2006 Revision
I. Fiscal Year
A. The fiscal year of the Society shall be from April 1 of any year until March 31 of the following year.
II. Membership
A. Candidates for membership may join the Society upon written application accompanied by payment of the prescribed dues.
B. Members may provide general or specific instructions for the Board and shall have authority to alter or reverse any decision of the Board by a vote of a majority of the members in attendance.
C. Family membership shall be defined as no more than two adult members and all children up to and including 17 years of age. Family memberships have the authority of two votes. Family members upon reaching the age of 18 must pay for individual membership unless they are one of the two adult members of a family membership.
D. Expulsion. Any member who deliberately violates the Constitution or Bylaws or willfully brings injury or discredit to the Society may be charged with misconduct. Charges of misconduct of a member shall be presented in writing to the Board. Expulsion shall be a majority vote of the full Board. Reinstatement after a period of one calendar year may be permitted by the Board after payment of a full year’s dues.
III. Dues
A. Dues for membership shall be: Individual Member – $20; Family Membership – $24. Membership will be prorated as necessary so that dues are renewed in April of each year. Any member whose dues are unpaid two months after becoming due shall be dropped from the rolls automatically. Full payment of dues shall constitute reinstatement.
B. Lifetime membership may be purchased at $120 for single membership or $180 for family membership. Lifetime membership may also be earned via participation in the BAP or HAP programs. Attainment of 100 spawns or propagations (Grand Master level) shall be awarded single lifetime membership.
IV. Officers
A. Duties of the President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and exercise general supervision over the activities of the Society; shall have authority to appoint and remove committee chairpersons with ratification of the membership; shall have authority to call special meetings; shall be ex-officio member of all standing committees and shall provide the second signature on checks along with the Treasurer.
B. Duties of the Vice President. The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in his absence and shall assist in the duties of the President at his direction.
C. Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall keep a record of all financial transactions in a manner approved by the Board and concurrent with accepted accounting procedures; shall submit a report monthly to be published in the newsletter and approved at each general meeting; shall be responsible for the collection of all monies due to the Society; shall notify members when dues are delinquent; shall keep a record of all requests and authorizations for payment; shall make payments from the general treasury upon authorization of the Board; shall keep charge of the Society bank account; and shall give a complete financial report annually. Checks shall be written by the Treasurer and signed by both the Treasurer and the President. Books of the Treasurer may be audited at the end of each fiscal year, at the discretion of the Board. The treasurer shall notify the membership chairman of dues received and shall be responsible for preparing the annual operating budget to be presented to the Board at the March budget meeting. All requests for general funds, or reimbursements of expenses, shall be submitted to the board for approval.
D. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep a record of all minutes of the Society’s regular and business meetings, and shall publish the minutes in the Society newsletter.
E. Board Members at Large. The Board Members at Large have no specific duties, but assist the President and other Officers as needed.
F. The term of office for all Officers shall be one year.
V. Eligibility for Office
A. Any adult member in good standing shall be eligible for office in this society. The positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Librarian may only be filled with an active member (having attended at least eight of the last twelve meetings) of at least one year.
VI. Directors
A. Directors shall be appointed by the President on a yearly basis. They shall be chairpersons of the respective committees and shall constitute part of the governing board. They may appoint their own staff.
B. SHOW COMMITTEE – shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to shows, both annual and bowl shows, rules, correspondence, judges, etc.
C. PUBLICATION COMMITTEE – shall be responsible for issuing a Society newsletter and literature, and shall handle all related business.
D. PROGRAM COMMITTEE – shall be responsible for providing a program for all general meetings and shall be allowed a budget for renting programs if necessary.
E. PUBLICITY COMMITTEE – shall be responsible for providing publicity for the Society, i.e. providing posters to pet shops, issuing meeting notices to pet shops, issuing meeting notices to media outlets, and any other means of promoting the Society.
F. LIBRARY COMMITTEE – shall have control of all publications which are property of the Society, and shall provide a means of making these materials available to membership.
G. BAP/HAP COMMITTEE – shall administer these programs according to the published rules.
H. AUCTION COMMITTEE – shall administer the auctions.
VII. Elections
A. A nominating committee, whose chairman shall be appointed by the President, shall present a slate of nominees for office to the membership at the regular meetings, two months (February) and again at one month (March) prior to the annual meeting (April). Additional nominations may be made from the floor at these times, after which nominations will be closed.
B. Officers shall be elected by a majority written ballot of members in attendance at the regular meeting (March) prior to the annual (April) meeting.
