TASC BY-LAWS
The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland
CONSTITUTION
January, 2003
Amended per membership vote,
March, 2005
Amended per membership vote, February, 2006
Amended per membership vote, April, 2010
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This
organization shall be known as The Avicultural Society of
Chicagoland.
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General
assembly meetings of The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland shall be
at the Lombard Log Cabin in Lombard, IL.
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We shall
strive to educate anyone interested in the responsible and ethical
keeping, raising and breeding of birds.
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We shall
strive to promote and protect a high standard of ethics among bird
breeders, members of this society, and the general public.
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We shall meet
on the fifth (5th) Friday in months with five (5) Fridays.
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Any proposed
changes and/or amendments to the standing Constitution must require:
a. Notification to the general membership one week in advance
of the set date of voting.
b. Any proposed change or amendment will require the approval
of fifty-one (51) percent of the total membership present at a
general assembly meeting.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I – NAME
This
organization shall be known as The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland.
It’s abbreviated name shall be known as TASC.
ARTICLE II –
PURPOSE
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We shall
strive to educate anyone interested in the responsible and ethical
keeping, raising and breeding of birds.
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Assist members
by providing an informational forum through a variety of activities.
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Help improve
the quality of life for all birds.
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Keep a
voluntary membership database of birds and their owners for safety
and security purposes.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
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Any person,
who is interested in the care, breeding, or handling of birds of any
type, may become a member, regardless of age, sex or race.
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All
applications for membership are subject to approval by Board. If a
member, the Membership Chairperson, or officer knows of any reason
why an applicant should not be approved, the member or officer
should notify the Board in writing, and final decision made by the
Board.
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Any members
conducting themselves in a manner detrimental to the best interest
of the Society shall be liable to suspension or expulsion after the
Board has considered the facts. If the Board finds any detriment,
the Board can revoke membership immediately without refund of dues.
a. If a person is found guilty of breaking the laws of the
land.
b. Has been expelled from any other avicultural organization
for a reason the Board feels would warrant revocation.
c. Has been convicted of any crime involving the inhumane
treatment of animal life.
d. Has been involved the violation of any laws relating to the
importation of avian fauna as per CITES.
e. Any member defaming the Society or its representatives in
any way.
f. Any member using TASC’s name for personal gain or public
recognition/notoriety/publicity.
g. The Board must notify in writing the indicted member of the
complaint and their decision.
h. Any indicted member can appeal to the board within 30 days
of written notification.
i. Any member wishing to withdraw their membership can do so,
but without refund of dues. Written notification must be given to
the Board thirty (30) days prior to its execution.
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All members
are required to pay annual dues per person or family, which will be
set by the board. Membership will be renewed by June 1st of each
year. Any honorary memberships, including all Board members in good
standing, must be reviewed by the Membership Chair and approved by
the Board. Corporate/commercial memberships are set by the Board.
Membership may be terminated thirty (30) days after membership
expires.
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The Society's
bulletin will be provided for each member in good standing for the
period of time the membership is in force. It shall be posted via
email.
a. Any publication or notice sent out to the membership,
either by postal mail or email, shall qualify as a bulletin.
b. All monthly communication will be in electronic form
unless a special request is made to the Board for hard copy.
(Additional charges may apply)
ARTICLE IV - MEETING PLACE/TIME
We shall meet
once approximately every 3 months on a set date:
The general
assembly shall meet the fifth Friday of months with five (5) Fridays.
These meetings
shall be held at the Lombard Log Cabin at East 16th Street and Main
Street, Lombard, IL.
The business
meeting time shall be set by the President who will call the meeting
to order when ready.
No birds may be
admitted to meetings unless approved by the Board.
Visitors must
join TASC after their first visit.
ARTICLE V –OFFICERS
The elected officers of The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland shall
consist of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, & Secretary.
The elected
officers shall serve a 2-year term, with the possibility of
re-election.
Officers shall
be members in good standing of at least 18 years or older.
Officers are
obligated to conduct day-to-day business of the Society in accordance
with its by-laws.
Officers should
not concurrently serve on the board of another local bird club.
Only one member
per family membership shall run for elected office.
All Officers and
Committee Chairs shall be familiar and abide by Robert’s Rules of
Order.
