TOP DOG CONSTITUTION
AND BYLAWS
Amended April 2008
Table of Contents
Constitution
ARTICLE I Club
Name and Objectives
BYLAWS
ARTICLE
I Membership
ARTICLE
II Meetings and Voting
ARTICLE
III Directors and Officers
ARTICLE IV The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
ARTICLE V Committees
ARTICLE VI Discipline
ARTICLE VII Amendments
ARTICLE
VIII Dissolution
ARTICLE IX Order of Business
ARTICLE
X` Parliamentary Authority
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I: Name and Objectives
SECTION 1
The name of
the Club shall be Olympia’s
Top Dog Agility Club.
SECTION 2
The objects
of the Club shall be:
a.
To
further the advancement of purebred dogs and dog sports;
b.
To
do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of agility trials and
to encourage sportsmanlike conduct at such events;
c.
To
conduct agility trials under the Rules and Regulations of nationally recognized
agility organizations;
d.
To
educate members and public about the obedience, agility and other companion
events and activities;
e.
To
disseminate knowledge and promote the training of dogs and responsible dog
ownership;
f.
To
do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of dog agility and the
welfare of dogs in general regardless of pedigree or breed(s). Protect and advance the interests of dog
events and activities by encouraging sportsmanlike competition and responsible
dog ownership.
SECTION 3
The Club
shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any of the 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 objectives.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I: Membership
SECTION
1. Eligibility
There shall
be four types of membership:
Regular, Household, Associate and Honorary, open to all persons 18 years of age
or older who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who
subscribe to the purposes of this club.
In addition there shall be a junior membership open to members under 18
years of age.
TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP:
REGULAR (Individual) – Enjoys all club privileges
including the right to vote and hold office. Open to individuals 18 years of age or
older.
JUNIOR – Open to children under the age of 18 years of
age; enjoys all the club privileges
except this is a non-voting/non-office holding membership which may
automatically convert to a regular membership at age 18.
HOUSEHOLD (Family) – Two (2) adult members residing in
the same household, each enjoy the full privileges of regular members including
each is eligible to vote and hold office.
In addition any dependent children under 18 years of age, residing in
the same residence, will enjoy all the club privileges of junior members
(non-voting/non-office holding members).
ASSOCIATE -
Entitled to all club privileges except voting and office holding (offered to
individuals who live outside the club’s area; also to individuals who
live in the club’s area but are not active). Associate memberships may be converted
to regular membership during the clubs fiscal year if the members situation
changes, but notifying the club and paying any difference in membership dues.
HONORARY – Open to any individual who has made
significant contributions to the Sport or the Club; honorary members pay no
dues and enjoy all the privileges of regular membership.
SECTION
2. RESPONSIBILITIES AND
PRIVILEGES:
Members in
good standing may enjoy privileges of the Club. To maintain good standing a member must
have no outstanding debts to the Club and must attend a minimum of two general
meetings and contribute to the Club by working at a minimum of one
club-sponsored event (including but not limited to club sponsored trials,
equipment maintenance work parties and public demonstrations) during the
preceding twelve (12) months.
Members in
good standing are entitled to the right to vote at all meetings of the Club.
Each member in good standing is entitled to one vote, as well as additional
privileges which may be specified by the board of directors.
All members
are entitled to participate in all events sponsored or cosponsored by the Club
and to attend meetings held by the Club.
Those members are also entitled to attend club-sponsored practices,
subject to the practice guidelines adopted by the members.
SECTION
3. Dues.
Membership
dues for the ensuing year shall be determined by November 1st and shall not
exceed $150 per year Dues are
payable on or before the 1st day of January of each year. No member may vote whose dues are not
paid for the current year.
During the
month of November the Treasurer shall provide a statement to the membership of
the dues for the ensuing year.
SECTION
4. Election to Membership
APPLICATION. Each Applicant for membership shall
apply on a form as approved by the board of directors and which shall provide that
the applicant agrees to abide by the constitution and bylaws of the club. The application shall state the name,
address, phone number and information about the dogs owned by the member.
Accompanying
the application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the
current year. The application shall
also include a waiver of Club liability.
For one year from date of admission, new members will automatically be
entitled to all of the privileges of membership, including the additional privileges
described in Article 1 Section 2, except they will not be entitled to vote or
hold an elected office until they have satisfied the requirements to be members
in good standing.
All
applications are to be submitted to the Treasurer and each application is to be
read at the first meeting of the club following its receipt. After which the application will be
turned over to the Secretary to be filed.
At the next club meeting the application will b voted upon and
affirmative votes of 2/3 of the members present shall be required to elect the
applicant.
