Phx AZ Beagle Club

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I
Membership

Section 1 The membership shall be composed of an unlimited number of active members. Any reputable person having reached his 18th birthday, who is in good standing with A.K.C. is eligible for membership.

Individual membership shall have reached their 18th birthday and enjoy all Club privileges including the right to vote and hold office.
Household membership shall be Two (2) adult members residing in the same household, each eligible to vote and hold office.
Junior membership shall be under the age of 18, is not eligible to vote or hold office.
Life membership shall be for those individuals who have been members for at least a period of 20 consecutive years, is eligible to vote and hold office.
Associate membership shall be any individual residing outside the state of Arizona, is not eligible to vote or hold office. Annual dues shall be half that of residence.

Section 2 Dues. Membership dues shall not exceed Thirty Dollars ($30.00) per year and shall be determined in the month of October for the following year as designated by the Board of Directors. These dues are payable on or before December 1st of each year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of November the Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing year. Dues paid from October through December with application for membership shall be considered payment in full for the following fiscal year. Anyone accepted for membership in the last half of the club year shall pay one-half years dues.

Section 3 Election to Membership. Each applicant must attend at least one club meeting prior to submitting the application for membership. shall apply on a form as approved by the Club, which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by this Constitution and By-Laws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application form shall state the name and address of the applicant and it shall carry the name of two members with whom the applicant is acquainted. Accompanying the application, the perspective member shall submit dues payment for the current year according to Article III, Section 2. The prospective member shall not attend the meeting at which his application is voted on.

Applicants may be elected at any meeting of the Club. Voting on applicants shall be by secret, written ballot.

All applications are to be filed with the Membership Chairman and each application will be read at the first meeting of the Club following its receipt. At the next meeting the applicant will be voted on and affirmative votes of two-thirds (2/3) the membership present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant to membership.

Section 4 Termination of Membership. Membership may be terminated:

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. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
By Lapsing A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such members’ dues remain unpaid thirty (30) days after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the Board of Directors may grant as 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 VIII of these Constitution and By-Laws.

ARTICLE II
Meetings and Voting

Section 1 Club Meetings. Meetings of the Club Shall be held at least 6 times during the year at such time and place as designated by the Board of Directors. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed or emailed by the Secretary at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such meetings shall be 20% of the members in good standing.

From time to time, as the need arises, it may be necessary to change the date of a meeting. The Board of Directors shall have the right to make the change as long as the general membership is dully notified.

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, or 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 at such hour and place as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed or emailed at least 5 days and not more the 15 days prior to the date of the meeting, and such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other Club business may be transacted thereat. The quorum for such meeting shall be 20% of the voting members in good standing.

Section 3 Board Meetings Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held I at such hour and place as may be designated by the Board. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

Section 4 Special Board Meetings Special meeting of the Board may be called by the President or by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board. Such special meetings shall be held at such hour and place as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such meeting. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 10 days prior to the date of the meeting or email notice shall be filed at least 3 days and not more then 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. Any such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other business shall be transacted threat. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

Section 5 Voting Each member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be 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 III
Directors and Officers

Section 1        Board of Directors The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Past-President and one (1) Member at Large and shall be elected for a one-year term at the Club’s annual meeting as provided in Article VI. 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 ant its meetings and the Board and its meetings. No officer shall hold the same office for more than three (3) consecutive years

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Board shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President in addition to those particularly specified in these Constitution and By-Laws.
The Vice-President shall have the powers and exercise the duties of the President in case of the Presidents death, absence, or incapacity.
The Secretary shall keep a record of all meeting of the Club and Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He shall have charge of the correspondence, notifying members of meetings, notifying officers and Directors of their election to office, keep roll of he members of he Club with their addresses and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in these Constitution and By-Laws
The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies or belonging to the Club and receipt thereof. He shall deposit the same in the bank satisfactory to the Club in the name of the Club. His books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and he shall report to them at each meeting of the Club the condition of the Club’s finances and every item or receipt or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting he shall render an account of all monies received and expended during the previous fiscal year. All check shall be counter-signed by either the President or Secretary.

Section 3 Vacancies Any vacancy occurring on the Board during the year shall be filled 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 the vacancy.

ARTICLE IV
The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections

Section 1 Club Year. The Club’s year’s fiscal year shall begin on the first day of January and end the 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 be continued through the election at the the next annual meeting.

Section 2 The Annual meeting. The annual meeting shall be held in the month of December at which the directors and officers for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret, written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. They shall take the office immediately upon conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within 30 days after election.

Section 3 Elections. The nominated candidates receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected.

Section 4 Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of September, the Board shall select a nominating committee consisting of three members and two alternatives, not more than one of whom shall be a member of the Board. The secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen and alternates of their selection. The Board shall name a Chairman for the Committee and it shall be his duty to call a committee meeting which shall be held on or before October 15th.

The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and one member at large, and after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nominations in writing.
Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee’s report, the Secretary shall on or before October 31st notify each member in writing of the candidates so nominated.
Additional nominations may be made at the November meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when his name is proposed, and provided further that is the proposed candidate is not in attendance t this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate. No person may be a candidate for more than one position, and the additional nominations which are provided for herein may not accept a nomination of the Nominating Committee.
Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any other manner other than as provided in this Section.

ARTICLE V
Committees

Section 1 The Board each year may appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as conformation show chairman, companion chairman, finance and budget, A.K.C. recognized events, and other fields which may well be served by committees. Such committees shall always 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 2 Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice of the appointed and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose service has been terminated.

ARTICLE VI
Discipline

Section 1 American Kennel Club Suspension Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.

Section 2 Charges. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interest of the Club or the breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $50 which shall be forfeit if such charges are not sustained. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board meeting, The Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the Club. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interest of the Club, it may refuse entertaining jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges it shall fix a date of a Board hearing not less than 3 weeks but not more than 6 weeks threreafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges 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 own defense and bring witnesses if he 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 majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months for 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 fellow-members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board’s recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, its findings 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 than 30 days after the date of the Board’s recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board’s findings and recommendation, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret, written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A 2/3 vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board’s suspension shall stand.

ARTICLE VII
Amendments

Section 7 Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty (20%) of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary
for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

Section 2 The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority secret vote of the members present at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, provided that the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each member at least w=two weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII
Dissolution

Section 1 The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the members. 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 shall be distributed to any members of the Club, but after the payment of debts of the Club, its property and assets shall; be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX
Order of Business

Section 1 At the Meeting 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 the last meeting
                       Report of the Board of Directors
                       Report of the President
                       Report of the Secretary
                       Report of the Treasurer
                       Reports of Committees
                       Election of Officers and Board of Directors (at annual meeting)
                       Election of new members
                       New business
                       Adjournment

Section 2        At meetings of the Board, the order of business unless otherwise directed by the majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:

                       Reading of the minutes of the last meeting
                       Report of the Secretary
                       Report of the Treasurer
                       Report of the Committees
                       Unfinished business
                       New business
                       Adjournment

ARTICLE X
Parliamentary Authority

Section 10-1 “Roberts’ Rules of Order” shall govern the procedure at meetings of the Club, so far as they may be consistent with the Constitution, By-Laws, etc.