BYLAWS OF THE
SEMINOLE
RADIO CONTROL CLUB, INC.
Approved
Amended
ARTICLE I:
NAME
The name of the
organization shall be the Seminole Radio Control Club, Inc., incorporated as a
not-for-profit organization in the State of
ARTICLE II:
PURPOSE
A. The purposes for which the Club is organized
are to:
1. Form
a non-profit association of model aviation hobbyists of all ages who design,
build and fly model aircraft as a safe and enjoyable recreation;
2. Promote
fellowship among the members for mutual technical support and education; and
3. Provide
model aviation related activities that support
ARTICLE III:
MEMBERSHIP
A. The Club shall have four (4) classes of
membership:
1. General.
Open to any remote control aircraft enthusiast at least eighteen (18) years of
age who holds an
2. Junior.
Open to any remote control aircraft enthusiast under eighteen (18) years of age
with parental or guardian approval. Junior members shall hold
3. Family. Open to any remote control aircraft
enthusiasts who are immediate family members living in the same household. Family members shall hold
4. Associate.
Open to any remote control aircraft enthusiast who is a prior Club member, but
does not intend to continue to operate remote control aircraft. Associate members shall have limited rights
and privileges. Associate members shall not vote, hold office or operate
remotely controlled aircraft.
B. Qualifications:
1.
Applicants
for membership shall submit a written or email membership application form to
the Treasurer and provide the applicant's
2.
Applicants
for membership with flying privileges must be members or show evidence of
application for membership in the
3.
All Club
members with flying privileges must maintain current membership in the
4.
All
Club members must pay dues appropriate for their Club membership class.
C. Dues and Fees:
1.
Dues for each membership class shall be:
a. General: Sixty dollars ($60.00) per year.
b. Junior: Twenty dollars ($20.00) per year.
c. Family: Seventy five dollars ($75.00) per year.
d. Associate: No cost.
2. Membership
dues shall be paid prior to the first day of the Club
fiscal year and cover a period through the end of the Club fiscal year. New
members who join the Club after the beginning of a year shall have their first
year dues prorated by month for the remaining months in the year.
3. A
member is delinquent if dues are not paid by the end of the first meeting of
the Club fiscal year. The member will
then be dropped from the rolls. A
delinquent fee may be assessed if approved by a vote of the voting Club
membership.
4. A member who has attained the age of 80 years
and has been a continuous member for five years shall be declared a member for
life and annual dues shall be permanently waived.
5. Special assessments are subject to approval by simple majority vote of the voting Club
members.
6. The
amount of the annual dues in each category, the schedule of payments for
partial year memberships, and any other fees shall be determined by simple
majority of the voting members.
7. If
a vote on an item is necessary and official Club meeting attendance is too
small to constitute a substantial number of Club members, the Club Secretary
shall conduct an absentee ballot by email or mail and report the result at the
next regular meeting.
D. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year
shall be from the first day of January to the last day of December.
ARTICLE IV:
OFFICERS
A. Officers:
1. The
affairs of the Club shall be managed by four (4) officers a president,
vice-president, secretary and treasurer.
2. The
Club shall have no less than four (4) officers.
B. Duties:
1. President.
Preside at all meetings of the membership, coordinate all committee activities
and enforce the provisions of these bylaws of the Club to the best of his/her
ability.
2. Vice-President.
Assist the president in performing his/her duties and, in case of the absence,
incapacity, death, resignation or removal from office of the president, perform
the duties of the president until a new president is elected.
3. Secretary.
Take minutes at all Club meetings, keep records, officiate during elections and
other voting activities, accept membership applications, handle correspondence
and perform any other duties deemed necessary by the membership in order to
maintain the Club's business and records in an orderly manner.
4. Treasurer.
Collect dues, maintain custody of the Club's financial and material assets,
purchase goods and services, serve as the Club's registered agent in reporting
to the State of Florida, serve as point of contact with the U.S. Treasury,
Internal Revenue Service, maintain financial records and perform other duties
as deemed necessary by the membership.
C. Authority
1. The
officers shall represent the Club and shall negotiate vital Club interests on
behalf of the membership in all business matters.
2.
The officers serve as the Board of Directors of the Seminole Radio
Control Club Corporation.
3.
Club officers shall collect and store minimal information on Club
members pertinent to efficient communication with Club members and managing
Club business. Club officers shall not
share personal information of any Club members, other than name and Academy of
Model Aeronautics membership number, with any outside interests, except with
explicit approval. Club officers may
share members' names, email addresses and phone numbers with other Club
members. Individual Club members may
request that their contact information be withheld from other Club members.
