TXXJA proposed Bylaws

For some insane reason I had to delete the name from the bylaws I had written in several places just be able to post this here!

Go figure!

I got a "your limited to 14 images in a post" error message from the server. So the name NA*** is deleted in a few places on this post, but not in my current saved version on my computer.

NAME
This Chapter shall be known as the TXXJA Chapter, (TXXJA ) an official Chapter of the North American XJ Association, ( - www.naxja.org ) incorporated in the State of Illinois on January 7, 1999.
PURPOSE
Our primary activities and interests shall be oriented towards the gathering of all XJ/MJ owners, on the Internet and at TXXJA facilitated meetings and events at various locations.
TXXJA will provide the following benefits to the TXXJA region XJ/MJ community through the following goals and ideals:
· Coordination and hosting of off-road events in the TXXJA area;
· Promoting responsible use of public lands through membership in land-use focused organizations; We will endorse the ideals of the United Four Wheel Drive Association www.ufwda.org Tread Lightly www.treadlightly.org Blue Ribbon Coalition www.brc.org, and other regional groups as approved by the membership of the chapter.
· Exploring, maintaining, preserving, and enjoying, OHV trails with our fellow club members and the XJ/MJ public.
· Providing social, educational and family recreational activities other than off-road trail-rides for the chapter membership and the XJ/MJ public.
· Promoting the continuing and renewed use of public lands for Highway/Off-Highway Vehicle (HOHV) recreation.
· Participating in, and supporting, activities to further the causes of OHV enthusiasts and users of the outdoors in the southeast.
· Developing the Chapter as the TXXJA region’s representative to . Promoting growth by recruiting Members and encouraging development of smaller local Chapters within the region.
· TXXJA will make efforts to improve the status of our sport through the development of better public image and association with individuals, groups, and businesses who are interested and active in the sport.
MEMBERSHIP
WHAT IS TXXJA LOOKING FOR IN A NEW MEMBER?
We are looking for responsible XJ/MJ owners and enthusiasts from the TXXJA Region or other areas who want to participate in XJ/MJ related events, and for those who are interested helping the chapter keep fun things to do going on year-round. All XJ/MJ owners are welcome to participate in TXXJA events and functions with the open invitation of the Chapter BOD.
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES:
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
Each individual or family shall be in as a national member to be a member of the TXXJA . A Member of one chapter may concurrently be a Member in another chapter, provided they meet the chapter requirements, and have paid the appropriate dues.
The Chapter Board of Directors may limit the number of Memberships to an exact number at any time (I AM WONDERING WHY THIS IS NEEDED????). At no time will Memberships be revoked in order to reduce the overall Membership limit. The Chapter Board of Directors shall reserve the right to reject any individual from Chapter Membership at its sole discretion. Memberships shall only be valid if submitted via established application processes.
Family members are included as members in the Chapter. Each member-family shall have one (1) vote, unless the individuals elect to maintain their own separate memberships in and in the chapter.
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
Honorary membership may be established by majority vote of the board of directors. The honorary member is not obligated to pay dues and this membership expires one year from the date of the BOD vote, unless renewed by the BOD with an additional vote. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote, nor hold any office or committee chair position in the TXXJA Chapter. Honorary members who apply for and are accepted for full membership in and the TXXJA Chapter shall immediately be eligible for all voting and office privileges.
CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP
To maintain official Chapter status, the Chapter shall maintain a minimum of seven (7) active members, and at least three (3) of which shall be BOD members (President, Vice President, and Treasurer/Recorder). Failure to meet these minimum requirements for two (2) consecutive months, or more than four (4) times in a calendar year shall be subject to immediate suspension and probable revocation of Chapter status. Dissolution of a Chapter, whether by majority Chapter member vote, by failing to meet minimum membership requirements, or by decision of the Board of Directors shall require the dispersal of any Chapter assets in accordance with these Bylaws. OK, I am wondering if this was ment for sub chapters to the chapter (?), which I doubt, or for us. If it is meant for us, I see no reason for it since the bylaws already cover this sort of thing unless it is just to remind chapter officers of what the requirement is to keep a chapter going? Also should the chapter bylaws change on this issue, they should, and probably would overrule this paragraph, so I suggest we delete it. Thoughts?
PARTICIPATION, CONDUCT, AND SALE OF VEHICLE
Members are encouraged to participate in both the Internet and land based activities of TXXJA . There is no minimum amount of participation for Chapter Members, and it is highly recommended that Chapter Members maintain a computer with Internet access. Chapter BOD Officers or committee members who miss more than two (2) consecutive monthly online meetings without giving notice and/or making prior arrangements shall be subject to a recall election.
