In Roman civic administration, two [[Consuls]] were elected to manage the affairs of the city. Each had broad powers, but every act was subject to veto by the other Consul. This was the model chosen for the administration of The Augustan Society, Inc., in 2007, and is the foundation for Consular authority and limits. Obviously, they also serve at the pleasure of the [[Board]] under contract, and under Board direction through the [[President]].
The logic for having two persons share what would normally be the duties of one executive director is that the job is felt to be larger than one person might manage (especially considering it is a volunteer position), and because the only viable candidates identified in 2007 were a couple, both of whom were long-time members who joined the Society in 1974. Their skills and competencies are were largely complimentary, and while it would be inaccurate to describe their administration as being without conflict, these are were in nearly all cases resolved between them without recourse to Board authority.
Consuls were permitted by contract to style themselves differently as circumstances permit, especially when dealing with those outside the Society who may not be familiar with the term "Consul". "Executive Director" was generally preferred for this, and could be employed by either Consul (unless thattitle were created for a different office).
Consuls worked under a [[Consuls' Contract]], renewed (usually with revisions) for each calendar year. For a brief period of unrest, their contract was month-to-month, but that now is behind us.
The Contract included a payment in lieu of rent for the space the Society occupies in their home. This was meant to compensate them for the space used by the Society within their home, and for the additional expenses of operating Society equipment. It was not meant as compensation for their time — they serve served as volunteers.
==Rent==
The rent for space in the ConsulsMetcalfs' home was set at $2 for 2007, doubling each year thereafter. In practice it increased in a 1-2-5 sequence for the first few years, and there were exceptions made in the year that rent was paid monthly, thus in the tenth year of the contract (2016) the rent was $2000. It is was expected that multiples of two will would be more strictly applied in future.
The logic for the exponential payments is was that at the time the first contract was signed, $2 was a significant fraction of Society reserves. The predictable increases were intended to give the Society both the incentive and the time needed to obtain a [[Headquarters]] outside the Consuls' home; not to impoverish or take over the Society (though should the Board fail to obtain a Headquarters, that would soon be the effect).
Consuls The Metcalfs have expressed a willingness to negotiate lower or no increases if the [[Board]] demonstrates concrete progress toward the goal of an independent Headquarters facility. To encourage this, starting with the 2016 contract, payment will was be split in halfinto two semi-annual payments; the first half due in January2018, and it was split into quarterly payments. This gave the second half due in July, giving Consuls Metcalfs the opportunity to waive half a portion of the fee annual rent if the Society — in their sole opinion — has had made significant progress toward moving out in the first six months. In 2018, this was further subdivided into quarterly payments. Should the rent be thus reduced, the following year's rent would be twice the reduced amount. Thus continuous progress would result in freezing the rent.
Another proposal that has been offered would cap the rent at the annual revenue of the Investment FundWhile no longer associated with Consular duties after 2017, provided that contracts will still need to be executed annually for Headquarters space in the Society deposit ten percent (10%) of gross revenues into the Investment Fund. This proposal wonMetcalfs't be worthy of consideration until 2019, at which point it would offer measurable savings to the Societyhome.
With The present agreement with the termination of Metcalfs now provides that rent will be free provided that the office Society deposit 10% of Consul at gross revenues into the end of 2017Investment Fund, contracts will still need to and that the deposits in that fund remain untouched. Growth and interest may be executed annually for Headquarters space in withdrawn at the MetcalfsBoard' homes discretion. They intend to continue the fee schedule described above, including reductions in the event A capital purchase or long-term lease would also trigger a review of significant progress by the Board toward moving outthis agreement.
* Attendance (by one) at each meeting of the Board
* Service as [[Production Editor-in-Chief]] of all Society publications (though this will likely soon change to [[Production Editor]], except as provided by the Board
* [[Eagle Assistant Chancellor]] (previously the Eagle Administrator) for the [[Order of the Augustan Eagle]] in cooperation with the [[Eagle Council]]
* [[Rose Assistant Chancellor]] (previously the Rose Administrator) for the [[Noble Company of the Rose]] in cooperation with the [[Rose Council]]
That said, it is desirable that all duties that do not benefit from being performed at Headquarters be transferred to other volunteers. It would also be desirable to transfer some of their duties once a public [[Headquarters]] has been obtained and local volunteers become known.
It has also become had been customary for one of the Consuls to deliver a "[[State of the Society]]" address at the [[Annual Meeting]]. Often Occasionally the Board will direct directed that copies be distributed to either the Board or the Membership. Not all such have been suitable for general publication. The 2016 address was the last of these, the task being given to the Society's [[Chairman]], or in the vacancy of that office, the [[President]].
==Unofficial Duties==
Consuls had a second set of obligations, ones that were but for this page unwritten, and as a result largely misunderstood.
Consuls, if only by virtue of their long tenure with the Society, including time spent with the [[Founder]], served serve as the Society's institutional memory, especially in those many areas where the history is unwritten. In the performance of this duty, they not only answered answer questions, but pro-actively advised officers and councils of that history. This isn't to say that they had the authority to block change, only that they required that it be done knowingly, and with full awareness of relevant Society history.
They also served as that nasty little voice of conscience in the heads of officers, chairmen, and others. They tried to keep track of which tasks had been assigned or assumed, and gently (and privately) reminded others of what yet needed to be done.
Consuls' duty in this regard was thus to strengthen the [[Board]] so that it could actually manage the affairs of the Society, to develop volunteer chairmen who could carry out the work, to develop vice-chairmen who can step up at need, and to deemphasize the need for their services until they could be replaced by a clerk or two.
These unofficial duties will not be performed after the end of 2017.
There is a "Plan B" in reserve that provides for the [[Board]] to appoint a true [[Executive Director]] to assume all power and authority of the Board save his hiring, compensation, and amendment of the [[By-Laws]]. A draft of an implementing By-Law has been drafted, and would require member approval. The challenge here would be to find a suitable candidate, as the Metcalfs would prefer to decline.
Consuls feel that this This plan, especially if one of them the Metcalfs is to be named Executive Director, is felt to be the worst possible answer short of dissolving the Society.
The Metcalfs offered to continue their services as institutional memory on request, but would try to resist the temptation to speak up without invitation. The President and others who appoint officers will be expected to do their own follow-up.
The annual contracts will continue, but as a rental agreement only, and with the same pricing as described above.