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BYLAWS  MS-Word Document

 ARTICLE I – NAME:

 This Association shall be known as Western Square Dance Association, Inc. Incorporated under the corporate law of the State of California.

 ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

The purpose of this Association is to promote square dancing in all of its forms, to include rounds, contra, clogging, country line dancing, and to render service to its member clubs. Hereafter in these bylaws, square dancing will include the above

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. – General

The membership of this corporation shall consist of the members of organized clubs of square dancers, and shall be bound by the bylaws of this corporation and the corporate law of the State of California.

 SECTION 2. – Types pf Membership

 This Association shall have two (2) types of membership, Participating and Honorary.

A.     Participating Member Clubs

1.      To qualify for admission and to sustain membership, the club shall be composed of not less than eight (8) active couples or the equivalent number of single persons, holding open dances on a regular basis.

2.      Should be a non-profit organized club with elected officers and written Bylaws. Names, addresses, phone numbers of the officers and the club membership and a copy of the current club Bylaws shall be submitted with the application for membership.

3.      Must be composed of members who subscribe to the Square dancer’s Code of Ethics:
a.       Courtesy
b.      Friendliness
c.       Loyalty
d.      Cleanliness
e.       Abstinence from alcohol/illegal drugs, before or during dances.

4.      Shall submit, with insurance renewal, a list of  its members and a list of club officers.

5.      Member Clubs shall be insured through United Square Dancers of America Insurance.

 B.     Honorary Members

      1.      Past Presidents of the Association shall be Honorary       Members of the
            association without a vote, Unless representing a club.

2.      Other Honorary Members of the Association may be designated from time to time by two-thirds (2/3) vote in the affirmative by the Executive Board. Such Honorary Members shall be without a vote, Unless representing a club. 

SECTION 3 – Admission of Members

The Application, in writing, shall be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration. An Affirmative vote by two-thirds (2/3) of the elected and/or appointed Executive Board will determine admission of a club and shall be ratified by the General Assembly with a simple majority of the member clubs present

SECTION 4 – Voting Rights

Each participating Member Club {in good standing} shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the membership.

SECTION 5. – Suspension and Termination of Member Clubs.

A.     Any member club suspended shall lose all voting privileges and such other rights and benefits as the Executive Board may designate.

B.     The Executive Board may suspend a member club for any one of the following:

1.      Failure of the member Club to represented at three (3) consecutive meetings of the General Assembly.

2.      Failure to pay annual dues and insurance fees.

3.      Specific violation of any Article or section of these Bylaws.

 C.     The Executive Board shall immediately notify the member Club in
       writing  of the reason for impending action to suspend and shall specify a reasonable time and place for a hearing. After an appropriate hearing by the Executive Board, a two-thirds (2/3) vote in the affirmative of the Board present shall be necessary to suspend a member Club and/or Recommend termination to the General Assembly for action

D.     A three-Quarters (3/4) affirmative vote of the member Clubs present at any regular meeting of the General Assembly shall be necessary to terminate a member Club.

 SECTION 6 – RESIGNATION

 A.     Any member Club may resign by filing a written notice with the Secretary. At the time of resignation, all property of the Western Square Dance Association, Inc., shall be surrendered.

B.     Insurance will be terminated thirty (30) Days after acceptance of resignation.

 SECTION 7 – Right of Former Members

Terminated member Clubs or member Clubs who resign shall not be entitled to any refund or disbursement of any kind and shall not share in the rights or benefits enjoyed by the member ship until such time as the former member Club reapplies for admission according to the Bylaws.

SECTION 8 – Fees and Dues

Fees and Dues shall be approved by the General Assembly as per the Standing Rules.

SECTION 9 – Transfer of Membership

Membership in this Association is not transferable or assignable.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS OF MEMBER CLUBS

SECTION 1 – General Assembly

A.     The General Assembly shall be composed of one (1) representative from each participating member club

B.     Representatives must be a member of the Club represented and may not represent more than one club.

 C.     Each voting member Club of the General Assembly is entitled to one (1) vote.
       In the event of a tie, the chair will vote to break the tie. All votes shall be in a body;
       no proxy votes will be allowed.

