WCABA CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS of the WILLIAMSON COUNTY AREA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION
Article I
Name
The name of this organization shall be Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association (WCABA). It is a 501 (c) (7) non-profit organization.
Article I
Purpose
The Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association is organized to engage in agriculture and backyard beekeeping education, activities that support and promote beekeeping, fellowship beekeepers, and disseminate information to the public.
Article III
Membership
Any individual or family interested in becoming a member of this association may become a member by paying the membership dues provided for in Section III-a of the by-laws of this association. WCABA Associate members defined in Section III-b of the by-laws may attend any and all meetings but will have no vote in the business of the association. The period of membership shall be from January 1 through December31 each year.
Article IV
Officers
The officers and the governing body of this association shall be:
a. President e. Editorial Director
b. Vice-President f. Secretary i. Past
President
c. Membership Director g. Treasurer j. Director at Large
d.
Program Director h. Historian k. Director at Large
Article V
Meetings
The Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association shall meet at a place and time to be designated by the majority vote of the Executive Board. There shall be no scheduled meeting in December due to the holiday season. A quorum at a meeting of the Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association shall consist of fifteen members present. (revised September 25, 2018)
Article VI
Constitution Changes
This constitution may be amended by a motion passed by a two-thirds vote of the members of the association present, the amended changes presented at any regular meeting, and voted on at the following regular meeting.
The constitution may be amended after review by the executive board and by approval of two-thirds of the members attending the monthly regular meeting. The proposed changes will be sent out to the membership with the newsletter for review prior to membership vote at the next regular meeting. It shall be the policy of the board to review the constitution and by by-laws each October of even numbered years unless the board deems it necessary to make changes sooner.
BY-LAWS
Section I
Officers
a. The President, Vice-President, Membership Director, Program Director, Editorial Director, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian shall be elected by a majority voting at the regular meeting in November of each year and shall take office at the January meeting. The executive board shall consist of the officers listed above, the past president, plus two members at large, not elected, but appointed by the executive board to serve as volunteers on the board.
b. The nominating committee shall consist of three members appointed by the President prior to, but no later than, the October membership meeting. The nominating committee shall select a slate of officers for the next year. The list of candidates shall be present and elected at the November meeting. Nominations from the floor may be accepted. The nominee selected by the committee or from the floor must be a member in good standing and willing to serve in the office. The names proposed by the nominating committee to the general membership will be posted in the newsletter prior to election
d. All officers shall serve for one year or until their successors are elected
or appointed.
e. In the case of death or resignation of an officer
of the association, the Executive Board shall fill the vacancy by appointment
for the remainder of the year. In the case of the office of President, the
VicePresident will serve the remainder of the year and a new vice president
shall be appointed from either the membership at large or from the present
officers.
f. Any officer being absent for three consecutive
(regular or executive) meetings, without just cause, shall be replaced and a
new officer appointed by the executive board to complete the remainder of the
term.
g. Officers are encouraged, but not required, to be members of the Texas Beekeepers Association.
Section II
Duties of Officers
a. The president shall preside at all meetings of the association and of the executive board. He or she shall have general supervision of the officers of the association. He or she will be the official spokesperson for the organization and sign all official correspondence. He or she may call a meeting of the Executive Board at any time and place he or she selects. He or she shall appoint all committees. Committees may include but are not limited to educational seminars, scholarship, outreach, etc. The President may appoint or seek volunteers for equipment procurement, bee procurement, meeting snacks, honey bee queen advisor, etc.
b. The Vice-President, in the absence of the President shall preside and assume all the duties and privileges of the President. He or she will assist the President as needed.
c. The membership director shall collect all membership dues and keep an attendance record of all meetings. Records of past members may be kept for a period of two years or as designated by the board.
c. The Program Director shall be responsible for a program at each monthly meeting.
d. Editorial director shall be the association reporter and editor of the association's monthly newsletter.
e. The secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the association and of the Executive Board, and publish the minutes in newsletter. He or she shall carry on the correspondence of the association. The Secretary will keep a copy of the constitution and by-laws. The constitution and by-laws will be provided to any new member of the executive committee or membership. The constitution and by-laws will be posted on the website for view of the general public.
f. The Treasurer shall accept from the Membership Director all membership dues and all other money collected by the association. He or she shall dispense the funds of the association for the incidental expenses of the association as directed by the Executive Board. An oral report shall be given at monthly meetings. An oral and printed report shall be given at the Executive Board meetings. The monthly bank statement shall go to the Treasurer and President. The President or a quorum of the board may request audits at any time.
g. The Historian shall keep records of past events, programs, newsletters, and any information that may be of interest to future members. In addition, the historian will keep an after action file on club events. These reports are to be a review of the event and suggestions on how to improve the event. The report is to be provided by the facilitator or committed chairman of the event. This file is to be made available for review by individuals planning future similar events. It will be the responsibility of the Historian to remind the facilitator or chairman to submit this report.
h. The Executive Board shall act as Directors of the association. They shall have charge of expending the funds of the association, as provided under Section II Paragraph F.
i. Members at large (two): Provide member perspective and assist in coordination or facilitation of projects as needed.
k. Any current member may attend the Executive Board meetings. Only Board members may vote on board business.
Section III
Dues
a. The association shall collect an annual membership fee to be determined by a general vote at the November meeting. These dues are payable and due at the first meeting in January. . Any member in arrears for dues greater than 3 months shall cease to be a member until the member has provided payment of current membership dues. Members paying their dues on or after October first shall be deemed to have paid for the following year.
b. Children of members and students interested in beekeeping may be an Associate member and shall pay no dues until age 22.
Section IV
By-Law Changes
The By-Laws may be amended by a motion passed by a majority vote of the members of the association present, the amended changes presented at any regular meeting and voted on at the following regular meeting. The By-Laws may be amended after review by the executive board and by approval of a majority of the members attending the monthly regular meeting. The proposed changes will be sent out to the membership with the newsletter for review prior to membership vote at the next regular meeting. It shall be the policy of the board to review the constitution and by by-laws each October of even numbered years unless the board deems it necessary to make changes sooner.
Section V
Dissolution of Assets
If for any reason the Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association is dissolved or disbanded, the remaining assets, after all bills are paid, will be donated to the Dr. Nevin Weaver Honey Bee Excellence Fund (endowment) at Texas A&M University
The Constitution and By-Laws revised and adopted on September 26, 2014