OHIO HOLLAND LOP RABBIT FANCIERS
ARBA Chartered Regional Club
HLRSC & OSRBA Affiliated
CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS
(Revised 1/1/95)
PREAMBLE
The objects of the Ohio Holland Lop Rabbit Fanciers are to foster, promote, improve, further and enhance, through it's membership, high standards of perfection in the Holland Lop; to insure integrity, unity, cooperation and fellowship among Holland Lop breeders; and to do all such lawful acts and things necessary to further the best interests of the rabbit industry.
ARTICLE I - NAME
Section 1: This club shall be known and designated by the name: Ohio Holland Lop Rabbit Fanciers, and shall be referred to herein as OHLRF.
ARTICLE II - OBJECT
Section 1: To promote, encourage and develop the Holland Lop to the mutual benefit of all concerned.
Section 2: To afford memberships to any persons interested in breeding and/or exhibiting the Holland Lop.
Section 3: To promote and conduct exhibitions of the Holland Lop.
Section 4: To provide a center for information and to disseminate data to members.
ARTICLE III - AFFILIATION
Section 1: This club shall be chartered by the American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc. and shall be an affiliate of the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club, Inc.
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Any person who is engaged in raising Holland Lops, or who is interested in Holland Lops, whether engaged in raising them or not, shall be eligible to apply for membership in this club.
Section 2: The term of membership shall be for the period of one calendar year beginning on the date of payment of dues and terminating on the same date the following year.
Section 3: Any member over sixteen (16) years of age shall have the right to vote in person at all regular or special meetings of the club and shall have the right to vote by mail for election of officers or upon any other matter submitted by the Board of Directors.
Section 4: The Board of Directors reserves the right to accept or reject, for just cause, any application for membership or renewal.
ARTICLE V - OFFICERS
Section 1: The elective officers of the Club shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary/Treasurer, and six (6) Board of Directors.
Section 2: The office of Secretary/Treasurer may be separated at any time to form two offices. In the event that these offices are separated, the President shall appoint an additional director in order to create an odd number of directors for voting purposes. The position of this seventh director shall remain in effect so long as the office of Secretary/Treasurer is separated.
Section 3: All officers shall be elected for two (2) year terms by and from the membership. The offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer and (3) Directors shall be elected on even numbered years and three (3) Directors shall be elected on odd numbered years. In the event of the addition of a seventh Director as a result of a split in the office of Secretary/Treasurer, the election of this Director shall be in an odd numbered year.
Section 4: The elective officers of the OHLRF shall enter upon and discharge their duties immediately following their election and shall serve for the period for which they were elected, or until their successors are elected and qualified.
Section 5: Vacancies in office shall be filled on appointment by the President, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 6: All elective officers shall actively be raising Holland Lops and shall be members in good standing of the American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc., the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club, Inc., and of the OHLRF at the time of their election and shall remain so for the full period of their term. Any officer found in violation of the section shall be given written notice by the Secretary. If the violations have not been corrected within thirty (30) days thereafter, the officer in violation shall be removed from office.
Section 7: Any member of this club in good standing who is in compliance with Article V, Section 6, shall be eligible to become a candidate for any elective office in this club.
ARTICLE VI - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and act as Chairman of the Board of Directors with full power and prerogatives, appoint all committees, call special meetings of the Club or of the Board of Directors in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws and perform other duties as usually pertain to this office. The President shall have such powers as may be conferred upon him/her by the Board of Directors at any meeting of such Board. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2: The Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President in the event of his/her absence or disability.
Section 3: The Secretary/Treasurer shall conduct the general correspondence of the Club, keep minutes of all meetings and have charge of all books, papers and records pertaining to the office.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall act on all membership applications, shall keep a complete up-to-date membership list, including current addresses and telephone numbers, shall make quarterly membership reports to the Board of Directors, and shall perform all duties and other responsibilities as outline in this Constitution and By-Laws.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall be custodian of all club funds, shall maintain a bank account in the name of the Club, and shall keep a set of books and records suitable to the board of Directors.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall collect all dues and funds, and shall pay all bills not exceeding a maximum set by the Board of Directors, for which a written receipt has been furnished. He/she shall pay all bills exceeding this amount with signature and approval of the President, for which a written receipt has been furnished.