C. Officers shall take office at the regular annual meeting (April).
D. Directors shall be appointed by the President and approved by majority vote of the membership present at the next general meeting.
E. In the event of resignation of the President, the Vice President shall assume of the office of President and a new Vice President shall be elected by the membership. In the event of resignation of any other elected officer, that position shall be filled by election at the next regular meeting.
VIII. Other Standing Committees
A. Refreshments: shall purchase, prepare, and serve refreshments at each regular Society meeting; shall keep donation kitty to help pay for supplies; and may request additional funds from the Treasurer if necessary.
B. Welcoming: shall be responsible for greeting guests as they come to the meeting, recording their presence and introducing each guest at the appropriate time.
C. Membership: shall be responsible for any program related to the recruitment of new members and shall keep a record of all members.
D. Historian: shall be responsible for keeping a historical record of the Society and shall keep a file of clippings from newspapers, releases, feature stories, and shall keep any artifacts belonging to the Society.
E. Ways and Means: shall be responsible for the organization of all fund raising activities of the Society other than the auctions.
F. All committee chairmen may appoint their own staffs.
IX. Resignation or Removal of Officers
A. Any Officer or Board member wishing to resign shall submit his resignation in writing to the Board for disposition by the Board.
B. An Officer or Director may be removed from office in the following manner: written notice of the charges against said Officer or Director shall be submitted to the Board. After a majority vote by the Board upholding the charges, the removal request shall be effective immediately.
1. The President is authorized to appoint interim board members at large to serve until the next general election. The appointee must meet all criteria of any other elected officer of the Society, and must maintain the status of active member for the duration of his/her tenure on the board.
2. In the case of any other elected officer, the President is authorized to appoint an interim substitute who, meeting all criteria for election, shall be ratified by the general membership at the next general meeting.
3. Removal of Officers, after Board approval, shall be submitted to the general membership for vote at the next General Meeting and requires a majority of the members to pass. Said vacant position shall be filled as soon as possible as provided for in Article VII, Section 1.
C. Grounds for removal shall be misconduct in office, willfully violating the constitution or bylaws, or willfully bringing injury or discredit to the Society. Failure to attend either four consecutive meetings of any kind, or three consecutive meetings of the Board shall also be grounds for removal from Office.
IIX. Amendments
A. The Constitution and Bylaws, or any section thereof, may be amended or repealed by a 2/3 majority vote of members present at the regular meeting, provided written notice has been given to the membership in the previous month.
Changed, August 2005
A. The Bylaws or any section thereof, may be amended or repealed by the method described in the Constitution.
A. Meetings
A. Regular meetings shall be held at a time and place designed by the Board.
B. The time or date of a meeting may be changed by the President with the approval of the Board.
A. Quorum
A. The members present at a general meeting shall constitute a quorum for that meeting.
B. A quorum for the business meeting of the Governing Board shall be a majority of the members of the Board.
A. Voting
A. A majority of the votes cast shall be required to adopt a motion at Society meetings unless otherwise noted.
B. Method of voting
1. Voting shall be by voice, except as otherwise provided.
2. Any member may request a standing vote on a question which does not require a vote by ballot.
3. Any member wishing to vote by proxy at elections or on changes in the Constitution and Bylaws shall notify the Secretary in writing of the name of his or proxy before the meeting at which the vote is taken.
A. Rules
A. All business of the Society shall be transacted under the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, revised.
B. This Constitution shall be read annually by the governing board and copies shall be made available to the general membership when they become members and at any time amendments have been made.
A. Special Interest Groups
A. Any Special Interest Group (SIG) formed as an active group in affiliation with the Greater Portland Aquarium Society shall be bound by the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society. Limited charters of operation of such SIGs shall be granted by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.
B. The meetings of SIGs shall be open to all Society members.
C. All persons attending SIG meetings regularly shall be required to become a member of the Society., in the manner that visitors to the General Meeting are required likewise.
D. Upon dissolution of any SIG, or separation of the SIG from affiliation with the Society., any monies from the Society. treasury, any materials purchased with Society funds, and any other items belonging to G.P.A.S. shall be returned to, and remain in possession of Society.
E. Any SIG that deliberately violates the Constitution or By-Laws or willfully brings injury to discredit to the Society may be charged with misconduct. Charges of misconduct shall be presented in writing to the Board of Directors. The limited charter may be revoked by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors. Reinstatement of the limited charter may be made by a simple majority vote of the Board when the determination has been made that the SIG will have no further detrimental effects on the Society.
F. For purposes of all matters of internal Society. business, and in external liaisons that affect the Society as a whole, there shall be no distinction between the Society and any SIGs in existence.