MORRIS RADIO CLUB, INC.

CONSTITUTION

and

BY‑LAWS

 

PREAMBLE

 

To contribute our technical talents to public service, to further develop, study, and encourage the scientific and educational techniques of amateur radio, and to enjoy the fellowship of persons with like interests, we hereby reactivate the MORRIS RADIO CLUB and adopt the articles of this constitution as our governing rules.

 

ARTICLE I ‑ MEMBERSHIP

 

Section 1.    Any individual who holds an amateur radio license or has an interest in becoming a radio amateur shall be eligible for membership. Admission for a new membership shall be upon completion of membership data to the Secretary and payment of annual dues to the Treasurer.

 

Section 2.          Regular Membership (Voting) is for individuals who hold a radio amateur license or have an interest in becoming a radio amateur.  The Regular Member shall be entitled to vote on all matters presented at the regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting.

 

Section 3.           Associate Membership (Non-voting) is for an individual who wants to participate in club events but not vote.

 

Section 4.          Honorary Membership (Non‑voting) may be conferred by a two‑thirds vote of the Regular Members.

 

Section 5.          Lifetime Membership (Non-voting) may be conferred by a two‑thirds vote of the Regular Members.

 

Section 6.    The membership calendar shall be begin January 1 of each year. Membership may be maintained by the payment of annual dues by the end of March for any calendar year. Members who fail to pay annual dues by the end of March shall be considered to have resigned from the Club.

 

Section 7.    It is the goal of the members of the Morris Radio Club, Inc. to maintain an affiliation with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) by encouraging members to maintain active membership in the ARRL.

 

Section 8.    Any Membership in the Club can be revoked at any time by a two‑thirds vote of the Regular Members.

 

ARTICLE II ‑ TRUSTEES OF THE CLUB

 

Section 1.    The Club shall have four trustees elected from the membership to a four-year term on a four-year rotating basis. There shall be no limit to the number of consecutive terms a Trustee may serve. Regular elections for trustees shall be held concurrently with the elections for Officers of the Club.

 

Section 2.    A vacancy in a Trustee position shall be filled by a special election. Nominations will come from the floor during a regular meeting. A two-thirds majority of the qualified membership is required for election.

 

Section 3.    The Trustees shall appoint and retain an Agent as required by the Certificate of Incorporation of the Morris Radio Club, Inc.

 

Section 4.    The Trustees shall insure that the Certificate of Incorporation of the Club is current and annual reporting is completed, if required.

 

Section 5.    A Trustee can be removed from his/her position at any time by a two‑thirds vote of the membership.

 

ARTICLE III ‑ OFFICERS OF THE CLUB

 

Section 1.    The officers of the Club shall be: President, Vice‑president, Secretary and Treasurer.

 

Section 2.    Only a Regular Member 18 years of age or older shall be qualified to hold office.

 

Section 3.    The officers of the Club shall be elected for a term of two years by a majority of the members present at the meeting in November, provided there is a quorum present.

 

Section 4.    A vacancy in the office of Vice‑President, Secretary or Treasurer shall be filled by a special election held at a regular meeting. The President shall designate a member to temporarily fill the vacancy until a special election is held. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice‑president shall automatically become President for the remainder of the term and the vacancy in the office of the Vice‑President shall be filled by special election as indicated above.

 

Section 5.    An Officer can be removed from his/her position at any time by a two‑thirds vote of the membership.

 

ARTICLE IV ‑ DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

 

Section 1.    The Officers and Immediate Past President shall function as the Executive Committee responsible for the management of the Morris Radio Club, Inc. The Executive Committee shall recommend matters of policy to the membership and authorize the payment of approved expenditures. The President who shall serve as the Chairman of the Executive Committee shall report all meetings and actions by the Executive Committee to the membership at the next regular meeting.

 

Section 2.    The President shall preside at all meetings and shall conduct the meetings in accordance with the Constitution and By‑laws. The President shall enforce due observance of the Constitution and By‑laws; decide all questions of order; sign all official documents of the Club; appoint special committees as necessary to further the Club activities; shall be the ex‑officio member of all committees; and shall be responsible for furthering the objectives of the Club. The President shall only vote on issues presented to the membership in the event of a tie vote by the members.

 

Section 3.    The Vice‑president shall preside at any meeting in the absence of the President. The Vice‑president shall assist the President to the fullest extent in promoting good fellowship and teamwork among the membership in Club activities and in seeking to provide interesting and timely programs for monthly meetings.

