FORT
WORTH BULLDOG CLUB
CONSTITUTION
& BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
Names and Objects
SECTION 1. The name of the Club shall be “Fort Worth Bulldog Club”
SECTION 2. The objectives of the Club shall be:
(a) to encourage and promote the intelligent and selective breeding of pure-bred Bulldogs and to do all possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection;
(b) to encourage and support scientific and medical research for the benefit of all dogs;
(c) to educate the public generally regarding the benefits and satisfactions of keeping Bulldogs, as well as the care, treatment and training of Bulldogs;
(d) to urge members and all other interested other parties to accept, know and understand the standard of the breed as promulgated by the Bulldog Club of America and approved by The American Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which Bulldogs shall be judged;
(e) to conduct sanctioned and licensed specialty shows under the rules of The American Kennel Club;
(f) to promote friendship, harmony and true sportsmanship among the members of this Club and among dog lovers everywhere.
SECTION 3. The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the Club shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual.
SECTION 4. The members of the Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such by-laws as may be required to carry out these objectives.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
Membership
SECTION 1. Eligibility. There shall be three classes of membership for this Club. No person may hold membership in more than one membership class at any one time.
(a) Active Membership. Any person 18 years of age or over who is in good standing with The American Kennel Club, who has an interest in bulldogs and who subscribes to the objectives of this Club may apply for Active Membership. Active Members of this Club are entitled to all the privileges of the Club, including, but not limited to voting, holding office and serving on committees and boards. Only Active Members shall count in the quorum.
(b)
Junior Membership. Any person
under 18 years of age who is in good standing with The American Kennel Club, who
has in interest in bulldog and who subscribes to the objectives of the Club may
apply for Junior Membership.
A Junior Member must be sponsored
by an Active Member in Good Standing. In
the event his sponsor should lose his good standing, there shall be no change in
the status of the Junior Member. However,
should the sponsor terminate his membership, should his membership be terminated
or should he become deceased, the membership of the Junior Member shall be
terminated 90 days after the change in the sponsor’s status unless the
sponsorship should be taken up by another Active Member in Good Standing.
Junior Members of this Club do not
have voting privileges and may not hold office, but are entitled to all other
privileges of the Club except those specifically restricted by these by-laws to
Active Members in Good Standing. Junior
Members shall not count in the quorum.
At the age of 18 a Junior Member
shall automatically become an Active Member.
Such funds as represents the difference in dues between the Active
Membership and the Junior Membership shall be due on the anniversary date of his
birth unless this date should fall within the last three months of the Club
fiscal year in which case no additional dues shall be required.
(c)
Honorary Membership. Any
Member of the Club may nominate any living person for Honorary Membership,
provided that person has not been an Active Member of this club for a period of
at least one year. Honorary
Membership is intended for, though not limited to, persons who have served the
Fort Worth Bulldog Club to an unusual degree.
Unless the Honorary Member elects
to terminate his membership as provided in Section 5 of this article or unless
he elects to convert his Honorary Membership to Active Membership, Honorary
Membership is held for life and is not subject to dues.
Honorary Members who convert to Active Membership shall not pay dues
until the following dues period.
Honorary Members shall not have the
right to vote nor to hold office, but are entitled to all other privileges of
the Club except those specifically restricted by these by-laws to Active Members
in Good Standing. Honorary Members
shall not count in the quorum.
For the purposes of this document, the phrase “Member in Good Standing” shall be taken to mean a member not presently under suspension as defined in Article VI of these by-laws.
With the exception of Honorary Members and members not living in the immediate area, members shall be expected attend at least one Club function within the 12 months prior to the Annual Meeting. In the event such a member does not attend a Club function within this time period, that member shall not be eligible to renew his or her membership at year’s end and this membership shall be considered as having lapsed as described in Section 5(b) unless the Executive Board acts at its Annual Meeting to waive such requirement for this individual for this interval as provided in Article IV, Section 3.
While membership is to be unrestricted as to residence, the Club’s primary purpose is to be representative of the owners, breeders and exhibitors in the immediate area.
SECTION 2. Dues. Annual Membership dues shall be as follows:
Active
Membership
$15.00
Junior Membership
5.00
There shall be no family memberships, nor shall there be group rates or discounts of any sort.
Dues are payable on or before the 1st day of January of each year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of November, the Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing year and an explanation of the membership classes.
Dues for new memberships received after October 1 of each year shall carry to the end of the following calendar year.
SECTION 3. Election to Membership. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Executive Board and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by these constitution and by-laws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the name, address and occupation of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of an Active Member in Good Standing of the Fort Worth Bulldog Club. Dues shall not be paid until and unless the applicant is accepted for membership. Acceptance of dues payment from an applicant by any member of the Fort Worth Bulldog Club shall not constitute acceptance to membership.
