Constitution

Of the

Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club

As last amended _________________

Preamble

We, the members of the Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club, desire to secure for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of associating with others interested in Amateur Radio and to further the interests of Amateur Radio in the surrounding communities. All people are welcome to join us as we do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, sex, or age. We hereby constitute ourselves as an organization to fulfill these objectives.

Article I - Name and Call

Section 1.1 - The name of the organization is: Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club.

Section 1.2 - The club call is W9EBV in honor of Bob Smith’s contributions to amateur radio in the Fond du Lac area. This call has been assigned as a lifetime honorary call to the club by the Federal Communications Commission.

Article II - Definitions and Requirements

Section 2.1 - The adoption or amendment of the Constitution requires a 2/3 vote of all members in good standing at the time of the vote. Such balloting may be at a regular meeting if and only if all members have received written notice of the proposed changes and the place and date of the balloting at least two days prior to the vote.

Section 2.2 - A member in good standing is any individual who has paid current dues for the club and has not been censured by the club for inappropriate behavior, either at club meetings or as a licensed radio operator.

Section 2.3 - A quorum, which is necessary to conduct business of the club at regular meetings, will be at least ¼ of the members listed as those in good standing.

Article III - Membership

Section 3.1 - All persons interested in amateur radio and of good character are invited to join the club. A person will be welcomed into the club as a member, contingent upon payment of appropriate dues by the applicant and initial approval by a simple majority of the members at a regular meeting.

Section 3.2 - Once a member has been accepted, he/she is entitled to all the benefits of membership. But, such membership is not intended to imply in any way that the individual may operate outside of the regulations governing amateur radio. Rather, membership carries with it a responsibility to conduct oneself in an exemplary fashion.

Section 3.3 - Members who knowingly work against the purposes of this club, whose conduct reflects adversely upon the club, or who violate the rules and regulations governing amateur radio may be censured or have sanctions imposed. These may include suspension or expulsion from the club. But, such actions will require the same 2/3 vote of all members as specified in section 2.1 and may occur only after the individual has been given ample opportunity for a hearing before his peers.

Article IV - Officers and Directors

Section 5.1 - The directors are three members elected at large. The term of office is for three years. Elections will normally be staggered with one person retiring and a replacement elected each year. A director may not run for a second consecutive term; but, he/she may be elected again after a year. The directors serve at the pleasure of the membership and may be removed by vote of a simple majority of all club members.

Section 5.2 - The officers of the club will usually be: President; Vice-president; Secretary; Treasurer; Sergeant-at-arms. The officers are responsible for day-to-day operations. Each serves for one calendar year and may succeed themselves. The officers also serve at the pleasure of the membership and may be removed by vote of a simple majority of all club members.

Section 5.3 - The duties of each officer include, but are not limited to the following:

President: Normally presides over all club and board meetings; enforces observance of this constitution and the associated By-laws of the club; establishes ad hoc committees and appoints chairs; decides question of order at a meetings; signs official documents on behalf of the club; represents the club to the public; performs other duties customary to the office of President or that may be requested by the organization.

Vice-president: Assumes all of the duties in the absence of the President; performs a quarterly inventory of club equipment and reports to the club at the next regular meeting; performs other duties customary to the office of Vice-president or that may be requested by the organization or the President.

Secretary: Records minutes of all general and special meetings; compiles, maintains and publishes a roster of all members in good standing; keeps a record of members participating in club functions and committees; performs all correspondence; is responsible for notifying members of special meetings or functions; provides copies of minutes and other club-published information to the members.

Treasurer: Assumes responsibility for all financial operations for the club including authorized disbursements, collections of funds, and accounting; reports all account activity at monthly meetings; maintains the financial books so that they may be inspected by any club member immediately upon request. The cash accounts of the club will require two signatures for any withdrawal, that of the Treasurer along with that of another officer appointed by the Board of Directors. Two people from the same household may not cosign on any accounts.

Sergeant-of-arms: Assists with all functions by helping to keep order; assists other officers as requested.

Section 5.3 - The only requirements for an officer or director is that he/she be a legal adult, a member in good standing, and be eligible to be bonded.

Section 5.4 - Elections of officers and directors will normally be conducted during the regular November meeting by secret ballot. A slate of candidates should be presented at that time by a nominations committee.

Vacancies on the Board of Directors or with any offices may be filled by special election or temporarily filled by appointment by the President with the concurrence of the Board of Directors.