Section 4: The Board of Directors shall have the power to act for the Club on all matters which may arise between meetings and discharge such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Constitution and By-Laws or by the membership. The Board shall be subject to the orders of the Club, and none of it's acts shall conflict with action taken by the Club.
Section 5: All officers and directors are expected to submit articles for each newsletter to the Ohio Hollander editor in a timely manner.
ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS
Section 1: This club shall hold meetings at such time and place as may be designated by the By-Laws.
ARTICLE VIII - AUTHORITY
Section 1: This club shall have authority to make such laws, establish such rules and adopt such regulations as may be necessary for the governing of it's members.
Section 2: This club shall have the authority to require members to obey it's mandates and all ethics peculiar to the industry, and to inflict such penalties as it may deem necessary for the disobedience of it's will, provided that it's members shall not be required to commit any act which would make them amenable to the laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof.
Section 3: The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws and any special rules of order the Club may adopt.
Section 4: The interpretation of this Constitution and By-Laws by the Board of Directors shall be binding on all members of this club.
ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENTS
Section 1: Any alteration of or amendment to the Constitution to be offered at any regularly scheduled meeting of this club shall be made in writing, shall be red at the meeting, and shall be provided adequate opportunity for discussion. A second reading and opportunity for discussion shall be provided at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The membership shall receive a written copy of the proposed amendment before the second meeting.
Section 2: This Constitution may then be amended by an affirmative two-thirds vote of all members eligible to cast votes at the meeting of the second reading or at any meetings subsequent thereto, or by an affirmative two-thirds vote of all members voting by mail ballot mailed subsequent to the meeting of the second reading of said amendment.
Section 3: Any amendment to this Constitution that is adopted shall take effect immediately following such adoption.
ARTICLE X - DISSOLUTION
Section 1: In the event that this club is dissolved, all debts shall be paid in full and all remaining assets shall then be donated to the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club, Inc.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I - MEETINGS:
Section 1: Meetings of this club shall be held at a location to be designated by the Board of Directors. Members shall be notified of the time and place of meetings either by newsletter or by the Secretary/Treasurer at least fourteen (14) days prior to each meeting.
Section 2: Meetings shall be held at least twice each year with such meetings normally being held in conjunction with the two semi-annual OHLRF Spring and Fall shows.
Section 3: The President may call a meeting of the Board of Directors at any time. Board members shall be notified by the Secretary/Treasurer of the time and place of such meetings. Except in cases of emergency, at least seven (7) days notice shall be given prior to such meetings.
Section 4: At any regular or special meeting of the Club, four (4) officers and five (5) members-at-large in good standing shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not met, the presiding officer shall adjourn the meeting to a day and hour of his/her designation.
Section 5: At any Board of Directors meeting, five (5) officers shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not met, the presiding officer shall adjourn the meeting to a day and hour of his/her designation.
Section 6: In the event of the absence of all executive officers, the majority of the members and directors present shall elect a presiding officer. In the event of the absence of the Secretary/Treasurer, the presiding officer shall appoint a secretary for the meeting.
Section 7: At any meeting of the Club, the order of business, unless otherwise determined by a majority vote of the members of the Club in attendance shall be:
1) Call to Order 2) Roll call of officers 3) Reading of minutes 4) Treasury report 5) Report of officers
6) Committee reports 7) Unfinished business 8) Reading of correspondence 9) New business
10) Next meeting 11) Good of order 12) Adjournment
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: All individual members shall pay a fee of eight dollars ($8.00) per annum. Such fee to accompany application for membership.
