Revisions to Constitution and By-laws
TO ALL DURANG KENNEL CLUB MEMBERS
The attached revisions are being submitted at the October meeting. Hopefully voting can take place at the November meeting. Below is a summary of changes.
Constitution – no major changes, some wording clarification.
By-laws –
Article I: Membership
Section 1 Changes include in addition of an Honorary membership and clarification of each level of membership.
Section 2: adds statement on email notifications for members
Section 3: changes the amount of time between the readings and voting. Adds that voting may be by secret ballot if requested. This and the following section eliminate recognition of quarterly meetings for new memberships.
Article II: Meetings and Voting
No major changes except for the elimination of the designated “quarterly” meetings which were the meeting at which new members could be voted in.
Article III: Directors and Officers
Section 1: Adds the training director as an ex-officio member of the Board. We have already done this in the past.
Section 2: clarifies that officers are to serve one year terms (with the exception of the alternating Board members) and that they are eligible for re-election.
Article VI: Discipline
Section 3: adds “reprimand” to the least of Board options at a hearing.
Article X: added to the By-laws at the request of AKC. This does not bind us to Robert’s Rules of Order, but states that if our By-laws or Club policies does not cover the situation, we fall back on Robert’s Rules.
Other changes are either clarification or word change (or corrections of typos).
Constitution
Of
Section 1.
The name of the club shall be DURANGO KENNEL CLUB.
Section 2.
The objectives of the club shall be:
a) to further the advancement of all breeds of pure-bred dogs.
b) to protect and advance the interests of pure-bred
dogs and to encourage sportsmanlike competition at dog shows,
obedience trials and other events.
c) to conduct sanctioned matches, dog shows, obedience trials, agility
trials and other events for which the club is eligible under the rules of
the American Kennel Club.
Section 3:
The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits,
nor remainder of residue from dues or donations to the Club shall insure to the benefit of any member or individual.
Section 4:
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.
By-Laws
of
Durango Kennel Club
Article I
Membership
Section 1: Eligibility and Membership
Membership is open to all persons eighteen years of age and older who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of the club.
While membership is to be unrestricted as to residence, the Club’s primary purpose is to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors in its immediate area.
a) all members 18 years of age or older shall have full member privileges. There shall be 4 levels of membership which shall include Individual memberships, Family memberships, Life-time honorary memberships, and Junior memberships.
b) Individual and family memberships may be selected by the
individuals concerned at the time of their election to membership and may be changed from one type to another type of membership at the beginning of any year simply by notifying the membership secretary.
c). Honorary Life-time memberships may be conferred upon
members of long standing by action of the board and a vote of the
membership.
d) Junior memberships are open to persons less than eighteen years
of age who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club.
Junior membership shall be a non-voting status. All other rights
and provisions of regular membership shall apply to Junior
membership except that Juniors shall not be allowed to vote or hold
office.
Section 2: Dues
a) Membership dues for the coming years shall be voted on at the
October meeting of the prior year. The amount of dues for the
following year shall be published in the minutes of the October and
November meetings. Dues shall be paid no later than March 1, but
no member who has not paid dues may vote after Jan. 1 until
dues are paid. At the time that dues are paid, member shall
authorize notification of club business by either
email or first class
mail. Such authorization is revocable upon notification to the
Membership Chairman, and releases the club from any liability should
notification be received late or not at all due to circumstances beyond
the club’s control.
b) Junior membership dues shall be one-half of regular membership dues.
c) Life-time
honorary members shall pay no dues.
