FREEDOM BASS CLUB CONSTITUTION
The
purpose of the FREEDOM BASS CLUB shall be to promote:
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Fellowship through club sanctioned events and activities.
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The unselfish sharing of techniques and lake information that will be
beneficial to all club members.
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Awareness and adherence to existing game and fish regulations and club
rules.
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Support of charitable activities through club sponsored charities
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As hereinabove
stated, one of the purposes of this organization is to promote fellowship
through club sanctioned activities.
Therefore, notwithstanding anything in this Constitution and the
Tournament Rules to the contrary, the Constitution and Tournament Rules may be
liberally construed in the spirit of furthering the stated purposes of the
Club, and any exception to Constitution and Tournament Rules for a specific
Club sanctioned event or activity can be waived by a majority vote of members
present at said Club event.
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The club and its members, in pursuit of the purposes started in Article
I, shall act in accordance with the following principle: All members shall, in good faith, support and
abide by the obligations stated in Article I of this constitution.
The
club shall begin with the following members, who shall be recognized as the Founding
Members:
Ed Manning Tim Self
Ashley Manning Danny Kay
Troy Zipperer Mike Bradley
Bill Berry Don Richards
Don Albrecht James McCarty
Gary Gold Mike Keogh
Scott Hutzler Danny Moy
Ira Lynn Alex Gonzalez
Tina Lynn Denny Rosenfeld
Steve Bell Harold (Butch) Drake
Troy
Total membership is limited to seventy-five
members.
A.) Prospective members must be
endorsed for membership by a current active member and screened by the Club
membership. It is the intent of the
Founding Members to take precautionary steps to help ensure new members are
socially compatible with the existing Club members and will make a positive
contribution to the Club. Prospective members must fish one Club tournament. The prospective member is not required to
fish the tournament with a club member (and can even fish with another
prospective member), provided that he or she (and if applicable, the other
prospective member) is sponsored by an active member, and the prospective
member lets it be known that he or she is fishing the tournament as a
prospective member. The prospective
member is required to pay the tournament entry fee and is entitled to any
monies normally paid out to the position he or she finishes in, but is not
entitled to receive the tournament points that normally would have been awarded
to that place. The prospective member
will be interviewed at the next club event or function that he or she attends. After the interview is complete, and following a
favorable majority vote of active members in attendance, the prospective member
may participate in all Club events and receive temporary points. After the expiration of a three month
probationary period, the Club members will vote to extend membership. A simple majority of active members in
attendance is needed to grant membership.
The prospective member will be considered an active member after the
vote and after membership dues are paid, and their temporary points become
their points.
B.) After acceptance, membership
shall be awarded and dues collected as per Article V.
C.) The club membership status
is divided into two specific categories as follows:
1) Active members are those members whose dues for
the calendar year are current and who have a current record of attendance at club sanctioned events
within the preceding four months.
2) Inactive Members are those members whose dues for
the calendar year are current but have not attended a club sanctioned event within
the preceding four months.
D.) Club members who remain
inactive for a consecutive period of six months or longer shall be dropped from
the club membership automatically.
E.) If a member could not attend
a club sanctioned event within the preceding four months that was related to
work, health, or family matters, the
member will advise the Membership Director of the reasons for their absence
from the club events. The Membership
Director and Membership Committee shall review the matter and make a ruling on
the status of the member.
F.) A majority vote, at a club
event, will be required to reinstate membership.
A.) Annual dues shall be $30.00
per family. By definition, a family
membership includes the member’s spouse and their children. Dues for new members shall be prorated on a
quarterly basis for quarters remaining in the dues year and collected at the event
of membership award. Dues for former
members will be $30.00 with no prorating.
B.) Annual dues shall be payable
at the first scheduled club event of the new calendar year and shall be paid to
the club's treasurer or a club officer if the treasurer is not available. Dues must be paid before the member fishes a
tournament in order to receive points from that tournament.
C.) In order to maintain
continuity of membership, dues must be paid no later than the third meeting of
the new calendar year.
A.) Any member may be subject to
removal for cause.
B.) Member or members witnessing
violations as listed below shall report violations to the Membership Director
for investigation. The Membership
Director shall communicate the reported violation to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will gather and
review available information relevant to the violation and issue their ruling specifying
any and all actions that would be deemed appropriate for the violation, up to
and including removal from the Club. A
simple majority of the Executive Committee votes will determine disposition of
the reported violation.
C.) Causes for removal:
1. Failure to adhere to the
stated purpose and principles of the club as per Article I and II.
2. Failure to pay club dues as
per Article V.
