Katy Amateur Radio Society
By-Laws
Table of Contents
1. Constitution and By-Laws 3
2. Membership 3
(i) Membership application procedure 3
(ii) Classes of Membership 3
(a) Full Membership 3
(b) Family Membership 3
(c) Associate Membership 4
(iii) Cancellation of Membership 4
3. Meetings 4
(i) Regular Meetings 4
(ii) Special Meetings 4
(iii) Board Meetings 4
(iv) Meeting Notifications 4
(v) Quorum 4
(vi) Voting protocol 4
4. Dues 4
(i) Annual Dues 4
(ii) Disbursements 5
(iii) Definition of year 5
5. Repeater Trustee 5
6. Election of Officers 5
(i) General 5
(ii) Absence of nominations 5
(iii) Extension of term past two years 5
(iv) Vacancies during year 5
(v) Unauthorized absence 6
7 Removal of Officer 6
8. Amendments to By-Laws 6
(i) Proposal procedure 6
9. Continuity 6
10. Effective Date 7
Katy Amateur Radio Society
Incorporated By-Laws
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to maintain the Constitution and By-Laws of the Club and to have the same available for reference at every meeting. The Secretary shall cause all amendments, changes and additions to be noted thereon, and shall permit the same to be consulted by the Membership upon request. Up to date versions will also be posted on the KARS website (www.katyars.com)
(i) Membership application procedure
The online Membership application shall be completed and submitted to the Treasurer along with a non refundable payment of dues as listed in Section 4. The treasurer will then forward the application to the secretary who will confirm of the validity of the amateur license held by the applicant.
Approval of a Membership is then granted and the secretary will communicate that to the new member (copied BoD). At the next general meeting the secretary will introduce the new members.
A “member in good standing” is one whose dues are paid and who abides by the by-laws of the Club.
A member whose dues are in arrears three (3) months or more, will be considered inactive and dropped from the Membership roll and shall be denied club privileges and the right to vote on all club issues. In order to be reinstated to Membership, an inactive member can either pay the arrears and rejoin or apply again and go through the voting procedure. Voting rights will not be backdated and only commence from the date of reinstatement.
Any individual who resigned their Membership and wishes to rejoin will not be subject to a vote provided they were in good standing when they left.
(ii) Classes of Membership
(a) Full Membership
Full Membership is open to all licensed Radio Amateurs irrespective of the issuing country. When the member is in good standing, it shall include all club privileges, and the right to vote on all club issues.
(b) Family Membership
Family Membership is open to licensed Radio Amateurs of the same family residing at the same postal address. Non licensed members of the family can still be members but will not have voting rights but will have all club privileges.
(c) Associate Membership
Associate Membership is open to all other interested parties. Associate members in good standing shall have all club privileges except the right to vote.
(iii) Cancellation of Membership
Any Membership may be canceled for good cause by the President following a documented discussion and a unanimous vote by the board of directors.
Any meeting in Section 3 (i) (ii) or (iii) may, at the Board’s discretion, be held via the Internet
(i) Regular Meetings
Regular meetings shall be held each calendar month at such place as the Board shall order. All Members are encouraged to attend to enable a quorum to be established as in Section 3 (v) below.
(ii) Special Meetings
Special meetings shall be called by the President upon the written request of any three club members with voting rights. Notices shall be sent to members concerning special meetings and the proposed business to be transacted. Such notices shall be sent so that they will be received by the members not less than 48 hours prior to the stated meeting time.
(iii) Board Meetings
Meetings held by the “Board of Directors” shall be open to all KARS members to attend as an observer. Notices of meetings shall be such that all KARS members are notified at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. Approved Minutes of all “Board of Directors” meetings shall be posted online on the KARS website.
(iv) Meeting Notifications
All Meeting notices will be posted on the KARS website and sent via email to all members at least 48 hours before the meeting with the appropriate agenda and/or materials.
(v) Voting protocol
Voting will be by a simple majority at any meeting which has been convened as described in Section 3 (i) and (ii) above.
