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Bylaws
of the Rotary Club of Watertown (Sunrise) New York ARTICLE I
Officers and Directors Section 1-1
There shall be six officers of the Sunrise Rotary Club elected
from the membership: a president, a president-elect, a vice-president, a
secretary, a treasurer and a sergeant-at-arms..
The president-elect in any year shall succeed to the presidency of
the Club in the succeeding year and the vice-president of the Club in any
year shall become the president-elect of the Club in the succeeding year.
A vice-president, secretary, treasurer and sergeant-at-arms will be
elected in each year. Section 1-2
There shall four directors of the Club elected from the
membership to fill each of the four avenues of service committee chairs:
community service, club service, vocational service and international
service. Section 1-3
The immediate past president shall serve as an ex-officio member
of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties as assigned him or
her by the president. Officers and members of the Board of Directors of the Club
will assume their positions at the first meeting of the Club in July of each
year. The Board of Directors
shall consist of the aforesaid eleven (11) officers and directors all of
whom shall have the right to vote on all matters before that body.. Section 1-4
At least sixty (60) but not more than (90) days prior to the
meeting at which the election of club officers and directors for the
succeeding year is to occur, the President of the Club shall name a
nominating committee for the purpose of defining candidates for the
positions of vice-president, secretary, treasurer, sergeant-at-arms and one
director for each avenue of service (4).
Said nominating committee shall consist of no fewer than three
members, one of which will be designated by the Club President as the chair
of the committee, and as many other members as the President shall determine
provided that the committee shall always be composed of an uneven number of
members. Section 1-5
At a regular meeting at least thirty (30) days and no more than sixty
(60) days prior to the meeting at which the election of club officers and
directors for the succeeding year is to occur, the chairperson of the
nominating committee shall announce the committee’s nominees for the
positions to be filled for the succeeding year.
At the option of the majority of the membership then present and by
voice vote, the President may accept nominations from the floor and the
names of any such additional nominees so named upon motion and second shall
be added to any ballot upon which a vote for the officers and directors will
be recorded on the specified day for the election of the succeeding year’s
officers and directors. Section 1-6
The candidates for the offices of vice-president, secretary,
treasurer and sergeant-at-arms receiving the majority of the votes shall be
declared elected to their respective offices.
The four candidates who receive the most number of votes for director
shall be declared elected as directors.
The President of the Club shall determine the Avenue of Service
Committee of which each elected director shall be the chair. Section 1-7
Within thirty days (30) after their election, the Board of
Directors-elect shall meet and commence organizing for its assumption of its
duties. The President-elect,
who shall become President in the ensuring year, shall preside over all
meetings of the Board of Directors-elect. Section 1-8
Any vacancy on the Board of Directors, or the Board of
Directors-elect, except that of presiding officer (President or
President-elect) shall be shall be filled by action of the remaining members
of the Board. Should the
position of President become vacant during the year, the President-elect
shall fill that position, the Vice-President shall become the
President-elect and the Board shall name a member to serve as Vice-President
for the remainder of the term. Should
the position of President-elect become vacant during the year, the
Vice-President shall become President-elect and a new Vice-President shall
be named by the board. These
procedures may be modified by action of a majority of the general membership
only. ARTICLE II:
The Board of Directors Section 2-1
The governing body of this Club shall be the Board of Directors
consisting of the six (6) officers and five (5) directors as defined in
Article I above. Section 2-2
The Board of Directors shall meet at least once monthly at a
regularly scheduled time and location as it itself determines.
Board meetings shall be scheduled and announced so as to allow all
members wishing to do so to attend. Section 2-3
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors
except that in the President’s absence, the President-elect shall preside
and in the absence of both the President and President-elect, the
Vice-President shall preside. Section 2-4
The Board of Directors shall be precluded from conducting the
business of the Club in the absence of a quorum.
A quorum shall consist of no fewer than seven (7) members of the
Board including at least either the President, President-elect or
Vice-President. ARTICLE III
Duties of Officers Section 3-1
President.
It shall be the duty of the President to preside at meetings of the
Club and the Board of Directors and to perform such other duties as defined
by the rules of Rotary International. Section 3-2
President-elect.
The President-elect serves as the principal assistant to the
President and performs the duties of President in that officer’s absence.
The President-elect further serves as a member of the Board of
Directors and chairs and performs such other duties as the President may
direct. The President-elect
serves as chairperson for all meetings of the Board of Directors-elect once
that body is defined for the ensuing year and performs any and all such
additional duties as defined by the rules of Rotary International. Section 3-3
Vice-President.