All applications are to be filed with the Secretary and each application is to be read at the first meeting of the Club following its receipt, provided the applicant is present at the meeting. At the next Club meeting at which the applicant is present, the application will be voted upon and affirmative votes of ¾ of the Active Members in Good Standing present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant.
The Board at its discretion may make notation on an application that shall forego the necessity of attendance of the applicant at any meeting for the purpose of processing the application.
Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply within six months after such rejection.
SECTION 4. Election to Honorary Membership. Any Member of this Club may nominate any living person for Honorary Membership, provided that person has not been an Active Member of this Club for a period of at least one year. At the first regular meeting of the Board following such nomination or at a special Board meeting called for this purpose as provided in Article II, the nomination will be voted upon and affirmative votes of a majority of those present and voting shall be required for the recommendation of this nomination to be forwarded to the membership. At the first regular meeting following such recommendation or at a special meeting called for this purpose as provided in Article II, the nomination will be voted on and affirmative votes of ¾ of the Members in Good Standing present and voting at that meeting shall be required for the nomination to be approved.
Such membership shall be effective immediately upon approval of the membership provided that person has previously agreed in writing to accept this membership. Alternatively the Club may process a nomination to Honorary Membership without such approval from the nominee, but such membership shall not be effective until and unless written approval is received by the Secretary. The nominee need not be present at any meeting for the processing of a nomination to Honorary Membership to go forward.
SECTION 5. Termination of Membership. Memberships may be terminated:
(a) by resignation. Any Member in Good Standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member my resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
(b) by lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid at the close of the March meeting, or if such member is ineligible to renew his or her membership as described in Section I. However, the Board at its discretion my restore a lapsed member to membership. In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any Club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting.
(c) by expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VI of these by-laws.
Under no circumstances shall any dues or portion of same be remitted upon termination of a member, and such termination shall not release a member from any debts or obligations due the Club by said member.
ARTICLE II
Meetings and Voting
SECTION
1. Club
Meetings. Meeting of the Club shall
be held within the greater
SECTION
2. Special
Club Meetings. Special Club meetings
may be called by the President, or by a majority vote of the members of the
Board who are present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Board,
and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five
Active Members in Good Standing. Such
special meetings shall be held within the greater
SECTION
3. Board
Meetings. Meetings of the Executive
Board shall be held each month or at least six times per year within the greater
SECTION
4. Special
Board Meetings. Special meetings of
the Board may be called by the President; and shall be called by the Secretary
upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board.
Such special meetings shall be held within the greater
SECTION 5. Voting. Each Active Member in Good Standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the Club at which he is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election.
SECTION 6. Quorum. The quorum for a regular Club meeting or for a special meeting of the membership shall be established on a quarterly basis by the Secretary. The quorum shall be defined as 75% of the average attendance by Active Members for the past six regular Club meetings. In the event a quorum cannot be calculated in this manner, the quorum for any one such meeting shall be defined as 20% of the Active Members in Good Standing on the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE III
Directors and Officers
SECTION 1. Executive Board. The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and five other persons all of whom shall be Active Members in Good Standing and all of whom shall be elected for one-year terms at the Club’s annual meeting as provided in Article IV and shall serve until their successors are elected. General management of the Club’s affairs shall be entrusted to the Executive Board.
SECTION 2. Officers. The Club’s officers, consisting of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.
(a)
The President. The President
shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board.
He shall be the general administrative officer of the Club and shall have
the power to supervise the activities of the Club, and to appoint and supervise
the various committees, both standing and special, of which he shall be an
ex-officio member. That is to say,
he shall have all the privileges of committee membership, including the right to
make motions and to vote, but none of the obligations, and he shall not count in
the quorum.
He shall present at each annual meeting of the members a resume of the affairs
and conditions of the Club, with a concise report of the doings of the Club
during the preceding year, setting forth such information as may be of special
interest and benefit to the members. He
shall have such further duties and powers as may be provided by these by-laws.
(b) The Vice-President. The Vice President shall assume the duties and exercise the powers of the President during his absence, death or incapacity.
(c) The Secretary. The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify new members of their election to office, communicate with all members of the Executive Board on matters requiring their official opinions, provide each new member with a copy of these rules and regulations, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses, and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in these by-laws. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, he shall preside at meetings.
(d)
The Treasurer. The Treasurer
shall collect and receive all monies due or belonging to the Club.
He shall deposit the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the name
of the Fort Worth Bulldog Club, the checks thereon to be signed by the Treasurer
and one other officer, either President, Vice President or Secretary.
Disbursement of the Club funds may be made only for:
(1) Payment of bills necessarily incurred in carrying out the routine business of this Club, or
(2) Payment of bills necessarily incurred in carrying out activities specifically authorized by vote of the members or Executive Board.
His books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and he shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the Club’s finances and every item or receipt or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting he shall render and account of all monies received and expended during the previous fiscal year. He shall be the custodian of all property of the Club having intrinsic value. He shall attend to all necessary notices, correspondence and documents relative to this business. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such amount as the Executive Board shall determine.
