BYLAWS of the TwinTier DanceSport USABDA CHAPTER

Endicott, New York

ARTICLE I: NAME AND SEAT

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

ARTICLE IV: AUTHORITY

ARTICLE V: GOVERNING BOARD

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

ARTICLE VII: DIRECTORS

ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEES

ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS

ARTICLE X: DUES AND FEES

ARTICLE XI: POWERS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE GOVERNING BOARD

ARTICLE XII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

ARTICLE XIII: AMENDMENTS AND CONFLICTS

BYLAWS

ARTICLE I: NAME AND SEAT

1.      The name of the Endicott New York Chapter of the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association, Inc. shall be TwinTier DanceSport USABDA.

2.      The seat of the chapter shall be the address of the Incumbent President unless otherwise directed by the Governing Board.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

TwinTier DanceSport USABDA shall function as the Endicott New York Chapter of the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association, Inc. (herein called "USABDA National") and shall:

1.      Abide by the Bylaws and any other Rules, which are adopted by USABDA National.

2.      Engage in activities that promote and support Amateur Ballroom Dancing to the extent allowed by USABDA National's Bylaws and Rules.

3.      Act as a liaison between the chapter's members and USABDA National as required.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

1.      Membership in the TwinTier DanceSport USABDA Chapter is granted by USABDA National.

2.      Membership categories and privileges shall be determined and regulated by USABDA National. (One such membership category referred to herein is Voting Member.)

ARTICLE IV: AUTHORITY

1.      The management and administration of the TwinTier DanceSport USABDA Chapter shall be vested in the Officers and Board of Directors. The combined Officers and Board of Directors shall be referred to herein as the Governing Board.

2.      The Governing Board shall be comprised of eight (8) members, four (4) officers and four (4) directors at large, duly elected by the Voting Members of the Chapter.

3.      The Governing Board shall call General and Special Chapter meetings in accordance with these bylaws.

ARTICLE V: GOVERNING BOARD

1.      QUALIFICATIONS:
A. Governing Board Members (Officers and Directors) must be Voting Members of USABDA national and the local chapter in good standing. It is recommended, but not required, that Officers have served previously on the Board of Directors.

B. An associate (professional) member may not serve as an officer, but may be elected as an at-large director and serve as a committee chairperson.

2.      GENERAL ELECTIONS:
A. Governing Board Members shall be elected by the Voting Members of the chapter in the fall of every year (herein called a "General Election") and shall assume office as of the 1st of January the following year.

B. All Governing Board positions shall simultaneously be filled or ratified by written ballot with a majority vote of the Members as the first item of business at a general election meeting of which all members were notified in writing at least two weeks prior to the election and at which a quorum is present as provided in Article IX, Section 4.

C. A nominating committee of no less than three and no more than five shall be appointed by the President and shall be selected from the current and/or past governing board members in good standing.

D. A request for nominations shall be mailed to all Voting Members at least six (6) weeks in advance of the general election, and any nominations by the membership must be submitted in writing within two weeks of the date of the request. This request may be in the form of the chapter newsletter, or may be by special letter. Candidates must be submitted to the nominating committee in writing, and the member must have accepted the nomination in order to be placed on the ballot. Nominations will not be accepted from the floor.

E. Notice of the slate of nominees for the Governing Board shall be mailed to all current members at least two (2) weeks in advance of the election.

F. The Governing Board shall hold a General Election within two (2) months following the receipt of a petition signed by twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the Voting Members of the chapter, which calls for a General Election.

3.      RESIGNATION: A Governing Board Member may resign at any time. Resignations shall be submitted in writing and will become effective at the time specified therein. If no time is specified, then upon receipt.

4.      RESIGNATION BY ABSENCE: A Governing Board Member who is absent from more than three (3) consecutive Governing Board meetings or absent from more than 60% of the total meetings of the Governing Board during any six (6) month period, may, upon concurrence of a majority of the remaining Governing Board Members, be considered to have Resigned by Absence.

5.      REMOVAL: A Governing Board Member may be removed by a unanimous vote of the total number of the remaining Governing Board Members with or without cause.

6.      VACANCIES: Vacancies on the Governing Board may be filled by the President by appointment. Vacancies in officer positions shall be filled according to Article VI.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

1.      OFFICER POSITIONS: The following positions shall exist. The persons with these positions shall be called Officers. Officers are responsible for attending meetings of the Governing Board.
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer

2.      ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS:
A. The Governing Board shall elect its officers.

3.      PRESIDENT’S AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The President shall:
A. Preside at all Governing Board meetings and general meetings of the membership.
B. See that the orders and resolutions of the Governing Board are carried out.
C. Be an ex-officio member of all standing committees.
D. Have other authorities and responsibilities as designated by the Governing Board.

