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BURLINGTON UU CIRCLE
Bylaws
25 Feb 2001
PREAMBLE
In accordance with the principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), we, as members and friends of UUA societies, join together in association to advance a free and responsible exploration of our religious and spiritual values and to promote understanding of those values within the UUA and among the wider religious community. (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 1: NAME AND AFFILIATION
1.1 Name
The group will be called Burlington UU Circle (BUUC, pronounced "buck," an animal sacred to Paganism). (14 Dec 1997)
1.2 Affiliation
BUUC is intended to be an independent affiliate of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington (FUUSB), and a chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS). (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 2: OFFICES OF THE CORPORATION
2.1 Corporate Domicile
BUUC will be incorporated in the State of Vermont. (11 Jun 2000)
2.2 Principal Office
The Board may determine the location of the principal office within the State of Vermont for the transaction of business of the corporation and may change this location from one address to another. BUUC will maintain a post office box at the main Burlington post office. (11 Jun 2000)
2.3 Other Offices
The Board may at any time establish branch or subordinate offices at any place where BUUC is qualified to conduct its activities. (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 3: MISSION
The purpose of BUUC is to provide a safe place for Pagans to create community and to assure through our ritual and other outreach projects that no Green Mountain Pagan is solitary unless they choose to be. (29 Nov 1998) We also support the purposes of CUUPS, FUUSB, and the UUA. (11 Jun 2000) Our most important services are providing a place for spiritual community, regular Pagan practice, and finding learning resources. (29 Nov 1998)
No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements for) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by (a) an organization exempt from the federal income tax under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)2 of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. (3 Sep 2000)
ARTICLE 4: POLICIES & PROCEDURES
The Policies and Procedures of BUUC shall contain provisions deemed necessary by these Bylaws, the Board, the Council, and their committees for the proper conduct of BUUC affairs. No Policy or Procedure inconsistent with the law or these Bylaws shall be valid. The Policies and Procedures of BUUC shall be adopted by consensus of the Board or Council and may be recommended by any regular or core member, committee, or subcommittee. They shall become effective upon consensus, and shall be published in the minutes of the meeting in which they were adopted. (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 5: MEMBERSHIP
5.1 Qualification
Membership in BUUC shall be open, without regard to religion, race, color, age, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, disability, blood-borne pathogen, national origin, or socio-economic status, to individuals who support the CUUPS Statement of Purpose and these Bylaws. (11 Jun 2000)
5.2 Application
Anyone who signs in at a regular BUUC ritual Circle on its regular sign-in sheet shall be considered a member of BUUC. (11 Jun 2000)
5.3 Levels of Membership
There shall be four levels of membership in BUUC:
i. Member: Anyone who signed in at a ritual as per §5.2.
ii. Probationary Member: A member who has been placed on probation by the Council as per §10.4.
iii. Regular Member: Anyone who has properly signed in as per §5.2 three times in a six-moon period, and has signed the BUUC Code of Ethics.
iv. Core Member: A regular member who has properly signed in as per §5.2 at (11 Jun 2000) 3 of the previous 4 regular rituals and 2 of the previous 4 Board, Council, or committee meeting (29 Nov 1998) cycle. Once core membership is achieved, it may be maintained by attending 4 out of the previous 6 rituals and 3 of the previous 6 business meeting cycles. A person may also have one excused absence per 6 moons that counts as an attendance. (30 Dec 2000)
5.4 Termination of Membership
If a member wishes to resign, they are encouraged to inform a Council member. (11 Jun 2000) Members will be dropped if they miss 3 consecutive regular rituals. (18 May 1998) Anyone attending a BUUC event can be removed/expelled if they are known to pose a threat to the group or its members. The Council may, by a two-thirds vote, discipline, suspend, or expel any member confessing to our found guilty of committing a felony crime with a victim or victims, as recognized by law and current criminological opinion; or for proven and documented conduct of a disruptive or abusive nature which works directly against the aims, activities, or welfare of BUUC or its members. (29 Nov 1998)