All members must conduct themselves in a respectable manner both in and out of activities. Any member in public disgrace is subject to suspension by the board of directors…pending retention or expulsion hearings.
Membership is not transferable between individuals. Individual memnbership can be converted to Family membership.
Upon sale of a vehicle, the Member must remove all TXXJA association decals and emblems.
Any Member leaving this club under unfavorable conditions shall return all evidence of club membership.
Dues
Dues are reviewed and approved by the TXXJA Board of Directors on an as needed basis, at a minimum of annually. There are no additional dues required beyond membership at this time.
It is each individual members responsibility to keep their dues current. The Members Roster on www.naxja.org will list Members expiration date and membership status. Members who do not pay their dues within 60 days of the end of their prior years membership will have their Membership automatically rescinded. Members may reapply for Membership as a new Member, subject to approval of the Board of Directors.
No portion of annual dues will be refunded to any Member whose Membership is terminated either by choice or Board of Directors’ decision, except upon approval of the Board of Directors in consideration of extenuating circumstances;
TXXJA CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES
· TXXJA Members shall be entitled to attend TXXJA Chapter Events and hold TXXJA Chapter Office if otherwise qualified.
· Members will receive a Membership card & decal, a UFWDA decal, and a TXXJA Chapter decal when one becomes available.
· Members will be kept apraised of Chapter activities via electronic means and/or US Mail.
ELECTED TXXJA CHAPTER OFFICERS AND ADOPTION OF BYLAWS
OFFICERS
Each office shall be held for a term of 1 year. Appointments, delegates and committee positions may be held by any member, whether an officer or not.
Each BOD member will have a copy of the current insurance policy.
A minimum of 1 year membership is required before election to an office can be made.
The President shall preside over all membership meetings, be present at all events when possible, be the executive officer and have the duty to carry out the policies and decisions of the chapter and co-sign checks as necessary.
The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all Club funds. I would suggest that we add a requirement for a second officers signature for checks or withdrawals od any kind, in excess of a certain dollar amount, to protect the chapter and members. This is standard corporate bylaw procedure. may be over kill for now, may be save our buts someday in the future. So I propose adding: TXXJA Chapter checks or cash withdrawls in excess of $250.00 shall be signed by 2 officers of the TXXJA Chapter, one of them being the treasurer.
The Treasurer may be directed by the remaining directors as to the method, and facility of depositing such funds. He shall collect and disburse all money on account of the Club. He shall keep records and accounting of the financial affairs and report their status as directed by the Board of Directors. He shall have the authority to sign such contracts, documents or instruments in writing as may be required by law to carry out his duties, and shall have such other powers and duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board of Directors or that may be incident to his office. On or before the 7th day of each month, he/she shall present an itemized list of moneys both spent and received in the previous month.
There will be three Officers: President, Vice President, & Treasurer/Recorder. The decision making authority rank flows in order as listed above, with the President possessing the highest level. This authority rank is only applicable in decision-making circumstances where a Board of Directors vote is not feasible, such as during an event.
Chapter Board of Directors: The three elected Officers will automatically be on the Board of Directors. Each Director has one (1) vote. The Regional Representative from TXXJA shall be the President of the TXXJA Chapter, and will serve on the International (?) Board of Directors during their elected term of office.
Chairman of the Board: The elected President automatically becomes the Chairman of the Board, and will preside over all TXXJA Chapter Board of Directors activities.
Grievance Committee: The Board of Directors will comprise the Grievance Committee. Their responsibility is to determine the validity of any grievance voiced by any Member. This committee will decide on the proper course of action for resolving any grievance. A simple majority vote shall rule in Grievance Committee votes.
Elections
Nomination for Officers will take place annually on September 1. Elections will be held beginning on October 1 and closing October 31 of the same year. The newly elected Officers shall assume their responsibilities on November 1 following the elections. I left this alone for now.
The Vice President will automatically become the President in the event the President is recalled or voluntarily resigns for the remainder of the term. The Vice President shall assume the seat on the BOD vacated by the departing Chapter President. Elections for a replacement Vice President shall then be held. If any other Officer or Board Member is recalled or resigns, that position shall be considered for immediate elections.
Term of elected office is one (1) year. Elected Officers are not limited to the number of terms they may run or hold for any office.
