The new baronial custom was passed at the baronial business meeting January 16, 2017.
BBM Baronial Custom and Financial Policy (PDF)
Customs of the Barony Beyond the Mountain
This Custom (“Custom”) of the Barony Beyond the Mountain (the “Barony”) located in the East Kingdom (the “Kingdom”) of the Society for Creative Anachronism (the “SCA”) is effective as of this 16th day of January, 2017 and supersedes and replaces all previous versions of the Custom, Financial Polices and Election Policies.
WHEREAS, the Barony wishes to codify and publish its Custom:
The following terms will have the following meanings for purposes of this Custom:
1. “Governing Documents” will mean the documents contained in the organizational handbook of the SCA, including Corpora, the By-Laws, Corporate Policies, and the Articles of Incorporation as available at www.sca.org.
2. “Kingdom Law” will mean the Laws of the East Kingdom and include the policies of the Kingdom Officers defined therein.
3. The “Populace” will mean the persons fourteen years of age or older who reside within the designated geographic boundaries of the Barony.
4. “Seneschal” and “Exchequer” will have the meanings ascribed to them in the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law.
II. Precedence of Law.
1. The Governing Documents and Kingdom Law are hereby incorporated by reference.
2. In the event of a conflict the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law will prevail.
3. In the event of a conflict between the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law, the Governing Documents will prevail.
III. The Custom.
1. Custom will be published annually in a spring edition of the Newsletter, with a copy to the Kingdom Seneschal.
2. Custom will be posted on the official Barony website hosted by the Kingdom (the “Website”).
a. In the event of a conflict between the Website and the Newsletter, the Newsletter will prevail.
3. This Custom may be amended at any time by the following process:
a. The proposed changes must be presented, in writing to the Seneschal and Baronage.
b. The proposed changes must be discussed and voted upon by the Populace present at a regular Meeting in accordance with the voting procedure set forth in Section VI(4). The changes will be deemed approved upon receipt of a plurality.
c. Approved changes must be published in the Newsletter.
IV. The Baronage.
1. Selection and Review
a. The Baron and/or Baroness of the Barony (the “Baronage”) will be selected and reviewed as set forth in Kingdom Law.
b. The election policies of the Barony are set forth in Schedule B of this Custom.
2. Term. The Baronage will serve for a term as defined in Kingdom law.
3. Champions
a. The Baronage may select champions (the “Baronial Champions”) to represent whatever endeavors and in whatever fashion they choose in their sole discretion.
b. The Baronial Champions serve at the discretion of the Baronage, for a term determined by the Baronage.
c. The location and manner of selection of new Baronial Champions will be determined by the Baronage in consultation with the current Baronial Champions.
d. The Baronial Champions will have the following duties:
i. Represent and defend the honor of the Baronage and the Barony;
ii. Advise and assist the Baronage in choosing their successors;
iii. Further the practice of their arts within the Barony;
iv. Attend the Baronage in court;
v. Bear and maintain the regalia associated with their positions; and
vi. Return the regalia to the Baronage upon selection of a new Baronial Champion;
4. Awards.
The following awards may be given at the sole discretion of the Baronage:
a. The Order of the White Oak will be given for service to the Barony by a member of the Populace.
b. The Order of the Sun and Soil will be given for service and/or participation with the Barony by people who live outside of its designated geographic boundaries.
c. The Order of the Holly will be given for excellence in the arts and sciences by a member of the Populace.
d. The Order of the Defender of the White Oak will be given for excellence in any of the martial arts by a member of the Populace.
V. The Officers.
1. The Barony will maintain officers as required by the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law (“Baronial Officers”).
2. Baronial Officers are subject to the policies of their respective Kingdom counterparts.
3. Baronial Officers will serve for the terms defined by Kingdom Law. In the event that Kingdom Law does not define a term, Baronial Officers will serve for a term of four years.
a. Unless otherwise specified in Kingdom Law, Baronial Officers may be re-elected for consecutive terms.
b. In the event that a Baronial Officer has not submitted a report to the Baronial Seneschal for a period of one year, their office will be deemed vacant, and a successor will be elected.
4. The Seneschal and the Exchequer are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the Barony. Other Baronial Officers are not required to live within the geographic boundaries of the Barony.