Section 3: Election to Membership:
a) Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form approved by the
Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to
abide by the Constitution and By-Laws of the American Kennel Club
and the Constitution, By-Laws and Code of Ethics of the
Kennel Club.
b) All applications for membership are to be filed directly with the
Membership Chairman and each application is to be read at the
two regular meetings of the Club following the receipt of
application and the name of the applicant shall be published in the
minutes of each meeting. Following the two readings, the applicant
shall be voted on by the membership at the next regularly scheduled
meeting. The voting may take place by open vote, or if requested by
the applicant or any member, the vote shall take place by secret
ballot. An affirmation of ¾ of the members present and voting at that
meeting, providing a quorum is present, shall be required to elect the
applicant to membership. The Membership Secretary shall notify the
applicant by mail as to the results of the membership vote.
c) Challenges to proposed membership of any applicant shall be directed to the Board of Directors in writing and will be considered by the Board. An oral recommendation regarding such challenges shall be made by the Board to the membership present at the meeting in which voting shall take place.
d) Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply with six months of such a rejection.
Section 4: Termination of Membership
a) Resignation: Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Membership Secretary.
b) Lapsing: A membership will be considered lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid 60 days after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the Board may grant an additional 60 days grace to such delinquent members in cases of extreme hardship. In no case may a person whose dues are unpaid be entitled to vote at any club meeting held prior to the payment of dues.
c) Expulsion: Membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VI of these By-laws.
Article II
Meetings and Voting
Section 1: Club meetings
Meetings of the Club shall be held in the greater Durango, Colorado area on the first Thursday of each month at such an hour and place as designated by the Board of Directors. Notice of each meeting with time and place shall be contained in the minutes of the previous meeting and shall be sent by email or first class mail to all members. The quorum for such meetings shall be 20% 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, or by the Recording Secretary upon petition of 5 members of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held in the greater Durango area at such a date, place and hour designated by the person or persons herein authorized to call the meeting. Notice of meeting shall be sent by email or first class mail by the Corresponding Secretary at least 10 days and not more than 21 days prior to the date of that meeting. The notice shall state the date, time, place and purpose of the meeting and no other club business shall be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 20% of the members in good standing.
Section 3: Board Meetings
Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held in the greater Durango area at least 4 times in any Calendar year in January, April, July and October. Notice of place, date, and hour of such meetings shall be sent to members not less than 5 days or more than 21 days before such a meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the board.
Section 4: Special Board meetings
Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or by the Recording Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board.
Such special meetings shall be held in the greater Durango area at a time and place, date and hour as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such a meeting. The Corresponding Secretary shall send written notice of such a meeting at least 5 days and not more than 21 days prior to the date of meeting. Notices shall be sent to all members. Notices of special Board meetings shall clearly state the reason for such meetings and no other business may be transacted. The President or Vice-President may call emergency meeting of the Board by telephone or email and the Board members may vote upon emergency issues by telephone or email if the purpose and nature of the emergency is clearly stated and the response of each Board member is recorded and retained in the Club files. Such emergency meetings and votes must be reported to the membership at the next regularly meeting. The quorum for a Special meeting is a majority of the Board.
Section V: Voting
Each member above the age of 18 and 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 or she is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any club meetings or election.
Article III
Directors and Officers
Section 1: Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, four club members in good standing and past President. The Training director will serve as an ex officio member of the Board. The four club members of the Board shall serve as follows. All members elected to the Board shall serve for two years. The members on the Board at the time of the adoption of these By-laws shall complete their scheduled terms. Thus, each year there will be two Board members elected and two Board members carried over.
Section 2: Officers
The Club’s officers, consisting of 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 for the period of one year. All are eligible for re-election.
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 specifically specified in these By-laws.
b) The Vice-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in the case of the President’s death, absence or incapacity.
c) The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all minutes of the Club and of the Board and of all matters of which the Club shall order.
d) The Corresponding Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence, notifying members of meetings, notifying members of election results, keep a roll of the members of the club and their addresses and carry out such other duties as prescribed by the By-laws.
e) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due or belonging to the Club and shall deposit the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the name of the Club. The Treasurer’s books shall at all times be open to inspection by the Board and a report shall be made to the Club at every meeting on the condition of the Club’s finances and every item of receipt and payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting the Treasurer shall render an account of all monies received and expended during the previous fiscal year. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such amount as the Board of Directors shall determine.
f) The office of Recording Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person in which case the Board shall be comprised of the officers and 4 other persons.
g) Past Presidents are automatically appointed to the Board for a period of two years or until a new President is elected, and shall have the same voting privileges as other Board members during that period.