The Board of Directors may recall an Officer, Director, or Committee Chairperson with a unanimous. The accused Officer or Director shall abstain from the vote as applicable. Chapter Members may proceed with a recall Motion only via sponsorship of a Director on the Board in the form of a Complaint. The Motion of Complaint must receive a Second of the Motion. Chapter Members must first process any complaint through the Grievance Committee or the Motion shall automatically be dismissed without vote. A Recall Motion requires two-thirds (2/3) vote ( members or Directors?. I think they mean members here) to pass. Quorum is 100% (of directors or members) for recall Motions. Failure to establish 100% Quorum at the time of the vote shall result in dismissal of the Motion without vote. This is not clear at all, as to members or directors on the quarum rule and the 2/3rds vote. What do we want? 100% quorum of members is unrealistic!
BYLAW CHANGES
Bylaws may be changed by a majority vote of the TXXJA Chapter Board of Directors.
VOTING
The Recorder shall keep records of all voting activity and a log of all Motions as part of permanent TXXJA records. These records must be maintained for a period of at least five (5) years. Voting and record keeping will normally be held via electronic means, but in the case of physical meetings and voting, a written record will be made of the activities and posted for Member viewing.
A Member shall make a Motion in order to establish the requirement for a vote. Another Member must second the Motion in order for it to become a formal Motion. Members can make subsequent Motions to table or dismiss the Motion under consideration. A tabled Motion shall be tabled for one month unless otherwise specified. Successful Motions to dismiss are the equivalent of a failed vote. All Motions must pass, fail, or table.
There is no quorum for general Membership motions. A formal, two (2) week notice will be given by a Board member for a vote. This formal notice will be presented on the TXXJA forum. Votes will be tallied on the vote due date by a board appointed member. A vote will be considered complete and enforceable when the votes are counted. When a Chapter submits a vote to the Board of Directors it shall be considered 100% Quorum for that Chapter.
The only exceptions to this rule are specifically outlined in these Bylaws.
Board of Directors Quorum is a majority of the Board members. The voting for any Motion submitted to the Board will be considered closed 72 hours after the Motion is presented, unless a majority of the Board agrees to extend the vote for another 72 hours. If a majority of the Board has not voted within that time limit, a Quorum will not have been reached, and the Motion will be considered as tabled and will have to be resubmitted for another vote at a later time. This provision applies to all Motions other than a By-Laws change, which requires a full vote of all the directors. The Board of Directors will follow the Bylaws concerning Motions in the same manner as the general Membership.
The Board of Directors shall have sole discretion to determine which Motions shall be placed to Chapter Membership vote. Generally, these shall be limited to the contents of Membership packages and the organization of Events. All other Motions will be voted upon by the Board of Directors, and their ruling shall be final.
FINANCES
The Chapter Treasurer shall establish and maintain a non-profit organization banking relationship with a local financial institution. The Treasurer shall process all dues and maintain records of all financial activity to be presented to the Board of Directors on a monthly basis.
The Club's fiscal year shall begin January 1st each year.
All Chapter money received from all sources shall be forwarded to the Treasurer ASAP!
Except in the case of monthly chapter expenses, no withdrawal of funds shall be made without the approval of a Board of Directors quorum.
The Chapter shall develop and maintain a $500.00 minimum cash balance, to be drawn from ONLY in emergency situations. All such emergencies will be determined by the Chapter BOD.
To maintain and build the Chapter Treasury without members paying additional dues, activities to raise funds shall be authorized by these Bylaws, and approved by the chapter BOD. These activities may include, but are not limited to:
Sales of TXXJA chapter merchandise and clothing
Raffles and Contests
Fee-Events
Solicitation of Sponsors from small businesses within the TXXJA region
Mandatory activities and expenditures
· TXXJA will file appropriate tax exemption forms and maintain records for the legally applicable time as defined by the IRS;
· The Chapter Board of Directors must approve all expenditures prior to the allocation of funds;
· TXXJA will maintain a two-year financial plan that provides solvency at all times;
· TXXJA Events will not be funded unless specifically approved by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will approve fee amounts for each Event that fully fund all elements of the event, including "Event packages" containing items such as Event stickers. Event finances will be the responsibility of the Event Chairman, both to establish and collect.
· If the Chapter should cease to operate as a Chapter of , it is directed to settle all financial obligations and liquidate all assets. Any funds from such dissolution shall be donated 50% to the "" Treasury ( I am guessing they meant the US Treasury since they are so broke? So I added the word "naxja") and 50% to the UFWDA Land Use Fund. If the BOD, under conditions of chapter protest, makes this dissolution effective, 100% of the Chapter funds shall be donated to the UFWDA Land Use Fund.
Logos and Chapter-specific designs
TXXJA shall have permission to use the Corporate logo (Italicized Tahoma font, red letters, with gray or black shadow) and name as part of building a Chapter Identity. Chapter-specific art and designs shall be approved by the TXXJA BOD for use on merchandise and Chapter correspondence.