 D.     A written authorization to act and vote shall be required from any member Club
       sending an alternate representative. The Authorization must be presented to the
       Secretary prior to participation.

 E.      Only representatives authorized to vote are eligible to present motions.

 SECTION 2 – Meetings

 A.                 Notification of the time, place and purpose of General Assembly
              meetings shall be mailed to member Clubs thirty (30) days prior to
              the meeting. Time and place shall be scheduled by the Executive
              Board

B.                 The General Assembly shall meet in the months of February, May,
            August, and November. The May meeting shall be designated as the
            Annual Meeting of the Corporation at which time the election of the
            Executive Board will be conducted.

C.                 Special meetings of the General Assembly may be called by the President and / or the Executive Board or by not less than one third (1/3) of the member Clubs by notice to the Secretary.

 SECTION 3 – Quorum

 A’ simple majority of the voting member Clubs will constitute a quorum. No official business may be transacted without the presence of a quorum. A simple majority of the member Clubs present may recess the meeting from time to time until the requisite number of member Clubs are present.

ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE BOARD

SECTION 1 – General Powers

 The affairs of this corporation shall be managed by the Executive Board.

 SECTION 2 – Number, Tenure, and Qualifications

1. There shall be an elected President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasure.

2. To be elected to the Office of President or Vice President, the candidate would need to have previously Served on the Board for one (1) year in any position.

3. The newly elected President shall appoint Board positions as needed.

4. The elected officers shall serve a term of one (1) year or until a successor is elected. They shall assume office on July 1. Elected officers shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.

5. A member of a Participating member Club in good standing in the Association may be elected or appointed to serve on the Executive Board. No member of the Executive Board may hold office in another Square Dance Association.

  SECTION 3 – Nominations and Elections

 A.     At the November meeting, the President shall appoint at least three (3) members of the General Assembly to serve on the Nominating Committee.

B.     The Nominating Committee shall present the report at the February general Assembly meeting. The nominees shall have given their written consent to serve to the Nominating Committee.

C.     Nominations shall be opened to the floor at the February General Assembly Meeting. Candidates so nominated shall have given prior written, signed and dated consent to the Nominating Committee at this meeting. At the end of this meeting, nominations will be closed.

D.     The Nominating Committee shall prepare written ballots for the election to be held at the Annual General Assembly meeting in May.

E.      The elective members of the Executive Board shall be elected by a simple majority vote of the member Clubs present and voting at the May meeting.

 SECTION 4 – officers and Duties

 A.     PRESIDENT

 1.      The President shall be the presiding officer of the Association and shall supervise and control the general business and affairs of the Association.

2.      The President shall endeavor to promote the best interests of the Association at all times and , without reservations, subscribe to and adhere to the purpose of the Association as set fourth in the Articles of Incorporation.

3.      With the concent of the Executive Board, the President shall appoint all Committee, fill vacancies and make such other appointments as are authorized by the General Assembly and these Bylaws Standing Rules.

4.      The President shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees, except the Nominating Committee.

5.      The President shall sign all official corporation records and documents.

B.     VICE PRESIDENT

 1.      The Vice President shall assist the President and shall preside in the absence of the President. In the event of the vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice President shall assume the office of the President.

2.      The Vice President shall maintain a Master Calendar of all member Club’s special dances (such as Graduations, Half-Way dances, etc.).

3.      The Vice President shall be responsible for obtaining the best qualified callers to donate their time to call at Association dances, (except the Western Roundup) with Executive Board ratification.

4.      The Vice President shall coordinate all services needed for meetings, dances, special events, etc.:

a.       Appoint committees to handle refreshments and clean up at all events

b.      Assign Clubs to donate refreshments at dances and General Assembly Meetings. Beverages and supplies are provided by the Association.

c.       Be responsible for storage and distribution of supplies and equipment.

d.      The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasure shall be deleted from all duty rosters.

 C.     SECRETARY

 1.      The Secretary shall keep a record in the form of minutes at all business meetings ao the Association

2.      The Secretary shall record the attendance of Representatives and Directors at all meetings.

3.      The Secretary shall publish and distribute minutes of all Association meetings as required by th e Corporate Law of the State of California.

