| Heart of Ohio Great Pyrenees Club, Inc. |
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Constitution, By-Laws, and AmmendmentsUpdated as of: July 7, 2000 |
Submitted by: Susan E. Sykes
Code of Ethics
as adopted from the
Great Pyrenees Club of America Code of Ethics
Table of Contents:
| Constitution: | Article I Name and Objects | ||
| By-Laws: | Article I Membership | Article II Meetings | Article III Officers |
| Article IV Annual Meeting | Article V Committees | Article VI Discipline | |
| Article VII Ammendments | Article VIII Disolution | Article IX Order of Business |
HEART OF OHIO GREAT PYRENEES CLUB
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
Name and Objects
| SECTION 1. | The name of the Club shall be the Heart of Ohio Great Pyrenees Club. | |
| SECTION 2. | The objects of the Club shall be: | |
| (a) | To function as a source of information about the breed, and provide an organization where owners and potential owners can meet to discuss, learn and otherwise participate with other people on topics of interest about the Great Pyrenees. | |
| (b) | To encourage and promote the knowledgeable breeding of pure-bred Great Pyrenees and do all possible to educate the public in order to bring the breed's natural qualities to perfection; | |
| (c) | To urge members and breeders to accept the standard of the breed as approved by The American Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which Great Pyrenees shall be judged; | |
| SECTION 3. | The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the Club shall inure 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. |
HEART OF OHIO GREAT PYRENEES CLUB
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
Membership
| SECTION 1. | Eligibility. Membership is open to individuals age 10 years and over who are in good standing with The American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of this Club, and who agree to adhere to the Heart of Ohio Great Pyrenees Club Code of Ethics. Types of membership are: | ||
| (a) | Full Membership | ||
| (i) | Single Membership. Open to individuals, 16 years of age or older. | ||
| (ii) | Household Membership. Two or more members, 16 years of age or older, living in the same household. | ||
| (b) | Junior Membership | ||
| (i) | Individuals 10 through 15 years of age. All privileges of the club except may not hold office or vote. | ||
| (c) | Honorary Membership | ||
| (i) | Honorary membership may be conferred by the Board of Directors upon any individual who has performed outstanding service to the club, the breed, or to dogs in general. Entitled to all privileges of the club except may not hold office or vote. | ||
| SECTION 2. | Dues. Membership dues shall be payable on or before the Annual Meeting. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of November the Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing year. After July 1st for the balance of the membership year, individual and family dues shall be one-half the rate. Dues may be changed by a majority vote of the members in good standing. | ||
| (a) | Full Membership | ||
| (i) | Single Membership - $20.00 | ||
| (ii) | Household Membership - $30.00 | ||
| (b) | Junior Membership - no charge | ||
| (c) | Honorary Membership - no charge | ||
| SECTION 3. | Election 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 these constitution and by-laws, the
Heart of Ohio Great Pyrenees Club Code of Ethics,
and the rules of The American Kennel Club.
The application shall state the name, address, and occupation of the applicant
and it shall carry the endorsement of two members. Accompanying the application,
the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year. All
applicants must attend one meeting prior to being eligible for election to
membership. In the case of a Household Membership, any one member of the household
must attend a meeting prior to election to membership.
