ARTICLE 1
Name and Objects
Section
1. The name shall be The
Shawnee Kennel Club, hereinafter referred to as the Club.
Section
2. The objects of the Club
shall be:
(a) to further the advancement
of all breeds of pure-bred dogs;
(b) to conduct dog shows
(performance and conformation) and sanctioned matches under the rules of the
American Kennel Club.
(c) to devote all profits
accruing to the Club to the above purposes or to make specific bequests to such
charitable or civic organizations as shall be approved by a majority vote of
those in attendance and voting at a Club meeting; and under no circumstances to
pay a salary, fee, commission or dividend to any member.
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 bylaws as may be required to
carry out these objects.
ARTICLE 2
Membership
Section 1. Eligibility. There shall be two types of
memberships:
(a) Regular. A person must be 18
years of age or older, be in good standing with the American Kennel Club, and
subscribe to the purposes of this Club.
(b) Junior. Juniors must be
between 12 and 18 years of age, and have qualifications (except for age) as in
"a." Juniors may not vote or hold office.
While membership is unrestricted as to residence, the
Club's primary purpose is to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors
in its immediate area. The policy of the
Club shall be not to discriminate against any person regardless of race, color,
or creed.
Section 2. Dues. Membership dues shall be set by the board of
directors and approved by the membership at the annual meeting. During the month of May, the treasurer shall
send to each member a statement of dues for the ensuing year. They are payable by July 1st of
each year. No member may vote whose
dues are not current.
Section 3. Election to Membership. The first
50 members were considered charter members. Prior to applying for membership, a
prospective member shall attend two (2) general club meetings or events. Thereafter, the applicant shall apply for
membership on a form approved by the board of directors, which provides that he
agrees to abide by the club constitution and by-laws and by the rules of the
American Kennel Club. Applications approved by the Board of Directors shall be
submitted for approval at the next general meeting. Affirmative vote of ¾ of the members present
and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant to
membership. Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the club may
not reapply within six (6) months after such rejection.
Section4. Termination of Membership.
Membership may be terminated:
(a) by resignation. Any member
in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the
Corresponding Secretary, but no member may resign when in debt to the Club. Obligations
other than dues are considered a debt to the club and must be paid in full
prior to resignation.
(b) by lapsing. A membership will be considered
as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid 90
days after July 1; however, the Board may grant an additional 90 days of grace
to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. As of July: 1, members whose
dues are unpaid are ineligible to vote until dues are paid.
(c)by expulsion. A
membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article 7 of this
Constitution and By-Laws.
ARTICLE 3
Meetings & Voting
Section 1. Club Meetings. Meetings of the club shall be held in or
within fifty (50) miles of the city of
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 Corresponding Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members
of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held in or
within 50 miles of the city of
Section 3. Board Meetings. Meetings of the
Board of Directors shall be held in or within 50 miles of the city of
Winchester in the months of, February, May , June, August, September and
October at such date, hour, and place as may be designated by the Board of
Directors. Written notice of each
meeting shall be mailed or e-mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least ten
(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
meetings of the Board may be called by the President or the Secretary upon
receipt of a written notice or request signed by at least 5 members of the
Board. Such special meeting shall be held in or within 50 miles of the city of
Section 5. Voting. Each member in good
standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be entitled to one vote
at any meeting of the club at which he is present. Proxy voting will not be
permitted at any club meeting or election.
ARTICLE 4
Directors and Officers
Section 2. Officers. The Club’s officers,
consisting of the President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording
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 this Constitution and By-laws.
(b) The Vice-President shall
have the powers and exercise the duties of the president in case of the
President’s death, absence, or incapacity.
(c) The Recording Secretary
shall keep a 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.
(d) The Corresponding Secretary
shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify
officers and directors of their election to office, keep a roster of the
membership including addresses and breeds of dogs of interest to each member,
and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in this Constitution and
By-laws.