ARTICLE VI - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
President
Shall preside
over all meetings, (Society/board) and conduct them in an orderly
fashion.
Appoints and/or
removes chairperson(s) for all standing committees/any special
committee.
The President
cannot vote unless a tiebreaker is required during a membership
meeting.
If the President
wishes to participate in any discussion of issues on the floor, he/she
must not use his/her position to influence the membership.
The President
has the right to veto any motion. The Board has the right to override
that veto by a simple majority vote (51%).
Vice President
Shall serve in the absence of the President.
Shall act as
program chairperson.
Shall provide
program contact information to the Board.
Secretary
Shall have
custody of the minutes of the Board/Society meetings, and all other
official documents that come before a deliberative assembly.
Shall make
update reports and issue same to the Board/Society.
Shall take care
of all correspondence and report the same back to the Board/Society at
every Board meeting and General meeting.
Shall be
authorized to send cards to sick members, and to families of members
who have passed away.
Treasurer
Shall be responsible to collect dues and all funds.
Shall maintain
the Society's books for collection and disbursement of funds.
Shall receive
and pay all bills on approval by the Board.
The elected
officers are designated by the Board to sign checks and each check
must have two (2) signatures.
Shall submit
Treasurer's report at Society meeting/board meeting that includes
expenditures, incomes and balance; a more detailed report can be
requested thirty (30) days in advance.
The Treasurer's
books shall be audited on a yearly basis.
ARTICLE VII - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board shall consist of the
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, 2 Officers-at-large, committee
chairs and/or Sergeant-at-Arms present. The President directs all
Board meetings and may serve as a tiebreaker vote.
Oversee the
preparation of the general meeting and program.
Will strive to
constantly bring updated information to the membership.
Must approve all
expenditures.
Approve all
materials for general publication issued by or on behalf of the
Society. The President's correspondence does not require approval.
A simple
majority (51%) of the Board has the authority to cancel any Society
event/meeting.
At the
discretion of the Board, meeting time and meeting date and place of
the general assembly meeting can be changed after due notice is made
known to the membership for any of the following reasons:
To accommodate more members,
To secure a place for a special program, and/or
To secure a qualified speaker.
The board shall be controlled by a quorum of five acting members, even
if votes are taken electronically, by phone, or other method of
communication.
In the case of a
vacancy of an elected office, an election can be held for the vacated
office only.
The Board can
appoint an interim person to fill the term of office until the next
election is held.
Meetings of the
Board will be called by the President and termination of officer may
take place after three (3) missed board meetings.
The Board may
appoint up to two (2) “Officers-at-Large” who may serve in the absence
of any officer. This must be approved by a quorum at the Board of
Directors meeting.
The Board of
Directors has the right to suspend or expel any officer for any reason
if it comes to the attention of the Board that said officer has
disrupted a meeting or interfered in any way in the operation of the
Society, been expelled from any other avicultural organization, or has
been convicted of any crime involving the inhumane treatment of fauna,
or involving the violation of any laws relating to the importation of
fauna. This officer will be responded and/or removed, by an
affirmative vote of 2/3 of the Board members assembled at any regular
or specially called Board meeting. Accused officer may appeal in
writing within 30 days of notification.
ARTICLE VIII - COMMITTEES
The members of these committees
shall be appointed and removed by the President.
The length of
appointment is set by the President.
All written
correspondence must be approved by the President before sending to the
membership or any other entity. The President may choose to have each
communiqué reviewed by another Board member.
Membership
Committee
Greets members
and visitors with the Welcoming Committee.
Request visitors
to sign register and introduces new members at the meetings.
Keep records of
the same.
This is a
regular committee that works closely with the secretary & treasurer,
submitting dues to treasurer at each meeting.
Processes new
member applications and keeps records of receipts and PayPal entries,
and to the Board for approval of all activities.
Actively
generates new and renewed membership at events and general meetings.
Keeps an updated
membership list and provides an updated list to the Secretary.
Keeps the
voluntary membership database of birds and their owners for safety and
security purposes.
Shall distribute
TASC membership cards to new members.
Shall notify
current members when membership is due for renewal.
Shall send
letters and/or emails to members whose membership has lapsed.
