Constitution
Of the
L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club
PREAMBLE
We, the members, wishing to secure for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of the association of persons commonly interested in Amateur Radio, have joined together as the L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club, and enact this constitution as our governing law. It shall be our purpose to further the public relations, emergency communication activities, training, technical advancement of club members, operating activities and other miscellaneous activities.
ARTICLE
I MEMBERSHIP
All persons interested in amateur radio communications, that is the Amateur Radio Service as defined by the Federal Communications Commission, shall be eligible for membership. Membership shall be by application, upon such terms as the club shall set forth through its By-Laws.
ARTICLE II OFFICERS
The officers of this club shall be President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Activities Manager, Technical Officer and ARRL Liaison.
SECTION 1. All officers must hold a current, valid
amateur radio license, at the time of their election.
SECTION 2. The officers
of this club shall be elected for a term of one year, by ballot of the majority
of the members present at the meeting in December.
SECTION 3. Vacancies occurring between elections must be filled by special
election at the first regular meeting following the withdrawal or resignation.
SECTION 4. Officers may be removed by a three-fourths
vote of the membership at a meeting scheduled for that purpose.
SECTION 5. The Board
of Directors for the club shall consist of, but not be limited to, the present
President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Activities Manager,
Past-President, Technical Officer and the ARRL Liaison.
ARTICLE III DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SECTION
1. The President
shall:
-
Preside
at all meetings of the club and conduct the same according to the rules
adopted. Enforce due observance of the
Constitution and By-Laws;
-
Decide
all question of order.
-
Sign
all official documents that are adopted.
-
Conduct
all official business of the Club.
-
Be
the official spokesperson for the Club.
-
Be
a representative on the Technical Committee.
-
Perform
all other customary duties pertaining to the office of President.
SECTION
2. The President-Elect
shall:
-
Succeed
the to the office of President for a period of one year at the end of the term
of President-Elect, or upon the removal or resignation of the President.
-
Be
a representative on the Technical Committee.
-
Perform
the duties of the President when necessary due to the absence or ill health of
the President.
SECTION
3. The Secretary
shall:
-
Keep
a record of the proceedings of all meetings.
-
Keep
a roll of members.
-
Submit
applications for membership.
-
Carry
on all correspondence, read communications at each meeting.
-
Mail
a written notice for special meetings to each member.
-
Keep
the Constitution and By-Laws of the club and have them at every meeting.
-
Cause
all amendments, changes and additions to be noted thereon and shall permit the
same to be consulted by members upon request.
-
File
annual repeater reports with the Michigan Area repeater Council (MARC)
-
Oversee
the activities of the Membership Chair, Club Historian, the Club Web Site and
the Tuned Circuit.
-
Maintain
close liaison with the ARRL Michigan Section Public Information Coordinator as
the club’s ARRL Field Organization position of Public Information Officer. If the Secretary wishes to delegate this
role, a club member may be appointed by the board to perform this role.
-
Turn
over all items belonging to the club to his/her successor.
SECTION
4. The Treasurer
shall:
-
Be
responsible for and keep an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements
of club funds, having a receipt for all monies paid out of the treasury.
-
Pay
no bills without proper authorization of the club.
-
Present
an up to date financial report at each regularly scheduled club meeting.
-
Submit
to the membership an itemized statement of disbursements and receipts at the
end of each quarter.
-
At
the expiration of his/her term, turn over all items belonging to the club to
his/her successor.
SECTION
5. The Activities-Manager
shall:
-
Organize
club member activities, plan and recommend contests for operating benefit and
advance club interest and activity as approved by the club.
-
Encourage
all members to report activities to the club (bulletin) and to make the
reputation of the club and Amateur Radio activities in the community as
outstanding as possible.
-
Oversee
general club activities and ensure that they are being planned and resourced by
club members. These activities would
include but not be limited to; Club Swap, Field Day, License Classes, Nets,
Monthly Meetings and Programs, Christmas Party, Dayton Trip, etc.
-
Appoint
committees or assistants to aid in the duties of the office.
SECTION 6. The Technical Officer shall:
-
Oversee
the operations of the club repeater and club packet station.
-
Lead
the Technical Committee as defined in Article VI and the By-Laws.
-
Maintain
close liaison with the ARRL Michigan Section Technical Coordinator as the
club’s ARRL Field Organization position of Technical Specialist. If the Technical Officer wishes to delegate
this role, a club member may be appointed by the board to perform this role.
-
Appoint
additional committees or assistants to aid in the duties of the office.
SECTION 7. The ARRL Liaison shall:
-
Maintain
regular communications with the Michigan ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator.
-
Inform
the board and club members of opportunities and responsibilities of ARRL
Affiliated Clubs and Special Service Clubs, as appropriate.
-
Disseminate
ARRL bulletins to club members regularly.
-
Maintain
close liaison with the ARRL Michigan Section Manager and his/her staff to
further club participation in the ARRL Field Organization.
-
Attend
or have representation at ARRL Michigan Section called meetings.
-
Oversee
the club’s ARRL Field Organization positions of Official Emergency Station,
Official Bulletin Station, Official Observer, Official Relay Station and Local
Government Liaison. These positions are
appointed by the board.
-
Apply
for and coordinate any awards and certificates earned by the club for
participation in ARRL events and activities.
-
Appoint
committees or assistants to aid in the duties of the office.
ARTICLE
IV MEETINGS
The By-Laws shall provide for regular and special
meetings. At meetings, a minimum of one-third of the membership shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
ARTICLE
V DUES
The club, by majority vote of those present at any
regular meeting, may levy upon the general membership such dues or assessments
as shall be deemed necessary for the business of the organization within its
objectives as set forth in the preamble.