5.5 Leaves of Absence
A member who takes a leave of absence must refulfill membership requirements upon their return. (3 Sep 2000)
ARTICLE 6: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS
6.1 Members have the right to:
i. expect that BUUC events will be conducted in a safe manner, and to inform a Council member of violations of the Bylaws; (11 Jun 2000)
ii. attend committee meetings; (14 Nov 1999)
iii. have their contact information remain confidential with the Council, or have any or all of it listed in the membership list published with the minutes or in other member-only formats, or use a pseudonym, as they so choose;
iv. network with other BUUC members via the published member list;
v. receive a copy of the newsletter and minutes, including the published member list;
vi. inspect the Bylaws. (11 Jun 2000)
6.2 Probationary Members enjoy all the privileges of a member except the right to:
i. attend committee or other business meetings;
ii. make presentations at BUUC events unless specifically invited to do so by the event leader and/or a BUUC Facilitator;
iii. attend any event at a member's home unless specifically invited by that member to do so. (25 Apr 1999)
6.3 Regular Members have all the rights of a member, plus the right to:
i. facilitate ritual grounding exercises;
ii. participate as an inner circle healer in Circle;
iii. be a ritual Ward or Monitor at the discretion of the Ritual Leader;
iv. undergo the Ritual Leadership apprenticeship program and be a Ritual Leader;
v. participate in committee meeting consensus or voting;
vi. vote for BUUC officers;
vii. obtain a summary statement of fund balance, revenues, or expenses previously reported to the members;
viii. propose and present BUUC workshops;
ix. be a newsletter columnist at the discretion of the editor;
x. form/join Adjunct Ritual Groups;
xi. an interview with the Council if expelled from a BUUC activity;
xii. a formal hearing before expulsion from BUUC;
xiii. participate in the expulsion hearings of another BUUC member at that member's request; (11 Jun 2000)
xiv. call for the Council to conduct a disciplinary hearing. (30 Dec 2000)
6.4 Core Members have all the rights of a regular member, plus the right to:
i. serve as chair, scribe, timekeeper, or vibes watcher at committee, Council, or other business meetings;
ii. run for and hold a BUUC office;
iii. nominate BUUC officers;
iv. review the most recent officer's election ballots in the event of a contested election, as per §11.6;
v. be considered for Council membership; (11 Jun 2000)
vi. if also a Ritual Leader, nominate or be nominated as a candidate for Ordination. (30 Dec 2000)
6.5 Ethical Conduct
All BUUC activities will be conducted with socially acceptable ethical and moral behavior, including, but not limited to, the following:
i. Sexuality: All representations of sexual magic rites will be symbolic only. BUUC will regard private consensual sexual activities between adult members of BUUC to be their own private business, but exploitive behavior, such as pressure on a reluctant or unwilling being to engage in sexual activity of any kind, is entirely unacceptable, and constitutes grounds for termination of BUUC membership and any positions of responsibility or authority which the offender may hold within BUUC.
ii. Code of Ethics: To be considered a regular or core member of BUUC a person must meet attendance requirements and read, sign, and abide by the following Code of Ethics. The willful violation of this code shall be grounds for termination in BUUC by its Council.
a) I will, whether Wiccan or not, follow the Wiccan Rede: "An it harm none, do what you will."
b) I will respect others' rights to freedom in all areas, including safety, privacy, and philosophy.
c) I will seek to repair that which I have damaged, and to make amends to those whom I have harmed, to the best of my abilities.
d) Honesty is valuable. I will remember this is thought, word, and deed.
e) I will not knowingly bring harm to the Burlington Unitarian Universalist Circle (BUUC), the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS), or any of its members.
f) I will abide by the Bylaws of BUUC in all matters relating to them.
g) I will consider my pledged word sacred.
iii. Disruptive or abusive behavior includes:
a) the spreading of slander or libel against BUUC or its leadership or members;
b) bigoted communication or behavior of a virulently racist, sexist, homophobic, heterophobic, anti-Semitic, or otherwise bigoted manner;
c) active efforts to persuade members to quit or to dissuade nonmembers from joining;
d) or other behavior prohibited by this article. (29 Nov 1998)
ARTICLE 7: MEETINGS
7.1 Decision-Making
BUUC operates by consensus. Any committee, the Board, or Council may choose to resort to ¾ majority vote when deemed necessary to conduct the business of BUUC.
