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New Unit (Split Units) - Procedural Questions

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:04 am
by caj36
Our stake has been approved to split two of our Wards into three Wards. The split will occur in a few weeks, and I'm working through some of the procedural issues surrounding the split. Your help is appreciated.

1 - For the newly created Ward, I assume that all callings will need to be filled according to the normal procedure, namely the Bishop will oversee the calling and sustaining of all Ward callings, and the Stake will oversee the calling and sustaining of all Stake callings, correct? In other words, callings simply aren't "transferred" with the person as they move into the new Ward.

2 - How do we move members? I assume that the existing Wards will simply push out the members who are no longer in their boundaries through MLS?

3 - Budget. Will SLC provide a budget for the new unit for the balance of the year? Or should I have each of the existing units write a check to the new unit to cover until Q1 disbursements? Is it proper to assume that the new unit will receive a Q1 disbursement as a normal unit would?

4 - Any pitfalls any of you experienced during this process that I should be looking out for?

I appreciate any guidance from those who have been down this road before.

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:10 am
by russellhltn
caj36 wrote:1 - For the newly created Ward, I assume that all callings will need to be filled according to the normal procedure, namely the Bishop will oversee the calling and sustaining of all Ward callings, and the Stake will oversee the calling and sustaining of all Stake callings, correct? In other words, callings simply aren't "transferred" with the person as they move into the new Ward.
Yes and yes.
caj36 wrote:2 - How do we move members? I assume that the existing Wards will simply push out the members who are no longer in their boundaries through MLS?
Yes. They use the boundary realignment to mass transfer without changing contract information.
caj36 wrote:3 - Budget. Will SLC provide a budget for the new unit for the balance of the year? Or should I have each of the existing units write a check to the new unit to cover until Q1 disbursements? Is it proper to assume that the new unit will receive a Q1 disbursement as a normal unit would?
I believe the funds will come from the two ward for both start-up and Q1. Since Q1 is based on Q3, it won't go to normal until Q2.

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:34 pm
by johnshaw
Watch for Ward Missionary Accounts... the most common method of payment is for families to be paying into their current wards, but a ward missionary account doesn't transfer with the membership records. This must be specifically arranged with the Missionary Finance Department. I have typically sent a message to Finance from MLS with the Ward missionary (name) the ward name and unit # to transfer the account, what effective date you want the move. Also, keep i mind, the missionary dept usually takes the money out the first week of the month, so don't get caught having a couple of missionaries moved, but the expense still went out against the other ward. If other members of the ward were donating, that will need to be coordinated as well.

I also have my clerks run a pdf print-out of their donations for the year and send them to the new clerk so they can be distributed.... Last year SLC promised to send those from CHQ, but ended up not doing it... I wonder if they will this year (send a statement for a member who moved units in the previous year)

You'll want to watch CDOL, Calendar, Directory, old LUWS and make sure the new ward is being brought up in all the tools. Budget will be tricky.. you'll need to provide money from the 2 previous wards, until the January dispursement, so make sure you update your % in the Stake Budget area so that they get the disbursement you'll looking for.

Make sure you have a new computer ordered and Get MLS up and running (obvious) - have a good checklist, there are several you can search for on this list about what to do when a new bishop is called...

Look through previous posts for a What do I do when I get a new Bishop.. those lists will be handy as well.. (Signature cards, stationary order, stake adding the Bishop, checking CDOL before ordering stationary, etc...)

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:43 pm
by russellhltn
JohnShaw wrote:until the January dispursement
I can't see how January will be "normal" when it's based on Q3 numbers. But the ward wasn't created until Q4.

Depending on when the ward actually starts meeting, even the April disbursement might be affected.

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:50 pm
by aebrown
RussellHltn wrote:Depending on when the ward actually starts meeting, even the April disbursement might be affected.
The question is when the quarterly report will be filled out. If the new ward is formed before the end of December, then they will be submitting a Q4 quarterly report. That report will determine the 2012 Q2 budget allocation. If the split doesn't happen until after January 1, then the first quarterly report will be submitted in April for Q1, and there won't be a regular budget allocation until Q3.

Until a regular budget allocation appears, the stake will have to direct the other wards involved in the split to share their budget allocation (which, after all, was based on numbers that included some of the members in the newly-formed ward).

