Texas Brahmas Fan
Club
By-Laws
Article I
– General
Section 1:
Name
This
organization shall be known as the Texas Brahmas Fan Club.
Section 2:
Statement of Purpose
We are dedicated
to the promotion of the sport of ice hockey in Tarrant County
and the local community and to support the Texas Brahmas Hockey
Club, its staff, and team members by our community involvement
and volunteer actions. This may be accomplished through, among
other things, attendance at games, providing meals to players of
our own and the opposing team after home games, fundraising
efforts to accomplish our stated purpose, and appropriate and
requested aid to the players and their families.
Article II
– Membership
Section 1:
Any person or
group having an interest in the objectives of the organization
shall be eligible to apply for membership. Only current members
in good standing may vote in elections and attend functions. A
member is in good standing if: 1) all dues are currently paid in
full; and 2) the member is not currently in violation of the
Code of Conduct.
Section 2:
Applications for
membership shall be on forms provided for that purpose. All
application shall be presented to the general membership of the
Fan Club for a vote of acceptance at a regularly scheduled
meeting of the Fan Club.
The annual dues
shall be as recommended by the Board and approved by a majority
vote of the general membership. The amount of dues may be
changed upon a vote by the majority of the members then in good
standing.
Family
Membership
consists of an adult(s) and child(ren) less than 18 years of age
living in the same household.
Single
Membership
consists of any one person over 18 years of age.
Membership dues
are non-refundable and renewals are due by the September meeting
of any current year.
Section 3:
The Board may
expel any member by a two-thirds vote for non-payment of dues
after ninety days from the date due.
Any member may
be expelled by two-thirds vote of the membership at a regularly
scheduled meeting for conduct in conflict with the objectives of
organization after notice and opportunity for a hearing are
afforded the member. Any notice of alleged misconduct shall be
in writing and sent to the last known address of the member.
The member shall have ten business days to respond to the
allegations and may, upon written request to the President of
the Fan Club, have a hearing before the Board at a specially
called meeting for that purpose. If no request for a hearing is
made, the Board may take action at its next regularly scheduled
meeting.
Section 4:
General voting –
One vote is allowed per single membership and 2 votes per Family
membership of the Fan Club and/or Board member.
Absentee voting
- Members must be present a meeting to cast their vote. There
will be NO absentee voting.
Section 5:
Honorary
Membership – Distinction in public affairs promoting the sport
of hockey and/or the Texas Brahmas’ hockey team shall provide
eligibility to honorary membership. Honorary members shall have
all the privileges of members, except the right to vote, and
shall be exempted from payment of dues.
The membership
shall confer or revoke honorary (“H”) membership by a majority
vote.
Section 6:
Visitors - Non
members are welcome to attend a maximum of two general meetings
of the Fan Club, but shall not be allowed to participate and/or
vote in any such meeting. After visiting the maximum number of
times, a person or organization must either join the Fan Club or
cease attending any future meetings.
Article
III – Meetings
Section 1:
General Meetings
shall be held on the second Thursday of each month at the NYTEX
Sports Centre unless it conflicts with the team game schedule.
If conflict with the team game day exists then such a meeting
will be rescheduled to the first open non-game day prior to the
scheduled date. The time and place of any General Meeting shall
be set by the Officers of the Fan Club. A notice of the meeting
shall be sent to all members in good standing. Any requested
agenda items shall be presented in writing to the Secretary for
addition to the meeting agenda.
Section 2:
Quorum for Board
Meetings – A majority of Officers present shall constitute a
quorum at any regularly scheduled or specially called Board
meeting.
A quorum shall
not be required for general membership meetings. A majority
vote of those in attendance will be binding on all issues
presented.
Article IV
– Board of Officers
Section 1:
The Board of
Officers shall include a: President, Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer. The Board shall be nominated in April and elected at
the general meeting held in May of each year. They shall assume
their duties at the following meeting in June of the same year.
Their predecessors shall hand over their Officer Binders at that
meeting. The policy making responsibilities of the Fan Club
shall be vested in the Board of Officers, which shall control
the property of the Fan Club and be responsible for its finances
and direct its affairs.
Section 2:
Eligibility to
hold a position on the Board of Officers is limited to:
A.
Members in good standing of the Texas Brahmas Fan Club, both at
the time of election and during the term in office;
B.
Members who have been a member of the Fan Club for a minimum of
one (1) calendar year; and
C.
No
more than one person from the same family, including all lineal
descendants and in-laws, whether living in the same household or
not, shall serve on the Board of Officers in the same term.
Section 3:
Nomination and
election of Officers - Nominations may be made and seconded by
members in good standing. Nominations will be made at the
general meeting in April and elections held at the general
meeting in May of each year. If any member of the Board of
Officers is running unopposed, no election shall be required and
he/she shall be elected by acclamation.
Section 4:
Voting shall be
by paper ballot. The ballots shall be marked in accordance of
instructions given by the chairman of the meeting and shall be
counted by the Vice- President and the Secretary at the election
meeting in May. If the Vice President and Secretary are on the
ballot, the President shall choose 2 other members to count the
ballots (it can’t be the President as he is the tie breaking
vote). In case of ties, the current President shall cast the
final and deciding vote.
Section 5:
Length of Term -
The Board of Officers shall be elected for a period of one (1)
year. Terms commence on June 1 of each year and will expire on
May 31 of the following year. In the month of June, the
outgoing Board and the newly elected Board will meet together
for the purpose of providing a smooth transition and handing
over their officer binder. If any votes are required at this
meeting, the newly elected members of the Board of Officers
shall be the only persons allowed to vote.