Members eligible to participate in consensus or voting at a given meeting may participate by written and signed proxy. Such proxy may take the form of carte blanche permission to speak on all matters or on a particular issue, or an outline of the absent member's position on items known to be on the agenda. (11 Jun 2000)
7.2 Annual Meeting
The first October Board meeting of every year will be an annual meeting, which may take place during a retreat (14 Nov 1999) open only to Council members. Regular members may participate by invitation of the Council. (30 Dec 2000) Core members may fully participate in this Board meeting, at which outgoing officers will present annual reports, new (11 Jun 2000) officers will begin their terms, (14 Nov 1999) committee membership will be decided, the Bylaws will be reviewed, and a budget will be considered for approval. (25 Oct 1998)
7.3 Special Meetings
The Board may convene a special meeting of members at any time and place. Such a meeting may also be called by petition of at least twenty-five percent of regular and core members combined. The only business to be conducted at special meetings is that which was stated or reasonably implied in the notice of the meeting. (11 Jun 2000)
7.4 Attendance at Meetings
With the prior approval of the Board, and as specified in the notice of the meeting, members may attend by means of telecommunication, provided that all members present at the meeting can be duly recognized and can understand each other. Members attending by such means will be considered present in person.
The meeting attendance requirement for membership levels can be fulfilled by doing committee work between meetings, for which the committee chair has signed in a member absent from the next meeting subsequent to their work. Members may be present by proxy or committee work for two consecutive meetings, after which such attendance will not count toward membership requirements. (11 Jun 2000)
7.5 Notice of Meetings
Notice of meetings will be given in writing to all regular and core members. Such notice will state the date, hour, and place of the meeting, the means, if any, approved by the Board for attendance by telecommunication, and, in the case of special or Council meetings, the nature of the business to be conducted. The Board shall cause such notice to be sent by first-class mail, the minutes, the newsletter, and/or by e-mail to the BUUC listserv at least seven days in advance of the meeting. Notice will be considered sent upon its deposit in the mail, delivery of the minutes and/or newsletter to a regular ritual, or posting to the listserv. (11 Jun 2000)
7.6 Quorum
A regular quorum for actions by members at a meeting will consist of not fewer than three regular and/or core members; at special meetings, a quorum is further defined as not less than ten percent of the regular and core membership combined. In the absence of a quorum, the regular and core members present may nevertheless constitute a quorum for the purposes of receiving regular or ad hoc committee reports. (11 Jun 2000) Members who participate in committee work in a given Moon will be counted as present for the committee meeting, (13 Feb 2000) but will not be counted toward a quorum unless present by proxy. (11 Jun 2000)
7.7 Board Meetings
There will be regular meetings of the BUUC officers, aka the Board. (17 Oct 1999) These will include planning for future events. (15 Mar 1998) There will be no Board meetings in August, unless there would normally be two, in which case we will hold the second one. (6 Jul 1998) A quorum of the Board may call special Board meetings as necessary (15 Feb 2000) with proper notification as per §7.5. (11 Jun 2000) Business may also be conducted on an ongoing basis via e-mail or other medium available to all Board members. (30 Dec 2000)
A chair will be chosen to facilitate the meeting. (14 Nov 1999) A vibes watcher may be chosen at the beginning of each meeting to alert the group to rising tension, unspoken positions, etc. (27 Jun 1999) A timekeeper may be chosen at the beginning of every meeting, in which case agenda items will be allotted time limits and prioritized. (6 Jul 1998) The scribe will be chosen at the beginning of each meeting. (21 Mar 1999)
7.8 Council Meetings
The Council shall meet no less often than quarterly, in October, January, April, and July. It may also meet as needed, at the beginning of Board meetings. (17 Oct 1999) The Council can act as the Board for the purposes of decision making and attendance at such meetings counts for membership attendance requirements. (24 Jan 1999) Ad hoc meetings of Council members may also be called to discuss business, but no binding decisions can be made in such meetings. (11 Jun 2000) Business may also be conducted on an ongoing basis via e-mail or other medium available to all Council members. (30 Dec 2000)
7.9 Committee Meetings