Annual dues are due and payable at the meeting in October of each
year. Members not having paid their
dues by the conclusion of the November meeting will be considered delinquent
and not a member in good standing.
ARTICLE
VI MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANCE
The club shall enact appropriate rules to minimize
interference in operation between stations of its members. It shall formulate adequate plans for
disposition of any cases of interference to other radio services where reported
as caused by any amateur station operation in the area of club
jurisdiction. The club, through the
lead of the Technical Officer, may designate INTERFERENCE, PUBLIC
RELATIONS and OPERATING
committees, that will provide technical advice to members concerning equipment
design and operation, to assist in frequency observance, clean signals, uniform
practice and absence of spurious radiation from club member’s stations. The club shall also maintain a program to
foster and guide public relations via the Secretary Officer.
ARTICLE
VII AMENDMENTS
This constitution or the By-Laws may be amended by a
majority vote of the total membership present at the meeting. Proposals for
amendments shall be submitted in writing at a regular meeting and shall be
voted on at the next following regular meeting, provided all members have been
noticed by mail of the intent to amend the Constitution and/or By-Laws at said
meeting.
ARTICLE
VIII RULES
Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all
Proceedings.
BY-LAWS
1. MEMBERSHIP:
Applications for membership shall be
submitted at a regular meeting in writing.
Each applicant must express a willingness to abide by the constitution
and By-Laws and other rules promulgated by the club. Echo members who are not LCARC members as of the date of it’s
assimilation by LCARC will automatically become LCARC members in good standing
until 31 October of the year the constitution of the merged club becomes
effective, at which time their dues will become payable as per Article V.
Life members of the Echo will automatically become
Life members of the new L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club.
2. MEETINGS:
Regular meetings shall be held on each
calendar month except July and August at such a place, as the President shall
order. Special meetings may be called
by the President upon the written request of any five club members. Notices shall be sent to members concerning
special meetings and the business to be transacted. Such notices shall be sent so that they arrive not less than 24
hours before the meeting time
3. DUES:
The L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club will have the
following types of members:
-
Regular
members, annual dues $20.00
-
Student
members, annual dues $2.00
-
Family
members, annual dues equal to 1.5 times the current L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio
Club dues for a Regular member. A
Family membership is for all persons residing at one address. A family membership will receive only 1
Tuned Circuit and annual club roster.
Each family member will receive a membership card and will be a full voting
member of the club.
These dues are hereby assessed in accordance with the provisions of Article V of the Constitution for the purpose of providing a fund for current expenses.
Each member in good standing will receive the club newsletter, The Tuned Circuit, when published. The regular method of delivery for the Tuned Circuit will be electronic mail via the Internet. If a member wishes to receive a printed copy via US Mail, a fee of $10.00 per year to cover the charge for printing and mailing will be applied in addition to the member dues stated above.
4. BOARD:
The board shall be authorized to approve
non-routine expenditures of no more than two hundred and fifty dollars
($250.00). All proposals for
non-routine expenditures shall be reviewed by the board for recommendation
before being voted on by the membership.
If necessary, this review by the board can be made during a general
membership meeting.
5. Merge
of the LCARC and the LC/Echo Repeater Association:
The L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club (LCARC), by a
vote of the membership, and by action of the former L’Anse Creuse/Echo Repeater
Association has:
A.
Caused
the organization known as the L’Anse Creuse/Echo Repeater Association to become
a part of the L’Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club, and in accordance with the
constitution of the L’Anse Creuse Echo Repeater Association has determined that
the repeater be known as the “L’Anse Creuse/Echo Repeater” and the repeater
shall include said name as part of its on the air identification if possible. The shortened id “The L. C. Echo Repeater”
is an acceptable alternate.
B.
Established
a Technical Committee to oversee the ongoing operation and maintenance of the
repeater.
6. TECHNICAL COMMITTEE:
A.
LCARC
establishes a Technical Committee, which will consist of six members, one of
whom will be the Technical Officer.
Other members of this committee shall include the President and
President-Elect of LCARC and three representatives to be appointed by the Board
of Directors. The Technical Committee
may establish working committees to aid in the ongoing operation and
maintenance of the club’s repeater, packet station and any other stations
created for the club.
B.
LCARC
will fund any and all regular expenses and recurring expenses of the Technical
Committee to the extent that conditions dictate. Any unusual expenses such as but not limited to capital
improvements or other expenses greater than
$250 will be decided in the usual manner by the Board of Directors and/or
a vote of the LCARC membership as necessary.
7. STATION CALL SIGNS:
A.
Club
call signs are assigned to LCARC on a per request basis. As of 1 June 1998, the call signs K8AYZ and
N8LC have been assigned to the LCARC by the Federal Communications Commission under
sections 301 & 303(0) of the communications act. The club call signs may be used for repeater or packet stations,
special event stations, field day and etc.
B.
The
Board of Directors may, by a simple majority, designate or replace a trustee
for the club call signs. One person may
be the trustee for multiple call signs or a trustee may be designated for each
call sign. If an individual member’s
call sign is used on a packet or repeater station then that member is the
trustee of that station since the license has been assigned to the member and
not to the club.
C.
LCARC
may change the trustee of a station call sign by filing with the Federal
Communications Commission.
8. ADDITIONAL BY-LAWS:
Additional By-Laws may provide for technical,
program, publicity and other committees or other rule provisions not provided
for in the constitution itself.
Updated Jun3, 1987
Updated Amended By-Laws #3 April5, 1989
Updated Amended By-Laws #4 April5, 1995
Updated Amended By-Laws #5 October 14, 1998
Became effective November 04, 1998 when ratified by
the L’Anse Creuse Echo Repeater Association
Updated Amended By-Laws #3 September 3, 2003
Updated Constitution and By-Laws, Ratified on December 3, 2003