Our Constitution

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

NAME

Section 1.     NAME: The name of this organization shall be: The St. Lucie County Rock and Gem Club, Inc. Hereinafter referred to as the “Club”. The Club address is 6901 Heritage Drive, #1, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34952.

ARTICLE II

PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES

Section 1.     PURPOSES:  To promote and support interest and study in the fields of lapidary, mineralogy, geology, earth sciences, and related arts.

A. To increase the members’ knowledge in these fields and exchange this knowledge and experiences with others.

B. To encourage the collecting and displaying of specimens related to the Club’s interest.

C. To arrange field trips for the collection of specimens and to increase the members’ knowledge of earth sciences.

D. To make the members’ knowledge in the fields related to the Club’s interest available to beginners of all ages and to promote their skills and interest by an active educational program of instruction.

E. To enjoy our endeavor while furthering the objectives of the Club.

Section 2.     OBJECTIVES: Create an environment that will assist and support all members.

A. Promote goodwill and fellowship among Club members.

B. Provide and maintain a workshop with equipment and instructors that will further our knowledge and skills.

C. Hold scheduled meetings of the general membership to conduct business and keep members informed.

D. Publish and distribute a newsletter to each member as prescribed in the by-laws.

ARTICLE III

LIMITATIONS

Section 1.     LIMITATIONS: The Club is formed as a non-profit, non-commercial, and non-political organization.

A. Individual club members will be allowed to conduct business for profit with the Club and its members with prior approval from the Board.

B. Officers as well as committee members will serve without monetary compensation. Reasonable expenditures will be reimbursed.

C. No individual may represent themselves as representing the Club without prior permission of the Club.

ARTICLE IV

BUDGET

Section 1.     BUDGET: The annual budget for the current calendar year will be submitted by the Executive Board for the general membership at the February meeting for approval.

Section 2.     EXCEEDING THE BUDGET: If it is apparent that the budget will be exceeded by more than 10% (ten percent) per quarter, the Financial Committee will advise the Executive Board of the deficit. The Executive Board will determine if a revised budget needs to be developed.

Section 3.     UNBUDGETED EXPENSES: The President is authorized to approve unbudgeted expenses up to $500.00 and emergency expenses per event up to $1,000.00.

                        Such expenditures must be reported at the next general meeting of the Club and may not be in the aggregate of more than $2,000.00. Such expenditures must also be approved by the Executive Board.

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Executive Board shall have the same power to approve unbudgeted expenses.

Section 4.     EXPENDITURES: All expenditures must be covered by current funds. No Officer, Executive Board member or member of the Club shall be authorized to borrow money in the name of the Club without prior authorization of the membership of the Club.

                        The President, Vice-President, and Treasurer shall be bonded and authorized to sign checks for the expenditures of the Club.

ARTICLE V

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.     MEMBERSHIP: Membership is open to anyone interested in pursuing the purposes and objectives of the Club, and upon such terms as prescribed in the By-laws governing the Club.

ARTICLE VI

ORGANIZATION

Section 1.     OFFICERS: The elected officers of the Club shall be President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

A. Elected officers shall carry out duties as prescribed in the By-laws of the Club.

B. Elected officers shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office, in accordance with the By-laws.

Section 2.     EXECUTIVE BOARD: The Executive Board and General Membership meetings will coincide. In addition, the Executive Board has the option to meet whenever necessary. The joint meeting will be on the fourth Sunday of the month. No meetings will be held in July and December.

                        The location of all meetings will appear in the Newsletter, in the workshop, and on the website.

A. The Executive Board shall meet prior to the General Membership meeting as necessary.

B. The Executive Board will be responsible for conducting the business of the club and authorizing the expenditures of funds.

Section 3.     STANDING COMMITTEES: The standing committees of the Club shall be: 1) Registrar, 2) Current instructors, 3) Librarian, 4) Membership, 5) Newsletter, 6) Publicity, 7) Show, 8) Special Events, 9) Workshop, 10) Building, and 11) Webmaster.

A. Members may volunteer to become Standing Committee Chairperson.

B. The President shall be responsible for appointing Chairperson of all Standing Committees not filled by volunteers by the January general membership meetings.

C. A list of all Chairpersons will be prepared each February for the newsletter or for the regular meeting.

D. Vacancies of a Chairperson for any Standing Committee shall be promptly filled by the President.

E. Duties of the standing committees are as prescribed in the By-laws.

Section 4.     TEMPORARY COMMITTEES: The President shall have the authority to create such temporary committees as deemed appropriate.

A. Nominating.

B. Auditing.

ARTICLE VII

MEETINGS

Section 1.     EXECUTIVE BOARD: The Executive Board will meet when necessary.

A. The location and time of the meeting will appear in the newsletter, be posted in the workshop, and on the website.

B. All meetings of the Executive Board are open to all members of the Club.

Section 2.     GENERAL MEMBERSHIP: The general membership will meet on the fourth Sunday of the month. No meetings will be held in July and December. The location of the meeting will appear in the newsletter, in the workshop, and on the website.

