BYLAWS
of the Lake
Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
A
FLORIDA NOT FOR
PROFIT CORPORATION
ENACTED
JUNE 20, 2009
ARTICLE
1--
Introduction
1.
These Bylaws constitute the code of
rules adopted to supplement the
Articles
of Incorporation
of the Lake Amateur Radio Association, Inc. for the regulation
and management
of its affairs.
ARTICLE
Il-Members
1.
The
Corporation will have
memberships. There shall be two (2)
classes
of members for all
interested persons.
a.
Regular Member (Full Member)--This class shall be open to those
persons
who currently hold a valid FCC Amateur Radio license and are at least
eighteen
(18) years of age.
b.
Associate Member--This class shall be open to persons interested
in
club activities that do not hold an Amateur Radio license or that are
under
eighteen (18) years of age. Upon becoming a licensed Amateur
Radio operator,
eighteen (18) years of age or older, an Associate
Member becomes a Regular
Member after payment of the full annual dues
amount.
2. Application for membership will be made
to the Secretary. Applicants must furnish
positive identification.
Applications will be read at the next regular meeting after
their
receipt, except that applications received during a regular meeting
will be read at
that meeting. Applications will be voted on at the next
regular meeting following the
meeting where they were read. Applicant
approval will be by a majority vote of the
eligible members present.
3. Only Regular Members in good standing are allowed to vote on
any business conducted by the Corporation.
4.
A member may be removed from the rolls of the corporation for
deliberate
violation of the Charter, or the Bylaws, or the rules and
regulation of the FCC, or any
other conduct deemed prejudicial or
detrimental to the Corporation. Removal is initiated
by presenting a
written and signed motion to the membership at a regular meeting. If
the motion is seconded and approved by the majority of the voting
members present,
the complaint will be mailed to the member by the
Secretary within seven (7) days. The
member will be notified of the
charge and a trial will be held at the next regular meeting.
A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members present will be required for expulsion;
otherwise the charge will be dismissed.
ARTICLE Ill-Fiscal Year
1. The fiscal year starts on One (1) January and ends on Thirty-one (31)
December.
ARTICLE IV-Dues
1. The annual dues for Regular Members will be determined annually by the
Board of Directors. Any changes to the dues amount must be ratified by the
membership at the next regular meeting. The dues for Family Members (those persons
meeting the requirements of a Regular member and currently residing in the household
of a regular member) and Associate Members is one-half (1/2) of the Regular
Membership dues per person per annum. There shall be no dues required for
membership by persons under the age of eighteen (18) that hold a valid Amateur Radio
license.
2. Annual dues are due on One (1) January and are delinquent on One (1)
March.
3. Assessments to the Membership may be made, as deemed necessary by
the Board of Directors to cover building and property maintenance, and extraordinary
expenses.
4. All dues and assessments are payable to the L.A.R.A. Treasurer.
5. No dues or assessments will be refunded.
6. Dues for first time Regular Members will be prorated semi-annually.
7. Dues for Family and Associate Members will not be prorated.
8. Delinquent dues will not be prorated.
ARTICLE V-Meetings
1. Regular meetings of the membership of the Corporation shall be held on
the third Saturday of each month at 10 AM. When approved by a quorum of members
present at a regular meeting, the date and time of a future meeting may be changed.
2. Special Meetings of the Corporation may be called by the President or a
majority of the Board of Directors or upon the written request of at least ten (10)voting
members. Only business specified in the special meeting announcements may be
transacted at any special meeting. Notice of such meetings must be by written notice
mailed or emailed at least ten (10) days prior to such meeting to the address of the
Regular Members as contained in the Corporate Roster.
3. A minimum of fifteen percent (15%) of the voting membership or no less
than ten (10) voting members plus three (3) members of the Board of Directors, for a
minimum total of thirteen (13), shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
4. The order of business will be an attendance check and a declaration by
the Chair of a quorum, the reading of the minutes of any Board of Directors meeting
which has not been presented to the membership, the reading and acceptance of the
minutes of the previous meeting of the membership, the reading and acceptance of the
Treasurer's report, committee reports, old business, new business, special
presentations, and adjournment. The Chair may modify the order for efficiency or omit
reports where no substantial activity has occurred since the last report was made.
