Approved May 1, 2003
Article I
Election of Directors and
Officers
Section 1 — At a regular meeting one month prior
to the meeting for election of officers, the presiding officer shall ask for
nominations by members of the club for president, vice-president, secretary,
treasurer. Also nominated are two members for the board of directors who will
serve two-year terms. The
nominations may be presented by a nominating committee or by members from the
floor, by either or by both as a club may determine. If it is determined to
have a nominating committee, such committee shall be appointed as the club may
determine. The nominations duly made shall be placed on a ballot in
alphabetical order under each office and shall be voted for at the annual
meeting. The candidates for president,
vice-president, secretary, and treasurer receiving a majority of the votes
shall be declared elected to their respective offices. The two candidates for
director receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected as
directors. The president elected in such balloting shall serve as a member of
the board as president-elect for the year commencing on the first day of July
next following the election, and shall assume office as president on the first
day of July immediately following the year of service on the board as
president-elect.
Section 2 — The officers and directors, so
elected, together with the immediate past president shall constitute the board
of directors. Within one week after their election, the board of
directors-elect shall meet and elect some member of the club to act as
sergeant-at-arms.
Section 3 — A vacancy
in the board of directors or any office shall be filled by a vote of the
membership in accordance with Article 1, Section 1 above.
Section 4 — A vacancy in the position of any
officer-elect or director-elect shall be filled by action of the remaining
members of the board of directors-elect.
Section 5- The term of office of officers and
directors of the club shall be as follows:
One
year for all officers except directors, who shall be elected for two-year
terms. It is preferred that one director be elected each year so that they do
not have concurrent terms. The president, president-elect and vice-president may
not succeed themselves in their own office.
Article II
Board of
Directors
The governing body of this club shall be the board of
directors consisting of nine members of this club, namely, two directors
elected in accordance with article I, section 1, of these bylaws, the
president, vice-president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer,
sergeant-at-arms and the immediate past president.
Article III
Duties of
Officers
Section 1 — President.
It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the
club and to perform such other duties as
ordinarily pertain to the office of
president.
Section 2 — President-elect.
It shall be the duty of the president-elect to preside at meetings of the board of directors of the
club and preside at meetings of the club in the absence of the president and to perform such other
duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board.
Section 3 — Vice-President.
It shall be the duty of the vice-president to preside at
meetings of the club and board in the absence of the president and to perform
such
other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of vice-president. This
officer also serves as program chairman.
Section 4 — Secretary.
It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the records of membership, record
the attendance at meetings, send out notices of meetings of the club, board and
committees, record and preserve the minutes of such meetings, make the required
reports to RI, including the semiannual reports of membership, which shall be made
to the general secretary of RI on January 1st and July 1s1
of each year, and including prorated reports to the general secretary on 1
October and 1 April of each active member who has been elected to membership in
the club since the start of the July or January semiannual reporting period,
the report of changes in membership, which shall be made to the general
secretary of RI, the monthly report of attendance at the club meetings, which
shall be made to the district governor immediately following the last meeting
of the month, collect and remit to RI subscriptions to the rotarian, and perform such other duties as
usually pertain to the office of secretary.
Section 5 — Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the
treasurer to have custody of all funds,
accounting for same to the club annually and at any other time upon demand by
the
board and to perform such other duties as pertain to the office of treasurer.
Upon
retirement from office, the treasurer shall turn over to the incoming treasurer
or to the
president all funds, books of accounts or any other club property.
Section 6 — Sergeant-at-Arms.
The duties of the sergeant-at-arms shall be such as are usually prescribed for
such office and such other duties as may be prescribed for his or her office
and such other duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board.
Article IV
Meetings
Section 1 — Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of
this club shall be held on a date nearest to December 15th each year, at which time the election of
officers and directors to serve for the ensuing year shall take place. Forty
five days prior to this meeting, the president shall appoint a nominating
committee consisting of all the past presidents of the club. The chairman of
the committee shall be the immediate past president.
