Meetings

 

               North Shuswap Lions Club

                      CONSTITUTION

 

  1. The name of the Society is NORTH SHUSWAP LIONS CLUB, chartered by, and under the jurisdiction of the International Association of Lions Clubs.
  2. The purposes of this Club shall be:
    1. To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.
    2. To promote the principles of good government and good citizenship.
    3.  To take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social, and moral welfare of the community.
    4. To unite the members in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship, and mutual understanding.
    5. To provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest;  provided, however, that the partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members.
    6. 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, professionals, public works, and private endeavors.

 

NORTH SHUWSAP LIONS CLUB    

BYLAWS

 

ARTICLE 1     MEMBERSHIP

 

  1. Any person of legal majority, and good moral character, and good standing in the community, shall be eligible for membership.  Wherever the male gender or pronoun presently appears in this Constitution and Bylaws, it shall be interpreted to mean both male and female persons.  (Chuck:  I inserted “he/she” wherever it made reference to “he”, highlighted also in yellow)
  2. Membership is obtained by invitation only.
  3. When a member is proposed, the nomination shall be made on a “Proposal for Membership” form provided by the Membership Committee, and shall be signed by a member in good standing and who shall act as sponsor.
  4. No prospective member shall be invited to join the Club until his/her nomination has been approved.
  5. The Membership Committee shall receive the name(s) of the regularly-sponsored prospects, and bring such names before the Directors for approval.
  6. If this approval is granted, the particulars concerning the proposed member shall be put before the General Membership by the Chairman of the Membership Committee at the next General meeting.
  7. The majority approval of the general Club membership would be required for the sponsorship, to present the prospective member at the next regular meeting;  in the interim period, dues and membership fees must be payed to the Club Treasurer after which he/she will be reported as a member to LIONS INTERNATIONAL.  Induction into the Club will be made at the first opportunity.
  8. New members shall be received into the Club during any month of the year.
  9. The Club will admit to membership residents of the North Shuswap area.

         

ARTICLE II RESIGNATION AND FOREFEITURE OF MEMBERSHIP

  1. Resignation of any member shall become effective upon written notice to the President or Secretary of the Club, provided that all dues to date of resignation have been paid.
  2. The Treasurer shall submit to the Board of Directors the name of any member who refuses or neglects to pay debts due to the Club within thirty (30) days after formal demand has been made by the Treasurer.  The Board shall then decide whether the member should be retained or dropped from the Club’s roster.
  3. Any member shall be expelled for cause from the Club by a two-thirds vote of the entire Board of Directors.

ARTICLE III     MEETINGS

 

  1. The Club will meet regularly.  All meetings to begin promptly at the set time, and close promptly at the regular set time of not later than 9:00 PM.
  2. An attendance of fifty-one (51) percent of the members in good standing shall be necessary for a quorum at any meeting of this Club, but never less than three (3) members.
  3. The Annual General Meeting will be held the first meeting date in April.
  4. The date and place of the Annual General Meeting to be determined by the Board of Directors, and to be announced at the first regular meeting in March by the President.
  5. The Directors shall determine the time and place of the regular Club meetings, and shall have the authority to call any special meetings considered necessary, and the date and place of such meetings shall be announced at a regular meeting.

 

 

ARTICLE IV     BUSINESS TRANSACTED BY OTHER SOURCES

 

  1. This Club may transact business by mail (including letters, electronic mail, facsimile transmission, or cable) or video conferencing, provided that no such action shall be effective until approved at the next regular Club meeting.  Such action may be initiated by the President or any three (3) members of the Board of Directors.

 

 

ARTICLE V     VOTING AT GENERAL MEETING

 

  1. Any active Member in good standing, who is present at the meeting, is entitled to vote.  No proxy voting is permitted.