SPONSORED EVENTS AND TRIP RULES
A Sponsored Event is by definition an Event in which TXXJA formally recognizes the Event as a Chapter Event, and the Event is attended by at least one Director. The Chapter Board of Directors within established voting procedures determines formal recognition of an Event. The decision will be posted on the TXXJA web forum.
Unless otherwise noted, All Chapter Events and functions other than Chapter Meetings are to be considered open to all members and their families, as well as the XJ/MJ public. Members Only Events may be held and there may be portions of an open Event that are restricted to Members Only or a limited number of participants.
EVENT REGULATIONS
· Each Event will have an assigned Trail Master. The Trail Master will lead the Event always with safety in mind. The Trail Master will have ultimate decision making authority for "go/no-go" Event decisions, unless a higher ranking Officer is present at the Event, in which case that Officer has unilateral decision making authority. All event Attendees will follow Trail Master/Officer instructions at all times;
· Events only consist of the off-road trail rides or other specially designated activities. The Event begins at the time of the pre-run Driver’s Meeting or functional equivalent, and ends when the group returns to a designated point. For multi-day events, this means that the TXXJA chapter will not organize or coordinate camping or other activities, except as a service to the Members. The Event itself is limited to the organized trail rides;
· If the designated Director fails to show up for a scheduled Event, that event is automatically cancelled as a Chapter Event. Any further activity by TXXJA Members or others will not be affiliated with TXXJA ;
· Each Attendee is ultimately responsible for his or her own safety. Safety concerns should be brought up to the Trail Master or an attending Officer immediately;
· Members who choose TXXJA to bring Guests on an Event are solely responsible for those Guests. Should the Trail Master or Officer determine that any Guest is posing a risk to safety, or simply to the enjoyment of the Event itself, that Guest may be asked to leave via host Member escort provided it is deemed safe to do so by the present ranking Director and/or Trail Master;
· All participants must be defined as an Attendee, i.e., either Member or Guest. At no time will any other vehicle be allowed to join any Event. The Trail Master and/or Officer will enforce this policy;
· Attendees will notify the Trail Master or an Officer prior to leaving the group for any reason. While TXXJA Directors cannot physically restrain any Attendee to prevent them from leaving, a safety assessment shall be made prior to approving any such action;
· Attendees will adhere to Tread Lightly principles at all times. This includes the environment and also the Attendee’s vehicle. Attendees will not put their vehicles at undue risk of damage that would potentially delay the progress of an Event. The Trail Master and/or Officers will monitor Tread Lightly principles, and failure to comply may result in an Attendee being dismissed from an Event;
· Alcoholic beverages and other controlled substances are prohibited while driving on or off-road. This includes consumption prior to an Event. Failure to comply will result in dismissal from the Event and probable termination of Membership;
· Attendees shall dispose of all trash in designated containers or haul it back out in their vehicle;
· No firearms shall be exposed or discharged at any time;
· Attendees bringing pets must control them at all times;
· Profane language should be used with discretion as TXXJA Events are family focused, and there is a likelihood of small children being present.
All vehicles must have the following items & equipment to attend the off road portion of TXXJA sponsored Events
· Legally required automobile insurance and registration;
· Fire extinguisher;
· First Aid Kit;
· Tow Rope (no metal hooks allowed), Tow Chain, or Winch;
· Safety belts;
· Spare tire, jack, and lug wrench;
· Hooks both front and rear (or suitable attaching point)
· CB (HIGHLY recommended, but not mandatory)
DEFINITIONS
Attendee: A TXXJA Event participant, whether Member or Guest
Board of Directors: Comprised of the Officers of TXXJA (President, VP., & Treas./Recorder) for a total of three (3) Directors
Chapter: A regional XJ/MJ group derived from members, that obtains Membership in as a Chapter and not just as individuals.
Director: A member of the Board of Directors
Event: A TXXJA or a sponsored activity as defined by the requirements of these bylaws
Guest: An Event Attendee formally invited by a TXXJA Member prior to the start of the Event
Member/Membership: An individual who pays dues to maintain active "member" status. A Chapter Member must possess Membership to become a Chapter member. Membership is also defined as the collective Chapter Members for the purpose of voting or other TXXJA activities. Individual Membership shall include the immediate family.
Motion: An action presented by any Member for vote by the Membership
MJ: Jeep Comanche, mid-size Pickup, in production from 1986 to 1992
Officer: An elected TXXJA official in the rank of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recorder and Events Director.
Quorum: Percentage of Members that must be present in order to vote on a Motion
Trail Master: The Director or Member leading a TXXJA Event. Usually this person will physically lead an Event, and has a high level of experience in order to provide guidance to the rest of the Attendees
XJ: Jeep Cherokee mid-sized Jeep, in production from 1984 to 2002.