Section 2 — The regular
weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Thursday at 7:15 a.m. Due notice
of any changes in or canceling of the regular meeting shall be given to all
members of the club. All members excepting an honorary member (or member
excused by the board of directors of this club, pursuant to article VIII,
section 2 (b) of the standard Rotary club constitution) in good standing in
this club, on the day of the regular meeting, must be counted as present or
absent, and attendance must be evidenced by the member's being present for at
least sixty (60) percent of the time devoted to the regular meeting, either at
this club or at any other Rotary club, or as otherwise provided in the standard
Rotary club constitution, article VIII, section 1.
Section 3 — One-third of the membership shall
constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.
Section 4 — Regular
meetings of the board shall be held each month on a date designated by the
board of directors. Special meetings of the board shall be called by the
president, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two (2) members of
the board, within one week after such request, due notice having been given.
Section 5 — A majority
of the board members shall constitute a quorum of the board.
Article V
Fees and Dues
Section 1 — The admission fee shall be $35 to be
paid before the applicant can qualify as a
member.
Section 2 — The membership dues shall be $440 per annum, payable
quarterly on the first day of January, April, July and of October, with the
understanding that a portion of the annual dues shall be applied to each
member's subscription to the rotarian magazine.
Article VI
Method of Voting
The business of this club shall be transacted by viva voce vote except the election of
officers and directors, which shall be by ballot.
Article VII
Committees
Section 1 —
(a) The president shall, subject to the approval of the board,
appoint the following
standing committees:
Club Service committee
Vocational Service committee
Community Service committee
International Service committee
(b) The president shall, subject to the approval of the board,
also appoint such
committees on particular phases of
club service, vocational service, community
service and international service
as deemed necessary.
(c) The club service committee, vocational service committee,
community service
committee, and international
service committee shall each consist of a chairman,
who shall be named by the president
from the membership of the board, and not
less than two (2) other members.
(d) The president shall be ex
officio a member of all committees and, as such, shall
have all the privileges of
membership thereon.
(e) Each committee shall transact such business as is delegated to
it in the bylaws and
such additional business as may be
referred to it by the president or the board.
Except where special authority is
given by the board, such committees shall not
take action until a report has been
made to the board and approved by the board.
(f) The president may appoint one or more committees dealing with
various aspects of
youth activities, which, depending
on their respective responsibilities, may be
under any, or all, of the vocational
service, community service, or international
service committees. Where feasible
and practicable in the appointment of such
committees, there should be
provision for continuity of membership, either by
appointing one or more members for a
second term or by appointing one or more
members to a two-year term.
Section 2 — Club Service Committee
(a) The chairman of the club service committee shall be
responsible for all club
service activities and shall
supervise and coordinate the work of all committees
appointed on particular phases of
club service.
(b) The club service committee shall consist of the chairman of
the club service
committee and the chairmen of all
committees appointed on particular phases of
club service.
(c) The president shall, subject to the approval of the board,
appoint the following
committees on particular phases of
club service:
Attendance committee
Club bulletin committee
Fellowship committee
Membership committee
Program committee
Public relations committee
Appoint one member each year to the following committees:
Classifications committee
Rotary information committee
(d) The president shall appoint the president-elect
or vice-president to oversee and
coordinate the work of the
classifications, membership, membership development
and Rotary information committees.
(e) Where feasible and practicable in the appointment of club
committees, there
should be provision for continuity of
membership, either by appointing one or
more members for a second term or by
appointing one or more members to a two-
year term.
(f) The classifications and Rotary information committees shall
each consist of three
(3) members, one member of each
committee to be appointed each year for a term
of three (3) years. The first
appointments made under this provision shall be as
follows: one member for a term of one
year; one member for a term of two (2)
years; one member for a term of three
(3) years.
Section 3 — Community Service Committee.