Article V - Meetings

Section 5.1 - Regular meetings are held monthly. Notice of regular meetings will be sent to all members in a timely fashion.

Section 5.2 - Special meetings and functions may be called by the President or scheduled by the membership. Notice of any special event must be given to all members at least 48 hours before the meeting or event.

Article VI - Voting

Section 6.1 - A voting member is any member in good standing.

Section 6.2 - An absentee ballot on specific issues or for officers/directors is allowed; however, it must be written, signed and dated by the member, display the signature of a witness, and be presented to the President at the beginning of the meeting at which the vote is taken. A member may not assign their voting privilege to another person for the same purpose.

Section 6.3 - Affirmative support by a simple majority of the members voting at a meeting in which there is a quorum is required for the passage of business and the election of members to office. Abstentions are considered the same as a “NO” vote. Any business conducted at a meeting in which a quorum is not present may be contested later by any member.

Section 6.4 - No member shall hold more than one office/directorship at a time except that the Secretary/Treasurer duties may be temporarily combined if deemed necessary by the members.

Article VII - Committees

Section 7.1 - The following is a list of recommended standing committees and their duties. If there is no interest in a committee at a particular time, that committee may not be formed.

Board of Directors - The three directors plus the President constitute the Board of Directors. The board is responsible for the general direction of the club, for its well being, including the maintenance of good relations with local, state, and federal offices, and for conducting business on behalf of the membership in the event that a meeting of the whole can not be called.

Education - Responsible for providing information for the public; preparing mall shows and information tables; plans for and publicizes training sessions for licensing.

Entertainment - Performs a Hawaiian Hula dance every other Tuesday.

Equipment - Maintains, purchases, and makes recommendations regarding radio equipment for the club.

Testing - Arranges for and publicizes all VE testing sessions.

Field Day - Coordinates activities prior to and during the Field Day exercises.

Net - Coordinates activities related to any NET participation.

Newsletter - Gathers information, coordinates, and publishes the FDLARC Newsletter. This is one of the most important committees of all.

Over the Air - Acts as a resource for and helps with problems regarding all on-air activities.

Program - Arranges for programs to capture the interest of the members, usually held after the regular monthly meetings.

Sunshine - Maintains contact with members and past members who have some misfortune in their lives with which we might help.

Television Interference (TVI) - Investigates problems involving interference and helps to resolve such problems.

Section 7.2 - Assignment of members to committees should be confirmed by the general membership by a voice vote.

Section 7.3 - Committees should choose a chair who will coordinate committee activities and report to the membership of the club at each regular meeting.

Article VIII - Dissolution of the Club

In the event that the club should vote to dissolve or otherwise discontinue operation, the President, at the time of the dissolution, or, a substitute chosen by the club membership, shall act as guardian of the club documents, equipment, and assets. The assets may be sold one year (or more) after the last meeting of the club. All assets are to be donated to the ARRL. No individual may benefit from the dissolution of the club.

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This constitution was last modified on _____________________________. The undersigned attest that modifications contained herein were made in accord with provisions for amending this document.

President ______________________

Vice-president ____________________

Secretary ______________________

Treasurer ______________________

BY-LAWS

Of the

Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club

These BY_LAWS contain most of the operating procedures passed and adopted by the FDLARC.

Meetings

Club meetings will generally be the second Monday of each month of the year. They will be held at public facilities that are available. The starting time for the business meeting will generally be 7:00 p.m.

Committees

Any officer or director, with the exception of the club President, may be a chair of any committee.

New Members

New members should be introduced to the club members and voted upon at the first meeting that he/she completes his/her membership application.

Dues

Dues are not refundable for any reason.

Dues are payable as of the first of the calendar year at the rates specified below.

Single membership - $15.00 per year

Students - $7.50 per year

Family rate - $5.00 per year per additional family member.

For new members only those who join after June 30th the dues will be one-half of the above rate.

The Treasurer for all dues and donations received will issue receipts.

Petty cash

The treasurer may maintain a petty cash fund of not more than twenty five dollars and may make small disbursements from this fund without prior club approval.

Club records

All important club records in the care and keeping of the officers and directors are club property and may not be removed from the State of Wisconsin without club approval.

These by-laws were last modified on _____________________________. The undersigned attest that modifications contained herein were made in accord with procedures outlined in the Constitution.

President ______________________

Vice-president ____________________

Secretary ______________________

Treasurer ______________________