5. Baronial Officers will be elected by the Populace.
a. Applicants for a baronial office must submit a letter of intent to the Baronage, the Seneschal, and the incumbent Baronial Officer.
b. Notice of applicants for a baronial office and the date of the Meeting where the vote will take place will be published to the official baronial email list and in the Newsletter.
c. Baronial Officers will be selected by a plurality of the Populace present at the designated Meeting.
d. An incoming Baronial Officer will be deemed appointed at the Meeting where the Populace vote is taken.
e. When practicable, a Baronial Officer will give a minimum of three months’ notice prior to vacating their office.
f. The outgoing and incoming Baronial Officers will, together with the Seneschal, ensure that all appropriate paperwork and permissions are filed within thirty days of the appointment of the incoming Baronial Officer.
g. All paperwork and related materials will be transferred to the incoming Baronial Officer within thirty days of their appointment.
5. Baronial Officers will make best efforts to attend all Meetings. If a Baronial Officer cannot attend a Meeting, they will provide the Seneschal with a report sufficiently in advance of the Meeting for the report to be read into the minutes.
6. Baronial Officers will publish their contact information on the Website and in the Newsletter. This will include a) their legal name; b) a phone number; and c) an email address.
VI. Policies.
1. The Chanticleer is the official newsletter of the Barony (the “Newsletter”).
2. Official announcements will be published in the Newsletter, and may also be published on the Website. In the event of conflict, the Newsletter will prevail.
3. A meeting of the Baronial Officers and Populace (the “Meeting”) will be held every month except July.
a. When possible, the Meeting will be held in different geographic regions of the Barony.
b. The Meeting will be overseen by the Seneschal or the Seneschal’s designee.
c. The Meeting is open to the public, but only Baronial Officers and the Populace may vote on Barony matters.
4. Decisions regarding Barony matters will be determined by a vote of the Populace in attendance at the Meeting designated for decision of those matters.
a. Those matters which require paid membership in the SCA by the Governing Documents or Kingdom Law in order to vote will be identified as such by the Seneschal.
b. Adequate discussion of matters will be permitted in order to allow the Populace to form an informed decision.
i. When possible, matters will be raised and discussed at a Meeting, and the vote will be held at the following Meeting.
ii. In the case of a time-sensitive matter requiring an immediate decision, a vote of the Populace will be taken at the first Meeting. If necessary, this decision will be reviewed at the following Meeting.
iii. In the case of a non-critical matter, if significant objections are raised, the matter will be tabled until the following Meeting to permit further discussion.
c. Any decision may be re-examined at future Meetings.
d. Matters related to the disbursement of Baronial funds may only be voted on by members of the Financial Committee, as described in Schedule A.
VII. Event Policies.
1. The Barony will sponsor activities in the manner defined in Section II of the Governing Documents (the “Events.”)
2. Any Event which will be published in the Kingdom newsletter and on the Kingdom website (a “Major Event”) must be proposed to the Populace at a Meeting for approval, prior to any publication, announcement, or commitment.
3. All Events must be approved in advance, in writing, by the Barony’s Seneschal.
a. Verbal approval is sufficient to initiate planning, but written approval must be on file with the Seneschal before the Event occurs.
b. The Seneschal may approve an Event via email.
4. Events must be published in the Chanticleer prior to their occurrence
5. A signed, written contract is required for any Event where a rental fee for a site is paid, unless the site is unable to provide one.
a. The contract should include the following:
i. any and all fees associated with the site;
ii. the site address;
iii. a description of the planned activities;
iv. a list of the facilities to be used by the Barony at the site;
v. whether or not the Barony will have exclusive use of the site;
vi. the dates and times when the site will be opened and closed; and
vii. contact information for the site both prior to, and the day of the Event.
6. The official announcement for a Major Event must be approved by the Seneschal in advance, in writing, prior to publication. The Seneschal may approve the announcement by email.
a. All Major Event announcements will state the reservation policy for residents of Canada set forth in the Financial Policy in Schedule A, Section [_____]
7. The person in charge of a Major Event (the “Event Steward”) or their designee must attend the two Meetings immediately prior to the Major Event.
a. If attendance at the Meetings is a hardship for the Event Steward or their designee, they may request that one of the Meetings be moved to a location that will allow them to attend. The Barony will make a good faith effort to accommodate such a request.
b. In the event that there is a request to move a Meeting, the person requesting the change will be responsible for providing an appropriate site.
8. The Event Steward, with the assistance of the Seneschal and the Exchequer must be familiar with the financial policies regarding Events as set forth by the SCA and the Kingdom.
9. At the discretion of the Seneschal, the Event Steward may be suspended from running Events for two years from the date of their Event if they violate policies regarding Events, or fail to file the required reports associated with their Event within thirty days of the conclusion of their Event.
