Mon Yough
Fire Defense Council, Inc.
Constitution
And
By Laws
Adopted:
Revised: November 19, 2009
Constitution and By Laws
of
Mon Yough Fire Defense Council, Inc.
Constitution
Article I – Name and Office
Section 1 - The name of this organization shall be the Mon Yough Fire Defense Council, Inc. The short title shall be MYFDC..
Section 2 - The principal office of this organization shall be located in the City of
Section 1 - The purpose of this organization is to administer and coordinate services of the member companies in regards to operations, administration, financial and legislation.
Section 2 - This organization will also provide educational scholarships to young men and women expressing an interest in furthering their education by means of cooperative efforts, as well as promote the civic, educational, and cultural interests of public safety in the community.
Section 3 - The purpose is also to provide mutual aid support and assistance by whatever means necessary to neighboring communities in regards to public safety.
Section 4 - The activities of this organization shall be in all respects non-partisan, non-sectarian, and non-profit. The organization shall be non-discriminatory in regards to age, race, sex, creed, national origin or color.
Section 1 - The membership of this organization shall consist of three (3) classes who shall be Not-For-Profit. These classifications shall be:
· Chartered non-profit Fire /
· Municipal Fire /
· Industrial Fire /
Section 2 - Application for membership shall be done in writing at any regular meeting of the organization. To be considered for membership, the applicant company must have Not-For-Profit or Non-Profit status and have written recommendation for at least two (2) member companies in good standing in the Council. A vote of two-thirds (2/3’ds) of the present membership is necessary.
Section 3 - Honorary membership may be granted to person(s) whom the Council wishes to recognize for meritorious act of service in the interest of the Council or in the saving of life or property. An honorary member shall have no rights as a member or individual.
Section 4 - Failure to abide by the Constitution or Bylaws of the Council shall be grounds for termination.
Section 1 - The elected officers of the Mon Yough Fire Defense Council, Inc. shall constitute the following, and they are known as the Officers:
a. President
b. First Vice President
c. Second Vice President
d. Secretary
e. Treasurer
f. Six-Year Director
Section 2 - The Board of Directors shall appoint yearly, amongst themselves, the Director responsible for the safekeeping of the duplicate copies of Council minutes. Said Director shall forward these documents to their successor upon completion of their term of office.
Section 3 - The Chaplain shall be appointed by the President.
Section 4 - The following shall be considered Standing Committees:
a. Scholarship
i. Board of Directors
ii. President
iii. Treasurer
b. Bylaws
i. Second Vice President (Chairperson)
ii. Board of Directors
iii. Other Appointed Officer
Section 4 - The President shall appoint, at his / her discretion, the following special committees and/or chairpersons:
a. Advisory
b. Banquet
c. Fire Prevention
d. Law and Legislation
e. Training
f. Roster Book
g. Website
h. Water Safety
i. Publicity
j. Radio
k. Awards
Section 1 - The term of office for elected officers shall be two (2) years, commencing January 1st and terminating December 31st. Officers and Directors shall be sworn in at the yearly banquet in January of the year of election.
Section 2 - Any officer appointed to fill an unexpired term of an elected office shall serve for the length of that term.
Section 3 - No person shall hold more than one (1) elected office at the same time.
Section 1 - The regular meeting of the Council shall be held the fourth Wednesday of January (Banquet), March (Open), May (Rillton), September (Open) and November (Open) commencing at 7:30 PM at such a place to be designated by the Council at a regular meeting.
Section 2 - One (1) Officer, one (1) board of director, one (1) host company member and one (1) member from a company not represented previously shall constitute a quorum for any meeting of the Council.
Section 3 - The President, at their discretion or upon written request by at least eight (8) member companies, may call a special meeting. The specific nature of the business of said meeting must be stated in the notice. No other business shall be conducted.
Section 4 - Notice of all regular and special meetings shall be given each member company no less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the commencement of said meeting.
Section 1 - Amendments to this constitution must be proposed in the form of a written petition which must be signed by at least eight (8) members of eight different member companies of the Council membership.
a. This petition must be filed with the Board of Directors at least one (1) week prior to the presentation of said proposal to the membership.
b. Said petition must be read at two consecutive meetings.
c. Adoption of proposed amendment must be approved by eight (8) members of eight different member companies of the Council membership.
