Constitution
and By-Laws
Constitution
ARTICLE I - Name and Objectives
Section 1. The
name of the Club shall be the Desert Valley Dachshund Club, Incorporated. This Club is incorporated under the laws of
the state of
Section 2. The
Objective of the Club shall be:
A. To encourage and promote the quality breeding
of pure-bred Dachshunds and to do all possible to bring their natural qualities
to perfection;
B. To encourage members and breeders to accept
the standard of the breed as approved by the American Kennel Club as the only
standard of excellence by which Dachshunds shall be judged;
C. To do all in its power to protect and advance
the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog
shows, obedience trials, and field trials;
D. To conduct sanctioned and licensed specialty
shows, obedience trials and field trials under the rules of the American Kennel
Club;
E. To cooperate with, and encourage others to
cooperate with, The Dachshund Club of
F. To
educate its members on all aspects of the breed to include but not be limited
to responsible breeding, handling and caring for the Dachshund breed.
Section 3. The
Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits
or remainder or residue from dues, donations or fund raising activities for the Club shall inure to the benefit
of any member or individual.
Section 4. The
members of the Club shall adopt and may, from time to time, revise the By-Laws
as may be required to carry out these objectives.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 -
Eligibility. There shall be four types
of membership:
A. Active membership shall be open to all
persons eighteen years of age and older who are in good standing with the
American Kennel Club, and who subscribe
to the Breeder's Code of Ethics from the Dachshund Club of America and this
Club's objectives. Active members shall
have full privileges of the Club, including the right to vote, hold office
(providing their Club debts are paid in full) except no member shall have the
right to vote for election of officers and directors unless they have attended
a minimum of two regular meetings during the Club year.
B. Honorary membership may be bestowed by the Club on
recommendation by a member in good standing to the Board of Directors, with a
statement of citation of the reason for such membership, which shall then be subject
to the approval and majority vote on the membership of the Club. Honorary members have complimentary
membership which bestows the rights of active membership. This membership is perpetual unless
rescinded.
C. Non-Resident membership is a person having the
qualifications for active membership, but who resides outside a 50 mile radius of
D. Junior membership must be between the ages of 10
and 17. Junior members may not make
motions, vote, or hold office. However,
they are encouraged to engage in separate activities related to the objectives
of this Club, subject to supervision and control of the Board of Directors.
While
membership is to be unrestricted as to residence, the Club's primary purpose is
to be representative of the breeders, owners and exhibitors of Dachshunds in
the immediate area. Membership will not be limited to Dachshund breed owners, but shall be
open to anyone interested in the Dachshund breed that meets the above criteria.
Section 2 -
Dues. Individual membership dues and the payment
thereof:
A. Membership dues shall be determined by the majority
vote of the active members present at the November meeting and shall be payable
on January 1 of each year and pro-rated per one-half year after June 30. During the month of November, the Treasurer
shall send a statement of dues for the ensuing year to each member.
B. Any member whose dues shall remain unpaid as of
February 15 shall cease to be a member in good standing and shall be dropped
from membership.
Section 3 -
Election to Membership. Election to membership
shall be by the following procedure:
A. Each applicant for membership shall be given an application form, as approved by the
Board of Directors, the Club's By-Laws,
Constitution, Statement of Policies and Procedures and the Breeder's Code of
Ethics from the Dachshund Club of America.
The applicant, by signing the
application agrees to abide by the Club's Constitution and By-Laws and the
rules of the American Kennel Club and the
Breeder's Code of Ethics from the Dachshund Club of
B. All applications are to be filed with the Secretary
following attendance at two meetings.
Each family member must attend their second 12 months of their first
meeting. The application shall be
presented at the next Board meeting for their recommendation which shall be
presented at the next General meeting for approval by the membership. Eighty-five percent affirmative votes of the
members present and voting at that meeting by secret ballot shall be required
to accept the applicant into the membership.
C. If an applicant is elected to membership in the
Club, the Secretary shall promptly notify the applicant of his or her
election. Immediately upon election to
membership, each new member shall receive a "Membership Packet"
consisting of the following up-to-date items as a minimum from the Secretary:
1.
Membership List
2. AKC
Dachshund Standard and Annotated Dachshund Diagram
D. If the applicant is rejected for membership into
the Club, the Secretary shall promptly notify the applicant, in writing of his/her
rejection and forthwith return the fee accompanying the application, and,
E. Applicants for membership who have been rejected by
the Club may not reapply for six months after such rejection.
ARTICLE II - DISCIPLINE
Section 1 -
American Kennel Club Suspension. Any member who is suspended
from the privileges of the American Kennel Club or the Dachshund Club of
Section 2 -
Charges. Any member may prefer
charges against another member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best
interest of the Club or the breed.
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 the 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
or the Breed. If the Board considers
that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best
interests of the Club or the breed, it may refuse to entertain
jurisdiction. If the Board entertains
jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date of hearing by the Board not
less than three weeks nor more than six 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 or
her own defense and bring witnesses if they wish.