(a) The chairman of the community
service committee shall be responsible for all community service activities and
shall supervise and coordinate the work of all committees appointed on
particular phases of community service.
(b) The community service
committee shall consist of the chairman of the community service committee and
the chairmen of all committees appointed on particular
phases of community service.
Article VIII
Duties of Committees
Section 1 — Club
Service Committee. This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans
which will guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their
responsibilities in matters relating to club service. The chairman of the club
service committee shall be responsible for regular meetings of the committee
and shall report to the board on all club service activities.
(a) Attendance Committee. This committee
shall devise means for encouraging attendance at all Rotary meetings — including attendance at district
conferences, inter-city meetings, regional conferences, and international
conventions by all club members. This committee shall especially encourage
attendance at regular meetings of this club and attendance at regular meetings
of other clubs when unable to attend meetings of this club; keep all members
informed on attendance requirements; promote better incentives for good
attendance; and seek to ascertain and remove the conditions that contribute to
unsatisfactory attendance.
(b) Classifications Committee. This
committee shall as early as possible, but no later than 31 August of each year,
make a classification survey of the community; shall compile from the survey a
roster of filled and unfilled classifications, applying the classification
principle; shall review, where necessary, existing classifications represented in
the club; and shall counsel with the board on all classification problems.
(c) Club Bulletin Committee. This committee
shall endeavor, through the publishing of a weekly club bulletin, to stimulate
interest and improve attendance, announce the program of the forthcoming
meeting, relate highlights of the previous meeting, promote fellowship,
contribute to the Rotary education of all members, and report news of the club,
of its members and of the worldwide Rotary program.
(d) Fellowship Activities Committee. This
committee shall promote acquaintance and friendship among the members, promote
participation by members in organized Rotary recreational and social
activities, and do such work in pursuance of the general object of the club as
may be assigned by the president or the board.
(e) Magazine Committee. This committee shall
stimulate reader interest in the rotarian; sponsor a magazine month; arrange for brief monthly reviews
of the magazine on regular club programs; encourage the use of the magazine in
the induction of new members; provide a copy of the magazine for non-Rotarian
speakers; secure international service and other special subscriptions for
libraries, hospitals, schools and other reading rooms; send news items and
photographs to the editor of the magazine and in other ways make the magazine
of service to the club members and non-Rotarians.
(f) Membership Committee. This committee
shall consider all proposals for membership from the personal side and shall
thoroughly investigate the character, business, social and community standing,
and general eligibility of all persons proposed for membership and shall report
their decisions on all applications to the board.
(g) Membership Development Committee. This
committee shall review continually the club roster of filled and unfilled
classifications and shall take positive action to initiate and present to the
board the names of suitable persons to fill unfilled classifications.
(h) Program Committee. This committee shall
prepare and arrange the programs for the regular and special meetings of the
club.
(i) Public Relations Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect,
plans (1) to give the public general information about Rotary, its history,
object,
and scope; and (2) to secure proper publicity for the club.
(j) Rotary Information Committee. This
committee shall inform prospective members
about the privileges and responsibilities of Rotary club membership; keep
members informed about the history, object and activities of Rotary at all
levels; and oversee the orientation of new members during their first year in
the club.
Section 2 — Vocational Service Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in their
vocational relationships and in improving the general standards of practice in
their respective vocations. The chairman of this committee shall be responsible
for the vocational service activities of the club and shall supervise and
coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed on particular
phases of vocational service.
Section 3 — Community Service Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in their
community relationships. The chairman of this committee shall be responsible
for the community service activities of the club and shall supervise and
coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed on particular
phases of community service.
(a) Human Development Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in dealing within the community with the welfare of
human beings of all kinds throughout the whole span of life by providing
assistance and support to those in need.
(b) Community Development Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in working to make the community a better place to
live by improving the physical condition of the community and its facilities.
(c) Environmental Protection Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in monitoring and improving the quality of the
community's environment.
