The first interesting point is that a part of the restructuring plan involves cutting the diocesan assessment to the USCCB by 16%.
Under the plan, the "diocesan assessment" — essentially a tax that each dioceses pays to subsidize national conference operations — would be reduced 16 percent. Though the assessment accounts for just 9 percent of the conference’s $131 million annual budget, it is the organization’s largest source of unrestricted revenue. Over the last several years, citing fiscal constraints in their home dioceses, the bishops have declined to increase the assessment. As a result, the conference has dipped into endowed reserves to fund operations.
You’re interested in the "restricted" revenue? Here’s one:
Not included in the proposal are the 79-employee Migrant and Refugee Services program, which is a source of more than $41 million in government grants to the conference.
No griping about that, at least from here, but it is interesting.
So, what’s is being proposed for cuts?
In addition to the cutbacks, the plan approved by the administrative committee includes some significant changes in the structure of the conference. Under the restructuring, for example, separate offices dealing with Hispanic, African-American and other ethnic minorities would be merged into a department focused on "Cultural Diversity in the Church." A consolidated national collections department would be responsible for the fundraising aspects of special annual appeals (such as those for the Church in Eastern Europe and the Church in Africa), though the programmatic efforts funded by the collections would remain within the policy departments.
The work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development would shift to the newly constituted "Human Development, Justice and Peace" office, a successor to the Social Development and World Peace department. Through the consolidation, the social justice efforts would see a reduction from 37 authorized positions to 25. Currently, 28 individuals carry out the tasks envisioned for the new office.
The vast majority of bishop conference offices — everything from Catholic Education and Divine Worship to Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs and administrative services such as accounting and the counsel’s office — face staff reductions under the plan. The Pro Life Activities office staff complement would be reduced from an authorized level of 11 staff to eight; the conference’s library, staffed by a full-time librarian and a part-time assistant, would be eliminated.
Departments not slated for cuts include the office of Laity, Marriage, Family Life & Youth. In addition, the four full-time and one part-time positions devoted to operating the house for diocesan priests working at the bishops’ conference would be maintained under the plan.
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