Barony of Carolingia Policies – Barony of Carolingia

General Policies of the Barony of Carolinigia

Purpose

The Policies of the Barony of Carolingia represents basic, explicit agreements of how we manage the business aspect of our barony within the SCA. Society and East Kingdom laws preempt local practices wherever there are inconsistencies.

Definitions

In this document, unless explicitly stated otherwise:

“[The] Baronage”, “[The] Baronial Seat”, “[The] Coronet[s]” refers to any combination of seated Carolingia coronets, be they single or a couple.

Entities: All references to officers, cantons, orders, or any other positions or groups shall be held to refer to Carolingian entities. Also, unless explicitly stated otherwise, all references to guilds and boroughs shall be held to refer to such groups that have received Carolingian charters.

“Official Channels [of Communication]” are the baronial email list, the baronial newsletter (The Carolingian Minuscule), and the minutes of Great Council meetings. All official announcements and communications must be made through the baronial email list. It is preferred to include these in the newsletter and/or read them into Great Council minutes as the timeline permits.

Section I. Officers

All Carolingian officers must adhere to the requirements set forth in Society and East Kingdom Law. For a full description of officers’ duties and responsibilities, see the corresponding sections of East Kingdom Law.
Carolingia will maintain a full corps of the officers required of a barony as set forth in Society/East Kingdom Law.
Officer and guild stipends are covered in the Financial Policy.
Selection of Officers:
1. Officers will be affirmed according to the policies of their kingdom superior, if applicable.
2. The Seneschal will be elected by secret ballot of voting members of the Great Council and affirmed by the East Kingdom Seneschal.
3. Officers will be selected by the Seneschal after consulting with the previous officer and relevant advisers, and soliciting comments from the Populace.
4. Anyone who considers themselves Carolingian, and who is otherwise eligible to hold office in Carolingia, may be considered as a candidate for any Carolingian office, regardless of where they happen to reside. Non-resident and resident Carolingians will undergo the same processes for officer selection and retention, so far as is allowed by East Kingdom Law.
Voting Members of Council
1. The voting members of Council will consist of the Baronial officers, Canton and Borough heads, active guild heads, principals of the Orders, and event steward.
2. The Baronage holds no voting seat in Council but may address the Council as members of the populace.
3. The Seneschal will compile a list of the voting members of Council before any election and distribute it to the populace via official channels.
Terms of Office
1. The terms of office apply equally to all guild heads, officers, and polling order principals. For the remainder of this section “officer[s]” refers to all of these.
2. The term of office is three years unless otherwise specified by East Kingdom policies for that office.
3. Twice per year, the seneschal or designated deputy will announce which positions are open to the Barony at Great Council and through official channels. Officers whose terms are ending should announce this at relevant meetings or practices that they run, if any. People interested in holding the office will be asked to inform the seneschal.
4. There is no maximum number of terms an individual may serve in one position, unless specified by East Kingdom policies for that office.
5. When a new guild or office is formed, the term of office will be three years from that inception.
6. If an officer steps down midway through a term, their replacement may either begin a fresh three-year term, or finish out the current term.
7. If an officer has no replacement, the guild or office will go into abeyance. If the guild or office is revived, it will resume its place in the schedule of terms.
8. The Seneschal, or an appointed deputy, shall maintain a list of all Baronial Officers, with the dates when their terms began and shall end. This list must be maintained online, in a location and format such that members of the Barony can easily access it.
Removal of Officers
1. The Seneschal can be removed from office by the East Kingdom Seneschal based on sufficient cause.
2. Baronial officers who report to a kingdom officer or regional officer can be removed by the kingdom or regional officer. The baronial seneschal can recommend removal to the kingdom or regional officer if deemed necessary.
3. Guild heads, event stewards, order principals, and baronial officers who do not report to a kingdom or regional officer can be removed by the baronial seneschal if deemed necessary.
4. If a guild has not held a meeting at least once in the previous four months, it will be considered to be in abeyance. The head of any guild that is in abeyance does not have a voting seat on the Great Council. Once a guild in abeyance holds a publicly-announced meeting, it will be considered to be active again, and will regain its voting seat on the Great Council.

