CASCADE NORTHWEST BULLMASTIFF CLUB
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I :
NAME AND OBJECTIVES
Section 1. NAME.The name of this organization shall be Cascade Northwest Bullmastiff Club (CNBC).
Section 2. OBJECTIVES.The Objectives of the CNBC shall be:
a) To encourage and promote quality in the breeding of purebred Bullmastiffs and to do all possible to bring the natural qualities of Bullmastiffs to perfection;
b) To encourage a spirit of fellowship and support among club members and the bullmastiff community;
c) To urge members and breeders to accept the Standard of the Breed as approved by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as the only standard of excellence by which Bullmastiffs shall be judged;
d) To provide support, information and education about new puppies, rescue Bullmastiffs and aging Bullmastiffs, whether show or pet, to members and non-members requesting assistance;
e) To do all in its power to protect and advance the interest of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows and obedience trials;
f) To conduct sanctioned matches, specialty shows, obedience trials and supported entries with respect to the rules of the American Bullmastiff Association (ABA) and/or AKC.
Section 3: FINANCIAL CONDUCT.The club shall not conduct or operate for profit and no part of any profit or remainder of residue from dues or donations shall inure to the benefit of any member(s) or individual(s).
Section 4: CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS.The members of the Cascade Northwest Bullmastiff Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise the Constitution as may be required to carry out the objectives of the organization.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I:
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. ELIGIBILITY.Membership is open to all individuals who subscribe to the objectives of the Cascade Northwest Bullmastiff Club. There shall be four types of membership:
a) Junior Membership. This is open to all individuals 10 years of age to 18 years of age. Junior members carry no voting privileges and cannot be considered part of a quorum.
b) Regular Membership. This is open to all individuals 18 years old or older. All members in good standing have the right to exercise voting privileges and are considered in a quorum.
c) Household Membership. Open to individuals sharing the same household with or without children or other family members. Adult household members have individual voting privileges assuming they meet the age requirements for voting.
d) New Puppy Owner. The breeder may pay all new puppy owners membership, if the breeder is a CNBC Member. This fee will cover membership until the annual renewal date becomes effective.
e) Honorary Membership: This is a non-voting membership that can be given under special circumstances to any individual proposed by any member to the Board of Directors and given majority Board approval. Honorary members receive all the same benefits as other members.
Section 2: DUES.Dues shall be payable on or before the first day of July in the amount to be specified for the coming fiscal year by the Board of Directors. New members who join 6 months or more into the official year shall pay only half the specified amount. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. All dues shall be submitted to the treasurer. Dues are as follows:
a) Junior Membership: $10.00 per year unless applying under Household Membership
b) Regular Membership: $25.00 per year
c) Household Membership: $25.00 per year
d) New Puppy Owner Membership: $10.00 (Optional. To be paid by breeder)
e) Honorary Membership: Free
Section 3: ELECTION TO MEMBERSHIP
a) Each applicant for membership shall apply on the form approved by the Board of Directors.
b) Each applicant shall have the endorsement of two current CNBC members in good standing.
c) Each applicant shall be approved or rejected by the membership committee within 30 days of submission.
d) Any applicant who has been rejected will be provided a written explanation, and may reapply for membership after a period of six months of said rejection or appeal immediately to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will review the appeal and respond in writing within a reasonable time.
Section 4: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
a) Resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the CNBC upon written or email notice to the secretary. If a member does not resign in writing and fails to respond in writing to a written request by the membership committee (or another designated board member) membership will be automatically terminated.
b) Lapsing. Any member who has not paid the appropriate membership dues within 60 days of the deadline will automatically be terminated and will lose voting privileges.
c) Expulsion. Any member may be terminated by expulsion as provided for in Article VII.
ARTICLE II:
MEETING AND VOTING
Section 1: ANNUAL REGULAR MEETING
a) The annual meeting of the CNBC shall be held in the month of July in conjunction with the Stumptown Cluster of shows in Portland, Oregon. Date, place and time will be set 60 days in advance by the Board of Directors. Written notice to all members will be the responsibility of the Secretary, appear in the CNBC newsletter, and occur no less than 21 days prior to the meeting.
b) The quorum for the annual meeting shall be a minimum of 10% of members in good standing.
c) The annual meeting shall be an open meeting.
