anderal wrote:n the grand scheme of things, the stake takes priority in future planning of events, then releases the calendar to the local units (wards or branches) for their respective calendaring processes.
This may be how your stake does things but it is not representative of all stakes. Stakes do have events that must be scheduled on a specific date such as stake conference. But for a majority of other events some stakes have planning meetings to work out stake and ward/branch event date conflicts. Other stakes ask wards to provide their major event schedule during the planning period so the stake can plan around those events.
For example, our stake plans stake youth events around unit youth events. When it becomes necessary to open a date or dates for a stake event, a planning meeting is held to work out the best date(s). This permits unit input and the opportunity for collaborating rather than dictating.
The stake already has the needed control to accomplish stake priority scheduling. This is accomplished through reservations, both unit and blocked. By putting the reservations in place early enough the stake can reserve any or all locations for the entire year. Once the stake planning is complete they can lift the reservations to permit unit scheduling.
Note, however, this does not preclude units from scheduling events at "no location" or "other location" in anticipation of the stake lifting reservations.
The stake can always make reservations and create events as they see fit. Unit calendar editors can adjust their events to not occur at the same time as a stake event if the participants in the unit event are expected to attend the stake event.
Personally I believe giving the stake the ability to remove, or "bump", unit scheduled events is a bit heavy handed.