Ecomike said:

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
Honorary membership may be established by majority vote of the board of directors. The honorary member is not obligated to pay dues and this membership expires one year from the date of the BOD vote, unless renewed by the BOD with an additional vote. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote, nor hold any office or committee chair position in the TXXJA Chapter. Honorary members who apply for and are accepted for full membership in and the TXXJA Chapter shall immediately be eligible for all voting and office privileges.

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I think this should be modified to allow the Board to confer a permanent Honorary Membership to those who have lost their lives in defense of or in service to our country.

Our military and public service officers put it on the line everyday...

Jay VT said:

I think this should be modified to allow the Board to confer a permanent Honorary Membership to those who have lost their lives in defense of or in service to our country.

Our military and public service officers put it on the line everyday...

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You would have to take this up with the national board. The chapters have no control over membership.

Ecomike said:

The Chapter Board of Directors may limit the number of Memberships to an exact number at any time (I AM WONDERING WHY THIS IS NEEDED????)

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It's probably not needed right now, but it's not a bad idea to leave it in place. If things ever start to get un-manageable it might be handy.

Ecomike said:

Failure to meet these minimum requirements for two (2) consecutive months, or more than four (4) times in a calendar year shall be subject to immediate suspension and probable revocation of Chapter status. Dissolution of a Chapter, whether by majority Chapter member vote, by failing to meet minimum membership requirements, or by decision of the Board of Directors shall require the dispersal of any Chapter assets in accordance with these Bylaws. OK, I am wondering if this was ment for sub chapters to the chapter (?), which I doubt, or for us. If it is meant for us, I see no reason for it since the bylaws already cover this sort of thing unless it is just to remind chapter officers of what the requirement is to keep a chapter going? Also should the chapter bylaws change on this issue, they should, and probably would overrule this paragraph, so I suggest we delete it. Thoughts?

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That applies to the chapter, not sub-chapters. It should remain as it describes how the BOD would go about dissolving the chapter and under what circumstances National is allowed to dissolve our chapter.

