By-Laws

Statement from the By-Laws Committee

The Committee feels that the By-Laws should be a living document. They will never be a finished work as this Committee cannot foresee changes in the future that will be necessary. We give this body of work to the membership and look forward to watching it grow.

By-Laws of the
Moore County Amateur Radio Society (MOCARS)

Adopted this 20th day of September, 2012 in accordance with Article XII, Section 2 of the Constitution of the Moore County Amateur Radio Society (MOCARS). These By-Laws shall be in force until amended or repealed in accordance with the provisions in the Constitution or as contained herein.

Article I – Memebership

Section 1 – Term of Membership – The term for all memberships (family, full, and associate) shall run from January 1 until December 31 of each year. Renewal for the following year shall start at the regular membership meeting in November. Any Member who has not paid their dues by March 1 shall not enjoy any privilege of membership until their annual dues are paid.

Section 2 – ARRL Club Commission Program – MOCARS shall participate in the ARRL Club Commission Program or other revenue sharing program for new ARRL Members (or Members who have lapsed for two or more years) who pay their dues through MOCARS.

Section 3 – New ARRL Members – If an individual is eligible for the ARRL Club Commission program and chooses to join ARRL through MOCARS, dues paid for the initial ARRL membership year shall be considered full payment for MOCARS dues for that year.

Section 4 – ARRL Membership Renewal – Members are encouraged to renew their ARRL membership through the Club in order to participate in a small commission for the Club. Commissions under this program shall not be applied towards MOCARS membership dues.

Article II – Dues

Section 1 – Annual Dues – Each year at the regular October meeting, the Board shall present a resolution to set the dues for each category of membership (full, associate, and family) for the following year.

Section 2 – Pro-Rating of dues – Any new Member (except members who participate in the ARRL Club Commission Program) who pays their dues after March 31 shall have their dues pro-rated according to the following schedule:

  1. April 1 – June 30: amount due is 75% of the annual dues.
  2. July 1 – September 30: amount due is 50% of the annual dues.
  3. October – December 31: amount due is 25 % of the annual dues.

Section 3 – Transition from Associate to Full Membership – If an Associate Member shall become a licensed Amateur radio operator during the membership year, the operator shall be granted full membership without payment of other dues for the balance of the year in which the amateur radio license was received.

Section 4 – Cancellation of Membership – If the amateur radio license of a Member is canceled for just cause, the MOCARS membership shall be canceled effective on the date of the license grant cancellation. No refund of membership dues shall be made. If the license is reinstated or a new amateur radio license grant issued prior to the end of the membership period, the MOCARS membership shall recommence on the date of the license grant through the end of the membership year.

Article III – Meetings

Section 1 – Regular Meetings – Regular MOCARS meetings shall be held on the third Thursday of each calendar month except December at a location to be secured by the Board of Directors. The Board or a majority of the general membership may temporarily change the date, location, and time for a meeting. All regularly scheduled meetings shall be published in the newsletter and on the website.

Section 2 – Quorum to transact Club Business – Twenty five percent (25%) of the dues paid full members shall be required to be in attendance at a meeting to conduct club business.

Section 3 – Special Meetings – A special meeting may be set by a majority vote of the membership at a regular meeting in which a quorum to conduct business is present or called by a majority of the Board. Members are to be notified at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time by the same method they receive the newsletter.

Article IV – Officers

As stated in the Constitution, the officers shall be President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. While an Officer may only hold one elected office, there is no limit on Officers serving in appointed capacities.