D. Term of Office
1. Officers shall be elected annually during the first business meeting in December
each year and take office at the completion of the meeting.
2. Officers
shall serve a term of one (1) year unless re-elected.
E. Election:
1. To be eligible for office a nominee must
have been a General Member in good standing for at least one year prior to his
or her nomination.
2. Voting
shall be by secret ballot or show of hands as decided by the members present at
the December meeting. A simple majority of votes cast by the members present is
required to elect. Absentee ballots shall be available upon request by any
member with voting privileges.
3. A
nominating committee, chaired by the secretary, shall present a slate of
candidates at the first business meeting in November. Additional nominations
may be made from the floor. All nominees must accept the nomination either verbally
or in writing. All members shall be notified of the complete slate of
candidates at least ten (10 ) days prior to the election.
4. The
incumbent secretary and one (1) member-at-large shall comprise the poll
committee. All absentee ballots must be delivered directly to the secretary
prior to the election. Email delivery is acceptable. After the polls are
closed, the poll committee shall tally all votes and announce the new Board of
Directors. Should a challenge arise following the announcement, an additional
member-at-large shall be named to confirm the poll committee's count. Any
challenge being resolved, the ballots shall be destroyed, the new officers/Board
of Directors declared the unanimous choice of the Club members and the number
of votes any candidate received shall remain secret.
5. Board
vacancies shall be filled by special election within sixty (60) days.
F. Appointed Officers
The president shall appoint a safety officer, a field marshal and a
training coordinator.
G. Recall
An officer may be removed from the board by the affirmative votes of
two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the Club. Email voting is acceptable.
Article V:
COMMITTEES
A. A Nominating Committee shall consist of the secretary,
as chairman, and two members-at-large. As necessary, the Nominating Committee
shall present two candidates for each office.
B. An Activities Committee shall consist of the vice-president,
as chairman, and other members-at-large as deemed necessary.
C. A Safety
Committee shall consist of the safety officer, as chairman, and other
members-at-large as deemed necessary. The Safety Committee shall ensure
existing safety regulations are enforced. This includes processing grievance
forms and following the grievance procedure documented in the bylaws.
D. A Field
Maintenance Committee shall consist of a field marshal, as chairman, and other
members-at-large as deemed necessary.
This committee shall ensure that the field is properly maintained and
recommend improvements and changes.
E. A Flight
Training Committee shall consist of a training coordinator, as chairman, and
those members-at-large who have demonstrated an ability to competently
instruct novice pilots. This committee shall review its membership as necessary
to maintain quality instructors.
F. Committees
shall be appointed at the first meeting of the year for a term of one year.
G. Other ad-hoc committees may be created at
the president's discretion. Ad-hoc
committees shall automatically dissolve at the end of the appointing president’s
term.
ARTICLE VI:
MEETINGS
A. Authorized
meetings shall be announced to a majority of the Club members at least forty
eight (48) hours before the meeting is to take place and shall be attended by
at least two (2) Club officers.
B. General
membership meetings, which are authorized meetings, shall be held each month on
a date and at a location set by, and can be modified by, a majority vote of the
Board members and published in the Club newsletter and/or Club web site.
ARTICLE VII: MEMBER RIGHTS AND POWERS
A. Any member of the Club may initiate a formal
request for action by the Club officers by submitting a written or email proposal
to the president. The proposal shall include a written description of the
nature, type and extent of the recommended Club officer action. The president
of the Club shall forward copies of the proposal to other officers for their
consideration. Either the president, or other officer, may have the matter
placed upon the working agenda of the next Club meeting.
B. The
highest authority of the Club shall be the will of a majority of the membership
assembled at authorized meetings.
ARTICLE VIII: CLUB RULES
1. The club, under the leadership of the Safety Officer, shall maintain a written set of field, safety, and operational rules entitled “The SRCC Operational & Safety Rules”. The SRCC Operational & Safety Rules shall be posted at the field and maintained on the club website.
2. The SRCC
Operational & Safety Rules shall be enacted by, and may be amended in
accordance with ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS.
3. In the event of an unusual circumstance, the Safety Officer may temporarily amend, suspend, or add a rule. Any action shall be reviewed at the next business meeting and a vote taken if appropriate.
