BBYLAWS OF SPOKANE UNIT 448
American Contract Bridge League
Revised, December 1975
Amended, December 2000, 2010
Revised and amended December, 2015
Article I: Name
Article II: Objectives
Article III: Unit Jurisdiction
Article IV: Membership
Article V: Dues
Article VI: Membership Meetings
Article VII: Unit Board of Directors
Article VIII: Unit Officers and Members of the Board of Directors
Article IX: Impeachment
Article X: Amendments to the Bylaws
Article XI Tournaments
Article XII: Committees
Article I: Name
Spokane Unit 448 is a subsidiary of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), recognizing ACBL as the parent organization, that has authority and control over tournament bridge in the United States, and exists under the sanction of ACBL and functions within the Constitution and Bylaws and regulations of ACBL.
Article II: Objectives
- To preserve and to promote the best interest of competitive contract bridge;
- To co-operate with, and to assist, the ACBL in the promotion and conduct of the contract bridge tournaments;
- To prescribe rules of eligibility for participation in tournaments under its auspices;
- To consider and to act upon reports of dishonest, unethical or improper conduct of participants in unit games and/or tournaments, if any, and to bar or suspend person guilty of such conduct from further participation;
- To promote the development and organization of affiliated clubs within the Unit; and
- To conduct such other activities as may be in keeping with its principal objectives.
Article III: Unit Jurisdiction
The geographic area within which the Unit may operate shall be the area of the city of Spokane and areas immediately adjacent thereto, plus any areas that may be assigned to it by the ACBL.
Article IV: Membership
- Any person of good moral character who resides within the playing area of the Unit, subject to District regulations, is eligible for membership and may apply to such person, or committee as the Board of Directors may direct, and shall become a member upon complying with such requests as the Board by resolution may, from time to time, adopt and upon payment of ACBL annual dues. No person shall be denied membership because of race, creed, or color.
- An application shall bind the applicant to full compliance with, and adherence to, these Bylaws, the Unit’s Charter and ACBL’s Bylaws.
- A member in good standing shall enjoy and possess all rights of membership equally with all other members, except that the voting privilege shall be restricted to those who have been members for at least sixty (60) days.
- If a member moves from the listed residence to a place outside the Unit’s geographical area, the member’s eligibility to remain a Unit member will be determined by ACBL regulations.
- A member remains in good standing unless:
- The member has failed to pay ACBL annual dues within six (6) months following the calendar date expiration; or
- The member has been disciplined under Article VII H 8 of these Bylaws.
Article V: Dues
- Annual dues shall be in the amount fixed by and submitted to ACBL.
- The Board of Directors shall have no power to levy any special assessment.
Article VI: Membership Meetings
- The annual membership meeting shall be on a day prior to December 31st each year.
- The Board of Directors shall fix the time and place of the Annual Meeting. Notice shall be given to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting and in a variety of ways: email notification, postings and announcements at playing sites, on the web site and by any other means determined by the Board of Directors.
- Special meetings of the members may be called at any time by the Board of Directors, or by the President, upon ten (10) days’ notice to the special meeting to all members. The notice of a special meeting shall contain an agenda of matters to be taken up at such meeting and made available to the membership in a variety of ways, such as email notification, postings and announcements at playing sites, on the web site and by any other means determined by the Board of Directors.
- A quorum for transaction of business at any annual or special meeting shall consist of at least twenty-five (25) members.
Article VII: Unit Board of Directors
- Number of Directors: The Unit shall be managed and business conducted by the Board of Directors, which shall consist of nine (9) persons elected by and from the Unit membership.
- Term of Office: Each elected Director may hold office for a period of six (6) years, defined as two (2) consecutive three (3) year terms, if re-elected for a second term. These terms shall coincide with the calendar year of the Unit. The Director shall continue to hold office until a successor shall have been duly elected. Elected Directors shall not be allowed to succeed themselves in office for at least one (1) year after having been elected for two (2) consecutive three (3) year terms. Appointed Board Directors can run for one (1) additional three (3) year term after completing the position to which the Director was appointed to fulfill.
- Nominations:
- A member of the Board of Directors shall be appointed Election Committee Chair. The Chair will select two (2) Unit members-at-large to serve on the Committee. The nominating Committee shall report their selections to the Unit Secretary. The candidates’ names shall be announced to the Unit membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the election date. Notification can be by email, on the Unit website and by printed notices at the Club sites. Any member in good standing, not nominated by the Nominating Committee, may stand for a position on the board by submitting a declaration of candidacy to the Unit President or a member of the Election Committee no later than fourteen (14) days before the election.
2. When there are several playing areas within the Unit, each playing area should have representation on the Board approximate in the same proportion as the membership in the area bears to the total membership in the Unit. The Nominating Committee is instructed to guide itself accordingly, or the members in each playing area may officially meet to select its representative on the Board.