Section 2 - The Bylaws Committee may propose amendments to the Constitution at any time throughout the year as needed. Amendments must meet the requirements of Sub-Sections a., b. and c. above.
Section 1 - The President shall (a) preside at all regular and special meetings; (b) enforce bylaws; (c) appoint committees when necessary; (d) have check co-signature authorization; (e) be responsible for the proficiency of all offices and committees; and, (f) be an ex-officio member of all committees with the exception of the Nominating Committee.
Section 2 - The First Vice President shall (a) assist the President in all duties; (b) have check co-signature authorization; (e) assume the duties of the President in his/her absence.
Section 3 - The Second Vice President shall (a) assume the duties of the First Vice Present in their absence; (b) assume the position of Chairperson of the bylaws committee; (c) maintain and have available the current copy of the bylaws upon request.
Section 4 - The Secretary shall (a) record the proceedings at all regular and special meetings and provide a copy to the appropriate member of the Board of Directors; (b) be responsible for all correspondence strictly pertinent to organization matters which are not assigned to a particular committee or office; (c) shall maintain all records of the organization; (d) make any requested notification to member companies, by mail, email or any means necessary at the last known address, as required by the bylaws, (e) maintain sole custody of the Corporate Seal and all permanent records of the Council which are subject to inspection by any council member accompanied by the Board of Directors upon reasonable request, and (f) forward to the Financial Secretary all financial materials received by him/her..
Section 5 - The Treasurer shall (a) receive and disburse all organizational funds; (b) maintain accurate and current books and records; (c) have check co-signature authorization; (d) prepare and present a complete financial report at all regular meetings of the Council, (e) be bonded in an amount to be set by the Council with the premium of bond paid by the Council, (f) forward all records pertaining to the office to his/her successor at the expiration of their term, (g) maintain the corporate address of the Council as his/her home address, and (h) at the end of the fiscal year, have the books closed and ready for audit by the Board of Directors. Said books are to be carried on an accrual basis and must be audited annually.
Section 6 - The Chaplain shall: (a) conduct prayer and funeral services as requested by the Council or family members, and (b) read the list of deceased council members at the regular monthly meeting.
Section 7 - The Board of Directors shall (a) be responsible for upholding the Constitution and By Laws; (b) be responsible for all property and affairs of the Council, (c) receive and investigate all grievances and charges referred to them, (d) report said findings to the Council upon the completion of the investigation for final action, (e) be present for any and all inspections of any and all Council records at the request of a member, and (f) perform all audits, according to the guidelines set forth, of the financial records of the organization as needed, or at least, every January.
Section 1 - Nominations for elective officers within the council shall take place at the regular meeting of the Council in September of every other year. Election of Officers shall take place at the regular meeting of the Council in November of every other year. The winner in these elections shall be installed into office at the January banquet.
Section 2 - No one shall be nominated for, or be elected to office, or be a member of any committee, unless he/she is a member of a member company and is in good standing in the Council.
Section 3 - All balloting for elective officers within the council shall be by secret ballot on official ballots prepared by the Secretary as nominated from the floor. Each ballot shall contain the names of the members nominated at the September meeting with spaces for write-ins equal to the number to be elected for each office.
Section 4 - Any officer who fails to fill the office to the satisfaction of the council may be removed from office by a three fourth (3/4) vote of the companies present at any council meeting. Any officer of the Council who is absent without proper cause for two (2) meetings may be replaced by the President with approval of a majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 5 - The President shall appoint an election committee from the members present at the meeting at which the election is held who have not been nominated for election to any office. This committee shall consist of the judge and two (2) tellers who shall count the ballots cast and report the results of the election to the council at the completion of the tally.
Section 6 - Each member company shall be entitled to one (1) vote for the elected officers. The member company representative voting must have proof of identification of membership of said company. There shall be no proxy voting.
Section 7 - The nominee receiving the most votes for each office by the member companies present at the election meeting shall be declared elected to the office. The current officers shall fill their respective office until their successors are installed in office. In the event of a tie for any office, the winner shall be determined by run-off ballot of the nominees which are tied for the office.
