President’s Corner – Nov 2026

Leaf piles! Apple cider! Pumpkins! Ghosts & goblins! Then comes Turkey Day (Thanksgiving)! Family gatherings! The Lions! Soon… the holiday season (Christmas music everywhere you go…). Enjoy the last days of 2026 and celebrate the season!

I want to turn my attention to a critical matter that directly affects the current and long-term operation of Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club, and this is it…

Special Assessment
Notice of a vote on a special assessment — given under Article VI, Section 5, a, 4 of the OCSC Constitution and Bylaws. The Executive Board and the Board of Directors have reviewed the current and long-term financial health of the Club. The current fee structure, which is the Club’s primary source of revenue, has been unchanged for several years. In that same period, the cost of nearly everything OCSC needs to operate has risen sharply — property taxes, electricity, natural gas, food products, paper products, alcohol, diesel fuel, garbage removal, snow removal, and general maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and grounds.

Nothing that this Club purchases and uses costs less than it has in the past. Membership revenue is no longer keeping pace. As of September, the Club is approximately $100,000 in the negative for the year, and we expect to finish the year that way.

The Finance Committee has recommended, and both the OCSC Executive Board and the OCSC Board of Directors have approved, the adoption and implementation of a one-time special assessment of $50 for the following classes of membership: Regular, Senior, and Life.

Very important… this is a one-time assessment.
It is not an increase in annual dues.
If adopted, the special assessment will be payable to OCSC from November 1 through November 30, 2026. Any
assessment unpaid by Tuesday, December 1, 2026, will be added to the member’s 2027 annual dues.

The EB and the BoD of OCSC have discussed “what needs to be done.” The OCSC Finance Committee, led by the OCSC Treasurer, Chris Collins, has recommended this action after careful review and consideration. This special assessment is necessary to help correct the financial missteps of prior leadership and OCSC club management.

No one is pointing fingers… there’s nothing to gain by doing so… but it’s very clear to the current OCSC leadership team that the existing financial model is not working to the club’s advantage.

Another way of looking at the assessment is to think of the $50 over 12 months… $50 becomes $4.17 per month ($50 / 12 months) OR $0.14 per day ($50 / 365 days). When viewed this way, $50 is, I would argue, not a huge burden to anyone. This assessment is, in my mind and in my heart, necessary to prevent putting this club, unintentionally, in a financial “bad place.” Perpetuating a problem of this magnitude (~ -$100K) is a very unhealthy, unwise thing to do.

I hope that each of you as members-in-good-standing see the need, understand the simple issue, and wholeheartedly support the recommendation of the Finance Committee and the approvals given by the EB and the BoD.

Before I go, please remember that OCSC is truly a volunteer organization… the club relies on members VOLUNTEERING your time. Get involved with the club and all that the club has to offer! You’ll have fun working alongside your fellow members, and you get work hours that will reduce your annual membership dues.

I’ll see you around the club!