Section 6:
Consecutive
Terms - No member of the Board of Officers shall serve in the
same office for more than (2) consecutive terms.
Section 7:
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
A.
President:
a.
Preside over all meetings of the Fan Club using current
standards of procedures, influenced by Robert’s Rules of Order.
b.
Carry out assignments and instructions as given to him/her by a
vote of the Fan Club or Texas Brahmas Hockey Club organization.
c.
Supervise the Fan Club and all of its activities.
d.
Appoint Committees as needed.
e.
Sign documentation necessary to carry out the will of the Fan
Club.
f.
Vote only in case of a tie.
g.
Not make Motions.
h.
Coordinate activities between the Texas Brahmas Fan Club, The
Texas Brahmas Hockey Club, the CHL and other league fan clubs as
approved by the General Manager.
i.
Additional duties given by action of the Board of Officers
and/or Membership.
B.
Vice President:
a.
Assume and perform the duties of the President in the event of
the absence or inability of the President to perform those
duties.
b.
Perform all
duties delegated to him/her by the President.
c.
Chair the Nominating Committee.
d.
Chair the committee to update the by-laws.
e.
Conduct all elections including the counting of ballots.
C.
Secretary:
a. Prepare
minutes of all General Membership and Board meetings.
b. Present
written minutes at the following general meeting of the
membership or the Board of Officers for correction and approval.
c. Issue
notification to the membership of Board Meetings, General
Meetings, and any specially called meetings of the Board of
Officers and/or General Membership and agendas for any such
meetings.
d.
Prepare correspondence of the fan club.
e.
Maintain information pertinent to the fan club.
D.
Treasurer:
a. Collect
all dues, donations and any monies generated by any function of
the fan club.
b. Maintain
a complete accounting of all money generated by any committee or
function of the fan club.
c. Maintain
a checking account in the name of the fan club at a FDIC insured
banking facility approved by the Texas Brahmas organization and
President of the Fan Club.
d. Provide
a written accounting at each meeting, showing: 1) beginning
balance, 2) debits, 3) credits, and 4) ending balance.
e.
Pay the bills of the fan club in a timely manner upon approval
by the Board of Officers.
Section 8:
Removal from the
Board of Officers shall occur when any member of the Board of
Officers has not performed the duties of their elected position
or has violated the guidelines of these bylaws. That person may
be removed from his/her position by a majority vote of the
members attending the meeting held for that purpose. To call for
the removal of an officer, a member must present to the Board of
Officers a petition signed by no less than two-thirds (2/3) of
the voting members of the Texas Brahmas Fan Club. The petition
shall allege the violations of the Bylaws, Code of Conduct,
failures to perform duties, and/or other actions requiring
removal.
The Board will
review the petition and certify the signatures. If a sufficient
number of the certified signatures are present on the petition,
the Board will review the list of the allegations made against
the officer. The person being petitioned for removal from the
office shall be allowed to address the Board at this meeting.
No other speakers concerning the petition shall be allowed at
this meeting. The person bringing the petition should be there
to speak and answer questions. The accused should be able to
face the accuser and the Board needs to hear both sides of the
story.
Article V
Standing
Committees:
A.
Membership:
a.
Responsible for the solicitation and signing of new members.
b.
Maintain the integrity of the membership list.
c.
Provide new members with membership badges.
d. Validate
the voting members for the annual membership meeting and
election of officers of the Board of Officers.
e. Collect
membership dues submitted with membership applications and
immediately turn them over to the Treasurer after validating the
membership application.
f. Provides
the Newsletter Chairperson with a current list of members and
their mailing/email addresses.
B.
Newsletter:
The Newsletter
Chairperson supplies a newsletter to each member of the Texas
Brahmas Fan Club, monthly, either by mailed hard copy or by
email.
C.
Fund Raising:
a. Responsible
for choosing product for the table at all home games and
approval by Texas Brahmas Hockey management.
b.
Responsible for setting up and working for getting workers for
the table.
c.
Coordinating fund raising events: garage sales, car washes,
charity, etc.
D.
Social:
a. Responsible
for coordinating parties or events; including Set-up and
Clean-up committees.
b.
Working with Food Committee on any events that require meals.
E.
Food:
a.
Responsible for feeding opposing teams playing here.
b.
Responsible for feeding our team when leaving immediately after
home games.
c.
Planning meals to fit into budget set by the club.
d.
Responsible for meal planning for parties and social events.
e.
Responsible for snacks for bus trips.
F.
Apartments:
a. Responsible
for setting up apartments when players come in.
b. Responsible
for cleaning and packing up supplies from each apartment and
inventory from each apartment at end of each year.
c.
Making sure when setting up apartments that everything is in
good working order.
G.
Public Website (link to “.com” and
“.net”):
a. Responsible
for setting up website and maintaining.
b. Responsible
for getting correct information on website, including By-Laws,
Application, code of Conduct, anything else the club deems
necessary.
Article VI
Appointment and Authority:
Section 1:
All money paid
to the Fan Club shall be placed in the general operating fund
within 72 hours (3 days) of collection. (See Treasurer
Section.)
Section 2:
Disbursements:
All payments will be made by check. All checks will be signed
by the President and Treasurer. (See Treasurer Section.)
Article
VII
Revision
to these By Laws:
Revisions to
these Bylaws shall be approved by a majority vote of the members
present at a general membership meeting.
Article
VIII
Dissolution
of the Fan Club:
If the Fan Club
is dissolved, all money in the bank accounts will go to a
charity selected and approved by the Board of Officers.
