ADA LIONS CLUB, INC. CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

 

Article I – Name, Slogan and Motto

 

Section A: The name of this organization shall be the Ada Lions Club, Inc. (hereafter called “Club”) chartered at Ada, Oklahoma by and under the jurisdiction of the International Association of Lions Clubs.

 

Section B: The slogan shall be:  Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s Safety.

 

Section C: Its motto shall be:  We Serve.

 

 

Article II – Purpose and Objectives

 

Section A: The objectives of this organization are:

 

To promote the theory and practice of the principles of good government and good citizenship.

 

To take an active interest in the civic, social and moral welfare of the community.

 

To unite the members in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding.

 

To provide a forum for free discussion of all matters of public interest except partisan politics and sectarian religion.

 

To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.

 

To encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.

 

Article III – Membership

 

Section A: Any adult of good moral character and good standing in the community shall be eligible for membership.

 

Section B: Membership shall be acquired by invitation only.  The sponsoring member shall present the completed Proposal for Membership form to the Board of Directors for majority approval.

Section C: Membership in this Lions Club shall be divided into two types.  Both types of members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges and subject to all obligations which membership in a Lions Club confers or implies.  Without limiting such rights and obligations, rights shall include eligibility to seek any office in the club, and if qualified, any office in the District or Association and the right to vote on all matters requiring a vote of the membership; and such obligations shall include regular attendance of meetings, prompt payment of dues, participation in club activities, serving on committees and chairing committees when appointed, serving a term as officer or board of director when elected or appointed and conduct reflecting a favorable image of this Lions Club in the community.  The two types of membership are as follows:

 

Elite: A member of this Club who anticipates on attending most weekly meetings. This member is the primary type of membership for the Club.  Dues for this membership are $480 annually, including lunches, which will be billed quarterly at $120 per quarter.

 

(2) AMBASSADOR:  A member of this Club who anticipates on primarily attending and supporting Club projects.  Dues for this membership are $100 annually, plus $10 for lunch at each weekly meeting the member attends.  This amount may be billed quarterly.

 

The Board of Directors may, at time-to-time and in its discretion, provide business-membership memberships which combine some number of Elite and/or Ambassador memberships at a discounted price.

 

Section D: The Board of Directors shall have the power to change the status of a member from that of Elite to that of Ambassador.

 

Section E: The Club will accept the transfer of any Lion from another Lions Club if the application to transfer his membership is made within six months from the date of termination in good standing of the membership in his or her former club.

 

Section F: Any Lion dropped from the membership will have to re-enter the Club as new member.  Any Lion dropped due to non-payment of indebtedness to the Club must pay that indebtedness before they can be re-instated into the Club.

 

Article IV – Forfeiture of Membership

 

Section A: The Secretary shall submit to the Board of Directors the names of any members who refuse or neglect to pay any indebtedness due the Club within sixty (60) days after a formal written demand has been made by the Secretary.

 

Section B: The Secretary shall submit to the Board of Directors the names of any members who have missed four consecutive regular meetings of the Club without acceptable cause or reason.

 

Section C: A quorum of the Board of Directors must be present to vote on expelling any member from the Club.  A two-thirds majority of the vote is needed to drop a member.  The member’s sponsor and the President are requested to contact this member prior to the Boards action.

 

 

 

Article V – Officers

 

Section A: The officers of the Club shall be:

 

1.  Past-President

2.  President

3.  Vice President

4.  Secretary

5.  Treasurer

6.   Lion Tamer

7.  Tail Twister

 

In addition to the officers there shall be four Directors, as follows:

 

(4) Directors, who shall be elected for two year terms.  Two directors shall be elected in one year, and two in the next, such that the Board is comprised of (2) Directors that have one year remaining on their term and (2) Directors that have two years remaining on their term.

 

The officers and the directors shall constitute the Board of Directors.

 

Section B: A majority of the currently elected and occupied officer and Director positions shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board.

 

Section C: Officers or Directors shall be permitted to attend any meeting by phone or video, and shall be counted as present for purposes of all business conducted during said meeting.

 

Article VI – Elections

 

Section A: In February of each year all Past Presidents shall meet for the purpose of posting the names of candidates for the various Club offices.  The slate of candidates shall be presented to the Club at the first regular meeting in March.  Any nominations for Club offices may be made from the floor at this time.

 

Section B: All officers shall be elected annually and shall take office on July 1 and shall hold office for one year from that date.

 

Section C: No person shall be eligible to hold office or be appointed to a committee in the Club unless they are an active member in good standing.

 

Section D: No officer or Director shall receive any compensation for any service rendered this organization.

 

Section E: Two directors shall be elected annually and shall take office on July 1 and shall hold office for two years from that date.

