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A PDF version
of the by-laws is available by clicking
here.
FORT LAUDERDALE
BRIDGE CLUB, INC.
A
Not-For-Profit Organization
BYLAWS
Fiscal Year:
January 1 through December 21
Adopted: December 1,
1958. Amended: 1959, 1960, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1976, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2002, and
2006.
ARTICLE I
PURPOSE
As stated in the Charter,
the purposes of this corporation are to promote and preserve without intention
of pecuniary gain, the best interests of the game of Duplicate Bridge and
to conduct such other activities as may be in keeping with its principal object
and approved by the Board of Governors (hereinafter called “the Board”).
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
A. QUALIFICATION FOR
MEMBERSHIP
1. Without regard to race, color, creed,
religion, gender, age, origin, sexual orientation, or handicap,
Membership in the
FORT LAUDERDALE BRIDGE CLUB, INC. (hereinafter referred to as “the
CLUB”) shall
be open to persons having an interest in the game of Duplicate Bridge.
2. Applicants for
membership shall be required to submit a written application and remit a payment
for
the initiation fee
and membership dues.
3. Continued membership
requires the submittal of an annual payment of membership dues. Non-
payment of the
annual membership dues will be interpreted as voluntary termination of
membership.
B. RESPONSIBILITIES OF
MEMBERS
1. To promote a
friendly environment and maintain an enjoyable atmosphere during the course of
the
game.
2. To maintain a high
standard of ethics and sportsmanship at all times.
C. RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
1. Members of the
CLUB shall have a right to participate in and to vote at the Annual
Membership
and all Special Membership Meetings and
for the election of members of the Board. Members do
not
have a right to vote at regular or special meetings of the Board, but are
encouraged to attend.
2. Voting by proxy is
permissible at Annual Membership and Special Membership Meetings.
The
proxy must be in
writing, stating the designated holder, the authority given and time limit for
the
proxy. The proxy
must be signed and dated by the member of the CLUB giving the proxy.
3. Each member of the
CLUB, except the Club Manager and Game Directors, shall be
eligible to
serve as an Officer
or member of the Board.
D. HONORARY LIFE
MEMBERSHIP
For distinguished
service to the CLUB, the Board, from time-to-time, may select a
member as an
Honorary Life Member,
who will be exempt from membership dues, but will have all membership
privileges of the
CLUB.
Page 1 of 6
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
A. QUORUMS
A quorum shall consist of no less than ten
percent (10%) of the current membership.
B. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
MEETING
1. An Annual Membership Meeting of the
CLUB shall be held no later than the second week of
December each year
with the specific date being determined by the Board.
2. Thirty (30) days
notice of the date, time, place and agenda of the Annual Membership Meeting
shall
be posted at the
CLUB and on the website.
C. SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP
MEETINGS
1. Special Membership Meetings may be
called by: (1) the President of the Board; (2) a written
request signed by
not less than a majority of the Board; or (3) a written request of not
less than ten
percent (10%) of
the full membership delivered to any Officer of the Board.
2. Within one (1) week
of receipt of a written request for a Special Membership Meeting (either
from
the members of the
Board or the membership) the President of the Board shall
issue a notice to all
members of the
CLUB.
3. All notices of
Special Membership Meetings shall be sent by mail to each member and posted
on
the website
providing a fifteen (15) day advance notice of the time, place and agenda for
the meeting.
ARTICLE IV
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
A. NOMINATING PROCEDURES
1. On or before the
September Regular Board Meeting of each year, the President of the
Board shall
nominate and the
Board approve six (6) members to a Nominating Committee. Three (3)
members
shall be from among
the four (4) members of the Board whose term is expiring and three (3) shall be
from the
membership-at-large.
2. On or before the
October Regular Board Meeting of each year, the Nominating Committee
shall
submit to the
Board a list of a minimum of four (4) and a maximum of eight (8) names of
members
as nominees to be
considered for election to the four (4) vacancies on the Board.
3.
Nominations may also be made by petition signed
by ten percent (10%) of the CLUB members.
These petitions
must be filed with an Officer of the CLUB prior to the November meeting
of the
Board. In
such instances, the Board may approve more than eight (8) candidates for
the four (4)
vacancies.
B. VOTING PROCEDURES
1. Ballots shall be
distributed in person or by mail to all members of the CLUB as soon as
practical
following the
November meeting of the Board.
2. Ballots may be hand
delivered or received by mail at the CLUB and deposited in the designated
ballot box no later
than 12:00 midnight on December 30. The ballot must be in a sealed envelope
bearing the name of
the member casting the ballot on the outside of the envelope.
