These are the Bylaws of the Antelope Valley Model Railroad Club, last amended 3 December 2004, and are organized as follows:
ARTICLE I - NAME Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Antelope Valley Model Railroad Club (hereinafter referred to as "Club"). ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Classification of Membership A. Regular - Adult members. B. Equity - A Regular member who has been accepted as an Equity member and has paid the Equity Fee. 1. Equity memberships shall be accepted as outlined in Section II.3.I. 2. The Equity Fee shall be paid to and shall be the property of the Club. C. Spousal - Husband or wife of any Regular member. D. Probationary - New adult members who are under a four-month probationary period. E. Associate - Member from 16 through 18 years of age. F. Dependent - Any dependent of a Regular member from 14 through 18 years of age. G. Life - Member for life - pays no dues. H. Sustaining - Those members, of any class, who wish to take a leave of absence without endangering the status of their membership in the Club. I. Honorary - Honorary memberships may be granted to persons who have made important or significant contributions to the Club. Honorary memberships may be granted for a term of one-year, or a term for life. Section 2. Qualifications for Membership Classes A. Regular - Those adult members that have passed their four-month probationary period and have been approved by two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members at a regular business meeting and have paid any special assessments declared due for all members. B. Equity - Those adult members as provided in Section II.2.A who have paid the Equity Fee. Current members who have paid their capital assessment are grandfathered-in as Equity members. C. Spousal - A Spousal member shall have the rights and privileges of regular membership and be subject to all rules and regulations of the Club, with the exception of the requirement to pay any Equity Fee and hold an elective office. D. Probationary - New adult members who are under a four-month probationary period. No voting rights, pays dues at the Regular adult member rate, and does not pay an equity fee until they are voted to Regular membership. E. Associate - Must be from 16 through 18 years old. This person must show exceptional merit and maturity, but falls outside the qualifications of other membership classes. Must be sponsored by a Regular member, who accepts responsibility for this individual. Subject to a four-month probationary period, after which Associate membership is voted upon. No voting rights and pays dues at the Regular adult member rate. At age 18, Associate members must convert to Regular membership and pay any assessments declared due for all members. F. Dependent - Must be from 14 through 18 years old. Must always be a dependant of a Regular member, who accepts responsibility for this individual. Subject to a four-month probationary period, after which Dependent membership is voted upon. No voting rights. At age 18, Dependent members may convert to Regular membership after paying their equity fee. G. Life - Those Regular members in good standing who have paid an amount equivalent to ten years of dues and therefore, are exempt from paying dues the rest of their lives. Life members, however, are subject to any future special assessments and have all privileges of their membership status. This amount is above and beyond normal dues already paid to the point at which the member decides to become a life member. H. Sustaining - Members who desire to take a leave of absence without endangering the status of their membership in the Club. These members may maintain their membership by paying one-twelfth of the annual dues per year; up to one year grace period may be granted; they must however, waive their rights and privileges normally associated with the membership they possessed before their leave of absence. I. Honorary 1. One-year term. Adults who have made an important contribution to the Club. 2. Life term. Adults who have made significant contributions to the Club. Section 3. Election to Membership A. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the officers; the form shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by the Bylaws of the Club. All applications shall be filed with the Secretary and shall be presented to the general membership at a regular business meeting. B. All membership applicants must complete a four-month probationary period before being elected to Regular membership. C. At the end of the probationary period, affirmative votes of two-thirds of the eligible voting members, at a regular business meeting shall be required to elect the applicant to Regular membership. D. Applicants whose membership applications were not approved may not reapply for membership until 12 months after such disapproval. E. Reinstatement of former members who have voluntarily withdrawn from membership shall be under the same conditions as new members. Expelled members may not be reinstated. F. Sustaining members may reactivate their regular membership by resuming paying regular monthly dues. G. All members, with the exception of Probationary, Associate, Dependent, and Sustaining members, shall have the right to vote on all Club business and shall have the right to hold office. H. Spousal membership may be converted to Reqular membership upon a two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members at a regular business meeting and having paid any special assessments declared due. I. Equity membership shall be accepted by a two-thirds vote of the Equity members present at a regular business meeting and by paying the non-refundable Equity Fee. 1. Equity membership is not transferable. 