10. The Barony’s Seneschal may at any time cancel an Event or remove an Event Steward. The cancellation or removal must be reviewed by the Baronage. Such cancellation or removal may only occur if a) appropriate SCA, Kingdom, and/or Barony policies have not been followed; and b) the situation endangers the Populace, finances, and/or reputation of the SCA, Kingdom, or Barony. The reasons for the cancellation or removal must be documented in the Seneschal’s records.
11. A person who wishes to serve as a Major Event Steward who has not previously done so in the Barony must work with an experienced deputy approved by the Seneschal. A person who has previous experience as an Event Steward outside of the Barony may be allowed to run a Major Event without a deputy at the discretion of the Seneschal.
12. Policies regarding the collection, handling, and disbursement of Event monies are addressed in the Financial Policies listed in Schedule A of this Custom.
Schedule A
The Financial Policies of the Barony Beyond the Mountain
All capitalized terms in this Schedule A will retain their meanings as defined in the Baronial Custom.
I. The fiscal policies of the Barony (the “Financial Policies”) will conform to the fiscal policies of the SCA and the Kingdom.
II. The Financial Committee.
1. Any expenditure of Baronial funds must be voted on and approved by the Financial Committee, in the manner set forth in VI(4)(b) of Baronial Custom.
2. The Financial Committee (“Financial Committee”) of the Barony is the members of the Populace who are eligible for inclusion according to the policies of the SCA and the Kingdom, and who are present at any Meeting where a request to spend funds is voted on.
3. No Baronial Officer or group of Baronial Officers can authorize the expenditure of funds without the approval of the Financial Committee, other than as set forth in II(5) below.
4. An expenditure of funds will be approved by a plurality of the Financial Committee. In the event of a tie vote, the Baronage will break the tie.
5. In the event of an emergency situation where a distribution of funds is necessary prior to a Meeting, a special Meeting may be called in order to authorize the expenditure.
a. The special Meeting may be conducted in person or via electronic media as necessary (e.g. telephone, conference call, email).
b. The special Meeting must include, but is not limited to: the person requesting the disbursement of funds, the Seneschal and/or deputy Seneschal, the Exchequer and/or deputy Exchequer, and two other members of the Populace who are eligible to be members of the Financial Committee.
c. There must be a compelling reason for requiring a disbursement in the context of a special Meeting.
III. Funding of Baronial Offices.
1. The Baronial offices which are required by the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law, as well as any other offices which the barony has filled will be assigned a yearly stipend of $100.00 to cover day-to-day operations (the “Stipend”), without requiring further authorization from the Financial Committee.
a. Such expenditures must be in accordance with the items allowed under SCA and Kingdom policies.
2. All anticipated expenditures beyond the amount of the Stipend will be communicated to the Exchequer no later than the month of September for inclusion in the following year’s budget.
3. The next year’s budget will be presented to the Financial Committee at the October Meeting. The proposed budget will be voted on at the November Meeting.
4. Once approved, the budget takes effect upon January 1 of the following year.
5. All funds, including the Stipend, will be held by the Exchequer until such time as a formal request is submitted. Any receipts or unspent monies must be given to the Exchequer within thirty days of the distribution of the requested funds.
6. Any additional money beyond the Stipend needed for the standard operation of a Baronial Office must go through the regular procedure to request funds set forth in Section II of this Schedule A. This request cannot be considered an emergency.
IV. Funding of Events.
1. Event proposals as referenced in VII(2) of the Baronial Custom, including separate or included proposals for dayboard or feast, must contain an estimated operating budget to hold the Event.
2. All Event budgets and expenditures must be approved in advance by the Financial Committee.
3. Funds may be disbursed in advance subject to SCA and Kingdom procedures. The Barony will accept an electronic signature on the request in the form of “\s\ [name]; [date of request]. In the event of an electronic request a print copy of the accompanying email will be retained for the files with the request form.
4. Refunds.
a. Requests for refunds for an Event must be submitted in writing to the Event Steward, Exchequer, or Seneschal. Requests will be accepted in any form, including but not limited to notations on the pre-registration sheet, letter, or email.
b. Requests for refunds for an Event that have been submitted within fourteen days of the Event will be granted without requiring prior approval by the Financial Committee.
c. Requests for refunds for an Event that are submitted more than fourteen days after the Event will be decided by the Financial Committee on a case-by-case basis.
5. Event site fees and feast fees will be waived for the following people (the “Dignitaries”):
a. The current Baronage;
b. In the case of a jointly sponsored event, the Baronage of the other sponsoring group;
c. The current King and Queen of any kingdom;
d. The current Prince and Princess of any kingdom or principality;
e. For the sake of clarity and the avoidance of doubt, spouses of the Dignitaries who are not Dignitaries themselves will pay the appropriate fees.