Section II. Committees

Carolingia has a standing Finance Committee in accordance with East Kingdom Financial Policies.
Carolingia has a Beneficium Committee comprised of the Seneschal, the Exchequer, the Baronage, and the A&S minister.
The Seneschal may establish any additional committees deemed necessary and beneficial based on events within the Barony. Once the function of any additional committee is fulfilled, the additional committee will be dissolved by the Seneschal.

Section III. Meetings

Carolingia holds baronial meetings quarterly, at a minimum.
Baronial meetings must be announced at least two weeks in advance by the Seneschal via official channels.
Meeting minutes must be published on the baronial email list prior to the next meeting.

Section IV. Events

All events held within Carolingia shall be done so under the direction of the Seneschal and within guidelines set forth in SCA or East Kingdom Laws and Policies.
Each event shall have an event steward. The term of the position of event Autocrat shall be from acceptance of the proposal until the end of the second Great Council meeting after the event takes place.
Prospective event stewards shall submit or present a “proposal” for the event to the Great Council and a budget to the Finance Committee for consideration. A site contract for the event may not be signed until the proposal has been approved by the Great Council and the budget approved by the Finance Committee.
After the event proposal is approved, any changes to the general purpose or scope of the event shall be submitted to the Great Council for consideration before being implemented.
Event stewards will be affirmed by the Seneschal.
Event stewards are to keep the Seneschal informed of all aspects of the event.
Event stewards will abide by the financial policies concerning events.
Each event steward shall compose a general report about their event, by the second Great Council meeting after the event takes place. Copies of this report should go to the Seneschal and the Historian. This report should cover matters of interest to the Great Council or to future event stewards, which may include information about the site, planned activities, the schedule, publicity, how it all worked, and how any problems were dealt with.

Section V. Baronial Seat Selection Process

The following process will be used when an election for the Baronage is required due to a vacancy in the baronial seats of Carolingia or to fulfill the requirements set forth in East Kingdom Law.
1. Nominations
  1. Candidates’ eligibility will be determined in accordance with East Kingdom Law.
  2. A “candidate” is considered either an individual or a couple.
  3. Nominations may be made by any Carolingian, and they may nominate other individuals or themselves.
  4. The Seneschal must acknowledge receipt of all nominations to the person making the nomination. The Seneschal will also confirm receipt of the nomination with the nominee before announcing nominations.
  5. Citizens may be nominated individually or as part of a couple, but may not appear on any polling form more than once. Should an individual be nominated in more than one form, that individual will make the decision of running alone, or selecting a partner from the list of those of whom that individual has been nominated to run with as a couple, provided that the selected partner agrees to the nomination.
  6. All “couple nominations” must have the consent of running as a couple with the other person nominated to be their partner. There can be no substitutions to the couples, unless another partner was nominated for that nominee.
  7. At the end of the nomination period, the Seneschal will announce the final list of nominees to the populace via official channels.
2. Process
  1. The polling will be conducted according to East Kingdom Law.
  2. All candidates will be listed on the ballot in alphabetical order by SCA name.
  3. Voting will be conducted by using the instant-runoff method using a multiple-choice ballot. Voters will mark their ballots with numbers and may rank as many of the candidates as they like. Then the ballots will be tabulated using a form of the instant-runoff method; to wit:
    1. Each ballot will be counted as one vote for that first-choice candidate.
    2. At the end of the first round, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes will be eliminated.
    3. If a voter’s first-choice candidate is eliminated, then their next-highest-ranked choice will be used in the next round of counting.
    4. This process will continue until one of the candidates achieves at least 51% of the votes.
  4. Any individual who wishes to express their wishes as to that selection and does not qualify to receive a ballot should write directly to The Crown.
The term for the Baronial Seat will be in accordance with Kingdom Law.

