Section I:
Name
The name of
this Corporation shall be the TARRANT COUNTY VETERANS COUNCIL. The Corporation
is organized exclusively for patriotic, charitable, civic and educational
purposes, and, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as
exempt organizations under 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Section II:
Purpose
The
Corporation: (1) supports the military forces of the
Section
III: Rules
Meetings of
the Corporation will be conducted under and pursuant to Robert’s Rules of
Order, Newly Revised.
Section I
Hereafter the
Corporation shall be known as the "COUNCIL".
Section II
Hereafter the
Governing Council shall be known as the "GC".
Section I:
Officers
The COUNCIL
shall be governed by a GC of four or five officers and a minimum of six
Directors, all elected by COUNCIL membership. The GC shall concern itself with
policy making, budgetary, and administrative matters that relate to the
operation of the COUNCIL. Each of the members of the GC shall be a
representative of a member organization or the caucus defined under Article VI,
Section III. The COUNCIL shall elect only one representative from any member
organization, when all member organizations have had the opportunity to
nominate a person and there are no other nominations, then a second member of
any organization may be allowed to serve on the GC.
Section II:
Nominations
GC Officers
and Directors will be nominated by a nominating committee consisting of three
members appointed by the President and approved by the GC. The nominations
shall be published by the Secretary and may be mailed by US MAIL or Electronic
mail (Email) to all member organizations and members at large at least ten (10)
days prior to any meeting where elections will be held. Nominations will be
accepted from the floor during any election.
(a) Officers and Directors are normally elected at the November meeting and
will assume the duties of their offices on January 1.
Section
III: Vacancies
If an office
is vacated between annual meetings, a nominee shall be selected by the GC, and
the membership notified in accordance with Article III, Section II. Election
will be held by the COUNCIL at the next regular meeting.
Section IV:
Removal
Any GC officer
who misses three consecutive meetings without prior notification of a
justifiable excuse (to be deemed justifiable by the GC) shall be automatically
removed from the GC, provided that he or she has been advised in writing, by US
MAIL or Electronic mail (Email) following the second consecutive absence. It is
the duty of the Secretary to so advise that officer.
Section I:
Term
GC
Officers shall be elected by voting members for a term of one (1) year or until
their successors are elected. Directors shall be elected for a term of two
years with the even numbered director positions expiring during the even numbered
years and the odd numbered director positions expiring during the odd numbered
years. The following shall be the officers of the GC and their duties:
(a) PRESIDENT. The President shall be
the Chief Executive Officer of the GC. He shall preside at all meetings of the
GC, and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the GC are affected. The
President shall execute all bonds, mortgages, contracts, and other documents.
Expenditures or transactions exceeding a value of $300 must be approved by a
majority of the GC and countersigned by the Financial Officer.
(b) FIRST VICE PRESIDENT. The 1st Vice-President shall serve as the
chairman of the Operations Committee and will assist the President. This
officer will also serve as the President in the absence of the President.
(c) SECOND VICE PRESIDENT. The 2nd Vice-President shall serve as the
chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and also be responsible for public
affairs and community relations. He/She shall act in behalf of the President or
1st Vice-President in their absence.
(d) Additional Vice-Presidents may be added as necessary. Procedures for
electing additional Vice-Presidents will be in accordance with Article III,
Section II.
(e) FINANCIAL OFFICER. The Financial Officer will be the chairman of the
Finance Committee, keep a record of all moneys received and paid out by the GC,
and shall make a report of the same at each monthly meeting or upon request of
the GC. The Financial Officer shall co-sign, with the President or 1st
Vice-President, all financial instruments and documents.
(f) SECRETARY. The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the GC, record
all minutes and votes of all proceedings in a book to be kept for that purpose,
and shall perform duties for standing committees when required. The Secretary
shall give, or cause to be given, notice of called meetings to all GC members
in advance.
(g) Offices of (e) FINANCIAL
OFFICER and (f) SECRETARY may be
held by the same person (having only one vote) but each office must be voted
independently in accordance with the provisions in Article III.
Director 1
- Budget and Finance Chairman
Director 2
- Parades Chairman
Director 3
- Legislation Charmin
Director 4
- Awards and Decorations Chairman
Director 5
- Constitution and Bylaws Chairman
Director 6 - Membership Chairman
The President
shall appoint a sergeant at arms, Chaplain, Parliamentarian, and various ad hoc
committees as necessary. Appointments shall be approved by the GC
Section I:
Organizations
Any
organization of or with veterans, and with at least ten veteran members in
Tarrant or any neighboring county, may submit an application for membership
in the Council. Upon favorable vote by the majority of the GC, and upon payment
of dues, that organization will be accepted as a full member.
