Central Wyoming Amateur Radio Club

Bylaws

1. Definitions

   1. A “Club Gathering” is any club Meeting, club sponsored class, club radio net or other club event.
   2. A “Meeting” is a meeting held either physically or electronically for the purpose of conducting club business.
   3. A “Quorum” is one-third of the membership.
   4. “Officer” is a Regular Member who has been elected to the office of President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer.
   5. “Committee” is a sub-organization of the club under the authority of the President,

2. Membership 

   1. In accordance with Article I, Section 1 of this club’s Constitution, membership types shall be designated as “Regular Member”, “Reserve Member”, and “Associate Member”.

      1. Regular Member
         1. A Regular Member shall only be a member who resides within Central Wyoming, holds an Amateur Radio Licence, GMRS License or legally operates a no-license radio, and qualifies as a Regular Member under the attendance policy (2.2).
         2. Regular Members shall have voting power and shall be counted toward a Quorum. 
      2. Reserve Member
         1. A Reserve Member shall be a member who resides within Central Wyoming, holds an Amateur Radio Licence, GMRS License or legally operates ano-license radio, and does not qualify for Regular Membership based on the member’s attendance.
         2. Reserve Members shall have no voting power, and shall not count toward a Quorum. 
      3. Associate Member
         1. An Associate Member shall be any member interested in amateur radio, but does not qualify as a “Regular Member” or “Reserve Member”.
         2. Associate Members shall have no voting power, shall not count toward a Quorum, and cannot hold an office. 
         3. An Associate Member can be assigned duties of a vacant office by the President, but the Associate Member shall not hold any voting rights of the office.
   2. To join the club, an applicant must provide information requested by the Secretary to confirm membership type, and pay dues for the year of enrollment.  The dues of a Member who joins the club in the last third of a calendar year (September through December) will also apply to the following calendar year.

   3. Attendance

      1. Regular Membership requires that a member attend at least one Regular Meeting in a quarter.  A Regular Member who does not attend one  Regular Meeting in a quarter shall automatically be placed in the Reserve Member status at the conclusion of the last Meeting of the quarter.
      2. A Reserve Member who attends Regular Meetings shall be placed in Regular Member status immediately at the start of the second consecutive Meeting they attend. 
      3. Attendance of a Meeting through virtual means (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) shall be equal to  attending in person for all purposes.
      4. A scheduled Regular Meeting that fails to occur due to a lack of a Quorum shall count as a Meeting for attendance purposes only.  
      5. A Quorum is only required for Meetings where official club business is conducted.
      6. There is no attendance requirement for Associate Members.

   4. Disciplinary Action

      1. Cause for disciplinary action shall include causing willful interference to a repeater or another station, disruptive behavior during Meeting or club gatherings, being a poor example of good radio operator conduct to the general public.
      2. The Club President shall preside over disciplinary action as per Section 4 of the club Constitution and as per 2.3.1 may:
         1. Temporarily changing a member’s voting status for up to two months.
         2. Eject a member from a Meeting or club gathering.
      3. Disciplinary Action against the Club President shall be conducted by the Vice President as per the 2.3.2.

3. President

   1. Shall certify election results by using the Secretary’s Voter Code list to confirm that each ballot has a unique and valid Voter Code.
   2. Form and disband Committees at his/her discretion.
   3. Appoint and remove Committee Leaders at his/her discretion.
   4. Delegates Committee oversight to the Vice President.
   5. Ensures that all Officers and Committees have adequate resources to perform their duties.
   6. In the event that any of the offices of Vice President, Club Secretary, Club Treasurer or any Committee Leader are vacant, the President shall assume the duties of the vacant office until a replacement is elected or appointed.
   7. Authorizes expenditures proposed by the Club Treasurer.
   8. Acts as a second witness to any transfer of funds by the Club Treasurer.
      1. authorizes the payment of club bills by the Treasurer,
      2. co-signs club checks with the Treasurer,
      3. co-signs for bank transactions with the Club Treasurer,
      4. confirms that donation amounts match bank deposits.
   9. Pursue donations from private entities.
   10. Pursue government grants.

4. Vice President

   1. Oversees Committees as delegated by the President.
   2.  Ensures that all Officers and Committees have adequate resources to perform their duties
   3. Ensures that Committees organize educational and social opportunities in conjunction with Meetings.
   4. Promote the club through public outreach, advertising and electronic communication.
   5. Ensures that the club’s digital media is current.  This includes, but is not limited to the website, social media accounts, and electronic mail servers.

5. Secretary

   1. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the Constitution and By-Laws of the club and have access to the same with him/her at every Meeting. He/she shall note all amendments, changes, and additions on the Constitution and shall permit it to be viewed by members upon request. 
   2. The club Constitution, By-Laws, and Minutes shall be made available to any member upon request within a reasonable amount of time. 
   3. Authorizes and schedules all elections.
   4. The Club Secretary records
      1. Meeting attendance,
      2. Club Meeting minutes,
      3. Club proceedings,
      4. maintains an online agenda document and ensures that all members have access to view it,
      5. provide 100% transparency of all club Meetings and proceedings to the members.
   5. The Secretary shall generate and maintain a list of at least 50 “Voter Codes” each year, and provide a copy of the list to the President.
      1. Voter Codes shall be five (5) characters composed of random  numbers and uppercase letters.
      2. To issue a Voter Code, the Club Secretary shall print each code from the list on physical paper and seal each code in its own unmarked envelope.  The envelopes shall be delivered to the members by any reasonable means necessary.  Each member shall be issued one envelope.  Members may be issued replacement codes from the remaining envelopes upon request, or a new batch of at least 10 codes may be generated if needed.
      3. The identity of the members shall not be associated with their Voter Codes in any club record. 
   6. The club Secretary maintains the Corporation of the club,
      1. non-tax government compliance,
      2. ARRL membership eligibility.