- The ballots, with the candidates listed in alphabetical order, shall be distributed by email and the Unit Website and be available from an Election Committee member. Ballots may be returned by mail to the Election Committee Chair or in person to any member of the Election Committee. Ballots will be available at the membership meeting for direct voting. All returned ballots must be marked with the voter’s ACBL membership number. Failure to include the ACBL number on the ballot invalidates the vote. All absentee ballots must be received before the day of the election. Absentee ballots shall be used only for Board of Director elections, not for other Unit business before the general meeting, such as bylaw amendments.
- Elections:
- Every qualified member shall be entitled to one vote for each Director to be elected.
- All ballots shall be secret.
- The election Committee will select three (3) impartial members to count the ballots at the membership meeting and to announce the results there. In the event of a tie or ties, the Board President, assisted by the Secretary, or their designated stand-ins, shall determine by lot and in the presence of the members the Director or Directors elected.
- In the event that the number of candidates is no more than the number of open Board positions, no vote will be taken. The candidates will be elected by acclamation.
- Any candidate is entitled to have witnesses at the vote counting.
E. Vacancies: Any vacancy on the Board of Directors may be filled by the Board of Directors. The person(s) so appointed shall hold office during the unexpired term.
F. Meetings:
- The Board of Directors shall hold a minimum of ten (10) meetings a year.
- At the discretion of the Board, a transitional meeting of the sitting Board members and the incoming Directors may be held between the Annual Membership meeting and the first Board meeting in January to elect officers for the coming year and to relay records.
- The Secretary shall call a special meeting of the Board of Directors at the request of the President or upon request, in writing, of four (4) Unit members. Notices of such special meetings shall be distributed not less than ten (10) days prior to the proposed meeting date.
- All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
G. Quorum: A quorum of the Board of Directors for business transactions shall consist of not fewer than five (5) Directors.
H. Powers and Duties: In addition to the powers granted by other provisions of these Bylaws and by the laws of the State of Washington, the Board of Directors shall have the following powers and duties:
1. To acquire, hold, administer, maintain and dispose of all Unit property;
2. To appropriate Unit funds for the purpose set forth in these Bylaws;
3. To hire and discharge employees, to supervise their conduct and to fix their compensation;
4. To audit all Unit receipts and disbursements;
5. To conduct, manage, and supervise and control all Unit business, including, but not limited to, the conduct of tournaments, the selection of all dates and locations for those tournaments, and the making of all contract in connection thereto;
6. To act as coordinator and arbitrator between the local clubs under its jurisdiction for the best interests of duplicate bridge, particularly to avoid, insofar as possible, conflicting playing dates;
7. To arbitrate disputes of members and to consider any protest situation. At the Board’s discretion any such matters may first be refer to the Conduct and Ethics Committee, which, after thorough investigation will report to the Board of Directors with its recommendations. The Board will then take such action as it sees fit. In any dispute involving club directors, only those Board members elected by the membership shall vote.
8. To censure, suspend, expel, or otherwise discipline any player. But no player shall be censured, suspended, or expelled or otherwise disciplined until that member has been furnished with written charges to which the player has time to reply, or until after a hearing of which the player has received reasonable notice. The player may be represented by counsel of the member’s own choosing and expense. Disciplinary action by the Unit may be appealed to the National Board of Directors. The member, against whom charges are pending, may play in tournaments during such pendency, unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors.
9. To reappoint annually local Club Directors, who so desire, to direct Unit games.
10. Board members shall be excluded from voting on issues that affect their financial interest.
Article VIII: Unit Officers and Members of the Board of Directors
- Number: The Unit officers shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, all of whom shall be Directors on the Board.
- Election: The Board of Directors shall elect all officers at its first meeting following the Annual Membership meeting. The persons elected shall hold office for one (1) year or until their successors have been duly elected.
- Vacancies: Vacancies due to death, resignation or other causes shall be filled by the Board of Directors.
- Duties: The duties of the officers shall be as outlined in the ACBL regulations.
Article IX: Impeachment
Any officer or Director may be removed for cause at any meeting of the Board of Directors providing two-thirds (2/3) of the quorum present shall so vote. Any officer or Director against whom impeachment charges are brought shall be notified in writing, by registered mail, of the charges against the Director at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting. Further, the Director shall be given an opportunity to be heard before the Board of Directors and to be represented by counsel of the Director’s own choosing and expense. The action taken by the Board of Directors shall be conclusive and final.
Article X: Amendments to the Bylaws
Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by Unit members upon petition signed by at least fifty (50) members and submitted to the secretary at least sixty (60) days in advance of the Annual Meeting or any special meeting called for the purpose; or upon a petition signed by at least eight (8) members of the Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to incorporate the test of proposed amendment in the Notice of Membership meeting. The concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of members present and voting shall be required to pass any amendment.
Article XI: Tournaments
The Unit shall have complete authority over all tournaments conducted by it, subject to ACBL regulations.
Article XII: Committees
The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall appoint such committees as may be necessary or desirable to perform the functions of the organization. The President shall define their duties. Among the committees appointed by the President shall be the following standing committees: Tournament Committee, Conduct and Ethics Committee, Membership Committee, Publicity committee, Nominating and Election Committee, and Hospitality Committee.
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