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| Draft - 2006
Constitution of the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson Submitted on November 9, 2006 |
| Article I – Name |
| The name of this Society shall be: Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson, An incorporated, non-profit organization. |
| Article II – Purpose |
| The purpose of the Society shall be: (1) To promote interest and increased knowledge in the fields
of mineralogy, geology, the lapidary arts and other earth sciences (2) To publish articles and information pertaining to these fields (3) To encourage the collecting and displaying of specimens in these fields (4) To arrange fields trips in the interest of collecting or sightseeing in these fields |
| Article III – Membership |
| Section 1. Membership shall be open to all persons regardless of race, creed, sex or national origin
who have an interest in one or more of the purposes as set forth in Article II. Section 2. There shall be three classes of membership: adult, student and life. (a) Adult members are dues-paying members with voting privileges. (b) Students shall be non-voting members under the age of 17. (c) Honorary Life members are those so voted by the Board of Directors and shall enjoy all privileges of adult membership. |
| Article IV – Officers |
| Section 1. The Officers of the Society shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
These with the immediate past President, "who shall serve for one year only" and three Directors, Show Chairperson, Editor, and Liaison Officers shall constitute the Board of Directors. Each member of the above Board shall have one vote. "No person shall hold more than one elective office." Section 2. Officers and one Director shall be nominated by a committee of three, appointed by the President at the October meeting and the slate of nominees must be presented at the November meeting, printed in the December bulletin, and "voted upon at the December meeting by only those present." Additional nominees for any of the Offices or Directors of the Society may be presented to the Society, equally with the Nominating Committee's choice, together with the nominations made by the Nominating Committee at the November meeting. Section 3. Board of Directors shall take office immediately following the report of the President at the annual banquet meeting in December. The Officers and Directors shall be elected for a term of one year. |
| Article V - Duties of Officers |
| Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Directors
and shall perform such duties as usually pertain to that office. A Steering Committee, made up of three (3) Officers, shall appoint the Show Chairman, Editor, and the Liaison Officer with recommendations from the Board of Directors. (a) The President shall appoint an Auditing Committee, whose duties it shall be to audit the books of the Treasure and furnish copies of their report to the Treasurer, Secretary, and President, as soon as possible, on a change of Treasurer, either by appointment or election or at the President's discretion. (b) The President has the authority to approve incidental expenditures up to $100.00. For expenses over $100.00, sec Article VI, Section 1. Section 2. The Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President in the absences or disability of the President. Section 3. The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Directors, notify all members regarding special meetings and perform all other duties pertaining to the office. Section 4. The Treasurer shall collect all dues, take charge of all funds of the Society, make disbursements as authorized, maintain an accurate list of all members and their addresses, and perform all duties pertaining to that office. A monthly report is to be given for approval at each monthly meeting. Section 5. In the event of three or more unexcused absences, the prolonged absence or inability of any of the elected officers other than the President to perform his duties, the Board of Directors shall appoint a substitute who shall act during that period. In the event of a vacancy until the next election, at which time a replacement shall be nominated and elected according to the regular election procedure. Section 6. The Liaison Officer shall handle all communications and reports to the community. Disputes involving club members, Officers or Board Members shall be directed to the Liaison Officer first. Section 7. The Show Chairperson's term of office shall run for one year following his appointment. He shall work with the Board of Directors in establishing a budget for the Show and have responsibility for the planning and operation of the Society's show. Any additional expenditure over $100.00 must be authorized by the President, the Treasurer, and two (2) members of the Board. Section 8. The Editor shall be appointed by the President for a term of one year. He or She shall have full authority for the content of his/her publication within the limits of the Constitution and By-Laws. |
| Article VI - Board of Directors |
| The Board of Directors shall have, subject to the provisions of the Constitution, By-Laws and
Michigan General Corporation Laws, general charge of all the affairs, funds and property of the Society. Majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum. The expenditures above and beyond the yearly operating budget shall be taken back to the general membership at a regular meeting for approval. Section 1: Any emergency expenses over $100.00 must be authorized by the President, the Treasurer and two (2) members of Board. |
| Article VII – Committees |
| Section 1. Special Committees shall be appointed by and responsible to the President.
(a) The Club Librarian shall carry on all operations of the Library of the Society, including the purchase of new acquisitions under a yearly budget as established by the Board of Directors. (b) The Archives Committee shall consist of a Historian who will maintain a scrapbook of the Club's history and activities, and shall be appointed for a term of three years. He/She shall compile and maintain a permanent record of the Society's history and activities from reliable sources. |
| Article VIII - Dues and Fees |
| Section 1. The regular dues and fees of the Society shall be set forth in the By-Laws. Section 2. Special assessments shall be levied only in case of emergency and then only by a three- fourths vote of approval by the members present at any meeting. |
| Article IX – Meetings |
| Section 1. Meetings shall be held as provided for in the By-Laws.
