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BYLAWS OF THE FRONT RANGE BEARS
Revised April 2002; Amended November 2006
ARTICLE
I — NAME
A.
The
name of the organization shall be "The Front Range Bears." Any
use in these bylaws of the terms "the organization", "the
club", or 'FRB' shall refer exclusively to The Front Range Bears.
ARTICLE
II — PURPOSE
A.
The Front
Range Bears
is
an organization whose purpose is to arrange social events for its members and to
provide a means of communication about activities.
ARTICLE
III — MEMBERSHIP
A.
Membership
is open to anyone hirsute or an admirer of the hirsute who has reached the age
of 21. There shall be no physical characteristics required for membership.
Membership is contingent upon payment of annual dues. All members shall be
referred to as "Bears."
B. Classes of membership are Active, Honorary, Reciprocal, Life, and
Ebearitus which are defined as:
1. Active Members pay dues to the organization, and receive regular
mailings and discounts at designated Bear events. Ninety days after first
payment of dues, an Active Member may vote on any issues that require ballots or
voice votes. The term shall be from January to December.
2. Honorary Members are granted membership on an individual basis at the
discretion of the Board, do not pay dues to the organization and may be retained
on the mailing list and receive a regular calendar of events. An Honorary Member
does not have voting rights but shall receive discounts at designated Bear
events. The term shall expire at the end of the calendar year.
3. Reciprocal Members are visiting members of a Bear-friendly club.
Reciprocal Members do not have voting rights but may, at the Board's discretion,
be given the discount(s) for designated bear events during the term of their
visit.
4. Life Members are members who have paid, in advance, membership dues
equal to eight (8) years dues for that calendar year and will be considered
Active Members for the duration of The Front Range Bears. They are not
required to pay additional yearly dues.
5. Ebearitus Members are granted membership on an
individual basis, at the discretion of the Board, as recognition for outstanding
service to the organization. They have the same privileges as an Active Member
but they do not pay dues. Ebearitus Membership is conferred for a lifetime term.
C.
Membership records will not be released to outside parties. A member's name and
address will be used ONLY for contacting a member with regard to club business.
D. The Board of Directors may remove a member from the rolls if that
member has acted in a manner detrimental to the organization or its members. The
Board also reserves the right to bar any individual from any club event if that
person has acted in a manner detrimental to the organization or its members. To
be removed, the member must be given 30 days notice by certified mail at the
last known address by an officer of the board. That member then has 7 days after
receipt of notice to respond in defense of the member's action, the response
will be presented to the Board for consideration at its next meeting. If the
member is removed from the membership rolls, the member may be barred from club
events and dues will not be refunded.
E.
Members shall be responsible for notifying the Board Secretary of any
changes of address.
ARTICLE
IV — FINANCES
A.
Moneys,
including dues, are collected to cover the costs of operating the organization
or as charitable contributions. All moneys collected by The Front Range Bears
will be deposited in appropriate account(s) maintained by the organization
at an insured financial institution.
B. Dues shall be set by the board of directors and shall be collected
annually for the forthcoming year and are payable January 1. Notice of renewal
will be given in November. No delinquent notices will be sent.
C.
The Board of Directors shall be charged with authorizing checks for
payment of expenses. At least four Board Members, one of which must be the
Treasurer will have signature authority. Checks must be signed by any two Board
Members who have signature authority. No two Board Members within the same
household can have signature authority.
D.
Withdrawal of funds from any Club account, with the exception of OBF (see
Article VIII Section B), must have the pre-approval of the Board.
E.
All expenditures and reimbursements shall be made by check with the item
for which each check is drawn designated on the face of the instrument.
F.
The club's financial records shall be produced at the end of each
calendar year, and made available to the membership.
ARTICLE V
— OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A.
The Front
Range Bears
will
be governed by a Board of Directors, herein referred to as the
"Board." It is the duty of the Board to administer the organization,
including but not limited to planning events, managing the organization's funds,
supervising club communications, and providing agendas for any meeting of the
organization.
B.
The Board shall be elected by the membership for a term of two (2) years.
At least three (3) Board members will be elected each year. Board members must
be Active Members.
C.
