Constitution and By-Laws

Article I.

Name

Section 1. The name of this Club shall be Cascade Mineralogical Society, Inc.

Article II.

Objective

Section 1. The objective of the club shall be to stimulate interest in the study of the earth sciences, lapidary arts and related subjects. This is accomplished through presentations and demonstrations at club meetings and educational institutions. The club also provides opportunities for field trips, rock collecting, social gatherings at picnics, parties, and regular meetings.

Article III.

Membership

Section 1. Membership shall be open to all those interested in the study of the earth sciences, lapidary arts and related subjects.

Section 2. Honorary membership (non-dues paying) can be awarded based on the discretion of the Board.

Section 3. All members as defined in Article III shall be eligible without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or veteran status.

Section 4. A member in good standing is defined as one whose dues are paid in full as of March of the current year, or a new member whose dues have been paid for the current year, or an honorary member identified by the Board. Dues paid by new members after the September meeting shall be considered payment of dues for the next year.

Section 5. A former member may be reinstated as a member in good standing by payment of annual dues provided membership eligibility in Article III Sections 1 and 4 is currently satisfied and prior membership has ended for voluntary reasons or non-payment of dues.

Article IV.

Officers and Directors

Section 1. The officers of the Cascade Mineralogical Society, Inc. shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officers shall be elected from the Clubs roster of members in good standing.

Section 2. In the case of a need to replace the president, the Vice-President will move into that position.

Section 3. There shall be a minimum of eight members on the Board of Directors consisting of the four elected officers, the immediate Past President, two Directors at Large, the Show Chairperson, delegates and/or representatives of affiliated organizations that require a monetary obligation, the appointed editor of the Club newsletter, and the appointed web site coordinator.

Section 4. Directors at Large shall be elected from the Club’s roster of members in good standing.

Article V.

Election of Officers and Directors at Large

Section 1. The four elected officers and the Directors at Large shall be elected bi-annually at the November meeting of the Club by a majority vote of the members in good standing in attendance. Voting will take place at the November meeting through either a voice vote or secret ballot of all members in attendance depending on the number of nominees. If there is only one nominee for a position, a voice vote may be used. The four elected officers shall hold office for two years and the two directors at large shall hold office for two years, or until their successors take office.

Article VI.

Government

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall have general charge of the affairs, funds and property of the Club and all other matters not otherwise herein provided for.

Article VII.

Amendments

Section 1. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members in good standing and in attendance responding to voice vote or a secret ballot at a regular club meeting provided:

First: That the proposed amendment shall have been initiated by the Board, or first submitted in writing to the Board of Directors, and shall have been approved by them, and

Second: That notice of proposed amendment so approved shall have been given at the previous regular meeting.

Section 2. In the absence of the approval of the Board of Directors the constitution may be amended as follows:

First: A petition signed by ten members in good standing in the Club shall be presented at a regular meeting, and

Second: The petition must be read to the Club at the meeting when presented, published in the club Newsletter, and

Third: The proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership for approval by secret ballot at a subsequent regular club meeting. A three-fourths majority vote of the membership in attendance will be necessary for approval providing all other conditions have been met.

Bylaws

Article I.

Government

Section 1. The members of the Board of Directors shall take office immediately following the adjournment of the December meeting.

Section 2. The meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held monthly or upon call of the President of the Club, or upon request of three members of the Board of Directors. A quorum shall consist of four members. The chairperson of any committee, at the invitation of the President or at the request of the committee chairperson shall attend a specified meeting of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Board meetings shall be open to all club members unless the President or Board feels that a closed meeting is necessary to conduct business.

Section 4. Upon payment of dues and per Article III of the Constitution, a person shall be admitted into the Club.

Section 5. The Board of Directors shall have the power to remit the current dues of any honorary member.

Section 6. The Board of Directors shall consist of a minimum of eight members. Any vacancy in the Board of Directors may be filled by a majority vote of the members in good standing at the next regular meeting after the office has been vacated. The newly elected Director shall satisfy the conditions of Article III and IV of the Constitution as applicable.

Section 7. A majority yes vote of the membership at a regular meeting of the Club may bring about the expulsion of a member of the Club who damages or destroys public or private property while participating in any activity which may be directly associated or credited to the Club.

Section 8. Impeachment of any elected officer may be initiated by a petition signed by 20 percent of the membership in good standing and delivered to the Club at any regular meeting. The petition shall be read to the membership by one of the officers, and the accused officer shall temporarily vacate his/her post until exonerated or permanently removed from office. Voting on the petition shall be the first order of business at the next regular meeting of the Club. A secret ballot at a regular club meeting with a two-thirds majority of those in attendance in favor of the impeachment may remove any officer for just cause.

Section 9. The sale of any kind of material on a commercial basis and for profit at any regular meeting is strictly prohibited. Sale of material and/or equipment is allowable providing any profits are provided to the club for use in furthering the objectives of the Club. This does not imply the prohibition of demonstrations and occasional sales to members for educational or club purposes. Also, the sale of club and members’ lapidary and associated materials may be sold by advertisement in the club bulletin, on the club web site, and/or by auction or sale providing the activity does not impact or delay meeting functions and the sale represents a benefit to club members.

Article II.

Duties of Officers

Section 1. PRESIDENT: It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Club. The president shall, with the Treasurer, sign all written contracts and obligations of the Club. Upon retiring from the office of the presidency, he/she shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the duration of the succeeding president.

Section 2. VICE PRESIDENT: It shall be the duty of the Vice President to preside during the absence of the President. He/she shall assist the President as requested. If the President is unable to fulfill the obligations of his/her position for any reason the Vice-president shall assume the Presidency. He/she shall act as chairman of the Program Committee.

