Preamble
We, the Radio Amateurs of the area
from which members can conveniently attend meetings to further the
interest of Amateur Radio, promote a spirit of enthusiasm in exploring
the science of electronics, keep abreast of advanced radio theory,
study the latest developments and equipment as it pertains to ham
radio, maintain and operate a club radio station, and render
communications services to the public under emergency conditions, do
hereby declare ourselves to be the LOWER COLUMBIA AMATEUR RADIO
ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED.
Article
I
Title
The legal title of this organization is “Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association,
Incorporated” herein after
referred to as the Association.
Article
II
Officers, Executive Committee and
Directors
Section I - The Officers of the
Association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer
and Station Trustee.
Section II – An Executive Committee of
the Officers, Immediate Past-President and Trustee shall consist of any
three (3) of the above.
Section III – A Board of Directors
composed of not less than three (3) active members of the Association
shall govern the Corporation and shall be elected at the same meeting
at which Officers are elected. The Directors shall serve three
(3) year terms. Each year one (1) Director’s term shall expire
and a new Director shall be elected.
Article
III
Duties of the Association’s Officers,
Trustee and Directors
Section I - President: It shall
be the duty of the Association President to preside over designated
meetings of the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association and its
Executive Committee.
Section II - Vice-President: It
shall be the duty of the Association Vice-President to act as President
in the absence of the President.
Section III - Secretary: It
shall be the duty of the Association Secretary to record the official
minutes of all business meetings and to be available to read the
minutes of the previous meeting at the following business meeting of
the Association. The Secretary shall handle the club
correspondence and may distribute a news bulletin that is concerned
with the activities of the Association and its members. The
minutes and attendance record shall be on file at the clubhouse within
30 days of the meeting.
Section IV - Treasurer: It shall
be the duty of the Association Treasurer to collect and
record membership dues, file the annual federal income tax
return for a non-profit organization when required, and conduct all
Association monetary matters. The Treasurer’s Report shall be on
file at the clubhouse, including a transaction and budget comparison
report.
Section V - Trustee: It shall be
the duty of the Trustee to hold a valid Extra Class Amateur Radio
License, and to assume responsibility for the lawful operation of the
club station, W7DG. The trustee shall be elected by the
membership and serve as an Officer and member of the Executive
Committee.
Section VI - Director: There
shall be three Directors. The Directors shall be elected by and
report to the membership. Directors shall meet on an ad hoc basis with
various committees and members to formulate long term strategic plans
for the Association, and shall collectively submit such plans to the
Membership. Directors may invite other members to attend
Directors’ meetings but such members will not have a vote.
Directors may make recommendations as they deem appropriate if two or
three Directors vote accordingly. The Directors shall monitor the
status of the By-Laws, the status of the Articles of Incorporation, the
work of the Investment Committee, and the status of the Association’s
property lease, and other matters that in their judgment are of
strategic interest to the well-being of the Association and its members.
Section VII - The Officers shall carry
out the day-to-day operation of the Association’s activities.
Section VIII – The Executive Committee
shall meet from time to time to conduct business of an emergency nature
that cannot be postponed until a regularly scheduled meeting.
Article
IV
Terms of Office
Section I - The term of office for all
Officers, except Trustee, shall be for one calendar year, commencing
with the first regular Association meeting held in January and ending
with the last meeting in December of each year.
Section II - The term of office for
the Trustee shall be three calendar years.
Section III - The term of office for
Directors shall be three years. The initial group of Directors
shall be elected at a time convenient for that purpose and shall serve
unequal terms; specifically one Director shall serve a three-year term,
one Director shall serve a two-year term, and one Director shall serve
a one-year term. At the end of the term for the initial
directors, his or her successor shall be elected to a term of three (3)
years.
Article
V
Election of Officers and Directors
Section I - A President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and one Director shall be elected
each year in a regular business meeting attended by a quorum of the
membership. The current President may, at his discretion, appoint a
nominating committee. Nominations for officers and a Director for
the coming year will be held in the month of November. The
election shall occur at the regular December meeting. In the
event an Officer, Trustee, or Director resigns or is removed from
office by a quorum of at least thirty-three and one third percent (33
1/3%) of the membership, a replacement shall be appointed by the
Association President, with the advice and consent of the Executive
Committee, to complete the current term.