 

Article VII – Duties of Officers

 

Section A: The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Club.  He shall preside at all meetings and be Chairman of the Board of Directors.  He may call special regular or board meetings.  He shall appoint all committee chairmen.  He will act as an ex-officio member of each of these committees, in accordance with the Lions International Club Standard Organization Plan.  He shall call for regular committee reports.  He shall see that elections are held in accordance with the International and Club Constitution and be an active member of the District Governors Advisory Committee for the zone in which the Club belongs.

 

Section B: If for any reason the President is unable to perform his duties, the Vice-President next in rank shall occupy his position and perform his duties, having the same authority as the President.

 

Section C: If for any reason the office of President shall become vacant, the Vice-President shall succeed in office.  Should a vacancy occur in any officer position or the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors shall appoint a member to fill the unexpired term.

 

Section D: The Secretary shall be under the supervision and direction of the President and the Board of Directors and shall act as liaison officer between the Club, the District, and the International Association.  His duties shall include.

 

(1) Report to Lions International the monthly membership and activities (M&A Form) and yearly PU101.

 

(2) Keeping the general club records, including minutes of the regular meeting and Board meetings, attendance records, membership roster showing address and phone number.

 

(3) Shall issue regular quarterly statements to each member for his dues or other financial obligations to the Club.

 

Section E: The Treasurer shall receive all monies from the Secretary and deposit the same in a bank or banks determined by the Board of Directors, and shall pay out monies only on authority of the Board of Directors.  All checks must be signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by either the President or Secretary.  He shall prepare and submit monthly financial reports to the Club.  He shall be bonded for the faithful discharge of his duties in such sum and sureties as may be required by the Board of Directors.

 

 

(1) The finances of the Club, regardless of number of bank accounts, shall be maintained in two separate ledgers:

 

a. Operating Fund is money that is used for the administration of the Club.  Money may be obtained for this fund through Club dues, tail twister fines, or any non-fund raising Lions project.

 

Items that are paid from the Administrative account are Club dues, Club supplies, convention or zone meeting expense, postage or any other non-project expenses.

 

b. Activity Fund is money that is to be used to perform the services or projects the Club undertakes.  Money for this fund is obtained from such projects as the Golf Tournament, Cowboy Cadillac, etc.

 

Items that are to be paid from this account are eyeglass purchases, donations to district projects, scholarships or any expense involved in putting on a fund raising project.

 

(2) Shall keep the members club account and detailed record of the club receipts and disbursements.

 

(3) Shall collect from members and others all monies due to the Club.

 

Section F: The Vice-Presidents shall succeed or substitute for the President or their Senior Vice-Presidents in case of absence or vacancy according to the order of their office.  They shall under the direction of the President oversee the functioning of such committees as the President may designate.

 

Section G: The Lion Tamer has charge of and is responsible for the Club’s property and paraphernalia.  A proper storage area should be provided to insure safekeeping.

 

Section H: The Tail Twister shall keep harmony, good fellowship, life and enthusiasm in the meeting.  He shall collect fines from the membership not to exceed $1.00 per meeting.  His decision to impose fines cannot be overruled and he may not be fined except by the unanimous vote of the members present or the current residing District Governor.  As owing to his status a current District Governor or International Officer should never be fined when visiting your club.

 

Section I: The duties of the Board of Directors shall be as follows:

 

(1) It shall constitute the Executive Board of the Club and shall be responsible for the execution, through its officers, of the authorized policies of the Club. All new business of the Club shall first be considered and shaped by the Board of Directors for presentation to the club members at the regular club meeting, if in the opinion of the Board it is advisable to do so.

 

(2) It shall authorize all expenditures and shall not create any indebtedness beyond the income of the Club, nor disburse funds for purposes non-essential to the objectives of the Club.

 

(3) A majority vote of the Board shall govern, except where otherwise provided.  The Board of Directors shall have power to overrule or modify the action of any club officer.

 

(4) It shall have final approval or rejection of any nomination for membership.

 

(5) It shall hold regular quarterly meetings.

 

(6) It will convene at the request of the President or upon written request of five members of the Club in good standing.

 

(7) It will designate the banks for deposit of funds.

 

(8) It shall appoint the delegates and alternates to the District and International Conventions.

 

 

Article VIII – Parliamentary Practices

 

In the absence of rules in these Bylaws, the proceedings of the Club’s Board of Directors meetings, as well as the Club meetings, shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order.

 

 

 

Article IX – Amendments

 

Section A: These Bylaws may be amended at any regular board meeting of the Club at which there is a quorum, by a two-thirds vote of the board members present.

 

Section B: No amendment shall be put to a vote unless written notice shall have been emailed to each board member of the Club prior to the meeting at which the amendment is to be voted on.