GEORGIA RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION, INC. PARK AND OUTDOOR SECTION BY-LAWS. ARTICLE I Name and Administrative Office

Transcription

1 GEORGIA RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION, INC. PARK AND OUTDOOR SECTION BY-LAWS Section One: Name ARTICLE I Name and Administrative Office This section shall be known as the Park and Outdoor Section of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc. Section Two: Administrative Office The location of the administrative office shall be the professional office of the Section Chair unless otherwise designated by the Executive Committee. Section One: Purpose Section Two: Objectives ARTICLE II Purpose and Objectives The purpose of the Park and Outdoor Section is to promote high standards in the field of park and outdoor recreation throughout the State of Georgia. A. To bring together under one affiliation all people in Georgia, professional and/or lay, who are associated with and interested in parks and outdoor recreation and related resources. B. To promote and develop a Section whereby the members of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc. and others, may meet to discuss and exchange information concerning common interest, mutual problems and useful ideas as related to parks and outdoor recreation. C. To promote and provide a common medium through which members are able to speak with a unified voice on matters involving parks and outdoor recreation, open space attainment and preservation and other related subjects. D. To promote, develop, stimulate and maintain a high quality of professionalism among members by supporting, sponsoring and/or cosponsoring in-service training and educational programs, workshops and seminars. F-21 Outdoor (revised )

2 E. To promote and support desirable recreation and open space legislation and that which is particularly pertinent to parks and outdoor recreation and related needs. F. To promote and support innovative and comprehensive local, regional and state planning principles and practices as related to outdoor recreation, parks and open space development. G. To promote and encourage a better understanding of the natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities in Georgia. H. To promote and expand the membership of the Parks and Outdoor Section thus contributing to the growth and prosperity of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc. Section One: ARTICLE III Power of Association The Park and Outdoor Section shall be an Interest Section of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc., and shall have powers congruent with the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc., Charter and By-laws. Section One: ARTICLE IV Section Year The Section year shall correspond with the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc.'s year. Section One: Eligibility ARTICLE V Membership Membership in the Section shall be individuals who are members of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc., and who represent individual interest or special interest groups primarily concerned with parks or outdoor recreation or related fields as one aspect of the total recreation scheme. Section Two: Categories F-22 Outdoor (revised )

3 The membership classification of this Section shall be the same as the membership classification of the Association. ARTICLE VI Officers Section One: Executive Committee A. The officers of the Section shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice- Chairperson, Secretary, and the immediate past Chairperson all of whom shall constitute the Executive Committee for the Section. B. The officers of the Section shall perform the duties usually performed by such officers as described in Robert's Rules of Order (Revised), together with other such duties as shall be described in the By-Laws or by the governing body of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc. C. The Executive Committee of the Section shall have the following duties: 1. Establish policies and procedures within the scope of the By-laws of the Park and Outdoor Section that are consistent with the Charter and By-Laws of the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association, Inc. 2. Approve all expenditures of the Section. 3. Appoint committee members and approve the plan of work of all committees. 4. Serve on Section committees in an advisory capacity as needed. 5. Handle balloting procedures for the Section. 6. Fill vacancies by appointment for offices vacated between elections. Section Two: Duties of the Chairperson The chairperson of the Section shall have the following duties: A. Act as the presiding officer for the business meetings and Executive Committee meetings of the Section. B. Represent the Section on the governing body of the Association. C. Call meetings of the Section as provided for the by-laws. D. Keep an accurate account of expenses and income and shall make this available in the Section's Annual Report. F-23 Outdoor (revised )

4 E. Appoint at least one Section member to serve on all GRPA committees, i.e., awards, documents, public policy, etc. Section Three: Duties of the Vice-Chairperson The Vice-Chairperson of the Section shall have the following duties: A. Become acquainted with the activities of the Section and that of the Chairperson. B. Shall act as the presiding officer in the absence of the Chairperson. C. Shall represent the Section on the annual conference committee of GRPA. D. Assume the position of Chairperson in the event the (s)he is temporarily incapacitated. E. Fill an unexpired term of the Chairperson. Section Four: Duties of the Secretary The Secretary of the Section shall have the following duties: A. Those duties usually performed by such an officer. B. In the absence of the Secretary at any Section Business or Executive Committee meetings, the Chairperson shall appoint a secretary to record the minutes of the said meeting. Section Five: Duties of the Past Chairperson The immediate past chairperson shall have the following duties: Section Six: Training A. Serve as a standing member of the Executive Committee B. Serve as Chairperson of the Nominating Committee of the Section. All officers shall be responsible for training their successors. Section Seven: Terms of Office Officers elected shall assume office immediately after installation at the GRPA annual meeting. The Chairperson shall serve a two year term; other officers F-24 Outdoor (revised )

