PREAMBLE
We the undersigned, being desirous of securing for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of the association of persons commonly interested in Amateur Radio, by organizing solely for charitable and educational purposes to educate the general public and promote awareness of and interest in amateur radio through educational services and programs for its members and the general public related to amateur radio, and related licensing requirements, do order and establish this Constitution and By-laws of the Sangamon Valley Radio Club, Inc., a nonprofit corporation. We do further agree that in pursuit of these purposes, this organization shall be non-sectarian, non-partisan and that it shall lend neither support nor influence to any political party or candidate for office. The Sangamon Valley Radio Club, Inc. shall afford all persons regardless of race or creed an equal opportunity to join, hold office and enjoy the benefits of this organization and the challenges of amateur radio.
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of this Corporation shall be the Sangamon Valley Radio Club, Inc. and hereafter referred to as the Club.
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
All persons interested in amateur radio shall be eligible for membership.
ARTICLE III - GOVERNMENT
Section 1. The Club shall be democratic in form and its members shall have full representation in its government. All directors must be duly elected by the membership or, that in the case of a vacancy, the Board shall appoint a member in good standing in accordance with Section 4 of this Article..
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall consist of eight directors which includes the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, two directors, and the club station trustee. Otherwise qualified Business Members can serve on the board but cannot constitute a board majority.
Section 3. The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for a term of one (1) year, but may be re-elected for successive terms. The immediate Past President shall serve on the Board of Directors for one (1) year. However, if the current President is elected to any office for the next year, the last Past President shall continue to serve as a Director of the Board of Directors for the ensuing year. Each year one (1) Director shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, except the first year when one Director shall be elected for a one (1) year term and the other for a two (2) year term.
Section 4. The officers and members of the Board of Directors shall be currently licensed amateur radio operators and Club members in good standing. In the event an officer, a member of the Board of Directors, committee chairperson, or person holding an appointed position resigns, ceases to hold an amateur radio operator’s license during his/her term of office, fails to pay their club membership dues or otherwise vacates the position before the end of the term, the office shall be declared vacant and filled by the Board as follows:
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Vacancy of the President - the Vice President shall become the President.
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Vacancy of an Officer or Director - at the discretion of the Board, the Board may appoint a qualified (licensed) member until an election is held to fill the vacancy in accordance with the By-laws. The President shall appoint a chairperson to the nomination committee in accordance with the By-laws in the event the vacancy occurs in the first 6 (six) months of the vacancy’s term.
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Vacancy of the Station Trustee, or Other Appointed Position - the Board may appoint a qualified (licensed) member to serve the balance of the vacancy’s term.
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Vacancy of a Committee Chairperson - shall be filled in accordance with the By-laws.
Section 5. An officer, director, trustee or chairperson may be removed from his/her elected position on a motion approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the total full membership.
ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS
Section 1. All meetings of the Board of Directors and the Club shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order in all situations not covered by this Constitution and By-laws.
Section 2. The Annual Year shall be from January 1 to December 31. The Annual Meeting of the Club shall be the regularly scheduled meeting of December. The Fiscal Year shall run concurrently with the Annual Year.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall have the power to set the date, time and place of regular meetings.
Section 4. Special meetings may be called by the President, Board of Directors, or by the President upon written request signed by not less than ten (10) full members of the Club. Special meetings shall be limited to one (1) stated topic. Members must be notified of Special meetings at least one (1) week prior to the date of the Special meeting.
Section 5. The Board of Directors shall meet not less than two (2) times each year. Members shall be notified of a Board of Directors meeting at least one week prior to the date of the meeting. Board meetings are not open to the general public.
Section 6. No meeting of the Board of Directors shall be secret. All Club members in good standing shall be allowed free access, without vote, to any meeting of the Board of Directors. Any Club member in good standing may be afforded the opportunity to speak at the Board meeting in accordance with the By-Laws.
Section 7. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Board of Directors meetings. In the absence of the President, the Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer shall preside.
Section 8. The presiding officer does not vote except in the case of a tie vote of the Board. In the event the Board experiences a tie vote on a matter, the presiding officer’s vote prevails. Any Board member may abstain from voting except for the presiding officer whose vote breaks a tie.
