Utah Amateur Radio Club

What's new

About UARC

Club activities

Club resources

Amateur radio in Utah

General amateur radio

THE UTAH AMATEUR RADIO CLUB BY-LAWS

revised October 3, 2002

SECTION I: DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND DUTIES

A) Directors: There shall be a Board of Directors of at least three (3) in number which shall consist of Officers of the Corporation and in addition the immediate Past President.

B) Officers: The Officers shall consist of: President, Executive Vice-President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, two (2) Program Chairpersons, Editor, and Assistant Editor.

C) Directors and Officers shall serve for a period of one year and until such time as their successors shall have been elected and take office at the close of elections.

D) President: The President shall be the administrative head of the Club; shall preside at all meetings; and shall conduct same according to the rules adopted. The President shall enforce due observance of the Articles of Incorporation, and its Bylaws; decide all questions of order; The President alone shall sign all official documents that are adopted by the Club; and shall act as its spokesmen and representative at meetings with other organizations and committees unless some other member is delegated so to act in any instance by him/her or the Board of Directors. A pronouncement shall not obligate or commit this Club unless this obligation or commitment has been specifically authorized by the Board of Directors. The President shall perform all other customary duties pertaining to the office of President. All candidates for the office of President shall have held membership in the Club continuously for at least one year immediately prior to the election date. For election eligibility purposes, membership is considered continuous if it contains only one lapse not exceeding ninety days.

E) Executive Vice-President: The Executive Vice-President shall posses all the powers and assume all the duties of President in the event of the absence, disability, refusal, or failure to act, of the President. The Executive Vice-President shall, further, assist the President in all functions of that Office; and shall perform such other duties as are properly assigned to him/her by the Board of Directors.

F) Vice-President: The Vice-President shall posses all the powers and perform all the duties of the President in the event of the absence, disability, refusal, or failure to act, of the President and the Executive Vice-President. The Vice-President shall act as Liaison Officer as required and act as Chairperson of the Bylaws Committee. The Vice-President shall perform such other duties as are properly assigned by the Board of Directors.

G) Secretary: The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all official meetings of the Club, which may be read upon request. The Secretary shall keep a copy of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws present at all times; shall keep these in good order; shall effect all changes and additions in same; shall permit same to be consulted by members upon request. The Secretary shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The Secretary shall keep a roll of all members, and the current status of these members; shall keep a roll of members present at meetings; and shall accept all applications for membership; shall carry on all necessary correspondence for the Club; shall read all communications. If so authorized by the Treasurer, the Secretary may accept dues in conjunction with applications for membership or for renewal of membership.

H) Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep an accurate and current record of all monies received and disbursed by the Club; shall read all bills; shall receipt for all bills paid and monies received. The Treasurer shall pay no bill without the approval of the Board of Directors; shall submit at the end of each quarter an itemized statement of all receipts and disbursements. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies received in the Bank approved by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer may authorize the Secretary to deposit directly dues received, provided a full accounting of such deposits is made to the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be the Property Officer and have custody of, and safeguard, keep in good order, and report who is in possession of Club property when the final statements are presented. At the expiration of the Treasurer’s term all the property and records belonging to the Club will be turned over to the new Treasurer.

I) Program Chairpersons: Program Chairpersons, under the direction of the Board of Directors, shall be responsible for the presentation of the technical program features of the meeting; they shall endeavor to promote generally increased knowledge of the radio technique among the Club members; they shall organize Club member activities, plan and recommend contests for the operating benefit, and advance Club interest and activity as approved by the Club. They may call upon any member to assist them in their various projects.

J) Editor: The Editor shall carry out all duties pertaining to, and be responsible for, the maintenance and the publication of The Microvolt, the official paper of the Club. The frequency of the publication shall be determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with U.S. Postal regulations. The date of mailing should be at least one week prior to each general meeting. The Editor shall mail all notices of meetings, shall carry on all correspondence necessary to the office; shall maintain a mailing list. The Editor shall submit monthly bills for the maintenance and publication of the Club paper, and shall be reimbursed for the expenses in connection therewith.

K) Assistant Editor: The Assistant Editor shall assist the Editor in maintaining and publishing the official Club paper and perform such other duties as properly assigned him/her by the Board of Directors. The Assistant Editor shall assume all duties of the Editor in event of the Editor’s absence, disability, refusal, or failure to act.

SECTION II: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Club and as such shall formulate and be responsible for all matters of policy. It shall review all reports of conduct unbecoming a member of the Club and, if sustained, submit the matter to the body of the Club at a regular meeting. In the event of the inability of the President of the preceding year to serve as a member of the Board of Directors, the Executive Vice-President of the preceding year will fill the vacancy. Decisions of the Board of Directors shall be reached upon majority vote; thereupon the President shall execute the decisions so made or the policies so formed.

The Board of Directors shall actually meet in regular or special meeting in order to transact business. The newly elected Board of Directors shall take office immediately following the election meeting. The new President shall call a regular organizational meeting of old and new officers within ten days of the election meeting. The Board of Directors shall normally meet in regular meeting, duly called, once each month.

SECTION III: DUES

Dues shall be payable upon election to membership and at yearly intervals thereafter. Term of membership shall be 12 consecutive months. Dues should be paid to the Secretary or to the Treasurer as determined by the Treasurer. Such dues shall be used to defray the general expenses of the Club.

The yearly dues will be recommended by the Board of Directors and approved by the membership of the Club.