 

Section 4.    The Secretary shall maintain the official records of the Club and insure that complete and accurate records are transferred in an orderly manner to a successor upon election. The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings, maintain the official membership lists of the Club and carry on all correspondence. In addition, the Secretary shall issue monthly the newsletter, "QRM", which shall provide the membership with a minimum of 7 days notice of meetings and other information of interest to the members. The Secretary shall report to the membership monthly the minutes of the previous meeting.

 

Section 5.    The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection and disbursement of all monies and for their safekeeping. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of the finances of the Club and shall report at each meeting the total revenues received, expenditures authorized by the Executive Committee and outstanding balance of the accounts of the Club. The Treasurer shall receive all payment of dues and other income, issue membership cards and inform the Secretary of each transaction in order that an accurate membership list is maintained. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the selection and maintenance of the Club's banking relationship and insure that all officers are authorized to sign checks. The Treasurer shall report at the first regular meeting each year a summary of the fiscal operation of the club providing information on revenue and its source and the expenditures of the Club including their purpose, i.e., administrative operating expenses, field day, picnic, training classes, etc. The Treasurer shall maintain the accounting of the Club so that it may be transferred to a elected successor in an orderly fashion.

 

ARTICLE V ‑ MEETINGS

 

Section 1.          Regular meetings of the Morris Radio Club, Inc. shall be held on a monthly basis unless the membership is given notice of a change. The specifics of the meeting day shall be stated in the By-Laws. Special meetings, if required, may be called by the Executive Committee as long as the membership is notified 7 days prior to any special meeting in accordance with Article IV, Section 4.

 

Section 2.    No vote on any matter at a meeting of the Club shall be held unless a quorum of the Regular Members is present.  A quorum shall consist of one‑third of the Regular Members of record.  A simple majority of this quorum shall constitute a ruling vote.

 

Section 3.          Procedural questions regarding the running of a meeting not covered in the By‑laws shall be governed by Robert's Rule of Order.

 

ARTICLE VI ‑ DUES

 

Section 1.    The annual membership dues shall be determined by vote of the Regular Members. Recommendations for any adjustment of the annual dues may be made by the Executive Committee based on an analysis of past expenditures and the planned activities.

 

Section 2.            Dues for members joining during the calendar year shall not be prorated.

 

ARTICLE VII ‑ COMMITTEES

 

Section 1.    The President may appoint standing or temporary committees to assist in carrying out the objectives and activities of the Club. The activities of all committees shall be reported at regular meetings of the Club.

 

Section 2.    The MORRIS RADIO CLUB, INC. CHARITABLE TRUST (Trust) has been established to encourage and educate the public about amateur radio and to award scholarship(s) in accordance with the provisions of the Trust. The Trust is administered by a separate Board of Trustees, one of whom is the President of the Morris Radio Club, Inc., who have the fiduciary responsibility of the Trust. The President shall appoint a standing Scholarship Committee to seek applicants and select the candidate(s), if any, for this award. The recommendation of the Scholarship Committee shall be forwarded to the Trustees of the Trust for final approval.

 

ARTICLE VIII ‑ AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1.    The Certificate of Incorporation of the Morris Radio Club may be amended or revised in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey.

 

Section 2.    The Constitution of the Morris Radio Club, Inc. may be amended or revised by the affirmative vote of two‑thirds of the Regular Membership. All voting for an amendment or revision of the Constitution shall be by written ballot at a regular meeting. Any amendment or revision of the Constitution shall be proposed at a regular meeting of the Club for discussion and vote by the Regular Members present to determine if the proposed amendment or revision shall be presented to the full Regular Membership. Amendments or revisions, which are to be presented to the full Regular Membership, shall be published in the QRM newsletter as notice to each member. Voting for any amendment or revision of the Constitution shall be held at the next meeting following the notice to membership of the proposed amendment or revision. Regular Members who cannot be present may vote by mailing or e-mailing their completed ballot to the Secretary provided the ballot is received prior to the meeting at which the vote will take place.

 

Section 3.    The provisions listed in Article VIII, Section 2 shall apply for amendment of the By-Laws with the following exception: a majority affirmative vote shall suffice instead of a two-thirds approval.

BY-LAWS

 

 

Secretary:

 

                      Section 1:          It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the Constitution and By-Laws of the Morris Radio Club and have the same with him/her at every regular and special meeting.  He/She shall cause all amendments, changes, and additions to be voted thereon and shall permit the same to be consulted by members upon request.

 

Meetings:

 

                      Section 2:          Meetings shall be held on the third Monday of each month with the following exceptions. There shall be no meeting in the month of December. On months where the third Monday of the month is a legal holiday, the Secretary shall notify the membership of any change in meeting date or venue.