Commodore Wayne Balsiger, left, and Vice Commodore Ken Johnson lead the annual membership meeting at Shilshole,

The CYC membership overwhelmingly approved bylaws changes, which would reduce dues for most members, and elected a slate of officers and directors at the club annual meeting at Shilshole on Nov. 28.

Under the bylaws changes, the S2 membership category, which encompasses the bulk of the clubs senior members, has been redefined as an  “adult family membership” with the primary member being 30-69 years old. Dues for the category would drop from the current $628 to $420, and the initiation fee would drop from $275 to $210.

The dues reduction is viewed as a way to attract non-racing members at a time when the club has reached a consensus that CYC can’t survive on racing alone. The Shilshole live-aboard community is seen as one potential source of new Corinthians.

To ease the pain of dues, the board plans to initiate a monthly payment system in which members could have dues deducted automatically from their accounts. For the 30-69 age group, the monthly charge would be $35.

To offset the revenue losses from the dues reduction, the club board is expected to raise race fees, which also will bring those fees closer to covering the actual cost of racing.   The increased race fees and lowered dues, in aggregate, will mean racing members will pay about the same in 2012 as they have in 2011.

The bylaws changes also increased dues for associate members from $75 to $96 a year and created a business membership category at $1,500 a year.

To see the full set of bylaws, as amended, click here. To see a full explanation of the bylaws changes, click here.

Officers elected at the annual meeting include Ken Johnson, commodore, Bruce Van Deventer, vice commodore, Brian Watkins, rear commodore, Stuart Burnell, treasurer, Lydia Volberding, secretary, Bill Blodgett, fleet captain, race, Doug Stewart, fleet captain cruise.

Directors elected for a one-year term are Stevan Johnson and Kathryn Meyer. Directors elected for two year terms are Sunny Fenton, Nojan Moshiri, and Derick Vranizan.