support a fee higher than that. In our Council (TX 321) we just raised our degree fee to $75.00 plus the YRDF for a total of $85.00. Our Chapter is at the minimum $100.
In addition we have changed the format for the fees to include all the costs and all of the materials we are/have been/going to supply the new York Rite Mason - ritual, monitor, first year dues, per captia(s) - etc.
The resulting fee for the Chapter and Council are now:
Chapter - 160.00
Council - 125.00
It is my opinion and now the opinion of our Chapter and Council that we must provide value for the monies received (which no one who has gone through the YR degrees and attends regularly can rationally argue we do not). AND we must be good stewards of that we have been endowed with by those Masons who came before. Accordingly we have adjusted our fees to reflect our costs and move closer to the value of the work.
I am still not satisfied with our fees. Just quick comparison in Ft Worth
Blue Lodge degrees - (all three - from 4 Lodges) 450;435;435;400 that is reasonable
York Rite (C&C) - 160 and 125 (285) for 6 degrees -
This assumes all other things being equal - i.e.; including dues, per capita, aprons, monitors, etc are all given to each.
In Fort Worth, at the temple, the York Rite degrees are still the best value in Masonry. We must realize it is our responsibility to ensure the financial viability of Masonry and that sometimes that means moving fees -
As a side note - the volume of petitions has increased over the last year. Men who are considering the York Rite are not looking for cheap - they are looking for more Masonry - these are the same people who have cable, cell phones, iPods, laptops and eat more than 3/4 of their meals out of the house. They know things cost money and they pay more for a data plan to get email on their cell phone than they for all their Masonic dues each month.....(assuming <$10.00/mo for BL; CnC < $10 and Commandery < $10).