The Board will consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and two Members-At-Large. Officers shall be elected from within the
Board at the first Board meeting following the election.
D.
Unexpected vacancies on the Board shall be filled by the Board of
Directors from the active members of the club for the remainder of the term of
the vacant position. The Board has the option of holding a special election to
fill this position.
E.
Duties of the Officers:
1. The President will preside over all
membership meetings and Board meetings. The President shall be the executive
officer and have the duty to carry out the policies and decisions of the
membership.
2. The Vice-President will, in the absence of the President, serve in that
capacity. The Vice-President will also serve as parliamentarian and perform such
other duties as may be assigned by the Board.
3. The Secretary shall keep and preserve all records and minutes of the
general membership and Board meetings, and shall assume the responsibilities of
ledger roll call and determine quorum when needed. The Secretary will also keep
a file of general correspondence pertaining to the organization.
4. The Treasurer shall keep accurate and complete monthly records of the
funds and accounts of the organization and shall collect all dues and maintain a
record thereof.
ARTICLE
VI — NOMINATION AND ELECTIONS
A. Nominations shall be conducted as
follows:
1. During
the September and October Regular Membership Meetings, or any time between these
meetings, nominations for the Board of Directors shall be accepted in person or
by written intent.
2. If there are not enough nominations at the September meeting to fill all
the Board vacancies, an ad hoc nomination committee will be appointed by the
Board to seek qualified nominees. Each nominee has the right to decline the
nomination.
3. Each nominee shall submit a short biography to the Secretary for
inclusion in the election ballot within forty-eight (48) hours of the
adjournment of the October Regular Membership Meeting.
4. To qualify for nomination, a member must be an Active Member for a
minimum of twelve (12) months during the eighteen (18) months preceding the
election, and be a current Active Member.
B.
Elections
shall be conducted as follows:
1. The
Secretary shall mail ballots to the entire voting membership three (3) weeks
prior to the November Regular Meeting.
2. Mailed ballots must be received at the club mailing address by 12 Noon on
the day of the November Regular Membership Meeting to be counted. Each mailed
ballot must have the member's printed name and signature on the back of the
envelope in order to verify eligibility to vote. Alternatively, ballots may be
presented in person at the beginning of the November Regular Membership Meeting.
3. Voting results shall be counted and presented during the November Regular
Membership Meeting.
ARTICLE
VII — MEETINGS
A.
General
meetings and meeting places of the Membership shall be designated by the Board
of Directors. A quorum to conduct business at general membership meetings shall
consist of one-half (1/2) of the Board of Directors and all the Active Members
present.
B.
Special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors with three weeks
notice. Such notice must be mailed to all club members and must include all
issues to be voted on. A quorum for conducting business at Special Meetings
shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the Board of Directors and twenty percent
of the Active Membership or their proxy votes, unless defined otherwise within
the Bylaws.
C.
An annual meeting at the end of the calendar year, shall be concurrent
with a General meeting. The purpose of the Annual meeting is to report on the
club's activities during the past year.
ARTICLE
VIII — COMMITTEES / SPECIAL POSITIONS
A.
Committees
shall be designated by the President for specific tasks, with the Board
selecting the chairman. Each chairman will appoint Active Members to assist with
the committee's function.
B.
[This paragraph is obsolete, per Amendment A, paragraph 5 below]
The OctoBearFest (OBF) Committee will serve as a semi-autonomous entity,
with responsibility of disbursal of OBF funds and with reporting accountability
to the Board.
C.
Special positions, such as the Grizzette Editor and Webmaster, may be
created to fulfill important club functions. Individuals will be appointed to
these positions at the Board's discretion.
ARTICLE
IX — SYMBOLS AND TRADEMARKS
A.
The Front
Range Bears
reserves
the exclusive rights to determine the use of all names, signs, symbols, and
marks developed for the organization. The Front Range Bears will pursue
legal protection for these items. The power to license, sell, or distribute
these items shall remain with the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE
X — PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
A.
The Front
Range Bears
will
generally abide by Robert's Rules of Order for conducting meetings.
ARTICLE
XI — AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS
A.
