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PIKES PEAK RETRIEVER CLUB, INC.
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
NAME AND OBJECTIVES
Section I - The name
of the club shall be the Pikes Peak Retriever Club, Inc.
Section II - The
objectives of the club shall be:
- To urge members and breeders to accept the standards of the
retriever breeds as approved by the American Kennel Club as the
only standard of excellence by which retriever breeds shall be
judged.
- To conduct sanctioned and licensed Field Trials and Hunting
Tests under the rules of the American Kennel Club.
- To do all in its power to protect and advance sportsmanlike
competition at licensed Field Trials and Hunting Tests.
- To encourage and promote competition of purebred retrievers
and to do all things possible to bring their qualities to
perfection.
- To encourage and promote the conservation of our woods, water
and wildlife.
Section III - The club
shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any
profits or residue or remainder from dues, donations or entries to
the club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual.
Section IV - 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 ONE
MEMBERSHIP
Section I - Eligibility.
Individual and family memberships shall be open to all persons who
are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe
to the objectives of the Pikes Peak Retriever Club. A family
membership may include the spouse and all dependents under eighteen
(18) years. A family membership which includes the spouse will be
considered as two members and will have one vote each in club
affairs. A family membership which does not include the spouse will
be considered as one member and will have only one vote in club
affairs.
Section II - Dues.
Annual membership dues shall be as determined by the Board of
Directors and approved by the club membership, payable on or before
January 31st of each year. No member may vote in club affairs whose
dues are not paid for the current year. Life memberships (no further
dues required for the life of the member) shall be granted to those
members who have paid annual dues and have been members in good
standing for ten (10) consecutive years. Membership applications
received between July 1 and October 1 shall include dues payment for
one half year. Membership applications received after October 1
shall include a full year dues but will be considered as full
payment for the following year. Prior to the end of the year the
club shall send to each member a notice for membership dues for the
ensuing year.
Section III - Membership.
Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by
the Board of Directors. The form shall include a statement that the
applicant agrees to abide by the club Constitution and Bylaws and
the rules of the American Kennel Club. The applicant shall also
submit membership dues payment in accordance with Section II of this
Article with the application form. Applicants for membership will be
accepted by the club upon receipt of a completed application for
membership, dues payment and a majority vote of approval by the club
members present at the current or next club meeting.
Section IV - Termination
of Membership. Membership may be terminated as follows:
- By Resignation. Any member in good standing may resign
from the club upon written notice to the Secretary, but no
member may resign when in debt to the club.
- By Lapsing. A member will be considered as lapsed and
automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid
thirty (30) days after the 31st day of the calendar year:
however, the Board may grant an additional thirty (30) days of
grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. In no
case may a person be entitled to vote at any club meeting whose
dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.
- By Expulsion. A membership may be terminated by
expulsion as provided in Article SIX of these Bylaws.
ARTICLE TWO
MEETINGS
Section I - Club
Meetings. Meetings of the club shall be held in the County of El
Paso, the third Wednesday of every other month during the calendar
year, effective January of each year, at such hour and place as may
be designated by the President. Typically the January meeting will
be an awards banquet/meeting; date and time to be determined as
appropriate. Notice of each meeting shall be mailed to each member
at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. Transaction
of business shall require approval by the majority of the members in
good standing and present at the meeting.
Section II - 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,
or by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by 20% of the
members of the club who are in good standing. Such special meetings
shall be held in the County of El Paso and at such an hour and place
as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to
call such meetings. Written notice of such meetings shall be mailed
by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 15 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 a meeting shall be 20% of the membership in good
standing.
Section III - Board
Meetings. The Board of Directors shall meet in El Paso County as
a separate unit at the call of the Board during the months of
January, March, May, July, September and November of each year to
review the club's progress and immediate goals. Other meetings of
the Board of Directors may be called by at least 3 Board members and
shall be held in the County of El Paso at such hour and place as may
be designated by the Board. Notice of each meeting shall be at least
5 days prior to the date of the meeting. A quorum for the
transaction of business at any Board meeting shall be a majority of
the Board.
ARTICLE THREE
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section I - Board
of Directors. The Board shall be comprised of the President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and four other persons; all of
whom shall be elected for one year terms, except one member of the
Board of Directors who will be elected to serve a two-year term. All
shall be members in good standing and elected at the club's November
meeting as provided in Article Four. General management of the
club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.
Section II - Officers.
The club officers shall consist of the President, Vice-President,
Secretary and Treasurer, and shall serve in their respective
capacities both with regard to the club and its meetings and the
Board and its meetings.
- 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 the President in addition to those
particularly specified in the Bylaws.
- The Vice-President shall have the powers and exercise the
duties of the President in case of the President's death,
absence or incapacity.
- The 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. He/she shall have charge of the
correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify officers and
Directors of their election to office, keep rolls of the members
of the club with their addresses and carry out such other duties
as are prescribed in these Bylaws.
- The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due or
belonging to the club and receipt therefore. He/she shall
deposit the same in a bank satisfactory to the Board, in the
name of the club. His/her 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 at the general
meetings, he/she shall render an account of all monies received
and expended not before reported.
