By-Laws of the
Section
1: Name
This club shall be known as the Rogue
Valley Model Railroad Club (RVMRC), hereinafter referred to as the Club.
Section
2: Purpose
The purposes of the Club are:
A: To bring together persons interested in the
hobby of model railroading.
B: To promote good fellowship among model
railroaders by holding meetings and shows, establishing a directory of
Club
members and building and operating a model railroad layout.
C: To advance
the hobby of model railroading wherever and whenever possible.
D: To
encourage membership in the National Model Railroad Association and the Pacific
Northwest Region (PNR)
thereof, and, insofar as capable, support and conform to the Standards
thereby set forth.
Section
1: Eligibility
Membership in this Club shall not be denied
any person because of race, color, creed, sex, or national origin.
Section
2: Definitions
A. This club shall maintain the
following active classifications of membership:
1.
Regular member (18 years or older)
2.
Associate member (18 years or older)
3.
Family member (spouse and/or children 10 through 17 years old)
4.
Student member (14 through 17 years old)
5.
Honorary membership (any age)
B. Each new member except
Honorary members shall pass through a trial membership period of six (6) months
before
becoming an active member in one of the preceding classifications.
Section
3: Membership Procedure
A.
Application for membership in the Club is made by a person submitting a
completed application on the form provided by
the Membership Chairman. Upon acceptance of this application by a
majority vote at the Board of Directors’ meeting
and payment of any applicable dues,
the applicant becomes a trial member for six (6) months. At any time during this
trial period, a member may be
terminated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Any dues paid in will be
refunded on a prorated basis. The Board is not required to explain its
actions to the member terminated. At any
time
during their trial period, the member
may request termination. Such a request
shall be granted without question, and any
dues paid will be refunded on a
prorated basis. At the end of the trial
period, the Board of Directors shall determine the
suitability of the member for active
membership. If the member is determined
to be suitable by a majority vote of the
Board of Directors, the member
becomes an active member in the applicable class, with all the rights and
duties, upon
payment of the applicable dues and
fees amounts. If the member is
determined to be not suitable for active membership,
their membership is terminated
immediately. Any Club property in the
possession of a terminated member must be
returned to the Club
immediately. Any of the terminated
member’s property in the possession of the Club will be
returned immediately. Terminated trial members may not reapply for
membership at the trial classification in less than
two (2) years after their
termination.
B. The Board of Directors may
grant any person any classification of membership directly, regardless of
qualifications or
dues payment, on a case by case
basis. Majority approval is required to
grant such memberships.
Section
4: Duties and Rights
A. Regular Members - Regular
members may voice their opinion at all meetings, may hold office, and may vote
on all
things
at Board meetings. They must hold office
if selected in the random drawing.
B. Associate Members -
Associate members enjoy all the rights and privileges of Regular membership,
but they are excused from either duties requirements or dues requirements, or
both. If an Associate membership is
excused from paying full membership dues, they forfeit the right to vote or
hold office. The intent is to
accommodate people who live outside of the immediate area, or that have special
needs because of work schedules, physical handicaps, etc. A request for Associate standing must be made
at a Board meeting in person or by proxy.
C. Family Members - Family
members are spouses and/or children aged 10 to 17 years of a Regular
member. They must be accompanied by the
Regular member at meetings and functions if between the ages of 10 to 13. Only the first Family member must pay dues,
but each must meet all other requirements for membership separately. Family members may not vote or hold office.
D. Student Members - Student
members are members aged 14 through 17 years. Student membership does not
require Regular membership of a family member.
Student members may not vote or hold office.
E. Honorary Members - Honorary
members are given membership by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. They have no duties, may not vote or hold
office, and are not required to pay dues.
They enjoy all privileges of the classification they are placed in by
the vote giving them Honorary membership, regardless of age or other
qualifications. Honorary membership is
normally for life, but may be terminated at any time by a vote of the Board of
Directors.
F. Trial Members - Trial
members have all the duties and rights set forth in the classification that
they would be in after their trial period, except that they may not vote or
hold office.