(d) Partners in Service Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in building relationships with other Rotary-sponsored
organizations within the community and in cooperating with them in service.
Section 4 —International Service Committee. This
committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist
the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in matters
relating to international service. The chairman of this committee shall be
responsible for the international service activities of the club and shall
supervise and coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed on
particular phases of international service.
Article IX
Leave of Absence
Upon written application to the board, setting forth good
and sufficient cause, leave of
absence may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club
for a
specified length of time.
(Note: Such leave of
absence does operate to prevent a forfeiture of membership; it does not operate
to give
the club credit for the member's attendance. Unless the member attends a
regular meeting of some other
club, the excused member must be recorded as absent except that absence
authorized under the provisions
of article VIII, section 2(b) of the standard Rotary club constitution is not
computed in the attendance
record of the club.)
Article X
Finances
Section 1 — The treasurer shall deposit all funds
of the club in some bank to be named by the board.
Section 2 — All bills
shall be paid only by checks signed by the treasurer upon vouchers signed by
any two officers. A thorough audit by a certified public accountant or other
qualified person shall be made once each year of all the club's financial
transactions.
Section 3 — The fiscal year of this club shall
extend from July 1st to June 30th, and for
the collection of members' dues shall be made quarterly and due July 1st,
Oct. 1st, Jan. 1st and April 1st. The payment
of per capita dues and magazine subscriptions to RI shall be made on July 1st
and January 1st of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on
those dates.
Section 4 — At the beginning of each fiscal
year the board shall prepare or cause to be prepared a budget of estimated
income and estimated expenditures for the year, which, having been agreed to by
the board, shall stand as the limit of expenditures for the respective purposes
unless otherwise ordered by action of the board.
Article XI
Method of Electing Members
Section 1 — The name of a prospective member,
proposed by an active member of the club, shall be submitted to the board in
writing, through the club secretary. A transferring or former member of another
club may be proposed to active membership
by the former club. The proposal for the time being shall be kept
confidential except as otherwise provided in this procedure.
Section 2 — The board
shall ensure that the proposal meets all the classification and membership
requirements of the club constitution.
Section 3 — The board
shall approve or disapprove the proposal within 30 days of its
submission, and shall notify the proposer, through the club secretary, of its
decision.
Section 4 — If the
decision of the board is favorable, the prospective member shall be informed of
the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of
membership, following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign
the membership proposal form and to permit his or her name and proposed
classification to be published to the club.
Section 5 — If no written objection to the
proposal, stating reasons, is received by the boar from any member (other than
honorary) of the club within seven (7) days following publication of
information about the prospective member, that person, upon payment of the
admission fee (if not honorary membership), as prescribed in these bylaws,
shall be considered to be elected to membership.
If any such objection has been filed with the board, it
shall vote on this matter at its next meeting. If approved despite the
objection, the proposed member, upon payment of the admission fee (if not
honorary membership), shall be considered to be elected to membership.
Section 6 — Following the election, the president
shall arrange for the induction of the new member; the club secretary shall
issue a membership card and shall report the new member to RI; and the Rotary
information committee shall provide appropriate literature for presentation at
the induction and assign a member to assist in the assimilation of the new
member.
Article XII
Resolutions
No resolution or motion to commit this
club on any matter shall be considered by the club until it has been considered
by the board. Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a club
meeting, shall be referred to the board without discussion.
Article XIII
Order of Business
Meeting called
to order.
Introduction of
visiting Rotarians.
Correspondence
and announcements.
Committee
reports if any.
Any unfinished
business.
Any new
business.
Address or other
program features.
Adjournment.
Article XIV
Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any regular
meeting, a quorum being present, by a two-thirds vote of all members present,
provided that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been mailed to each
member at least ten (10) days before such meeting. No amendment or addition to
these bylaws can be made which is not in harmony with the club constitution and
with the constitution and bylaws of RI.