Committee meetings will be held every month except August, (14 Nov 1999) with participation counting toward core membership. (17 Oct 1999) If there would normally be two Board meetings in August, committees will meet in conjunction with the second meeting. (25 Feb 2001) Committees may also conduct business on-line. (17 Oct 1999) If a person can't fulfill a commitment they made to the group, they will call a Facilitator or their committee Chair to reassign the work. (31 Aug 1998)
ARTICLE 8: COMMITTEES
8.1 Membership
The Membership Committee will welcome newcomers, coordinate member social services, conduct exit interviews for regular members, (25 Oct 1998) and oversee publication of the newsletter. (11 Jun 2000) The Membership Committee includes the subcommittees Communications, Community Ministry, (25 Apr 1999) and Newsletter, which is chaired by the newsletter editor. (11 Jun 2000) The Dedication and Ritual Leadership Committees are subcommittees of Community Ministry. The Grounding and Doorkeeper Coordinators and Greeters serve on the Membership Committee, as do the Chairs of the subcommittees. (25 April 1999)
8.2 Outreach
The Outreach Committee will coordinate outreach to the wider UU and Pagan communities, public education, special events, and special publications, (11 Jun 2000) and propose policy for outreach, including newsletter and flyer distribution. (31 Aug 1998) It will also propose advertising guidelines. (28 Sep 1998) The Outreach Committee includes the subcommittees UU Liaison, PR, and Education; with Library, Special Publications, Pagan Pride, G2K, and other special community events being subcommittees of Education. (25 Apr 1999) The Chairs of all Outreach subcommittees serve on the Outreach Committee. (11 Jun 2000)
8.3 Finance
The Finance Committee assists the Treasurer in production of the quarterly reports and fundraising activities. Fundraising is a subcommittee of Finance. (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 9: BOARD
The Board of Directors is composed of the BUUC officers. (11 Jun 2000) The Board is chaired by the Facilitator(s). (25 Apr 1999) It may delegate its duties to appropriate committees. (11 Jun 2000)
9.1 Purpose
The purpose of the Board is to conduct and/or supervise the business of BUUC. (11 Jun 2000)
9.2 Duties
The duties of the Board include:
i. proposing and approving Bylaws;
ii. proposing and approving Policies and Procedures;
iii. planning events;
iv. scheduling Ritual Leaders;
v. convening special meetings of the members; (11 Jun 2000)
vi. establishing methods for participation in meetings via e-mail and other media; (30 Dec 2000)
vii. sending notice of meetings;
viii. receiving quarterly Treasurer's reports;
ix. receiving annual reports from Committee Chairs;
x. filling officer vacancies;
xi. determining the principal office of BUUC;
xii. establishing branch or subordinate offices. (11 Jun 2000)
9.3 Minutes
The minutes of meetings will be available to all current members. (30 Dec 2000) A copy of the minutes of previous meetings will be available at Board meetings. (26 Apr 1998)
ARTICLE 10: COUNCIL
The Council is composed of up to 9 people (3 Sep 2000) who were core members at the time of their election, and maintain regular member status thereafter. (30 Dec 2000) It is chaired by the Facilitator(s). (25 Apr 1999) For the purposes of conducting confidential business, all Council members must adhere to strict ministerial confidentiality protocol. (11 Jun 2000) Members who withdraw from the Council must refulfill membership requirements upon return. (30 Dec 2000)
10.1 Purpose
The purpose of the Council is to oversee and protect the interests of BUUC (29 Nov 1998) and to provide a confidential setting for resolution of problems. (11 Jun 2000)
10.2 Duties
Duties of the Council include:
i. proposing and approving Bylaws in lieu of the Board;
ii. addressing violations of the Bylaws;
iii. supervising Ritual Leader apprenticeships;
iv. approving Ritual Leaders;
v. nominating officers for the annual election;
vi. inspecting contested elections;
vii. disciplining members if necessary;
viii. conduct interviews of persons expelled from BUUC events; (11 Jun 2000)
ix. establishing and supervising probationary periods. (29 Nov 1998)
10.3 Minutes
Confidential notes (11 Jun 2000) of Council meetings are available only to Council members, (24 Jan 1999) although decisions on policy, Ritual Leadership status, and other non-confidential matters (11 Jun 2000) will be included in the minutes of that month's business meeting. (14 Nov 1999)
10.4 Disciplinary Hearings
For reasons outlined in §5.4 and §6.5, any regular member may call for the Council to conduct a disciplinary hearing. Such a hearing must be properly warned as per §7.5 unless a quorum of Council members agree that any delay would pose a further threat to BUUC, in which case the quorum can call an emergency hearing at the earliest possible time. Such hearings will be conducted in closed Council, with the exception outlined in §6.3.xi. Although consensus is preferred, with a two-thirds vote of the entire Council, the Council may:
i. discipline, suspend, or expel any member;
ii. set the terms of any suspension, probation, or other discipline;
iii. bar admittance to BUUC by a non-member for any reason, which need not be explained to the non-member.
