Approved Rotary Club Bylaws

*Bylaws of the Rotary Club of

PERRY, NEW YORK

 

Article 1   Definitions

1. Board: The Board of Directors of this club.

2. Club: All active and honorary members of the Rotary Club of Perry.
3. Director: A member elected to this club's Board of Directors.

4. District: The organizational level above the Club as determined by RI.
5. Member: A member, other than an honorary member, of this club.

6. Officer: A member duly elected to an office for a one year term.
7. RI:  Rotary International.
8. Year: The twelve-month period that begins on July 1st of each year.

 

Article 2   Board of Directors

The governing body of this club shall be the board consisting of twelve (12) members of this club, namely, six (6) directors elected in accordance with article 3, section 1, of these bylaws, and the president, president-elect, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and the immediate past president.

 

Article 3   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, president-elect, vice-president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer, and three (3) directors. The nominations shall be presented by a nominating committee consisting of the last five past presidents that are still active members of the club.  Additional nominations may be offered by members from the floor. The nominations duly made shall be voted at the annual meeting. The candidate for each office that receives a majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected to the respective offices. The three (3) candidates for director receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected as directors to serve 2 year terms commencing July 1 next. All other candidates for offices elected in such balloting shall assume office on the first day of July immediately following. 

Section 2 – The officers and directors, so elected, together with the immediate past president shall constitute the board.

Section 3 – A vacancy in the board or any office shall be filled by action of the remaining board members (officers and directors).

Section 4 – A vacancy in the position of any officer-elect or director-elect shall be filled by action of the entire membership of the club following the regular nominating procedures.

Section 5 – Upon election, the board-elect shall meet monthly beginning in January prior to taking office with the President-elect to develop service plans and committee responsibilities for the upcoming year.  This meeting may take place jointly with or independently of the current board, a portion of said meeting shall be led by the President-elect with the purpose of preparation of committee and project goals and assignments.

 

Article 4   Duties of Officers

Section 1 – President. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the club and the board and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of president.

Section 2 – President-elect. It shall be the duty of the president-elect to serve as a director and to preside at meetings of the club and the board 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 serve as a director and to preside at meetings of the club and the board in the absence of the president and president-elect and to perform other duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board.

Section 4 – Secretary. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep membership records; record attendance at meetings; send out notices of club, board and committee meetings; record and preserve the minutes of such meetings; report as required to RI, including the semiannual reports of membership on 1 January and 1 July of each year, and prorated reports 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 secretary shall report changes in membership and provide the monthly attendance report to the district as directed by the governor (normally within 15 days of the last meeting of the month) and perform other duties as usually pertain to the office of secretary.

Section 5 – Historian.  The duties of the club Historian are to provide for the protection, and preservation of the records of the Perry Rotary Club and its membership and to provide information about the club history to current members as requested.

Section 6 – Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for it to the club annually and at any other time upon request by the board, and to perform other duties that 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 7 – Club Trainer. It shall be the duty of the club trainer (or committee) to develop a program of Rotary information for the general membership as well as for prospective new members.  That shall include development of member participation in Rotary beyond the club as well as sharing information updates within the club.  The trainer will assist the Board in encouraging that members attend District events, hold regular club assemblies, promote Rotary effectively, and share their knowledge of Rotary.  This person will aid the Board in providing for regular and consistent orientation for new members and prospective new members.

Section 8 – Sergeant-at-Arms. The duties of the sergeant-at-arms shall be such as are usually prescribed for such office and other duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board.

Such officer shall be responsible for the property of the club and with the Historian, provide for the safety of the club’s records and history.

 Article  5   Meetings

Section 1 – Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of this club shall be held on the first Thursday in December in each year, at which time the election of officers and directors to serve for the ensuing Rotary year shall take place.

Section 2 – The regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Thursday at 12:15 p.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 pursuant to article 8, sections 3 and 4 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 fifty (50) 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 8, sections 1 and 2.

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 at least once each month as regularly set for time and place by the President.  Special meetings of the board shall be called by the president, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two (2) directors, due notice having been given.

Section 5 – A majority of the officers and directors shall constitute a quorum of the board.

Section 6 – Any club member may attend any board meeting, and the time, date, and location of the meeting shall be announced to the club prior to the meeting.

Article 6   Fees and Dues

Section 1 – There shall be no admission fee requirement before the applicant can qualify as a member.

Section 2 – The membership dues shall be $ 70 per annum, payable semiannually on the first day of July and of January, with the understanding that a portion of each semiannual payment shall be applied to each member’s subscription to the RI official magazine.  The board shall have the discretion to change the amount of dues and to accept payments on an alternate schedule.

Article 7   Method of Voting

The business of this club shall be transacted by viva voce* vote except for a contested election of officers and directors, which shall be by ballot.  The board may determine that a specific resolution be considered by ballot rather than by viva voce vote.

Article 8   Four Avenues of Service

The four Avenues of Service are the philosophical and practical framework for the work of this Rotary club. They are Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service. This club will be active in each of the four Avenues of Service.