4.      VICE-PRESIDENT'S AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Vice-President shall:
A. Act in the place and stead of the President in his or her absence or incapacity.
B. Succeed the President in the event of a vacancy in the office of the President until a new President is elected.
C. Have other authorities and responsibilities as designated by the Governing Board.

5.      SECRETARY’S AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Secretary shall:
A. Keep the minutes of all meetings of the Governing Board or of general membership meetings.
B. Record all votes at meetings and actions of the Governing Board taken between meetings.

C. Distribute the minutes to all Governing Board Members before the next regular meeting.
D. Correspond with other individuals and organizations on behalf of the chapter.
E. Maintain the USABDA chapter Bylaws and distribute copies to all Governing Board Members.
F. Have other authorities and responsibilities as designated by the Governing Board.

6.      TREASURER'S AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Treasurer shall:
A. Be responsible for collecting and depositing all moneys due.
B. Sign all checks, drafts and notes of the chapter.
C. Maintain complete and accurate financial records.
D. Present financial statements at the Governing Board meetings.
E. Perform any financial reporting requirements of USABDA National.
F. Have other authorities and responsibilities as designated by the Governing Board.

7.      DELEGATION: Officers may delegate specific tasks to other individuals or committees, but shall retain the responsibility for those tasks.

8.      RESIGNATION: An Officer may resign at any time. Resignations shall be submitted in writing and will become effective at the time specified therein. If no time is specified, then upon receipt. After resignation as an Officer, the individual shall continue to be a Governing Board Member, unless he or she also resigns from the Governing Board.

9.      VACANCIES OF OFFICER POSITIONS: In the event of a vacancy of the office of President, the Vice-President shall succeed. In the event there is no Vice President to succeed the President, an election shall be held to fill the vacancy(s). In the event of a vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer, the Governing Board will elect a new board member to fill the vacancy.

 

ARTICLE VII: DIRECTORS

1.      RESPONSIBILITIES: Directors are responsible for attending Governing Board meetings and shall assist and support the officers in their duties. Each director shall chair at least one standing committee.

2.      NUMBER OF DIRECTORS: The number of directors shall consist of four(4) at-large directors as provided in Article IV, Section 2.

 

ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEES

There may be two kinds of committees. Standing Committees are selected to serve for a full term. Ad-hoc Committees are selected to serve for a temporary period to complete a special task. Examples of ad-hoc committees are a Nominating Committee, or any special committee selected to plan and coordinate a single special event.

1.      AUTHORITY: Standing or ad-hoc committees may be created or dissolved, and given specific authorities, responsibilities and/or tasks by the Governing Board.

2.      CHAIRPERSON: Each committee shall have a chairperson (herein called the "Chairperson") who is a member of the Governing Board (an officer or director) appointed by the President. The President may appoint a new Chairperson at any time. The President may also appoint a Co-Chair who does not serve on the Governing Board.

3.      CHAIRPERSON’S RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Chairperson shall be responsible for:
A. Presiding over the committee's meetings.
B. Recruiting, appointing, and dismissing committee members.
C. Advising the president of the date, time, and location of all committee meetings so that the President may attend.
D. Effectively implementing the authorities, responsibilities, and/or tasks assigned to the committee by the Governing Board.
E. Reporting on the committee's actions to the Governing Board in writing or in person at intervals determined by the Governing Board.
F. Seeing that the committee abides by the USABDA National Bylaws and Rules, the USABDA Chapter Bylaws, and the policies of the Governing Board.

4.      LIMITATIONS: Committees shall not:
A. Incur indebtedness on behalf of the chapter or otherwise commit the chapter without the prior approval of the Governing Board.
B. Circumvent or alter the rules, policies or procedures of USABDA National or the TwinTier DanceSport USABDA Chapter.
C. Exceed their prescribed duties or functions.

ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS

1.      REGULAR GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS: Meetings of the Governing Board shall be held at regular intervals. All Governing Board Members shall be notified at least two (2) weeks in advance.

2.      SPECIAL GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS: Special Governing Board meetings may be called for any purpose at the order of the President, or if he/she is absent or unable or refuses to act, then on the order of the Vice-President or any three (3) Governing Board Members. Notice of special meetings must be communicated to all Governing Board Members at least two (2) days in advance.

3.      GENERAL CHAPTER MEETINGS: A general chapter meeting shall be held at least once each calendar year for the entire TwinTier DanceSport membership.

4.      SPECIAL CHAPTER MEETINGS:  The Governing Board shall hold a general chapter meeting within two (2) months following the receipt of a petition signed by twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the Voting Members of the chapter.

