Constitution & By-Laws

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

NAME AND OBJECTS

SECTION 1. The name of the Club shall be THE CHIHUAHUA CLUB OF ALABAMA, INC.

SECTION 2. The objects of the Club shall be:

(a) to encourage and promote quality in the breeding of pure-bred Chihuahuas (Long Coat and Smooth Coat) and to do all possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection.

(b) to urge members and breeders to accept the standard of the breed as approved by the American Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which the Chihuahua breed (Long Coat and Smooth Coat) shall be judged.

(c) to protect and advance the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows and sanctioned matches, and obedience trials.

(d) to conduct sanctioned and licensed specialty shows and obedience trials under the rules of the American Kennel Club.

SECTION 3. The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the Club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual.

SECTION 4. The members of the Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such by-laws as may be required to carry out these objectives.

BY LAWS

ARTICLE I

MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY. Membership is open to all persons eighteen years of age and older who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purpose of the Club. Junior membership is open to persons 12 to 17 years of age. Junior members may not vote or hold office. They should be able to convert to regular membership upon reaching their 18th. birthday.

While membership is to be unrestricted as to residence the Club's primary purpose is to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors in its immediate area.

SECTION 2. DUES. Membership dues shall be $15.00 per year for persons eighteen years and older. Junior membership dues shall be $5.00 per year. Dues are payable on or before the first day of January of each year. If dues are not paid by April 1st of current year, a member is considered in arrears and will be considered terminated. (See Section 4. (b)). No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. The Treasurer shall send statement of dues for the ensuing year to each member in the month of November.

SECTION 3. ELECTION TO MEMBERSHIP. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by the Club's Constitution and By-Laws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the name, address, and occupation of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two members in good standing.

Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year.

All applications are to be filed with the Secretary and each application is to be read at the first meeting of the Club following its receipt. At the next Club meeting the application will be voted upon and affirmative votes of 3/4 of the members present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant.

Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply within six (6) months after such rejection.

SECTION 4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP. Membership may be terminated:

(a) By resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of the each fiscal year.

(b) By lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid 90 days after the first day of the Fiscal year; however, the board may grant and additional 90 days of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any Club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.

ARTICLE II

MEETINGS AND VOTING

SECTION 1. CLUB MEETINGS. Meetings of the Club shall be held monthly with time, date and place to be determined by the Board of Directors. Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary or via the Club's newsletter, via first class mail, at least 10 days prior to the date of the Club meeting. The quorum for such meetings shall be 15% of the members in good standing.

SECTION 2. SPECIAL CLUB MEETINGS. Special Club meetings may be called by the President, or by a majority vote of the members of the Board who are present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Board; and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be at such place, date, and hour as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting, and said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other Club business may be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 20% of the members in good standing.

SECTION 3. BOARD MEETINGS. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held on the regular club meeting date prior to the general club meeting. Board meetings will be announced with the regular meeting announcement. The quorum for such meetings shall be a majority of the Board.

SECTION 4. SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board. Such special meetings shall be held at such place, date, and hour as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such meeting. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 10 days prior to the date of the meeting, or telegraphic notice shall be filed at least 3 days and not more than 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. Any such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other business shall be transacted thereat. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

SECTION 5. VOTING. Each member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the Club at which he is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election.

ARTICLE III

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

SECTION 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three other persons all of whom shall be members in good standing and all of whom shall be elected for one-year terms at the Club's annual meeting as provided in Article IV and shall serve until their successors are elected. General management of the Club shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. OFFICERS. The Club's officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.

(a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board, and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President in addition to those particularly specified in these by-laws.

(b) The Vice-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's absence, death, or incapacity.

(c) The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify new members of their election to membership, notify officers and directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses, and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in these by-laws.

(d) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys due or belonging to the Club. He shall deposit the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the name of the Club. His books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and he shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the Club's finances and every item of receipt or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting he shall render an account of all moneys received and expended during the previous fiscal year.

(e) The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person, in which case the Board shall be composed of the officers and four other persons.

SECTION 3. VACANCIES. Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the offices during the year shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of all the then members of the Board at its first regular meeting following the creation of such vacancy, or at a Special Board Meeting called for that purpose, except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Board.

ARTICLE IV

CLUB YEAR, ANNUAL MEETING, AND ELECTIONS

SECTION 1. CLUB YEAR. The Club's Fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January and shall end on the 31st day of December.

SECTION 2. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting shall be held in November at which the annual election is held to elect officers and board members for the ensuing year. Elected officers and board members will take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his/her successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within 30 days after the election.

SECTION 3. NOMINATIONS. No person may be a candidate receiving the greatest number of votes who has not been nominated. During the month of August, the Board shall select a Nominating Committee consisting of three members and two alternates, not more than one of whom may be a member of the board. The Secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen and alternates of their selection. The Board shall name a Chairman for the Committee and it shall be his duty to call a committee meeting which shall be held on or before September 1st.

(a) The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and three candidates, for the three other positions on the Board, and after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the Secretary in writing.

(b) Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee's report, the Secretary shall at least two weeks before the October meeting notify each member in writing of the candidates so nominated.

(c) Additional nominations may be made at the October meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when his name is proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate.

(d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than as provided in this Section.

ARTICLE V

COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. The Board shall appoint committees as deemed necessary to conduct the business of the Club; namely, Show Chairman, Match Chairman, Membership Chairman, Trophy Chairman. Special committees may be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular projects.

SECTION 2. Any committee appointed may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.

ARTICLE VI

DISCIPLINE

SECTION 1. AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB SUSPENSION. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of The American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.

SECTION 2. CHARGES. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $10.00 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board Meeting, and the Board Shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not less than 3 weeks nor more than 6 weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes,

SECTION 3. BOARD HEARING. The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such a case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant's rights to appear before his fellow-members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board's recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, its finding shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board's decision and penalty, if any.

SECTION 4. EXPULSION. Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board's recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. Such proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board's recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privileges of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board's findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak on his own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by a secret ballot on the proposed expulsion. A 2/3 vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board's suspension shall stand.

ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1. Amendments to the constitution and by-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty percent of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

SECTION 2. The constitution and by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for the purpose, provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII

DISSOLUTION

SECTION 1. DISSOLUTION. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than 2/3 vote of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the Club other than for purposes of reorganization whether voluntary or involuntary or by the operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor any proceeds thereof nor any, assets of the Club shall be distributed to any members of the Club but after payment of the debts of the Club its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX

ORDER OF BUSINESS

SECTION 1. At meetings of the Club, the order, of business, so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:

Roll Call
Minutes of the last meeting
Report of President
Report of Secretary
Report of Committees
Election of Officers and Board
(at annual meeting)
Election of new members
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment

SECTION 2. At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:

Reading of minutes of last meeting
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Reports of Committees
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment

ARTICLE X

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

SECTION 1. Robert's Rules of Order (revised) shall be a guide to govern the Club's business.

Date of Typesetting: January 10, 2001 from copy dated April 18, 1996.

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