5. Voting for the election of Officers, the termination of membership or the
removal of an Officer from office will be by secret ballot of those voting members
present. At all votes by secret ballot, the Chair will appoint a committee of three (3) who
shall act as "Inspectors of Election" and who shall at the conclusion of balloting, certify
in writing to the Chair, the results and the certification shall be physically affixed to the
minutes of that meeting. No Inspector of Election shall be personally interested in the
question voted on.
6. All other voting shall be by a "show of hands" vote of those voting
members present with the Chair not voting except in case of a tie vote.
ARTICLE VI--Elected Officers
1. The Corporation will have nine (9) Officers elected annually by the voting
membership. The Elected Officers are: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
and five (5) Directors. As described in Article Vll(6.), any outgoing President will
automatically become a Director for a term of one (1) year.
2. The Board of Directors shall consist of these nine (9) Officers.
3. All Officers must hold a Technician Class or higher Amateur Radio license
and be Regular Members in good standing.
4. The president and Vice President may not hold the same office for more
than two (2) consecutive terms. Only one member of a family at a time may hold an
office. Any Officer may resign by submitting a written resignation to the Board of
Directors. Any Officer may be removed from office for malfeasance, misfeasance, or
nonfeasance in office, according to Roberts Rules of Order.
ARTICLE VII-Election of Officers and Directors
1. Any qualified member that would like to run for any office should notify the
Secretary prior to the November meeting. Nominations from the floor will be taken at the
November meeting. Nominations will not be accepted after the November meeting,
except to fill a vacancy in the "slate" of candidates. All candidates must be Regular
Members in good standing at the time of their nomination and at the time of the election.
Candidates shall be listed on the ballot in the order in which they notify the Secretary or
are nominated, with the provision that no notification to the Secretary may be provided
prior to the October meeting preceding the election.
2. The annual election of Officers will be held during the regular December
meeting of the membership.
3. The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer will be elected by
a majority. In balloting which results in no candidate receiving a majority, a run-off
between the two (2) candidates receiving the higher vote, will be heldr after each of the
two candidates is given five (5) minutes to address the membership. If the run-off
results in a tie, the winner will be determined by a coin toss conducted by the President.
The candidate appearing first on the ballot for that office shall be represented by the
front of the coin ("heads").
4. There will be a minimum of five (5) nominees for Director. Any outgoing
President will automatically become a Director for a term of one (1) year. In this case
four (4) Directors will be elected. If the incumbent President is re-elected or is elected to
a different office, then five (5) Directors will be elected. The four (4) or five (5) nominees,
as necessary, who receive the highest number of votes will be elected. A run-off will be
held in case of tie vote.
5. New officers will assume their duties on January One (1). Should a
vacancy in an elective office occur during the fiscal year, the Board of Directors will be
responsible for filling the vacancy, except that if the vacancy is the President, the Vice
President will become President and the Board of Directors will appoint a new Vice
President.
6. A qualified individual may run for more than one office. The Inspectors of
Election shall determine the winners of the offices in the following order: President; Vice
President; Secretary; Treasurer; and Director. When a candidate wins an office, they
are ineligible for consideration for any of the subsequent positions.
ARTICLE VIII-Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors will meet at least quarterly to conduct the affairs of
the Corporation. Additional meetings may be called by the President or by a majority of
the members of the Board.
2. Five (5) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum. Any
member may present a motion in writing for inclusion in the agenda of the Board of
Directors Meeting. The motion and the action taken by the Board of Directors will be
recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Board meetings are open to all members.