Section 3 -
Board Meeting. 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 evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the
Board may by a majority vote of those present, with the complainant and
defendant abstaining from voting, 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, its findings shall be put in written form and
filed with the secretaries. 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 sixty days, but not
earlier than thirty 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 finding and recommendations, and shall invite the
defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if he wishes. The Club members shall then vote by secret
written ballot on the proposed expulsion, with the complainant and the
defendant abstaining form voting. A
two-thirds 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 3 - DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 1 - Board
of Directors. The Board shall be
comprised of the following Officers:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Past President
and five Directors
All candidates shall be members in good standing and
shall be elected for one year terms at the Club's Annual Meeting as provided in
Article 5, and shall serve until the end of the Club year. Board members must attend a minimum of five
General meetings per year and not miss three consecutive Board meetings or they
may be removed and the position shall become vacant. such vacancy shall be filled as in Section 4
of this Article. General management of
the Club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors and
Officers. It is recommended that three of the Directors assume the chair
positions of the Membership, Ways & Means, and Show committees.
Section 2 -
Officers. The Club's Officers,
consisting of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall
serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its
meetings and the Board and its 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 the President in addition to those particularly
specified by these By-Laws.
B. The Vice-President shall have the duties and
exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's death, absence
or incapacity.
C. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all
meetings of the Club and Board of directors and forward copies to the
President. The Secretary shall maintain
a correct list of the names and addresses of all members maintain accurate
attendance records and have general supervision over all clerical matters, books
and papers not assigned to other Officers.
Additionally the Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence,
maintain the Club Library, notify members of meetings, notify new members of
their election to membership and maintain a current membership roster and carry
out such other duties as are prescribed in these By-Laws. See
also Article 3, Section 3, Paragraphs b, c & d; Article 4, Section 3 &
4; Article 5, Section 4, Paragraphs a, b & c; Article 6, Section 2; Article
7, Sections 1 & 2.
D. The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys
due to or belonging to the Club. He
shall deposit the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the name of the
Club. His books shall at all times be
open to inspection of the Board and shall report to them at every meeting the
condition of the Club's finances and every item of receipt or payment not
before reported, and at the Annual Meeting shall render an account of all
moneys received and expended during the previous Club year. The treasurer may be bonded in such amount as
the Board of directors shall determine.
The Treasurer shall submit a report of the financial condition if the
Club at each General meeting. He shall
be authorized to pay routine bills when they come due, including, but not
restricted to, the Club insurance premium and the license on the Club
trailer. He shall submit all unpaid
bills over $100.00 at the next regular meeting to the membership for their
approval. The Treasurer shall be
responsible for filing the necessary non-profit tax forms, both State and
Federal, a copy to be retained by the Treasurer to be turned in with other
records at the end of his term to the new Treasurer.
E. Signators of the Club's bank accounts are the
President, Vice-President and Treasurer, and all checks or withdrawals must be
signed for by any combination of two of the previously mentioned officers.
Section 3 -
Terms of Office. The regular terms of office of the Club's
Officers shall be one year. No officer
shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
Section 4 -
Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board during
the Club year shall be filled until the next Annual Election by a majority vote
of all the then members of the Board present at its 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 President shall be
filled automatically by the vice-President, and the resulting vacancy in the
office of Vice-President shall be filled by decision of the Board.
ARTICLE 4 - MEETINGS AND VOTING
Section 1 -
Club Meetings. Club Meetings shall be held
within fifty miles of the
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 Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed
by five members of the Club who are in good standing. such Special Meetings shall be held within
fifty miles of the
Section 3 -
Board Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be
held within fifty miles of the
Section 4 -
Special Board Meetings. Special Meetings of the
Board may be called by the President and shall be called by the Secretary upon
receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the
Board. such special meetings shall be
held within fifty miles of the
Section 5 -
Voting. Proxy voting will not be
permitted at any Club meeting or election.
Voting for Officers, Directors and Club
Membership or any other issue at the President's discretion shall be by
secret ballot.
ARTICLE 5 - THE CLUB YEAR,
ANNUAL MEETING, ELECTIONS
Section 1 -
Club Year. The Club's Fiscal and
official year shall begin on the first day of January and end on the last day of December.
Section 2 -
Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting shall be
held in the month of November, at which Officers and Directors for the ensuing
year shall be elected by secret ballot from among those nominated in accordance
with Section 4 of this Article. They
shall take office at the beginning of the Club year and each retiring officer and committee chairperson shall turn
over to his successor in office all properties and records relating to that
office before the last day of the Club
year. The first Board meeting of the
year shall be held for the purpose of providing a smooth transition of
officers. Therefore, the outgoing
officers and newly elected officers shall be required to attend.
Section 3 -
Elections. The nominated candidate
receiving the majority of votes for each office shall be declared elected. The five nominated candidates for other
positions on the Board who receive the greatest number of votes for such
positions shall be declared elected.
Section 4 -
Nominations. No person may be a
candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of August, the Board shall
select a Nominating Committee, consisting of three members and one alternate, not more than two of whom
may be members of the Board. The
Secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen and alternate of their
selection. The Board shall name a chairman
for the committee and it shall be his duty to call a committee meeting which
shall be held on or before the September General Meeting.
