PRESIDENT: JOSEPH J. KAVANAGH, MMC City of Margate (954) 935-5327 jkavanagh@margatefl.com VICE-PRESIDENT: JENNIFER L. JOHNSON, CMC City of Parkland (954) 757-4132 jjohnson@cityofparkland.org Section 1. Association. BROWARD COUNTY MUNICIPAL CLERKS ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS ARTICLE I Name The name of this organization shall be the Broward County Municipal Clerks SECRETARY: ELIZABETH GARCIA-BECKFORD City of North Lauderdale (954) 724-4705 egbeckford@nlauderdale.org TREASURER: AYESHA ROBINSON, CMC City of Plantation (954) 797-2778 arobinson@plantation.org BOARD MEMBERS: RUSSELL MUÑIZ, MMC Town of Southwest Ranches (954) 434-0008 rmuniz@southwestranches.org JENNIFER M. JOHNSON, CMC City of Margate (954) 935-5329 jjohnson@margatefl.com PAST PRESIDENT: KATHRYN P. SIMS, CMC City of Cooper City Ph: 954-434-4300 x291 ksims@coopercityfl.org ARTICLE II Order of Business Section 1. Order of Business to include, but not be limited to the following. Roberts Rules of Order (newly revised) to apply. A. Call to Order B. Approval of Minutes C. Program D. Business Meeting 1. Read and Receive Correspondence 2. Treasurer's Report 3. Committee Reports 4. President's Report 5. Old/New Business 6. Questions and Answers E. Adjournment ARTICLE III Objectives Section 1. To promote Municipal Clerks as professionals. To promote improvement and efficiency in the operation and administration of the Municipal Clerk's Office of the cities, towns and villages in Broward County, Florida. Section 2. To promote cooperation between Municipal Clerks and their offices, through an exchange of information and ideas, that each may profit from the experience of others. Section 3. To promote a better understanding of the official duties and obligations of its members; to develop, insofar as is possible, uniform methods of procedures in the municipalities in the area; and to cooperate with municipal and higher authorities in administering the provisions of law. Section 4. To strive for greater educational standards and recognition for Municipal Clerks.
Section 1. ARTICLE IV Membership Membership shall be distinguished as follows: a. Active Membership: Any Municipal Clerk, hereinafter defined as any Municipal Clerk, Deputy Municipal Clerk or Assistant Municipal Clerk, duly elected or appointed to said office currently serving in that capacity who works in Broward County. The membership belongs to the individual member or municipality paying for the membership. Active Members are entitled to vote on all matters before the membership. b. Associate Membership: Any person having served as a Municipal Clerk for a term of one year and who is no longer serving, any Municipal Clerk from another county, an employee who works in a Municipal Clerk s office, municipality or contract city. Associate Members are not entitled to a vote. c. Honorary Membership: Any retired Municipal Clerk who has been a member of the Association. Honorary members are not entitled to a vote. d. Any Florida Association of City Clerks Officer or Director from the Southeast region shall receive the agenda and minutes and shall not be charged a membership fee unless that Officer/Director is from Broward County. Section 2. Any Active Member, subject to payment of dues, shall be entitled to one (1) vote. ARTICLE V Dues Section 1. Annual dues shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) for Active Members and seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for Associate Members. Dues for honorary members will be absorbed by the Association. ARTICLE VI Officers and their Election Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, and a Board of Directors consisting of two members. Section 2. All officers shall be Active Members as defined by Article IV, Section 1. The term of office for all officers shall be two (2) years, or until their successors have been elected. Officer elections shall be held during August of even years. Newly elected officers will be sworn into office during the biennial Association Membership meeting held in October. Section 3. An officer who has not been re-appointed or re-elected as Municipal Clerk or has left employment in Broward County shall be allowed to continue to fill his/her organizational office until a successor has been elected or appointed. For a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume that office. All other vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee, as defined in Article IX, Section 1. if less than three (3) months of the term remains or by majority vote of the membership if more than three (3) months of the term remains, in accordance with the guidelines of Section 4. Section 4. No officer shall hold the same office for more than two (2) complete successive terms with the exception of the Board of Directors. Section 5. Nominations for offices shall be proposed by the Nominating Committee at the August meeting. In addition to the nominations from the Nominating Committee, nominations from the general 2 Page