Section 2: Youth members through the age of eighteen (18) years shall pay a fee of eight dollars ($8.00) per annum, such fee to accompany application for membership. Youth members shall be entitled to all of the privileges of adult members except that youth may not vote or hold office until age sixteen (16).
Section 3: A combination membership shall be available for more than one member residing at the same household in which the primary member shall pay a fee of eight dollars ($8.00) per annum and each additional member residing at that address shall pay a fee of three dollar ($3.00) each. (Example: Husband and wife $11.00, father and son $11.00, husband and wife with two children $17.00). All combination members must join at the same time. Only one copy of the Ohio Holland shall be mailed to each household.
Section 4: Out-of-state members shall be eligible to hold any of the above memberships in this club and shall be entitled to all of the privileges of such membership for which they may qualify including the right to vote and to hold office.
Section 5: A $3.00 per annum service charge shall apply to all foreign memberships and all foreign dues must be tendered in American funds.
Section 6: All memberships shall be acknowledged by a membership card.
Section 7: The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify all members of the expiration of their memberships. Members who do not renew their memberships within thirty (30) days of their expiration date shall be dropped from the Club roster.
Section 8: When dues are paid past the thirty (30) day grace period, applicant shall be considered a new member and membership shall be dated as of the date paid with no-carry-over of show points or their privileges.
ARTICLE III - STANDING COMMITTEE
Section 1: The Auditing Committee shall consist of a Chairman and one (1) other member. Their duties shall be to make an audit of the books of the Secretary/Treasurer and to report their findings at the first meeting of the year.
Section 2: The Election Committee shall consist of a Chairman and two (2) other members. Their duties shall be to receive and count election ballots, ballots cast on amendments of the Constitution and of the By-Laws and to certify the results to the Secretary/Treasurer within ten (10) days after the mailing deadline of the ballots. No person whose name appears on the Election ballot may be a member of the Election Committee.
Section 3: The Show Committee shall consist of a Superintendent, Show Secretary and Treasurer, plus other supporting personnel that may be required to carry out it's duties. They shall be responsible for printing and distributing the Show Catalog, for hiring the show judges as recommended by the membership, recording of show results, the procurement of awards and trophies and the completion of a detailed financial show report within three (3) weeks following the show date.
Section 4: The editing of the official publication (Ohio Hollander) shall be done by a committee of one (1). The Editor's duties shall be to be responsible for all contents of the publication and mailing at intervals determined by the membership. The Editor shall collect all monies for advertising and account for same in an orderly fashion to the Secretary/Treasurer, The Editor shall receive from the Secretary/Treasurer a list of all paid-up-members and, on not less than a quarterly basis, any expirations of memberships.
Section 5: The Sweepstakes Committee shall consist of a Chairman whose duties will be to receive all monies for Sweepstakes sanctions, issue the sanction to all clubs complying with our Sweepstakes requirements, send to recipients all ribbons or trophies as outlined in our Sweepstakes Rules, to keep track of sweepstakes points accumulated by OHLRF members and furnish quarterly reports of same to the editor of the official publication in sufficient time to be included in each issue of that publication.
Section 6: All standing committees shall be appointed by the President. In addition to the aforementioned standing committees, the President shall appoint such other committees as are necessary. All appointments shall be with the majority approval of the Board of Directors.
Section7: The amount of indebtedness which may be incurred by any committee (Show Committee and Editing Committee excepted) shall in no case exceed fifty dollars ($50.00) without the prior approval of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV - ELECTIONS
Section 1: Any member sixteen (16) years of age or older who is in good standing who wishes to become a candidate for office shall obtain a nominating petition from the Secretary/Treasurer. The nominating petition shall be completed by the candidate, signed by three members in good standing and returned to the Secretary/Treasurer postmarked no later than October 1.
Section 2: A candidate for President, Vice-President, or Secretary/Treasurer must have at least on full year's membership prior to his/her filing date and must also be listed in the ARBA yearbook.
