OMUG Bylaws
In the autumn of 1996, OMUG formed an ad-hoc bylaws committee to examine the existing bylaws, and recommend changes. The committee created these new bylaws, which were passed by a vote of the membership in the February 1997 general meeting. Adopted by the Executive Board February --, 1997; amended April 8, 1999; February 10, 2005 and March 13, 2008.
Please
note that the bylaws are only half of the process that governs OMUG. The bylaws are the structural foundation on
which the club functions and thus are not intended to be amended except upon an
emergent situation. The day-to-day
operations of the club are managed by a set of Standing
Rules, which
can be updated by the Executive Board at any official
meeting. We are proud to present these
bylaws on our web site as a reference for all OMUG members.
Outline of the OMUG Bylaws
Article
I: Name
Article
II: Purpose
Article
III: Members
Article
IV: Officers
Article
V: Executive Board
Article
VI: Duties of Officers
Article
VII: Key Members
Article
VIII: Committees
Article
IX: Disbursement of OMUG Funds
Article
X: Parliamentary Authority
Article
XI: Amendment of Bylaws
BYLAWS OF THE OLYMPIA
MICROCOMPUTER USERS GROUP
As Amended March 13, 2008
ARTICLE
I
Name
The
name of this organization shall be Olympia Microcomputer Users Group. The Group will hereinafter be referred to as
OMUG.
ARTICLE
II
Purpose
The
purpose of OMUG shall be to provide a nonprofit, educational, self-help
organization for users of personal computers; to cultivate cooperative
relationships among computer users in our community; and to promote
knowledgeable use of personal computer hardware and software.
ARTICLE
III
Members
Section
1. Membership is open to all users of personal
computers and those interested in personal computing upon payment of membership
dues. Individuals who complete a
membership application and pay dues will be designated Primary Members, and are
entitled to vote in all elections for club officers and issues put to the
monthly general meeting.
Section
2. Spouses, partners, and children
residing in the same household as the Primary Member will, when registered, be
designated Associate Members. Associate
Members may participate in all OMUG activities, except they will not be
eligible for elected officer positions.
They will not be eligible for door prizes except in the Primary Member’s
absence.
Section
3. Annual membership dues are set by the
executive board.
ARTICLE
IV
Officers
Section
1. The officers of OMUG shall be
President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster
and three Directors At Large. These
officers, and the Immediate Past President, shall constitute the Executive Board
and will perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws.
Section
2. Nominations for election to the
Executive Board shall be provided by the Nominating Committee or accepted from
the floor at the February and March general meetings. Persons nominated for office must be Primary
Members in good standing and indicate their willingness to serve in the office
for which they are nominated at the time their name is placed in nomination.
The Secretary will record the list of nominees and cause the list to be
published in the March and April newsletters.
Section
3. All officers will be elected by
ballot for a term of one year, or until their successors are elected, by simple
majority of Primary Members voting at the April general meeting. The terms of the new officers will commence the first day of the month
following the election, usually May 1.
The April Board meeting, normally in the week
following the election, shall be a transition meeting with out-going and
in-coming Officers expected to attend
Section
4. All officers must be Primary Members
in good standing. If an officer’s
membership lapses, his or her office will be considered vacated.
Section
5. Sitting officers shall not be barred
from running for the same or other office, but no officer shall hold more than
one office at the same time.
Section
6. Each officer is encouraged to appoint
an assistant to assist in the duties of the office. The assistant may vote in the officer’s stead
at Executive Board meetings when requested by the officer. Officers shall notify one of the other officers
24 hours prior to a general or executive
meeting if he or she is unable to attend.
Section
7. Any officer may be removed from
office for cause by vote of two thirds of the Executive Board at either a
regular or special meeting. Such action may
not occur unless the officer has been notified of the pending action and has
been given an opportunity to appear before the board.
Section
8. The Executive Board shall appoint a
replacement for the remaining term of any office vacated due to lapsed membership,
when an officer resigns, or is removed by the board.
ARTICLE
V
Executive Board
Section
1. The Executive Board shall consist of
the elected officers enumerated in Article IV and the immediate past president.
Section
2. The Executive Board shall adopt and
publish standing rules to administer OMUG.
Section
3. The Executive Board shall conduct a
meeting open to the membership at least once per month, normally during the
week following the general meeting.
Section
4. Except as otherwise prescribed in
these bylaws, motions put before the board will require only a simple majority
vote of officers present.
Section
5. A quorum of at least five officers
will be required to vote on any motion.
ARTICLE
VI
Duties of Officers
Section
1. President:
a.
Shall preside at all General and Executive Board meetings.
b.
Shall appoint, with the consent of the Executive Board, Special Interest Group
Leaders and other Key Members.
c.
Oversees all special events and new projects in which OMUG is involved.
d.
Has final responsibility for ensuring general and Executive Board meeting
locations and availability.
e.
Shall appoint committees as outlined in Article VIII.
Section
2. Vice President:
a.
Shall, in the case of the President’s absence or incapacity to serve, assume
the responsibilities of President.
b.
Shall be Program Chair and arrange for all General meeting presentations.
c.
Shall perform such other duties as the Executive Board may assign.
