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Shawnee Kennel Club Constitution and By-Laws

Shawnee Kennel Club

-Topic Box-

ARTICLE 1

Name and Objects

SECTION 1. The Name of the Club shall be The Shawnee Kennel Club.

SECTION 2. The objects of the Club shall be:

(a) to further the advancement of all breeds of pure-bred dogs;

(b) to conduct dog shows, obedience trials and sanctioned matches

under the rules of the American Kennel Club.

or to make specific bequests to such charitable or civic organizations as

shall be approved by a majority vote of those in attendance and voting

at a Club meeting; and under no circumstances pay a salary, fee,

commission or dividend to any member.

ARTICLE 2

Membership

SECTION 1. Eligibility. There shall be two types of memberships:

(a) Regular. A person must be 18 years of age or older, be in good

standing with the American Kennel Club, and subscribe to the purposes

of this Club.

(b) Junior. Juniors must be between 12 and 18 years of age, and

have qualifications (except for age) as in (a). Juniors may not vote

or hold office.

While membership is unrestricted as to residence, the Club's primary purpose is to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors in it's immediate area. The policy of the Club shall be not to discriminate against any person regardless of race, color or creed.

SECTION 2. Dues. Membership dues shall be $10.00 for regular members and $5.00 for junior members per year, payable by July 1 of each year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of May, the Corresponding Secretary shall send to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing year, and a second notice for dues still delinquent shall be issued by the Treasurer 30 days after the first notice.

SECTION 3. Election to Membership. The first 50 members shall be considered Charter members. Prior to applying for membership, a prospective member shall attend two club meetings. Thereafter, the applicant shall apply for membership on a form approved by the Board of Directors, which provides that the applicant agrees to abide by the Club Constitution and By-Laws and by the rules of the American Kennel Club.

All applications shall be filed with the Corresponding Secretary and approved by the Board of Directors. Applications approved by the Board shall be submitted for approval at the next general meeting. Affirmative vote of 3/4 of the members present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant to membership.

Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not reapply within six months after such rejection.

SECTION 4. Termination of Membership. Membership may be terminated:

(a) by resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club

upon written notice to the Corresponding Secretary, but no member may

resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to

the Club, and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.

(b) by lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically

terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid 90 days after July 1;

however, the Board may grant an additional 90 days of grace to such

delinquent members in meritorious cases. As of July 1, members whose

dues are unpaid are ineligible to vote until dues are paid.

provided in Article 7 of this Constitution and By-Laws.

ARTICLE 3

Meetings

SECTION 1. Club Meetings. Meetings of the Club shall be held in or within 50 miles of the city of Winchester at such date, hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Directors. General meetings will be held in September, November, March and May, in addition to the annual meeting in June. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 20 percent of the members in good standing.

SECTION 2. Special Club Meetings. Special Club meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote of the members of the Board who are present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Board, and shall be called by the Corresponding Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held in or within 50 miles of the city of Winchester at such date, hour and place as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting; and such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other Club business may be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 20 percent of the members in good standing.

SECTION 3. Board Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held in or within 50 miles of the city of Winchester in the months of August, October, February and May, at such date, hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Directors. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

SECTION 4. Special Board Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or the Secretary upon receipt of a written notice or request signed by at least 5 members of the Board. Such special meeting shall be held in or within 50 miles of the city of Winchester and at such date, hour and place a may be designated by the person herein authorized to call such a meeting. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Corresponding Secretary at least 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. Any such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other business shall be transacted thereat. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

ARTICLE 4

Directors and Officers

SECTION 1. Board of Directors. The Board shall be comprised of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and no less than 6 or more than 8 Directors. The Club's officers shall be elected for two-year terms at the Club's annual meeting in even years and shall have been members in good standing for at least one year. General management of the Club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. Officers. The Club's officers, consisting of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer, shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and it's meetings and the Board and it's meetings.

(a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board,

and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office

of President in addition to those particularly specified in this Constitution

and By-Laws.

(b) The First Vice-President shall have the powers and exercise the duties of

the President in case of the President's death, absence, or incapacity.

of the President or Vice-President in case of the death, absence or incapacity

of these officers.