3. Members may vote for
up to four (4) of the nominees listed on the ballot. Should votes be cast for
more than four (4)
nominees on any ballot, that ballot shall be disqualified.
4. The four (4)
nominees receiving a plurality of the votes shall be determined to be elected to
the
Board. In
cases of tie votes between candidates, a coin toss will determine the winning
sequence of
the candidates.
5. Each ballot shall be
entered on a recap sheet. The recap sheet shall be checked and signed by the
Nominating
Committee and kept until the following year’s election.
6. Election results
shall be announced at the CLUB on December 31 and posted as soon as
practical
thereafter on the
bulletin board and website.
Page 2 of 6
C. TERMS OF OFFICE
1. Members elected to
the Board shall hold office for three (3) years. Any past Board
member may
seek re-election
for another three (3) year term after a one (1) year interval between terms.
2. Any member elected
to the Board may be removed by a majority vote of the other members of
the
Board for
instances of non-performance or malfeasance.
3. Should a member of
the Board leave prior to the end of their term, the successor shall be
the
candidate who, in
the last preceding election, received the next highest number of votes. If that
person should
decline or not be available, then the next candidate in number of votes in that
election
shall be the
successor. The successor shall serve the unexpired term of the member leaving
the
Board.
D. ELECTION OF CLUB
OFFICERS
1. As soon as
practical, but not later than the next regular meeting of the Board
following the Annual
Election, the newly
elected Board shall convene for the purpose of electing a President,
Vice
President,
Secretary and Treasurer.
2. If an Officer
vacancy occurs during the year, the Board shall elect a replacement
Officer from its
members.
ARTICLE V
MANAGEMENT
A. THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
1. The Board shall consist of twelve (12)
members.
2. For purposes of
conducting official business, the presence of seven (7) members of the Board
shall
constitute a quorum
and only votes taken at the Regular and/or Special Board Meetings
shall be
valid.
3. The Board
shall convene Regular Board Meetings monthly in order to effectively
manage and
control the affairs
of the CLUB in carrying out its purposes according to the Charter
and BYLAWS.
Minutes shall be
recorded and retained of all month Regular Board Meetings.
4. To address special,
unforeseen, or emergency needs, the President or a quorum of the Board
must
call a Special
Board Meeting. Minutes shall be recorded and retained of Special Board
Meetings.
B. DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF
GOVERNORS
1. To engage an
independent contractor as Club Manager with duties as determined by the
Board.
2. To censure, suspend
or expel any CLUB member for conduct improper and prejudicial to the
welfare
and reputation of
the CLUB. (See Article X, below.)
3. To call Special
Membership Meetings of the CLUB to consider any specific subject(s).
4. To determine the
weekly schedule of all Duplicate Bridge games, set the fees for the daily
Duplicate
Bridge
games and other CLUB activities and to set the initiation fees and
membership dues.
5. To appoint such
committees from the membership as may be necessary or advisable, or as
hereinafter
stipulated.
6. To contract at their
discretion for any services needed for the maintenance and operation of the
CLUB.
7. To secure bonding in an appropriate amount for
the President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer,
and Club Manager.
8. To give final
approval over all independent contractors hired for the operation of the
CLUB’s
activities.
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9. To control
commitments of indebtedness or expenses by Board members and the Club
Manager
within the following limits:
a. No indebtedness
or expense in excess of $200 shall be incurred by any member of the Board of
Governors
or his or her committee unless the same shall first be authorized by the
Board.
b. In the instance of a facilities emergency, the
Club Manager may independently commit
indebtedness
or expense of up to $750. In the absence of the Club Manager,
responsibility
transfers to
the Board President or Treasurer.
ARTICLE VI
DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS
The Board of Governors
shall elect the following four (4) officers from among the Board’s twelve
(12) elected members. No officer of the Board shall receive compensation
for their position.
A. PRESIDENT
– shall be the Chairperson of all meetings of the Board and of any
meetings of the full
membership of the
CLUB. The President shall supervise and coordinate the management of
the affairs
of the CLUB and perform all duties
customary to the office. The President shall be a member ex
officio
of all committees.
B. VICE PRESIDENT
– shall assume all of the duties of the President if for any reason that
Officer is
absent or is incapable
to act.
C. SECRETARY
– shall prepare and retain the minutes of all meetings of the Board and
any meetings of
the full membership of
the CLUB. Copies of these minutes shall be posted on the bulletin board
and
website and a file
maintained at the CLUB. The Secretary shall perform other duties
as is customary to
the office.
D. TREASURER
– shall maintain all official financial records and files of the CLUB.
The Treasurer
shall propose an annual budget for adoption by
the Board and shall report monthly to the Board all
income and expenses
against the adopted budget. A copy of the monthly reports shall be posed on the
bulletin board and
website and a file maintained at the CLUB. The Treasurer shall
perform such other
duties as is customary
to the office.