Boundary Change Checklist

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:00 pm
by johnshaw
Boundary Checklist-Template.xlsx
(10.77 KiB) Downloaded 445 times
I've sanitized my document for a general audience this is the checklist I've used... I always provide the list of members moving from one location to another etc... you can see

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:10 pm
by johnshaw
aebrown... yep, you're right.... I was thinking about a recent boundary change, but one that didn't have a new ward creation

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:17 pm
by crislapi
caj36 wrote:1 - For the newly created Ward, I assume that all callings will need to be filled according to the normal procedure, namely the Bishop will oversee the calling and sustaining of all Ward callings, and the Stake will oversee the calling and sustaining of all Stake callings, correct? In other words, callings simply aren't "transferred" with the person as they move into the new Ward.
You are automatically released from your calling when your records leave your unit. In a new ward, no callings exist until the bishop makes them. In the old wards (original 2), the current bishops will need to fill in the gaps caused by some of the members moving to the new unit. Callings must still be made in accordance with the chart of callings found in Handbook 2 chapter 19 (pp 159-166). The online format is not great. This makes much more sense if you actually look in the handbook.
caj36 wrote:3 - Budget. Will SLC provide a budget for the new unit for the balance of the year? Or should I have each of the existing units write a check to the new unit to cover until Q1 disbursements? Is it proper to assume that the new unit will receive a Q1 disbursement as a normal unit would?
Not to beat this to death, but there are no start-up funds supplied by headquarters. Money follows members, and the original 2 units are to send appropriate amounts of their budget to the new unit. If I were the stake clerk, I would set all three unit's disbursement to $0 and manually distribute the funds until the automated process catches up. The next disbursement (January) will be based on the numbers reported in September. April's will be based on December, etc. The new unit will not receive an automated disbursement until three months after they have submitted their first quarterly report.
caj36 wrote:4 - Any pitfalls any of you experienced during this process that I should be looking out for?
It takes a couple weeks for the new unit to be set up in all the various systems the church uses. Once it appears in the CDOL, you will want to verify that tithing envelopes and slips have been ordered as well as temple recommend books and any additional stationery your bishop wants (letterhead, business envelopes, windowed envelopes). Some items are supposed to be ordered automatically, but sometimes it's good to follow up.

The stake will want to make sure the unit appears in their MLS (System Options > Units) and set a desired abbreviation for the unit. If they make a habit of doing unit-to-unit MLS messaging, they will need to add the new unit to their contact list.

You will want to make sure you have supplies for your 2012 curriculum. The original 2 units might just split what was purchased with you, but might not. Make sure you have teachers manuals, member study guides, and Pd & RS manuals.

You will need to make sure you have a clerk's office, access to MLS (either sharing a computer w/ another unit or your own) and a printer. You will need check stock, an endorsement stamp, deposit bags and deposit slips. Again, these should all be sent automatically once the unit is set up but follow up doesn't hurt. You also need to be sure you know what bank to make your deposits at. It is NOT necessarily the same one you have always gone to before. The deposit slips will tell you the bank your account is with. If you get a new office, it will come with little if any office supplies. You'll need to get hanging folders, manila folders, and possibly a hanging rack to put in the drawers. Here FM supplies a file cabinet, computer, printer, chairs and 10-key. Everything else must be obtained by the unit.

Work with your FM group to make sure you have fobs and keys for all the leaders to access the building.

If you are sharing the building and have overlapping Sunday schedules, someone is going to have to start working soon on who will use what rooms when. Will YM/YW need the building a different night of the week? Are there storage cabinets in the building that the new unit can use?

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:20 pm
by russellhltn
aebrown wrote:The question is when the quarterly report will be filled out. If the new ward is formed before the end of December, then they will be submitting a Q4 quarterly report. That report will determine the 2012 Q2 budget allocation.

Understood. But what will the numbers be like if, for example, the new ward first meets on the 3rd Sunday of December?

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:32 pm
by aebrown
RussellHltn wrote:Understood. But what will the numbers be like if, for example, the new ward first meets on the 3rd Sunday of December?

They'll be just fine. The quarterly report reports average sacrament meeting attendance, so that will be quite reasonable. For the YM/YW/Primary numbers, the report is based on how many attended anytime in the reporting month. I would think that this reporting would include individuals who attended anytime in that month in either the old ward or the new ward, so those numbers should be the same as in any other reporting month for those individuals who are now in the new ward.

Even if the numbers don't include the attendance in the previous ward, most people attend or don't attend, so it would be a small number of people who would happen to have attended earlier in the month but not later in the month. There's a particular challenge for December 25 this year, since YM/YW/Primary won't be held, so that increases the chance of anomalies, but I still think the new ward should coordinate with the old wards to get attendance for each individual through the whole reporting month -- that's the only way to get truly accurate numbers.