Section 2. The regular December meeting of the Society will be held as the Annual Banquet Meeting. Section 3. The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President, (or Vice President in case of disability of the President). Notices of the meetings of the Board of Directors may be given in any way convenient. |
| Article X – Reports |
| The President, Secretary and Treasurer shall present annual reports to the Society at
the Annual Banquet meeting. |
| Article XI – Affiliations |
| Section 1. The Society may form affiliations with other Societies of similar interests or objectives.
Section 2. Any proposed affiliations of the Society with any other groups under Section 1, approved by the Board of Directors shall be referred to the membership at any regular meeting. Notice of the proposed affiliation shall be sent to all members and a vote upon the proposal taken at the next regular meeting. A two-thirds vote of the Adult members present at the meeting shall be necessary for approval. Section 3. Termination of any affiliation under this article shall follow the procedure outlined in Section 2 for affiliation. |
| Article XII – Amendments |
| Section 1. An amendment to the Constitution may be proposed by any adult member of the
Society by written communication to the Secretary. Section 2. An Amendment to the Constitution may be proposed by a majority of all members of the Board of Directors. Section 3. A proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be submitted to a committee consisting of the President, Secretary, and Vice President for review of form and adjustment to the remainder of the Constitution prior to submission to the Society. Section 4. The Proposed amendments, in the form approved by the committee under Section 3, shall be presented to the Society by the President not later than the third regular meeting following submissions to the Committee Section 5. A two-thirds vote of the Adult members present at any regular meeting of the Society succeeding mailing of the written notice, shall be necessary for approval of an to the Constitution. Section 6. By-Laws regulating the amounts of money to be paid as dues or fees shall be amended by the same procedure as for amendments to the Constitution. Other By-Laws may be amended in accordance with the procedure of Section 2 or 3 of this article. |
| Article XIII - Adoption of Constitution and By-Laws |
| This Constitution and the accompanying Articles I to III of the By-Laws shall take effect on the first
day of the next calendar month succeeding adoption by the membership. |
| Article XIV - Disposition of Assets |
| If at any time the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson is dissolved, the assets of the Society
shall be disposed of as directed by the Board of Directors and the proceeds distributed to our affiliated organizations and/or county-wide educational systems for educational purposes only in the field of Earth sciences or lapidary arts. This Revised Constitution of the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson was adopted by the membership at the November 9, 2006 meeting. Witnessed on December 9, 2006 by: Jim Bretes, Vice President Mitch Bowman, Secretary |
| Draft - 2006
By-Laws of the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson Submitted on November 9, 2006 |
| Article I – Membership |
| Section 1. Procedures for admission of new Members.
(a) The applicant shall make an application on forms provided by the Treasurer. (b) The application form shall go to the Treasurer, together with any fees or payments which have been received. (c) The Treasurer shall forward the names and addresses of all new members to the Editor/Secretary. He/She will publish the new members in the next issue of the monthly newsletter. The issue following the annual club show will contain a complete membership directory. (d) The Treasurer may appoint a chairperson to perform the membership duties. Section 2. Annual Payment of Dues Dues are due and payable to the Treasurer, or their appointed Chairperson, by the end of the Annual MGMS Show. All members whose dues remain unpaid shall receive a notice by newsletter. Section 3. Delinquent Members After the Club show, delinquent members who fail to pay their dues (March) shall be dropped from membership in the Society. Thereupon, voting privileges shall be revoked and publication discontinued. Section 4. Membership shall be reinstated upon FULL payment of current dues. |
| Article II - Dues and Fees |
| Section 1. Annual Dues
The Annual Dues for adult members shall be fifteen dollars. Family memberships shall be twenty dollars. After October 15th, dues will be prorated at one-half the annual (Yearly) dues for all new incoming Club members. Section 2. Publications Payment of the Annual Dues by members entitles members to receive the ongoing publications of the Society, with the limit of one issue per mailing address. |
| Article III – Regular Meetings |
| Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held on the second Thursday of each month, at such place
as announced. With the following exceptions: December, January and February meetings will be held on the second Saturday at 1:00 PM at such places to be announced. Section 2. The Order of Business at regular meetings shall be: (1) President or Directors report (2) Introduction to new members and guests (3) Secretary and Treasurer's reports (4) Announcements (5) reports of committees (6) Old business (7) New Business (8) Show business (9) Program The revised By-Laws of the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson was adopted by the membership at the November 9, 2006 meeting. Witnessed on December 9, 2006 By: Jim Bretes, Vice President Mitch Bowman, Secretary |