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CONSTITUTION and BY-LAWS ARTICLE I Section 1. The name of the Club shall be the Italian Greyhound Club of Greater Houston. Section 2. The objectives of the Club shall be:
Section 3. The Club shall not be conducted nor operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder from dues or donations to the Club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual. Section 4. The members of the Club shall adopt, and may from time to time, revise such By-Laws as may be required to carry out the above stated objectives. ARTICLE II Section 1. ELIGIBILITY. There shall be three categories of membership available to individuals sixteen years of age and older; voting, honorary lifetime, and associate. There is also a category of membership for individuals between the ages of eight and sixteen titled junior membership.
Section 2. DUES. Voting membership dues shall not be less than $20.00 nor more than $30.00 per person per year; payable on or before the first day of July of each year. New members elected after May shall not be charged dues until July. No dues are required from honorary lifetime members who desire no voting privileges. Dues for associate membership shall be $10.00 per year. Junior membership dues shall be $5.00 per year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. The treasurer shall send a statement of dues for the ensuing year to each member. Section 1. ANNUAL MEETINGS. The Annual meeting of the club shall be held during the month of July each year, within the Greater Houston Area, at a place and time designated by the Board. Notice of the Annual meeting shall be made by the Secretary to each member by one of the following means: 1) e-mail at least five days in advance of the meeting. 2) text at least five days in advance of the meeting. In addition, information about the meeting will be posted at least five days in advance of the meeting on the club's website and any other club social media account(s). The quorum for the annual meeting shall be a majority of the members present at the meeting and in good standing. Section 2. REGULAR MEETINGS. Two regular meetings, (which includes the annual meeting), of the Club shall be held each year, either online or within the Greater Houston Area, at a place, date, and time designated by the Board or action of the Club. Notice of the Regular meetings shall be made by the Secretary to each member by e-mail, text or regular mail at least fourteen (14) days in advance of the meeting. The quorum for such meeting shall be the same as that for the Annual meeting. Section 3. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Club may be called by the President, or by a majority of the members of the Board who are present at a Board meeting. Notice of a Special meeting shall be made by the Secretary to each member by phone, fax or e-mail at least five days in advance of the meeting, and said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting. No other Club business may be transacted during this meeting. Such meetings shall be held either online or within the Greater Houston Area at a date, place and time as appointed by the President or the Board, whichever has called the meeting. Special meetings may also be called for by a written petition of not less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the members in good standing of the Club, and submitted to the Secretary, who shall notify the members within two (2) weeks after receipt of such petition. The quorum for a Special meeting shall be the same as that for the Annual meeting. Section 4. BOARD MEETINGS. The first meeting of the Board shall be held as soon as possible following the annual election. All meetings of the Board shall be held at such times and places as are designated by the President or a majority vote of the Board. Board meetings are open to all members for observation. General members may not participate or interrupt the meeting unless asked by the Board to do so. By a majority vote the board may call for an executive session and conduct sensitive business such as discipline and membership matters without observers present. Notice of such meetings shall be either e-mailed or texted by the Board Secretary to each member of the Board and the general membership, at least five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board. The Board of Directors may conduct its business by mail, phone, text or e-mail through the Secretary. ARTICLE IV Section 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and not less than three (3) nor more than eight (8) other members. They shall be elected to two (2) year terms at the Club's annual meeting as provided in Article IV, and shall serve until the successors are elected. General management of the Club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors. If the Board deems there is insufficient Club activity to warrant a Second Vice-President and/or a Corresponding Secretary, the position(s) may remain vacant. In the event one or both of these positions are vacant, the President may assign the duties of those vacant positions to other officers. Section 2. OFFICERS. The Club's officers, consisting of the President, First Vice-Presicent, Second Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both in regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings. No office may be held by the same person for more than one (1) consecutive two-year term except the offices of the Secretary, Treasurer and Second Vice-President; whose tenure shall be exempt from this specific term limit.
Section 3. VACANCIES. Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the officers during the year, shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of all the members of the Board at its first meeting following the creation of such vacancy. The vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President, and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Board. ARTICLE V Section 1. VOTING. At any Club meeting, voting shall be limited to those members in good standing, who are present at the meeting. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote shall be required to reverse any previous Club Action. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted. Section 2. Fiscal YEAR. The fiscal year of the Club shall begin on the first day of January and end on the last day of December of each year. Section 3. BI-ANNUAL (EVERY TWO YEARS) ELECTION. At the Annual meeting of an election year the election of Officers and Directors shall take place. The person receiving the largest number of votes for each position shall be declared elected. The officers take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his successor in the office all properties and records relating to that office. Section 4. NOMINATIONS. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the President and/or Board of Directors before the Annual Meeting of an election year.
ARTICLE VI Section 1. The President may, each year, appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as dog shows, trophies, annual prices, membership and other fields which may be served by committees. The action of all such committees shall be subject to the final authority of the Board. ARTICLE VII Section 1. AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB SUSPENSION. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club, shall be automatically suspended from this Club for a like period of time. Section 2. CHARGES. Any member may bring charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. Written charges with detailed specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $25.00 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board or a committee following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board, or present them at a Board meeting. The Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. The Board may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it may fix a date of a hearing by the Board or a Committee of not less than three (3) members of the Board, not less than three (3) weeks nor more than six (6) weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one (1) copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in her/his own defense and bring witnesses, if s/he wishes. Section 3. BOARD HEARINGS. The Board or Committee shall have complete authority to decide whether legal counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained after hearing all evidence and the testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board or Committee, as the case may be, by a majority secret ballot of those present may suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six (6) months from the date of the hearing or until the next club meeting. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his fellow members at the ensuing meeting of the Club which considers the Board's or Committee's recommendation. Immediately after the Board or Committee has reached a decision, its findings shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board's or Committee's decision and penalty, if any. Section 4. EXPULSION. Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board's recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in her/his own behalf, though no evidence shall be given at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board's findings and invite the defendant, if present, to speak on his own behalf. The members shall then vote by secret ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting at the time of the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board's suspension shall stand. ARTICLE VIII Section 1. AMENDMENTS PROPOSED. Amendments or changes to the constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed, either by e-mail or any other appropriate means, to the Secretary and signed by twenty percent (20%) of the members in good standing. All proposed amendments or changes must be submitted to the membership in writing, either by e-mail or any other appropriate means, at least twenty (20) days prior to the meeting at which a vote is to be taken. Section 2. VOTE REQUIRED FOR PASSAGE. The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any Club meeting. The favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members in good standing present, either in-person or online, at the meeting shall be required for passage. ARTICLE IX Section 1. CLUB MEETINGS. At the meeting of the club, the order of business shall be:
Updated 1 October 2024 |