The Vice-President performs any and all duties assigned by the
President and President-elect to foster the overall functioning of the
organization. The position of Vice-President is defined to assure long range
succession planning in that the Vice-President in any year becomes the
President-elect in the succeeding year. The Vice-President shall preside at any an all meetings at
which the President or President-elect are unavailable and shall perform
such other duties as are assigned by the Club President or ordained by the
rules for Rotary International. Section 3-4
Secretary.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the records of
membership, record the attendance, 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 1 January and 1 July
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
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 within 15 days following the
last meeting of the month, and collect and remit to RI subscriptions to THE
ROTARIAN, and perform such other duties as are defined by Rotary
International in the Club Secretary’s manual. Section 3-5
Treasurer.
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have custody of all
funds of the Club and to provide routine accounting for the same to the
Board of Directors no less frequently than monthly and to the general
membership of the Club no less frequently than annually and at any other
time upon demand of the Board of Directors, and to perform such other duties
as are assigned by the Club President or are ordained in the rules of Rotary
International. Section 3-6
Sergeant-at-Arms.
It shall be the duty of the Sergeant of Arms see to assure the order
and decorum of all meetings of the Club and the Board of Directors and to
perform such other duties as assigned by the Club President or as ordained
in any other rules of Rotary International. ARTICLE IV
Meetings Section 4-1
Annual Meeting.
The annual meeting of the Club shall be held at the normal time
for weekly meetings on the last Thursday of the month of October each year.
Section 4-2
The officers and directors for the ensuing year shall be elected
at the annual meeting each year. Section 4-3
All matters upon which the general membership is obliged or entitled
to vote shall be presented for consideration at the annual meeting.
Section 4-4
No issue shall be introduced for a decision or vote of the membership
at the annual meeting except that an objective written presentation of said
issue shall have been distributed to the general membership no fewer than 30
days prior to the date of the annual membership meeting. Section
4-5
An annual financial report shall be presented to the membership
at the annual membership meeting in a form either as prescribed by law
(should such a report be a legal obligation), or as defined by the rules of
Rotary International or elsewhere in this document, consistent with commonly
accepted principles of accounting. Section
4-6
Regular Meetings.
This Club will meet regularly on Thursday of every week, at 7:30
o’clock in the morning, at a place defined by the Board of Directors.
Said regular meetings will not be convened on national holidays. Due notice of any changes in or canceling of the regular
meeting shall be given to all members of the Club.
All members, except honorary members or members excused by the Board
of Directors of this club, pursuant to article VII, 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 Section 1 of Article
VIII of the standard Rotary club constitution. Section
4-7
Quorum.
One third of the membership of the Club shall constitute a quorum for
the conduct of all business at the annual membership meeting except as
provided in subsection 2.020.4 of the Rotary International bylaws. Section
4-8
Regular Meetings of the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors shall meet at a regularly scheduled time and
place each month, said day, date and time to be determined by the Board and
announced to the general membership as herein provided. Section
4-9
Seven (7) members of the Board of Directors, including either the
President, the President-elect or the Vice-President, shall constitute a
quorum for the conduct of the business of the Club. ARTICLE
V
Fees and Dues Section
5-1
There shall be an initial admission/initiation fee for all new
members of the Club, the amount of which shall be as from time to time
defined by action of the Board of Directors.
Said fee shall be paid at the time of the new member’s initiation
in addition to any membership dues then due. Section
5-2
Each member shall pay dues to the Club in an amount as may be
from time to time determined by the Board of Directors and ratified by the
membership at an annual membership meeting.
A portion of said dues shall be applied toward the cost of each
member’s subscription to The Rotarian
magazine. Section
5-3
Dues shall be due and payable 10 days after receipt of each
semiannual billing. The
membership of any member who has not paid his or her dues by January 31 or
July 31 of any year may be terminated by the Board of Directors. ARTICLE
VI
Method of Voting All
business of the Club, whether conducted by the Board of Directors or the
general membership, shall be transacted by voice vote except that the
election of officers and directors shall be by ballot as the Board of
Directors shall define. ARTICLE
VII Committees Section
7-1
General
A. There
shall be four standing committees of the Club.
They shall be:
(1) Club
Service Committee
(2) Vocational
Service Committee
(3) Community
Service Committee
(4) International
Service Committee
B. The
elected director and chair of each avenue of service committee shall appoint
a assistant chairperson who shall be empowered to preside at all meetings of
the committee in the absence of the principal and who shall have the right
to attend Board of Directors meetings in the principal’s stead and to
exercise all rights of the principal thereat.