6. Treasurer

   1. Reports theft of club assets to Law Enforcement.
   2. Plans long term and annual costs and ensures that sufficient funds are allocated in savings or investment accounts.
   3. Communicates with the VP to determine financial needs of Committees.
   4. Approves all club expenditures.
   5. Maintains club bank and investment accounts.
   6. Maintains the club’s tax exempt status with the IRS.
   7. Tracks all non-consumable club equipment.
   8. Labels all non-consumable club equipment.
   9. Prepares and signs equipment lending agreements between Regular Members and CWARC.
   10. The Treasurer is responsible for the secure storage of club equipment.

7. Social Committee Leader

   1. The Social Committee Leader will regularly have conversations with individuals and groups to ensure that the club is satisfying their needs,
   2. may conduct official and unofficial polls as needed,
   3. keep written record of input from club members about perceived needs and wants for club gatherings,
   4. politely ask people for their solutions to perceived problems and document those recommendations.
   5. diplomatically show the members that their concerns are heard even if recommendations cannot be implemented, and be able to explain why not.
   6. Work with the Vice President to coordinate Club Gatherings that will engage and educate club members.

8. Meetings

   1. Regular Meetings.
      1. Regular Meetings shall be scheduled once monthly (excluding December). When possible, the date and time of the next Meeting should be scheduled and posted at least three months in advance, but at the very least shall be decided before the conclusion of the current Meeting.
         1. In the case of a Meeting failing to occur due to a Quorum not being filled, the President shall pick the next Meeting date and time. 
         2. A rescheduled Regular Meeting due to a lack of Quorum shall occur no later than the following month.
         3. December Regular Meetings are optional and only held at the President’s discretion. This Meeting must be disclosed at or before the November Regular Meeting.
      2. Regular Meetings should be limited to 30 minutes whenever possible.
   2. Special Meetings
      1. Special Meetings shall only occur when emergency business must be handled.
      2. A Special Meeting can only be called when any Regular Member submits emergency business to the President in writing, either physical or electronic.
      3. Notices of special Meetings shall be sent so they arrive not less than 24 hours before the Meeting. The notice shall contain the date, time, and location of the Meeting, as well as the emergency business to be discussed.  An attempt should be made to ensure that every member has access to the notice
         1. “Notice” is defined as emails, text messages, in person communication, and phone calls, voice mails, radio communication, written correspondence, or any other form of commonly used electronic communication.
         2. Only the emergency business disclosed in the notice shall be discussed at the special Meeting.
      4. At least one Officer and two other voting club members (three total) shall be in attendance for a Special Meeting.  A Quorum as defined in Article IV of the Club Constitution is required to conduct club business at a Special Meeting. 

   3. Club Gatherings

      1. Immediately following each Regular Meeting there should be an educational activity and a social activity if reasonable.

9. Elections

   1. Officer elections will be held annually at the regular November Meeting.
   2. Officers will assume their elected office January 1 of the following year.
   3. Eligibility
      1. To qualify for President, a Regular Member shall have served as a lower Officer for a minimum of one term.  This rule does not apply to the first year after the formation of the club.
      2. To qualify for election as Vice President, Secretary the candidate must be a Regular Member.
      3. Any Regular Member may choose to be added to the ballot for any position for which they are eligible, without nomination from another member.
   4. Voting
      1. In-person voting shall be done using paper ballots. Virtual Meeting attendees may vote through virtual means.
         1. Electronic voting should take place through Google Forms.
         2. The Club Secretary shall require that Voter Codes (5.5) be recorded on all ballots.
      2. Immediately after voting, the ballots will be counted and verified openly in front of the membership.
      3. Any candidate may request a recount of the ballots.
   5. Limited Categories
      1. Ballot initiatives that only affect licensed amateur radio operators shall not be included in ballots for members who do not hold an amateur radio license..
      2. Ballot initiatives that only affect GMRS radio operators shall not be included in ballots for amateur radio operators, and in ballots for non-GMRS radio operators.
      3. All Regular Members may vote for all Club Officer positions and all ballot initiatives that affect all members of the Club.

10. Discounted Fees

    1. A discounted membership shall be made available to members who are facing financial hardship due to circumstances beyond their control at the discretion of the President.
    2. A member receiving a discounted membership shall contribute time and effort to the club if they are able, at the discretion of the Vice President.

11. Equipment and Hardware

    1. Club Equipment shall be designated as “Lending”, “Non-Lending” and “Consumable”
       1. Lending equipment may be used by Regular Members separately from Club Gatherings in accordance to a signed lending agreement prepared by the Club Treasurer.  Upon expiration of the agreement or Change of Membership status from Regular Member, all equipment shall be returned to the Vice President for evaluation and secure storage.  Members are responsible to compensate the club for lost, stolen or damaged equipment.  Failure to compensate the club shall result in legal action at the discretion of the Club President.
       2. Non-Lending equipment may be used by all attendees at Club Gatherings only.  Non-Lending equipment may not be taken to any location that does not qualify as a Club Gathering.
       3. Consumable equipment, such as, but not limited to, power connectors, wire, coaxial cable and fuses, may be used by club members under the condition that they compensate the club for the replacement cost of the parts used.  The treasurer shall provide a method for each member to track the Consumables used at club gatherings.  Regular Members may obtain consumables and the required tools for emergency personal use at the discretion of the Treasurer.