 

ARTICLE VI     APPOINTMENT AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS

 

  1. The Officers of this Club shall be:
    1. President
    2. Immediate Past President
    3. Vice President
    4. Secretary
    5. Treasurer
    6. Membership Chair
  2. In addition to the Officers, there shall be four (4) Directors, and the Directors together with the Officers, shall constitute the Board of Directors.
  3. Six (6) Officers or Directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board.
  4. The Officers and Directors of the Club shall be elected in the following way:
    1. A nomination meeting shall be held prior to the Annual General Meeting, being the first meeting date in April of each year.  The date and place of such meeting to be determined by the Nominations Committee. 
    2. The Nominations Committee shall be appointed by the President for the purposes of proposing the names of candidates for the various Club Officers. 
    3. At the Annual General Meeting, nominations will also be made from the floor.  After the nominations are closed, elections will be held.  If in the interim between the nomination meeting and election meeting, some nominee is unable to serve the Club in the office to which he/she was nominated, whether through death, disability, or refusal to act, and for which office there was no nominee, the President shall instruct the Nominating Committee to propose further nominations for that office.  The election procedure in such case will be the same as laid down for the regular election of Officers.
  5.  All Officers shall be elected annually and shall take office on July 1, and shall hold office for one (1) year from that date, or until their successors shall be elected and qualified.
  6. Four (4) Directors shall be elected for a two (2) year term;  two (2) Directors shall be elected in a year ending with an even number and two (2) Directors shall be elected in a year ending with an odd number.  Directors shall take office on July 1st and shall hold office until their successors are elected and qualified.
  7. The election shall be by ballot by those present and qualified to vote.  The candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected.  In case an election is unsuccessful on the second ballot, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes on each succeeding ballot shall be dropped.
  8. No person shall be eligible to hold office or be appointed to a Committee in this Club unless he/her is an active member in good standing.
  9. No Officer, Director, or member shall receive any compensation for any service rendered to this organization.
  10. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Club.  He/she shall preside at all meeting and shall be Chairman of the Board of Directors.  He/she shall issue the call for regular monthly and special Board meetings.  He/she shall appoint the standing Administrative and Activities Committees in accordance with the LIONS INTERNATIONAL CLUB Standard Organization Plan, and shall act as an ex-officio member of each of these committees.  He/she shall see that these committees’ function and shall co-operate with the Committees Chairman toward that end.  He/she shall call for regular committee reports.  He/she shall see that regular elections are held in accordance with International and Local constitutions.  He/she shall also co-operate with, and be an active member, of the District Governors Advisory Committee of the Zone.
  11. If, for any reason, the President is unable to perform his/her duties, the Vice-President shall occupy his/her position and perform his/her duties, having the same authority as the President.  If, for any reason, the office of President shall become vacant, the Vice-President shall succeed in office.  Should a vacancy occur in any other office, the Board of Directors shall appoint a member to fill the unexpired term.
  12. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be under the supervision and direction of the President and the Board of Directors, and shall act as liaison officers between the Club, the District, and LIONS INTERNATIONAL.  The Secretary and Treasurer will submit reports to LIONS INTERNATIONAL as required.  They shall submit reports as required to the District Governor, and shall be active members of the District Governor’s Advisory Committee of the Zone.  The Secretary shall record minutes of Club and Board meetings.  The Treasurer shall receive all monies from members and pay out monies as authorised by the Board of Directors.
  13. The Vice-President succeeds or substitutes for the President in case of absence or vacancy, and shall oversee the functioning of such committees as the President may designate.
  14. The immediate Past-President shall be a member of the Board of Directors with all the rights and privileges of other members of the Board.
  15. The Lion Tamer shall be appointed by the President and shall be responsible for the Club property and paraphernalia.
  16. The Lion Tail Twister shall be appointed by the President to keep harmony, good fellowship, life and enthusiasm in the meetings.  He/she shall collect fines from the members, and shall be no ruling from his/her decision in imposing a fine.  The Tail Twister may not be fined except by unanimous vote of the members present.  All monies collected by the Tail Twister shall be turned over to the Treasurer.
  17. The duties of the Board of Directors shall be as follows:
    1. The Board of Directors 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 a regular Club meeting, if in the opinion of the Board it is advisable to do so.
    2. The Board of Directors 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 objects of the Club.
    3. A majority vote of the Board of Directors shall govern, except where otherwise provided.  The Board of Directors shall have the power to overrule or modify the action of any officer of the Club.
    4. It shall have the books and accounts audited annually, or more often, at its discretion.
    5. It shall hold regular meetings
    6. It shall determine the time and place of the regular Club meetings, and shall have the authority to call any special meetings considered necessary.
    7. Any Executive member who misses three (3) consecutive Directors meetings without valid reason shall be asked to resign from the Directorate.
    8. Any Officer or Director may be removed for cause from his/her elected position by a seventy-five (75) percent vote of the entire Board.