Article 9   Committees

Club committees are charged with carrying out the annual and long-range goals of the club based on the four Avenues of Service. The president-elect, president and immediate past president should work together to ensure continuity of leadership and succession planning. When feasible, committee members should be appointed to the same committee for three years to ensure consistency. The president-elect is responsible for appointing committee members to fill vacancies, appointing committee chairs and conducting planning meetings prior to the start of the year in office.  It is recommended that the chair have previous experience as a member of the committee. Standing committees should be appointed as follows:

·         Membership
This committee should develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of members. 

·         Club Public Relations
This committee should develop and implement plans to provide the public with information about Rotary and to promote the club’s service projects and activities.  Development of partnerships to uncover and pursue new service projects and fund-raisers is a part of this committee’s responsibility.

·         Club Administration
This committee should conduct activities associated with the effective operation of the club.  This committee should include the club trainer and the trainer’s sub-committee. 

·         Service Projects
This committee should develop and implement educational, humanitarian and vocational projects that address the needs of its community and communities in other countries. 

 

·         Youth Service Projects

      This committee shall be included as a special emphasis to work with all youth oriented        

      service activities and subcommittees including YE, RYLA, Scholarships, Interact, Rotaract,           

      or others as may be established.

·         The Rotary Foundation
This committee should develop and implement plans to support The Rotary Foundation through both financial contributions and program participation.

 

Additional ad hoc committees or sub-committees may be appointed as needed.

 

(a) The president shall be ex officio a member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership thereon.

(b) Each committee shall transact its business as is delegated to it in these 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 and approved by the board.

(c) Each chair shall be responsible for regular meetings and activities of the committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of the committee and shall report to the board on all committee activities.

(d) One Director (non officer) shall be assigned to chair each of the six standing committees.

 

Article 10   Duties of Committees

The duties of all committees shall be established and reviewed by the president for his or her year. In declaring the duties of each, the president shall make reference to appropriate RI materials. The service project committee will consider vocational service, community service and international service avenues, each with and without youth service, when developing plans for the year.

 

Each committee shall have a specific mandate, clearly defined goals, and action plans established by the beginning of each year for implementation during the course of the year. It shall be the primary responsibility of the president-elect to provide the necessary leadership to prepare a recommendation for club committees, mandates, goals and plans for presentation to the board in advance of the commencement of the year as noted above.

 

Article 11   Attendance Policy

Section 1 – Meeting attendance requirements

Attendance requirements and exceptions are covered in the Club Constitution and modified herein as follows:  Make-up within 14 days of a missed regular meeting may be by e-club attendance for no more than 4 times in each Rotary year.  The Board shall accept service to Rotary above the club level, at committee meetings, events, or service activities for attendance credit.  The Board may designate selected projects and activities of the club for attendance credit.  Also, the Board may accept a member’s effort or attendance as a representative of Rotary on behalf of another non-paid service activity upon prior written request.

 

Section 2 – 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.  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 8, sections 3 and 4 of the standard Rotary club constitution which includes absence for good and sufficient reasons acceptable to the Board and absence do to reaching an aggregate total of age and years of membership exceeding 85 shall not computed in the attendance record of the club.)

 

Article 12   Finances

Section 1 – Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the board shall prepare a budget of estimated income and expenditures for the year, which shall stand as the limit of expenditures for these purposes, unless otherwise ordered by action of the board.  The budget shall be broken into two separate parts: one in respect of club operations and one in respect of charitable/service operations.

Section 2 – The treasurer shall deposit all club funds in a bank, named by the board. The club funds shall be divided into two separate parts: club operations and service projects.

Section 3 – All bills shall be paid by the treasurer or other authorized officer upon receipt and with guidance from the board of directors.

Section 4 – A thorough review of all financial transactions by a qualified person or committee shall be made once each year.

Section 5 – Officers having charge or control of club funds shall give bond as required by the board for the safe custody of the funds of the club, the cost of bond to be borne by the club.

Section 6 – The fiscal year of this club shall extend from 1 July to 30 June, and for the collection of members' dues may be divided into two (2) semiannual periods extending from 1 July to 31 December, and from 1 January to 30 June. The payment of per capita dues and RI official magazine subscriptions shall be made on 1 July and 1 January of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on those dates.  District dues shall be paid upon billing by the District.

Section 7 – All expenditures approved by the Board that meet the proper criteria shall be sent to the Perry Rotary Foundation for approval and payment.

 

Article 13   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 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 standard Rotary 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 board 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 new member's induction, membership card, and new member Rotary literature. In addition, the president or secretary will report the new member information to RI and the president will assign a member to assist with the new member's assimilation to the club as well as assign the new member to a club project or function.

Section 7 – The Board may elect, in accordance with the standard Rotary club constitution, honorary members as proposed by any member.

Article 14   Resolutions

The club shall not consider any resolution or motion to commit the club on any matter until the board has considered it.  Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a club meeting, shall be referred to the board without discussion

 

Article 15

Order of Business

Meeting called to order.

Introduction of visitors.

Correspondence, announcements and Rotary Information.

Committee reports if any.

Any unfinished business.

Any new business.

Address or other program features.

Adjournment.

 

Article 16   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 standard Rotary club constitution and with the constitution and bylaws of RI