C. The
chairpersons of each of the four avenues of service committees shall appoint
such subcommittees as are deemed essential to carry out the business of the
committee.
D. The
President, with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors, may
appoint such other committees, standing or ad hoc, as he or she determines
necessary to carry out the business of the Club.
All such other committees shall cease to exist at the end of the term
of office of the appointing President unless specifically continued by the
succeeding President and Board of Directors.
E. The
President shall be, ex-officio, a member of all committees and
subcommittees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership
thereon.
F. 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 of Directors with the understanding that no committee may act for
or on behalf of the Club unless such action has been approved in advance by
the Board of Directors.
G. Voluntary
membership on each of the four avenues of service committees shall be
solicited from the general membership at the time of joining or annually
thereafter. It shall be the
function of the Club Service Committee to assure adequate membership on each
such committee. Section
7-2
Club Service Committee.
This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans that will
guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their
responsibilities in matters relating to club service.
Such functions may include but will not be limited to activities
concerning membership, classification, attendance, fellowship, newsletter
(or magazine), programs and public relations.
A. The
chairperson of the club service committee shall be responsible for all club
service activities, shall be responsible for regular meetings of the
committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of all subcommittees
appointed on particular phases of club service and shall report to the Board
on all club service activities no less frequently than monthly.
B. The
club service committee shall consist of the chairperson of the club service
committee, the chairpersons of all subcommittees appointed on particular
phases of club service and such other or additional members as are necessary
to carry out the duties of the committee. Section
7-3
Vocational Service Committee.
This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans that 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.
A. The
chairperson of this committee shall be responsible for the vocational
service activities of the club, shall be responsible for regular meetings of
the committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of any subcommittees
that may be appointed on particular phases of vocational service and shall
report to the Board on all vocational service matters no less frequently
than monthly.
B. The
membership of the vocational service committee shall consist of the
committee chairperson, the chairpersons of all subcommittees and as many
other or additional members as are necessary to carry out the functions of
the committee. Section
7-4
Community Service Committee.
This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans that will
guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their
responsibilities in their community relationships.
The functions over which the community service committee shall have
purview shall include but not be limited to the Club’s efforts with regard
to human development, community development, environmental protection and
partnerships with other like-minded agencies for the community good.
A. The
chairperson of this committee shall be responsible for the community service
activities of the club, shall assure regular meetings of the committee,
shall supervise and coordinate the work of all subcommittees appointed on
various phases of community service and shall report to the Board on all
such activities no less frequently than monthly.
B. The
community service committee shall consist of the chairperson of the
committee, the chairpersons of all subcommittees and such other or
additional members as are necessary to carry out the duties of the
committee. Section
7-5
International Service Committee.
This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans that will
guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their
responsibilities in matters relating to international service.
A. The
chairperson of this committee shall be responsible for the international
service activities of the club, shall assure regular meetings of the
committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of all subcommittees
appointed on particular phases of international service and shall report to
the Board on all phases of international service no less frequently than
monthly.
B. The
international service committee shall consist of the chairperson of the
committee, the chairpersons of all subcommittees and as many other or
additional members as shall be required to carry out the functions of the
committee. ARTICLE
VIII
Leave of Absence
Upon written application to the Board, setting forth good and
sufficient cause, a leave of absence may be granted excusing a member from
attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time.
Such leave of absence operates 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 provision of Section 3 of Article VII of the Club Constitution is
not computed in the attendance record of the club. ARTICLE
IX
Finances Section
9-2
The Treasurer shall be empowered to expend the funds of the Club
consistent with the line item authorizations of the annual budget approved
and published by the Board of Directors.
The Treasurer shall be empowered to make other disbursements of Club
monies as may from time to time be authorized by the Board of Directors.
Section
9-3
The Treasurer will present a written report to the Board of Directors
at each monthly Board of Directors meeting which shall show, as a minimum,
the existing budget and all expenditures made pursuant thereto for the
preceding 30 days and for the year to date.
Said report shall also reflect all income acquired during the same
period and any other expenditures which were authorized by the Board of
Directors in the reporting period. Section
9-4
Officers having charge or control of funds may, at the discretion of
the Board of Directors, be bonded. If
bonding is required, the cost thereof shall be borne by the Club. Section
9-5
The fiscal year of this club shall extend from July 1st through June
30th of each year. Section
9-6
Members’ annual dues shall be payable in two semi-annual
installments, the first due on the 10th day of July of each year and the
second due on the 10th day of January each year. Section
9-7
The Treasurer-elect shall prepare a proposed budget for the
succeeding year.
