| CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA BY-LAWS Article I- Administration Section 1- Executive Board. The executive board of the CPOA shall consist of the following: A . President B. Vice-president C. Secretary D. Treasurer E. Sergeant-At-Arms Section 2- Standing Committees. Standing committees will have duties assigned by the President. They will not be policy making bodies, but will make recommendations to the President. The Standing Committees are: A. Communications B. Fund Raising C. Hail & Farewell D. Initiation Article II- Elections and Appointments Section 1- Election of Officers. A. Officers shall be members in good standing and shall be elected at a CPOA general assembly meeting. B. The Officers will normally be elected at the November CPOA general assembly meeting. When this is impractical, the President shall set the date for as soon as possible after the November meeting. C. Nomination will normally be made at the October meeting. D. Officers shall be elected upon receiving a majority vote of a quorum. The quorum includes sealed absentee ballots received prior to the announcement of the result of the voting. E. Tenure of all offices will normally be one year. The tenure of office will normally begin on 1 January. F. The office of President will be limited to two consecutive terms. All other officers may be reelected to office with no limitation on the number of terms served. G. In the event the office of the President is vacated, the Vice-president shall automatically ascend to the office of President. The vacancy thus created in the office of Vice-president shall be filled by the election of a member of the CPOA by the membership of the CPOA, to fill the remainder of the term. H. In the event the office of Secretary, Treasurer or Sergeant-At-Arms is vacated, the President shall appoint an immediate replacement for the remainder of current term, subject to the approval at the next general assembly meeting. Section 2- Balloting. A. The Secretary shall prepare and distribute ballots to the membership two weeks prior to the meeting at which the election of office will be held. B. Elections will normally be held by closed ballot. Voting may be done by a show of hands if desired by the majority of the membership present. If voting is by a show of hands, absentee ballots will be tallied after the vote on the floor is given and the final result announced before the end of the meeting. C. Absentee ballots will be accepted if a member cannot be present at the election meeting. Absentee voters can submit their ballots to the SAA via any active member. Absentee ballots must be submitted in a signed, sealed envelope. The voting member's name shall not appear on the ballot. D. The SAA will appoint and supervise three active members to verify all ballots. The three members appointed shall not be CPOA Officers or Officer nominees. Article III- Meetings Section 1- CPOA General Assembly Meeting. The CPOA General Assembly shall meet at 1500 on the 3rd Thursday of each month in the CPO Club (Goat Locker). Special meetings may be called by the President when deemed necessary. A. Parliamentary procedures shall follow Robert's Rules of Order. B. A quorum shall consist of greater than 50 percent of active membership. A majority vote of a quorum is required to carry all normal motions. Votes of impeachment of officers, changes to the Constitution/By Laws, and expenditures of greater than $200.00 must consist of a quorum of greater than 50 percent of active membership. C. The President of the CPOA will vote only in tie-breakers. D. Order of business will be controlled by the President and shall proceed as follows: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll call including current membership and quorum status 3. Introduction of guests (if present) 4. Hail to new members 5. Review of previous minutes 6. Financial report by CPOA Treasurer 7. Report of committees 8. Unfinished business 9. New business 10. Good of the association (promotion, community involvement, etc.) 11. Farewell to departing shipmates 12. Adjournment Article IV- Duties of Officers Section 1- President. The President shall: A. Be the Chief Executive of the CPOA. B. Preside over all meetings and enforce the provisions set forth in the Constitution/By-Laws. C. Appoint committees. D. Represent the CPOA at appropriate social functions. E. Represent the CPOA at Senior Enlisted meetings. F. Be empowered to appoint a member to a temporary vacancy of any office. G. Instruct and qualify the vice-president in the duties of the office of the President. Section 2- Vice-president. The Vice-president shall: A. Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President. B. Perform the duties as assigned by the President. Section 3- Secretary. The Secretary shall: A. Maintain complete and accurate minutes of all meetings and submit them to the President for signature. B. Distribute the smooth minutes and social calendar to all CPOs not later than one week after each monthly scheduled meeting. C. Maintain a social roster of all members, to be updated and redistributed quarterly. D. Review the previous minutes. E. Maintain all minutes and other records for a period of 24 months. F. Be responsible for all correspondence originated by the CPOA. G. Ensure the ordering of all CPOA paraphernalia (mugs, shirts, plaques, etc) through the Treasurer. Section 4- Treasurer. The Treasurer shall: A. Maintain accurate records of the CPOA checking and savings accounts. The Treasurer is empowered to sign checks for expenses under $200.00 as directed in writing by the President. For expenditures over $200.00, the checks must be signed by the Treasurer and at least one other officer of the CPOA, preferably the President. B. Maintain accurate records of all receipts and expenditures and prepare a financial report to be submitted and presented at the monthly CPOA meeting. C. Submit in written report to the membership after each audit or as directed by the President. D. Collect dues, issue membership cards and notify members of arrears status via MPS. E. Shall cap the initiation fund at a minimum of $1,000.00 from October to June. Funds held over from Initiation shall be turned over to the CPOA general fund. Section 5- Sergeant-At-Arms. The SAA shall: A. Supervise elections. B. Collect donations and deliver to Treasurer. C. Keep good order and discipline as directed by the President. D. Be responsible for sheriff training for CPO initiations. E. Pre-inspect meeting hall prior to meetings. F. Designate and supervise facility manager for CPOA Goat Locker. Article V- Miscellaneous Section 1- Amendments to Constitution/By-Laws. Proposed changes or amendments must be researched by the Steering Committee, screened by Navy JAG, and be approved by the Commanding Officer. Section 2- Correspondence. All correspondence originated by the CPOA, Secretary or committees shal be routed through the President for signature. Section 3- Hail and Farewells. Hail and Farewells will be conducted during regular CPOA meetings with new members introduced by an active member sponsor and departing members properly roasted by the President and attending body (to include presentation of appropriate gifts). Quarterly "major event" hails and farewells will be organized by the Vice-President-led Hail and Farewell Committee. Section 4- Audits A. The CPOA financial records will be audited by two active members (excluding officers) appointed by the President. A written report will be presented at the next scheduled meeting. B. Audits will be conducted quarterly or prior to relief of the Treasurer or President. Section 5- Emergency Fund Board. An emergency fund board shall consist of all available officers. They shall determine whether an expense should be incurred by the CPOA when there is not sufficient time to hold a general assembly meeting to discuss the matter. An expense will only be incurred when a majority of the board voted in favor of the expenditure. Any emergency expenditures will be reported at the next general assembly meeting. Section 6- Discontinuance. In the event the CPOA is discontinued, all moneys will be donated to another tax exempt organization as determined by a vote of re maining members. If membership is unable or unavailable to vote, all moneys will be donated to the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society. |