In the case of an emergency hearing, consensus or two-thirds vote of at least a quorum of the Council is required to take such actions. The outcome of emergency hearings must be approved at a properly warned Council meeting to be finalized, but take effect immediately. (11 Jun 2000)
10.5 Election to Council
By consensus of the entire existing Council, new members may be elected to fill vacancies. (3 Sep 2000)
ARTICLE 11: OFFICERS
All officers of BUUC, defined as the Facilitators, the Chairs of the Standing Committees, and the UU Liaison, must be core members (25 Apr 1999) at the time of their election, and maintain regular member status thereafter. If officers do not physically attend business meetings for two consecutive business meeting cycles, their office may be declared vacant by the Council or Board, and they can be replaced without notice. (11 Jun 2000)
Chairs will assure that the responsibilities of their committees are fulfilled or inform the Board of why this isn't possible. Chairs will present an annual report at the annual meeting. (30 Dec 2000)
11.1 Facilitators
The group will be led by Facilitators. (16 Nov 1997) In their first year of service, members elected to this office will serve as Assistant Facilitators. (11 Jun 2000) There can be no more than three Co-Facilitators (17 Oct 1999) and/or Assistant Facilitators. (11 Jun 2000)
11.2 Membership Chair
The Membership Chair will coordinate the activities of the Membership Committee. (25 Oct 1998)
11.3 Outreach Chair
The Outreach Chair will coordinate the activities of the Outreach Committee. (25 Apr 1999)
11.4 Treasurer
The Treasurer is the Chair of the Finance Committee and coordinates its activities, including bookkeeping. (11 Jun 2000) The Treasurer will generate a budget to be presented for approval at the annual meeting (28 Sep 1998) and will make quarterly reports to the Board. (14 Nov 1999)
11.5 UU Liaison
The UU Liaison must be both a UU and CUUPS Continental member. (27 Dec 1998) The UU Liaison will be encouraged to become a member of a UU Standing Committee (24 Jan 1999) in addition to serving on the UU Council. If the UU Liaison temporarily cannot perform the duties of office, an alternate will. (11 Jun 2000)
11.6 Elections
The Council will generate a list of officer nominees at their July meeting, including up to two alternate UU Liaisons. (11 Jun 2000) Nomination ballots for BUUC officers will be distributed to the regular and core membership (17 Oct 1999) at the first September ritual night, (30 Dec 2000) including the requirements for holding office. All voting for BUUC officers will take place by preferential ballot of the regular and core members, at that September ritual night (17 Oct 1999) or by proxy as per §7.1. (30 Dec 2000) New officers will begin their terms at the October annual meeting. (17 Oct 1999) In the case of vacancies, the Board may elect core members as officers (11 Jun 2000) to serve out terms. (16 Jan 2000)
Ballots will be numbered by the two Facilitators of longest tenure to identify members. (11 Jun 2000) These Facilitators may distribute absentee ballots to members who can't attend the first September ritual night and who request a ballot by two weeks before that date. (30 Dec 2000) A nominee may call for a recount and inspection of the vote no later than the November business meeting. Such an inspection which will be conducted by the Council at the next available regularly scheduled meeting. Only under those circumstances will someone other than the said Facilitators have access to the list which connects ballot numbers to member names. If there is no challenge, said Facilitators will destroy the list containing the numbered list of voting members; in the case of a challenge, the list will be destroyed after Council inspection. (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 12: BYLAWS
Any regular or core member, committee, or subcommittee may propose a Bylaw. Bylaw decisions of BUUC will be effective after the consensus of two Board meetings; policies and other decisions after one. If consensus is not obtained after full discussion in at least two consecutive meetings, or if the matter must be resolved before the next scheduled meeting, the chair may call for a vote. An affirmative vote of at least ¾ of those present and by proxy is required to carry.
