SJAA Dues Increase Notice

The Board has voted to raise the annual membership dues to $20 ($10 for Junior) effective August 1, 2005. It's been a good ten years since the dues have been raised.

As some of you may know, our costs have been going up. For example: the printing cost for the Ephemeris recently went up and our liability insurance premium went way up--more than triple. (Unfortunately, in our litigious culture, we must have the insurance in order to hold star parties, meetings, and classes.) Just those two items alone come to over $15 per member! And that's not counting our hot-line, telescope loaner program, web page, beginning astro class, telescope making class, hosting Cal-Star, etc. We also help support Group 70, the International Dark Sky Association, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, etc.

No one likes having to raise the dues, but it's now beyond the break-even point. So, we can no longer just swallow the price increases.

We hope you'll understand and agree that at $20 your annual membership is still a bargain.

If there's something new you'd like to see the club do (that won't cost too much), please let us know.