Article
VI
Eligibility for Membership
Section I - Any person holding a valid
Amateur Radio License and certain others as defined in Article VII are
eligible for membership in the Association.
Section II - It shall be each member’s
responsibility to become familiar with, and checked out by a
knowledgeable club member before operating any club equipment.
Members shall operate within their individual license privilege, and
operate within compliance with Part 97 of the FCC Rules and Regulations.
Section III - No person shall operate
non-amateur equipment, including club TVs and computers, without proper
authorization.
Article
VII
Dues and Classes of Membership
Section I - Association
Membership. The amount for Association membership dues may be
changed by the Executive Committee, with the consent of a majority vote
of the membership, at the first business meeting of any New Year.
A new member may, at the discretion of the club President and after six
months of membership, be issued the combination to the Association’s
club building’s front door. Expired memberships may be reinstated
upon payment of the current year’s dues.
Section II - Honorary Lifetime
Membership. Defined as an honor bestowed upon selected
association members, an Honorary Lifetime Membership may be nominated
from the floor at any time. Election of an Honorary Lifetime
Membership must be by at least three-fourths of the Association’s
membership. An Honorary Lifetime Member shall have all the rights
and privileges of a regular member and shall not be required to pay
annual Association dues.
Section III - Family Membership.
Any current member of the Association, paying full membership dues, may
enroll any Immediate Family Member, who possesses a valid Amateur Radio
License of any class, as a Family Member. Family Membership dues
are determined in like manner as Association Membership dues.
Immediate Family Member is defined as the spouse and children under the
age of 18 living in the same household as the Association Member.
Family Membership in the Association carries all of the rights and
privileges of Association Membership. If the full dues paying
sponsor member of the family quits the Association, one of the
remaining members shall become the sponsor member and shall pay full
membership dues.
Section IV - Associate Family
Membership. Any non-amateur fulfilling the requirements as an
Immediate Family Member, as defined in Section III of this Article, may
become an Associate Family Member. Associate membership dues will
be determined in like manner as Association Membership dues.
Associate Members will not be eligible to vote on Association business,
shall not be eligible to be elected to an Association office, and shall
not be considered in determining a quorum.
Article
VIII
Meetings and Business
Section I - Regular meetings of the
Association shall normally be held on the first and third Wednesdays of
each month, except for the month of December, when there will only be
one meeting. The December meeting shall be the Annual Christmas
Dinner Meeting. If such dinner meeting is not scheduled, then the
official meeting for the month of December shall be held on the first
week of December.
Section II – In order to conduct
Association business at any meeting of the Association, a quorum of not
less than ten (10) members must be present. To remove an Officer,
Trustee, or Director, or change the By-Laws, a quorum of at least
thirty-three and one third percent (33 1/3%) of the membership, and a
majority in favor of the motion is required.
Section III - An Executive Committee,
as defined above in Article II, Section II, may carry out Association
business of an emergency nature that it deems necessary, and be
reported to the membership at the next regular Association meeting.
Section IV - The Executive Committee,
by majority vote, is authorized to spend up to $200.00 without first
obtaining membership approval.
Article
IX
Payment of Bills
Section I - Payment of Association
operating expenses shall be by check. The Treasurer may pay
recurring bills, such as PUD, telephone, mailbox, or propane, up to
$200.00, without a vote of the membership. These payments require
two signatures on the checks.
Section II - The President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Trustee shall be authorized
to sign checks in the name of the Association. All checks must be
signed by at least two of the above in order to be valid.
Article
X
Audit
The Association Treasury Records shall
be audited annually in January by two Association members-at-large.
Article
XI
Constitution and By-Laws Changes
No addition, deletion or amendment
shall be made to this Constitution and By-Laws without a quorum of
thirty-three and one third percent (33 1/3%) of the membership and a
majority favorable vote.
This amended Constitution and By-Laws
were approved under the provision of Article XI on February 18, 2004.
Validated by:
President:____________________________
Treasurer:___________________________
Duaine L. Lytle,
Jr. KD7DCM
Robert A. Morehouse KB7ADO
Vice-President:________________________
Trustee:_____________________________
Walter H. Merrin,
W7WHM
Randy D. Greeley NU7D
Secretary:____________________________
Immediate Past President:_______________
Raymond L. Clithero
NB7Y
Robert S. Simonsen, WA7ROB