Section
5: Termination of Membership
A. The Board of Directors, at a
Board of Directors meeting, by majority vote may recommend the termination of
any membership for just cause. Just
cause shall be any act or failure to act not in the best interests of the
Club. The member in question shall be
notified of the reason or reasons for the proposed termination and shall be
notified by certified mail and requested to appear at a regularly scheduled
meeting of the Board of Directors to explain the circumstances giving rise to
the proposed termination. Such
notification shall be postmarked not less than five (5) days prior to the Board
Meeting that they are requested to attend.
If the Board affirms termination by a two-thirds (2/3) majority at that
meeting, the membership is terminated.
B. Non-payment of dues is cause
for termination. The Board of Directors
shall review the membership roster periodically for such delinquency. The Treasurer shall follow for payment or
commitment for payment. If payment or
commitment for payment is not received in 90 days or less from the membership
expiration date, the membership is automatically terminated with no further
Board action required.
C. Any terminated member may
re-apply for membership reinstatement.
Such application will be subject to Board review and approval. Reinstatement of membership may require
paying of dues in arrears and/or current initiation fees, or any penalties the
Board may levy. The Board may require
the reinstated member to pass through a trial membership, at its discretion.
Section
6: Dues
A.
Membership dues levels, initiation fees, or other membership fees may be
set or changes at any regular meeting of the
membership by a simple majority vote of those present and eligible to vote. The membership must be notified in writing of any vote to change dues or fee levels. The Board of Directors may recommend dues or fee levels, but may not set dues or fee levels.
B. Annual membership dues shall cover the twelve-month period from June 1 to May 31.
C. A person applying for new membership at or after the annual Thanksgiving Railroad Show shall pay one half of the current year’s dues for the balance of the membership year. Provided however, any person applying for new membership after March 31 shall pay a full year’s dues, which will cover the balance of the current membership year and twelve months of the next membership year.
Section
1: Elected and Appointed Board Members
A. The elected Board Members
shall consist of one Board Chair, one Secretary, and one Treasurer.
B. Nominations for officers
shall be made by a nominating committee appointed by the Chair two months before
elections are to be held. A majority of members voting is required to elect.
C. Duties of elected officers
1.
The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of this Club, and shall
preside at all meetings of this club and of the Board of Directors except as
otherwise provided herein, shall have all the powers, duties and
responsibilities usually vested in the chief executive officer, and shall, with
specific Board authorization, execute all bonds, and mortgages, and contracts
of this Club and shall have general supervision of all other elected officers
and be a member ex-offici of all committees except as may be directed
otherwise.
2. The Vice
Chair shall attend all meetings, meetings of the Board, and be a member thereof;
perform the duties of the
Chair during his/her absence,
assist the chair as required, and be responsible for program coordination.
3.
The Secretary shall attend all meetings, meetings of the Board, and be a
member thereof, and act as clerk thereof,
shall send out notices of meetings to all members
and keep minutes thereof.
4. The
Treasurer shall attend all meetings, meetings of the Board, and be a member
thereof. Treasurer shall receive
all
fees,
dues, and other monies, shall disburse funds on properly presented bills at
meetings, may delegate to any
member
such of his secretarial duties as he may deem necessary, shall prepare a
Treasurer’s report for each fiscal
year
and send it to each member and shall present a general report at each annual
meeting.
D. The two appointed board
members shall be selected by random drawing of eligible members or from
volunteers by the elected Board members.
They shall attend all meetings and meetings of the Board, and shall be
responsible members of the Board of Directors.
Prior year officers may request an exemption from serving as appointed
officers, and it shall be granted.
E. Term of Office - The term of
office shall run from June 1 to May 31 of the following year, or until
succeeded by newly elected or appointed officers.
F. Vacancies - In the event of
death, resignation, lapse of membership, failure to perform duties, or
unexcused absences from three (3) consecutive Board meetings, the Board may, by
a simple majority vote, declare an office or position vacant, and shall appoint
a successor at the earliest possible date for the unexpired portion of the term
of that office or position.
G. All officers and appointees
shall turn over to their successors, at or before installation, all Club
property and records in
their possession.
