CLUB BYLAWS

BYLAWS OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF
SOUTHERN RENSSELAER COUNTY

(Last modified on March 3, 2016)

Article 1: Definitions

As used in this constitution, unless the context otherwise clearly requires, the words in this article shall have the following meanings:

1. Board: The Board of Directors of this club.
2. Director: A member of this club’s Board of Directors.
3. Member: A member, other than an honorary member, of this club.
4. RI: Rotary International.
5. Rotary Year: The 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.

Article 2: Board

The governing body of this club may consist of up to eleven (11) members. They shall include the president, president-elect, vice president, immediate past president, secretary, treasurer, and may include up to five (5) at-large directors. If necessary, the offices of president-elect and Vice President may concurrently be held by one person who shall have only a single vote.

Article 3: Election of Directors and Officers

Section 1: At a regular meeting held at least one month prior to the end of the Rotary Year, the presiding officer shall ask for nominations by members of the club for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and a number of directors. The nominations may be presented by a nominating committee or by members from the floor, as the Board may determine in advance of the meeting. If a nominating committee is used, it shall be made up of three (3) club members, appointed by the president. If such a committee is used, after it presents its slate of officer candidates to the membership additional nominations may be made from the floor before a vote is taken. The candidates for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and directors receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected, and shall assume office on July 1.

Section 2: A vacancy on the Board or in any office shall be filled by action of the remaining directors within thirty (30) days of the occurrence of a vacancy.

Section 3: A vacancy in the position of any officer-elect or director-elect shall be filled by action of the remaining directors-elect.

Article 4: Duties of Officers

Section 1: President – It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the club and the Board, and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of president.

Section 2: President-elect – It shall be the duty of the president-elect to serve as a director and program chair, and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the president of the Board.

Section 3: Vice President – It shall be the duty of the vice president to preside at meetings of the club and the Board in the absence of the president and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of vice president.

Section 4: Secretary – It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep membership records; record attendance at meetings; send out notices of club, Board and committee meetings; record and preserve the minutes of such meetings; report as required to RI, including the semiannual reports of the membership on 1 January and 1 July of each year, and prorated reports on 1 October and 1 April of each active member who has been elected to membership in the club since the start of the July or January semiannual reporting period, report changes in membership; provide the monthly attendance report, which shall be made to the district governor within 15 days of the last meeting of the month; collect and remit RI official magazine subscriptions; and, perform others duties as usually pertain to the office of secretary.

Section 5: Treasurer – It shall be the duty of the treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for it to the club annually and at any other time upon demand by the Board, to propose a budget for the next succeeding year, and to perform other duties as pertains to the office of treasurer. Upon retirement from office, the treasurer shall turn over to the incoming treasurer or to the president all funds, books of accounts, or any other club property.

Article 5: Meetings

Section 1: The principal regular meetings of this club shall be held at 6:15 p.m. each Thursday, holidays excepted, from September through June at a location so designated for that purpose by the Board. Breakfast meetings held on the third Thursday of the month at a location so designated by the Board also shall be defined as official meetings. During July and August, informal activities may be scheduled in place of formal meetings.

Section 2: Due notice of any changes in, or canceling of, any regular meetings shall be given to all members of the club by phone or email. All members excepting an honorary member (or member excused pursuant to Article 8, Sections 3 and 4 of the standard Rotary club constitution) in good standing in this club, on the day of the regular meeting, must be counted as present or absent, and attendance must be evidenced by the member’s being either at this club for at least sixty (60) percent of the time devoted to the regular meeting, either at this club or at any other Rotary club, or as otherwise provide in the standard Rotary club constitution, Article 8, Sections 1 and 2.

Section 3: Twelve (12) members constitute a quorum at the regular evening meetings of this club. Seven (7) members constitute a quorum at the third Thursday breakfast meetings.

Section 4: Meetings of the Board shall be held monthly, or as called by the president. Special meetings of the Board shall be called by the president whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two (2) directors, due notice having been given.

Section 5: A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum of the Board.

Article 6: Fees and Dues

First-year membership shall be $125 per Rotary year, $150 for the second year of membership, and $175 per year thereafter, payable annually no later than the last day of June, or semiannually no later than the last day of June and no later than the last day of December. Per Rotary International regulations, a portion of each payment shall be applied to each member’s subscription to the RI official magazine.

Article 7: Method of Voting

The business of this club shall be transacted by viva voce vote except the election of officers and directors, which shall be by ballot unless no offices are contested. The Board may determine that a specific resolution be considered by ballot rather than by a viva voce vote. [Viva voce vote is defined as when club voting is conducted by vocal assent.]

Article 8: Four Avenues of Service

The four Avenues of Service are the philosophical and practical framework for the work of this Rotary club. They are (1.) Club Service, (2.) Vocational Service, (3.) Community Service, and (4.) International Service. This club will be active in each of the four Avenues of Service.

