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1 Table of Contents Constitution Article 1: Name Article 2: Goals Article 3: Structure Article 4: Membership Article 5: Meetings Article 6: Constitutional Amendments Article 7: Dissolution of the Organization Bylaws Article 1: Membership: Fees Services Voting Rights Cancellation of Membership Article 2: Executive Committee: General Composition Terms of office Nominations Elections Duties Article 3: Functions of the Annual General Meeting Article 4: Meetings Order of business Voting Mail and/or proxy Article 5: Parliamentary Authority Article 6: Amendments to Bylaws Constitution Article 1: Name The name of the organization shall be: North Frontenac Little Theatre, hereafter called “the organization”. Article 2: Goals 1. to promote among the people of northern Frontenac an awareness of the importance of the performing arts 2. to give the people of the area the opportunity to develop their interest and talents by a) producing and sponsoring theatrical performances 3. to produce, at regular intervals, plays to which the general public will be admitted. Article 3: Structure The organization shall consist of the following elements: a) Executive Committee b) Members at large. c) Honorary members: any person who has made a special contribution to the organization may be awarded an honorary membership at the discretion of the executive committee. Article 4: Membership The membership of the organization shall consist of the following categories: a) active members: any person with a valid membership and taking an active part in furthering the goals of the organization; b) sustaining members: any person who supports the organization in the pursuit of its goals; c) corporate members: any business enterprise that supports the organization by means of a financial contribution d) honorary members N.B. the members of categories a and b can be individual or part of a family membership: a family membership consists of persons belonging to the same family (a family being a living unit recognized as such by Ontario law). Article 5: Meetings a) Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting of the organization shall be held once a year, prior to the end of June. A Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be sent to all members at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting, and public notice given. b) Special General Meetings Special General Meetings of the organization may be called on the order of the President or on the written request of twenty percent of voting members of the organization; this request must be addressed to the President, setting forth the objectives of such a meeting, which must be held within thirty days of receipt of such a request, or such longer time as the members requesting such a meeting will approve and at such a time and place as the Executive committee may decide. Article 6: Constitutional Amendments Constitutional amendments, additions thereto or deletions therefrom will be voted upon in the following manner: a) A Notice of Motion, undersigned by a minimum of five members, must be forwarded to the President. b) Upon receipt of such Notice of Motion, the Executive Committee shall forward it to each member. c) The Notice of Motion will be part of the agenda of the next Annual or Special Meeting of the organization. d) A minimum of two thirds of all votes cast is required for acceptance of a Notice of Motion. Article 7: Dissolution of the Organization a) the business of the organization is carried out without purpose of monetary gain for its members. Any profit from its activities shall be used for the promotion of the objectives of the organization. b) In the event of dissolution of the organization, all its remaining assets, after payment of liabilities, shall be distributed to one or more recognized non-profit organization to be selected by the Executive Committee. Bylaws Article 1: Membership Section 1. Fees a) the fees payable by membership shall be such as established from time to time by the Executive Committee, subject to approval by the members at an Annual General or Special General Meeting. b) Fees shall, in all cases, cover the fiscal year of the organization, which runs from the 1st of April of a given calendar year to the 31st of March of the next. Valid membership runs from July 1st to June 30th. Section 2. Services The following services shall be available to all members of the organization: a) Receipt of the organization’s Newsletter and/or any other publication for general distribution that the organization may issue. b) Access to the organization’s membership roster. c) Any additional services the Executive Committee may decide to provide. d) The opportunity to participate in North Frontenac Little Theatre productions. Section 3. Voting Rights All members sixteen years of age and over will have one vote each; families, having joined the organization under a family membership, will have two votes. Section 4. Cancellation of Membership a) In the case of non-payment of fees, the membership committee automatically cancels the membership upon notification. b) Any member may be requested to resign from the Executive and/or the general membership by vote of three quarters of the members of the Executive Committee. c) A member who has been requested to resign may appeal this decision at the next Annual General or Special General Meeting of the organization. Article 2: Executive Committee Section 1. General a) The Executive Committee shall carry on the business of the