Section VI. Policies Amendments

A proposed amendment to the Policies must be submitted in writing to the Seneschal.
The proposed amendment will be published on the website and via official channels promptly following the Great Council meeting where the proposed amendments are distributed.
1. If the wording of the amendment is revised during the discussion at the Great Council meeting where the proposed amendments are distributed, the revised wording is due to the Seneschal no more than 24 hours after that meeting ends.
2. If the wording of the amendment is revised after the Great Council meeting where the amendments are distributed, the revised wording is due to the Seneschal no more than one week after the meeting ends.
3. Discussion on the amendment will take place at the Great Council meeting where the proposed amendments are distributed and after Council on the Barony email list.
4. There will be time allotted for discussion and final questions before the vote at the next scheduled Great Council meeting.
The amendment will be voted upon by Great Council at the next scheduled meeting.
When there are proposed amendments which are to be voted on at the same meeting, which are in the Seneschal’s opinion mutually exclusive, they will be voted on simultaneously against an option of no change, using the instant-runoff method.
Changes to the Policies due to policy changes in the SCA Governing Documents, East Kingdom Law, or the policies of the Corporate or East Kingdom Greater and Lesser Officers will not require a vote and will take place automatically as an administrative function. The changes will be published via official channels.
The Seneschal must ask the populace of Carolingia for suggested amendments to the Policies once per calendar year.
Policies review shall take place between February and April. The Seneschal may allow amendments outside of the annual period. These would follow the same basic timeline of publication, review, and voting as per the annual period.
The annual review of the Policies shall not fall within a month following a change of Seneschal or Baronial Seat. If such a transition occurs during the process, then the process will be paused for a month.
Carolingia has a Financial Policy. Non-administrative changes to the Financial Policy require approval of the Great Council.