ARTICLE VIII

CONDUCT AND ORDER

Section 1.     ORDER: Roberts Rules of Order, Revised shall prevail at all assembled meetings of the Executive Board and general membership.

Section 2.     CONDUCT: Inappropriate conduct by any member will not be tolerated and will be handled as prescribed in the By-laws of the Club.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

Section 1.     AMENDMENTS: Any section of the Constitution or By-laws may be altered, amended, or repealed.

A. Proposal for any changes shall be submitted to the Executive Board in writing, signed by five active members.

B. Notice of the proposed changes will be published in the newsletter with the text of the proposed changes.

C. The proposed changes will then be voted on at the second general meeting after submission to the Executive Board.

D. The proposed changes must receive a majority vote of the active members present at said meeting.

Section 2.     EFFECTIVE: Upon passage by the voting membership, all changes made to this Constitution or its By-laws will become effective immediately.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.     MEMBERSHIP: The Club membership shall consist of all individuals who desire to benefit from the purposes and objectives stated in the Constitution.

Section 2.     CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP: There will be two classes of membership: Active and Honorary.

A. An active member is one who is current in their dues.

B. An honorary member is one who has been voted by the membership to be an honorary member. An honorary member shall be proposed at the general meeting of the membership, such fact published in the next newsletter and voted upon at the subsequent general meeting. A majority of active members at said meeting must vote in the affirmative for the creation of the honorary membership.

Section 3.     APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP: Application for active membership must be made by formal application on the form supplied by the membership chair or the Club Secretary.

Section 4.     VOLUNTARY TERMINATION: A member can voluntarily leave the club at any time. There will be no refunds of Club dues or monies paid to the club for any reason.

Section 5.     EXPULSION: The Executive Board may by majority vote expel any member from the Club whose attitude, conduct, and actions are detrimental to the welfare of the Club.

A. The Executive Board must notify the general membership of its intent to expel a member by posting such action in the newsletter prior to the vote.

B. Expulsion may be made only after the member has been given notice of this intent and given an opportunity to show cause why the expulsion is not justified or voluntarily terminate their membership.

ARTICLE l A:

CLASSES

Section 1.     CLASSES: You must be a member in good standing to enroll in and attend classes in the workshop.

A. Minor Club members must be accompanied by an adult Club member attending the same class who assumes responsibility for said minor.

B. Each instructor has the right and responsibility to remove any student from their class who poses a safety risk to themselves or others.

ARTICLE II

DUES

Section 1.     DUES: The annual dues for active members will be proposed by the Executive Board and presented at the general membership meeting in February when the annual budget of the Club is submitted for approval. The amount of the dues will be determined by the proposed budget.

A. Dues are due and payable from October 1st until December 31st for the next calendar year.

B. Those not paying their dues by February 1st of any year will be dropped from the active membership list. Any member so dropped from active status may be reinstated to active status upon payment of dues.

C. Payment of dues includes membership and benefits of membership in the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Society, Inc.

Section 2.     VISITORS: Visitors and prospective members may attend two general meetings without becoming members or paying dues. Thereafter, dues become due and payable. This does not apply to persons appearing as guest speakers.

ARTICLE III

ELECTIONS

Section 1.     ELECTION PROCEDURE: The election of officers shall be held at the regular scheduled general membership meeting in November.

A. The Nominating Committee will present its report and recommend a slate of candidates to the general membership meeting in October.

B. The November meeting will be opened for nominations from the floor. Nominations from the floor must be with the prior approval of the nominee.

C. Thereafter, the nominations will be closed and the election will proceed.

D. If there is more than one candidate for an office, a secret ballot will be used. A show of hands will be acceptable if the office is unopposed.

E. Officers shall be elected by a majority of all the active members present and officers so elected shall begin their term on the January 1 following their election in November.

Section 2.     SPECIAL ELECTIONS: In the event the office of President is vacated, a special election shall be held to elect the successor not later than the second General Membership Meeting after the office is vacated. At that time the election will be held in the same manner set forth in Section 1.

Section 3.     OTHER VACANCIES: If any other elective office is vacated, the President may appoint an active member to complete the unexpired term.

A. If deemed by the President to be in the best interest of the Club, a special election can be held.

B. If 10 or more active members request such, a special election will be held in accordance with Section 2 above.

Section 4.     REMOVAL: The Executive Board may remove any Officer who is negligent in their duties or whose attitude or conduct is considered extremely detrimental to the welfare of the Club.

A. Such expulsion may be made only after the Officer has been given an opportunity to show cause why the expulsion is not justified.

B. A 2/3 (two-thirds) affirmative vote by the entire Executive Board is necessary for the expulsion of any officer.

ARTICLE IIIA

PROXY BALLOTS

Section 1.     PROXY BALLOTS: Proxy ballots will be available in the workshop and from the website and be completed and returned to the Board prior to the general membership meeting. Members will appoint a designated proxy or choose the Board to cast their ballot. Ballots will be combined with attending members to obtain the quorum.