5 shall serve one year terms. Officers may succeed themselves for a maximum of two terms. Section One: Standing Committees ARTICLE VII Committees Standing committees of the Section shall be as follows: A. State Committees 1. A Section representative to each GRPA standing Committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson to ensure section interests are communicated through the GRPA committee structure and to ensure participation by Section members in GRPA activities. 2. The Section representative shall serve as chairperson of Section committees as required to carry out the State and Section programs of work. B. Nominating Committee The nominating Committee shall submit a slate of candidates for offices of the Section to the Chairperson at least sixty days prior to the Annual Conference. Section Two: Ad Hoc Committees Ad Hoc committees may be appointed by the chairperson with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee of the Section as the need arises. The Executive Committee shall approve all Ad Hoc committee activities. Section One: Procedures ARTICLE VIII Elections A. Professional members of the Section shall be eligible to vote. B. Professional members of the Section shall have one vote, and in order to have that vote recorded at the annual meeting, the member must be present or have returned an absentee ballot before the above said meeting. F-25 Outdoor (revised )

6 C. Voting on all Section matters may be handled by mail with the exception of the election of officers and By-laws amendment(s). Mail votes shall be completed within thirty days after ballots are mailed. Results of mail votes shall be reported at the next meeting of the Section. D. Voting for officers and amendment(s) shall be at the Annual Meeting of the Section, held in conjunction with the GRPA Annual Conference. Members shall be notified of any proposed amendments to By-laws 45 days prior to this meeting. Any professional member may request an absentee ballot from the Section Chairperson to vote on officers or amendments. All absentee ballots shall be returned to the Section Chairperson seven days prior to the annual meeting. A method will be utilized to ensure that ballots are not duplicated, and when returned are clearly identifiable. The chairperson shall submit these ballots to be counted with those cast at the annual meeting. E. A majority vote by the eligible members present shall decide all matters with the exception of amendments which shall require two-thirds of all votes cast. F. Secret ballots shall be used at the discretion of the presiding officer or Executive Committee for voting on matters before the Section. G. There shall be an election held at the annual business meeting of the Section for chairperson elect and secretary. Section One: Loss of Rights ARTICLE IX Removal of Privileges A Section member shall lose rights and privileges in the Section at any times when rights are lost in the Association. Section Two: Loss of Office A Section Officer may be removed from office by acting in contradiction to Section By-laws, GRPA, Inc., By-laws, or by showing irresponsibility with the Section's functioning. A. An officer may be brought up for removal by a petition signed by a majority of the Professional Membership of the Section. B. An officer brought up for removal shall be given not less than 15 working days to prepare a defense that shall be presented at a meeting called by notifying professional members of the time and place. F-26 Outdoor (revised )

7 C. A 2/3 vote of the professional membership present shall be required to remove an officer. Section Three: Appeals/Reinstatement Any action taken under the auspices of this article may be appealed within 15 working days of the decision. A 3/4 vote of the professional membership present shall be required to reinstate a member or officer. Section One: Meeting Times ARTICLE X Meetings Meetings of the Section shall at the Annual Conference and at other times and places determined by the Executive Committee. Section Two: Additional Meetings Additional meetings of the Section shall be called by the Chairperson or by a call from two-thirds of the Section membership petitioning the Chairperson for a meeting. Section Three: Executive Committee Meetings The Executive Committee of the Section shall hold at least quarterly meetings or conference calls to carry out the management and official business of the Section. Section One: Introduction of Amendments ARTICLE XI Amendments Amendment(s) to the By-laws of the Section may be proposed in writing by any member of the Section to the Executive Committee. The committee shall then direct the Documents Committee to study the proposed amendment(s) and to submit its findings to the Executive Committee. Section Two: Notification The amendment(s) shall be submitted in writing by the Executive Committee to the entire membership of the Section forty-five days prior to voting. F-27 Outdoor (revised )

8 Section Three: Passage A two-thirds majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to affirm the proposed amendment(s). Section Four: Final Approval Upon approval of the amendment(s), the Executive Committee shall petition the Governing Body of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc., to have the amended By-laws approved. Section One: ARTICLE XII Parliamentary Reference Robert's Rules of Order (Revised) shall be the parliamentary reference for the Section. Section One: ARTICLE XIII Delegation of Powers The Park and Outdoor Section shall be an entity of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc. All powers not expressed in this document are hereby delegated to the Board of Trustees. All powers are granted to this Section by the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association, Inc. Any action done by this entity is ultimately the responsibility of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc. If actions or powers expressed in this document or entity are not consistent with those of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association, Inc., they will be considered null and void. F-28 Outdoor (revised )