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BYLAWS OF
THE WEST COUNTY DEMOCRATS
ARTICLE I:
NAME
The name of
this organization shall be West County Democrats.
ARTICLE II:
GOVERNMENT
The Bylaws
shall govern this organization in all practices.
ARTICLE III:
MISSION STATEMENT
West County
Democrats was formed by a group of concerned citizens. The purpose of
the organization is to educate the members on the issues and to
encourage members to actively support Democratic candidates for
political office.
ARTICLE IV:
MEMBERSHIP
Any person who
is interested in the purpose of this organization shall be eligible for
membership upon payment of the yearly dues.
ARTICLE V:
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION
Section 1.
Fiscal Year: The fiscal year shall begin on January 1 and end on
December 31.
Section 2. Amount of Dues: Dues shall
be set by the members of the organization at the annual meeting based on
a recommendation by the Board of Directors. A simple majority of the
members present is needed to make a change.
Section 3.
Continuing Members: Dues of all continuing members are payable on or
before January 1. A member whose dues remain unpaid after April 1 shall
be dropped from membership.
Section 4.
New Members: New members may join throughout the
year
Section 5.
Annual Audit: A committee of three members appointed by the Chair shall
conduct an annual review of the organization's finances at the end of
the fiscal year (December 31). A written report shall then be sent to
the Co-Chairs for presentation to the members at the February meeting.
Section 6. Annual Budget: The
annual budget shall be adopted by the Board of Directors and presented
at the annual meeting for the approval of the members.
ARTICLE VI:
MEETINGS
Section 1.
General Meetings: Meetings shall be held monthly. Time and location will
be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 2.
Board of Directors' Meetings: The Board of Directors shall meet prior to
the annual meeting. Additional meetings of the Board of Directors shall
be called by the Chair as needed.
Section 3.
Annual Meeting: The annual meeting shall be held in November.
ARTICLE VII:
QUORUM
Section 1.
Board of Directors: A simple majority of the Board of Directors shall
constitute a quorum.
Section 2.
General Meetings: Twenty-five percent of the membership
on January
31
of the current year
shall constitute
a quorum of all general membership meetings
for that year.
Section 3.
Votes: Each member is entitled to one vote.
ARTICLE
VIII: ROTATION OF OFFICERS
Section 1.
Officers: The officers of this organization shall be Co-Chairs, Co-Vice
Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer. A Chair and a Vice Chair shall be
elected each year for a two year term to succeed the corresponding
officer. (All reference to the Chair in the Bylaws shall refer to the
Co-Chairs; all reference to the Vice Chair in these Bylaws shall refer
to the Co-Vice Chairs.) The Co-Chairs and the Co-Vice Chairs shall have
only one vote per office at Board meetings.
Section 2.
The Secretary shall be elected for a two year term in even numbered
years.
Section 3.
The Treasurer shall be elected for a two year term in odd numbered
years.
ARTICLE IX:
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1.
Chair: The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the organization and
all meetings of the Board of Directors. With the exception of the
Nominating Committee, the Chair shall appoint the chairperson of all
committees and be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2.
Vice Chair: The Vice Chair shall, in the absence of the Chair, perform
the Chair’s duties.
Section 3. Secretary: The Secretary shall
keep the minutes of the meetings of the organization and a copy of these
minutes shall be submitted to the Chair. Copies of the minutes shall be
made available to the members if desired.
Section 4.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all monies of the
organization. The Treasurer shall keep full and accurate records of all
monies and make a report at each meeting. A yearly report shall be
made at the annual meeting and all books and records shall be turned
over to the new Treasurer at the January meeting.
ARTICLE X:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1.
Membership: The Board of
Directors shall be composed of the elected officers and Directors. All
members of the Board of Directors shall be members of West County
Democrats.
Section 2. Duties: The
Board of Directors shall manage and supervise the business and
activities of the organization subject to the instruction of the annual
meeting. It shall accept the responsibility for such matters and have
the power to create special committees and task forces.
Section 3.
Meetings: A meeting of
the Board of Directors shall be held prior to the Annual meeting and
whenever deemed necessary by the Chair.
Section 4.
Quorum: A quorum of the
Board of Directors meeting shall be a majority of its members.
Section 5.
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall be composed of the
elected officers and shall act in the interim between Board of
Directors’ meetings. The Executive Committee shall exercise such power
and authority as may be delegated to it by the Board of Directors and
shall report to the Board of Directors on all actions taken by it
between regular meetings of the Board. The Committee shall meet at the
call of the Chair or at the written request of one member of the
Executive Committee. At least one day’s notice must be given.
Section 6.
Co-Chairs: Co-chairs shall share one vote in any Board of Directors
action.
Section 7.
Immediate Past Chair: The immediate Past Chair shall serve as advisor
and a non-voting member to the Board of Directors and the Executive
Committee.
Section 8.
Electronic Voting: The
Chair shall have the authority to call for a vote from the Board of
Directors by electronic means.
ARTICLE XI:
STANDING COMMITTEES AND AD HOC COMMITTEES
These
committees shall be established by the Board of Directors as needed.
ARTICLE XII:
SPECIAL COMMITTEES
There shall be
a Nominating Committee. Other special committees shall be established by
the Board of Directors as needed.
ARTICLE
XIII: NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The Chair will
solicit from the Board of Directors names of people to serve on the
Nominating Committee. From this list the Chair will select three people
to serve on the Nominating Committee. One person will be a member of
the Board of Directors and two will be from the general membership. The
Committee Chairperson shall be elected by the committee members.
Nominations shall be presented to the membership at the general meeting
in October and voted on at the annual meeting in November.
ARTICLE XIV:
ELECTIONS
The election of
officers and directors shall take place at the annual meeting in
November. At this time nominations may be presented from the floor with
prior consent from the nominee. Elections may be made by voice vote when
a candidate is unopposed. If there are two or more candidates for a
particular office, the vote shall be taken by ballot. The new officers
will assume their duties on January 1.
ARTICLE XV:
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules
contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order: Newly
Revised shall govern this organization in all instances in which
they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these
bylaws.
ARTICLE XVI:
AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws
may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at any
monthly meeting of the organization or at any special meeting called for
this purpose. The proposed amendment shall have been presented in
writing at the previous meeting.
ARTICLE
XVII: DISSOLUTION
The West County
Democrats shall use its funds and/or properties to accomplish the
objectives and purposes specified in these Bylaws, and no part of said
funds and/or properties shall revert, or be distributed to the members
of the organization. On dissolution of the organization, any funds
and/or properties remaining shall be distributed to the Missouri
Democratic Party.
Bylaws
Adopted: March 5, 2004
Amended:
March 12, 2007
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