ARTICLE IV

QUORUM

Section 1.     BUSINESS: The business of the Club shall be conducted at the general membership meetings and at the meetings of the Executive Board and such meetings shall be open to any active member.

A. At any general meeting the quorum necessary to conduct the business of the meeting shall be a minimum of 10% of the active members.

B. At an Executive Board meeting the quorum necessary to conduct the business of the meeting shall be seven members of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE V

DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS

Section 1.     DUTIES: Duties of the elected officers are as follows:

PRESIDENT: The President shall preside at all general membership meetings and meetings of the Executive Board.

A. The President shall have the power to appoint chairmen of the standing committees as mentioned in the Constitution, Article VI, Section 3.

B. The President can authorize the expenditure of funds as mandated in the Constitution Article IV Section 3.

VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice-President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President. In the event the office of President is vacated, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President until such time the office is filled as prescribed in the by-laws. Will also arrange programs for the general membership meetings.

SECRETARY: The Secretary shall record and keep minutes of all meetings of the General Membership and the Executive Board. Minutes of the general membership meeting will be reported in the monthly newsletter and approved at the next general membership meeting by the active members attending.

A. The minutes of the Executive Board will include the names of the Board Members in attendance.

B. The minutes of the general membership meeting in November shall include the results of the election of officers.

C. The Secretary will keep an accurate list of all active members.

TREASURER: The Treasurer shall receive all dues and other monies paid to the Club and shall disburse them as authorized.

A. The Treasurer shall keep accurate records of all transactions and render a full accounting of the funds to the general membership at a date determined by the Executive Board.

B. The Treasurer shall make a brief report of the Club’s finances at each General Membership Meeting.

C. The Executive Board and the auditing committee shall review the books of account annually in December.

D. The Treasurer shall take out a Bonding Policy through any insurance agency to protect himself and the Club. This policy shall cover the greatest amount of money likely to be in their custody during their term in office. This policy shall be paid for by the Club.

JOINTLY:      The four elected officers will appoint three directors who will be voting members of the Executive Board for a term of two years.

ARTICLE VI

DUTIES OF STANDING COMMITTEES

SHOW COMMITTEE: The Chairman of the Show Committee will complete the business of the public show within one month of the show and in time to be accounted for the close of the Club’s books of account on December 31. All materials relating to the show are the property of the club and will also be turned over to the Club’s Secretary within that time period.

NEWSLETTER:  The newsletter will be published monthly with no edition in July and December. The option to produce a newsletter in July and December is at the discretion of the newsletter editor.

LIBRARIAN: Maintain and account for the reference books and videos that are the property of the Club.

PUBLICITY: Responsible for the publication of Club events and meetings in the of the local media, including the advertising of the annual Show.

MEMBERSHIP: Maintain an accurate list of members, including addresses and phone numbers. Acts as a registrar for the classes to be conducted each semester, enrolling students and collecting tuition.

REGISTRAR: Align a schedule of classes and instructors for the classes to be held each term, enrolling students and collecting fees.

WORKSHOP: Responsible for maintaining the condition of the workshop, including the equipment and supplies. Creating a proposed budget for the operation of the workshop.

SPECIAL EVENTS: Responsible for chairing club activities not covered by another chairman. This will include raffle, auction, field trips, picnic, and stamps.

BUILDING:   Responsible for the maintenance of the workshop building and the relationship with the condo association.

WEBMASTER: Responsible for maintaining current information on the Club’s website.

ARTICLE VII

DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB

Section 1. DISSOLUTION: The dissolution of the Club will require a motion to dissolve the Club made and seconded at a general membership meeting. The motion must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the active members attending that meeting, provided a quorum is present.

A. Within 15 days after the motion to dissolve the Club has been approved, a written notice must be sent to all active members stating that a special meeting will be held (not earlier than 15 days or later than 30 days after the date of the mailing of such notice) to vote on the issue.

B. At that meeting, a two-thirds majority of the active members attending the special meeting will be required to approve the dissolution of the Club. Notice of the action taken at that meeting will be sent to all active members.

C. In the event of approval of the motion of dissolution, a Special Committee consisting of the President, Treasurer and three active members of the club selected by a majority of the active members attending the special meeting, will determine the disbursement of the assets of the Club in accord with the current I.R.S. regulations.

D. The recommendations of the special committee will be subject to the approval of a majority of those active members of the Club attending a special meeting of the Club called on not less than 15 days or more than 30 days from the previous special meeting.

E. During the period of time from the motion for dissolution of the Club to the actual dissolution, the officer of the Club and the Executive Board will continue to have the authority to pay normal and necessary bills of the Club to the extent funds exist.

F. It is the intent of the Club that any remaining assets of the Club be distributed in a manner designed to be used to promote the purposes and objectives of the Club as stated in the Constitution.