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This page contains the Constitution and By-Laws of the Greater Sierra Vista Kennel Club.
Constitution
By-Laws
SECTION
1. Club Name
The name of the club
shall be THE GREATER SIERRA VISTA KENNEL CLUB, INCORPORATED.
SECTION
2. Club Objective
The objective of the
club shall be:
A. To further
the advancement of all breeds of pure-bred dogs.
B. To do
all in its power to protect and advance the interest of all breeds
of pure bred dogs through public education.
C. To encourage
sportsmanlike competition at all dog shows and obedience trials.
D. To conduct
Sanctioned Matches, Licensed Dog Shows, Obedience Trials and other
special events approved by, and under the rules of, The American
Kennel Club.
SECTION
3. Non-Profit Statement
The Club shall not
be conducted or operated for profit, and no part of any moneys or
remainder or residue from dues or donation to the Club shall inure
to the benefit of any member or individual.
SECTION
4. Adoption of By-Laws
The members of the
Club shall adopt and may from time to time, revise such by-laws as
may be required to carry out these objectives.
SECTION
1. Eligibility
There shall be four
types of memberships open to persons ten years of age and older who
are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe
to the purposes of this Club.
A. Individual.
Current members eighteen years of age or older.
B. Provisional
Membership. A six (6) month trial membership period during which
a prospective member must attend at least three (3) meetings
and demonstrate that he/she should be accepted into full membership
status. The provisional member will be assessed annual membership dues for the provisional period. This trial membership period may not exceed twelve months. The Club President or the
Chairman of the Membership Committee shall apprise the provisional
member of the reason for the designation of Provisional Membership
status. This status shall carry no voting privileges. At the first
general membership meeting six calendar months after the award
of the provisional status, the provisional member will be presented
to the general membership for a vote to accept him/her as a regular
member. If not accepted, no reason(s) for non-acceptance by the
membership shall be due to the former provisional member.
C. Juniors.
Ten years old but not yet eighteen years old. (Not entitled
to vote or hold office.)
D. Lifetime
Membership. May be granted, by 3/4 vote of the members present
and voting at that meeting, to any member for extraordinary service
to The Greater Sierra Vista Kennel Club. This membership shall
carry full voting privileges. Dues will be forgiven during the
duration of this membership.
While membership is
to be unrestricted as to residence, the Club's primary purpose is
to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors of the immediate
area.
SECTION
2. Dues
Membership dues shall
not exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for Individual or ten dollars
($10.00) for Junior membership per year, payable on or before the FIRST DAY OF APRIL of each year. Dues can only be changed once a year.
Dues shall not be changed without thirty (30) days notification to
all members before voting. No member may vote whose dues are not
paid for the current year. During the month of February, the Treasurer
shall send to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing
year.
SECTION
3. Election to Membership
A. Each applicant
for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of
Directors and which shall provide that applicant agrees to abide
by the Constitution and By-Laws and the rules of the American Kennel
Club. The application shall state the name, address, and occupation
of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two members
in good standing.
B. All applications
are to be filed with the Recording Secretary and each application
is to read the first meeting of the Club following it's receipt.
SECTION
4. Termination of Membership
Memberships may be
terminated by:
A. Resignation.
Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written
notice to the Corresponding Secretary, but no member may resign
while in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt
to the Club and they become incurred on the FIRST DAY OF EACH APRIL.
B. Lapsing.
A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated
if such member's dues remain unpaid sixty days after the first
day of April; however, the Board may grant an additional sixty
days of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases.
In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any meeting of
the Club whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.
C. Expulsion.
A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article
6 of these By-Laws.
SECTION
1. General Club Meetings
A. General
meetings of the Club shall be held within twenty-five miles of the
City of Sierra Vista, Arizona, once a month,
at such hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Directors.
It shall be the responsibility of the Corresponding Secretary to
ensure that written notice of such meetings are mailed at least TEN
days prior to the date of the meetings. Notice in the Club's newsletter
will satisfy this requirement if it is mailed ten days prior to the
meeting.
B. The Quorum
for such meetings shall be TWENTY PERCENT of the members in good
standing.
SECTION
2. 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 Corresponding Secretary
upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the Club who
are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held within
twenty-five miles of the City of Sierra Vista, Arizona, 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 meeting shall
be mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least FIVE days and not
more than FIFTEEN 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 TWENTY PERCENT of the members in good standing.
