LEts put it all together for a sec, OP says:
We have recently been challenged by some new county management that have had some complaints from "concerned citizens” That say the requirement by the county for AMA Membership is unfair.
The county management suggestion is to make the field a NON AMA field on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
<.... ....>
As a note of explanation, there are four entities involved here:
1) The County Park and rec dept.
2) The Aeromodelers advisory board, the negotiator and the liaison between the two clubs that use the field and the county.
This board is made up of club members and collects an annual fee of $20 from all flyers for a "park pass", you do not have to belong to either club to get the park pass and fly, but you must have current AMA. (So far the monies from this pass have been used for the improvements to the facilities at the field, a picnic enclosure, a paved runway, and gravel for the driveway etc.)
3)&4) the two clubs, one R/C ,one control line.
With the county proposed changes, there is a fifth entity: The NON AMA public. With the county proposed changes, there is a fifth entity: The NON AMA public.
I agree that not rocking the boat is good idea, and the AMA has said the AMA club members would still be covered on NON AMA days, but I think at least the NON AMA people should still pay the $20 for the improvements for the field.
Lets hear a bit more about this
2) The Aeromodelers advisory board.
Is this a couple local private citizens (AMA members) or a County Employee group?
What local ordinances / orders are in place that give these private guys power to charge for using the park, and how does the county get the money from them for improvements?
What do we
normally call a group that
has control over field access
charges folks to be included to fly
pays for field improvements
and everyone involved
must be AMA members.
...... but lets not confuse that with an AMA club,after all, AMA clubs are all that but mail a check to Muncie
Seems when the OP says the County wants No-AMA on M-W-F
there will be no County Enforced $20 to some private citizenry AMA Required slip.
'
This board is made up of club members and collects an annual fee of $20 from all flyers for a "park pass" '
But when 'all flyers' is really NonClub AMA Members Only
it sound like its just a way for the AMA clubs to have a $20 Visiting AMA flyer fee paid to the clubs posing as a separate entity.
Its one thing for the County to Issue $20 Flying Permits to folks with proof of insurance,
its another thing altogether for a private gang to do it accepting only THEIR BRAND of insurance (AMA).
And from what we hear the County is proposing,
it sound like the county is trying to break someones monopoly of using that public land
by suggesting No AMA Req M-W-F for the public to use county land.
Are these guys trying to promote Aeromodeling in America,
or just promoting AMA by wanting to restrict public aeromodeling.
This is the "Before" picture of a club that sits by and let Public RC Bans happen, just to find out too late that they too are part of the Public when they lost their field.