CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I NAME
The name of this Association shall be Mid Atlantic Tennessee Walking Horse
Association, herein after referred
to as “Club”.
ARTICLE II PURPOSE
The purpose of this Club is to promote and protect the sound horse, provide
fair competition and educate the
public.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP
Membership in this Club shall be open to all individuals whose interest and
beliefs are consistent with the
purpose of the Club as stated in Article II. Membership eligibility shall be
determined without regard to
gender, race, color or creed. There shall be no associate, special or honorary
memberships in this Club. Memberships shall be Family (to include children
under the age of 18 as of January 1 of the membership year), Individual (18
years of age or older as of January 1 of the membership year), or Youth (17
years of age or less
as of January 1 of the membership year). Single parent families may hold Family
memberships.
ARTICLE IV ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. The administrative affairs of this Club shall be vested in the Club
Executive Committee in emergencies only and all other actions of the Club
Executive Committee must be ratified by a majority vote of those Club
members present and voting. Results of all "emergency" decisions
shall be reported at the next scheduled meeting. Emergency expenditures will
not exceed $100.00.
Section 2. The Club Executive Committee shall be composed of the President,
Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer, Parliamentarian and the Board of Directors.
Section 3. At the time specified, the Club shall elect annually a President,
Vice President Secretary,
Treasurer and Parliamentarian and a four-member Board of Directors. With the
approval of the Club, the
President may appoint such other officers as may be necessary to operate the
Club.
ARTICLE V EXECUTIVE
The executive power of this Club shall be vested in the Club President.
ARTICLE VI AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended at any Club meeting by a vote of two thirds
of those Club members present
and voting, provided that any such amendment is read at two (2) consecutive
scheduled membership meetings
and that all Club members were notified of the proposed change(s) prior to
each of the two (2) meetings.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE 1 ORGANIZATION
Section 1. The governing body of this Club shall be the Club in session, except
as otherwise provided in
this Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 2. Minutes of the meetings of the Club, including the Club Executive
Committee, shall be kept
and be available for inspection by any Club member. Such minutes will be routinely
published and be available
to members in good standing.
ARTICLE 2 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The Club Executive Committee shall be composed of the President,
Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer, Parliamentarian and the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Meetings of the Club Executive Committee will be called by the President, or at the request of a majority of its members, made in writing to the President.
Section 3. Appointed officers, committee chairmen and other Club members may attend the Club Executive Committee meetings, but without voice or vote.
Section 4. A majority of the members of the Club Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Section 5. The Club Executive Committee may act for the Club only in emergencies and at all other times shall recommend courses of action to the Club in session.
ARTICLE 3 OFFICERS
Section 1, Paragraph 1. The Club shall elect annually a President, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian and four-member Board of Directors.
Paragraph 2. The President, with the approval of the Club, shall appoint
the Club Committees, with the exception
of the Nominating Committee, which shall be elected by the Club.
Paragraph 3. Such other officers as may be necessary to operate the
Club may be appointed by the President,
with the approval of the Club.
Paragraph 4. There shall be no voting by proxy or absentee ballot.
Section 2, Paragraph 1. The President shall be the presiding officer
and, in his/her absence, the duty will fall
to the next highest officer in line of succession who is present, in the following
order – Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian.
Paragraph 2. The Treasurer shall be responsible for campaigns to increase membership.
Paragraph 3. The Treasurer or other designated Club officer shall keep
an accurate record of all monies received
and disbursed and shall deposit any monies received as soon as possible. The
Treasurer shall make a report on
Club finances at each meeting; to include the last reported balance, categorized
disbursements since the last report, categorized income/receipts since the
last report, and new balance. Records shall be open to any
member when a request is made in writing through the Executive Committee. An
annual financial report shall
be submitted to the President within sixty (60) days of the close of the accounting
year of the Club. The
annual financial report will include the financial balance at the beginning
of the reporting year, all
disbursements by account category (e.g. expenses related to the club horse
show, secretary expenses,
website, newsletter, scholarship and raffle expenses, and/or other items deemed
of significant enough importance
to report separately), all income/receipts by category, and the balance at
the end of the reporting year.
Paragraph 4. The Board of Directors serves in an advisory capacity to
the elected officers. The Board
of Directors also share in the decision process of the Executive Committee
and will have a voice and vote on
all matters presented to the Executive Committee for discussion and vote.
Paragraph 5. The financial year shall be from January 1 to December 31.
Section 3, Paragraph 1. Upon election or appointment of the successor
to any Club office, all Club property in
his or her predecessor's possession shall be surrendered to the new officer.
ARTICLE 4 QUALIFICATIONS
Section 1. Any person who is a member of this Club shall be eligible for any
elective or appointive office in
this Club, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE 5 TENURE OF OFFICE
Section 1. Officers shall be nominated during the October meeting and again
immediately prior to voting at
the November election meeting. Term of office to begin January of the following
calendar year.