Section
2: Appointments and Committees
A. An Audit Committee shall be
appointed by the Chair each year not later then two (2) months prior to
elections and shall consist of not less than two (2) members in good standing. An audit shall be conducted prior to turning
over the records to the new Treasurer with a report being made to the Board.
B. A Nominating Committee shall
be appointed by the Chair three (3) months before elections are to be
held. The committee shall make a report
to the board with at least one (1) nominee for each position available.
C. An Executive Staff of seven
members shall be appointed by the Chair no later than the June regular meeting.
The Executive Staff shall consist of the Newsletter Editor, Membership
Committee Chairman, Librarian, Electrical Committee Chairman, Superintendent of
Operations, Building & Park Maintenance Chairman, and Rolling Stock
Standards Chairman.
D. The Chair may as necessary
appoint additional staff to other positions with the approval of the Board.
Section
1: Meeting Schedules
A. The General meetings of the
Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club shall be on the fourth Wednesday of each month
or as scheduled.
B. The Board of Directors shall
meet on the second Wednesday of each month or as scheduled.
C. The January general meeting
shall be the annual meeting.
D. The Board of Directors may
meet in emergency session at any time if conditions warrant. Telephone conference meetings are allowed for
emergency sessions. Full minutes must be
kept and presented in writing to the membership.
Section
2: Meeting Requirements
A. The quorum for a general
meeting shall be seven members eligible to vote, of which three will be Board
members.
B. A quorum for a Board of
Directors meeting shall be 3 Board members.
Section
3: Written notice of any special
meetings shall be sent to each member at least one week in advance and shall
include
the agenda thereof. Notice is not required for emergency Board of
Directors meetings.
Section
4: All meetings shall be conducted in
accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised), except where Robert’s
Rules conflict with these by-laws.
Section
1: The fiscal year shall be January 1 to
December 31.
Section
2: No part of the Club’s net earnings
may accumulate to the direct or indirect benefit of any member.
Section
3: In the event the Club shall dissolve,
any monies in the treasury shall be given to Division One of the Pacific
Northwest Region of the National Model
Railroad Association, a 501(c)(3) corporation, except any funds dedicated for
the
Section
1: This Club may, if it deems necessary,
have a seal upon which shall be inscribed its name and year of incorporation.
Section
1: These articles or any part of them
may be altered, amended, or repealed by a majority vote of the members present
at a regularly scheduled meeting. The
Board of Directors shall have no authority to amend, adopt, or repeal by-laws
of this Club. The membership shall be
notified in writing prior to any change in these by-laws.
Unofficial
Notes to By-Laws:
Note
1: The by-laws were changed to this form
by a vote of the membership at a regular membership meeting on March 27th,
1991, at the Bureau of
Note
2: The Regular membership dues level was
changed from $24 to $40 at a regular membership meeting by a vote of the
membership.
Note
3: The regular membership dues were
changed to $60 per year and the Special membership dues were changed to $15
per year at the
Note
4: The by-laws were changed on
to Regular, Associate (old
Special), Family, and Student. At this
time, Article II, Section 1 was changed to delete
“age”.
Note
5: The by-laws were changed by a vote of
the membership on
non-payment of dues. Paragraph C was added to formalize reinstatement
policy.
Note
6: The fiscal year was changed to the
calendar year by a vote of the membership at the regular meeting on
Note
7: The by-laws were changed to remove
the dues amount from the by-laws and to add a Trial membership period for new
members at the general membership
meeting of
Note
8: April 1999 – Article II, Section 2:
first sentence of Part A wording revised
Article
III, Section 1: Part F revised to clarify procedure for filling vacancies, and
Part G added.
Article III, Section 2: Entire section
added.
Note
9:
in order to match current practices.
Note
10:
Article III, Section 1.C.2 added creating the position of Vice Chair.
Article III, Section 2.C amended to remove position
of Program Coordinator, which is now the duty of the Vice Chair.
Article IV, Section 2.A amended to change the quorum for a general
membership meeting from eight to seven.
Note
11:
and time line for members joining during the membership year, dues allocation. For example, a person joining: June thru mid November – full payment; join at RR Show and December thru March 31 – ½ fare for 6 months; join after April 1 – full payment for 14 months, April thru May of next year.