The Board will give proper warning of the second consensus as per §7.5. (11 Jun 2000) A copy of the Bylaws will be present at all Circles. (29 Nov 1998) If any member feels that the BUUC Bylaws have been violated by any other member or participant in a BUUC event, especially as they relate to the safety of the community, they are strongly urged to bring this to the attention of one of the Council members. (29 Nov 1998)
ARTICLE 13: CIRCLES
13.1 Time and Place
We will hold rituals at a regular time and place once per moon. If any change in time or place is necessary, such change shall be announced at least one moon in advance in the newsletter. (11 Jun 2000)
13.2 Ritual Leadership
Ritual leaders will be scheduled by the Board. (11 Jun 2000) Primary Ritual Leaders from BUUC for Pan-Pagan events hosted by BUUC must be approved Ritual Leaders. (17 Oct 1999)
The Council will approve rituals proposed by members in phase three of the Ritual Leadership apprenticeship program outlined in the Policies and Procedures. Completion of the program will be determined by the Council, after which members will be designated as approved Ritual Leaders. (11 Jun 2000)
13.3 Character of Rituals
The content of rituals will reflect the diversity of the BUUC spiritual community by rotating the tradition from which rituals are drawn. All personal information divulged in a ritual setting must be treated with the same level of confidentiality as a 12-step meeting. (11 Jun 2000)
13.4 Small Children
Ritual Leaders will do their best (11 Jun 2000) to accommodate small children in their planning. (29 Nov 1998) Children will be treated with the same respect as adults. (11 Jun 2000) Children under 13 accompanied by parents or guardians (11 Jun 2000) are welcome if they participate (or quietly observe) and are well-behaved. (15 Mar 1998)
13.5 Evaluation
The success of Circles will be evaluated after each Circle. (29 Nov 1998)
ARTICLE 14: MINISTERS
14.1 Eligibility
Any candidate for ordained ministry must have been a regular and/or core member of BUUC for at least three consecutive years immediately prior to their nomination date and be an approved Ritual Leader. (11 Jun 2000)
14.2 Procedure
i. The candidate must be recommended to the Council by a core member who is also a Ritual Leader.
ii. The candidate must provide a letter of intent, a signed affidavit of the Code of Ethics, and a letter of support from the nominating core member.
iii. The candidate must meet the approval of the Council via testing or whatever criteria the Council deems appropriate and be approved by consensus.
iv. The candidate will undergo a preliminary Ordination administered by the Council.
v. The ordained Minister will undergo a three-year probationary period.
vi. At the annual meeting following or coinciding with the end of the probationary period, the Council will decide by consensus whether the Minister will receive Final Ordination. Failure to receive Final Ordination revokes ordination.
vii. The Final Ordination will be administered by the Council. (11 Jun 2000)
14.3 Ministerial Duties
Ordained Ministers are empowered to perform all legally binding ceremonies. Ministers are official representatives of BUUC and will act accordingly when dealing with the public. (11 Jun 2000)
14.4 Ministerial Responsibilities
i. Ordained Ministers will maintain at least regular member status.
ii. At every annual meeting, Ministers will provide an annual report of how they are using their ministry. A record of weddings and funerals performed, as well as any other public activities performed in the role of Minister, must be included in the Minister's annual report.
iii. Any Minister not reporting or having not used their ministry in the past year may, at the discretion of the Council, be moved to inactive status. Any Minister so inactivated will be notified by mail or via a paper of legal record in the place of BUUC's principal office. Inactive Ministers may not represent themselves as official representatives of BUUC, and may not perform any legal ceremonies as a representative of BUUC. Such inactivation should not be considered a punishment in any way. Inactive Ministers may petition the Council for reactivation at any time. The Council will consider all requests at their earliest convenience. (11 Jun 2000)
14.5 Disciplinary Actions for Ministers
i. A majority vote of all regular and core members combined will compel the Council to hold a disciplinary hearing for a Minister for good cause. (11 Jun 2000) The Council may also discipline a Minister for violation of these Bylaws. (30 Dec 2000)
ii. A Minister may be moved to inactive status for disciplinary reasons by the Council. In this case, reactivated Ministers are on probation for one year.
iii. Ministers may be defrocked (stripped of BUUC ministerial credentials) by the Council. Defrocking will require a minimum of a two-thirds vote of the entire Council. The Council may move to defrock any Minister on probation without first deactivating them.
iv. The results and an explanation of any disciplinary vote, whether disciplinary measures are applied or not, must be made available to the whole BUUC membership.
v. Deactivation and/or defrocking will not have an automatic effect on an individual's membership in BUUC. (11 Jun 2000)
ARTICLE 15: FINANCES
The group will be self-sufficient. (16 Nov 1997) The fiscal year will run October 1 through September 30. (17 Oct 1999) No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, Directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the mission set forth in §3. (3 Sep 2000)
ARTICLE 16: DISSOLUTION
In the event of dissolution of the Burlington Unitarian Universalist Circle, all assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. Preference will be given to purposes in accord with BUUC's Mission. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of BUUC is then located, for such purposes or to such organizations as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
If there are Ministers in probation at the time of dissolution, the Council will first resolve their ordinations on a case by case basis. (11 Jun 2000)