Section III - Vacancies.
Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the offices during the
year shall be filled until the next election for the unexpired term
of office by a majority vote of all the then 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.
ARTICLE FOUR
THE CLUB YEAR, ANNUAL MEETING, ELECTIONS
Section I - The
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 meeting in
January and shall continue through the election to the next meeting
in January.
Section II - November
Meeting. The meeting will be held in the month of November, at
which Directors and officers for the ensuing year shall be elected
by secret written ballot from among those nominated in accordance
with this Article. They shall take office at the January meeting.
Section III - Elections.
The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for
each office and for two-year Board member shall be declared elected.
The current two-year Board member shall remain on the Board for the
ensuing year. The nominated candidates for the two remaining
positions on the Board who receive the greatest number of votes for
such positions shall be declared elected. If no candidate including
the two Board candidates receive a majority on the first ballot, the
candidates with the highest tying number of votes shall oppose each
other in a runoff.
Section IV - Nominations.
No person may be a candidate in a club election who has not been
nominated. At the meeting held during the month of September,
nominations for each office, the two-year Board member and the two
one-year Board members will be accepted from the floor by members
present. Only members in good standing may be nominated.
- Nominations by the membership will be made for each office,
the two-year Board member and the one-year Board members at the
September meeting. Nominations will close at the November
meeting.
- Any person nominated who refuses to be a candidate must notify
the Secretary within 10 days.
- Additional nominations will be accepted at a special October
and the November club meeting in the event there should be any
vacancy since the September meeting due to a person refusing
nomination.
- Nominations cannot be made at any other meeting or in any
manner other than as provided in this Section and Article.
- Each office and the two-year Board position shall be voted
upon separately. The remaining two Board positions shall be
voted upon collectively.
Section V - Ex-Officio
Designation and Duties. The outgoing President will
automatically become an "ex-officio" member of the Board
of Directors for a period of twelve months. He/she shall have no
voting privilege as a member of the Board and his/her function will
be advisory and intended to establish continuity of the club
functions.
ARTICLE FIVE
COMMITTEES
Section I - Committees.
The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the
work of the club in such matters as Field Trials, Hunting tests,
trophies, annual prizes, membership and other fields which may well
be served by the committees. Such committees shall 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 II - Committee
Termination. 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 service has been terminated.
ARTICLE SIX
DISCIPLINE
Section I - American
Kennel Club Suspension. Any member who is suspended from the
privileges of the American Kennel Club is automatically suspended
from the privileges of this club for a like period.
Section II - 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 $25.00 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 for a
hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks nor more than 6 weeks
thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the
charges to the accused member by registered mail along 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 III - Board
Hearings. The Board shall have complete authority to decide
whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both the complainant and
defense 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 6 months from the date of the hearing. If
the Board deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend
to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such cases, the
suspension shall not restrict the Defendant's right to appear before
its fellow members at the ensuing club meeting which considers the
Board's recommendations. Immediately after the Board has reached a
decision, its findings shall be put in written form and filed with
the Secretary. The secretary shall in turn notify each of the
parties of the Board's decision and penalty, if any.
Section IV - 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 III 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/her own behalf, though no
evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read
the charges and the Board's findings and invite the Defendant, if
present, to speak in his/her own behalf if he/she wishes. The
members shall then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed
expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board's suspension
shall stand.
ARTICLE SEVEN
AMENDMENTS
Section I - Amendments
to the Constitution and Bylaws. Constitution and Bylaws
amendments must be presented in writing and may be proposed as
follows:
- By written petition and signed by not less than 20% of the
members in good standing.
- By the Board of Directors.
Amendments proposed by
petition will be submitted to the Secretary and will be considered
by the Board of Directors at a special meeting called for that
purpose and must subsequently be submitted to the general membership
at the next regular club meeting. Proposed amendments made solely by
the Board shall be submitted to the general membership at the next
regular club meeting.
Section II - Voting
on Amendments. The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a
3/4 vote of the members present and eligible to vote at any regular
meeting, provided notice of the proposed amendments have been
included in the meeting notice and mailed to each member at least
fourteen (14) days prior to the date of that meeting.
ARTICLE EIGHT
DISSOLUTION
Section I - Dissolution.
The club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not
less than 3/4 of the members in good standing. In the event of the
dissolution of the club, 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 may be distributed to any
members of the club, but after payment of the debts of the club its
assets and property shall be sold to the highest bidder and proceeds
shall be donated to either or both of the following: (a) a
charitable or non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of
the breed of retrievers and/or to (b) a charitable or non-profit
organization dedicated to the preservation of our wildlife. Final
decision as to the disposition of assets, property and/or proceeds
of the club following its dissolution shall rest with the Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE NINE
ORDER OF BUSINESS
Section I - Order
of Business. At the meetings of the club or of the Board, the
order of business, as far as the character and nature of the meeting
may permit, shall be as follows:
Call to Order
Reading and Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting
Report of the President
Report of the Board
Report of the Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of the Committees
Nominations or Elections (as required)
Unfinished Business
New Business
Approval of Applicants for Membership
Adjournment
Constitution and Bylaws Amended and Approved
September 15, 1999
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