 

 

ARTICLE VII     AUDIT OF ACCOUNTS

 

  1. The Board of Directors shall have the books and accounts audited annually, or more often at its’ discretion.
  2. The Board of Directors may, from time to time, appoint an auditor(s) to hold office for such a period as the Directors may determine.

 

 

ARTICLE VIII     AMMENDMENTS

 

  1. These By-Laws may be altered, amended, or repealed at any regular or special meeting of the Club, at which there is a quorum by seventy-five (75) percent vote of the members present, provided the Board has previously considered the merits of the amendment and have given fourteen (14) days notice prior to the membership vote.

 

 

ARTICLE IX     BOOKS AND RECORDS

 

  1. The Directors shall see that all necessary books and records of the Society, required by the By-Laws of the Society or by any applicable statute or law, are regularly and properly kept, including Minutes of all meetings.
  2. The books and accounts shall be kept in such place in British Columbia as the Directors shall think fit, and shall at all times be open to inspection by the Directors.
  3. The fiscal year of the Society shall terminate on the date in such year to be fixed by the Board of Directors, and the financial statements of the Society’s affairs for presentation to the members at the Annual Meeting shall be made up to that date.

 

 

ARTICLE X     INSPECTION OF BOOKS AND RECORDS

 

  1. The Directors shall from time to time determine whether, and to what extent, and what times and places, and under what conditions or regulations, the accounts and books of the Society, or any of them, shall be open to the inspection of the members not being Directors, and no member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Society except as conferred by Law or authorized by the Directors or by resolution of the members, whether previous notice thereof has been given or not.

 

 

 

ARTICLE XI     PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICES

 

  1. In the absence of rules in this Constitution or in the By-Law of this Club, the proceedings of the Club’s Board of Directors meeting, as well as the Club meetings, shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

 

 

ARTICLE XII     FEES

 

  1. Each new member shall pay a membership fee of fifteen (15) dollars, which shall be collected before such member is identified as a member of this Club, and before the Secretary reports such member to LIONS INTERNATIONAL.
  2. The Club may grant membership on a transfer basis provided that a member was in good standing at the time of transfer requested.  The Board of Directors may elect to waive all or any part of the entrance fee.
  3. If more than twelve (12) months has elapsed between termination and submission of a completed transfer member from, the Membership Committee shall submit the name of the member to the Board of Directors for a majority cote of the Board.  The transfer member may then be invited to become a member of the Club.  The Board of Directors may elect to waive all or any part of the entrance fee for this member.
  4. Dinner fees are not an administrative expense, and shall be paid by the member of each meeting prior to the dinner.

 

 

ARTICLE XIII     DUES

 

  1. Each member of this Club shall pay annual dues, to be set annually by the Board of Directors and approved by the General membership, payable annually and in advance.
  2. The dues will be of an amount to cover LIONS INTERNATIONAL and the DISTRICT dues specified in the respective international and district constitutions and by-laws.
  3. The Club shall collect regular Club dues in effect at the time of any member transfer.
  4. The Club shall collect regular Club dues from any former member who wishes reinstatement, but may waive the fifteen (15) dollar regular membership fee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DATED:  the __________ day of ____________________  A.D. 2023
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