A. The committee shall nominate one candidate for each
office and five candidates for the five other positions on the Board and after securing
the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their
nominations to the Secretary in writing.
B. Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee's report,
the Secretary shall before October 1st, notify each member in
writing of the candidates nominated.
C. Additional nominations may be made at the October
meeting by any active member in good standing and 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 position.
D. Nominations cannot be made at the Annual Meeting or
in any manner other than as provided in this Section.
ARTICLE 6 - COMMITTEES
Section 1 - Standing Committees. The Board
shall appoint each year the following standing Committees:
1.
Show/Match Committee
2.
Ways and Means Committee
3.
Education Committee
4.
Government Affairs
Committee
5.
Membership Committee
6.
Auditing Committee - the
Auditing Committee shall be appointed by the Board at the November meeting and shall
consist of not less than two members and not more than three members whose duty
is to audit the Club's accounts at the end of the Club's year. They shall in turn report at the March Board
Meeting and General Meeting a financial statement.
These committees shall
always be subject to the final authority of the Board. Additional committees may also be appointed
by the Board to aid it on particular projects.
A. A Club Custodian shall keep an up-to-date inventory
of the Club's property and the location of such property.
Section 2 -
Termination. Any
committee may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the
Board upon written notice by the Secretary to the committee chairperson. Any committee appointment may be terminated
by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice by
the Secretary to the appointee, and the Board may appoint successors to those
persons whose services have been terminated.
ARTICLE 7 - AMENDMENTS
Section 1 -
Proposed Amendments. Amendments to the
Constitution and By-Laws shall be proposed by the Board or by written petition
addressed to the Secretary signed by 20% of the membership in good
standing. Amendments proposed by such
petition shall be promptly considered by the Board and must be submitted to the
members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within
forty-five days of the date the petition was received by the Secretary.
Section 2 -
Amendment Voting. The Constitution and
By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the active members in good
standing, 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 by the Secretary at least two weeks prior
to the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE 8 - DISSOLUTION
Section 1 -
Dissolution. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the
written consent of not less than two-thirds of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the club,
whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, non of the property of
the Club shall be distributed to any members of the Club, but after payment of
the debts of the Club, its property and assets shall be given to a charitable
organization for the benefit of Dachshunds as selected by the Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE 9 - ORDER OF
BUSINESS
Section 1 -
Club Meetings. At the meetings of the
Club, the order of business, so far as the character and nature of the meeting
may permit, shall be conducted under Roberts Rules of Order, as follows:
Role Call
Introduction of Guests
Education
Program
Business
Meeting
Approval of minutes of last meeting
President Report/
Secretary Report
Treasurer Report
Standing Committee Reports
Election of Officers and Directors (annual Meeting)
Election of New Members
Unfinished Business
New Business
Brag & Cry
Adjournment
Section 2 -
Board Meeting. At the meetings of the
Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by a majority vote of
those present, shall be as follows:
Approval of minutes of last meeting
President Report/
Secretary Report
Treasurer Report
Standing Committee Reports
New Member application reading
Unfinished Business
New Business
Adjournment
Revised: May 4, 1994
Policy and
Procedure Statement
WHEREAS, the members of the
Desert Valley Dachshund Club desire to supplement the Constitution and By-Laws
with a Policy and Procedure Statement, and
WHEREAS, the majority of the members
of the Desert Valley Dachshund Club, at the meeting held January 13, 1982 voted
to adopt such a Policy and Procedure Statement,
NOW, THEREFORE, be it understood
that in no way shall any of the Policies and Procedures be adopted which will
in any way negate or circumvent the conditions contained in the Constitution
and By-Laws, but rather, will reflect the desire of the majority of the members
to establish fixed Policies and Procedures for the day to day activities
without the need for continual researching of minutes of meeting to determine
whether the will of the membership is being inadvertently ignored.
Following are the rules for
implementing this Policy and Procedure Concept:
1. A policy or procedure must be submitted to a
duly constituted regular meeting and approved by a simple majority of eligible
members present.
2. A written notice of the proposed policy or
procedure must be mailed to each member by the Secretary at least seven days
prior to the date of the meeting at which the policy or procedure is to be
considered.
3. Following adoption, each policy or procedure
will be numbered consecutively in the order in which It was passed.
4. Any policy or procedure may be modified or
rescinded by following the same procedure as for the original adoption.
This
Policy and Procedure Statement shall become effective March 11, 1982
Policies
and Procedures Adopted
1. AKC of DCA approved titles only for Club
Awards.
2. Newsletter Editor may or may not be the
Secretary.
3. No
alcohol will be served at official club functions.
4. Selection
of judges shall be made in June for the following year's show. The Board shall provide the general
membership with up to five judging candidates.
Addition candidates shall be accepted from the floor. The candidate with the highest number of
votes shall be the judge of choice with the candidate receiving the second
highest number of votes as the alternate.
5. Membership
dues are: $15.00 Adult and $5.00
Juniors.
Revised: November 30, 1994