V. Fund Control.
1. At any Meeting, any member of the Populace may request an informal review of the most recent completed quarterly report, recording stubs of checks paid out, and the current working accumulated financial report. The Exchequer will comply with this request at the next Meeting held. If the Exchequer is unable to attend the next Meeting they will:
a. Send the requested materials to the Meeting with another member of the Populace;
b. Send scanned electronic versions of the materials to the requesting party with copies to the Seneschal and Baronage.
2. A formal review of the financial records and end-of-year report will take place at the March Meeting by the Seneschal. At the Seneschal’s discretion, this review may be deferred to a later Meeting. Any paid member of the Populace may request a copy.
VI. Changes to the Financial Policy
1. The Financial Policy may be amended at any time by the following process:
a. The proposed changes must be presented by a paid member, in writing to the Seneschal and Exchequer.
b. The proposed changes must be discussed and voted upon by the Populace present at a regular Meeting. The changes will be deemed approved upon receipt of a simple majority.
c. Approved changes must be published in the Newsletter.
Schedule B
The Election Polices for the Baronage of the Barony Beyond the Mountain
All capitalized terms in this Schedule A will retain their meanings as defined in the Baronial Custom.
I. The election policies of the Barony as regards the Baronage (the “Election Policies”) will conform to the election policies of the SCA and the Kingdom as regards the Baronage.
II. Election Process.
1. Timing.
a. No later than one year prior to the end of the current Baronage’s term, the Seneschal or their designee will:
i. commence the planning process for the Major Event to install the new Baronage (the “Investiture”). Event planning at this stage will consist of a minimum of the selection of a month mutually acceptable to the Barony and the outgoing Baronage for Investiture.
ii. determine the current polling procedure as set forth by the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law, ascertain the materials and timetable required, and convey this information to the Populace at the Meeting.
iii. contact the royalty regarding the proposed Investiture date as soon as possible.
b. No later than nine months prior to the month selected for Investiture the Seneschal or their designee will issue a call for nominations of candidates. This will include but not be limited to announcements at Meetings, announcements on the official Baronial email list, and publication in the Newsletter and the Kingdom newsletter.
i. Candidates will nominate themselves. No one may nominate a third party.
ii. Nominations must be sent to the Seneschal or their designee, and the Baronage.
iii. Nominations may be sent via first class mail or email.
iv. Nominations must include proof of eligibility.
v. Eligible nominations will be announced by the Seneschal or their designee at Meetings, on the official Baronial email list, and published in the Newsletter on an ongoing basis.
c. No later than seven months prior to the month selected for Investiture the Seneschal or their designee will commence the selection of a form of ballot. The decision of the form of ballot will be made by the Populace as set forth in Section VI(4) of the Custom.
d. No later than six months prior to the date selected for Investiture nominations will close and the Seneschal or their designee will finalize the form of ballot and send it to the Kingdom for approval.
e. No later than four months prior to the date selected for Investiture, the Seneschal or their designee will send the ballots to those members of the Populace who are eligible to vote as determined by the Governing Documents and Kingdom Law. Ballots will include:
i. The form of ballot;
ii. A self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of the ballot;
iii. A copy of the election issue of the Newsletter.
2. Newsletter.
A special edition of the Newsletter will be prepared for the election, containing the following:
a. The sections of Kingdom Law that address pollings for the Baronage;
b. The Election Policies of the Barony;
c. The list of candidates, including both SCA and legal names;
d. If they so choose, letters from the candidates, subject to the following guidelines:
i. One letter per candidate or candidate slate;
ii. The subject matter is at the candidates’ discretion;
iii. Letters may be up to 1,000 words in length;
iv. Letters must be received by the deadline for publication set by the chronicler;
v. Letters will be published without editing by the chronicler; and
vi. Letters may be submitted in any format legible to the chronicler;
e. The special edition of the Newsletter will be published as usual, and will also be printed and sent with the ballots. Funds necessary for the printing will be provided by the Barony and will not require approval by the Financial Committee.
III. Changes to the Election Policy.
The Election Policy may be amended at any time by the following process:
1. The proposed changes must be presented by a paid member, in writing, to the Seneschal and the Baronage.
2. The proposed changes must be discussed and voted upon by the Populace present at a regular Meeting. The changes will be deemed approved upon receipt of a simple majority.
3. Approved changes must be published in the Newsletter.