ARTICLE VII
COMMITTEES
A. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
1. The Board of Governors my designate
committees and appoint chairpersons and members to those
committees to
assist the Board with various activities needed to fulfill both the
Charter and purpose
of the CLUB.
2. Committee
Chairpersons may be appointed from among the members of the Board or
from the
membership-at-large. While the President of the Board shall
recommend the need for a committee
and shall nominate
the Committee Chairpersons (and recommend other members to a committee),
the Board
shall approve the recommendations and nominations. Once appointed, Committee
Chairpersons
may, with the approval of the Board, appoint additional members to their
committee
from the
membership-at-large.
B. STANDING COMMITTEES
Standing Committees
are those committees which are created to assist the Board in the
coordination
and oversight of vital
activities necessary for the operation and maintenance of the CLUB. The
following Standing
Committees shall be constituted annually by the Board.
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1. Rules Committee – shall be responsible
for determining proper interpretation of Duplicate Bridge
rulings in difficult and unusual situations
during a bridge session. Members of this committee should
have a through
knowledge of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, as well as a knowledge of the
ethical
behavior required
of members of the CLUB. Outside help may be requested by the committee
members, if deemed
necessary. Should action require disciplinary action, ARTICLE X (below)
shall
be implemented.
2. Grievance and
Ethics Committee – shall be responsible for resolving CLUB member
grievances
and issues of
ethics involving members behavior while participating in CLUB
activities. These
grievance must be
submitted to the committee on an approved Player Action Incident Form.
ARTICLE X
(below) shall be adhered to in the adjudication of grievances addressed by this
committee.
3. House Committee
– shall be responsible for inspecting the premises at various intervals
throughout
the year and
reporting to the Board any maintenance or repairs deemed necessary. The
committee
may also seek
volunteers to perform certain routine maintenance activities at the CLUB.
4. Finance Committee
– shall be responsible for overseeing all financial activities of the CLUB
and
making
recommendations to the Board on the annual budget and the investment of
funds. It shall
also oversee the
audit of the CLUB’s financial books and presenting the results to the
Board with
recommendations for
correcting any negative findings. The committee shall consist of the
Treasurer
and
at least two (2) non-Board members.
C. SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Special Committees
may be appointed by the Board for any special purpose or emergency that
may
arise. These
committees are normally for “one-time” activities and are normally of
short duration.
Special Committees
shall automatically be dissolved when the purpose for which they were created
has
been fulfilled.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these
BYLAWS may only be made at a Special Membership Meeting called by the
Board. The proposed changes shall be made available to the membership
thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE IX
CLUB ACTIVITIES
All activities at the
CLUB shall be conducted exclusively for and by the CLUB. Activities
at the CLUB shall be operated primarily for the playing of the game of
Duplicate Bridge and activities related thereto. The playing of other card
and/or board games may be permitted if such does not interfere with the game of
Duplicate Bridge activities and the time and conditions of such have been
previously approved by the Board.
ARTICLE X
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
A. EJECTION FROM PREMISES
AUTHORITY
1. The Club Manager or Game Director(s)
may censure any member or non-member and may eject
such person(s) from
the premises with cause for the session during which an incident occurs.
Neither,
however, can
suspend or permanently bar a person from the CLUB.
2. For censurable
incidents, the Club Manager and/or Game Directors shall complete a
Player Action
Incident Form and
submit it to the Board with recommendations for any appropriate follow-up
action
over and above
one-time ejections. All follow-up action(s) shall originate from the Board
and must
adhere to
ARTICLE X.B (below).
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B. SUSPENSIONS,
PROBATIONS AND DISBARMENT
1. Suspensions,
probations and/or permanent disbarments shall originate from the Board
and/or
Grievance and
Ethics Committee.
2. No action(s) shall
be taken until a written notice has been given to the member and an opportunity
offered to that
person to defend him or herself and all ACBL procedures fro suspension,
probations
and disbarment have
been met. An affirmative vote of a majority of the Board members present
at
the meeting is then
required for any action taken.
3. The barring of any
person, however for any period of time whatsoever, must appear in the minutes of
the Board
and the offender(s) must be notified by letter of the action taken and his/her
appeal
procedure.
ARTICLE XI
SELLING
At no time shall any member
or non-member be given the privilege of bringing any article to sell at any
CLUB meeting or special event. This does not preclude any fund raising
affair set up by the Board for the benefit of the CLUB.
ARTICLE XII
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
ROBERTS
RULES OF ORDER REVISED shall govern
this CLUB in all cases which are not covered in these BYLAWS.
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