Article 9: Committees

Club committees are charged with carrying out the annual and long-range goals of the club based on the four Avenues of Service. The president, president-elect, and immediate past president should work together to ensure continuity of leadership and succession planning. When feasible, committee members should be appointed to the same committee for three years to ensure consistency. The president-elect is responsible for appointing committee members to fill vacancies, appointing committee chairs and conducting planning meetings prior to the start of the year in office. It is recommended that the chair have previous experience as a member of the committee. Standing committees should be appointed as follows:

• Membership – This committee should develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of members.
• Club Public Relations – This committee should develop and implement plans to provide the public with information about Rotary and to promote the club’s service projects and activities.
• Club Administration – This committee should conduct activities associated with the effective operation of the club.
• Service Projects – This committee should develop and implement plans to support The Rotary Foundation through both financial contributions and program participation.

Additional ad hoc committees may be appointed as needed.

(A.) The president shall be ex officio a member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership thereon.
(B.) Each committee shall transact its business as is delegated to it in these bylaws and such additional business as may be referred to it by the president or the Board. Except where special authority is given by the Board, such committees shall not take action until a report has been made and approved by the Board.
(C.) Each chair shall be responsible for regular meetings and activities of the committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of the committee, and shall report to the Board on all committee activities.

Article 10: Duties of Committees

The duties of all committees shall be established and reviewed by the president for his or her year. In declaring the duties of each, the president shall make reference to appropriate RI materials.

The service project committee will consider vocational service, community service and international services avenues when developing plans for the year.

Each committee shall have a specific mandate, clearly defined goals, and action plans established by the beginning of each year for implementation during the course of the year.

It shall be the primary responsibility of the president-elect to provide the necessary leadership to prepare a recommendation for club committees, mandates, goals and plans for presentation to the board in advance of the commencement of the year as noted above.

Article 11: Leave of Absence

Upon written application to the board, setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence may be granted, excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time.

Article 12: Finance

Section 1: Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the Board shall receive from a fiscal committee consisting of the president, treasurer and president-elect — acting as a committee of three (3) — the proposed budget, which shall include estimated income and expenditures, which shall stand as the limit of expenditures for these purposes, unless otherwise ordered by action of the board. The budget shall be broken into two separate parts: one in respect of club operations and one in respect of charitable/service operations.

Section 2: The treasurer shall deposit all club funds in a bank named by the Board. The club funds shall be divided into two separate parts: club operations and service projects.

Section 3: All bills shall be paid by the treasurer or other authorized officer.

Section 4: A thorough review of all financial transactions by the Board shall be made once each year.

Section 5:  The fiscal year of this club shall extend from July 1 to June 30, the collection of members’ dues shall be divided into two (2) semiannual periods extending from July 1 to December 31, and from January 1 to June 30. Payment of per capita dues and RI official magazine subscriptions shall be made on July 1 and January 1 of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on those dates.

Article 13: Method of Electing Members

Section 1: The name of a prospective member, proposed by an active member of the club, shall be submitted to the board in writing, through the club secretary. A transferring or former member of another club may be proposed to active membership by the former club.

Section 2: The Board shall ensure that the proposal meets all the classification and membership requirements of the standard Rotary club constitution.

Section 3: The Board shall approve or disapprove the proposal within thirty (30) days of its submission, and shall notify the proposer, through the club secretary, of its decision.

Section 4: If the decision of the Board is favorable the prospective member shall be informed of the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of membership, following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign the membership proposal form and to permit his or her name and proposed classification to be published to the club.

Section 5: If no written objection to the proposal, stating reasons, is received by the Board from any member (other than honorary) of the club within seven (7) days following publication of information about the prospective member, that person, upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership), shall be considered to be elected to membership.

Section 6: Following the election, the president shall arrange for the new member’s induction, membership card, and new-member Rotary literature. In addition, the president or secretary will report the new-member information to RI and the president will assign a member to assist with the new member’s assimilation to the club as well as assign the new member to a club project or function.

Section 7: The club may elect, in accordance with the standardized Rotary club constitution, honorary members proposed by the Board.

Article 14: Resolutions

The club shall not consider any resolution or motion to commit the club on any matter until the Board has considered it. Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a club meeting, shall be referred to the Board without discussion.

Article 15: Order of Business

• Call to order and invocation
• Introduction of visitors
• The meal
• Correspondence, announcements and Rotary information
• Committee reports, if any
• Any unfinished business
• Any new business
• Presentation of program if scheduled
• Adjournment

Article 16: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting, a quorum being present, by a two-third vote of all members present, provided that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been e-mailed or mailed via USPS to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting. No amendment or addition to these bylaws can be made which is not in harmony with the standard Rotary club constitution and with the constitutions and bylaws of RI.

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