SECTION IV: AMENDMENTS

The Bylaws may be adopted and amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership present at any duly called meeting (provided they constitute a quorum as defined in Section VII). Proposals for amendments shall be submitted in writing to all members of the Club one month before the actual vote.

SECTION V: PROCEEDINGS

Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all proceedings of the Club, subject to the discretion of the members.

SECTION VI: FISCAL YEAR

The Fiscal Year shall begin on January 1st and end December 31st.

SECTION VII: MEETINGS

Meetings shall be held at least once each month except in July and August. A regular date, time, and place for the meeting, excepting special meetings, shall be selected by the Board of Directors, but may be altered by a majority vote of the membership. Special meetings may be called by the President. He/she shall be required to call a special meeting upon receipt of a written request signed by five (5) or more voting members.

All members shall be notified at least forty eight hours before the time set for a meeting. The voting members present at any duly called meeting shall constitute a quorum for all purposes. However, the election or removal of officers or change of Bylaws shall require a minimum of ten per cent of the voting members to constitute a quorum.

SECTION VIII:

Members shall have the privilege of voting, the use of the Club’s repeater systems and facilities, and shall remain on the Club mailing list when their dues are not in arrears more than three (3) months.

SECTION IX:

A member charged with conduct unbecoming a member of this Club may be expelled by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present at a meeting if the Board of Directors has found the charges are sustained by its investigations.

An Officer or Director may be removed from Office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of a quorum as defined in SECTION VII.

SECTION X:

Special committees may be appointed from time to time as the need arises. They shall be appointed by the President and shall meet with the approval of the Board of Directors. These committees may include:

A) Bylaws Committee.

B) Historical Committee.

C) Public Service Committee.

D) Field Day Committee.

E) Steak Fry Committee.

F) Nominating Committee.

SECTION XI:

This Club, its Officers, Committees, or Members shall not attempt to govern the action of its membership in the operation of their amateur radio stations.

SECTION XII:

It shall be the permanent policy of this Club to support the American Radio Relay League. This is expressed in the affiliation therewith and the participation in the activities thereof.

SECTION XIII:

These Bylaws may be suspended in case of emergency by unanimous vote of those present at a meeting which has been duly called.

SECTION XIV: ELECTION PROCEDURES

A) Vacancies occurring between elections shall be filled by special ballot, at the first regular meeting after the withdrawal or resignation is announced.

B) Procedures for Regular Elections.

1) By the October Board of Directors meeting a Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board. By the November general meeting the committee will have chosen a slate of nominees, at least one for each office.

2) At the November meeting nominations will be opened to the floor. After the close of the nominations, the Nominating Committee will add its selections to the slate. Then nominations from the floor will be accepted again.

3) The entire list of candidates will be published in The Microvolt prior to the December meeting.

4) At the December election meeting nominations from the floor will again be opened.

5) The nominees are encouraged to present a short autobiographical sketch or campaign letter to The Microvolt for publication in the December issue. The candidates may participate in a brief question and answer period at the election meeting prior to the vote.

6) In the case of offices for which more than one candidate has been duly nominated, elections will be conducted by secret ballot. Election to office requires a majority vote of the members present at a duly called election meeting. If none of the candidates for an office receives a majority vote, the matter may be resolved by a runoff ballot between the two candidates who received the greatest numbers of votes. The runoff ballot should be taken at the same election meeting as the initial ballot.

SECTION XV: REPEATER SYSTEMS AND FACILITIES

A) Repeater Committee: The Repeater Committee and none other shall be responsible for and shall have authority over any and all Club stations operating at VHF or higher frequencies. It shall set proper policies and procedures for usage of such Club stations by other operators.

The Committee shall consist of four members: License Trustee, Liaison from the UARC Board of Directors (Executive Vice-President or Vice-President as selected by the Board of Directors), Station Engineer, and Autopatch Engineer. The committee members (other than the Board Liaison) are elected by UARC membership at large in duly called meeting. With the exception of Board Liaison , which changes yearly, Repeater Committee members shall hold office until they resign or are replaced in response to a directive from the Club membership. Such a directive becomes effective upon a majority vote of those members of the Utah Amateur Radio Club attending a duly called meeting.

B) Funding: Repeater maintenance funds shall be provided from the general fund of the Utah Amateur Radio Club.

C) License Trustee: The License Trustee shall hold all licenses for Club Stations operating at VHF and above; shall be the official representative of the committee with all outside agencies and groups; shall be chairperson of the Repeater Committee and officiate at its meetings.

D) Station Engineer: The Station Engineer is ultimately responsible for construction and maintenance of all Club Stations; shall see that all equipment is operating properly and in accordance with good amateur practice, and shall be responsible for keeping all associated reference materials (schematic diagrams, instruction manuals, etc.) current and up to date, and provide any other needed data to other Committee members upon need. The Committee and the membership at large shall give the Station Engineer all support necessary to perform his/her duties.

E) Autopatch Engineer: The Autopatch Engineer is ultimately responsible for the construction and maintenance of all Club Autopatch systems and equipment. The Autopatch Engineer shall be responsible for keeping all associated reference material (schematic diagrams, instruction manuals, etc.) current and up to date and provide any needed data to other committee members upon need. The Committee and membership at large shall give the Autopatch Engineer all support necessary to perform his/her duties.

F) Information: All policy and procedure changes shall be submitted by the Secretary for publication in the next issue of The Microvolt following such changes. A general statement of policies and procedures shall also be published at least annually.

G) Board Liaison: The Board Liaison shall maintain liaison between the Board of Directors of the Utah Amateur Radio Club and the Repeater Committee.