Section 2: SEMI-ANNUAL REGULAR MEETING
a) The semi-annual meeting shall be held in January in conjunction with the Rose City Classic Dog Show in Portland, Oregon.
b) The quorum for the semi-annual meeting shall be a minimum of 10% of members in good standing.
c) The semi-annual meeting shall be open to all members.
d) The Board of Directors will meet immediately following the semi-annual meeting.
Section 3: SPECIAL MEETING AND BALLOTS.
a) A Special Meeting may be called by the President or 0 days after said meeting and returned within 30 days of mailing. If such motions entertain too much debate, the President or majority of the Board of Directors may elect to postpone until the next Special Meeting or Regular Meeting, which ever comes first.
b) The quorum for a Special Meeting shall be 10%.
Section 4: BOARD MEETINGS:
a) Meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held no less than quarterly. The first meeting of the Board shall be held immediately following the Annual Meeting. All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such place, and time designated by the President or the majority vote of the Board. Written notice of each such meeting will be the responsibility of the Secretary and occur within 21 days prior to said meeting.
b) The quorum for a Board Meeting shall be 4 members.
c) Communications. The Board of Directors can conduct business through the Secretary by the following avenues of communication: in person, regular mail, e-mail or conference calling. Participation through such means will constitute a presence by individuals participating. All action taken through such communication will be recorded and ratified in writing by the Secretary or appointed Board Member.
d) Attendance. The Board of Directors will reserve the right to extend invitations to any regular members, especially committee chairs, to participate at any specified Board Meeting.
ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 1: DIRECTORS.
a) Board of Directors. The Board of Directors for the CNBC shall be comprised of but not limited to the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and three General Directors. The Officers of the CNBC will be the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. All officers and Board Members will be CNBC members in good standing. Only one member of an individual household may serve on the Board at any given time. No person may hold more than one Board position. No person elected to a Board position can hold that Board position for more than two consecutive two-year terms. If a Board Member, after exhausting his/her tenure on the Board wishes to return, the person must maintain a 2-year absence unless otherwise voted on by 2/3 of the majority of the members.
b) All Board Members are expected to chair at least one committee.
c) All members of the Board of Directors must attend a minimum of 50% of scheduled Board Meetings. Board Members with excessive absences (over 50%) may be replaced by an interim Board Member appointed by the President and approved by the majority of the then members of the Board at the first regular meeting following the creation of such vacancy, or at a Special Board Meeting called for that purpose.
Section 2. OFFICERS.The CNBC officers' basic job responsibilities are as follows:
a) The PRESIDENT shall preside at all meetings of the CNBC and shall have the duties and powers appurtenant to the office of President. Included but not limited are the following: Represents and speaks for the CNBC to the public at large; supervises all activities of the CNBC and presides at all meetings. When presiding at meetings the President must uphold and enforce these principles: keep order, be fair and impartial, and protect the rights of all members. With respect to voting, the President will vote on ballot issues only in case of a tie.
b) The VICE PRESIDENT shall, in order of office, have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's death, absence, or incapacity. The Vice President is also to act as President, temporarily, when the President requests to "step down from the Chair in order to debate an issue. The Vice President shall have the additional responsibility of appointing both standing and special committees.
c) The SECRETARY shall keep records of all CNBC meetings, of all votes taken by mail, and of all matters which a record shall be ordered by the CNBC. The Secretary shall have the charge of handling all CNBC correspondence, including but not limited to notifying members of meetings, and keeping an updated roll of members.
d) The TREASURER shall collect and receive all money due or belonging to the CNBC while maintaining the appropriate bank accounts. Books shall be maintained and open for inspection by the Board of Directors. Financial reports will be made available at least bi-annually to the membership at large and quarterly for the Board of Directors meetings.
Section 3. VACANCIES.Any officer position vacancy occurring will be filled by a general director. Board positions will then be replaced during the regular election cycle or sooner if deemed necessary by the Board. The exception to this vacancy is with the President's position which will automatically and immediately be filled by the Vice President.
ARTICLE IV:
CLUB YEAR, VOTING, NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. FISCAL YEAR.The Fiscal Year shall begin January 1 and end December 31. The CNBC' OFFICIAL YEAR shall begin at the conclusion of the election at the Annual Meeting at the Stumptown Cluster in Portland, Oregon and continue through until the next election at the Annual Meeting at the Stumptown Cluster. Elected officers and directors shall take office immediately following the Annual meeting. Each retiring officer shall turn over all documents and property of CNBC within thirty days of the annual meeting to the successor or other appropriate individual.
