WCDEA By-Laws

THE BYLAWS OF THE WHATCOM COUNTY DRESSAGE AND EVENTING ASSOCIATION

Version 1.1

August 2015

Table of Contents

ARTICLE I. NAME AND PURPOSE …………………………………………3

SECTION 1. NAME

SECTION 2. PURPOSE

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP …………………………………………………3

SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY

SECTION 2. HONORARY MEMBERS

SECTION 3. DEFINITION OF MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 4. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 5. LOSS OF MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 6. ANNUAL DUES

SECTION 7. NOTIFICATION OF ANNUAL DUES PAYABLE

ARTICLE III. ETHICS AND LIMITATIONS ……………………………….4

SECTION 1. ETHICS STATEMENT

SECTION 2. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

SECTION 3. CENSURE

SECTION 4. SUSPENSION

SECTION 5. LIMITATIONS

ARTICLE IV. BOARD OF DIRECTORS …………………………………….4

SECTION 1. DEFINITION

SECTION 2. OFFICERS

SECTION 3. TERM LIMITS

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS ……………………………………………………..5

SECTION 1. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

SECTION 2. LOCATION OF MEETINGS

SECTION 3. CONTENT OF MEETINGS

ARTICLE VI. ELECTIONS …………………………………………………..5

ARTICLE VII. DUTIES OF OFFICERS ……………………………………..6

ARTICLE VIII. FISCAL POLICIES …………………………………………7

SECTION 1. FISCAL YEAR

SECTION 2. SIGNATURES

SECTION 3. SPENDING LIMITS

SECTION 4. LOANS

SECTION 5. DISSOLUTION

SECTION 6. LEGAL APPLICABILITY

ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY………………………….7

ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS ………………………………………………..7

Bylaws of the Whatcom County Dressage & Eventing Association

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Whatcom County Dressage and Eventing Association,

(AKA: WCDEA) which is a GMO (Group Member Organization) # 1068 of USDF. Here after referred to as “the Club”.

Section 2. Purpose

The purpose of the organization shall be to promote the sports of dressage and eventing and to provide equestrian related educational and competitive opportunities in our local area.

Article II. Membership

Section 1. Eligibility

Membership in the organization shall be open to all persons actively interested in the objectives of the Club, and who have paid their annual dues as prescribed herein. Membership is not transferable.

Section 2. Honorary Membership

Honorary membership may be bestowed by the club on persons who have given extraordinary service to the club or to its objectives. Honorary members are not required to pay dues for the year of their honorary membership. Persons may be nominated by any member in good standing and will be accepted as an Honorary Member by a simple majority vote of the membership in attendance.

Section 3. Definition of Membership

a) A member in good standing is defined as an eligible person under Article II, Sec. 1, which has paid applicable annual dues and is not currently under censure or suspension by the Officers. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote on all matter governed by the vote of the general membership. Members in good standing shall be eligible to run for any elected position except as limited in Article III, and to participate in any and all Club benefits.

b) A suspended member is defined as a member as defined in Article II, Sec. 1, but is currently under suspension by the officers. A suspended member may not vote on any Club matters, run for any Office or Appointed Committee Chair or participate in any Club benefits until and unless the Officers reinstate the suspended member as a member in good standing. The Officers as defined in Article III, Sec. 4, may suspend a member.

Section 4. Types of Memberships

a) Individual: An individual membership shall consist of a single individual and entitles the individual to one vote and to all rights and privileges as defined under Article II, Sec. 3a, upon payment of annual dues.

b) Family: A family membership shall consist of one or more individuals residing at the same address, each individual over the age of 18 shall be entitled to one vote, and each family member is entitled to all rights and privileges as defined under Article II, Sec. 3a, upon payment of annual dues.

Section 5. Loss of Membership

A member shall cease to be a member upon the occurrence of any one of the following:

Upon submission of a letter of resignation to the President of the Club.
Upon the member failing to pay annual dues or any portion thereof.

Section 6. Annual Dues

a) Annual dues are payable by the member by December 1st of each year and shall be such an amount as fixed by the officers

b) The membership will be notified of the dues payable amount by October 30th, by way of the normal method of contact (ie: newsletter, website, announcement at meetings or other methods)

Article III. Ethics and Limitations

Section 1. Ethics Statement

All Officers and Appointed Committee Chairs shall sign the following “Oath of Office” statement before taking office:

“I agree to serve the Whatcom County Dressage & Eventing Association to the best of my ability, to abide by the bylaws, and to keep the Club’s best interests foremost in the conduct of my duties.

signed __________________________________________________, date ________________”

Section 2. Conflict of Interest

All officers of the club are required to declare any conflict of interest prior to voting on any matter before the board that may pertain to the potential conflict of interest. A conflict of interest is defined as any affiliation, duty, interest in, or conduct that could be deemed contrary to the Club’s best interest; or that could personally benefit an individual officer or their immediate family.

Section 3. Censure

If the conduct of any member shall appear to be in willful violation of these bylaws, the rules of USEF, USEA, USDF or the rules of WCDEA or is deemed prejudicial to WCDEA’s interest; the Board of Directors may, by the affirmative vote of three fourths of the entire board, censure such member. Before taking such action, a written copy of the charges must be served upon the member in question ten (10) days in advance of such meeting, inviting the member to attend, and be heard at the meeting. If the member desires to appear and be heard at such meeting, the member shall indicate such in writing to the President of WCDEA at least 48 hours prior to the meeting date/time.