Ecomike said:

The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all Club funds. I would suggest that we add a requirement for a second officers signature for checks or withdrawals od any kind, in excess of a certain dollar amount, to protect the chapter and members. This is standard corporate bylaw procedure. may be over kill for now, may be save our buts someday in the future. So I propose adding: TXXJA Chapter checks or cash withdrawls in excess of $250.00 shall be signed by 2 officers of the TXXJA Chapter, one of them being the treasurer.

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I believe that national recently considered a similiar stipulation. I see no problem with it, but I'm not sure how big a deal it is to have a bank add that stipulation to an account. Unless we're just talking "electronic" signature (email approval, for example). Also, considering the large distances involved, physical signatures may be hard to provide. I like the idea, but we have to consider the implementation and whether it's even an enforceable bylaw.

Ecomike said:

A Recall Motion requires two-thirds (2/3) vote ( members or Directors?. I think they mean members here) to pass. Quorum is 100% (of directors or members) for recall Motions. Failure to establish 100% Quorum at the time of the vote shall result in dismissal of the Motion without vote. This is not clear at all, as to members or directors on the quarum rule and the 2/3rds vote. What do we want? 100% quorum of members is unrealistic!

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This is talking about BOD, not membership. The lowdown is as follows:

1) Member has issue, goes to BoD with issue, and goes through grievance board
2) Issue not resolved, member issues recall motion.
3) Another member seconds the motion.
4) BoD votes with 100% quorum and a 2/3 majority is required to pass recall.

For the record, I think its fine as is. Perhaps pull more verbage from National to make it more clear.

This section is what tells you that the stuff above is BoD only.
The Board of Directors shall have sole discretion to determine which Motions shall be placed to Chapter Membership vote. Generally, these shall be limited to the contents of Membership packages and the organization of Events. All other Motions will be voted upon by the Board of Directors, and their ruling shall be final.

Why are us using TXXJA. we havent even decided on a chapter name yet.

It was in the initial post, just for an example.

Kendrik has valid points on all these proposed bylaws.
I further suggest that the treasurer set up an account that is available in each state in which we have members. A nationwide bank so that if we are at an event and we want to deposit the funds collected we can do so. The treasurer should not carry around largeer sums of cash and checks. Likewise if we need funds to make change or whatever we have access to them w/o having to find a check cashing store.

BIgDaddyChia said:

Why are us using TXXJA. we havent even decided on a chapter name yet.

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When are we going to vote on this new name proposal? It is the best I've seen but is not even in the poll selections. If we want to consider it then that invalidates the poll.

mikeforte said:

Kendrik has valid points on all these proposed bylaws.
I further suggest that the treasurer set up an account that is available in each state in which we have members. A nationwide bank so that if we are at an event and we want to deposit the funds collected we can do so. The treasurer should not carry around largeer sums of cash and checks. Likewise if we need funds to make change or whatever we have access to them w/o having to find a check cashing store.

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That would result in a sort of sub-chapter for the individual states. The chapter could become top heavy with administrators very quickly. The idea of a national bank is well thought though. The ability to transfer money should negate the need for large amounts of cash. We could also use travel cards (debit/credit) for members of the BOD drawn upon the Chapter Acct (less control).

Jay VT said:

That would result in a sort of sub-chapter for the individual states. The chapter could become top heavy with administrators very quickly. The idea of a national bank is well thought though. The ability to transfer money should negate the need for large amounts of cash. We could also use travel cards (debit/credit) for members of the BOD drawn upon the Chapter Acct (less control).

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How is the use of a natinwide bank a "sub-chapter"? My suggestion was along the lines of picking a bank which has branches in or near every major artery in our areas suchas Bank of America or Wachovia or whatever fits our needs. The majority of banks will only issue one debit card per account. So not sure that would be appropriate for anyone other than treasurer anyway. Less control makes the bookeeping a nightmare. In MHO.

mikeforte said:

How is the use of a natinwide bank a "sub-chapter"? My suggestion was along the lines of picking a bank which has branches in or near every major artery in our areas suchas Bank of America or Wachovia or whatever fits our needs. The majority of banks will only issue one debit card per account. So not sure that would be appropriate for anyone other than treasurer anyway. Less control makes the bookeeping a nightmare. In MHO.

