$18.681 Million Budget Approved for 1982
Episcopal News Service. November 24, 1981 [81304]
GREENWICH, Conn. -- An $18.681 million budget -- encompassing a less than 10 percent increase over current expenses -- was passed by Executive Council for the 1982 General Church Program.
Since the budget is for the third year of the triennial budgeting period, it represents little programmatic change and was subjected to very little debate by the 44-member Council which is charged with carrying out Episcopal Church program between meetings of the General Convention.
The budget for 1981 is $17.126 million and is based on $14.4 million in apportionment income from US dioceses. The 1982 budget anticipates $15.145 million from the US dioceses. Council, which met here Nov. 18-20, is required to operate on a balanced budget and will review apportionment acceptances by the dioceses at its February meeting before confirming this tentative budget.
While the expected apportionment income represents half of the total budget increase, this does not involve any change in the formula governing diocesan shares. This is the third year of an apportionment formula accepted by General Convention in 1979 and the trend toward acceptance over the past two years allows for a fairly confident estimate of the income for 1982.
On the expense side, much of the increase is seen in "fixed cost" areas of salary, travel, utilities, postage and maintenance of the Church Center. Little increase is planned in program areas, almost none in staff size (the Episcopal Church operates with one of the smallest "national" staffs of the mainline denominations) and many programs are held to precisely their 1981 level.
The only major increase in program monies is toward support of the Church's overseas dioceses: $460,000 This is all a result of covenant agreements and planned support toward self-sufficiency.
The budget is the result of a lengthy process of consultation among Church Center staff, Council committee chairmen and members of the General Convention Program Budget & Finance committee. Because of the fixed income, it is always a compromise budget and subject to few changes at the final scrutiny.
This was true again this year, as Council changed only two items, one of which was an internal adjustment. Anticipating a slight increase in apportionment acceptance, the Council added $15,000 to the budget for support of Coalition 14 (the aided domestic dioceses) and urged the Coalition to use the funds for work among Native American communities.
The eternal adjustment was made in a resolution allowing the Council to provide expense money for some members to attend General Convention in New Orleans next year. It will assist those members, not elected deputies, whose terms continue beyond 1982.