Section 2. VOTING.
a) Only members in good standing will be allowed to vote.
b) At Annual, General or Special Meetings of CNBC voting shall be limited to those individuals who are present, except for the annual election of officers, amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws, or other issues which the majority present at a meeting decides shall be voted on by ballot and sent to the membership at large.
c) Voting by proxy is not allowed.
d) With respect to voting on motions at a meeting the following will apply:
Majority of one rules except when 2/3 vote is required. The 2/3 vote is required when a proposed action takes away members' rights. Such actions include but are not limited to: motions to limit or extend debate, to close debate, to make a motion a special order, rescind an action when no previous notice is given, to suspend the rules and to alter the Constitution and/or Bylaws.
Section 3. NOMINEES AND BALLOTS.No person may be a candidate for a position within CNBC who has not been nominated in accordance with the Bylaws. The Secretary will make written announcement for open nominations in March. Nominations must be received no later than April 15. Nominations for candidates will be submitted in writing to the nominating committee. The nomination committee will notify each nominee in writing and receive his or her written acceptance or rejection by April 30. Voting ballots will be designed and submitted to the Secretary by the nominating committee no later than 2 weeks after the acceptance of nominees or by May 15, which ever comes first. The Secretary will mail ballots to all CNBC members who will have a minimum of 30 days from date of mailing to return their voting ballot. The nomination through to the election process shall take no more than 3 months to complete. It is desirable that newly elected board members have 30 days from point of election to assuming the new office to become familiar with the position.
CNBC members shall nominate President, Treasurer and one General Board Member in years ending with odd numbers. The Vice President, Secretary and one other General Board Member will be nominated in even years. All terms shall be for two years.
Section 1. STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES.The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the CNBC in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials, trophies, annual prizes, membership, and other fields which may well be served by committees. Such committees shall be appointed by the Vice President and subject to final approval by the board. Special Committees may also be appointed by the Vice President and approved by the Board to aid it on particular projects.
Section 2. TERMINATION.Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.
Section 1. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS.The members of the Cascade Northwest Bullmastiff Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such Bylaws as may be required to carry out the objectives of the organization as long as any proposed amendment receives 2/3 vote from the membership.
Section 2. ABSENCE OF A BYLAW.Where no specific bylaw or procedure is evident Robert's Rules of Order will apply.
Section 1. AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB AND/OR AMERICAN BULLMASTIFF ASSOCIATION SUSPENSION.Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club and or the American Bullmastiff Association shall be suspended from the privileges of the CNBC for a like period
Section 2. CHARGES.Any member can bring charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interest of the CNBC or the breed. Written charges must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a non-refundable deposit of $50.00 which shall be forfeited following the hearing if such charges are not sustained by the Board of Directors or an ad hoc committee appointed by the board. The secretary shall promptly send a copy to each Board Member and the Board shall first consider whether the alleged charges if proven, might constitute conduct, which would be prejudicial to the best interest of the CNBC or the breed. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct, which would be prejudicial to the best interest of the CNBC, it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction of the charges. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date for a hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his/her own defense and bring witnesses.
Section 3. BOARD HEARINGS.The Board or Committee shall have complete authority whether council may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated fairly in that regard. Should charges be sustained after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented the Board or Committee may, by majority vote, suspend the defendant from privileges of the CNBC for not more than 6 months from the date of the hearing. If the Board deems the punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion.
Section 4. APPEAL.If suspended, the defendant has the right to appear before his/her fellow members at the ensuing CNBC meeting to appeal. Immediately after the Board or Committee has reached a decision, its findings shall be put in writing and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary shall, in turn, notify each of the parties of the decision and penalty, if any.
Section 5. EXPULSION.Expulsion of a member from the CNBC may be accomplished only at the annual meeting, following a hearing and upon recommendation from the Board or Committee as provided by Section 3 of this Article. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing on his/her own behalf although no evidence will be taken. The President shall read the charges, findings, and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak on his/her own behalf. A 2/3 vote of those present and voting shall be necessary for expulsion. If the expulsion is not so voted then the suspension shall stand.
ARTICLE VIII:
DISSOLUTION
Section 1.The CNBC may be dissolved at any time by written consent of no less than 2/3 of the members. In the event that dissolution of the CNBC occurs, whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of the law, none of the property of the CNBC nor any proceeds thereof, nor any asset of the CNBC shall be distributed to its members. After payment of any debts, property of the CNBC shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.
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