membership may be submitted to the Chair of the Nominating Committee ten (10) days prior to the scheduled election to be held in October. Voting shall be by voice vote; however, voting shall be by ballot if more than one (1) person is nominated for the same office. In the case of a special election, candidates shall submit their letter of interest to the President who shall notify the general membership 10 days prior to the scheduled special election. A majority vote shall elect. Section 6. To be eligible for nomination to the Board, a member must have attended a minimum of eight (8) meetings during the previous two-year term (excluding the holiday function). Section 7. An officer will forfeit his/her office for failure to attend two (2) consecutive regular meetings unless such absences are excused by a majority of the membership present at the regular meeting. ARTICLE VII Duties of Officers Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association; shall be a member ex-officio of all Committees; shall appoint all Committees not specifically provided for within the By-Laws, and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office. The President shall have final approval of all programs and publicity. The President will be responsible for the business agenda. Section 2. The Vice President shall serve as assistant to the President, and in the absence or inability of the President, shall perform the duties of that office. The Vice President shall serve as the program and publicity chairman, to include maintenance of the Association s website. Section 3. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and shall perform such other duties as usually pertaining to the office. The Secretary shall also maintain a list of current members. In the absence of the Secretary, the Vice President shall record the proceedings. The Secretary shall notify all appointees of their duties and shall conduct all official correspondence of the Association, under the direction of the President. Section 4. The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the Association and shall be custodian of all funds. These funds shall be deposited within ten (10) business days in a financial institution approved by the Treasurer. The Treasurer is authorized to pay for luncheon venues, for Regular Meetings, in an amount not to exceed $500.00. Otherwise, the Treasurer shall pay out only such funds as are authorized by the membership or the sum of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) with ratification by the membership at the next meeting; shall give a report to the membership at the regular meetings and shall make a final report at the biennial meeting. The books of the Treasurer shall always be open for inspection and shall be audited by an Auditing Committee annually. The Treasurer shall also mail, or e- mail invoices for the annual dues to each municipality before the end of October. In the absence or inability of the Treasurer to perform the duties of that office, the President shall appoint a Board of Directors member to assume the Treasurer s responsibilities (with the exclusion of check signing) until such time the Treasurer is able to resume said responsibilities or until such time that a treasurer is elected. Three (3) members of the Board, including the Treasurer, will be authorized to sign checks on behalf of the Association. Newly appointed Treasurers shall ensure that signatories are updated on the bank account within ninety (90) days. The newly appointed Treasurer may, for convenience, change financial institutions within this time frame as well. Section 5. Each Board of Director shall be the Chair of one of the following Committees: 1) Legislative and By-Laws, 2) Education and Membership. 3 Page
ARTICLE VIII Meetings Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held on the third (3 rd ) Monday of even months at 12:00 noon. On a majority vote of the membership, an upcoming bi-monthly meeting may be suspended or rescheduled; however, the President may suspend or reschedule an upcoming bi-monthly meeting upon written notification to the membership stating the reason for the change. Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President or by written request of three (3) members of the Association to the President, provided that notice shall be given to the membership at least three (3) business days prior to the date of the special meeting. Said notice shall state the purpose of the special meeting. Section 3. In October of even years, the Association will hold a biennial membership meeting for the purpose of appointing officers. Section 4. A quorum shall consist of representative attendance from twenty-five percent (25%) of the member municipalities and at least two (2) officers. Section 5. The Executive Committee may meet when requested by the President. A simple majority of the Executive Committee will constitute a quorum to convene such a meeting. Minutes of the meeting shall be filed with the Secretary, who shall attach said minutes to the following month s general membership meeting minutes. Section 6. The fiscal year shall be October 1 st through September 30 th. ARTICLE IX Committees Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers as defined in Article VI, Section 1. Section 2. All other Committee members shall be appointed by majority vote of the General Membership at the biennial meeting in October. Section 3. The Legislative and By-Laws Committee shall monitor all legislation, whether of state, county or city, that will affect, directly or indirectly, municipalities of Broward County, make suggestions and recommendations thereon to the Association, shall propose any changes to the original By-Laws and Charter and shall meet at least annually for the purpose of reviewing the By-Laws and Charter for continued relevancy. *This committee is chaired by a Board of Director. Section 4. The Education and Membership Committee shall consist of three (3) active members appointed by the President at the February meeting, and shall have as its primary function the responsibility to maintain and increase the membership of the Association. The Committee shall keep the organization informed of all ongoing educational opportunities that enhance the municipal clerk profession. The Committee shall review all scholarship applications and recommend the recipient of the award at the meeting immediately following the deadline imposed for such scholarship application. *This committee is chaired by a Board of Director. Section 5. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three (3) active members appointed by the President at the June meeting. Members shall consist of the outgoing president plus two members. 4 Page