(e) Secretary/Treasurer. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person in which case the Board shall be comprised of the officers and six other persons.
SECTION
3. Vacancies.
A vacancy on the Board of Governors or among the offices shall occur when
a member in such position resigns from the Club or from the position, or is
expelled from the Club, or becomes deceased or for any other reason is unable or
unwilling to actively participate in the conduct of Club business.
Resignation, expulsion, or demise shall result in immediate declaration
of vacancy. Failure of a Board
Member or Officer to attend three consecutive called meetings shall enable
though not require the Board to declare the position vacant.
Any vacancy occurring on the Board of Governors or among the offices during the
year shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of all
the then members of the Executive Board at its first regular meeting following
the creation of such vacancy, or at a Special Board Meeting called for that
purpose; except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled
automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office of
Vice-President shall be filled by the Board.
ARTICLE IV
The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections
SECTION 1. Club Year. The Club’s fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January and end on the 31st day of December.
SECTION 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting shall be held in the month of December at which Officers and Governors for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret, written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section 6 of this Article.
SECTION
3. Executive
Board Annual Meeting. The annual
meeting of the Executive Board shall be held on or not more than 30 days before
the date of the Club Annual Meeting. The
Board shall review the Club business for the year and prepare any unfinished
business for the incoming Board.
The Secretary shall read the names of all members whose memberships shall be
considered as lapsed for nonattendance, as provided in Article I, Section 1.
A member of the Board may move that the Board waive this attendance
requirement for the previous 12 months for any Club member whose name is on this
list. Such waiver must be approved
by a majority vote of the Board.
SECTION 4.
Elections. The presiding
officer shall appoint two Tellers of Election who shall receive and count
ballots and otherwise supervise the elections.
The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office
shall be declared elected. The five
(or six, as provided in Article III, Section 2e) nominated candidates for other
positions on the Board who receive the greatest number of votes for such
positions shall be declared elected.
SECTION 5. Installation of Officers. The Officers and other members of the Executive Board shall be installed by the retiring President at the first monthly meeting in January. They shall take office immediately and each retiring officer shall turn over to his successor in office all properties and records relating to that office.
SECTION 6. Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. No person who is not an Active Member in Good Standing may be a candidate in a Club election. During the month of August, the Board shall select a Nominating Committee consisting of three members, not more than one of which may be a member of the Board. The Secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen of their selection. The Board shall name a Chairman for the Committee and it shall be his duty to call a committee meeting which shall be held on or before September 15.
(a) The Committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and five governors, and after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the Secretary in writing.
(b) The Nominating Committee’s report shall be published in the October newsletter.
(c) Additional nominations may be made at the October meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when his name is proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate. No person may be a candidate for more than one position, and additional nominations which are provided for herein may be made only from among those members who have not accepted nomination from the Nominating Committee.
(d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than as provided in this Section.
ARTICLE V
Committees
SECTION 1. Appointment. The President may each year present for the consideration of the Board nominations for chairmen of the following standing committees and any other special committees he shall deem in the best interests of the Club:
(a) Show Committee
(b) Advertising and Publicity Committee
(c) Trophy Committee
(d) Program and Entertainment Committee
(e) Hospitality Committee
(f) Futurity Committee
Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the Board.
SSECTION 2. Termination. Any committee appointed may be terminated by a majority vote fo the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the President may nominate, for the consideration of the Board, successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.
ARTICLE VI
Discipline
SECTION 1. American Kennel Club Suspension. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of The American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.
SECTION 2. Charges. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of $10 which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board Meeting, and the Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not less than three weeks nor more than six weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.
SECTION 3. Board Hearing. The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to appear before his fellow-members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board’s recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, its finding shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board’s decision and penalty, if any.
SECTION 4. Expulsion. Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board’s recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. Such proceeding may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board’s recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board’s findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds vote of the Active Members in Good Standing who are present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board’s suspension shall stand.
ARTICLE VII
Amendments
SECTION 1. Proposal. Amendments to the constitution and by-laws may be proposed by the Executive Board or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty percent of the Active Members in Good Standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Executive Board and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.
SECTION 2. Amendment. The constitution and by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the Active Members in Good Standing present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for the purpose, provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each member at least five days prior to the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE
VIII
Dissolution
SECTION 1. Dissolution. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than three-fourths of the Active Members in Good Standing, due notice of such intent having been given. In the event of the dissolution of the Club other than for purposes of reorganization whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any members of the Club but after payment of the debts of the Club its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE IX
Parliamentary Procedure
SECTION 1. Order and Conduct. The order and conduct of business at all regular and special meetings shall be as described in Robert’s Rules of Order.
SECTION 2. Procedure. The President may appoint a parliamentarian to pass upon legal parliamentary procedure. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be final authority.