Section 3. SECRETARY: The duties of the Secretary shall consist of keeping the minutes of the meetings of the Club and the Board of Directors, conducting the correspondence and keeping records of the Club. The records shall be open to the inspection of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Board. The minutes and notification of meetings will be published in the Club newsletter.

Section 4. TREASURER: The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all financial transactions of the organization. Be responsible for all funds of the organization and receive and disburse all money according to direction from the Board. Disbursements shall be made by check only. A checking account will be set up and no check will be honored by the bank for payment unless signed by the Treasurer, such signature to be countersigned by the President or one other elected officer of the organization. Prepare an annual budget and prepare monthly financial statements. Review the monthly bank statement with the President. Review the financial records with a Board member upon request. The Treasurer shall support the annual audit performed by an audit committee as assigned by the President. The Treasurer shall also be responsible to maintain a current list of dues paying members. The Tumbler editor or other volunteer will maintain a distribution list.

Article III.

Committees

Section 1. Appointed positions will include:

Field Trip, Raffle, South Sound Show, Social, Library, Video, Membership, Welfare, Shop Coordinator, Shop Instructors, Refreshments, Webmaster, Newsletter Editor, and Newsletter Distribution.

Section 2. Delegates and/or representatives to affiliated organizations that require no monetary obligation by the Club to maintain the affiliation and the Show Chairperson shall be appointed by the Board of Directors to serve tenure as required by the affiliated organization.

Section 3. Delegates and/or representatives to affiliated organizations that require a monetary obligation by the Club to maintain the affiliation shall be elected by a majority vote of the members in good standing at the bi-annual election of the Club. Delegates and/or representatives shall serve tenure for the elected term and may stand for re-election at the bi-annual election.

Section 4. Temporary committees may be selected by the President at any time to serve as long as required.

Section 5. The President shall appoint the chairperson of the various committees.

Article IV.

Elections

Section 1. The President shall name a nominating committee consisting of three members of the Club. The selection shall be made no later than the September meeting of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. It shall be the duty of the nominating committee to select a nominee for each of the offices to be filled as defined by Article IV of the Constitution. The names of the nominees will be read at the general meeting and at that time, nominations may be presented from the floor. The nominees must have given permission to have their names placed in nomination.

Section 3. The nominating committee will request that names of nominees are included in the November Newsletter. Voting will take place at either the November or December meeting, as determined by the Board, through either a voice vote or secret ballot of all members in attendance depending on the number of nominees. If there is only one nominee for a position, a voice vote may be used. The nominating committee will also be responsible for counting the secret ballots at the November or December meeting. Results will be provided to the President for communication to the members. The Secretary will record the results of the ballot count. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes for the specified office will be elected. The record of the balloting will be open to the membership upon request. In the event of a tie vote, the winner will be decided by a toss of a coin.

Section 4. The bi-annual meeting of the Club for the election of officers and the transaction of other business shall be the regular November or December meeting. Officers-elect shall take office immediately after the December meeting.

Article V.

Membership

Section 1. A proposed honorary membership shall be in accordance with Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution and approved unanimously by the Board of Directors before submittal of the nominee’s name to the membership for approval. A majority vote of the membership in attendance at a regular meeting will be required to bestow an honorary membership, providing all other conditions have been met.

Article VI.

Dues

Section 1. Annual dues for the following year shall be determined by the Board of Directors at the September Board meeting and submitted for ratification to the membership at the regular September meeting.

Section 2. Dues shall be paid annually by the regular March meeting. If payment of dues is not received by the regular March meeting, the person may be dropped from membership. Dues paid by new members after the September meeting shall be considered payment of dues for the next year. At the discretion of the board, dues for certain club positions may be waived.

Article VII

Meetings

Section 1. Regular meetings of the Club shall generally be held on the second Thursday evening of each month except for the months of August and December. The annual membership picnic in August replaces the normal monthly meeting and the annual Christmas party replaces the regular monthly meeting for December. Under special circumstances the Board may decide to alter meeting days to accommodate special events.

Article VIII

Notification

Section 1. The Club’s monthly newsletter, “The Tumbler”, and/or the club web site will be the official notification for all Club activities.

Article IX.

Amendments

Section 1. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members in good standing in attendance at a general meeting.

That the proposed amendment shall have been initiated by the Board, or first submitted in writing to the Board of Directors, and shall have been approved by them, and

Second: That notice of the proposed amendment so approved shall have been given at the previous regular meeting and published in the club newsletter.

Section 2. In the absence of the approval of the Board of Directors, these bylaws may be amended as follows:

First: A petition signed by ten members in good standing in the Club shall be presented at a regular meeting, and

Second: The petition must be read to the Club at the meeting when presented, published in the club Newsletter, and

Article X.

General Provisions

Section 1. Property or equipment purchased by the Cascade Mineralogical Society, Inc. shall not be considered property of any individual member or group of members, but shall be known as Club property.

As Club property, it shall be entrusted to the custodial care of the Cascade Mineralogical Society, Inc.
In the event of the Cascade Mineralogical Society, Inc.’s disbanding, club property may be sold with funds donated to other non-profit clubs or charitable organizations, or the property itself may be donated to other clubs or charitable organizations, or some combination of the two methods of distribution. The distribution options will be selected by the Board and will require two-thirds majority approval of the Board. The selected option will be presented to club members at a general meeting for final approval.
Disposal of property; real, personal or interest therein will be determined by the Board of Directors. Any profits will be used for furthering the objectives of the club.
The board will determine when equipment and materials are no longer needed and when they should be surplused.

Section 2. Acquisition of any parcel of property; real, personal or interest therein, shall require prior approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors. but