BYLAWS OF THE

THOMASVILLE, GEORGIA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, INC.

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be "Thomasville Georgia Amateur Radio Club, Inc. ", a non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Georgia.

Article II. Purpose

This organization shall have as its purposes:

  1. To advance the goals and purposes of Amateur Radio
  1. Recognition of Emergency Communications
  2. Advancement of the Radio Art
  3. Improvement of communication and technical skills
  4. Increase the number of trained radio operators and electronic experts
  5. Enhancement of International Goodwill
  1. To provide opportunities to discuss common interests
  2. To bring together radio amateurs for fellowship and encouragement
  3. To proved service to the community as needed, as it pertains to communications

Article III. Membership

  1. All persons interested in Amateur Radio, who pay the annual fee, shall be eligible for membership. Although this does not preclude unlicensed individuals from membership, only those who hold a valid FCC Radio Amateur license will be counted as a voting member, on matters pertaining to operation of radio equipment.
  2. All members are encouraged, but not required, to become a member of the American Radio Relay League. This allows the club to maintain ARRL sponsored insurance on the club’s repeater stations.

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  3. Associate membership is available for persons interested in Amateur Radio who pay the annual membership fee and live outside a radius of 30 miles from Thomasville. This is a non-voting membership.
  4. No Person shall be denied membership solely by race, sex, or creed.

Article IV. Officers

  1. Officers of this club shall be President, Vice President, Vice President of Special Events, Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor. These officers compose the Board of Directors.
  2. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the members present at the last business meeting of the year to serve for a period of one year.

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  3. Officers shall be nominated by a Nominating Committee; other nominations may be received from the floor following the report of the Nominating Committee.
  4. An Officer may succeed himself and thus be re-elected.

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  5. Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be considered in the following manner:
    1. President – The Vice President shall assume the office of President.
    2. Vice-President, VP of Special Events, Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor shall be nominated by committee to be elected at the next business meeting.

  6. Duties of the Officers provided for in the By-Laws will be subject to periodic review and/or change as approved by the club.
  7. Duties of the Officers:
      1. The President shall serve as the executive and administrative officer of the club. It shall be his duty to preside at each meeting of the club or to delegate another officer to do so, He shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee and shall promote attendance at all meetings of the club.
      2. The Vice-President shall help promote attendance at meetings of the club and preside at the delegation of the President. He shall work with the Nominations Committee in supervising the planning of officer nominations. The Vice-President shall also serve as "Sergeant-at-Arms" at club meetings, or shall appoint another officer to do so, and will have the sole judgment on meeting order. Therefore, he should retain a copy of Roberts Rules of Order and be fully aware of the rules of business order.

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      3. The Treasurer shall keep records of membership, keep a permanent, detailed, and accurate account of all monies, and report to the club during the business session of the monthly meeting. He shall be authorized to pay financial obligations approved by the Executive Committee.
      4. The Secretary shall keep records of membership and of attendance at each meeting. He shall keep permanent, detailed records of the business affairs of the club. He shall work with the Treasurer to implement measures deemed necessary of the collection of membership dues.

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      5. The Vice-President of Special Events shall be responsible for planning events and activities of the club. He shall be the club liaison to community individuals who wish to obtain the services of the club.
      6. The Newsletter Editor shall prepare a monthly newsletter detailing the club’s activities and interests. He shall insure that the newsletters are up to date and contain local area amateur radio news. He shall also ensure delivery to the US Post Office in able to have newsletters arrive to members no later than 3 days prior to the monthly meeting.
      7. The Board of Directors will also actively promote the recruitment of membership, new radio amateurs, and past members of the club.

Article V. Committees

    1. The Executive Committee, composed of the Board of Directors, shall have these duties.
      1. Plan the business agenda of all meetings of the club.
      2. Perform the business of the club between monthly meetings.
      3. Make recommendations to the club necessary to the achievement of its adopted purposes.
    2. The club shall have the following standing committees with duties as stated:
      1. Nominating: Appointed by the President to accomplish the nomination of all officers at the last annual business meeting and to inform nominees of their duties before presentation to the club.
      2. Repeater: Shall be appointed and chaired by the Trustee of the club license. It shall also have at least one member of the board of directors It will prepare and submit to the club all matters which is deems necessary to the operation of the repeaters, and to report on all matters submitted to it by the club, with or without recommendations or amendments.

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      3. Various: The President shall establish committees as deemed appropriate to the operation of the club.
    3. All Committees shall be composed of four to six voting members.

Article VI. Meetings

    1. There shall be a monthly business meeting of the club with the exception of July.
    2. Additional meetings may be proposed and arranged by any officer of the Board of Directors.

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    3. Except as otherwise stated in these by-laws, all procedures shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order (latest edition).
    4. The club, by a simple majority of members present at the meeting, may conduct all business affairs of the club. Proxy voting on matters will be accepted in writing. Members are encouraged to be present at all meetings to be able to have a voice in the business affairs of the club.

    5. Every attempt will be made by the Presiding Officer to keep the business portion of the meeting as short as possible to provide more time for special programs.

Article VII. Dues

    1. The annual cost of membership in the club shall be $20 per year and shall be due at the first meeting of the New Year. Members who do not pay the membership fee on or by the third meeting of the year will be removed from the club roster. Pro-rated dues are at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
    2. The annual cost of a family membership shall be $25 per year and is due as stated above.

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    3. The annual cost of an Associate membership is $5 per year and is payable at any time.
    4. The club has established voluntary repeater dues that are suggested to be $60 (based on $5 per month) per year. This money is used solely for the purpose of repeater maintenance and upgrade.

Article VIII. Amendments

These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the club by a majority vote of the Members present, notice having been given at least one day in advance of voting.

Proposed February 6th, 1993

By-Laws Study Committee: Bobby Cooper, Robby Rowan, Dave Peterson, Billy Joe Lewis, and Buddy Peeples.

Effective March 6th, 1993

These bylaws do hereby supersede any and all other existing bylaws of the Thomasville Amateur Radio Club, Inc. Approved by a majority of membership on March 6th, 1993.

Effective January 7th, 1995

The Bylaws were amended to include the new position of Newsletter Editor. It was approved by a majority of membership at that same meeting.

Effective August 4th, 2007

The Bylaws were amended to provide a method of replacing the Newsletter Editor in the case of the position being vacated. The position was added to Article IV:5(b) and states that the position will be filled by nomination at the next meeting. The amendment was approved by majority at the same meeting.