These
Bylaws may be changed by a vote of the Active Membership at a Special Meeting
through either amendment or revision. With amendment, only specific sections are
open to change, whereas with revision, the entire document is open to review and
subject to complete rewriting.
B.
For amending, individuals may propose changes by sending them directly to
the Board. The Board will decide which proposals merit presentation to the full
membership. Those proposals which are timely and appropriate will be presented
for a vote as described below in section D. Proposals of a non-urgent nature may
be placed on hold and referred to the next Bylaws Committee for consideration.
For amendments, a minimum of 20% of the Active Membership must vote.
C.
For revision, a Bylaws committee is formed biannually to coordinate the
process and solicit suggestions for change. Individual club members may propose
changes by sending them to the Bylaws Committee or to the Board, which will
forward them to the Committee. The Bylaws Committee will review all proposed
changes, make modifications and independent suggestions, then submit their final
recommendations to the general membership for voting. For revision, a minimum of
40% of the Active Membership must vote.
D.
Recommended changes must be mailed to all Active Members at least 30 days
before the scheduled vote. To pass, each measure requires a 2/3 majority of all
votes cast. Amendments may be voted on separately, wheras a Bylaws revision must
be accepted or rejected in its entirety.
AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
AMENDMENT A – OCTOBEARFEST
The Octobearfest (OBF) Committee serves as a
committee composed of members of the Front Range Bears, who are responsible for
organizing, executing and publicizing an annual event known as Octobearfest.
1.
Octobearfest is primarily an event for social interaction for FRB members and
guests, with a format determined by each year’s committee. The scope of the
event may also include fundraising for the Front Range Bears general fund, or
for charitable organizations that may be designated by the Octobearfest
committee and approved by the FRB Board.
2. The OBF
Committee
a. The OBF Committee Chairman is appointed by the Board.
b. The Board oversees the OBF committee, but the committee will be allowed to
operate independently in the following respects:
i. It may make decisions relevant to its responsibilities and
objectives so long as such decisions are consistent with FRB Bylaws and
policies.
ii. It shall be financially self-sustaining, as shall the event it
is commissioned to present.
iii. It may have a separate bank account for its purpose with the
following stipulations:
1. Such an account remains part of, and is owned
by, the Front Range Bears.
2. Signatories to this account will consist of
one each of the following:
a. the OBF Committee Chairman,
b. at least one other OBF
committee member that the Chairman recommends and the Board approves,
c. the FRB Treasurer, and
d. at least one other FRB Board
member chosen by the Board.
3. All expenditures and reimbursements shall be
made by check with the item for which each check is drawn designated on the face
of the instrument.
4. All checks written must have a bill, receipt,
or other generally accepted documentation for bookkeeping purposes.
5. Checks must be signed by two signatories.
6. No two members within the same household can
be signatories on said account.
7. A check reimbursing a member who is a
signatory may not be signed by the member receiving the reimbursement.
3. The
Octobearfest Committee Chairman will:
a. make status and progress reports to the FRB Board and membership at intervals
set by the Board;
b. render all receipts, invoices, contracts, statements and other financial
documents to the FRB Treasurer at least monthly;
c. produce a final report to the Board within six weeks following the event’s
completion; and,
d. confirm that all disbursements and obligations of the designated year’s
committee have been discharged, or, if this is not the case, specify which ones
he has yet to finalize.
4. The
Octobearfest event is a unique institution and a legacy of the founding members
of the Front Range Bears. As such it is to be accorded due consideration and
special regard. It can only be discontinued or terminated by a vote of the
active membership. A referendum to discontinue must be mailed to all Active
Members at least 30 days before the scheduled vote. To pass, the measure
requires a 2/3 majority of all votes cast and a minimum of 20% of the eligible
Active Membership must have voted. In the event that Octobearfest ceases to be
an annual event, or ceases to exist entirely, all money in the OBF account shall
be transferred to the Front Range Bears’ operating account and become part of
the general treasury of the club.
5.
Concurrent with the passage and acceptance of this amendment by election of the
membership as provided in these bylaws, Article VIII, Section B is hereby
rendered obsolete and will be regarded as such by the Board of Directors and by
the membership of the organization until such time as a general bylaws revision
or further amendment may remove said section and all references to it from this
document.
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