SECTION
3. Board Meetings
Meetings of the Board
of Directors shall be held within twenty-five miles of the City of
Sierra Vista, Arizona, at least once a month at such hour, date,
and place as may be designated by the Board. The Corresponding Secretary
is responsible for notifying all board members of such meetings,
in writing, at least five days prior to such meetings. Notice in
the Club's newsletter will satisfy this requirement if it is mailed
five days prior to the meeting.
SECTION
4. Special Board Meetings
Special meetings of
the Board may be called by the President, or shall be called by the
Corresponding Secretary upon receipt of written request signed by
at least three members of the Board. Such special meetings shall
be held within twenty-five miles of the City of Sierra Vista, Arizona,
at such place, date, and hour as may be designated by such person
authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such meetings
shall be mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least five days
and no more than fifteen days prior to the date of such meetings
and notice shall state the purpose of the meeting. No other Club
business may be transacted thereat. The Quorum for such meetings
shall be a MAJORITY of the Board.
SECTION
5. Voting
Each member in good
standing shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Club at
which he is present and eligible to vote. Proxy voting will not be
permitted.
SECTION
1. Board of Directors
Allowing that some
positions may be combined, the total members of the board shall be
seven. The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice President,
Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Show Chairmen,
and additional members, all of whom shall be members in good standing.
All shall be elected for a one year term at the Club's Annual Meeting,
except for the Show Chairman who is appointed by the Board of Directors
as provided in Article 5, Section 2, and shall serve until their
successors are elected. General management of the Club's affairs
shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.
SECTION
2. Officers
A. The Club's
officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Recording
Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve in
their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its
meetings and the Board and its meetings.
B. The President
shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Board, and shall
have duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President
in addition to those particularly specified in these By-Laws.
C. The
Vice President shall have the duties and exercise the powers
of the President in case of the President's absence.
D. The
Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of
the Club and the Board and of all matters of which a record shall
be ordered by the Club and carry out such other duties as are prescribed
by these By-Laws.
E. The
Corresponding Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence,
notifying members of meetings, notify new members of their
election to membership, notifying officers of their election
to office, keep a roll of members of the club in good standing,
with their addresses and carry out such other duties as are
prescribed in these By-Laws.
F. The
Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging
to the Club. The Treasurer shall deposit same 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 membership. The receipts
and disbursements, not previously reported, shall be reported
at every meeting. At the Annual Meeting, the Treasurer
shall render an account of all moneys received and expended during
the previous year. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such
amount as the Board of Directors shall determine.
G. The offices
of Recording Secretary, Corresponding, and /or Treasurer may be held
by the same person, in which case the Board of Directors shall be
comprise of the officers and other persons for a total of seven persons.
SECTION
3. Vacancies
Any vacancies occurring
on the Board of Directors or among the officers during the year shall
be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of all
the then members of the Board at it's 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 automatically be filled by the Vice President, and the resulting
vacancy in the office of Vice President shall be filled by the Board.
SECTION
1. Club Year
The Club's fiscal
year shall begin on the first day of January and end on the thirty-first
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
2. Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting
shall be held in the month of March at which officers and board members
for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret, written 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 his successor in office
all properties and records relating to that office within THIRTY
days after the election.
SECTION
3. 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. Nominations
No person
may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated.
No person may be nominated for more than one office. During the month
of November, the Board shall elect a nominating committee consisting
of three members and two alternates, not more than one of whom may
be a member of the Board. The Corresponding Secretary shall immediately
notify the committee members and alternates of their selection. The
Board shall name a Chair for the committee and it shall be the duty
of the Chair to call a committee meeting which shall be on or before
January 1st.
A. The committee
shall nominate one candidate for each office and one candidate for
each elected position on the Board. If the office of Recording Secretary
and Corresponding Secretary are combined, two candidates shall be
nominated for the Board. After securing the consent of each person
so nominated, they shall immediately report their nominations to
the Recording Secretary in writing.
B. The
nominating committee's report shall be presented at the January
meeting of the Club.
C. Additional
nominations may be made at the February meeting by any member in
attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline
when his name is proposed. If the proposed candidate is not in attendance
at this meeting, his proposer shall present a written statement from
the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate.
D. Nominations
and voting for a particular office shall be in sequence listed
in Article III, Section 2, of these By-Laws, to include those
nominated by the Nominating Committee and from the floor.
