BYLAWS
EDUCATORS RETIRED CLUB OF THE VILLAGES FLORIDA
Revised January 13, 2015

ARTICLE I
NAME

The name of this non- profit organization is the EDUCATORS RETIRED CLUB OF THE VILLAGES FLORIDA, hereafter referred to as the Club.

ARTICLE II
PURPOSES

The purposes of this Club shall be to:

A.    Promote social relationships among its members;
B.    Promote the professional interest of educators;
C.    Support Education;
D.    Encourage member participation in educational community service endeavors.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERS

Section 1:  All members must reside in The Villages.

Section 2:  Any educator or educational support person who is retired from a career in education and/or an education related entity and persons agreeing to support the purposes of the Club are eligible for membership upon payment of the annual dues.

Section 3:  No action of the Club shall be based on, or contain bias.

Section 4:  Members are entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits of the Club.

ARTICLE IV
DUES AND THE FISCAL YEAR

Section 1:  The fiscal year shall be from January 1 through December 31, unless changed by the Executive Committee.

Section 2:  Membership dues shall be fixed by the Executive Committee from time to time and adjusted as necessary to provide a balanced budget.  Dues shall be payable by January 31, and are delinquent thereafter.  

Section 3:  Members delinquent in the payment of dues shall not be entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of the Club.

Section 4:  Delinquent members may be reinstated upon payment of dues.

ARTICLE V
OFFICERS

Section 1:  TYPES OF OFFICERS:

The elected officers of this Club shall be:  President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Treasurer.  The officers of this Club shall be elected annually and hold office for one (1) year or until a successor is filled by the Executive Committee.  The officers shall perform the duties prescribed in these By-Laws, the standing rules, and the parliamentary authority adopted by the Club.

Section 2:  REMOVAL AND RESIGNATION:

Any officer may be removed for cause by a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the members at a regular or special meeting of the members.  Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the President or Recording Secretary of the Club.  Any such resignation shall take effect on the date of receipt of such notice or at a later time specified therein.  The acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.  Any officer who is absent from three (3) consecutive meetings of the general membership without a valid reason, shall be considered to have submitted his/her resignation and will be removed from office.

Section 3:  VACANCIES:

A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or any other cause shall be filled in the manner prescribed in the By-Laws for regular election or appointment to such office.

Section 4:  VOTING:

All officers shall have the right to vote with the assembly and to debate questions, as may any other member.  Appointment or election to office shall not preclude the officer’s right to vote on any matter for which they would be eligible to vote.

ARTICLE VI
DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1:  PRESIDENT

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Club and shall, subject to the control of the Executive Committee, have general supervision, direction, and control of the business and affairs of the Club.  The President shall set the agenda for Club meetings subject to discussion and approval of the Executive Committee.

The position of President may be held by an individual or shared by two individuals.  If two individuals decide to share responsibility as President in all matters requiring a vote by the elected officers the two individuals serving as president have only one vote to cast in their capacity as President, not two votes.  Hence, the elected officers will always have an odd number of votes to insure the conduct of business.

Section 2:  VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice-President shall perform all the duties of the President in the President’s absence, and when so acting shall have all the powers and restrictions of the President as set forth in Section 1.  The Vice-President is chair of the Publicity Committee and will coordinate the nomination of officers for the following year.

Section 3:  RECORDING SECRETARY

The Recording Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings and give notice of all meetings of members.  The Recording Secretary shall have control of valuable papers and books of the Club.  The Recording Secretary will certify and file amendments and revisions of the By-Laws.  In the absence of the Recording Secretary from any meeting of the members, the presiding officer shall appoint a Recording Secretary pro-tempore.

A.    The Recording Secretary shall compile copies of the minutes of all previous meetings filed in such a way as to be available for reference during meetings and at other times.

Section 4:  FINANCIAL SECRETARY

The Financial Secretary chairs the Membership Committee, maintains the official record of dues paying members, collects the dues and submits them to the Treasurer for deposit.  

Section 5:  TREASURER:

The Treasurer shall keep a correct accounting of the Club’s business transactions.  The Treasurer or designee shall deposit all monies and other assets in the Club depository; disburse the funds of the Club; and shall render to the President an accounting of the Club’s assets and liabilities when requested.  The Treasurer without specific approval shall incur no obligation, debt or other liabilities.  Checks disbursing funds are to be co-signed by the Treasurer and the President or Vice-President.  

ARTICLE VII
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1:  The Executive Committee shall be composed of the elected Officers. The chairs of club standing committees and the past President shall be advisors to the Executive Committee.  (Since there will be no “immediate past president” for the first election of Officers, the Club Founder will serve in an advisory capacity until an “immediate past president” exists.)

Section 2:  The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President to transact necessary business; to fill vacancies occurring between elections; to confirm the President’s appointment of the auditor; to approve payment of necessary expenses of the Club; to recommend major changes in policies, procedures or financial affairs for the consideration of members of the Club.

ARTICLE VIII
COMMITTEES

Section 1:  Club standing committees shall be:  Fund Raising, Hospitality, Membership, Programs, Special Events, Publicity, and Data Management.  

Section 2:  Chairs and Co-Chairs of standing and special committees shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.  

Section 3:  The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee.

Section 4:  Goals, programs and records of the committees shall be maintained in proper form by the chair of each committee.  Committee chairs shall submit annual reports summarizing the year’s activities to the incoming President.  

ARTICLE IX
MEETINGS

Section 1:  Regular meetings of the Club shall be stipulated in the Standing Rules.

Section 2:  Special meetings may be called by the President.

ARTICLE X
ELECTIONS

Section 1:  The Nomination and Election Committee shall consist of the existing officers.

Section 2:  The Nomination and Election Committee shall report its slate of nominees to the members at the January meeting.  Opportunities for nominations to be made from the floor shall be afforded at the regular meeting in January.

Section 3:  Election of Club officers shall be held at the regular meeting in January.  If there is more than a single nominee for any office, a secret ballot shall be taken.

Section 4:  Officers duly elected shall be installed at the end of the regular meeting in January and shall assume their duties at that time.

ARTICLE XI
QUORUM

Section 1:  Ten percent of the total membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or special meeting.

Section 2:  Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for any regular or special meeting of that body.

 

ARTICLE XII
PERSONAL LIABILITY

Section 1:  MEMBERS

The members of the Club and the officers, present or future, shall not be held personally liable for any claim, damage, or debt against the Club or its members.

Section 2:  CLUB ASSETS:

No member of this Club shall have the right to individual proceeds of the Club assets or property.

ARTICLE XIII
STANDING RULES

The Standing Rules of this organization are the instructions and operating procedures in force permanently or until specifically changed or cancelled by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE XIV
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable for the conduct of meetings where such rules do not conflict with the By-Laws.

ARTICLE XV
INSPECTION OF BY-LAWS

Section 1:  AVAILABILITY:

The Club shall keep the original (or a copy) of the By-Laws as amended or otherwise altered, to date, certified by the Recording Secretary, which shall be open to inspection by the members at all reasonable times.

 

ARTICLE XVI
AMENDMENTS

Section 1:  Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed in writing by the Executive Committee.

Section 2:  These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting of this Club by a two-thirds vote of the eligible voting members present and voting, provided that such an amendment shall have been proposed at a preceding meeting.

Section 3:  In an emergency, these By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting by a four-fifths affirmative vote by eligible voting members present and voting.

ARTICLE XVII
DISSOLUTION

If the Educators’ Retired Club should be dissolved, all outstanding bills and obligations shall be paid.  Any remaining monies shall be distributed in equal shares to The Villages Charter School and The Villages Elementary School of Lady Lake.