5.      GENERAL OR SPECIAL CHAPTER MEETING QUORUM: A quorum shall consist of 25% of the full membership in good standing, who must be present at a meeting for which proper notice was given to the full membership in good standing as required in Section 6 of this Article.

6.      NOTICE OF MEETINGS: Notice of the meeting shall be made via regular mail or e-mail to all TwinTier DanceSport members in good standing at least two (2) weeks in advance. Notice shall be deemed complete upon mailing or e-mailing to the member's last known mail or e-mail address

7.      BOARD MEETING QUORUM: Two thirds of all current Governing Board Members (Officers and Directors) are required for a quorum at any Governing Board meeting held upon proper notice as stated in Section 1 of this Article.

8.      VOTES AT BOARD MEETINGS: Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, all decisions of the Governing Board shall be reached by a simple majority of the Governing Board Members present at a meeting, provided a quorum of two- thirds (2/3) of all current Governing Board Members exists. The president is not eligible to vote except to break a tie, but the president’s attendance shall count toward a quorum.

9.      PROXY VOTES: Governing Board Members who will be absent from a meeting may communicate their proxy votes on specific issues only in writing.

10.  MEETINGS IN THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM:  In the absence of a quorum the Governing Board may hear reports and hold discussions, however any decisions reached must be approved by the required number of Governing Board Members at a later time before taking effect, unless a quorum exists on specific issues by virtue of proxy votes.

11.  VOTES BETWEEN MEETINGS: Between Governing Board meetings, decisions which cannot or should not be delayed until the next meeting may be made with the agreement of at least one-half (1/2) of the total number of Governing Board Members by telephone, or other form of communication, provided all Governing Board Members have been properly apprised, or at least every attempt has been made to contact all Governing Board members by phone. These decisions shall be documented and presented to the full Governing Board at the next meeting

12.  .  MEETING ATTENDANCE: Governing Board meetings shall be open to the following individuals:
A. All elected Officers and Directors.
B. Officers or Committee Members of USABDA National without invitation.
C. Committee Members of Standing or Ad-hoc Committees upon invitation and concurrence of a majority of the Governing Board.
D. Other interested individuals upon invitation by a Governing Board Member with prior concurrence of a majority of the Governing Board.

ARTICLE X: DUES AND FEES

1.      There shall be no local dues assessed.

2.      Fees for lessons, dances, and other activities shall be determined by the Governing Board.

ARTICLE XI: POWERS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE GOVERNING BOARD

1.      The Governing Board shall have the power to set fees for lessons, secure instructors, contract and provide for general operating expenses, contract for music, bands, and facilities as required for the operation of the chapter and its activities.

2.      The Governing Board may contract for bands or facilities in advance for the next year, as bookings are required far in advance for suitable facilities and better-known bands. A majority vote of the current Governing Board is required for any advance contracts that are necessary.

3.      The Governing Board shall not have the power to incur indebtedness for the chapter beyond the fund raising capability of the chapter for the current fiscal year. Any long term indebtedness shall require a majority (51%) vote of all members in good standing upon submission to the membership of a sound business/financial plan for repayment of the indebtedness.

4.      Additional duties and responsibilities of the Officers, Board of Directors, and Committees (beyond those defined herein in Articles VI through IX) may be provided by the Governing Board as an attachment to the Bylaws, and are to be used as a guideline; and said duties and responsibilities beyond those defined herein may be revised upon a majority vote of the current Governing Board. Revision of the list of duties and responsibilities provided as an attachment does not require a vote of the general membership, and must not conflict with USABDA National Bylaws and Rules.

ARTICLE XII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be the Parliamentary Authority of TwinTier DanceSport USABDA except where they are inconsistent with the USABDA National Bylaws or Rules, or these bylaws.

 

ARTICLE XIII: AMENDMENTS AND CONFLICTS

1.      AMENDMENTS:
A. These Bylaws may be amended or repealed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire Board of Directors of TwinTier DanceSport USABDA in good standing who are present at a Board Meeting duly notified in writing two weeks in advance.

B. Amendments may be proposed by the Governing Board or upon petition by twenty-five percent (25%) of the Voting Members of TwinTier DanceSport USABDA. 

2.      NOTIFICATION: After amendment, copies of the new Bylaws shall be provided to the USABDA National President, Secretary and Regional Vice-President.            

CONFLICTS: In the event of conflicts, the order of priority of control shall be:
A. USABDA National Bylaws and Rules.
B. These Bylaws.
C. Policies adopted by the Governing Board.                                

D. Roberts Rules of Order Revised

 

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