Section 4. Suspension

The Board may by unanimous vote suspend a member for not longer than the remainder of the suspended member’s paid in full membership for any of the following causes:

Ceases to be a member in good standing under Article II Section 3.
Has been censured by the Board
Conduct deemed prejudicial to the best interest of the Club.
Has been suspended by the USEF, USEA or the USDF.

Members subject to suspension shall be notified in writing detailing the grounds for the suspension and shall have the right to a closed hearing before the Board.

Suspension of a member by unanimous vote of the Board shall be issued in written form detailing the reason for the suspension, duration of the suspension, and actions required by the member for restoration of full membership. The written notice of suspension shall become a permanent record of the Clubs records.

Section 5. Limitations

The following limitations shall be imposed upon those members that wish to run for a position of officer:

Must be a member in good standing as defined in Article II, sec. 3a
Must be at least 18 years of age on January 1 of the year elected.

Article IV. Board of Directors

Section 1. Definition

The board of directors shall consist of four elected Officers and an unspecified number of Volunteer Committee Chairs to administer the affairs of the Club. Officers shall be voting directors. Committee Chairs shall be non-voting directors, except as allowed under Article II, sec 3a, pertaining to matters put before the general membership. The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall policy and direction of the Club. The Board of Directors receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses incurred as a result of carrying out their respective duties.

Section 2. Officers

The primary governing body of the Club shall be the Officers and shall consist of the following positions elected by the membership:

President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer

Section 3. Term Limits

Each officer position may be held for a maximum of two consecutive years by any one member.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1. General Membership Meetings

There shall be monthly meetings, generally on the third Thursday of the month, in various locations, except the month of July, where the meeting is replaced by a strictly social activity. Non-members are welcome to attend at all meetings.

Section 2. Location of meetings

Meetings will be held in the local area, at a location suitable for the content of the meeting. The location will be announced in the newsletter and by email and/or other means at least a week prior to the meeting day. As our local area is large and our membership is spread out, the meeting locations will be in different areas each month.

Section 3. Content of Meetings

The first meeting of the year in January is reserved for planning club sponsored activities in the coming year. Other meetings may be designated as a “business only” meeting or an “educational” meeting or a combination of the two. Educational meetings may have a speaker, a media presentation, a demonstration or some combination thereof. If there is a cost associated with an educational meeting, non-members may be asked for a donation to help defray the cost.

Article VI. Elections

All members in good standing and at least 18 years of age, are eligible to vote and to hold office.

General elections shall be held according to the following guidelines:

1. The general election shall be held at the November meeting

2. Nominations will be taken from the floor

3. Once nominations are closed, the President shall ask for a vote by acclamation if all positions are uncontested

4. If there are contested positions, secret ballots will be provided, and the President shall ask for a vote by those secret ballots.

5. The vote shall be determined as follows:

(a) Each voter shall vote for one nominee per position on the ballot

(b) The nominee who receives the most votes shall be elected to that position

Article VII. Duties of Officers

All duties listed below are the responsibility of the specified officer, however, the officer may delegate the task to another individual. The duties listed below are not the only tasks of the individual officer, rather they are meant as a guideline.

1. President

a. Prepares the agenda for and presides over all meetings, both general and board.

b. Acts as the primary representative of the club

c. Assigns tasks and deadlines to be met by other board members as necessary

d. Ensures the club succeeds by doing what it takes to get the task completed.

e. Identifies club needs

f. Responsible for seeing that the other board members are fulfilling their roles and taking action (ie: delegating tasks) if another board member is unable to fulfill their obligations

2. Vice President

a. Assumes the duties of the President in his/ her absence.

b. Arranges for the location and content of the monthly general meetings

c. Performs other duties as may be assigned by the President

3. Secretary

a. Records the minutes of all meetings, both general and board.

b. Maintains the official record of attendance at all meetings

c. Preserves the written and other records of the club

d. Attends to all correspondence for the club

4. Treasurer

a. Handles all financial transactions as approved by the officers

b. Maintains club funds in any and all accounts as approved by the officers

c. Keeps all financial affairs up to date

d. Provides a report of balances in the account(s) at the monthly general meeting

e. Provides a detailed accounting of expenses and income for the monthly newsletter

f. Provides a “net income/ loss” accounting of shows/ activities for the monthly newsletter

Article VIII - Fiscal Policies

Section 1. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the club shall begin on the first day of December and end on the last day of November of the following year.

Section 2. Signatures

The entire board of directors may be signatories on any and all accounts held for the club, but at least the Treasurer and the President at minimum will be signatories.

Section 3. Spending Limits

At the first meeting of each year, the club will set the maximum amount that the board may spend for a specific purpose without first publishing their intent in the newsletter. For any amount over this spending limit, at the meeting following the publication in the newsletter, the purchase will be voted upon by the general membership.

Section 4. Loans

No loans shall be contracted on behalf of the club and no evidence of indebtedness shall be issued in its name, unless authorized by a unanimous resolution of the Board of Directors. Such authority may be in general or confined to specific circumstances.

Section 5. Dissolution

If at any time, by the majority vote of the Board and the general membership, the club dissolves, any funds remaining in its treasury will be distributed to an equestrian related tax exempt organization, such as a therapeutic riding center, a horse rescue, or the Whatcom County horse park. This decision shall be made at the time of dissolution.

Section 6. Legal Applicability

All articles and material contained herein are subject to the laws of the State of Washington and the United States of America. When in conflict with any portion of this document, those laws shall rule and override said portion.

Article IX - Parliamentary Authority

The current edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall be used as a reference for procedure at all membership and Board meetings when not in conflict with these bylaws.

Article X - Amendments

These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds vote of those present at a general membership meeting. Written notification of the proposed change must be sent to all members at least 30 days before this meeting.