GREATER ROCHESTER IRIS SOCIETY
BY LAWS – PROPOSED
First Reading: 13 April 2014
Article I – Name and Affiliation
Section 1: A. The name of this organization shall be the
Greater Rochester Iris Society (GRIS).
The Greater
Rochester Iris Society is a non-profit local affiliate of the American Iris
Society and as such, is governed by the AIS by-laws.
.
Article II
- Purpose
Section 1:
A.
The purpose of Greater
Rochester Iris Society shall be education of the public through exhibitions,
public display gardens, published standards for judging, and local, area,
regional and national meetings open to the public; and
B. Furtherance of the endeavors of AIS.
Section 2: The Greater Rochester Iris Society shall be
organized and operated exclusively for the educational and scientific purposes
within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 3: Notwithstanding any other provisions of these
Bylaws, the [Greater Rochester Iris Society] shall not carry on any other
activities not permitted to be carried on by
(a) an
organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code, or
(b) an organization, contributions to which
are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 4: No substantial part of the activities of the
Greater Rochester Iris Society shall consist of carrying on propaganda, or
otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Greater Rochester Iris
Society shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign, including
the publication or the distribution of statements on behalf of any candidate
for public office.
Section 5: Inurement of income: No part of the net earnings
of the organization shall be distributable to its members, officers, or other
private persons, except that the organization is authorized to pay reasonable
compensation for goods and/or services rendered in furtherance of the
objectives of the Greater Rochester Iris Society
Article
III - Membership
Section 1: Membership of this Society is open to any person
who wishes to support the purpose of the society as stated in Article II.
Section 2:
All members shall:
a) Have an interest in gardening with iris.
b) Be willing to take an active part in the activities of the
Society
c) Submit payment of dues in a timely manner.
Article IV – Dues
Section 1: Annual dues shall be payable at
the beginning of the society year in January. Effective January 1, 2014 dues
are $10 per member. Members are encouraged but not required to be members of
the American Iris Society.
Section 2: Members whose dues are delinquent on April 31, and
who have been duly notified, shall automatically be dropped from the membership
roll.
Article V – Finances
Section 1: The society shall be supported by fund raising
activities, including but not restricted to raffles, plant sales and auctions.
Section 2: A proposed budget will be prepared by the
treasurer in consultation with the executive committee to be presented at the
annual meeting.
Section 3: The President and Treasurer must approve all
non-budgeted items costing in excess of $50.00 prior to payment.
Section 4: Should the
society be dissolved, all assets will be turned over to Region 2 of the
American Iris Society with the understanding that the money will be returned if
the Greater Rochester Iris Society were revived.
Article VI: Meetings
Section 1: The annual meeting of the
society will be held in October each year.
Section 2: General meetings of the
membership will be held on at least 3 other occasions with prior notification.
Section 3: Roberts Rules of Order shall govern all business meetings.
Article VII - Officers
Section 1: The officers of this Society shall be President,
Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. All officers must be members in good
standing with AIS.
Section 2:
Officers shall serve for two years to begin one month following their election,
with the privilege of re-election at the expiration of their term
Section 3:
Should an officer other than the President resign prior to the end of their term
of office, the office shall be filled by vote of the Executive Committee.
Section 4:
Should the President be unable to complete the term of office, the
Vice-President will assume those duties until the next election.
Article VIII – Duties of Officers
Section 1:
A. The President shall preside at all meetings of the
Society, shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees with the exception of
the Nominating Committee, will act as the
society’s representative to the Region 2 Board of Directors or may appoint a
proxy if unable to attend, and shall perform such duties as required
for the advancement of the mission of the society.
B. The President shall serve as the
Membership Chair or appoint a member in good standing to serve as Membership
Chairman for a term of two years.
Section 2: The Vice President is responsible for arranging programs for each
meeting and in the absence of the President, presides over the meetings.
Section 3: The Secretary shall
record the minutes of all meetings of the Society and shall be the custodian of
all records and papers pertaining to the office.
Section 4: The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all the
Society funds and shall deposit all monies in an insured financial institution
in an account in the name of the Society. The Treasurer shall keep an itemized
account of all receipts and disbursements and shall report at all regular
meetings to the Society. The Treasurer shall pay all bills approved by the
President, and the President shall be authorized to sign checks in the absence
or disability of the Treasurer
Section 5: All officers report at the
request of the President. These reports shall be filed with the Secretary.
Section 6: All officers are expected to take an active part
in the business of running the organization, including attendance at Executive
Committee meetings. An officer, who is inattentive to his/ her duties, may be
asked to vacate the office by a majority of the executive committee or 2/3 of
the general membership. Any vacancy occurring in an office other than the
presidency shall be filled by vote of the Executive Committee. This includes the office of
Vice-President if vacated to fill the office of President.
Article IX - Executive Committee
Section 1: All elected officers shall constitute the
Executive Committee.
Section 2: This Committee transacts
the general business of the Society, considers all questions of policy and
presents recommendations to the Society for approval.
Section 3: Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at the
call of the President.
Section 4. A majority of the Executive Committee shall
constitute a quorum.
Section 5: Between meetings of the society, the Executive
Committee cannot modify any action taken by the society.
Article X - Committees
Section 1: Committees shall be established as are necessary
to carry on the work of the Society.
Section 2:
Committee membership is open to all members.
Section 3:
The Chairmen of all committees shall be appointed by the President, except for
the Program Committee Chair who is the Vice-President, an elected position, and
shall report at the request of the President.
Article
XI - Elections
Section 1: A
Nominating Committee of one to three members in good standing shall be
appointed by the President.
Section 2: A. The Nominating Committee shall submit a list of
candidates at the September meeting prior to the expiration of the officers’
terms.
B. The Nominating Committee will publish the list of candidates
prior to the annual meeting, at which elections are to take place.
Section 3: Nominations shall be accepted from the floor at
the annual meeting prior to the election, which shall be held at that meeting.
Section 4: If there is more than one candidate for the same
office, election shall be by secret ballot and a plurality shall elect. If
there is only one candidate for each office, election can be by voice vote.
Article XI – Amendments
The by laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the
Society by a two thirds vote of those members present, provided the proposed
amendment has been submitted in writing, read at the previous regular meeting
and is included in the minutes of that meeting which are mailed to the general
membership and are
included in the newsletter which is sent to the general membership.
