By-Laws of the Metro Louisville Stamp Society

 

ARTICLE I  MEMBERSHIP

 

Any person who is interested in any branch of philately is eligible to become a member.

 

A         An application form, burnished by the Society shall be completed and presented or mailed to the secretary, accompanied by the appropriate membership dues.  The application shall then be submitted to the executive committee.

 

B          Any objections to the applicant becoming a member must be made in writing and submitted to the executive committee.

 

C         If in the opinion of the executive committee the applicant is worthy of membership, the applicant will be accepted into the club.

 

D         If the applicant fees that the executive committee has unjustly rejected the application, the person may appeal in writing to the executive committee.  The executive committee will then present the application to the entire membership for a vote.

 

E          Upon recommendation of the executive committee a member shall be expelled by a majority vote of the members in good standing at a duly called meeting of the club.  A statement of the charges shall be mailed to the member at least ten days prior to the meeting, with notice of the date, time and place of the meeting.

 

ARTICLE II  VOTING

 

All members of the Society shall have the right to vote on any motion properly presenter at any meeting, and for any candidate for office.

 

ARTICLE III  OFFICERS

 

The officers of this Society shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and any additional officers as the executive committee may recommend.

 

A         PRESIDENT

 

            This person shall preside at all functions of the Society, and shall have all the authority granted by these by-laws.  The president shall be chairperson of Louipex, unless the president designates another person to be the chairperson.  Vacancy of any office due to resignation or for other reasons will be filled by appointment of the president.

 

 B          VICE-PRESIDENT

 

            This person shall provide suitable programs for the meetings of the Society.  In the absence of the president, the vice-president shall preside at all functions of the Society.  In the event of the demise or resignation of the president, the vice-president shall assume the presidency until the next regular elections.  The vice-president shall be the assistant chairperson of Louipex, unless another person is designated to that position by the president.

 

C         SECRETARY

 

The secretary is the recording officer of the Society, and custodian of all records and materials belonging to the club, except those specifically assigned to others.  This officer shall keep the minutes of all meetings, and shall read them at each successive meeting.  The secretary shall have a register of the elected officers, members and guests present at all meetings.  The secretary shall notify the members by an appropriate means stating the time, date, and the place of each meeting of the Society.  The secretary will collect and count all secret ballots which are used in voting.  It will also be the secretary’s function to publish the club bulletins and the time intervals approved by the executive committee, unless the president designates another person to be editor of the club bulletins.

 

D         TREASURER

 

The treasurer shall bill and collect all dues in compliance with the by-laws and deposit these funds in the name of the Society.  The treasurer shall collect all other funds owed the Society and deposit them accordingly.  The treasurer shall pay from these funds by check only all approved obligations of the Society.  This check must be signed by the treasurer and another officer.  A quarterly treasurer’s report will be prepared and printed in the club bulletin.  The president will appoint a committee of tow, in January, to audit the financial records of the club, in February, and file a report of the audit with the president.  A roster of membership will be furnished to each member by the first meeting in April.

 

E          The office of the secretary and that of the treasurer may be combined into one office if the nominating committee sees fit to do so.

 

ARTICLE IV  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

            The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the Society, the immediate past president, and four members who are elected at large.  Two members will be elected each year to serve a two-year term.  This committee shall be chaired by the president.  This committee will meet before the regularly scheduled meetings whenever the president deems it necessary.  The presiding officer shall have the right to call a special meeting provided that all members of the executive committee are duly notified.  The committee shall meet to consider the business and matters of importance to the Society in order that they may be presented in a proper and concise manner to the membership.  This committee shall determine all matters of business not required to be submitted to the membership.  This committee shall approve all expenditures of the Society for the treasurer.  A minimum of five voting committee members must be present to constitute a quorum.  The president shall have voting rights for tie-breaking purposes only, on the executive committee.

 

ARTICLE V  ELECTIONS

 

            A nominating committee shall be appointed by the president during the first meeting of September.  The committee shall secure a candidate of candidates for each office and submit their names to the members at the second meeting in September.  Floor nominations are allowed at this time providing the nominee has agreed to run for the given position.  The elections shall be held at the first meeting in October.  A written secret ballot will be used to elect any office with two or more candidates.  Any office that has only one candidate will be elected by the secretary casting one vote.  The officers shall be installed in December.  At the time of the election, the outgoing president will appoint the president-elect as the chairperson for the next year’s Louipex show.

 

ARTICLE VI  MEETINGS

 

            The regular meeting of the Society shall be the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.  The meetings shall be called to order promptly at eight P.M.  The presiding officer may call a special meeting if it is deemed necessary.  All questions that affect the Society, not decided upon by the executive committee, shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the members present.  Resolutions may be invoked by the executive committee in order to insure a more orderly running of the Society.  These resolutions do not override anything in the by-laws of constitution of the Society.

 

ARTICLE VII  DUES

 

            The dues for this Society shall be set by the executive committee with the approval of the membership.  Annual membership dues are payable by January 1 for all members.  New members coming into the Society between January 1 and March 31 shall pay the full annual dues.  Members coming into the Society between April 1 and June 30 pay 75% of annual dues.  Members coming into the Society between July 1 and September 30 pay 50% of the annual dues.  Members coming into the Society between October 1 and December 31 pay 125% of the annual dues which includes the dues for the following year.  No initiation fee shall be required.  Membership of those who have not paid their dues will be dropped as on March 1.  The present membership dues of this Society are $20.00 a year and shall remain in effect until properly changed. 

Juniors (any person under sixteen (16) years of age) will be charged on-half of the regular membership dues.

 

ARTICLE VIII  AMENDMENT TO THE BY-LAWS

 

            Amendments to the by-laws may be submitted in writing by any member or group of members to the executive committee for their consideration.  The proposed changes, along with the recommendations of the executive committee, will be published in the next club bulletin or communicated by letter to the membership.  These changes will be discussed and voted on at the next regular meeting of this Society and, if approved by simple majority vote, will become effective at that time.

 

REVISED BY-LAWS AS OF JULY 24, 2006