2. Equity membership terminates upon leaving the Club. J. All votes on membership and Equity membership shall be conducted at a regular business meeting with the prospective member(s) not present in the meeting room or area. K. Honorary - Must be recommended by the officers of the Club and receive a two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members at a regular business meeting of the Club. Honorary members do not vote, cannot hold office, or need pay dues or special assessments. Section 4. Dues and Assessments A. An equity fee shall be an amount approved by a two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members at a regular business meeting of the Club. Unless at the January meeting, a thirty-day notice shall be given all regular members. This equity fee represents the Regular member's share of equity in the Club's assets. B. Membership dues shall be an amount voted by two-thirds of the eligible voting members at a regular business meeting, payable on or before the first Friday of the month. No member has the privilege to vote if more than 30 days past due. The amount of the membership dues should be reviewed at the January meeting. C. Membership dues for a Spousal and/or Dependent members shall be one-half of the current membership dues rate. Those applicants on probation are expected to pay dues during their probationary period. D. When the membership decides to raise funds above the normal dues, a special assessment will be declared for all Regular members and payable within the period specified at the time the special assessment is voted upon. This special assessment must be approved by two-thirds of the eligible voting members, at a regular business meeting. E. All members of the Club shall work the required time as set by the officers, and at events requiring the Club to be open and operating. F. The following conditions will apply to all Regular members. 1. These members can hold office and have equity in the Club's assets. 2. These members shall have the right to vote, and shall have access to the Club facilities. Section 5. Termination of Membership A. Voluntary: 1. 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. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club as they become due on or before the first Friday of the month. 2. Lapsing - A member will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid for 120 days. The member in question must be notified at the 90 day point. However, the Club officers may grant an additional 30 days of grace to such members under extenuating circumstances. B. Involuntary: 1. Grievance Procedure: a. Grievances must be submitted in writing to the President. b. The President must notify the offending member within 10 days. c. The President must notify the general membership in writing within 10 days and request any additional written statements in favor or against. d. The President may take several courses of action: (1). Arbitrate the dispute. (2). Recommend a course of action short of expulsion, subject to the approval of the eligible voting membership present at a regular business meeting. (3). Recommend expulsion. e. If the President recommends expulsion, then the general membership must vote per Section II.5.B.2 2. Expulsion: A member may be terminated by expulsion, only by the affirmative votes of a majority of the eligible voting members, at a regular business meeting. Notice of the voting on expulsion must be given in writing at least 30 days in advance of the vote. A member may be expelled for just cause; a just cause shall be defined as a continuous refusal to assist in the building and maintenance of the model railroad, continuous disruption in the form of inhibiting members from working and any action against the good and welfare of the Club, and any willful destruction of Club or member's property. C. Equity Membership 1. Upon termination of membership in the Club, all rights to equity in the assets of the of the Club shall also be terminated. ARTICLE III - OFFICERS Section 1. Officers to be Elected A. President B. Vice President C. Secretary D. Treasurer E. Publicist F. Superintendent Section 2. Election of Officers A. All officers shall be elected for a term of one year. B. Election shall be held during the December business meeting. 1. Nominations shall be solicited during the November business meeting. C. The term of office shall be from January 1 through December 31. D. With the exception of President, any eligible member may hold up to two offices. Section 3. Duties of Officers A. President - Shall serve as chairman at Club business meetings; shall enforce strict observance of the Bylaws of the Club, or as prescribed by the members in the minutes of the business meeting; shall appoint all committees and members thereof as deemed necessary for the betterment of the Club; shall be a member ex-officio of all committees with the exception of the nominating committee; shall represent the Club or appoint a representative for meetings with the Antelope Valley Fair Board; and shall observe the functions of the Club (and make recommendations to further its endeavors). B. Vice President - Shall preside in the absence of the President and assist the President as called upon by the President. The Vice President is a member ex-officio of all committees, except the nominating committee. C. Secretary - Shall keep properly prepared books and files and open them to inspection for any officer when called upon. The Secretary shall also: 1. Keep originals of each membership application. 