Section 3: Vacancies
Any vacancies occurring on the Board 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 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 a majority vote of the Board.
Article IV
The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
Section 1: The Club Year
a) The Club’s fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January and end on the 31st day of December.
b) The Club’s official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the election of 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 April at which time Officers, (delegate to the American Kennel Club) and Directors 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 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 30 days after the election.
Section 3: Elections
The nominated candidates receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected.
Section 4: Nominations
No person may be a candidate in the Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of February, the general membership shall select a nominating committee consisting of three members and two alternates, not more than one of which may be a member of the Board. The committee shall select a Chairman for the committee from among its members and it shall be the duty of the Chairman to call a committee meeting prior to the next general club meeting for the purposes of establishing a list of candidates for each vacant position.
a) The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office (and for Delegate who may or may not be an officer or director of the Club) and one candidate for each of the open Board positions. After securing the consent of each person so nominated, the Committee shall report their nominations to the Recording Secretary in writing.
b) Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee’s report, the Recording Secretary will report on the Nominating Committee’s recommendations at the March meeting of the Club.
c) Additional nominations may be made at the March meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline to have his name proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Recording Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate. (Except for the position of Delegate) no persona may be a candidate for more than one position.
d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any other manner than as provided in this Section.
Article V
Committees
Section 1: Committee appointments
The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials, agility trials, training, 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 be appointed by the Board to aid it in particular projects.
Section 2: Committee termination
Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority 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 1: American Kennel Club Suspension
Any member who is suspended from the 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 misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. Written charges with specifics must be filed in duplicate with the Recording Secretary together with a deposit of $10.00 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Recording 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 such actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. If the Board considers 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 of a hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks or more than 6 weeks thereafter. The Corresponding Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he so wishes.
Section 3: Board hearing
The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether legal 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 the complainant and defendant, the Board may, by a majority of those present, reprimand the defendant, or suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. If it deems that reprimand or suspension insufficient, it may be also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In the case of suspension, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to appear before his fellow members at the ensuing Club meeting that 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 Recording Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary shall notify each of the parties of the Board’s decision and penalty, if any.
Section 4: Expulsion
Expulsion of a member shall be accomplished 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 meeting or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 20 days after the Board’s recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf, although no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board’s findings and recommendations and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak on his own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A 2/3 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. The Corresponding Secretary shall notify the defendant in writing of the results of the vote.
Article VII
Amendments
Section 1: Methods
Amendments to the Constitution and By-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Recording Secretary signed by twenty percent (20%) of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such a petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted by the Recording Secretary and Board of Directors to the membership with a recommendation by the Board within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Recording Secretary.
Section 2: Voting
The Constitution and By-laws may be amended by a 2/3 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 sent to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of that meeting. Voting shall be by secret, written ballot.
Article VIII
Dissolution
The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 of the members. In event of dissolution of the Club other than for purposes of reorganization, none of the property of the Club no 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 assents shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs that organization to be selected by the Board of Directors.
Article IX
Order of Business
Section 1: Meetings
At meetings of the Club, the order of business, so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit and unless otherwise directed by a majority of those present, shall be as follows:
Roll call or circulation of the roll
Minutes of the last meeting
Report of the President
Report of the Corresponding Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Reports of Committees
Election of Officers and Board (annual meeting only)
Unfinished Business
New Business
Election of New members
Adjournment
Section 2:
At meetings of the Board, the order of business unless otherwise directed by a majority vote of those present shall be as follows:
Reading of the minutes of the last meeting
Report of the Corresponding Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Reports of Committees
Unfinished Business
New Business
Adjournment
Article X
The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order governs this organization in parliamentary situations that are not provided for in the law or in its Constitution, By-Laws or Policy.
The above By-laws, as amended, were approved by a two-third vote of the members present at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Durango Kennel Club held on --------. Notice of the above By-law amendmments were presented to the members at----------------------.
_____________________
President
Attest_________________
Recording Secretary