Section 2. Elected and appointed officers shall serve for one (1) year or until
newly elected or appointed
officers have been confirmed, with the exception of the President and Treasurer,
who may serve two (2) one
year terms consecutively. After two consecutive terms the incumbent will not
be eligible for election to the
same office for a period of one year.
Section 3, Paragraph 1. Unexcused absence of any officer from three
(3) consecutive meetings shall be cause
for removal from office by the Club, and the President is empowered to appoint
a Club member to serve the
unexpired term, subject to the approval of the Club.
Paragraph 2. In the event the office of President shall be vacated for
any reason, the Vice President shall
be elevated to President and the vacancy filled as outlined in Paragraph 1
of this Section.
Section 4. It shall require a majority of those Club members voting
to elect a candidate for any Club
office, except for the positions of Director, where the candidate with the
highest number of votes will be
elected to office, then the candidate with the next highest number of votes
will be elected to office, and so
on, until all Director positions are filled.
ARTICLE 6 MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. The Club membership application will specify the ideals and purposes
of the Club, and will state
that Applicant signature attests to acceptance and commitment to uphold those
ideals and purposes. Applicants
will not be accepted for membership without signing the membership application
form and after approval by the membership at the next scheduled General Membership
meeting. In the event the club is dark when the application
is submitted, the applicant will be provisionally accepted, with all membership
benefits applying, once the Membership chair received the application.
Section 2. Only members of the Club in good standing are eligible to vote on any motion or at any election.
Section 3. No applicant shall be denied Club membership if he or she meets the eligibility requirements.
Section 4. New members shall receive a “Membership Package” composed of at least the following:
1) Three (3) months past newsletters
2) A current membership list
3) A copy of the Club Bylaws
The Membership Package will be sent no later than one month following approval and acceptance of membership.
ARTICLE 7 FINANCES
Section 1. The Treasurer or other designated officer shall deposit all monies
in the name of the Club and
shall countersign with the President or one other designated Club officer on
all checks.
Section 2. The Treasurer or other designated Club officer shall be charged
with handling normal finances in
the operation of the Club.
Section 3. Membership dues for the following year will be established
annually in October by the
Executive Committee.
Section 4. All payments by the Treasurer shall be made by voucher only and approved by the membership.
Section 5. All motions made in any club meeting for expenditures over
$500 shall be tabled for a minimum of
one month. The proposed expenditure shall be published in a timely fashion
to allow all members the ability
to bring forth information pertaining to the expense.
ARTICLE 8 MEETINGS
Section 1. Club meetings shall be held at least once each month, or as determined
by majority vote of the Club
in session. Meeting dates are to be set by majority vote of the Club in session.”
Section 2. Place and time of meetings shall be determined by the desires of
the Club.
Section 3. Special meetings of the Club may be called by the President
whenever the President may deem
it necessary, or when the President is requested in writing to do so by ten
(10) or more Club members.
Section 4. Rules of Club meetings shall be as follows:
RULE 1. A quorum shall consist of seven (7) members.
RULE 2. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable.
RULE 3. Discussion of personal grievances will not be in order on the
floor unless introduced by the
Grievance Committee or other Committee having the authority to consider any
such matters,
RULE 4. Matters concerning only an individual member, with respect to
his or her own personal interest, shall not
be in order but may be taken before the proper committee.
RULE 5. Normally, voting shall be by voice unless otherwise requested by at least seven (7) members. Annual election of officers shall be by paper ballot.
RULE 6. Family memberships shall be entitled to one vote per adult family
member (maximum of two {2} votes) and
one vote per each juvenile family member 14 to 17 years of age as of January
1 of the membership year.
Individual and Youth memberships shall be entitled to one (1) vote per membership.
ARTICLE 9 COMMITTEES
Section 1. All Club committees will meet at the call of the Chairman or President
or as otherwise provided in
this Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 2. The following committees are normally formed on an annual
basis for the purposes stated:
1) Show Committee – To prepare proposed budgets, class lists, fees, prize
money, and other such actions as
to prepare for and conduct the annual club horse show. Proposed budgets, class
lists, fees and other
associated items will be presented to and approved by the general membership
at a regularly scheduled
Club meeting.
2) Trail Ride Committee – To review and select locations for
Club trail rides; schedule dates and times for
the trail rides; and ensure information concerning the trail rides is disseminated
to the Club membership in
a timely manner.
3) Banquet Committee – To review and propose a date and place
for the annual Club Banquet, to include proposed
menu and schedule of events for the banquet. Upon membership approval, by vote
at a regularly scheduled
Club meeting, the committee finalizes the banquet details, to include facility
reservation, menu, decorations,
etc., and ensures that the information is disseminated to the Club membership
in a timely manner.
