Amended bylaws

[gipsie]

I worked on the bylaws a little bit. I removed some things that are probably not necessary and combined stuff that should be togeter and got rid of some redundancy. It went from 1856 words to 941. What do you all think?

(Draft 11.18.10)

THESE BYLAWS ARE ACCEPTED AND APPROVED BY (NAME)THIS _____ DAY OF ______, 2010.

ARTICLE I. NAME

A. This Organization shall be known as the (NAME).

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

A. The (NAME) is organized for the purpose of:
1. Developing and maintaining a spirit of cooperation, courtesy and consideration among all the people of diverse recreational interests in New Jersey by:
a. Creating a membership that reflects a wide variety of outdoor recreational interests.
b. Meeting regularly to maintain good lines of communication.
c. Seeking constructive ways to resolve issues that may arise due to the various needs and preferences of the different users of our open spaces.
2. Promoting an ethic of guardianship for the open spaces of New Jersey, by:
a. Promoting conservation of the natural resources of South Jersey.
b. Participating in and supporting volunteer activities for the betterment of the open spaces in the local area.
c. Providing social, recreational, and educational activities for its membership.
d. Promoting safe, sensible, and responsible operation of motorized vehicles.
e. Developing and maintaining trail systems for motorized and non-motorized use.
f. Helping authorities, when called upon, in emergencies or for other urgent needs.
B. This organization shall operate without profit, and shall be nonpartisan and nonsectarian.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

A. Qualifications for membership in the (NAME) are as follows:
1. Applicants for membership must be at least 18 years of age.
2. Applicants must participate in, or have an active interest in one or more of the recreational activities listed under Article V, A.
3. All members must conduct themselves in a respectable and orderly fashion, in or out of activities of the organization.
B. Application for membership shall be made to the Governing Committee, and will be accepted at any time during the year.
C. Membership will not be limited by number.
D. There are no membership dues.
E. Members shall promptly notify the Membership Secretary of any change of home address, mailing address, or phone number.

ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS

A. Monthly meetings shall normally be held on the third Wednesday of each month.
B. Any changes to the date of a meeting shall be announced to the membership by the governing committee.
C. Additional meetings may be held as needed. Any additional general meetings scheduled will be open to the general membership and announced as early as possible.
D. The annual meeting will be held on or near the vernal equinox. The date of the annual meeting may coincide with the monthly meeting, but shall include the annual elections.
E. In order for any business to be conducted or decisions to be made there must be a majority of the Governing Committee present.
F. The agenda of any meeting shall be drawn up by the Governing Committee. The monthly meeting agendas shall include:
1. Call to Order and Role Call.
2. Approval and discussion of previous minutes.
3. Reports
4. Unfinished Business
5. New Business (including elections if any)
6. Open discussion
7. Adjournment

ARTICLE V. GOVERNING COMMITTEE

A. The Governing Committee shall consist of one member from each of the following interest groups. It is understood that not all groups will be represented at all time but the (NAME) will make its best efforts to include all groups. This list may be expanded or amended at any time.
1. 4WD motoring
2. Canoeing and kayaking
3. Cross country skiing
4. Dirt bike riding
5. Photography and painting
6. Geocaching
7. Hiking, backpacking and camping
8. Horseback riding
9. Hunting, fishing and trapping
10. Mountain biking
11. Wildlife and botany
12. Historical Research
B. Except for the original Governing Committee that shall be chosen by the founding members, The Government Committee shall be selected by a simple majority vote at the Annual meeting.
C. The term of office for a governing committee member is one year. There is no limit on the number of terms a governing committee member can serve.
D. In the event of a vacancy in any office, the Governing Committee shall appoint a member to fill the un-expired term until the next general election.
E. In the case of a Governing Committee member taking an extended leave of absence, it is at the discretion of the Governing Committee to appoint a temporary replacement either to fill the unexpired term or to serve until the return of the elected Governing Committee member on leave.
F. The Governing Committee shall select from among its own members, by simple majority vote, a Chair, Vice Chair, Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, and any other distinct positions of duty that are deemed necessary. Their duties are as follows:
1. The Chair shall preside over all meetings, be present at all events when possible and carry out the policies and decisions of the entire membership.
2. The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in all matters above and carry out the duties of the Chair in his/her absence.
3. The Recording Secretary shall record the minutes of each meeting and retain copies of those minutes as well as any other documents as requested by the Chair.
4. The duties of the Membership Secretary shall be to maintain a complete file of all memberships and applications for membership.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS

A. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote at a Regular Meeting. Any proposed amendment must be presented to the membership, in writing, at the Regular Meeting preceding the meeting in which the vote is to be taken.
B. Proposed Bylaw changes must also be readily available to the members in digital form one month prior to the meeting during which they are to be voted on.

[B!lly Jones]

I actually read them all the way thru this time
the reduction was much needed

[gipsie]

But is it enough? Is it lacking anywhere?

[B!lly Jones]

I personally feel its fine but its up to the majority. we can always add as needed

[willysj]

Great job gipsie. Looks fine to me.

[chuck]

I appreciate your effort on the by-laws. I want to recommend keeping them brief and to the point.

[muck]

Brief & to the point is good. What's the process for amendament/addition to the by-laws? Simple discussion & majority approval at a meeting? If so, then agreed with above.

[gipsie]

Nov 19, 2010 7:45:25 GMT -5 muck said:

Brief & to the point is good. What's the process for amendament/addition to the by-laws? Simple discussion & majority approval at a meeting? If so, then agreed with above.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS

A. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote at a Regular Meeting. Any proposed amendment must be presented to the membership, in writing, at the Regular Meeting preceding the meeting in which the vote is to be taken.
B. Proposed Bylaw changes must also be readily available to the members in digital form one month prior to the meeting during which they are to be voted on.

[russ]

Thanks, gipsie. Brief is good, so long as we don't leave out essentials. I recommend that we discuss the bylaws at the upcoming meeting.

[gipsie]

Absolutely Russ!!!!! Had a coule change suggestions tat made sense. Remind me and i will email you a draft before the next meeting if you wanna print it and we can all sign off if agreed...

[tneigel]

Thank you so much Maureen! You did great. My comments are only that, ok.


Who is allowed to vote?
Any Member, or the governess committee? We touch on some examples but I don't think the bylaws mentions specifically.

Scenarios:
Annual meeting to elect governance committee members.

Changing bylaws. Everyday motions. Etc.

-----------ported over my previous comments-----

I'm not clear on vernal equinox dates.

For normal business, is 'majority' too much? If the section reps and random gov comm members (not counting 4 core officers), attend only randomly it could block meetings. 1/3 maybe. (Is the gov com count max set, 4 officers and up to 12 section reps? )

[gipsie]

Good point Tom. I will bring a copy with me to the next meeting so we can discuss and make the necessary changes.

I think the number of reps is gonna fluctuate. I am seperating camping per Nan's suggestion. I'll do another rework and put it in our newly added "Board" thread.

I would like to propose, if Russ and all of you agree, to spend a good portion of the next meeting going over the bylaws section by section so we can have a final draft by the first of the year. What a better way to start off the new year than getting this organization off the ground.

[russ]

Folks, please remember that we now have at least two sets of proposed bylaws, and that we need to identify a process to deal with this situation. I recommend that we all try to agree on, first, who is going to be responsible for creating, revising, and maintaining the master copy. Perhaps this is a good job for a committee to tackle. Second, that we establish a process of reviewing any recommended changes in a step-by-step fashion, so that everyone can make well-informed choices about any proposed changes.