organization until such time as their successors are elected. b) The Executive Committee shall appoint signing officers for the organization immediately following the Annual General Meeting. c) Signing officers shall include the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary; the signature of two of these three officers is required to legalize financial transactions. d) The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President at regular intervals, but at least four times between Annual General Meetings. e) A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of fifty percent of its members. Section 2: Composition a) The officers of the Executive Committee shall be as follows: President Immediate Past President Treasurer Secretary Three Members at Large One student who is in attendance at a High School Section 3: Terms of Office All members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed for two-year terms and will be eligible for re-election under the proviso that no member may serve for more than tow consecutive terms in the same function. Section 4: Nominations All members of the Executive Committee shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee, which shall advise the members of these nominations at least24 hours prior to each Annual General Meeting by letter or by public notice. In additions, candidates may be nominated from the floor at the Annual General Meeting; such nominations must be duly moved and seconded and accepted by the member concerned. The Nominating Committee shall post its slate in a central location at each Annual General Meeting. Section 5: Elections a) All members of the Executive Committee will be elected from the membership at large at the Annual General Meeting, be secret ballot. b) A responsible person shall be appointed by the Executive as the returning officer. Section 6: Duties 1. Executive Committee a) President: the President (or his/her designate) shall preside at all meetings of the organization and of the Executive Committee. He/She shall be responsible for the proper observance at all times of the Constitution and Bylaws, and shall arrange for such meetings as may be deemed necessary for the advancement of the goals of the organization. b) Immediate Past President: Upon completion of his/her term, the President shall automatically fill the position of Immediate Past President and as such serve as a member of the Executive Committee. c) Treasurer: The Treasurer shall ensure that an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements of the organization is kept at all times. He/She shall, each year at the Annual General Meeting of the organization, present a financial statement to the membership. d) Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible or seeing that notice is given of all meetings of the Executive Committee and that minutes of such meetings are kept and distributed to the members of the of the Executive Committee.. Furthermore, he/she shall perform such duties as are usual to this office. 2. Standing Committees The following will be the standing committees of the organization: a) Technical Committee b) Nomination Committee c) Fundraising Committee d) Membership Committee The Executive Committee shall establish the functions of these committees, which shall operate under the general supervision of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will appoint the chairpersons. They may, in consultation with the President, appoint members to their respective committees who need not necessarily be members of the Executive Committee. The Executive may, furthermore appoint or abolish committees as it deems necessary to carry on efficiently the affairs of the organization. The Executive may create ad hoc committees as required. Article 3: Functions of the Annual General Meeting a) These shall be: 1. To elect the members of the Executive Committee; 2. To determine the general policy of the organization; 3. To approve the report on the accounts of the organization; 4. To approve capital expenditures in excess of ten percent of the current bank balance 5. To determine the membership fees; 6. To make recommendations to the Executive Committee on any matters related to the goals of the organization; 7. To perform such other functions as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. b) A quorum of the Annual General Meeting shall consist of those members present. Article 4: Meetings Section 1: Order of Business. The Agenda for the annual General Meeting and Special General Meetings shall be developed by the Executive Committee. Section 2: Voting. a) Only those members as have been identified in Article 1, Section 3, will be entitled to vote on issues requiring voting by the members. b) Voting on all matters of business, except the election of members of the Executive Committee, will be by open vote. Section 3: Mail and/or Proxy Vote a) There shall be no voting by proxy at any meeting of the organization, Executive Committee or any of the Committees. b) A mail vote may be added to the ordinary voting procedure on a Notice of Motion concerning an amendment to the Constitution and on any such matters for which the Executive Committee considers this necessary. Article 5: Parliamentary Authority Robert’s Rules of Order will be followed for all meetings of the organization, the Executive Committee, and its Committees. Article 6: Amendments to Bylaws Bylaws shall be amended by a majority vote of those present at any Annual General Meeting, following a formal motion, duly seconded. |