Tech Forum

I've been thinking about buying a laptop for the stake to use for AV purposes. Some people don't have one and need to display something in a meeting, and others show up with various configurations that don't work well with the web site or the video or webcast or whatever. We have had many meetings interrupted or start late due to these issues.

But when I proposed this to our stake presidency they said they were counseled not to buy laptops. Is this policy?

craiggsmith wrote:I've been thinking about buying a laptop for the stake to use for AV purposes. Some people don't have one and need to display something in a meeting, and others show up with various configurations that don't work well with the web site or the video or webcast or whatever. We have had many meetings interrupted or start late due to these issues.

But when I proposed this to our stake presidency they said they were counseled not to buy laptops. Is this policy?

I don't know if it's policy or not, but if you've already asked the SP and they gave you an answer, then perhaps they have made a decision.

My stake presidency was very supportive of purchasing a laptop. They didn't mention anything about a laptop, and it was bought with stake administrative funds. It's worked out very well for us.

As with many things, I think the stake president holds the key here (literally).

craiggsmith wrote:But when I proposed this to our stake presidency they said they were counseled not to buy laptops. Is this policy?

Not that I know of. There is an official "Policies and Guidelines for Computers Used by Clerks for Church Record Keeping" and an official "Policy and Guidelines for Computers in Family History Centers" but those cover computers used for those specific purposes and are silent on the topic of other computers. So purchasing a laptop could be a reasonable use of budget funds.

However, if your stake presidency was "counseled" on this topic, chances are that this counsel came from someone in authority over them, and thus it would be binding on that stake presidency, even if published handbooks don't cover the topic.

craiggsmith wrote:Is this policy?

I think it's safe to say that it is policy with respect to the computers used to run MLS. It's possible that the SP is somehow thinking it applies to all computers.

Then again, that might well have come out in some stake training from the area authorities.

Well the other side of this is the continued insistance from church FM departments that we don't spend LUBA funds on items that should/can be provided through them. That's certainly the case at a ward level, and I presume at stake level too?

Thanks everyone. I don't know where this counselor received his information and I wanted to educate myself first (but couldn't find a related policy either). We have a new stake president so I think it's worth clarifying; they may have just had a misunderstanding or it may be old counsel. If we didn't have a webcast communicator box we'd have to buy one at least for that. We have talked about trying to get our FM group to provide more AV equipment but haven't gone too far with that.

We have one is our stake as well. The Stake Clerk manages it and mostly uses it with the projector to display PPTs as well as other documents during meetings.

It does make you wonder as to how 'recent' the advice was. 5-10 years ago the cost of laptops was significantly higher (now you can get a low end laptop for < $400). As the financial investment goes down I think the practicality of purchasing one goes up.

Don't you?

When the Budget Allowance first came out in the 1990's the guideline was to not buy computer equipment using budget allowance funds. I'm sure this was because the church set aside other funds to purchase computer equipment. In the OPs question the purpose was for AV use. The FM group is responsible for purchasing AV equipment so that is where the church has placed the funds.

My own opinion is: Budget Allowance is there to fund ward and stake activities and general operating expenses (such as paper) so it would be an inappropriate use of funds to purchase laptops for AV purposes.

Gary_Miller wrote:Budget Allowance is there to fund ward and stake activities and general operating expenses (such as paper) so it would be an inappropriate use of funds to purchase laptops for AV purposes.

Wait a second. Not sure you can state that categorically. Webcasting is funded out of the stake budget as policy from CHQ, and with no church-provided webcast receiver, a cheap laptop is the next best thing.