Applicants
for membership who have been rejected by the club may not reapply within six
months after such rejection.
SECTION
5. Termination of Membership.
Membership may be terminated by:
Resignation. Any member in good standing may resign
from the Club upon written notification to the Secretary, but no member may
resign when in debt to the Club.
Obligations other then dues are considered a debt to the club and must
be paid in full prior to resignation.
Lapsing. A membership will be considered as
lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid
90 days after the first day of the fiscal year, however, the board may grant an
additional 90 days of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious
cases. In no case may a person be
entitled to a vote at any club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of
that meeting.
Expulsion. A membership may be terminated by
expulsion as provided in Article VI of these constitution and bylaws.
ARTICLE II Meeting and Voting
SECTION
1. Club Meetings
Meetings of
the Club shall be held monthly in
the southern Puget Sound area at such hour, date and place as designated by the Board of
Directions and/or general membership.
Written notice of such meetings shall be sent to the membership at least
five days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such meetings shall
be 5 of the voting members in good standing.
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 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
the southern Puget Sound area at such place, date and hour as may be designated
by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings.
Written
notice of such meetings shall be given by the Secretary at least 5 days prior to the date of the
meeting, and said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other
club business may be transacted thereat.
The quorum for such meetings shall be 20 percent of the members in good
standing.
SECTION
3. Board Meetings.
Meeting of
the Board of Directors shall be held as required in south Puget Sound, at such
hour and place designated by the Board.
The quorum for such meeting shall be 3 members of the Board.
SECTION
4. Voting.
Each member
18 years of age or older, whose
dues are paid for the current year and has met the requirements of member in
good standing, is 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 VI: Directors and Officers
SECTION 1.
Board of Directors
The Board
shall be comprised of a minimum of four (4) and a maximum of eight(8) persons,
and shall consist of the officers and up to four (4) other persons, all of whom
shall be members in good standing and all of whom shall be elect4ed for
one-year terms at the club’s annual meeting as provided in Article IV and
shall serve until their successors are elected. General management of the club’s
affairs shall be entrusted to the board of directors.
SECTION 2.
Officers. The Club’s
officers, consisting of the President, Vice-President,
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 these constitution and bylaws.
b.
The
Vice-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of President in
case of the President’s death, absence, or incapacity.
c.
The
Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the
Board, including attendance, and of
all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He/she shall have charge of the
correspondence, notify members of
meetings, mail ballots and carry out such duties as prescribed in these
constitution and bylaws.
d.
The
Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging to the
Club.
e.
He/she
shall deposit immediately the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the
name of the Club. The Treasurer
shall also keep a roll of all paid members of the Club with their addresses. The books shall at all times be open to
inspection of the Board and he/she shall report to them at every meeting the
condition of the Club’s finances and every item of receipt or payment not
before reported; and shall render an account of all moneys received and
expended during the previous fiscal year.
The Treasurer or President shall sign all checks written on the
Club’s account. The
Treasurer’s books shall be audited a minimum of once a year by the
incoming Board of Directors.
f.
The
offices of the Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person.
g.
Board
Member at Large – There shall be a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of
(4) additional board positions. The
purpose of these positions is to provide board representation and oversight to
the Internet, Equipment, Membership and Training Committees. Board Members will serve as the
committee chairman for the above committees, and no board member shall chair
more than two (2) of the above positions.
Alternately club officers may serve as these committee chairs. The number of board positions shall be
determined by the number of people needed to fill the above committee chair
positions.
SECTION
3. Vacancies
Any vacancies occurring on the Board
during the year shall be filled for the unexpired term of office by majority
vote of all the members of the Board at its first regular meeting following the
creation of such vacancy, except that a vacancy in the office of President
shall be filled automatically by the Vice President and the resulting vacancy
in the office of Vice President shall be filled by the Board.
SECTION
4. Term Limits
No person may serve more than two
consecutive terms as President
Vice-President or Secretary.
ARTICLE VII: The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
SECTION
1. Club Year
The Club’s fiscal year shall begin
on the 1st day of January and end on the 31st day of December. The Club’s official year shall
begin immediately at the conclusion of the election at the Annual meeting and
shall continue through the election at the next Annual meeting.
SECTION
2. Annual Meeting
The Annual meeting shall be held in the
month of December at which officers and directors for the ensuing year shall be
elected by secret, written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with
Section D of this Article. They shall take office immediately upon the
conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his/her
successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within
30 days after the election.
SECTION
3. Elections
The nominated candidate receiving the
greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. In case of a tie, a runoff vote shall be
taken at the same meeting with the two candidates who received the most votes
on the first ballot.
SECTION
4. Nominations
No person may be a candidate in a Club
election who has not been nominated.