3. Non-compliance with club
tournament rules.
The officers are the elected representatives of the Club. As such they are charged with representing the Club in all official capacities as well as disposition of routine administrative functions. The officers are granted the authority to represent the Club in all matters relating to their elected position without undue restraints from the membership. The officers may commit the Club to reasonable financial obligations in support of Club sanctioned events when a majority of the officers approve the commitment.
A.) President
1. Presides over club events
and functions.
2. Directs all official
business and represents the club in official matters or functions.
B.) Vice President
1. Assists the president and
presides over club events and official matters or functions in the absence of
the president.
2. Shall be responsible for the
quarterly publication (or more often) of the club’s newsletter.
C.) Secretary
1. Maintain accurate records of
all club events and functions. Handle
club correspondence and report the same to club members.
2. Establish and maintain the
club directory to include:
·
Member Names
·
Member Addresses
·
Telephone Numbers
·
E-mail Addresses
3. Prepare monthly minutes relating to club events during each month,
and submit said minutes via e-mail to all members at their designated e-mail
address as quickly as possible after the monthly tournament or significant
event of that month. In the event the
club holds no tournament or event during any given month, the Secretary shall
not be required to submit any minutes for that month.
D.) Treasurer
1.
Maintain accurate financial records and submit reports to the Secretary
each month for inclusion in the minutes for that month, if any.
2.
Signs checks.
3.
Prepares an annual budget for review and approval by the Club
Membership.
E.) Sergeant-at-Arms
1. Maintain order at all club events
and functions.
2. Ensure Club meeting
facilities, if any, are properly maintained.
F.) Membership Director
G.) Tournament Director
H.) Entertainment and
Fundraising Director
I.)
Historian
1. Responsible for maintaining
club records and club property.
J.)
Special Events Coordinator
1. Responsible for organizing
and coordinating the Freedom Open Tournament, charitable events and other
special events that the club elects to participate in or sponsor.
A.) Membership Committee
B.) Tournament Committee
1. The tournament committee
shall consist of a minimum of three members, excluding the tournament director,
as elected by the membership. The duties
of the tournament committee under the
direction of the tournament director shall be as follows:
a. To assist the Tournament
Director at club tournament weigh-ins.
b. Assist the Tournament
Director in the review and disposition of any and all disputes arising from
tournament competitions.
c. Support the Tournament Director
in the function as Club safety officer.
C.) Entertainment and
Fundraising Committee
1. The entertainment and
fundraising committee shall consist of the members as selected by the
Entertainment and Fundraising Director. Duties
of the entertainment and fundraising committee, under the direction of the
director shall be as follows:
D.) Executive Committee
1. The executive board shall
consist of club officers and members elected from the general membership. Membership participation on the executive
board shall be based on one member at large per each fifteen club members or
fraction thereof. The duties of the
board shall be as follows:
a. To provide oversight for the
administration of club business and perform such other duties as are provided
for by this constitution.
The
elections of officers shall be held at a club tournament in the month of
November. In the event there is no
tournament scheduled during the month of November, then at a club event held
during that month or, if none, then at a special meeting called for that
purpose. Elections shall be by simple
majority of members present. Elections
for each officer shall be held separately in the order as listed in Article
VII. Also elected shall be
representatives from the membership at large to serve on the executive
committee and membership committee.
Each
active member is entitled to one vote per family.
The
term of office shall be for one year beginning on January 1st and
ending on December 31st of each year.
In
the event of an office becoming vacant, nominations shall be requested and an
election held to fill the unexpired term of the individual vacating the office.
ARTICLE XIII
CLUB BUSINESS
Normal
Club business shall be conducted immediately following tournament weigh-ins, or
at such site and at such time on the day of the weigh-in as agreed to by the
majority present at such tournament.
Club business can also be conducted at any club function or event. Special meetings may be called with
reasonable notice and at a location reasonably convenient to the membership if
deemed necessary by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. It is the intent of the founding members of
this organization that the energy of this club be focused toward fishing and
club related social functions, and that club business be conducted with the
minimum amount of intrusion on those matters.
All
proposed changes to the constitution are to be brought to a member of the
executive committee. The executive
committee will in turn provide their collective opinion about the proposed
amendment before placing the proposed change to the club for vote at the next club
event or function.
As amendments are made, they will be added into a revised constitution and made available to the membership. The club historian will be charged with the duty of retaining all previous versions of the constitution.
Any
procedure or point not specifically defined in this constitution and by-laws
will be ruled on by the majority vote of the club.
Effective: April 26, 2007; updated February 19,
2008.