2. Keep a record of all proceedings of each meeting of the Club, after same have been corrected and approved. 3. Attest, by signature, all official actions of the Club. 4. Prepare all reports as directed by the President. 5. Shall maintain a complete and current list of all members with their home addresses and telephone numbers. Shall also give all members in good standing a current list of members, at least quarterly. 6. Shall notify all members of possible or actual removal from membership in accordance with the Bylaws. 7. Transfer to his or her successor, without delay, all books, papers, and other records and property of the Club in his or her possession or under his or her control. D. Treasurer - Shall receive and hold all monies, securities, vouchers, and such other properties of the Club as may pertain to this office. Shall also call for and procure any dues or debts owed to the Club by any member. Shall pay all financial obligations incurred by the Club. Shall present an informal written financial statements to the Club officers quarterly. Shall preside over the sale of any Club property deemed obsolete by the Club. And further, be responsible for the accounting and safekeeping of the Club's assets. Shall transfer to his or her successor, without delay, all books, papers, and other records and property of the Club in his or her possession or under his or her control. E. Publicist - Shall favorably publicize, as much as possible, the activities of the Club, such as meetings, election of new officers, and all other affairs which can be used to enhance the prestige of the Club and its membership. All publicity and interviews shall be channeled through the Publicist and will be prepared in advance whenever possible. This position, may, at the discretion of the President, be an appointed office. F. Superintendent - Shall be responsible for overseeing the maintenance, and operation of the Club. Shall be responsible for enforcing operating standards and procedures of the Club. The Superintendent may recommend to the President the creation of any committee or the appointment of any assistant deemed necessary for the Club's operation. Shall be an ex-officio member of all committees pertaining to the maintenance and operation of the layout. Section 4. Qualification of Officers A. All prospective officers must have been a Regular member in good standing of the Club for one (1) year. B. All prospective officers must have demonstrated their willingness to hold office and their trustworthiness to the Club and its best interest. ARTICLE IV - TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS Section 1. Types of Meetings A. Business Meetings - Regularly scheduled meetings held on the first Friday of each month for the sole purpose of conducting Club business. B. Special Meetings - Meetings called by the President or Vice President, at any other time than the first Friday of each month for the purpose of conducting business. Section 2. Transaction of Business A. A minimum of three (3) officers must be present at any Club business meeting to transact legal business. B. Either the President or the Vice President of the Club must be present in order to transact legal business. C. Minutes must be recorded by the Secretary or a representative and turned over to the Secretary to be properly prepared for the next business meeting. Committee chairs should prepare a short written summary of their report and give it to the Secretary at the business meeting. D. All business meetings shall be conducted using Robert's Rules of Order. ARTICLE V - VACANCIES AND INACTIVE OFFICERS Section 1. Vacancies A. The Club may, at any regular business meeting, by a two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members, declare vacant the position of any officer who may be absent, without valid excuse, from three (3) consecutive meetings or events, or for a period of 60 days, whichever comes first, provided that a 14 day notice shall be given to such officer in writing, and announcement of such contemplated action was given at the last business meeting. B. An officer may resign by submitting his or her resignation at any business meeting of the Club. The Club may fill any vacant office or position at any regular business meeting, if notice of such contemplated action was given at the previous regular business meeting. It shall take a majority vote of the eligible voting members, at a regular business meeting to fill a vacant office. ARTICLE VI - CHANGING THE BY-LAWS Section 1. All amendments to the Bylaws must be submitted in writing to the membership and posted for thirty (30) days prior to a final action and vote. Section 2. The Bylaws of the Club may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members at the July or January business meetings. Section 3. New Bylaws may be instituted and adopted by the same procedure as in section 2 of this article. ARTICLE VII - METHOD OF VOTING Section 1. All voting can be done in person or by written proxy. ARTICLE VIII - GENERAL CLUB POLICIES Section 1. Standards - Applicable standards documents shall be developed and clearly posted in the Club facility. Section 2. Additional General Policies - General Club policies will be set forth in business meeting minutes or other written means and clearly posted in the Club facility. |