4) High Points Committee – To review and propose a list of categories
and “pointed” shows for the Club’s
High Point Program. Upon membership approval, by vote at a regularly scheduled
Club meeting, the
committee finalizes the categories, issues letters to show management of the “pointed” shows
outlining
the requirements for reporting results, ensures that the information is disseminated
to the Club membership
in a timely manner, and ensures that the show results are posted to each Club
member’s account. At the
end of the show season, the committee will determine category winners and reserve
winners, and
purchase appropriate trophies/certificates, as approved by the Club membership,
to be awarded at the annual
Club Banquet.
5) Nominating Committee – To prepare a slate of candidates for Club office
(Officers and Directors) for
the annual election; present the slate of candidates to the general membership
during the scheduled October
Club meeting; and ensure that the slate of candidates is disseminated to the
general membership in a
timely manner in preparation for the election of Officers and Directors at
the scheduled November Club
meeting. The Nominating Committee is elected at the regularly scheduled September
Club meeting.
Nominations are accepted from the floor and elected by vote of the Club in
session. A member does not
have to be present to be nominated and elected so long as that member has informed
a Club officer prior
to the September meeting that they will accept the nomination.
Other committees may be appointed/formed to address specific items or
actions deemed appropriate by the President
or voted on by the Club in session. Such committees will accomplish their appointed
tasks and report the status
of their efforts at each regularly scheduled Club meeting unless otherwise
directed by the President or voted on
by the Club in session.
All committee chairs will have the responsibility of verifying that
any person is a member in good standing prior
to affording such person any benefit from the committee
Upon completion of the specified task(s) by any committee, or upon direction
of the President or vote by the Club
in session, the committee will disband and turn over any records to the Club
Secretary for maintenance/filing.
Section 3. Committees shall consist of not less than three (3) or more than
seven (7) members (except as
may otherwise be voted upon), including the Chairman. Committees shall be appointed
by the President, with
the approval of the Club, with the exception of the Nominating Committee, which
shall be elected by the Club.
Section 4. The Club shall ensure that an audit of the Club’s finances
is completed within 90 days of the
submission of the Treasurer’s Year End Financial Report. The Club may
accomplish this by hiring an outside firm/person to audit the records and submit
an Audit Report to the Club, or by forming a Financial Audit
Committee, which will audit the records and submit an Audit Report to the general
membership. In the event
a Financial Audit Committee is formed, the committee will be composed of at
least three (3) members of the
Club, excluding the President, Treasurer and Secretary. The Audit Report will
state the results of the audit,
i.e. documentation is maintained for all financial transactions, the periodic
(normally monthly) Treasurer’s
reports accurately reflected the financial status of the Club for the period
reported, income and expenses
are adequately segregated and identified and can be validated by maintained
documentation. If discrepancies
are found, the report will list the discrepancies and note any explanations
or comments received and actions
taken or intended by the Club Executive Committee. The Audit Report will state
that the Treasurer’s Year
End Financial Report accurately reflects the financial status of the Club for
the report year, or will list
those discrepancies noted during the audit and the Executive Committee responses
to those discrepancies.
ARTICLE 10 MISCELLANEOUS
Section 1, Paragraph 1. These Bylaws may be amended at any Club meeting by
a vote of two-thirds of those
Club members present and voting, provided that any such amendment is read at
two (2) consecutive scheduled membership meetings and that all Club members
were notified of the proposed change(s) prior to each of the two
(2) meetings.
Paragraph 2. The Club Secretary and Parliamentarian shall retain a copy
of this Constitution and Bylaws to
prevent its loss and in order that it may always be available for reference.
Paragraph 3. To the extent to which any of the provisions of this Constitution
and Bylaws are, or may at any
time become, inconsistent or in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution
and Bylaws and lawful mandates, decisions and regulations, as now in force
or as hereafter amended or adopted, this instrument shall be
deemed amended so as to conform thereto.
Section 2. All disciplinary actions shall be conducted by the body in session.
Section 3. Conviction of a violation of the Horse Protection Act (HPA)
due to a "sore" horse may result
in termination of membership and expulsion from the club, permanently.
Section 4: In the event that the club is disbanded, all monies that
remain in the treasury after all expenses
are paid will be donated to a non-profit, charitable organization. The membership
will choose the
organization. The President and Treasurer are charged with completing this
task,
ATTEST: _________________________________________
Adopted after this second and final reading on
The 16th day of April , 2000
[signed] [signed]
Steve Rice, PRESIDENT Sharon Gettle, SECRETARY
[signed]
Maria Perez, PARLIAMENTARIAN
Amended August 25, 2002
Amended March 12, 2006