ARTICLE IX:
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
A. Purpose
The grievance procedure provides a mechanism to enforce existing safety
rules by providing a progressive disciplinary system when needed.
B. Responsibilities
1. Club
members are responsible for safe model aviation practices, support of all
aspects of well-being of the Club, appropriate conduct toward visitors and the
general public and promoting fellowship among Club members and compliance with
all terms of the Seminole Radio Control Club, Inc. Articles of Incorporation
and Bylaws, rules of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, terms of Club insurance
policies and the land lease with Leon County.
2. Club
officers shall address any unacceptable behavior by an individual member or
members. Any individual may be expelled from membership in the Club if it is
determined through this grievance procedure that such individual(s) willfully committed
any act or omission which is detrimental to the Club, or model aviation, and is
a violation of Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, rules of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, terms of Club insurance policies or the land lease with Leon
County.
C. Procedure
1. Complaints shall be resolved
informally if possible.
2. If
a complaint is serious or cannot be resolved informally, the matter should be
referred to the Safety Committee for consideration. A grievance form shall be completed and turned
in to the Safety Committee Chairman.
3. At
least one witness is required to sign the grievance form. Any member receiving a grievance, who directs
any retaliatory action against the person filing said grievance, will be
subject to immediate expulsion from the Club.
This includes threats, intimidation, physical harm, intentional
equipment damage or any other action deemed to be retaliatory by the Club
officers.
4. The Safety Committee shall use
good sound judgment in carrying out action on the following:
a. FIRST
VIOLATION
i. Viewpoints
of both complainants and accused will be considered.
ii. Complainant’s
name will be disclosed.
iii. If
it is determined that a safety violation has been committed, a verbal reprimand
will be given to the accused by the Safety Committee, and will be recorded in
the committee files.
b. SECOND
VIOLATION
i. Viewpoints
of both complainants and accused will be considered.
ii. Complainant’s
name will be disclosed.
iii. The
accused has the right to a written rebuttal, to be reviewed by the committee.
iv. If
the committee so decides, the flying privileges of the accused will be
suspended for thirty (30) days. Written notice of shall be issued and a copy
published in the Club newsletter.
c. THIRD
VIOLATION
i. Viewpoints
of both complainants and accused will be considered.
ii. If
the committee so decides, the committee will notify the accused in writing and the
Club members via the Club newsletter that the Club will vote on the expulsion
of the accused at the next Club meeting. The accused may be expelled by a two-thirds
(2/3) majority vote of the Club members present at the meeting. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
iii. Said
expulsion will last for one-year, minimum, but may be longer if deemed
necessary by the officers. The expelled
member may reapply for membership after the expiration of the expulsion time
period.
5.
All three levels of disciplinary action will not be enforced unless they
are accumulated within a two (2) year time period.
6.
Any member who threatens, intimidates, causes physical harm, intentionally
damages equipment or engages in any other action deemed to be violent or
illegal will be subject to immediate expulsion from the Club and reported to
law enforcement. Expulsion shall be
carried out in accordance with Article IX. C. 4. c. Third Violation.
ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS
AND WAIVERS
A. These
articles may be amended by a fifty five percent (55%) majority of the voting
members after thirty (30) days written or electronic mail notice by the officers
to the full membership. The notice shall
state a proposed amendment and the date on which it will be voted.
B. Absentee
ballots shall be available and shall be delivered to the secretary by email or postal
mail prior to voting time.
C. The
Club secretary and one (1) member-at-large shall comprise the poll committee. After the polls are closed, the poll committee
shall tally all votes and announce the results.
D. Should
a challenge arise following the announcement, an additional member-at-large
shall be named to confirm the poll committee's count.
E. Any
challenge being resolved, the ballots shall be destroyed and the amendment declared
"PASSED" or "DEFEATED." If "PASSED," the amendment shall be
effective immediately.
F. If
any amendment to these bylaws that differs from the Seminole Radio Control
Club, Inc. Articles of Incorporation is PASSED, the Articles of Incorporation
shall be amended accordingly and the amendment filed with the Florida
Department of State.
G.
Any provision of these Bylaws may be waived for a single occasion by a
majority vote of the Club membership at an official Club meeting if the waiver
is not in conflict with the Seminole Radio Control Club, Inc. Articles of
Incorporation.
CERTIFICATION
These bylaws were
approved by more than a fifty five (55) percent majority of the voting Club
members.
(Original signed
and filed by Jeff Owens) __November 19, 2020____________
Secretary Date