A. Said
proposed budget shall be presented to the Board of Director-elect and
approved by that body prior to its assumption of duties at the beginning of
the Club’s fiscal year.
B. The
budget shall include, as a minimum, an explanation of the Club’s
anticipated income for the succeeding year defined by source, amount and
anticipated date of acquisition, and a plan for Club expenditures for the
coming year defined by purpose and, as appropriate, allocated by month,
quarter, or other period of anticipated expenditure.
C. Once
approved by the Board of Directors-elect, the annual budget shall constitute
a both an authorizing and a restricting document.
No expenditure may be made by any officer or director of the Club
except that the same is specifically authorized by the approved budget or is
otherwise referred to the Board of Directors for approval prior to said
expenditure. Section
9-8
Subsequent to its approval, the Club’s budget shall be published
and distributed to the general membership. ARTICLE
X
Method of Electing Members Section
10-1
The name of a prospective member, proposed by any member of the club,
shall be submitted to the Board in writing, through the President-elect.
The proposal for the time being shall be kept confidential except as
otherwise provided in this procedure. Section
10-3
The Board shall approve or disapprove the proposal based on
classification and/or membership requirements within 30 days of its
submission, and shall notify the proposer, through the President-elect, of
its decision. Section
10-4
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.
The proposed member shall also be advised of the procedures to be
followed upon the publication of his or her name to the membership including
the possibility of objection thereto by the prospective member’s
sponsor.. Section
10-5
Upon publication of the prospective member’s name and proposed
classification, any member wishing to do so may advise the Board of his or
her objection to the proposed member’s membership.
Such objection shall be in writing and submitted within 7 days after
the proposed member’s name is last published in the Club’s newsletter.
There shall be only two grounds for objection to membership in the
club:
A. The
proposed member is not eligible by virtue of his or her proposed
classification
B. The
proposed member’s prior conduct is believed to have been
inconsistent with the ideals and objectives of Rotary.
Any member opposing the admission of a proposed member on the grounds
of the proposed member’s prior conduct will define with absolute
specificity the conduct of which the proposed member is accused so as to
provide the Board sufficient information upon which to base its decision to
accept or reject the proposed member.
C. In
the event that the Board receives an objection from one or more members, it
shall consider the objection(s) at the next regularly scheduled Board
meeting and vote for either admission or rejection of the proposed member
based on the information before it. The Board’s decision shall be final in all respects.
D. Absent
any objection from the membership, a proposed member shall become eligible
for membership upon expiration of the aforesaid 7 day period for objection
and shall be admitted to membership upon payment of the prerequisite
admission fee and the first six months’ membership dues
E. Upon
rejection of a proposed member for membership, the proposing member shall be
responsible for advising the proposed member of the Board’s decision and
the reason therefore.
F. Members’
written objections to proposed members shall become the property of the club
upon receipt. Once the Board
has decided whether to admit or reject the proposed member, the written
objections shall be destroyed.
G. There
shall be no record kept of the grounds for objection to the admission of any
proposed member whether or not the Board votes to admit or reject and no
publication will be made by the club of the objection, the grounds therefor,
or its reasons for accepting or rejecting a proposed member. Section
10-6
Following favorable Board action to admit a proposed member:
A. The
Club President shall arrange for the induction of the new member
B. The
Club Secretary shall issue a membership card and report the new member to RI
C. The
President-elect shall be responsible for providing the new member literature
appropriate to the new member’s orientation, and
D. The
proposing member shall continue to be responsible for the new member’s
smooth assimilation
into the Club. ARTICLE
XI
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
XII Order
of Business
Unless otherwise prescribed by the Board, the following order of
business shall prevail at all meetings of the Club.
A. Call
to order
B. Invocation
C. Pledge
of allegiance and/or the singing of the national anthems of all countries
represented at the meeting
D. Correspondence
and announcements
E. Committee
reports
F. Old
business
G. New
business
H. Introduction
of visiting Rotarians and guests
I.
Announcement of members’ birthdays, anniversaries and other
socially significant dates or events.
J. Deliberations
of the Rotary Court (applicable to weekly meetings only)
K. Special
program or presentation, if any
L. Adjournment ARTICLE
XIII
Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at the annual membership meeting, a
quorum being present, by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided
that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been mailed to each member
no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to the date of said annual meeting.
No amendment or addition to these bylaws can be made which is
inconsistent with the constitution of this Club or the constitution and
bylaws of Rotary International. Adopted
this ______ day of ______________________, 2002 __________________________________ Linda
Petrie, President
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