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Sorry broke my chain of thought.

In having seperate tresuer and leadership (reps) each state.

The bank shouldn't be that much of an issue anyway, unless the treasurer doesn't have access to the institution (further down the road).

Jay VT said:

Sorry broke my chain of thought.

In having seperate tresuer and leadership (reps) each state.

The bank shouldn't be that much of an issue anyway, unless the treasurer doesn't have access to the institution (further down the road).

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Sorry if I was confused but I thought the treasurer was one of the chapter BOD types. In my reading of the rules I thought that if a regional bank was used and we were in say Alpine and we needed to make a deposit we would be out of luck. But if we went with a bank with many branch offices throughout our (4) states then it may only be a short trip logistically to make that deposit. I thought that a national multi-branch bank should be stipulated in said bylaws. Not a banker....don't even play one on TV.

mikeforte said:

Sorry if I was confused but I thought the treasurer was one of the chapter BOD types. In my reading of the rules I thought that if a regional bank was used and we were in say Alpine and we needed to make a deposit we would be out of luck. But if we went with a bank with many branch offices throughout our (4) states then it may only be a short trip logistically to make that deposit. I thought that a national multi-branch bank should be stipulated in said bylaws. Not a banker....don't even play one on TV.

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Thats going to depend on where the treasurer lives. If they are in Altus,OK or Lubbock there may be a problem with a national bank.

Yes it should be a bank that has branches throughout our Chapter Territory.
Unless the electronic signature is acceptable as a second signature on a check I don't think it would be feasible to require 2 BOD signatures. If there is some other way of having a second BOD member verify (via phone?) I am all for it . I also think that limit that requires 2 sigs should be lowered from $250 to about $100.

Having a debit card on the account bypasses the 2 signature rule, I don't think that it would be wise to have a debit card. The paper trail created by checks with signatures makes us less vunerable to fraud or a downtrodden Treasurer who just needs a "loan" for a "little while". Any major expenses will be planned well ahead anyway.

I agree with most of the comments on the Bylaw changes posted by Kendrik. I think that we need to specify who will do the voting and who the quorum is in the sentence and not leave it up to chance that it can be misread.

One other question. It says that we are to have a min of $500 balance at all times. We are obviously going to have to build to that level and be in violation of that bylaw until such time that we have amassed that ammount in our treasury. Should we write that in or just leave it as a given?

goodburbon said:

Yes it should be a bank that has branches throughout our Chapter Territory.
Unless the electronic signature is acceptable as a second signature on a check I don't think it would be feasible to require 2 BOD signatures. If there is some other way of having a second BOD member verify (via phone?) I am all for it . I also think that limit that requires 2 sigs should be lowered from $250 to about $100.

One other question. It says that we are to have a min of $500 balance at all times. We are obviously going to have to build to that level and be in violation of that bylaw until such time that we have amassed that ammount in our treasury. Should we write that in or just leave it as a given?

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I agree with the change to $100 that should be stipulated.
As for the $500 balance that should be changed as well to $100 and a sentence should be inserted which makes a six month exception for start-up of the chapter. Allowing us time to reach that pre-determined amount.

mikeforte said:

Kendrik has valid points on all these proposed bylaws.
I further suggest that the treasurer set up an account that is available in each state in which we have members. A nationwide bank so that if we are at an event and we want to deposit the funds collected we can do so. The treasurer should not carry around largeer sums of cash and checks. Likewise if we need funds to make change or whatever we have access to them w/o having to find a check cashing store.

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Per official bylaws, any "Official" event will require a member of the BOD be present. I assume that the BOD present would handle all financial transactions. That said, the funds should definitely reside in a bank with branches all over our official territory.

why are we calling it TXXJA. U just put out Louisiana Arkansasa, and Oklahoma

BIgDaddyChia said:

why are we calling it TXXJA. U just put out Louisiana Arkansasa, and Oklahoma

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Read all of the post TXXJA was used to fill the void. It can be changed.
And if we in our infinite wisdom want to keep that title it's already there. Some people don't mind the name. In fact it was the brainchild of goodburbon who resides in Lousiana. If he and the Ok/Ak crowd don't mind why should you? Some Texan you are!!!