Consistent with Article VI, Section 4, the Committee shall provide the slate of officers at the August meeting. Section 6. The Auditing Committee shall meet annually in September for the purpose of conducting a full audit of the Association books. A report of the Audit Committee shall be heard by the membership at the October meeting. The Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the President at the August meeting. *See Article VII, Section 5 for appointments as Chair. ARTICLE X Parliamentary Authority Section 1. The rules contained in Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, Current Edition, shall govern this Association in all cases to which they are applicable and which are not inconsistent with the By-Laws of this Association. ARTICLE XI Amendments Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Association by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present, provided that the amendment shall have been distributed to the membership by the Secretary or member designated by the President by email at least 14 days prior to the next meeting. Any changes to the Association s By-Laws shall have a First Reading and Second Reading for adoption at the next regularly scheduled meeting. ARTICLE XII Carol Landau Scholarship Program Section 1. Purpose a. The Broward County Municipal Clerks Association Scholarship Program was established in 1993 to provide continuing education and to encourage professionalism of Broward County municipal clerks and/or deputy clerks. In 2013, the program was officially renamed the Broward County Municipal Clerks Association Carol Landau Scholarship Program in honor of Carol Landau, former Lighthouse Point City Clerk, for her tireless commitment to charitable endeavors. b. The scholarship awards no more than two Active Members, as defined in Article IV, Section 1.a., a $600 scholarship to attend any Florida Association of City Clerks (FACC) sponsored conference/academy, International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) sponsored conference/academy, or accredited university or college course(s) in a relevant field of study in pursuit of an Associate, Bachelor, or Master Degree in a calendar year. Section 2. Eligibility a. An applicant must be an Active Member as defined in Article IV, Section 1.a. b. The applicant must be a member in good standing of the Broward County Municipal Clerks Association (BCMCA), the Florida Association of City Clerks (FACC) and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). c. The applicant must be a full-time municipal, deputy or assistant clerk and have a minimum of one year of service as an appointed municipal, deputy or assistant clerk. 5 Page
d. The applicant must request to attend an FACC sponsored conference/academy, IIMC sponsored conference/academy, or request reimbursement for an accredited university or college course(s) in a relevant field of study of in pursuit of an Associate, Bachelor, or Master Degree. e. Only one application may be submitted from a municipality. Section 3. Award Criteria a. A recommendation of scholarship award shall be made by the Education and Membership Committee to the BCMCA membership and determined by majority vote of the membership attending the BCMCA meeting immediately following the deadline imposed for such scholarship application. b. All sections of the application must be completed. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. c. A scholarship application must be received by the Chair of the Education and Membership Committee by June 1 st for October academies, or college courses for the spring semester and March 1 st for May/June conference/academies, or college courses during the Summer or Fall semester. d. The applicant must submit a letter from the Mayor, a Councilmember or City/Town Manager that (1) expresses support for the application, (2) indicates a commitment to grant time off to attend a FACC or IIMC conference/academy, or college/university course(s), and (3) further indicates the portion of the conference/academy or college/university fees and related expenses that the municipality will fund. e. Strong preference in selection will be shown to those applicants seeking scholarship support to attend a first-year institute. f. Preference will be given to applications for an FACC or an IIMC sponsored conference/academy. g. Preference will also be shown to applicants without previous scholarship support. h. Scholarship applications for second- or third-year Institutes must be accompanied by evidence from an earlier Institute(s) that the applicant participated. i. Preference will be given to applicants that can demonstrate financial need. 6 Page
Section 4. Disbursement of Award a. For conference/academy attendance, scholarships will be paid directly to the conference/academy for the registration fee. The balance, up to the $600 scholarship amount, will be paid directly for accommodations. b. For college/university course(s), scholarships will be paid directly to the individual after passing the related course with a grade of at least a C. The $600 scholarship amount will be paid directly to the recipient upon proof of matriculation and completion to the Education and Membership Committee. If a grade of at least a C is not obtained, there will be no reimbursement. STANDING RULES 1. Six (6) regular meetings shall be held annually. Meetings will be scheduled on the third Monday of the even months at 12:00 noon. Location to be determined. 2017/2018 Charter Review Committee Proposed Changes December 11, 2017 Felicia Bravo, Sunrise Kathryn Sims, Cooper City Russell Muñiz, Town of Southwest Ranches 7 Page