Section 8 - In the event a vacancy occurs in any elective office, except the office of President or First Vice President, the President shall appoint an acting officer with the approval of a majority vote of the Board of Directors, to the fill the vacancy until the office is filled at the next regular November election. The First Vice President shall assume the office of President and the Second Vice President shall assume the office of the First Vice President, and a vacancy shall occur in the office of Second Vice President.
Section 9 - Prior to the election a motion can be made that the Secretary cast a ballot to accept the Nominating Committee’s report. In all other cases, voting on motions will be made verbally or by ballot at the discretion of the presiding officer. In the event of a tie, ballots will be recast.
Section 10 - A member may only run for one nominated office. In the event a member is nominated for more than one office, said member must choose which office they wish to be elected.
Section 11 - In the event a member is elected to more than one office either by nomination or write-in, the member shall accept the position of the original nomination. No exceptions.
Section 2 First Vice President must be a member in good standing of a member company, must have attended at least four (4) MYFDC regular meetings each year for the last three (3) years and must be bondable.
Section 3 Second Vice President must be a member in good standing of a member company, and must have attended at least three (3) MYFDC regular meetings each year for the last two (2) years.
Section 4 Secretary must be a member in good standing of a member company and must have attended at least three (3) MYFDC meetings in the preceding year.
Section 5 Treasurer must be a member in good standing of a member company, and must have attended at least four (4) MYFDC meetings every year for three (3) years, be able to be bonded, and should posses some financial background for the benefit of the organization.
Section 6 Director must be a member in good standing of a member company, and must have attended at least four (4) MYFDC regular meetings per year for three (3) years.
Section 2 - Dues are due to the Council by the March regular meeting.
Section 3 - Dues must be paid to obtain the yearly roster book CD and to vote at any council meeting.
Section 4 - Failure to pay dues by the September meeting will result in that company being placed on probation for an additional two (2) months. Failure to pay dues by the following March will result in said company being dismissed from the rolls of the organization.
Section 1 - No officer or member of the Council shall receive a salary.
Article VI – Rules of Order
Section 1 - The regular order of business shall be as follows:
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. SALUTE TO THE FLAG
3. INTRODUCE HOST CHIEF
4. INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS
5. ROLL CALL
6. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
7. DECEASED MEMBERS
8. TREASURER'S REPORT
9.
10. REPORT OF COMMITTEES
11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
12. NEW BUSINESS
13. NOMINATION OF OFFICERS IN SEPTEMBER
14. PLACE OF NEXT MEETING
15. GOOD OF THE ORDER
16. ADJOURNMENT
Article VII – Dissolution
Section 1 - The Board of Directors may adopt bylaws to be effective only in an emergency. For purposes of this section, an emergency exists if a quorum of the directors cannot readily be assembled because of some catastrophic event. The bylaws, to the extent not inconsistent with the Emergency Bylaws, shall remain in effect during the emergency, and upon termination of the emergency, the Emergency Bylaws will cease to be operative.
Article IX – Laws That Govern
Article X – Limited Liability as Directors
Article XI – Robert’s Rules of Order
Duties of Committees (AS APPOINTED)
Section 2 - The Publicity Committee shall publicize any and all activities and meetings, regular annual or special, of the Council and keep them before the public.
Section 3 - The Training Committee shall be responsible for conduction of annual fire training to promote and encourage the membership of member fire companies within the Council in saving lives and property and the testing and utilization of modern fire fighting methods. The Training Committee shall also perform other such duties as relative to the school's location, date, course, instructors, registration fees and other incidental's as may be required by the Committee.
Section 4 - The Fire Prevention Committee shall conduct programs, directed to the public regarding safety against fire in the homes, school, etc., and plan actives for the participation of the Council in observation of National Fire Prevention Week in October.
Section 5 - The Water Safety Committee shall open discussion upon preplanning and coordination or river units wherein such problems may be related to the safeguarding and protection of life.
Section 6 - The Roster Book Committee shall solicit or cause to be solicited in the name of MON-YOUGH FIRE DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., advertising and advertisement for the printing and publication of the Roster Book and shall forward to each company member of this Council, additional books will be given to member companies who purchase or sell advertisements, as deemed by the Board of Directors.