CONSTITUTION of the OPEQUON RADIO SOCIETY, LLC

Transcription

1 Preamble Club Name Mission Membership 20-Feb-18 CONSTITUTION of the OPEQUON RADIO SOCIETY, LLC PREAMBLE In order to promote Amateur Radio use for enjoyment, community service, and emergency support plus encourage and recruit new radio operators (especially U.S. Military Veterans) through education and license examination, we, the undersigned, establish this constitutional document. ARTICLE I The official name of our organization shall be the Opequon Radio Society, LLC. ORS is its designated abbreviation. ORS is located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. ARTICLE II The mission of ORS shall be to encourage and improve radio knowledge and individual radio operator efficiency, inspire and enhance an Amateur Radio camaraderie, facilitate the exchange of information and general cooperation among members, and create club programs and activities to advance the general interest and welfare of Amateur Radio in the community. ARTICLE III All persons interested in Amateur Radio shall be eligible for membership. Membership may not be denied because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status, or any other reason that would be biased or prejudicial. Officers and their Duties President ARTICLE IV There shall be these officers: President; Vice President; Secretary; Treasurer; and Activities Manager. At the annual meeting, officers of this club shall be elected for a period of one year by ballot of the members present, provided there is a quorum in attendance. Officer vacancies occurring between elections must be filled by special ballot, at the first regular meeting after which the withdrawal or resignation is announced. Officers may be removed by a motion of a three-fourths vote of the membership. Par. 1 President - shall preside at all meetings of this club, and conduct same according to the rules adopted. Par. 2 The President shall enforce due observance of this Constitution and By-Laws; decide all questions of order; sign all official documents that are adopted by the club; and none other. Par. 3 The President shall perform all customary duties pertaining to the office of President. Par. 4 Presidents, at the expiration of their terms of office, shall turn over everything in their possession, belonging to the club, to their successors. Vice President Par. 1 Vice President - shall assume all duties of the President in the absence of the latter. The Vice President shall oversee the formation and actions of all committees. Page 1 of 7

2 Opequon Radio Society Constitution Par. 2 The Vice President shall create, appoint, and oversee of all committees deemed necessary. Par. 3 Vice Presidents, at the expiration of their terms of office, shall turn over everything in their possession, belonging to the club, to their successors. Secretary Par. 1 Secretary - shall keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings. Par. 2 The Secretary shall keep a roll of members. The Secretary shall disseminate membership applications, collect them, and present applicants to the membership for approval. Par. 3 The Secretary shall carry on all club correspondence and present a list thereof at each meeting for discussion. Par. 4 It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the Constitution and By-Laws of the ORS and have the same on person at every regular and special meeting. The Secretary shall cause all amendments, changes and additions to be noted thereon and shall permit same to be consulted by the members on request. Par. 5 The Secretary shall be responsible for the notification of meeting times and dates to each member except when excused by action under the By-Laws. Par. 6 Secretaries, at the expiration of their terms of office, shall turn over everything in their possession, belonging to the club, to their successors. Treasurer Par. 1 Treasurer - shall receive and receipt for all monies paid to the club; the Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all monies received and expended. Par. 2 The Treasurer shall pay no bills without proper authorization (by the club - its officers or designated business committees). Par. 3 At each monthly meeting, the Treasurer shall submit summary of financial activities. In addition, a quarterly itemized statement of disbursements and receipts shall be submitted. Par. 4 Treasurers shall, at the expiration of their terms of office, turn over everything in their possession, belonging to the club, to their successors. Activities Manager Meetings Par. 1 Activities Manager - shall organize club radio and other activities plus recommend contests for operating benefit and to advance, both, the general and public club interest and activity as may be approved by the club. Par. 2 The Activities Manager shall maintain close liaison with the ARRL Emergency coordinator or SEC to further the fullest possible club participation in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Par. 3 The Activities Manager shall shall remain savvy of members' equipment, normal operating frequencies and hours, and type of operation to facilitate emergency organization and to help in planning general interest activities. Par. 4 The Activities Manager shall encourage new stations in reporting activities to the club and to the elected Section Communications official of the ARRL; all of these things to make the reputation of the club and amateur radio activities in the community as outstanding as possible. Par. 5 Activity Mangers, at the expiration of their terms of office, shall turn over everything in their possession, belonging to the club, to their successors. ARTICLE V ORS meetings of the general membership shall consist of one special, annual meeting which may be held at an offsite location, regular meetings which may be monthly, and special meetings may be convened as specified in the By- Laws. At the meetings, a quorum shall be defined as at least six members. The Officers may, periodically, hold Board meetings to transact administrative tasks. Page 2 of 7

