BYLAWS OF KANSAS CITY DOG ADVOCATES
ARTICLE I - NAME, PURPOSE
Section 1: The name of the organization shall be Kansas City Dog Advocates.
Section 2: Kansas City Dog Advocates is charitable organization of concerned dog owners that band together to give our dogs a voice in our local communities through educational outreach initiatives and promoting responsible dog ownership
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership shall consist only of members who pay annual dues, or whose dues are waived by the Executive Committee. Dues will be set by the Executive Committee. Members may be asked to leave with a two-thirds vote of the Board if their behavior or activity is detrimental to the mission of Kansas City Dog Advocates.
ARTICLE III - ANNUAL MEETING
Section 1: Annual Meeting. The date of the regular annual meeting shall be the third Saturday of January and the place shall be set by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may change the date of the annual meeting with a 2/3 vote and 30 days notice given to all members.
Section 2: Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or the Executive Committee.
Section 3: Notice. Notice of each meeting shall be given to each voting member, by email, not less than five days before the meeting.
ARTICLE IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1: Board Role, Size, Compensation. The Board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the Council, and delegates responsibility for day-to-day operations to the Council Director and committees. The Board shall have up to ten and not fewer than eight members. The board receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses.
Section 2: Meetings. The Board shall meet at least four times a year, at an agreed upon time and place.
Section 3: Board Elections. Election of new directors or election of current directors to a second term will occur as the first item of business at the annual meeting of the corporation. Directors will be elected by a majority vote of the members; at least fifteen members or ten percent of the membership must be present at the meeting for the vote to be valid. A special election meeting will be called for the election if the minimum membership is not met where at least fifteen members or ten percent of the membership must be present to elect new directors. Notice will be sent to all members at two weeks prior to the special election meeting via email.
Section 4: Terms. All Board members, except the Chair, Vice Chair, and one At-large Officer position, shall serve one year terms, but are eligible for re-election. The Chairs are elected for a three year term with the first serving as the Vice Chair, the second year as the Chair, and the third year as one of the At-large Officer positions. Chairs are also eligible for re-election after their three year term.
Section 5: Quorum. A quorum must be attended by at least 40 percent of the Board members before business can be transacted or motions made or passed.
Section 6: Notice. An official Board meeting requires that each Board member have notice five days in advance.
Section 7. Officers and Duties. There shall be nine officers of the Board consisting of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Their duties are as follows:
The Chair shall convene regularly scheduled Board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the executive committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
The Vice-Chair will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the board.
The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Board members, and assuring that records are maintained.
The Treasurer shall make a report at each Board meeting. Treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to Board members and the public.
The Education Chair shall be responsible for all programs designated by the Board as educational.
The Legislative Chair shall be responsible for all programs designated by the Board as legislative.
The Information Chair shall be responsible for all programs designated by the Board as information related.
The two At-Large Officers shall be responsible for programs as designated by the Board.
Section 8: Vacancies. When a vacancy on the Board exists, nominations for new members may be received from present Board members by the Secretary one week in advance of a Board meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to Board members via email with the regular Board meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next Board meeting. These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular Board member's term.
Section 9: Resignation, Termination and Absences. Resignation from the Board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A Board member shall be dropped for excess absences from the Board if s/he has three unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year. A Board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining directors.
Section 10: Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board shall be called upon the request of the Chair or one-third of the Board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the Secretary to each Board member five days in advance.
ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES
Section 1: The Board may create committees as needed, such as fundraising, dog park, community forum, Pit Bull University, spay/neuter support, etc. The Board Chair appoints all committee chairs.
Section 2: The nine officers members serve as the members of the Executive Committee. Except for the power to amend the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have all of the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the intervals between meetings of the Board of Directors, subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors.
Section 3: Finance Committee. The Treasurer is chair of the Finance Committee, which includes three other Board members. The Finance Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, a fundraising plan, and annual budget with Board members. The Board must approve the budget, and all expenditures must be within the budget. Any major change in the budget must be approved by the Board or the Executive Committee. The fiscal year shall be the calendar year. Annual reports are required to be submitted to the Board showing income, expenditures and pending income. The financial records of the organization are public information and shall be made available to the membership, Board members and the public.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular Board announcements.
These Bylaws were approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Kansas City Dog Advocates on January 20, 2007.
Edited by Abby on Jan 23, 2007 at 6:12 PM