WYANDOTTE BRAVES BASEBALL ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS ARTICLE 1 NAME This organization shall be known as the WYANDOTTE BRAVES BASEBALL ASSOCIATION, hereinafter known as the LEAGUE. ARTICLE II OBJECTIVE Said corporation is organized exclusively for educational purposes, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code. The corporation will aid in the intellectual and physical development of baseball with each participant and also teach the participants the ideals of fairness, teamwork, and sportsmanship along with providing supervised competitive games. ARTICLE III OFFICE The location of the office of this League shall be in Wyandotte, Michigan in the county of Wayne. ARTICLE IV NON-PROFIT This League shall be operated on a non-profit basis. The League is organized upon a nonstock basis. The League is to be financed through registration fees, fundraising, and sponsorship. The League is organized on a membership basis. No part of the net earnings of the League shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, officers, or other private persons, except that the League shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in these Articles hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the League shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the League shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the League shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(C)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code. Upon the dissolution of the League, the Board of Directors shall pay or make adequate provision for the payment of all of the League s debt, residual assets of the League shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the League is then located, exclusively for such Revised : 12/01/2011 Page 1
purposes or to such organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes. ARTICLE V MEMBERSHIP Membership shall include all active Board members and the general membership. General membership shall consist of parents and/or legal guardian of players in the League and all active volunteers. ARTICLE VI ELIGIBILITY Any child meeting the age and residence requirements set forth in the Rules and Regulations shall be eligible to register for participation in the League. ARTICLE VII BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BOD) 7a. The governing of the League will be under the Board of Directors. 7b. The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar, Equipment Manager, Webmaster, and a minimum of one General Manager for each division, and a minimum of one Chief umpire. 7c. The Board of Directors shall approve all bills and take counsel with committees. The Treasurer, President, and/or Vice President shall sign and countersign all checks on the League account. Two signatures are required on all checks. Approval from, any two of, President, Vice-President, or Treasurer is required for all electronic disbursements greater than $100. Approval can be in the form of a written email. A majority of the Board of Directors must approve all purchases greater than $500. 7d. The Directors shall hold office or terms of one year or until their successors have been qualified and elected. 7e. Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment made by the remaining Directors and voted on by the remaining Directors. People so appointed shall remain a Director until their successor is elected at the next annual meeting or at any special meeting duly called for that purpose. 7f. Associate Officers will be appointed by the Board of Directors as needed. 7g. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held on not less than 24 hours notice by the Board, the President or any three members of the Board notifying the Secretary of their desire to hold a meeting at such time and such place as the President shall decide. In an emergency, the 24 hour notice period may be waived by waiver of notice signed by a majority of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall make every effort to notify all Board members of the waiver of notice prior to the respective meeting. Each newly elected Board may meet without notice immediately following the annual meeting of the League at which they have been elected. 7h. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum. The affirmative vote of a majority of those present shall be required to carry any motion or resolution. 7i. Any Board of Director not fulfilling their obligations to the satisfaction of the remaining Board of Directors shall be put on review; up to and including dismissal by the remaining Board of Directors. ARTICLE VIII DUTIES 8a. PRESIDENT: The President shall be the chief executive of this League. He or She, hereinafter known as he, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and General Membership. It shall be his duty to enforce the Rules and By-Laws of this League. He shall approve all Revised : 12/01/2011 Page 2
members to serve on all committees, and be an ex-officio member of all committees. He shall countersign checks on the League account. 8b. VICE PRESIDENT: In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall assume active supervision and management of all the business of the League. In the absence of the Treasurer, he shall perform the duties of the Treasurer. He shall countersign checks on the League account. He shall investigate all protests/grievances brought to the Board of Directors and with the help of a committee, as needed, recommend a resolution in writing. Resolutions will be kept on file by the League secretary. He shall perform any assignments given to him by the President. 8c. TREASURER: The Treasurer shall have custody of all League funds and shall keep in books belonging to the League, full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements. He shall sign the checks on the League account and disburse funds when countersigned by the President or Vice President, or as may be authorized by the Board of Directors and/or the membership, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements. He shall render to the Board of Directors at the regular meeting of the Board of Directors and whenever requested by them, an account of all his transactions as Treasurer and of the financial condition of the League. He shall make available to the membership a monthly financial statement to be distributed at each monthly membership meeting. He shall do other duties as assigned to him by the President. 