By-Laws
Article I. Membership
Section 1.01 Eligibility.
There shall be two types of membership: individual and family.
An
individual
membership is open to all persons 18 years of age and older who
subscribe to the purposes of this Club. A Family membership is open to
an immediate
family unit, including parent(s) and/or guardian(s) and all their legal
children
living in the same single-family residence, who subscribe to the
purposes of this Club.
Minor children of Family members may be present at, and may participate
with parental or
guardianship supervision in the conduct of the Club as appropriate to
these Bylaws,
but shall not exercise a vote. While membership is to be unrestricted
as to
residence, the Club's primary purpose is to be representative of the
breeders and exhibitors
in the Greater Sacramento Area.
Section 1.02 Dues.
Membership dues shall not exceed $25.00 per year for
individual members
and $45.00 per year for family members, payable on or before the 1st
day of
January of each year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid
for the current year. During
the month of November the Treasurer shall send to each member a
statement of dues
for the ensuing year.
Section 1.03 Election to Membership.
Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as
approved by the
board of directors. The application shall state the name and address of
the
applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two members in good
standing. Accompanying the
application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the
current year. All applications are to be filed with the Secretary
and each
application is to be read at the first meeting of the club following
its receipt. At the next club
meeting the application will be voted upon and affirmative votes of 2/3
of the members present
and voting by
secret ballot at that meeting shall be required to elect the
applicant. Applicants for membership who have been rejected by
the club may not
reapply within six months after such rejection.
Section 1.04 Termination of Membership.
Memberships may be terminated:
a) by resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the club
upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in
debt
to the club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the club and
they are
incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
b) by lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and
automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid (either
30/60/90 days)
after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the board may grant an
additional (either 30/60/90 days) of grace to such delinquent members
in meritorious
cases. In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any club meeting
whose dues
are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.
c) by expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion
as
provided in Article VI of these bylaws.
Article II. Meetings and Voting
Section 2.01 Club Meetings.
Meetings of the club shall be held quarterly in Sacramento (or
within
the greater Sacramento area) at such hour and place as may be
designated by the
board of directors. Written notice of each such meeting shall be
mailed by the Secretary at
least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such
meetings shall be
20 percent of the members in good standing.
Section 2.02 Special Club Meetings.
Special club meetings may be called by the President, or by a
majority
vote of the
members of the board who are present and voting at any regular or
special meeting of the board; and shall be called by the Secretary upon
receipt of a petition
signed by five members of the club who are in good standing. Such
special meetings
shall be held in Sacramento (or within the greater Sacramento area) at
such place, date,
and hour as may be designated by the person or persons authorized
herein to call such
meetings. Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the
Secretary at least five
days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting, and
said notice shall
state the purpose of the meeting, and no other club business may be
transacted thereat. The
quorum for such a meeting shall be 20 percent of the members in good
standing.
Section 2.03 Board Meetings.
Meetings of the board of directors shall be held quarterly in
Sacramento (or within the greater Sacramento area) at such hour and
place as may be designated by
the board. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the
Secretary at
least five days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a
meeting shall
be a majority of the board.
Section 2.04 Special Board Meetings.
Special meetings of the board may be called by the President;
and shall
be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by
at least three
members of the board. Such special meetings shall be held in Sacramento
(or within the
greater Sacramento area) at such place, date, and hour as may be
designated by the person
authorized herein to call such meeting. Written notice of such meeting
shall be mailed by
the Secretary at least five days and not more than 10 days prior to the
date of the
meeting. Any such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no
other business
shall be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a
majority of the board.
Section 2.05 Voting.
Each member in good standing whose dues are paid for the
current year
shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the club at which he is
present.
Individual members shall hold one vote; family members shall hold two
votes. Proxy voting will
not be permitted at any club meeting or election.
Article III. Directors and Officers
Section 3.01 Board of Directors.
The board shall be comprised of the officers and three other
persons,
all of whom shall be members in good standing and all of whom shall be
elected for one-year
terms at the club's annual meeting as provided in Article IV and shall
serve until
their successors are elected. General management of the club's affairs
shall be entrusted to
the board of directors.
Section 3.02 Officers.
The club's officers, consisting of the President, Vice
President,
Secretary and Treasurer, shall serve in their respective capacities
both with regard to the club
and its meetings and the board and its meetings.
a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the club and
of the
board, and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the
office of
President in addition to those particularly specified in these bylaws.
b) The Vice President shall have the duties and exercise the
powers of
the President in case of the President's death, absence or incapacity.
c) The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the
club and of
the board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the
club; have
charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify new
members of their election to membership, notify officers and directors
of their election
to office, keep a roll of the members of the club with their addresses,
and carry
out such other duties as are prescribed in these bylaws.
d) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or
belonging
to the club. Moneys shall be deposited in a bank designated by
the board, in the
name of the club. The books shall at all times be open to inspection by
the board
and a report shall be given at every meeting on the condition of the
club's finances
and every item of receipt or payment not before reported; and at the
annual
meeting an accounting shall be rendered of all moneys received and
expended during
the previous fiscal year. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such amount
as
the board of directors shall determine.
e) The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the
same
person, in which case the board shall be comprised of six persons.
Section 3.03 Vacancies.
Any vacancies occurring on the board or among the offices
during the
year shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote
of all the then
members of the board at its first regular meeting following the
creation of such vacancy, or at
a special board meeting called for that purpose; except that a vacancy
in the office of
President shall be filled automatically by the Vice President and the
resulting vacancy in
the office of Vice President shall be filled by the board.