Section 1 – Duties of Officers:

  1. President & Vice President – Duties are assigned in the Constitution. The club may assign further duties by a simple majority vote of the club membership or the Board.
  2. Secretary – In addition to the duties assigned in the Constitution the Secretary shall:
    1. Transmit a copy of the minutes from each meeting to the Board and the newsletter editor.
  3. Treasurer- In addition to the duties assigned in the Constitution, the Treasurer shall:
    1. Maintain a checking account at a FDIC approved financial institution located in Moore County, NC. The following will have signature authority on the checking account: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
    2. Prepare and submit the monthly report of income and expenses.
    3. Prepare for presentation at the November regular meeting a list of standing expenses (insurance, dues, etc) that will come due in the next calendar year. The list of standing expenses shall be presented, and upon approval by the general membership, the Treasurer shall have the authority, pending funds available, to pay such items without the need for further authorization. Once paid, the expenditure shall be reported at the next general membership meeting.
    4. Maintain and provide a periodic copy of the membership list to the Board, secretary, webmaster, and newsletter editor that includes current contact information and verification of a member’s ARRL membership status.
    5. Maintain a list of Club property (owned or loaned to the Club) and who is in physical possession of such property. This list should include make, model, serial number, and ownership as appropriate. This list will be updated each year at the Club’s annual Field Day in June. A report of the status of all Club property will be presented at the August regular meeting. A copy of this report will be provided to the President, Vice President and the Club ARES Liaison.

 Section 2 – Terms of Office and Election

  1. Terms of Office- Unless to fill a vacancy, Officers shall take office on January 1 following their election. If an Officer has not been elected by January 1, the newly elected Officer will take office at the first of the month following their election. Officers elected to fill a vacancy take office immediately. Officers serve until their successors take office.
  2. Election of Officers:
    1. At the October regular meeting, the floor shall be opened for nominations for each office. Any voting Member of MOCARS, after consulting with the potential candidate, may nominate any eligible member for office.
    2. The Secretary shall record the name of each Member nominated for each office. The names of each candidate shall appear in the newsletter before the November meeting.
    3. A quorum for the election will be 25% of the full voting Members. Members present include those physically present along with any who have sent a signed, dated, and properly completed absentee ballot.
    4. The election shall occur by secret ballot with the Member writing the name of the choice for each office, with absentee ballots being counted in the same manner as the ballots completed at the meeting.
    5. If only one Member is nominated for each office, the Club may elect the slate by a vote for unanimous election.
    6. In the event of a tie, the names of the candidate in a tie breaker shall be published in the newsletter and that race shall be continued to the next regular meeting. If a tie occurs at the second election, the election shall be called by tossing a coin.

Section 3 – Non Moore County Resident Representative

As of January 1 each year, if six members of the Club reside at addresses outside the corporate limits of Moore County, the non-resident members may, at their will, meet to elect a representative to the Board. The method and procedure for election is at the discretion of the non-resident members. When elected, the non-resident members who participated in the election shall sign and transmit a notice of election to the Secretary who shall credential the elected as a member of the Board.

Article V – Standing Committees/Chairperson

The President shall appoint the following committee chairpersons. If an asterisk (*) appears after the title, the President shall appoint the chairperson and a full committee. Otherwise, the committee chairperson may solicit members to serve on the committee. The President may appoint additional chairs/committees at his/her discretion.

  1. Audit (*)
  2. By-Laws (*)
  3. ARES Liaison
  4. Education
  5. Field Day
  6. Interference
  7. Newsletter
  8. Public Information
  9. Public Service
  10. Repeater Trustee
  11. Website/Webmaster
  12. VEC Coordinator (appointed by W4VEC Group)

Article VI – Amendments

In keeping with the opening statement that the By-Laws are a living document, we establish this clarification for the amendment procedure as defined in the Constitution.

  1. Amendments creating a new article shall be considered passing a new By-Law and require a simple majority vote of the Members present at a meeting noticed for the purposes of passing a new By-Law.
  2. Amendments changing or deleting an article shall be considered amending the By-Laws and require a two-thirds vote of the paid full Members.

Adopted this 20th day of September, 2012, by a majority vote of those voting members present as witnessed by the signatures of the current President (Charles Wackerman, W3CY) and Secretary (Jim Johnson, KI4TAT) of the Moore County Amateur Radio Society.