Section VII: Baronial Orders

The Polling Orders of Carolingia
1. There are three polling orders given in Carolingia: the Order of the Daystar, the Order of the Moon, and the Order of Perseus. All inhabitants of the Known World are eligible for these orders, provided only that their services have been of especial benefit to the Barony of Carolingia. These awards are therefore not redundant to recipients of similar kingdom orders, but imply a different geographical center of activity.
  1. Presentation: Each Order may be granted to new Companions by the Baronage of Carolingia, after making a fair attempt to consult with all locally active Companions of that Order and with the Seneschal or the Seneschal’s representative. The Principal of the Order must be informed of the result of this consultation, and of the Baronage’s decision. A candidate must be informed of the responsibilities and privileges of the Order as set down in these Policies, and may not be inducted into the Order without the candidate’s prior consent. The person intending to present the award may discuss with candidates the Order and the procedure by which they were nominated.
  2. General Responsibilities
    1. Companions of each Order are to bring to the attention of the Baronage others who deserve to be recognized for their contributions, whether meriting Companionship in their own Order or some other honor.
    2. Companions of each Order should hold at least two meetings annually to discuss candidates and other order business such as special projects or choosing an Order Principal.
    3. Companions should keep the Baronage informed of their current contact information so that they can be easily reached for consultation.
  3. Privileges
    1. Companions of each Order shall have the exclusive right to wear the insignia registered as the badge of that Order. Medallions bearing the insignia of the appropriate Order should be awarded to new Companions by the Baronage. These medallions are to be provided by the Baronage, or the Companions of the Order.
    2. Companions of each Order have the privilege of enquiring of the Baronage who has been proposed for Companionship in that Order and of advising on those persons’ qualifications for the Order.
    3. Each Order shall be represented in the Great Council of Carolingia. The seat shall be held by the Principal of the Order or the Principal’s representative.
    4. Each Order may undertake various projects for the well-being of the Barony and may dispose of any revenues accrued from these projects as the Companions of the Order see fit, within the guidelines of SCA and East Kingdom Law.
2. The Carolingian Order of the Daystar is given to honor continued excellence in service over an extended period of time, of which service the Barony of Carolingia is the primary beneficiary.
  1. Companions of the Daystar accept the responsibility of upholding the highest standards of service in the Barony. They should continue to serve the interests of the Barony, whenever possible, and to encourage and instruct others to serve as well.
  2. The insignia of the Order of the Daystar is: Azure, a pall wavy between three suns in their splendor Or.
3. The Carolingian Order of the Moon is given in recognition of achievements in the arts which further the progress of those arts in the Barony of Carolingia. It is given to honor not excellence alone, but achievement combined with teaching or other dissemination of the arts such that a considerable impact has been made, and the place of those arts is secure within the Barony.
  1. Companions of the Moon accept the responsibility of upholding the highest standards of the arts in the Barony. They should continue, whenever possible, to practice and instruct in those arts in which they have shown their skill and talent. All members should be willing to advise the Baronial Minister of Arts concerning their fields of expertise.
  2. The insignia of the Order of the Moon is: Azure, a pall wavy Or between three moons in their complement argent.
4. The Carolingian Order of Perseus is given in recognition of achievements in the martial arts which further the progress of those arts in the Barony of Carolingia. It is given to honor not prowess alone, but achievement combined with teaching or other dissemination of those arts such that the overall level of the safe and courteous practice of those arts within the Barony has been raised.
  1. Companions of Perseus accept the responsibility of upholding the highest standards of the martial arts in the Barony. They should continue, whenever possible, to practice and instruct in those martial arts in which they have shown their skill and talent.
  2. The insignia of the Order of Perseus is: Azure, a pall wavy Or between six mullets of eight points argent.
The Non-Polling Order of Carolingia
1. There is one non-polling order in Carolingia. The Order of the Comet of Carolingia is granted to children, fifteen years of age and under, or at the discretion of the Baronage, who enhance the Barony through their service, arts and sciences, or martial pursuits. All inhabitants of the Known World fitting the age requirements are eligible for this order, provided only that their activities have been of especial benefit to the Barony of Carolingia. This award is therefore not redundant to the recipient of a similar Kingdom order, but implies a different geographical center of activity. The insignia of the Order of the Comet of Carolingia is: Azure, a pall wavy between three comets fesswise reversed Or. Medallions bearing the insignia are to be awarded by the Baronage. The medallions are to be provided by the Baronage, or the Companions of the Order.
2. Presentation: The Order of the Comet of Carolingia is granted by the Baronage of Carolingia, after consulting with the Chancellor Minor and the Seneschal or the Seneschal’s representative. A candidate must be informed of the responsibilities and privileges of the Order as set down in these Policies and may not be inducted into the Order without the candidate’s prior consent. The Baronage intending to present the award may discuss with candidates the Order and the procedure by which they were nominated.
3. General Responsibilities
  1. Companions of the Order should continue to serve the interests of the Barony, whenever possible, and to encourage and instruct others to serve as well. They are to bring to the attention of the Baronage others who deserve to be recognized for their contributions, whether meriting the Order of the Comet of Carolingia or some other honor.
  2. Companions of the Order should hold at least one meeting annually, at a Carolingian event, as called by the Baronage. The Chancellor Minor will be the Principal of the Order until such a time when there are multiple members of the Order over the age of 16. From that time on, a Principal of the Order will be selected at the annual meeting by acclamation of the Order. Discussion of new candidates for the Order may be held at these times.
  3. Companions should keep the Baronage informed of their current contact information so that they can be easily reached for consultation.
4. Privileges
  1. Companions of the Order shall have the exclusive right to wear the insignia registered as the badge of the Order of the Comet of Carolingia.
  2. The Order shall be represented in the Great Council of Carolingia. The seat shall be held by the Chancellor Minor until such time as a Principal of the Order may be selected, after which it will be held by the Principal or the Principal’s representative.
  3. The Order may undertake various projects for the well-being of the Barony and may dispose of any revenues accrued from these projects as the Companions of the Order see fit, after consultation with the Chancellor Minor, within the guidelines of SCA and East Kingdom Law.

Section VIII: The Beneficium Carolingianum Pro Artibus

The Beneficium exists to encourage research of the Arts and Sciences within the time period covered by the SCA and benefit the state of the Arts and Sciences in the SCA.
The Beneficium will reimburse expenses directly related to that research and its dissemination. Acceptable uses of Beneficium funds include but are not limited to:
1. Publication costs
2. Speaker fees
3. Costs of materials associated with research.
Anyone may submit a proposal.
The written proposal must be presented to the Beneficium committee.
Disbursement of moneys will be in accordance with the financial policy.