Article IV. The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
Section 4.01 Club Year.
The club's fiscal year shall begin on the first day of January
and end
on the last day of December.
The club's official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of
the election at the annual meeting and shall continue through the
election at the next
annual meeting.
Section 4.02 Annual Meeting.
The annual meeting shall be held in the month of January, at
which
officers and directors for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret
ballot from among those
nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. They shall take
office
immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring
officer shall turn over to
the successor in office all properties and records relating to that
office within 30
days after the election.
Section 4.03 Elections.
The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes
for each
office shall be declared elected. The nominated candidates for other
positions on the
board who receive the greatest number of votes for such positions shall
be declared
elected.
Section 4.04 Nominations.
No person may be a candidate in a club election who has not
been
nominated. During themonth of Ocotber, the board shall select a
Nominating Committee
consisting of three members and two alternates, not more than one of
whom may be a member
of the board. The Secretary shall immediately notify the
committeemen and alternates
of their selection. The board shall name a chairman for the committee
and it
shall be such person's duty to call a committee meeting, which shall be
held on or
before November 15.
a) The committee shall nominate one candidate for each office
and
position on the board and, after securing the consent of each person so
nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the Secretary
in writing.
b) Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee's report, the
Secretary
shall before December 31 notify each member in writing of the
candidates so
nominated.
c) Additional nominations may be made in writing to the
Secretary by
any member, provided that the proposer presents to the Secretary a
written
statement from the proposed candidate signifying willingness to be a
candidate. No person
may be a candidate for more than one position.
d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any
manner
other than as provided in this Section.
Article V. Committees
Section 5.01
The board may each year appoint standing committees to advance
the work
of the club in such matters as race meets, trophies, annual prizes,
membership and
other fields which may well be served by committees. Such committees
shall always be
subject to the final authority of the board. Special committees may
also be appointed by the
board to aid it on particular projects.
Section 5.02
Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote
of the
full membership of the board upon written notice to the appointee; and
the
board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been
terminated.
Article VI. Discipline
Section 6.01 Charges.
Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged
misconduct
prejudicial to the best interests of the club or the breed. Written
charges with
specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together
with a deposit of $50.00
which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the board
following a
hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to
each member of
the board or present them at a board meeting, and the board shall first
consider
whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute
conduct
prejudicial to the best interests of the club. If the board considers
that the charges do
not allege
conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the club,
it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the board entertains
jurisdiction of the
charges, it shall fix a date for a hearing by the board not less than
three weeks nor more than
six weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the
charges
to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the
hearing and an
assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his/her own
defense and bring
witnesses if he/she wishes.
Section 6.02 Board Hearing.
The board shall have complete authority to decide whether
counsel may
attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated
uniformly
in that regard. Should the charges be sustained after hearing all
the evidence and
testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the board may by a
majority vote of those
present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the club for not
more than six
months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment
insufficient, it may
also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such
case, the
suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before
his/her fellow members
at the ensuing club meeting which considers the board's recommendation.
Immediately after
the board has reached a decision, its finding shall be put in written
form and filed
with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the
parties of the board's
decision and penalty, if any.
Section 6.03 Expulsion.
Expulsion of a member from the club may be accomplished only
at a
meeting of the club following a board hearing and upon the board's
recommendation as
provided in Section 3 of this Article. Such proceedings may occur at a
regular or special
meeting of the club, to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30
days after the date of
the board's recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the
privilege of
appearing in his/her own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at
this meeting.
The President shall read the charges and the board's finding and
recommendation, and shall
invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his/her own behalf if
he/she wishes.
The members shall then vote by secret ballot on the proposed expulsion.
A two-thirds vote
of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for
expulsion. If
expulsion is not so voted, the board's suspension shall stand.
Article VII. Amendments
Section 7.01
Amendments to the constitution and bylaws may be proposed by
the board
of directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed
by 20 percent of
the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition
shall be promptly
considered by the board of directors and must be submitted to the
members with
recommendations of the board by the Secretary for a vote within three
months of the date
when the petition was received by the Secretary.
Section 7.02
The constitution and bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds
vote of the
members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for
the
purpose, provided the proposed amendments have been included in the
notice of the meeting and
mailed to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of the
meeting.
Article VIII. Dissolution
Section 8.01
The club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent
of not
less than two-thirds of the members. In the event of the dissolution of
the club other than
for purposes of reorganization whether voluntary or involuntary or by
operation of law,
none of the property of the club nor any proceeds thereof nor any
assets of the
club shall be distributed to any members of the club but after payment
of the debts
of the club its property and assets shall be given to a charitable
organization for the
benefit of dogs selected by the board of directors.
Article IX. Order of Business
Section 9.01
At meetings of the club, the order of business, so far as the
character
and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:
Roll Call
Minutes of last meeting
Report of President
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Reports of committees
Election of officers and board (at annual meeting)
Election of new members
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment
Section 9.02
At meetings of the board, the order of business, unless
otherwise
directed by majorityvote of those present, shall be as follows:
Reading of minutes of last meeting
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Reports of committees
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment
Article X. Parliamentary Authority
Section 10.01
The rules contained in the current edition of "Robert's Rules
of Order,
Newly Revised," shall govern the club in all cases to which they are
applicable and in
which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any other special
rules of order the
club may adopt.
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