8d. SECRETARY: The Secretary shall preserve in books belonging to the League, true minutes of the proceedings of all meetings. In the absence of the President and Vice President, the Secretary shall call a meeting to order until the membership has appointed by vote a chairperson pro-tem to preside over that meeting. He shall preserve in books that belong to the League, the By-Laws, Playing Rules, Rules and Regulations, committee reports, amendments, special rules and minutes which shall be made available to the membership as soon as possible upon request. Responsible for publishing the general membership meeting schedule. This schedule will be published prior to member registration for the League. He shall be responsible for the distribution of all incoming mail. He shall be responsible to keep a copy of all mail on file other than League receipts. He shall be responsible for the mailing of any and all correspondence and any other mailing needed during the course of the season. He shall do other duties as assigned to him by the President. 8e. REGISTRAR: The Registrar shall conduct and coordinate the League registration. He shall make sure all birth certificates are verified and the league registration form containing the player birth information is notarized. He shall be sure all forms are filled out properly and keep copies of each team s roster. He shall mail registration information to the previous year s players and distribute registration flyers to the Wyandotte schools. He shall coordinate the ordering and distribution of all League uniforms. He shall do other duties as assigned to him by the President. 8f. DIVISIONAL GENERAL MANAGERS: There shall be a minimum of one General Manager per division. The General Managers are responsible for the running of their division. They shall notify and relay information to their coaches as directed by the Board of Directors. They shall maintain active standings for their division. They shall enforce the Playing Rules and the Rules and Regulations of the League in their division. He shall be the liaison between the coaches and the Equipment Manager concerning equipment. He shall appoint coaches for his division. He is responsible for evaluating coaches after the season and providing recommendations for future coaching appointments. He shall do other duties as assigned to him by the President. 8g. EQUIPMENT MANAGER: The Equipment Manager shall insure, working with division general managers, that each team has adequate equipment. He shall insure each game is Revised : 12/01/2011 Page 3
provided umpires equipment, and game balls. He will maintain the equipment and storage area in an adequate and orderly manner. He will provide equipment distribution and return dates to the General Managers. Collections and return of equipment should be completed no later than four weeks after the team has completed its season, unless specific arrangements are made. He will maintain in books belonging to the League, a list of equipment disbursed to coach. He shall recommend equipment purchases to the BOD. BOD will review and decide on all recommendations. All equipment purchases must be preapproved by any two of President, Vice-President, and Treasurer. He shall maintain an equipment inventory and as requested by the Board of Directors, provide a summary of condition of the League equipment. He shall work solely with the General Managers to resolve team equipment problems. He shall do other duties as assigned to him by the President. 8h. CHIEF UMPIRE: The Chief Umpire shall be responsible for umpire training, scheduling, and recruiting. Chief Umpire position will be eligible to vote as a member of the Board of Directors. He shall do other duties as assigned to him by the President. ARTICLE IX COMMITTEES 9a. The President shall approve all members to serve on all committees and be an ex-officio member of all committees. 9b. Protest/Grievance Committee: In the event of a protest or grievance, a Protest Committee shall convene. The Protest Committee shall consist of a minimum of 3 members of the Board of Directors. Protest procedures should follow those set forth in the Rules and Regulations of the League. 9c. By-Laws Committee: The Board of Directors shall appoint a minimum of four League members to serve on the committee. All proposals must be submitted in writing to the BOD during an executive board meeting. A vote shall be taken on the proposed amendments requiring two-thirds of the majority present to pass. All changes to the Constitution and By- Laws will be put in writing after the vote or as otherwise stated. ARTICLE X NOMINATIONS Nominations of the Board of Directors shall take place at the August meeting, and elections will be held at the September meeting. Moving and seconding will be sufficient authority to place a name of a member on the election ballot. ARTICLE XI VOTING 11a. The President, at the time of the August meeting, shall appoint two members of the League to be judge of elections on the date of the September meeting when the elections are held. At the close of the balloting, the votes shall be counted and the results reported to the President. The President will announce the results to the members assembled at the meeting. In case there is a tie, a second ballot will be cast until a member is elected. The Board of Directors shall take office effective October 1 st of the current year. 11b. An eligible voting member of good standing, that is a member who has attended at least three meetings in the current fiscal year, may vote on League issues at the third meeting. (Fiscal year is October 1 through September 30) 11c. At all such meetings where and when a member in good standing is called upon to cast a vote, such voting members must be personally present to cast said vote and is entitled to one vote only. 11d. At any meeting of the membership, the affirmative vote of a majority of those present and entitled to vote shall be required to carry any motion or resolution. Revised : 12/01/2011 Page 4
ARTICLE XII MEETINGS The regular monthly meetings of the League will be the second Thursday of the month. The time and place will be determined by the Board of Directors. A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. Each Board member shall have one vote regardless of the number of jobs they have. A regular monthly meeting schedule will be published prior to registration by the secretary. ARTICLE XIII PUBLIC ACTIVITIES This League shall not be used in any way for political purposes, nor shall it, as a League, actively participate in the political candidacy of a person. ARTICLE XIV FISCAL YEAR The fiscal year of the League shall be from October 1 st through September 30 th. ARTICLE XV RULES OF ORDER Any Wyandotte Braves By-Laws will supersede any rules and regulations set forth by the League. Revised : 12/01/2011 Page 5