By-Laws
Article I
Membership
Section 1.
Eligibility.
There shall be two types of membership: Regular with full
voting rights and Associate, entitled to all privileges of the
Club except the right to vote and hold office. Associate membership
shall be defined as a member not desiring to be actively involved 50% of
the club activities and functions. All memberships shall have the right
to review monthly minutes at the regularly scheduled Club meetings. Any
member shall have the right to request copies of the minutes emailed to
them or by USPS, upon submission of a self addressed and stamped
envelope to the secretary. Membership is open to all persons who are in
good standing with the AKC and who subscribe to the purpose of this
Club. While membership is unrestricted as to residence, the Club's
primary purpose is to be a representative of breeders and exhibitors, to
promote education, and the rescue of unwanted poodles, by referral to
Florida Poodle Rescue, in the immediate area.
Section 2.
Dues.
Membership dues are not to exceed forty ($40.00) dollars for Regular
membership and twenty ($20.00) dollars for Associate membership. Dues
shall be set, from time to time, by the Board of Directors, with the
majority consent of the membership. Dues are payable to upon the
election to membership and on the first day of May thereafter. No member
may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month
of April, the Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of his
dues for the official year.
Section 3.
Elections to membership.
Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by
the Board of Directors, and which shall provide that the applicant
agrees to abide by this Constitution and By-Laws and the rules and
regulations of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the
name, address, and occupation of the applicant, and it shall hold the
endorsement of two (2) members in good standing. Accompanying the
application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for
current year. All applications are to be filed with the secretary and
each application is to be read at the first meeting of the Club
following its' receipt.
The application, as submitted, is then turned over to a membership
committee to review the application and prepare recommendations to be
present at the next Club meeting. At the next Club meeting, upon hearing
Membership Committee recommendations, the applicant will be voted upon,
by secret written ballot. The affirmative votes of three-fourth of the
members present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect
the applicant.
Applications for membership that have been rejected, by the Club, may
not re-apply for reconsideration until six months after such rejection.
Section 4.
Termination of Membership.
Memberships may be terminated:
- By resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the
Club upon notice to the Secretary, but no member may resign when in
debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the
Club; they become incurred on May 1st.
- By lapsing. Any membership will be considered lapsed and
automatically terminated if such members' dues remain unpaid after
April 30th. In no case may a person be entitled to vote
at a Club meeting whose dues are unpaid.
- By expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion
provided in Article VII of these By-Laws.
Article II
Meetings and voting
Section 1.
Club meetings.
The annual meeting of the Club shall be held in May. Regular meetings,
other than the annual meeting, shall be held on the 2nd
Tuesday in each month, at such hour and place as may be designated by
the Board of Directors. Notification of any change of such meetings
shall be the responsibility of the Secretary, at least ten (10) days
prior to the date of the meeting. The meeting shall be held within the
Tampa Bay area. The quorum for such meetings shall be twenty (20)
percent of the active members in good standing.
Section 2.
Special Club meeting.
Special Club meeting may be called by the President, or by a majority
vote of the then members of the Board, who are present and voting at any
regular or special meeting of the Board, or shall be called by the
Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five (5) members of the
Club who are in good standing.
Such special meetings shall be held at such hour and place as may be
designated by the person or persons authorized here in to call such a
meeting. Notice of meetings shall be at least five (5) days and not more
than ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting and such notices
shall state the purpose of the meetings and no other Club business shall
be transacted there at. The quorum of such meeting shall be twenty (20)
percent of the active members in good standing.
Section 3.
Board Meetings.
Meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held proir to the regular
meetings of the Club in each month, at such hour and place as may be
designated by the Board. The Secretary shall communicate notice of such
meetings, at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. The
quorum of such meetings shall be a majority of the Board.
Section 4.
Special Board Meetings.
Special Board Meetings shall be called by the President and shall be
called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at
least three (3) members of the Board. The Secretary shall give notice of
such meetings, telephonically, at least one (1) day prior to the
meeting. Such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other
business shall be transacted there at. A quorum for such a meeting shall
be a majority of the Board.
Section 5.
Voting.
Each member in good standing, whose dues are paid for the current
year, shall be entitled to one (1) vote at any meeting of the Club at
which he/she is present. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote
or hold office.
Article III
Directors and Officers
Section 1.
The Board.
The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President,
Recording/ Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and three other persons,
all of who shall be members in good standing; all of whom shall be
elected for term of one-year. The Board members agree to attend
three-fourths of all General and Board meetings, in order to effectively
run the Club. The Board shall be elected at the Clubs' annual meeting as
provided in Article V . General management of the
Clubs' affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.
Section 2.
Officers.
The Club officers, consisting of the President, Vice-President,
Recording/Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve in their
respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and
the Board and its members.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the
Board, and shall have the duties and powers normally belonging to the
office of President in addition to those particularly specified in this
Constitution and By-Laws, and shall be an ex officer member of all
committees except the nominating committee.
- The Vise-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers
of the President in case of the President's death, absence or
incapacity.
- The Recording/Corresponding Secretary shall keep a record of all
meetings of the Club and the Board of all matters, of which the Club
may order a record. The Recording/Corresponding Secretary shall keep
a current and accurate roll of the members of the Club with their
addresses and any contact information. The Recording/Corresponding
Secretary shall have charge of all correspondence, provide minutes
of prior meetings, with notice of upcoming meetings, committee
chairman of their nomination, election or appointment, and carry out
such other duties as are prescribed in these By-Laws.