Section II:
Dues and Representation
Member
organizations shall pay dues and shall have voting rights as hereby detailed.
No organization may vote unless required dues have been paid and are current. The
Council’s Fiscal year shall be from 1 January to 31 December. Dues may be
prorated for any new members. Dues shall be determined each year by the GC.
Dues shall be considered delinquent if not paid by March 31. All
organization(s) shall have one (1) vote.
Section
III: Individuals
Any veteran
who served honorably, or any active duty person, may apply for an individual
at-large membership. Such individual memberships shall require a majority vote
of the GC and shall require payment of annual dues of $10.00. In the event that
such at-large memberships total ten (10) or more individuals, such a body will
become a sole collective caucus and be entitled to one vote. A representative
of this at-large group may also stand for elected office, or be nominated for
office.
Section IV:
Corporate
Corporations
or businesses may become corporate members. However, they shall have no vote.
Corporate memberships must be approved by a majority of the GC. Annual dues for
corporate membership shall be determined each year by the GC.
Section V:
Voting
Voting at
COUNCIL meetings may be in person, or by written proxy. Such proxy shall be
furnished to the Secretary at the beginning of any meeting and will constitute
voting authority for the duration of that single meeting. Dues must be current,
in all cases, prior to any organization casting its own vote or voting the
proxy of another organization. To vote in any election of officers, an
organization’s dues must be current for 90 days prior to said election. Voting
at GC meetings must be in person only.
Section VI:
Termination of Membership
The GC, by an
affirmative vote of two-thirds of the GC members present, may suspend or expel
and GC officer or COUNCIL member for cause after an appropriate hearing. Any
member subject to such action shall be notified, in writing, of the reason or
reasons for this action at least twenty (20) days in advance of such vote. The
notice shall include the cause for such suspension or expulsion. Unless the
member appeals to the GC, in writing, within thirty (30) days of the vote for
removal, the termination will be final.
Section I:
Annual Meeting
The COUNCIL
shall hold its annual meeting each year during the month of November. At this
time, officers for the ensuing term shall be elected by written ballot, or
acclamation in case of only one candidate. The election will be conducted under
and pursuant to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Section II:
Regular Meeting
The COUNCIL
shall hold regular quarterly meetings at a time and place to be determined by
the GC, and shall concern itself with items within the scope and mission of
Veterans helping Veterans. Meetings will be held during the months of February,
May, August and November.
Section
III: Special Meeting
The President
or one of the Vice-Presidents with a five (5) day notice may call special
meetings. The purpose of this meeting will be specified in the notification. No
business other than that specified in the notice shall be transacted.
Section IV:
Notice
The Secretary
shall give written notice of the annual meeting, and all regular meetings at
which GC Officers or Directors will be elected. This notice must be in writing
and delivered either by US MAIL or Electronic Mail (Email) to all members at
least ten (10) days in advance of such meeting and include nominations.
Section V:
Quorum
At least six
(6) organizational members shall constitute a quorum.
These
Constitution and Bylaws may be amended, altered, or repealed by a two-thirds
affirmative vote of the current membership present at any regular meeting of
the COUNCIL two (2) months after the date such changes are proposed to the
COUNCIL. The Secretary shall notify, in writing, either by US MAIL or
Electronic mail (Email) to all COUNCIL members not less than ten (10) days
prior to the meeting for voting on such proposed changes.
Section I:
Procedure
This COUNCIL
may be dissolved by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the COUNCIL membership at
any regular or special meeting one month after the date such proposal for
dissolution is presented to the COUNCIL. The Secretary shall notify all COUNCIL
members of such proposal not less than twenty (20) days prior to such a
meeting.
Section II:
Assets
At such time
as this COUNCIL, the Tarrant County Veterans Council, is dissolved, and after
all liabilities of the COUNCIL are settled, all remaining assets, if any, will
become the sole property of the Tarrant County Veterans Service Office, or any
other non-profit organization formed, under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code, to promote purposes similar to this COUNCIL.
Immediately
upon the adoption of this constitution by the Tarrant County Veterans Council,
and acceptance by the State of
These
Constitution and Bylaws were approved by unanimous vote of the general
membership in attendance on March 13, 2021.
__________________________________
Dan Zmroczek, President
__________________________________
Pixie Wetmore, Secretary