(d) The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club

and of the Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by

the Club.

(e) The Corresponding Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence,

notify members of meetings, notify officers and directors of their election

to office, keep a roster of the membership including addresses and breeds

of dogs of interest to each member, and carry out such other duties as

are prescribed in this Constitution and By-Laws.

(f) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging

to the Club and shall deposit the same in a bank satisfactory to the Board,

in the name of the Club. His books shall at all times be open to inspection

of the Board, and he shall report at every Board and General Meeting the

condition of the Club's finances and every item of receipt or payment not

before reported. At the Annual Meeting he shall render an account of all

moneys received and expended during the previous fiscal year.

SECTION 3. Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board during the year shall be filled for the unexpired term of office by a majority vote of the Board at it's first regular meeting following the creation of such vacancy, or at a Special Board Meeting called for that purpose; except that a vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Second Vice-President.

ARTICLE 5

The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections

SECTION 1. Club Year. The Club's fiscal year shall begin on July 1, and end on June 30.

The Club's official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the annual meeting and shall continue through the next annual meeting.

SECTION 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting shall be held in the month of June. In even years, Offices and Directors shall be elected for two-year terms by written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. They shall take office immediately upon conclusion of the election, and each retiring officer shall turn over to his successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within 30 days after the election.

SECTION 3. Proxies. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election.

SECTION 4. Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of February, the Board shall select a Nominating Committee consisting of three members and two alternates, not more than one of whom may be a member of the Board. The Corresponding Secretary shall immediately notify the Committee and alternates of their selection. The Board shall name a Chairman from the Committee who shall conduct a Committee meeting by April 1.

(a) The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and 6 to 8

candidates for the Board of Directors. After securing the consent of each

person nominated, the Chairman shall immediately report the nominations to

the Corresponding Secretary in writing.

(b) Written notice of the Nominating Committee slate shall be mailed by the

Corresponding Secretary along with the meeting notice at least 10 days

in advance of the May meeting.

membership at the May meeting, at which time additional nominations may be

made according to the following procedure: Additional nominations may be

made at the May meeting by any member in attendance provided that the

person so nominated does not decline when his name is proposed and

provided, further, that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at

this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Secretary a written statement

from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate. No

person may be a candidate for more than one office, and the additional

nominations which are provided for herein may be made only from among

those members who were not nominated by the Nominating Committee or who

declined such nomination as above provided. However, no person who has

declined the Committee's nomination may be nominated at the May meeting

for the same position.

(d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner

other than as provided in this section.

SECTION 5. Elections. Elections shall be by written ballot. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected.

ARTICLE 6

Committees

SECTION 1. The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials, trophies, annual prizes, membership, and other fields which may well be served by committees. Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the board. Special committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular projects.

SECTION 2. Any committee appointed may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.

ARTICLE 7

Discipline

SECTION 1. American Kennel Club Suspension Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club shall be suspended from the privileges of this club for a like period.

SECTION 2. Charges. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $10.00 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board Meeting, and the Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks nor more than 6 weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.

SECTION 3. Board Hearing. The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his fellow-members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board's recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, it's findings shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board's decision and penalty, if any.

SECTION 4. Expulsion. Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board's recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. Such proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board's recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board's findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed expulsion. a 2/3 vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board's suspension shall stand.

ARTICLE 8

Amendments

SECTION 1. Amendments to the constitution and by-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty percent of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

SECTION 2. The constitution and by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for the purpose, provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE 9

Dissolution

SECTION 1. Dissolution. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the Club other than for purposes of reorganization whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any members of the Club but after payment of the debts of the Club it's property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefits of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 10

Order of Business

SECTION 1. At meetings of the Club, the order of Business, so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:

Roll Call

Minutes of last meeting

Report of President

Report of Secretary

Report of Treasurer

Report of Committees

Election of Officers and Board (at annual meeting)

Election of new members

Unfinished business

New Business

Adjournment

SECTION 2. At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:

Reading of minutes of last meeting