(i) Annual Dues
Annual dues are as follows and due on March 1st and assessed in accordance with Article VII(ii) of the Constitution.
Full Membership $24
Family Membership $36 for family members sharing the same residential postal address
Associate Membership $15
Newly licensed amateurs will be given an offer of a joining fee of $5 which will last until the following March renewal when they revert to Full or Family Membership
(ii) Disbursements
Disbursements of dues shall be within strict accordance with ARTICLE VII of the Constitution, for the payment of current expenses.
The President will however have a discretionary expenditure allowance of $250 for payment of incidentals or payments required for the efficient running of the club. This allowance should not exceed $500 in any calendar year.
The Board will have discretionary expenditure of up to $500 per approved club event. Any projected costs above that will require a vote from the members at a monthly meeting.
Payments made by individuals for the benefit of the club will be reimbursed provided they were approved by the board and minuted before hand and on production of an appropriate receipt.
(iii) Definition of year
The Membership year shall begin on March 1st
The repeater documentation shall contain the name and callsign of the current club’s repeater trustee. In the event the Trustee is unable or unwilling to fulfill his duties, the President will appoint a new Trustee to be approved by the Board of Directors at the next regular scheduled meeting. Proper notification will be given to the club Membership and the appropriate repeater coordination group.
(i) General
The Officers of the club shall be elected annually by a ballot which will be voted for by members and organised by the Board of Directors. The election will be by simple majority .
Members should be nominated and seconded by members in good standing.
(ii) Absence of nominations
Should no nominations be received for any of the positions the President may appoint a temporary Officer for 60 days until a replacement is found, elected and in position or request the incumbent to serve another year. Should no replacement for the President role be nominated then the Board may invite the current president to continue for a further 12 months even if this means exceeding the limits above.
(iii) Extension of term past two years
At the end of the maximum three year period the officer must wait another 24 months before standing for the same position however they may stand for a different role and the term limits above commence from their appointment. Voting will be conducted in accordance with the procedures and timing laid out in the By-Laws.
(iv) Vacancies during year
Vacancies occurring between elections must be filled by special election at the first regular meeting following the removal or resignation. The President shall have the power to appoint any member to fulfill the temporary absence of any Club Officer subject to the restrictions in (ii) above until a replacement can be duly elected into the role.
(v) Unauthorized absence
Any officer of the club remaining absent for three consecutive regular meetings of the club, without first having obtained a leave of absence approved by the Board of Directors at a regular Board meeting, shall be deemed to have vacated the office.
If for any reason the club members feel the need to remove an officer from the club they must follow the following procedure.
- At least 5 current members or 2 board members must put their complaint in writing or email to the Secretary. If the Secretary is the named Officer then the complaint should be addressed to the President.
- The President will form an ad-hoc committee comprising two current board members and one non board members to investigate the complaint. In the event that the complaint is against the President this duty will fall to the Vice President.
- The ad-hoc committee will report back to the board within 14 days with their findings and recommendation having first interviewed the potential officer being investigated. The board will then call a Special Meeting as detailed in Section 3 (ii) above with the appropriate notifications.
- If removal of the Officer is recommended, the President (or vice President as in 2 above) will present the findings of the committee at the Special Meeting and put the removal to a vote of all members own good standing by a simple show of hands.
- The vote will carry with a simple majority of a Quorate meeting
- Once the vote is completed the Officer will be asked to stand down with immediate effect and requested to hand over equipment and documentation belonging to KARS
(i) Proposal procedure
Proposals to amend these By-Laws should be put in writing to the Secretary which will be discussed at the next Board meeting.
The Board of Directors will discuss the proposal and then either reject or accept the proposal and give feedback to the proposer.
The secretary will compile any approved proposals and forward these on to the Membership as early as possible but as a minimum with the agenda for the next regular meeting.
In order to facilitate continuity of operations and to preserve the integrity of the club the outgoing president shall serves as an Ex-Officio board member without voting rights for up to three months. The incoming President may invite other outgoing board member to serve as an Ex-Officio board member without voting rights for up to three months.
These Bylaws are effective 12th March 2024
Signature on record Club President