E. Nominations
cannot be made at the Annual Meeting or in any manner other
than as provided in this section.
F. To be eligible
for nomination as President, the nominee must have served at least
on year as a Board Member or as Show Chairman of THE GREATER SIERRA VISTA KENNEL CLUB, INC.
SECTION
1. Standing Committees
The President may
each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the
Club in such matters as dog show, obedience trials, trophies, annual
prizes, membership, and other fields which may well be served by
committees. Such committees shall be subject to final authority of
the Board. Special committees may be appointed by the Board to aid
with particular projects. The President shall be an ex-officio member
of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
SECTION
2. Show Committee Chairman
At the first Board
meeting following their election, the Board shall appoint a Show
Committee Chairman. The Show Committee Chairman shall serve in the
same capacity as an elected Board member.
SECTION
3. Termination of Committee Chairman
Any committee appointment
may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the
Board upon written notice to the appointee. The Board may appoint
successors to those persons whose service have been terminated.
SECTION
1. American Kennel Club Suspension
Any member who is
suspended from privileges of the American Kennel Club automatically
shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.
SECTION
2. Charges
Any member may prefer
charges against a member for alleged conduct prejudicial to the best
interest of the Club. Written charges, with specifications, must
be filed in duplicate with the Corresponding Secretary together with
a deposit of TEN DOLLARS ($10.00) which shall be forfeited if such
charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Corresponding
Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member
of the Board and present them at a Board meeting. 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 interred of the Club, it may
refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction
of the charge, if shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not
less than three weeks nor more that six weeds thereafter. The Corresponding
Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the Plaintiff
and Defendant by registered mail, together with notice of the hearing
date and time and assurance that the defendant may personally appear
in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.
SECTION
3. 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, by majority vote of those present may vote to reprimand or
suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more
than six months from the date of the hearing. If the Board deems
the punishment insufficient, the Board may also recommend to the
membership the penalty of expulsion. In such cases the suspension
shall not restrict the Defendant's right to appear before his fellow
members at the ensuing meeting of the Club which considers the Board's
recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision,
the findings shall be put in writing and filed with the Recording
Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary, in turn, shall notify each
o f the parties of the decision of the Board and penalty, if any.
SECTION
4. Expulsion
Expulsion of a member
from the Club may be accomplished only at a General Membership meeting
of the Club, following a Board hearing and upon the recommendation
of the Board 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 sixty days, but not earlier than thirty days, after the date
of the recommendation of expulsion by the Board. The defendant shall
have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence
will be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges
and the findings of the Board and recommendations and shall invite
the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if he wishes.
The meeting shall then vote by secret, written ballot on the proposed
expulsion. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting as
the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. I expulsion is not
voted, the Board's suspension shall stand.
SECTION
1. Proposing
Amendments to the
Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors
or by written petition addressed to the Corresponding Secretary and
signed by twenty 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 within three months
of the date when the petition was received by the Corresponding Secretary.
SECTION
2. Amending
The Constitution and
By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership
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.
The Club may be dissolved
at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds (2/3)
of the members. In the event of such 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 member of the Club. After payment of the debts of the Club,
the property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization,
selected by the Board of Directors, for the benefit of dogs.
SECTION
1. General Meetings
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:
1. Introduction
of guests
2. Roll call of
officers
3. Minutes of last
meeting
4. Report of the President
5. Report of the
Secretary
6. Report of the Treasurers
7. Reports of committees
8.
Election of Officers and Board (Annual Meeting)
9. Election of
new members
10. Unfinished business
11.
New business
12. Announcements
13. Adjournment
SECTION
2. Board Meetings
At meetings of the
Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority
vote of those present, shall be as follows:
1. Reading of minutes of last
meeting
2. Report of the
Secretary
3. Report of the
Treasurer
4. Reports of committees
5.
Unfinished business
6. New business
7.
Announcement
8. Adjournment
SECTION
3. Member Educational Programs
The educational portion
of the club meetings (guest speaker, film, etc.) may be either immediately
prior to roll call of the officers or immediately prior to adjournment,
as determined by the Board.
SECTION
4. Robert's Rules of Order
In all other instances,
Robert's Rules of Order, revised, shall govern the conduct of business
at meetings of the Association, the Board of Directors and all committees
wherever they are applicable and not in conflict with these By-Laws
and Constitution.
Revised: General
Membership Meeting September 26, 2006
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