As published last year in the newsletter, at the Board meeting in October 1998, the Board approved an increase in the TE/AE annual dues from $26 per year to $33 per year for domestic (single or joint) memberships and an increase from $28 per year to $36 per year for International (single or joint) memberships. This was also approved by the general membership at the 1998 General Meeting. This is the first dues increase since 1991 ! It was contingent on our getting back on a regular schedule with a quality newsletter ...a goal we have met. We have held off implementing the increase as long as possible to see if it could be avoided. But, increases in the printing costs of our newsletter have mandated that we implement it now. So, we will have a dues increase effective for all memberships received by the Membership Chairman after May 1, 2000. We will allow renewals/extensions for everyone, even those whose memberships don't expire until later, to renew/extend at the old rates up until the May 1st deadline. In addition, we are now offering two-year membership options. More details are given in the adjacent article.

On the subject of membership, TE/AE offers joint memberships at no additional cost to a single membership! In this way you can have your spouse, significant other or other family member (minimum age 16) be a member with you. Joint members have the full privileges of membership, including voting. TE/AE is a family club and I think this helps reach out to the family members and lets them know that this is not for the car person in the family alone. And just in case you were wondering, when TE/AE publishes its total membership figures, it uses the total number of households, counting joint memberships as one household. This was felt to be the most representative method and consistent with how other clubs handle it.