Below links are to the canonical PDF versions of the general policies. If there is a discrepancy between the website and the PDF, the PDF is correct.

Click to access policies-revised-2024April.pdf

PDF of Policies – revised 2023 May

PDF of Policies – revised 2022 May

PDF of Policies – revised 2021 Nov

PDF of Bylaws – revised 2020 Nov

PDF of Bylaws – revised 2019 Nov

PDF of Bylaws – revised 2018 July

PDF of Bylaws – revised 2017 July

PDF of Bylaws – revised 2016 July

PDF of Bylaws – revised 2015 Sept

Financial Policy for the Barony of Carolingia

Composition of the Financial Committee is as follows:
1. The Finance Committee is made up of at least the Seneschal, the Exchequer, and the Baronage.
2. The Finance Committee must have an odd number of members. If necessary, the seneschal will appoint an additional member to the Committee.
3. The Finance Committee is chaired by the Seneschal.
Terms of Financial Committee members is as follows:
1. Terms of default membership are tied to the term of office for each member.
2. For the additional odd-number member the term mirrors the defaults in baronial policies.
Timeframes and methods for meetings are as follows:
1. The Finance Committee meets as often as needed, ideally at least twice a year to cover annual budget and policy review.
2. Meetings are generally held virtually, but can be hybrid or in person so long as all are able to attend.
3. Meetings may be called by any member.
4. Minutes for all meetings should be made available.
5. In place of live meetings, decisions may be taken via email or other media when practical without a full meeting. Any such conversation shall be documented with minutes as if they were a full meeting.
Timeframes and methods for action approval under normal circumstances are as follows:
1. The committee should strive to reach decisions within a meeting, but if more information is needed, vote and decisions may be delayed.
2. Vote is by simple majority of full membership, not of members present. That is, if a meeting has to happen with only three or four of five members, three matching votes remain required to reach a decision.
Timeframes and methods for meeting and approval in emergencies is as follows:
1. In the case of an emergency situation where a full meeting of the committee is not possible the Seneschal and/or Exchequer may use their Kingdom or regional superior to come to a decision. These decisions should be quickly shared with the committee at large and published.
Reporting Schedule for Carolingia:
1. In addition to Exchequer reporting requirements by Society and Kingdom, the following will be made available to the Barony:
  1. Annual budget
    1. The Finance Committee will create an annual budget at the beginning of each year.
    2. The budget will include:
      1. Officer and guild stipends. Every officer and guild head is entitled to a $50 per year stipend to spend on the office’s or guild’s needs. Receipts must be turned in to the Exchequer for reimbursement.
      2. Recurring expense like practice sites
      3. Expected expense for regalia, etc.
      4. Special funds or subaccount activities.
    3. This budget will not include event specific budgets.
    4. The budget is a forecast, not a binding budget and can be amended by the Finance Committee.
  2. Year-end and event financial reports
    1. The Exchequer will provide the year end reports by the Council Meeting following their due date to Kingdom.
    2. The Event Steward or Exchequer will provide the event reports in the Council Meeting following their submission to Kingdom.
  3. Finance Committee meeting minutes will be provided by the Council Meeting following any meeting.
Reporting requirements for branch quarterly reports
1. Reports should include the following documents:
  1. Financial activity such as a journal or ledger,
  2. A current list of variances in effect,
  3. Bank statements for all accounts for the quarter.
2. Reports should be provided no later than one month after the close of the quarter.
Timeframes and methods for review and revision of the financial policy are as follows:
1. Administrative changes to align with superordinate policies at either Kingdom or Society level or to correct errors will be done by the Finance Committee as needed and published.
2. General changes will be recommended by the Finance Committee, and discussed in Great Council for full transparency.
3. Committee should perform at least an annual review of policies.
4. As per kingdom, changes require approval from kingdom exchequer before being final.
Methods for controlling cash receipts.
1. Please see Society Policy Section XII, A-D.