3. The Board of Directors shall appoint the following positions in the
Corporation:
a. At least one (1) Repeater Engineer.
b. At least one (1) Control Operator.
c. A Program Chairman.
d. A Trustee for FCC Licenses
4. Members of the Board may hold appointed positions.
ARTICLE IX--Duties of Officers and Appointees.
1. President -The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation and shall exercise general supervision in accordance with the direction
provided by the Articles of Incorporation, the Bylaws, and the Board of Directors. The
President will preside and decide all questions of order at all meetings at which he is
present. The President will serve as the chairman of the Board of Directors. He will sign
all official documents and letters of the Corporation. The President will create and fill
such committees as he deems necessary to assist in the management of the affairs of
the Corporation. The President will appoint two (2) members to have signatory authority
on the Corporation's financial accounts; this is in addition to the Treasurer.
2. Vice President -The Vice President will assist the President in the
discharge of his duties and will officiate in the absence of the President.
3. Secretary -The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings at all
meetings, including the Board of Directors meetings. The Secretary will keep a roll of
members. Members in arrears in payment of dues or fees will be removed from the roll.
The Secretary will initiate and maintain correspondence, maintain the Bylaws, read the
communications at meetings, make pertinent documents available at meetings, provide
prospective members with application blanks and other information, and perform other
administrative duties as are apparent or assigned by the President. At the termination of
office all records belonging to the Corporation will be turned over to the incoming
Secretary.
4. Treasurer -The Treasurer shall receive all funds, deposit and keep them in
a financial institution approved by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall be
responsible for the preparation, as necessary, of all tax returns for the federal, state,
and local taxes. The Treasurer will keep an accurate record of all money received and
expended and shall regularly report at the regular monthly meeting, to the membership,
the financial status of the Corporation. At least quarterly, upon request, an itemized
statement of receipts and expenditures shall be submitted to the Board of Directors
together with a written reconciled statement of funds on deposit. The Treasurer will
perform such other duties as are apparent or as assigned by the President, The
Treasurer is authorized to sign drafts, checks and purchase orders for the Corporation.
Audits of the records of the Treasurer may be held at the request of two-thirds (2/3) of
the voting members present at any meeting or at the request of two-thirds (2/3) of the
Board of Directors. At the termination of the Treasurer's term of office the Treasurer's
records will be audited by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer will turn over all records
and monies belonging to the Corporation to the incoming Treasurer.
5. Engineer(s) -The Engineer(s) is(are) responsible for the installation,
maintenance, repair, and sub-custody of all equipment operated by the corporation.
Assistance may be requested from the membership. The engineer(s) will serve as
advisor(s) to the Board of Directors.
6. Trustee -The Trustee shall be responsible for the legal and proper
operation of transmitting equipment owned or controlled by the Corporation.
7. Control Operators -Control Operators shall be responsible for the legal
and proper operation of transmitting equipment owned or controlled by the Corporation.
Control Operators shall be responsible to the Trustee.
Article X—Equipment Operating Policies
1. The Board of Directors and the designated control operators may use the
following means to insure compliance with the repeater(s) and other equipment
operating policies.
a. By request to stop the questionable practice. This should be
sufficient.
b. By turning off the auto patch(es) and/or the reverse patch(es)
and/or the repeater or other equipment.
c. By placing a motion before the membership to remove the offender
from the roll of the Corporation.
d. By reporting violators of
Federal Communications Commission
Rules and Regulations to the Commission.
2. All repeaters owned and operated by the Corporation will use the club
callsigns K4FC or N4FLA.
3. Club members may install repeater/radio equipment at the clubhouse and
antennas on club tower subject to the following rules:
a. Permission to install the equipment is obtained from the Board of
Directors at a Board of Directors meeting.
b. Any privately owned repeaters or radios that are installed cannot be
"closed" to other members.
ARTICLE Xl-Parliamentary Rules
1. In accordance with Article IX of the Articles of Incorporation for the Lake
Amateur Radio Association, Inc. these Bylaws were approved by a majority of the Board
of Directors and by a majority of the membership on June 20. 2009 and supersede
all previous Bylaws.