3 Opequon Radio Society Constitution Committees ARTICLE VI Club Call Sign ARTICLE IX Affiliations Member Assistance The Vice President shall designate committees and a member to head each. Committee heads may then recruit members to fulfill necessary duties. Committees may be created for: Public Relatons; Radio Operation; nad Business; Health and Welfare; Repeater Monitor. There shall be these committees: Membership; Nomination; ARRL Field Day; and Volunteer Examiners (VE). Other committees shall be designated by the Vice President as necessary. ARTICLE VII The ORS has these affiliations: the American Radio Relay League (ARRL); the Laurel Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (LARC VEC); and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Martinsburg, WV. ARTICLE VIII In order to minimize interference in operation between stations of its members, the club shall formulate adequate plans for disposition of any cases of interference to other radio services where reported as caused by any amateur station operating in the area. The club, through classes, exam sessions, periodic radio nets, Field Days, Simulated Emergency Tests, and practice sessions will provide technical advice to members concerning equipment design and operation to assist in frequency observance, clean signals, uniform practice and absence of spurious radiations from club member stations. The club shall also maintain programs to foster and guide public relations in those channels favorable to amateur work. Club Funds Community Service Disbandment The ORS shall have a club call sign. The President shall assign trusteeship of the club call sign. The call sign is defined in the By-Laws. ARTICLE X The use of Club Funds shall regulated by the membership. The management of Club funds comes under the purview of the Treasurer. ARTICLE XI The ORS shall define community, mentioned in the ORS Mission, as any group or organization that wishes to make use of the club's amateur radio communication abilities. Type and amount of support for any requesting group shall be approved by the membership. Organizations may include the youth groups, Alzheimer Association, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, plus Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and the cities thereof. ARTICLE XII In the event that the Opequon Radio Society disbands any club property or assets remaining after the debts of the organization have been paid shall be sold or donated to a charitable organization agreeable to two-thirds of the members attending the meeting at which disbandment has been affirmatively voted. Page 3 of 7

4 Amendments By-Laws Location Rules Committees Opequon Radio Society Constitution A vote for disbandment can only be taken at a meeting held after all members have been given one month prior notice by and posted on the website of the intentions of disbandment. ARTICLE XIII This Constitution or the By-Laws may be amended by a twothirds majority of the club members present at a meeting, provided all members have been notified by and postings on the website for a period of two weeks prior. ARTICLE XIV Ham Shack and Meeting Place Located on the VAMC campus. The address is: VAMC, 510 Butler Ave, Martinsburg, WV The mailing address is: P.O.Box 499, Kearneysville, WV Meeting Rules Roberts Rules of Order shall govern all proceedings. Proxy voting shall not be permitted. The following committees shall be appointed as needed and overseen by the Vice President: Membership See Membership, below. Membership Nomination A group of at least two members shall be called upon at least two months before the annual meeting to create a slate for the Officer Election. Members may nominate others or themselves. The Nomination Committee head shall preside over the Officer Election. Volunteer Examiner (VE) there shall be a committee to recruit members for the purpose of administering Amateur Radio License Exams, scoring them then reporting results along with the proper paper work to the Laurel VEC. ARRL Field Day - shall procure a site with permission and protection, make contacts and encourage community awareness and participation via media and internet promotion. Member stipulations COMMITTEE - appointed by the Vice President at a regular meeting in writing. A. Candidate recruitment can be at meetings, lessons, referrals through the website, and at examination sessions. B. The committee shall distribute applications, then collect information necessary to fulfill club requirements. C. The membership committee after review and deliberation of the application shall recommend acceptance or rejection of the applicant at the next regular meeting after the application was submitted. D. The majority of those club members present shall approve the applicant before being considered elected to membership. Page 4 of 7