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. Household Memberships may add additional individuals at any time without repeating the application process by notifying the Secretary prior to the start of a General Meeting of the additions to the Household Membership. Following the completion of the attendance requirement, the application will be voted upon and affirmative votes of 3/4 of the members present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant. Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply within six months after such rejection. | ||
| SECTION 4. | Termination of Membership. Memberships may be terminated: | ||
| (a) | By resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year. | ||
| (b) | By lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid 90 days after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the Board may grant an additional 90 days of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any Club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting. | ||
| (c) | By expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VI of these by-laws. |
ARTICLE II
Meetings
| SECTION 1. | Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. This notice shall state main topics to be discussed at said meeting. The quorum for such meetings shall be 10% of the members in good standing with a minimum of 6 members in attendance at said meeting. | ||
| 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, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held at such place, date and hour as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting, and said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other Club business may be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 10% of the members in good standing with a minimum of 6 members in attendance at said meeting. | ||
| SECTION 3. | Board Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at least six times per year. Additional regular meetings may be scheduled as needed at the request of any member of the Board of Directors, to be held in conjunction with a regular meeting. Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board. | ||
| SECTION 4. | Special Board Meetings. Special meeting of the Board may be called by the President, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board. Such special meeting shall be held at such place, date, and hour as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such a meeting. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting. Any such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other business shall be transacted thereat. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board. | ||
| SECTION 5. | Acceptability of e-mail for Special Board Meeting Notification. The Board may adopt by unanimous consent of the current Board to allow notification of Special Board Meetings to be mailed within the guidelines set in Section 4, via Internet mail (e-mail). Unanimous consent must be confirmed whenever a new board member is elected. Additionally, an Internet chat room and telephone conference call are acceptable forums for Special Board Meetings, with the unanimous consent of the Board for each such Special Board Meeting. | ||
| SECTION 6. | Voting. Each full member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall have voting privileges. A member must have attended a minimum of four meetings the previous year in order to hold office. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election. |
ARTICLE III
Officers
| SECTION 1. | Intentionally left blank | ||
| SECTION 2. | Officers. The Club's officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings. | ||
| (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 particularly specified in these by-laws. | ||
| (b) | The Vice President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's death, absence or incapacity. | ||
| (c) | The Secretary shall keep record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He or she shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify new members of their election to membership, notify officers and directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in these by-laws. | ||
| (d) | The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging to the Club. He or she shall deposit the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the name of the Club. His or her books shall be at all times open to inspection of the Board and he or she shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the Club's finances and every item of receipt or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting he or she shall render an account of all moneys received and expended during the fiscal year. | ||
| (e) | The offices Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person in which case the Board shall be comprised of the officers, past President and three other persons. | ||
| SECTION 3. | Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the offices 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 the Board. |
ARTICLE IV
Annual Meeting
| SECTION 1. | The Club's official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the election at 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 January at which Officers and Directors for the ensuing year shall be elected from among those nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. They shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his or her successor in office all properties and records relating to that office immediately after the election. | ||
| SECTION 3. | Elections. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. In case of a tie vote, a second ballot will be taken. The three nominated candidates for other positions on the Board who receive the greatest number of votes for such positions shall be declared elected. | ||
| SECTION 4. | Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. No person may be nominated if they have not attended a minimum of four (4) meetings the previous year. During the month of November, the Board shall select a Nominating Committee consisting of three members, not more than one of whom shall be a member of the Board. The Secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen of their selection. The Board shall name a Chairman for the Committee and it shall be his or her duty to call a committee meeting which shall be held on or before December 1st. | ||
| (a) | The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and three candidates for the three other positions on the Board, and after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the Secretary in writing. | ||
| (b) | Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee's report, the Secretary shall before December 15th notify each member in writing of the candidates so nominated. | ||
| (c) | Additional nominations may be made at the Annual Meeting by any
member in attendance provided that the person so nominated accepts when his name
is proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in
attendance at this meeting, his or his proposer shall present to the Secretary
a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his or her willingness
to be a candidate.
Each officer may be voted upon individually, and the Board positions shall be voted on as a group. If nominated for one office but not elected, a member may be nominated for an additional office. The President may entertain a motion to elect the proposed slate of officers in a single vote only without objection of any member present. | ||
| (d) | Nominations cannot be made in any manner other than as provided in this section. |
ARTICLE V
Committees
| SECTION 1. | The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as show, obedience trials, 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 also be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular projects. | ||
| SECTION 2. | Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board or a quorum of the membership 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 or Great Pyrenees Club of America Suspension. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of The American Kennel Club or the Great Pyrenees Club of America automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period. This suspension will include forfeiture of voting rights, and prohibition of holding office, committee chair, or committee member positions. | ||
| SECTION 2. | Charges. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $20 which shall be forfeited, if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. 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 actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks nor more than 6 weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by certified mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his/her own defense and bring witnesses if he or she wishes. | ||
| SECTION 3. | Board Hearing. The Board shall have complete authority over the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly. Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his or her fellow members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board's recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, its findings shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. 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 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 or special meeting of the club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board's recommendation. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his or her own behalf. The President shall read the charges and the Board's findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his or her own behalf if he or she wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret ballot on the proposed expulsion. A 3/4 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 thirty percent of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such 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 petition was received by the Secretary. | ||
| SECTION 2. | 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 mailed to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting. |
ARTICLE VIII
Dissolution
| SECTION 1. | Dissolution. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the Club whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor 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 assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors. |
ARTICLE IX
Order of Business
| SECTION 1. | At meetings of the Club, the order of business shall be as
outlined by Robert's Rule of Order.
SECTION 2.
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| At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless
otherwise directed by majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:
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