Only members in good standing (Article IV:C) may nominate or be
nominated for a position of office.
At the October meeting, the Board shall select a nominating
committee. The Secretary shall
immediately notify the committeemen.
The Board shall name a Chairman for the committee and it shall be
his/her duty to call a committee meeting which shall be held on or before
November 1st.
The
committee shall nominate from one to three candidates for each office and board
positions, and, after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall
report their nominations to the membership at the November Club meeting.
Upon
receipt of the Nominating Committee’s report, the Secretary shall, on or
before November 30th, notify the club members in writing of the candidates so
nominated.
Additional
nominations may be made at the December meeting provided that the person nominated
does not decline when his/her name is proposed and provided the proposed
candidate is present. No person may
be a candidate for more than one position, and the additional nominations which
are provided for herein may be made only from among those members who have not
accepted a nomination of the Nominating committee.
ARTICLE VIII: Committees
SECTION
1. Standing Committees
There shall
be a minimum of four (4) standing committees, Training, Equipment, Internet and
Membership. The chair of these
committees shall serve on the board of directors.
a.
The
Training Committee is tasked with coordinating regular club practice and
organizing additional club training such as classes and seminars.
b.
The
Membership Committee is tasked with recruiting new members, ensuring new
members understand club practice rules and are aware of the time and location
of club activities.
c.
The
Internet Committee is tasked with maintaining the club’s web page,
on-line membership list and e-mail distribution lists.
d.
The
Equipment Committee is tasked with monitoring the club’s equipment,
organizing work parties to maintain the equipment and making recommendations
for equipment replacement and acquisition.
SECTION
2. Additional Committees
The Board
may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in
such matters as agility events and test, annual awards, or other fields which
may well be served by committees.
Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the
Board.
The Board
may establish special committees to aid with specific projects. Special committees shall be
disestablished upon completion of the project for which they were appointed.
Committee
chairperson shall be appointed by the President subject to the approval of the
full Board.
Any
committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full
membership of the Board upon a written notice to the appointee. The Board may appoint successors to
those persons whose services have been terminated.
Standing
and special committees may be disestablished by a majority vote of the full
Board.
ARTICLE IX: Discipline
SECTION
1. Suspension
Any member suspended by any nationally
recognized dog club shall be automatically suspended by the Club for a like
period.
SECTION
2. Charges
An
individual member may prefer charges against another individual member for
alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the club. Written charges with specifications,
including dates, names of witnesses and any other pertinent information ,must
be filed with the Secretary together with a deposit of $100, 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 charge, 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 at which point the deposit is forfeited.
If the
Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date for a hearing
by the board not less than three weeks nor more than six weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one
copy of the charges and the specifications 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/her own defense and bring witnesses if he/she
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 reprimand or
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/her fellow members at
the ensuing club meeting which considers the board’s recommendation. Immediately after the board has reached
a decision, it’s finding shall be put in written form and filed with the
Secretary. The 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 then 30 days after the date of the board’s
recommendation of expulsion. The
defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his/her own behalf, though
no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and
the board’s finding and recommendation, and shall invite the defendant, if
present, to speak in his/her own behalf if he/she wishes. The members shall then vote by secret
ballot on the proposed expulsion. A
2/3 vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for the
expulsion. If expulsion is not so
voted, the board’s suspension shall stand.
ARTICLE X: Amendments
Amendments
to the Constitution and Bylaws may be proposed by the Board or by written
petition addressed to the Secretary and signed by 20% of the voting membership
in good standing. Amendments
proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board and must be
submitted to the membership for a vote within 3 months of the date when the
petition was received by the Secretary.
The
Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the voting membership
at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, provided the
proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and
mailed or emailed to each member at
least 2 weeks prior to the date of the meeting. Members who submit a mailed vote to the
Secretary prior to the meeting will be counted as present.
ARTICLE XI: Dissolution
The Club
may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 of the
voting members. None of the proceeds
thereof nor any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any members of the
Club. After payment of the debts of
the Club its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization
for the benefit of dogs selected by the membership.
ARTICLE XII: Order of Business
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
the Secretary
Report of
the Correspondence
Report of
the Treasurer
Report of
Committees
Election of
Officers and Board (at Annual meeting)
Unfinished
business
New
business
Adjournment
At meetings
of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote
of those present, shall be as follows:
Minutes of
the last meeting
Report of
the Secretary
Report of
Correspondence
Report of
the Treasurer
Report of
the Committees
Unfinished
business
New
business
Adjournment
ARTICLE XII: Non-covered Items
Anything not
covered in this constitution and bylaws shall be governed by Roberts Rules of
Order.