Bar's new budget includes no increase in membership fees.

For the ninth year in a row, The Florida Bar will not have an increase in its annual membership fees, but its 2009-10 budget will reflect the hard economic times by running a small deficit.

The Board of Governors at its April 3 meeting in Coral Gables approved next year's fiscal plan as recommended by the Budget Committee. (Complete details of the budget are on pages 22 and 23.)

2009-10 Budget Chair Jake Schickel said next year's budget will spend almost $38.3 million, compared with $39 million this year. Revenues are projected at $38 million, down from $38.8 million expected for 2008-09.

As for the deficit, Schickel told the board, "We have sufficient reserves to cover that amount of money without a problem."

The budget has no new programs and provides for no new employees, he said.

Two major items regarding the 2009-2010 budget are funds to be set aside for redesigning the Bar's Web site and an increase in the amount of fees being allocated to the Clients' Security Fund. Bar rules allow up to $25 of each member's annual membership fees to be used to support the fund.

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"The board in the past has allowed the Clients' Security Fund to take up to $25 of the dues and in recent years we have allocated $20. This year we are proposing it be increased to $25," Schickel said.

Later in the meeting, Bar President Jay White announced he had appointed a special...