(e) The Treasurer shall collect
and receive all moneys due or belonging to the Club and shall deposit the same
in a bank satisfactory to the Board, in the name of the Club. His books shall
at all times be open to inspection of the Board, and he shall report at every
Board and General meeting the condition of the Club's Finances and every item
of receipt or payment not before reported. At the Annual Meeting he shall
render an account of all moneys received and expended during the previous
fiscal year. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such
amount as the Board of Directors shall determine. The Treasurer’s accounts
shall be audited annually at the direction of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. . Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board during the year shall be. filled for the unexpired term of office by a majority vote 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 the President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President.
ARTICLE 5
The Club Year, Annual
Meeting, Elections
Section 1. Club Year. The Club's fiscal year
shall begin on July 1, and end on June 30.
The Club's official year shall begin immediately at
the conclusion of the annual meeting and shall continue through the next annual
meeting.
Section 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting
shall be held in the month of September. The Board shall be elected for two(2) year terms from
among those nominated in accordance with Section four(4) of this article. They
shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election, and each
retiring officer shall turn over to his successor in office all properties and
records relating to that office within thirty (30) days after the election.
Section 3. Proxies. Proxy voting will not be
permitted at any Club meeting or election.
Section 4. Nominations. No person may be a candidate
in a Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of February,
the Board shall select a Nominating Committee consisting of three members and
two alternates, not more than one of whom may be a member of the Board. The
Corresponding Secretary shall immediately notify the Committee and alternates
of their selection. The Board of
Directors shall name a chairman from the committee who shall conduct a
committee meeting by May 1st.
(a) The committee shall nominate
one candidate for each office or four (4) candidates for Directors as stated in
Article 4, Section 1 above.
(b) Written notice of the nominees
shall be mailed or e-mailed by the Corresponding secretary along with the
meeting notice at least ten (10) days prior to the June meeting.
(c) The Nominating Committee’s
slate shall be presented to the general membership at the June meeting, at
which time additional nominations may be made according to the following
procedure. Additional nominations may be made at the June meeting by any member
in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when his
name is proposed and provided, further, that if the proposed candidate is not
in attendance at this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Secretary a
written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be
a candidate. No person may be a candidate for more than one office, and the
additional nominations which are provided for herein may be made only from
among those members who were not nominated by the Nominating Committee or who
declined such nomination as above provided. However, no person who has declined
the Committees nomination may be nominated at the June meeting for the same
position.
(d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than as provided in this section.
Section 5. Elections. Elections shall be by
written ballot. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes
for each office shall be declared elected.
ARTICLE 6
Committees
Section 1. The Board may each year appoint standing
committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as dog shows,
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 upon written
notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons
whose services have been terminated.
ARTICLE 7
Discipline
Section 1. American Kennel Club Suspension.
Any member who is suspended from the privileges of The American Kennel Club
automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like
period.
Section 2. Charges. Any member may prefer
charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best
interests of the Club. Written charges with specifications must be filed in
duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $50 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. If the Board considers that the
charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests
of the Club, it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains
jurisdiction of the charges it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not
less than 3 weeks or more than 6 weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly
send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together
with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally
appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.
Section 3. Board Hearing. The Board shall
have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but
both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard.
Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony
presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of
those present 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 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 Recording Secretary. The
Corresponding 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 of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege
of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this
meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board's findings and
recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his
own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret written ballot
on the proposed expulsion. A 2/3 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 8
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 Corresponding Secretary signed by twenty 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 Corresponding
Secretary.
Section 2. The constitution and by-laws may be
amended by a 2/3 secret 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 9
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 good standing. In the event of the dissolution of the Club other
than for purposes of reorganization 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 benefits of dogs, selected by the Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE 10
Order of Business
Section 1. At meetings of the Club, the order of
business, so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall
be as follows:
Roll Call
Minutes of last meeting
Report of President
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Reports of Committees
Election of Officers and
Board (at annual meeting)
Election of new members
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment
Section 2. At meetings of the Board, the order of
business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote of those present, shall be
as follows:
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Reports of Committees
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment
ARTICLE 11
Parliamentary Authority
Section
1. The rules contained in the current
edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised”, shall govern the club in
all cases to which they are not inconsistent with these by-laws and any other
special rules of order the club may adopt.