2. In the event of any delay in depositing cash to the appropriate bank account, the chancellor of the Exchequer must inform their regional superior and the Seneschal as soon as possible.
Policies regarding event admission charges, refunds, or complimentary passes are as follows:
1. On an event basis, at the discretion of the Event Steward with approval from the Finance Committee a discount of not less than $1 but not more than $5 may be provided to adult students who provide proof in the form of an active student ID at the gate.
2. Refunds
  1. Carolingia will offer refunds for pre-registration to those who contact the Event Steward at least 24 hours prior to the event.
  2. The Event Steward may alter this with the approval of the financial committee based on specific circumstances relating to the financial health of Barony.
Policy regarding asset management and control of inventory including trailer policy
1. See Society Policy Section XIII, A, 1-5.
Prohibited Activities
1. See Society Policy Section XIV, A-C.
Policy on sales tax if any area in the Kingdom is required to collect state/local sales tax for event admissions, fundraisers, silent auctions, etc. Also if there needs to be a policy of collecting sales tax from vendors. (Any addition to this are must be done with consultation with the Society tax specialist.)
1. As a 501 (c) 3 the Barony is exempt from sales tax in the state of MA.
2. The chancellor of the exchequer will work with the Kingdom to ensure all appropriate certificates of exemption are current.
3. When approving expenses the Finance Committee will ensure Event Stewards and other members of the Barony incurring expenses present the appropriate certificate to the vendor/s.
Special Purpose and Dedicated Funds
1. Special funds will be reviewed annually by the Finance Committee and expressed to the appropriate group or office.
2. In the event that the principal purpose of the funds can not be determined or achieved within two years of obtaining said funds they may revert to the General Fund.
3. Current Special/Dedicated Funds
  1. Fighting Practice
    1. Receive donations from attendees to pay for practice site
    2. There is no secondary purpose
    3. Inactivity Expiration – two years
  2. Jougleurs Fund
    1. Donated for general Jougleur expenses
    2. General expense for the Waytes
    3. Inactivity Expiration – two years
  3. Thrown Weapons Fund
    1. Donated for general Thrown Weapons expenses
    2. There is no secondary purpose
    3. Inactivity Expiration – 2 years
  4. Beneficium Fund
    1. Donation for Music/Dance/Theater Special Projects
    2. There is no secondary purpose
    3. Inactivity Expiration – two years
Events and Event Stewards
1. For a proposed event to become official, the Finance Committee must approve the budget.
2. Any changes to the event budget shall be submitted to the Finance Committee, when possible and appropriate, before being implemented.
3. The Event Steward is responsible for documenting financial expenditures for the event. The Exchequer will assist as needed to maintain compliance.
4. The Event Steward is to turn over receipts (or clear copies of receipts) for expenditures for the event to the baronial Exchequer within two weeks after the event closes
Beneficium Carolingian Pro Artibus
1. Carolingia policies provide for support for period arts and sciences for the Beneficium.
2. While the governance of the Beneficium is specified in the main policies, the accounting and disbursement are handled via the exchequer.
3. The Beneficium Committee is permitted to disperse up to $500 a year.
4. To disperse more than that sum will require permission from the Seneschal and Great Council.
5. With the approval of the Beneficium committee, disbursement will be otherwise in accordance with these policies.
6. The Beneficium committee membership is defined in the general Baronial Policies
Subordination to Society and Kingdom
1. All policies not stated here are inherited from Society and Kingdom policies.
2. Any conflicts are resolved in favor of the Society and Kingdom policies.
3. The Chancellor of the Exchequer will monitor Society and Kingdom policies for changes that impact these policies. See below for change and approval procedures.
Superordinate to general baronial policies
1. The financial policies supersede general branch policies should any conflict arise. The Seneschal and Exchequer will strive to remove any conflicting language from general policies in good time.

Below links are to the canonical PDF versions of the financial policies. If there is a discrepancy between the website and the PDF, the PDF is correct.

Financial-Policy-Carolingia-2023