- The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due or
belonging to the Club. He/she shall deposit the same in a bank
designated by the Board, in the name of the Club. His/her books
shall be, at all times, open to the inspection of the Board. The
Treasurer shall report at every meeting the condition of the Club's
finances and every item of receipt or payment not previously
reported.
- At the annual meeting the Treasurer shall render an account of
all monies received and expending during the previous fiscal year.
- Vacancies: The Board shall fill any vacancies occurring on the
Board during the year until the next annual election, except for the
office of President who will be replaced by the Vice-President, and
then the Board would fill the Vice-President vacancy.
Article IV
The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
Section 1.
Club Year.
The Club fiscal year shall begin on the 1stof May and end
on the 30th day of April.
The Club official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of
the annual meeting and shall continue through the next annual meeting.
Section 2.
Annual Meeting.
The annual meeting shall be held in the month of May at which
directors and officers for ensuing year shall be elected by a secret,
written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with
Section 4 of this Article. The elected individuals
shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and
each retiring officer shall turn over to his/her successor, all
properties and records related to that office within 30 days after the
election.
Section 3.
Elections.
The candidate to the office of President, Vice-President,
Recording/Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Board Members shall be
elected individually. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest
number of votes for each office shall be declared duly elected.
Section 4.
Nominations.
No person may be a candidate in an election who has not been
nominated. During the month of February, the Board shall select a
nominating committee consisting of three members and two alternates, not
more than one of who may be a member of the Board (except for the
alternates). The Secretary shall immediately notify the committee
persons and the alternates of their selection. The Board shall name a
chairperson for the committee and it shall be his/her duty to call a
committee meeting, which shall be held on or before March 15th.
- The committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and
Board position. After securing the consent of each person so
nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the
President in writing.
- The Secretary shall provide the nominating committees slate to
each member at least two (2) weeks prior to the April meeting.
- Additional nominations may be made at the April meeting by any
member in attendance, provided that the person so nominated does not
decline when his name is proposed, and proved further that is the
proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, his
nominator shall present to the President a written statement from
the proposed candidate, signifying his willingness to be a
candidate.
- Additional nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or
in any manner other than as described in this section.
Article V
Committees
Section 1.
The Board may each year appoint standing committees, to advance the
work if the Club in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials,
trophies, annual prizes, membership and other fields which may be served
by committees. Such committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid
the Club on particular projects.
Section 2.
Any committee appointed by the Board may be terminated by 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 has been terminated.
Article VI
Discipline
Section 1.
American Kennel Club Suspension.
Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American
Kennel Club shall automatically 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 interest of the Club or breed. Written charges
with specifications must be filled in duplicate with the Secretary,
together with a deposit of $50.00, which shall be forfeited if the
Board, following a hearing, does not sustain such charges. The 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 the action alleged in the charges, if proven, might
constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or
breed. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct
which would be prejudicial to the best interest of the Club it may
refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction
of the charges it shall fix a date of the hearing by the Board not less
than 2 weeks nor more than 5 weeks thereafter. The 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 defended may personally appear in his own defense and bring any
witness if she/he wishes.
Section 3.
Board Hearing.
The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may
attend the hearing, however, in any case, 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 vote, of those
present, recommend suspension of the defendant from all privileges of
the Club for more than six months from the date of hearing. If the Board
deems that the evidence is sufficient, it may also be recommended, to
the membership, that the penalty be expulsion. in such cases, the
suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his
fellow members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board's
recommendation. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties
of the Board's decision and penalty, if any.
Section 4.
Expulsion.
Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at the
meeting of the Club, following a Board hearing and upon the Board's
recommendation as provided in Section 3 of these Articles. Such
proceeding may occur at a regular or a special meeting of the Club to be
heard within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the
Board's recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the right
of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at
this meeting. The President shall read the charges and Board's findings
and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, in present, to
speak in his own behalf if he/she so wishes. The membership shall then
vote, by a 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.
Article VII
Amendments
Section 1.
Amendments to the constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the
Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary
signed by twenty percent of the active membership in good standing.
Amendments proposed by the petition shall be promptly considered by the
Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with
recommendations of the Board, by the Secretary for a vote, within three
months of the date when the Secretary first received the petition.
Section 2.
The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by 2/3 vote of the active
members at any regular or special meeting, called for that purpose,
provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of
meeting, communicated, to each member, at least two weeks prior to the
date of the meeting.
Article VIII
Section 1.
At General membership meetings of the Club, the order of business, as
such relates to the character and nature of the meeting may permit shall
be as follows:
ROLL CALL
MINUTES OF LAST REGULAR MEETING
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
REPORT OF THE TREASURER
REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEES
ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND BOARD (at annual meeting)
ELECTION OF NEW MEMBERS
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PROGRAM
ADJOURNMENT
Section 2.
At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise
directed by majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:
READING OF MINUTES OF LAST BOARD MEETING
REPORT OF SECRETARY
REPORT OF TREASURER
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
ADJOURNMENT
Section 3.
The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, (revised) shall
govern this corporation in all cases, which they are applicable and in
which they are not inconsistent with the By-Laws of this corporation.
Constitution & By-Laws Committee:
Linda Sciacca - President
and members of TBPC
Presented to AKC with corrections:
Terry Goldman - Secretary
Dated April 12, 2005