ARTICLE V - DUES
The dues shall be prescribed in the By-laws and may be determined or changed only at the Annual meeting or a Special meeting.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
Proposals for amendments to the Constitution or by-laws shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing and read at the next regularly scheduled meeting or distributed to members electronically. A simple majority vote of the total full membership, either at a meeting or electronically by a specific time and date, is necessary to amend the Constitution or the By-laws.
BY-LAWS
DEFINITIONS
Director: A member of the Board of Directors who is elected by the membership or appointed temporarily to fill a vacancy due to an unexpired term.
In Good Standing: Membership dues are current and paid in full
Officer: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Immediate Past President
Station Trustee: A member of the Board of Directors who is elected by the Board or appointed temporarily to fill a vacancy due to an unexpired term.
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. The Club has seven membership levels: Regular, Associate, Student, Senior, Family, Business, Honorary.
Section 2. Regular Member. A Regular member must possess a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License. The Secretary shall receive all applications for membership. Applications for membership shall be submitted in writing or electronically on a prescribed form, showing the full name of the applicant, address, call sign and date of call sign expiration. Membership is accepted upon payment of the annual dues.
Section 3. Associate Member. Any individual interested in Amateur Radio, but not holding a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License, shall be admitted to Associate membership upon written application and payment of the annual dues. Associate Members will become Regular Members upon obtaining a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License. Associate members shall be accorded all privileges given Regular members except the right to hold office, a directorship or chair a committee.
Section 4. Student Member. Any full-time student interested in Amateur Radio but not holding a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License shall be admitted to Student Membership upon written application and payment of the annual dues at one-half the Regular/Business Member rate. Student Members will become Regular Members upon obtaining a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License but will continue to pay dues at the Student Rate for as long as they are full-time students. Student members shall be accorded all privileges given Regular members except the right to hold office, a directorship or chair a committee.
Section 5. Senior Member. Anyone 65 or older holding a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License shall be designated a Senior Member upon written application and payment of the annual dues.
Section 6. Family Membership. The Club recognizes and encourages family participation in the hobby of amateur radio and to that end, offers a package Family Membership to members in the same household provided at least one person in the family holds a valid Amateur Radio Operator’s License and makes application and payment of annual Family dues. All Family members holding valid licenses would receive the benefits of Regular membership.
Section 7. Business Member. Persons engaged in businesses directly related to amateur radio, currently holding an amateur radio license or not, shall be designated a Business Member upon written application and payment of annual dues. Business members who hold current amateur radio licenses will be accorded all rights extended to Regular Members.
Section 8. Honorary Membership. From time to time, the Board of Directors may wish to confer Honorary Membership to someone who has provided exceptional support for or service to the Club.
DUES
Section 1. All memberships are annual. Dues levels for the next fiscal year shall be prescribed at the annual meeting. Associate, Full-time Student, and Senior dues are one-half of Regular/ Business Membership dues. Family dues are one and one-half times Regular/Business Dues. First-time members joining after the fiscal year has started, shall pay dues pro-rata for the unexpired quarters of the fiscal year, the first quarter notwithstanding.
Section 2. At the beginning of the fourth month of each fiscal year, the Secretary and the Treasurer shall review the last year’s membership and remove the names of members who have not paid their dues for the current fiscal year.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Board of Directors; enforce due observance of the Constitution and the By-laws; decide all questions of order, sign all official documents adopted by the Club; and perform all customary duties pertaining to the office of President.
Section 2. Vice-President. The Vice President shall: assume all duties of the President in the absence of the President, special projects and shadowing the president. The Vice-President shall assume the office of the President in the event the President’s office becomes vacant.
Section 3. Secretary. The Secretary shall: maintain a record of the proceedings of all membership and board meetings; provide, upon the request of a Club member in good standing, an opportunity to review the record(s) of the proceedings if the member indicates the scope and purpose of the request; keep a roster of membership; write or create correspondence as directed in the name of the Club; read communications at each meeting; and, upon expiration of his/her term of office, turn over all possessions of the Club to the newly elected secretary. Membership records are private and not available for dissemination.
Section 4. Treasurer. The treasurer shall: receive and receipt for all money paid to the Club; pay out such sums as are authorized; keep an accurate account of all funds and Club property; submit annually a financial statement including income, expenditures and an account of Club property; the Treasurer shall not incur a total in expenditures against the Club treasury in excess of one hundred ($100) dollars within a 30 day period without the prior approval of the majority of the Board of Directors present when a motion is called for a vote; and, upon expiration of his/her term of office, transfer all Club possessions to the newly elected treasurer. When a newly elected, re-elected or appointed member becomes Treasurer, an audit shall be made by a committee of three members appointed by the President.