4.      The Secretary shall conduct and supervise all correspondence of the Assoiation.

5.      The Secretary shall be the custodian of the Articles of Incorporation and the Corporate Seal of the Association. The Secretary shall affix his/her signature and the Seal to all official minutes, records and documents.

6.      The Secretary shall be empowered to sign checks in the absence of the Treasurer.

7.      The Secretary shall coordinate and record the services performed by the members of the Executive Board, e.i., visitations, installation of officers and such other duties as may be assigned to them from time to time.

D.    TREASURER

 1.      The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the Association and sign all checks draw on the funds of the Association.

2.      The Treasurer shall maintain all funds in an interest bearing checking account, if at all possible. The bank shall have the approval of the Executive Board.

3.      The Treasurer shall disburse funds with the approval of the Executive Board. All disbursements are to be substaintiated by written documents such as invoices, receipts, or vouchers. Check request must be signed.

4.      The Treasurer shall make a complete financial report at all meetings of the Executive Board and the General Assembly and to such other bodies as may be required by State or Federal Law.

5.      The Treasurer shall keep a detailed record of all transactions and make such records available for audit at least once a year.

6.      The Treasurer shall maintain an inventory of the equipment and property of the Association

7.      Dues and insurance fees are to be collected before January 1^st of each year. Amount of dues and insurance to be stated in writing to each Club before November 1^st of each year.

 SECTION 5 – Meetings

1. Meetings of the Executive Board Shall be held once a month; day and time to be designated by the Board.
2. Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the President or any four (4) Board members and shall be noticed in writing by the Secretary. Notice shall state the purpose, time and place of the meeting.

SECTION 6 – Quorum

A simple majority of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting. There shall be one vote per office.

 SECTION 7 – Vacancies

 A vacancy shall exist on the Executive Board when:

1. A member fails to attend two (2) consecutive meetings without an acceptable excuse.
2. A member resigns, has been recalled, or has otherwise terminated his/her position.
3. A member fails to maintain membership in a member Club of the Association.
4. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the President with the approval of a simple majority of the Executive Board present and voting.

 SECTION – 8 Committees

1. Committees subordinate to the Executive Board may be created by the President by appointment.
2. Appointments and dismissals of a Committee member shall be reported to the Executive Board and General Assembly.
3. Standing committees shall exist as defined in the Standing Rules of the Association. The President shall maintain the Standing Committees at all times by appropriate appointments and dismissals.
4. Special Committees may be appointed or dismissed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board or of the General Assembly.

 ARTICLE VI – LOCATION

 The Association shall render service to and accept membership applications from square dance clubs primarily within the boundaries designated and accepted by the California Square Dance Council.

Starting at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, East on Wilshire Boulevard to the I-405 Freeway.

North on the I-405 Freeway to the junction of the I-5 and I-210 Freeways.

East to the Southern boundary of Angeles National Forest.

East along the Southern boundary (the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains) to the Los Angeles County / San Bernardino County line. South along the eastern Los Angeles County line to the Orange County line. West and South along the Los Angeles / Orange County lint to Imperial Highway.

West on Imperial Highway to the San Gabriel River. North to Slauson Avenue. West on Slauson Avenue to the I-405 Freeway.

The cities of Pomona and Claremont are currently a “grey” area with Cow Counties Hoedown Association.

 ARTICLE VII – DISSOLVEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION

 In the event this Association is dissolved, all equipment owned by the Association shall be sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds, together with such funds on hand, shall be contributed to a charitable institution to be selected by the Executive Board.

 ARTICLES VIII – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

 Robert’s Rules of Order (newly revised) will be the parliamentary guide of the Association in all cases not definitely provided for in these Bylaws or in the Standing Rules. The President shall appoint a Parliamentarian to be present at each meeting of the Executive Board and the General Assembly. The Parliamentarian shal not be a member of the Executive Board nor a representative to the General Assembly.

 ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

 These Bylaws can be amended at any meeting called for that purpose provided a three (3) week written notice of the Proposed amendments is given to each member. A two-thirds (2/3) vote is necessary to adopt.

 SECTION 1 – Certification

 The Adopted change or changes shall be recorded and certified by the Secretary and by the President of the Association

These Bylaws were Adopted:

STANDING RULES

 Please see the Attached word Document