5 Opequon Radio Society Constitution MEMBER APPLICATION - candidate applications shall be submitted to a membership committee appointed by the Vice President at a regular meeting in writing and each applicant must express a willingness to abide by the Constitution and By-Laws and such rules as shall from time to time be established by the club. MEMBERS: The membership consists of Charter members, Regular members, Honorary, Associate members and Student members. Family is $25. Students may join the club at one-half the Regular dues. Special consideration: some circumstances and situations allow specific candidates to be afforded ORS membership in honorarium. Special memberships may be awarded dues waivers for month(s), year(s), or other times. Dues A. Charter members: those who joined the club before the cut off date Jan 8, B. Regular members: those with valid Amateur Radio licenses, paying full dues, will have all club privileges. C. Associate members: those with no amateur radio license but have an interest in Amateur Radio communications and the support of the club, will have the privileges of a regular member except they cannot hold office or vote. D. Family: those licensed operators living in the same household shall be defined as a Family. E. Student members: those attending educational institutions with valid Student ID will be given special reduced dues and at the beginning of the calendar year. following completion of school, the student must apply for regular membership. Dues are assessed based upon type of membership. Regular and Associate membership is $18. A. U.S. Military Veterans, in residence at the VAMC, shall have their dues waived. B. Another special situation is for those who pass the Technician License Exam given by the Eastern Panhandle VE sect of the Laurel VEC. They will receive a waiver of dues - either a six month period or until the end-of-year, whichever is shorter. Club Funds The club maintains a bank account. A petty cash account is also used to disburse funds with documentation in a more convenient manner without trips to the bank. Dues - ORS by two-thirds majority vote of those present at any regular meeting, providing a quorum is present, may levy upon the general membership such dues or assessments as deemed necessary for the business of the organization within its objectives as set forth in the preamble thereof. Non payment of such dues or assessments by the end of February shall be cause for expulsion from the club within the discretion of the membership. Page 5 of 7

6 Sec. 5 Club Call Sign Opequon Radio Society Constitution Expenditures - Expenditures of more than Two hundred dollars ($200) from club funds can only be authorized after all members have been notified by and a website posting regarding the proposed expenditure, at least one week in advance of the vote taken regarding the expenditure. Monies required to support the ORS include repeater equipment and maintenance. Also, liability insurance is a necessary investment. The club occasionally donates to special causes. The club maintains computer equipment including a printer/scanner which requires toner and paper costs. ORS does retain a post office box which incurs an annual fee. Affiliation with the LARC VEC requires costs for testing supplies. Repeater Fees - An optional contribution will be solicited from the repeater Users. Users need not be members of the ORS. Sponsorships, Donations (to the club), and Gifts are accepted adding to the club's inventory and accounts. In every five year time period, an audit of the club funds shall be done. The audit shall be performed by a qualified member who is not an officer. The ORS call sign. The club call sign shall be W8ORS. Trustees shall: be a member of the club in good standing; meet FCC requirements.; not have had their Radio Amateur licensed revoked or sanctioned at any time. W8ORS call sign must be active with the correct trustee address in the FCC data base. Affiliations Repeater The ORS has these affiliations. ARRL ( is a national association for Amateur Radio. ORS shall be an ARRL Affiliated Club. The affiliation offers ORS insurance plans, mailing lists, and referrals. As an affiliated club, our membership must include at least fifty-one percent Amateur Radio Operators and the same percentage of ARRL members. LARC VEC - to encourage and recruit new radio operators, ORS shall hold an affiliation with the LARC VEC ( Through LARC VEC, as the Eastern Panhandle section, ORS provides Amateur Radio License Examinations. Thanks to the VA, rooms and other facilities are available for use. VAMC - thanks to our Veteran founding members, ORS pays particular attention to helping U.S. Military Veterans with emphasis to the VAMC in Martinsburg, WV. Our club repeater operates on the transmit frequency of MHz and receives at MHz. A continuous tone coded squelch system (CTCSS) of is used to activate the repeater. The Opequon Radio Society will operate and maintain an open repeater under the club call sign, W8ORS, and will be known as the Opequon Radio Society Repeater Group. The ORS shall purchase and install all necessary equipment to place the repeater system in operation. Page 6 of 7

7 Sec. 5 Opequon Radio Society Constitution The Vice President shall appoint a technical committee consisting of no less than four club members to oversee installation and maintenance of equipment. No major changes such as deletions, additions or removal of equipment shall be accomplished without a majority approval of members present at a regular or special meeting. On a periodic basis (suggested, once a week), the ORS shall hold an informal, training net on the club repeater. An optional contribution of ten dollars ($10) per year may be solicited from repeater Users. Users being defined as anyone transmitting through the repeater to enhance their signal. Users need not be members of the Opequon Radio Society. Each User who contributes will be issued a card indicating that they are a supporter of the ORS Repeater Group. Page 7 of 7