Section 5. Club Station Trustee. The Board of Directors shall elect a Club Station Trustee to serve a period of five (5) years or until the expiration and non-renewal of his/her Amateur Radio Operators License. The trustee shall apply for and hold, in the name of the Club, an Amateur Radio Station License and hold a valid Amateur Radio Operators License of General Class or Higher, and shall be a Regular member of the Club. The Trustee shall control and supervise the operation of all Club owned communication equipment. The Trustee shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors.
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The President shall appoint the Chairperson of each Standing Committee and other ad hoc committees as needed. A Standing Committee may remain inactive until a chairperson is appointed. The duties of each Standing Committee shall be prescribed by the Board of Directors. Chairs of standing and ad-hoc committees may be asked to attend board meetings when their presence is required to address issues related to their committee.
Section 2. The Standing Committees shall be:
ARES®
Community
Elmer Committee
Field Day
Membership
Nominations
Program
Public Information
Special Events
Volunteer Examiner
Youth
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. At the October meeting the President shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of three full members. The nominating committee shall select its own chairperson.
Section 2. Those members desirous of running for an office may submit their name in writing or electronically to any member of the nominating committee.
Section 3. The nominating committee shall meet prior to the November meeting and select a slate of nominees from among those members who are willing to serve. One or more members may be nominated for each office. The chairperson of the nominating committee shall announce the slate of candidates at the November meeting after which he/she shall accept nominations from the floor. No person may be nominated from the floor unless that person has expressed to an officer or a member of the nominating committee in writing before the end of the November meeting his/her willingness to serve if elected.
Section 4. Not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the Annual Meeting in December, the Secretary shall prepare and send to each Regular member of the Club a ballot containing the names of the candidates for each office. The ballot shall be returned to the Secretary by mail, e-mail, or in person. Ballots must be returned prior to the time and date the Secretary gives them to the tellers to be tallied. However, if a ‘no contest’ situation exists, the President shall accept a motion to proceed with a voice vote at the Annual Meeting.
Section 5. The President shall, if needed, at the Annual Meeting, appoint a committee of three (3) full members who hold no office or chair no committee and are not members of the nominating committee as tellers to count the ballots.
Section 6. The results of the voting shall be announced by the Chairperson of the nominating committee as the last item of ‘old business’ on the agenda at the Annual Meeting. In case of a tie vote for any office, additional ballots will be issued until a candidate is chosen. If the tie cannot be broken after three attempts, the position will be appointed by the board at its next meeting.
Section 7. Officers elected shall be installed at the Annual Meeting as the first item of ‘new business’ on the agenda.
Section 8. In all regular elections, a simple majority of the full membership voting shall indicate the winner.
BOARD MEETINGS
Section 1. There are two ways a Club member in good standing may speak during a Board meeting:
A. Member Participation by Agenda. The Club member may be afforded the opportunity to speak at the Board meeting at the discretion of the President. Contact the President for inclusion on the agenda; provide a short description of the topic of the presentation. If approved to speak, the President will add such Club member to the agenda under Member Participation. The Club member may be provided three (3) minutes to speak. Any additional time beyond the three minutes may be permitted by a majority vote of the Board members who are present.
B. Member Participation by Spur-of-the-Moment. Request recognition to speak on the spur-of-the-moment by raising a hand. The presiding officer may, at his/her discretion, recognize such a member allowing three (3) minutes to speak limited to the topic currently under discussion by the Board. Any additional time beyond the three minutes may be permitted by a majority vote of the Board members who are present.
QUORUM
At all regular or special meetings ten (10) percent of the full membership, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. No business meeting shall be held without at least one (1) officer present.
SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY
Section 1. Support for community and amateur radio activities and organizations, pursuant to the preamble of this Constitution the Club may provide support to civic, social and educational non-profit groups and organizations.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall cause the Club to maintain liability insurance completed Goods and Services coverage at a level of not less than $1 million.
Section 3. Monies of the Club, upon proper motion and approval by a simple majority, may be given to other non-profit organizations provided such organizations operate in a manner that promotes and improves amateur radio.
MEMBERSHIP LIST
Membership information is considered private. Members’ may opt in to release of their information. Requests for membership information will be handled pursuant to all applicable statutes.