Section 3: Upon receipt of the nominating petition, the Secretary/Treasurer shall determine if the member is eligible to run for the office. All nominees who qualify must appear on the ballot.
Section 4: In the event that any office does not have at least one (1) nominee from these petitions, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of two (2) members to work with the President to obtain the number of nominees necessary to complete the ballot. No name may appear on a ballot without the person's consent.
Section 5: The Secretary/Treasurer shall mail the ballots, or they may appear in the Ohio Hollander. All ballots must be mailed no later than November 1. The names of all candidates who have properly qualified under Article V, Sections 6 and 7 of the Constitution or under this Article IV, Sections 1 and 2, or who have been selected under this Article IV, Section 4, shall appear on the ballot with space left for a "write-in" candidate for each office. The reverse side of the ballot printed in the Ohio Hollander shall be blank with no art work or printing of any kind. A self-addressed envelope shall accompany each ballot with the Election Chairman's name and address thereon.
Section 6: Ballots must be returned to the Chairman of the Election Committee postmarked no later than December 1. The Election Committee shall count all acceptable ballots and send a certified statement of the results to the President and to the Secretary/Treasurer postmarked no later than December 15. All ballots shall be retained by the Secretary/Treasurer for one (1) year in the event there should be any questions concerning the ballots.
Section 7: Facsimiles or copies made from any of the original ballots shall not be an acceptable ballot and shall be declared void. Voided ballots shall be held by the Secretary/Treasurer along with acceptable ballots for one (1) year. Voided ballots shall be reviewed by the Board of Directors at the first meeting following the election to determine their validity. If any ballots such improperly voided ballots would reverse the results of any or all matters or individuals voted upon, the Election Committee's report to the Secretary/Treasurer shall be designated as unofficial. The official report shall then be determined by the Board of Directors after reviewing all improperly voided ballots.
Section 8: In the event of a tie between two (2) or more persons for the same office, there shall be a run-off election for the office or offices involved.
ARTICLE V - COMPENSATION
Section 1: No compensation, salary, or wages shall be paid in any form to any Officer, Director or member of this club.
Section 2: Reimbursement for materials and supplies used in the normal course of club activity shall not be regarded as compensation, but all expenditures must be accompanied by receipts in order to be reimbursed. Receipts are too be kept with club records and turned over to the auditing committee each year.
ARTICLE VI - DISCIPLINE
Section 1: The Board of Directors may by majority vote, expel any member or reject any application for membership or renewal providing charges have been preferred by another member. The lack of good sportsmanship or other action detrimental to the objectives of this club shall likewise be grounds for expulsion.
Section 2: Any member against whom charges have been preferred shall be fully informed by the Secretary/Treasurer and given thirty (30) days to reply before action is taken by the Board of Directors.
Section 3: Any person expelled or rejected may be eligible for reinstatement after a period of six (6) months, upon authority of the Board of Directors.
Section 4: If an officer of Director does not fulfill his/her duties or shows lack of interest in club matters, he/she shall be asked to resign by the President. If he/she fails to do so, the Board of Directors, by a majority vote, shall declare the office vacant.
ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENT
Section 1: Any alteration of, or amendment to, the By-Laws to be offered at any regularly scheduled meeting of the club shall be made in writing, shall be read at the meeting, and shall be provided adequate opportunity for discussion. A second reading and opportunity for discussion shall be provided at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The membership shall receive a written copy of the proposed amendment before the second reading.
Section 2: These By-Laws may then be amended by an affirmative two-thirds vote of all members casting votes at the meeting of the second reading or at any meetings subsequent thereto, or by an affirmative two-thirds vote of all members voting by mail ballot mailed subsequent to the meeting of the second reading of said amendment.
Section 3: Any amendment to these By-Laws so adopted shall take effect immediately.
Copyright 2010 OHLRF. All rights reserved.