Shall be sure to
pass out important information pertinent to the event.
Welcoming Committee merged with Membership Committee.
Hospitality Committee
Shall be
responsible for obtaining and serving refreshments.
Shall be
responsible for set-up/clean up.
Shall be
reimbursed for refreshment expense with the Board's approval.
Ethics Committee
DISSOLVED per membership vote March, 2005
Webmaster/Media Specialists
A Webmaster will be appointed by the Board and will manage, create,
and update any and all online representation of The Avicultural
Society of Chicagoland.
The newsletter
shall be created in electronic format and may or may not be created
and managed by the Webmaster. Any requests for hard copy must be
approved by the Board.
Any and all
media fees required will be paid with Board approval.
Must keep
Treasurer and Membership Chairperson informed of any new membership
applications from the Internet.
Fundraising Committee
Shall maintain organization of Expo and other fundraising events.
Shall reserve
and prepare sites, send out correspondence, manage donations and
coordinate vendor list and vendor reservations.
Recruit and
coordinate Expo volunteers.
Raffle table
management.
Manage set-up,
clean-up, and take-down of sites.
Publicity Committee
Photography, sign posting, flyers, print and disbursement of contacts
in the various media for publicizing events.
Sergeant-at-Arms
Keeps conduct at all membership meetings per Robert’s Rules of Order.
Maintains the
decorum during the meeting.
Escorts unruly
members from the meeting or event premises.
Shall be
appointed by the Board after a simple majority (51%) vote and will be
an active member of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX - RULES OF ORDER
The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland will use an agenda as our
standard of conduct.
We shall conduct
all business for The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland using the
agenda as our guide.
The agenda may
be assembled by the Board with final revisions made by President.
A member can
request in writing the minutes of the meeting and a copy of the
treasurer’s report to be provided 30 days thereafter.
ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS
The Board of Directors shall review these by-laws once per term.
Any amendments
proposed by simple majority (51%) of the Board, shall be posted to the
general membership and will require a simple majority (51%) of the
members present at the following meeting at least seven (7) days later
to be ratified.
By-laws cannot
be amended by less than a simple majority (51%) vote of members
present, and not without previous notice of the pending amendment to
the general membership.
A proposed
amendment to the by-laws must be posted to the membership 1 week in
advance to voting on the same.
ARTICLE XI – VOTING
Only members of The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland may vote on
any business brought before the Society.
Each individual
member receives one (1) vote and family memberships receive two (2)
individual votes. Honorary members receive one (1) vote and corporate
memberships are allowed two (2) individual votes.
The manner of
voting will be determined by the President (standing, lifting of
hands, or other method) and will take place before adjournment.
The President
can cast the tiebreaker vote.
Officer
elections will be held at the year's last general assembly meeting and
all nominations must be made to the current Board of Directors 30 days
prior to this meeting date via post office, email or at a general
meeting.
Voting is
limited to attending members.
Newly elected
officers will take their offices as of the first day of January after
the election. All of the Society's property must be turned over
immediately upon new officers taking office.
ARTICLE XII - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
STANDING RULES OF ORDER
The Authority
under which TASC will be guided are the Robert's Rules of Order though
these bylaws supersede all other rules of order.
The President
calls the Board/Society to order.
The President
declares order to conduct any/all business for The Avicultural Society
of Chicagoland.
The Treasurer
reads treasurer's reports and has copies available for the membership
at all meetings.
Report of all
standing/special committees.
The President
guides meeting via agenda, reviewing unfinished business.
In the case of a
meeting disruption, the President reserves the right to stop, silence,
censure, or dismiss any member or Officer or Chair at any meeting
should any problem arise, and with the help of the Sergeant-at-Arms,
escort that member from the building immediately.
The President
asks for any new business, questions, or comments.
The business
meeting is adjourned.
ARTICLE XIII - DISSOLUTION OF SOCIETY
The dissolution of the Society will be done according to state and
federal laws.
The dissolution
of the Society can only take place with a 2/3 vote of the Board after
thirty (30) days prior notification to the general membership.
All debts will
be paid within thirty (30) days of dissolution.
All remaining
funds will be given to a non-profit organization dealing with avian
causes.
All material
possessions will be distributed at the Board's discretion. |