Section
3. Secretary:
a.
Shall keep the minutes of all General and Executive Board meetings.
b.
Shall maintain the official copy of the current Bylaws and Standing Rules.
c.
Shall make the minutes available to the Newsletter Editor and the Webmaster for
publication.
d.
Shall maintain archives of minutes and other club documents, as appropriate.
Section
4. Treasurer:
a.
Shall collect all monies due under authority of OMUG and provide receipts.
b.
Shall make a report at each General meeting concerning the club’s finances and
provide a written report to the Executive Board.
c.
Shall submit to the Executive Board a year-end financial summary report by
January 31st for the previous calendar year.
d.
Shall promptly pay all debts incurred by OMUG and authorized by the Executive
Board.
e. Shall provide access to OMUG’s financial records for the Audit
Committee within 14 days of the assumption of duties of new officers, and at
such other times as the Executive Board may direct.
f.
Shall maintain a separate fund for OMUG scholarships.
g. Shall maintain adequate records to support requirements of the
Internal Revenue Service or other governmental agencies.
Section
5. Newsletter Editor:
a.
Shall collect, edit and format material, relevant to OMUG’s purpose, for
publication in the monthly newsletter.
b.
Shall be responsible for production and distribution of the newsletter, which
may be done electronically.
Section
6. Webmaster:
a.
Shall be responsible for design and maintenance of OMUG’s Web page.
b.
Shall collect, edit and format material—relevant to OMUG’s purpose—from the
Executive Board, and SIG leaders for publication on the Web page.
Section
7. Director At Large (3):
Shall
perform such duties as assigned by the President and approved by the Executive
Board.
ARTICLE
VII
Key Members
Section
1. Special Interest Group Coordinator
a.
Is appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board.
b. Is responsible for coordinating among various SIGs, and for starting new SIGs when sufficient interest is shown. Be responsible for various SIGS and for closing SIGs when interest wanes.
Section
2. Special Interest Group Leaders
a.
Are appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board.
b.
Must be members of OMUG in good standing unless exception is granted by
majority vote of the Executive Board.
c.
SIG Leaders are responsible to work with the SIG Coordinator to arrange for SIG
meeting place, required special audio/video equipment, handouts, and other
materials that may be required.
Section
3. Database Manager
a.
Is appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board.
b.
Shall be responsible for maintaining a database consisting of names, addresses,
phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other relevant data of OMUG members and
Associate members.
Section
4. Historian
a.
Is appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board.
b.
Shall research, compile and maintain a written history of OMUG.
c.
Shall collect material for and maintain OMUG archives.
Section
5. Committee Chairs
a.
Are appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board except when
a committee is entirely selected by the Executive Board in which case the
committee may select its chair.
b.
Will select committee members and advise the Executive Board of the committee
members’ names.
ARTICLE
VIII
Committees
Section
1. Public Relations Committee
Shall
develop and maintain a Public Relations Program, a Publicity Program, and such
other similar programs as approved by the Executive Board.
Section
2. Membership Committee
Shall
develop and maintain a Member Retention Program, a New Member Program, and such
other similar programs as approved by the Executive Board.
Section
3. Special Activities Committee
Shall
coordinate special activities for fund raising, membership drives, and OMUG
social events.
Section
4. Audit Committee
Shall
conduct an audit of the outgoing treasurer’s books and accounts each year at
the end of his or her term and when required by the Executive Board.
Section
5. Nominating Committee
Shall
nominate a slate of candidates for upcoming elections in a timely manner.
Section
6. Elections Committee
Shall
administer the election of officers.
Section
7. Budget Committee
Shall
prepare an annual operating budget each year in a timely manner.
Section
8. Scholarship Committee
Shall
administer scholarship activities in accordance with IRS and other governmental
regulations for a nonprofit organization.
Section
9. House Committee
Shall
coordinate General Meeting locations, set up, and break down meeting room.
Section
10. Such other committees, standing or
special, deemed necessary to carry on the work of OMUG may be appointed from
time to time by the President and approved by the OMUG Executive Board.
ARTICLE
IX
Disbursement of OMUG Funds
No
disbursements of any funds raised by OMUG, including disbursement upon
dissolution, may be made to any member in an amount exceeding expenses incurred
by that member on behalf of the club.
ARTICLE
X
Parliamentary Authority
The
rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly
Revised shall govern OMUG in all cases to which they are applicable and in
which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any standing rules OMUG
may adopt.
ARTICLE
XI
Amendment of Bylaws
These
bylaws may be amended at any OMUG General Meeting by a two thirds vote of
Primary Members present, provided that the proposed amendments have been
referred by one of the procedures outlined below, and that notice of the vote
with the proposed amendment’s text has been published in the OMUG newsletter.
a.
Bylaws Committee: The President, with approval of the Executive Board, may
appoint a committee to review the current bylaws and propose amendments. If accepted by the Executive Board, the
proposed amendments will be referred to the General Meeting.
b.
Petition: A petition containing proposed amendments, signed by 10% or more of
OMUG’s current Primary Members, may be presented to the Executive Board at any
Executive Board meeting. Upon
verification of the validity of the signatures, the board will refer the
proposed amendments to the General Meeting.