Etowah Sportsman’s Club

Constitution and By-Laws

Constitution and the By-Laws of the Etowah Sportsman’s Club as approved on December 7, 1981 and amended January 8, 2002.

ARTICLE I

NAME AND AFFILIATION

This organization shall be known as the Etowah Sportsman’s Club of Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote sound conservation legislation and administrative procedures, to save and defend from waste the natural resources of Georgia and to promote sound environmental programs including all legal forms of hunting, fishing, and recreational activities in Bartow, Cherokee and Pickens counties.

AIMS

a) To promote enjoyment of outdoor activities.

b) To promote sound wildlife and fisheries management.

c) To promote legal hunting and fishing activities.

d) To help foster and environment to properly raise and educate the next generation of sportsmen.

e) To promote good fire protection.

f) To work for intelligent land use.

g) To promote sound environmental conservation.

ARTICLE II

OFFICERS

a) The Officers consists of the President, Internal Vice-President, External Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Board of Directors. The President, Internal Vice-President, External Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are known as the Executive Board.

b) The Executive Board is elected by the Board of Directors in June every two years in even numbered years.

c) The President shall preside at all regular meetings and have general supervision and direction of all offices of the Club. He/She shall call regular Club meetings.

d) The Internal Vice-President is the executive assistant to the President, performing duties as directed by the President to assist with the orderly running of the Club. This person leads Club meetings in the absence of the President.

e) The External Vice-President is responsible for maintaining the lease property, organizing work days, maintaining gates and posting the property.

f) The Secretary is responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings, maintaining Club files (excluding accounting books and receipts( and shall be custodian of the Club Seal.

g) The Treasurer is responsible for managing all financial aspects of the Club’s operation, including receipt of dues, deposits, paying of bills and expenses of the Club. Club checks must be signed by two Board members as designated by the Board. The Treasurer must present a balance sheet to the Board at the end of each fiscal year. All financial records are subject to audit by the Board at any time.

h) Executive Board members are not subject to general Board elections as long as they remain elected to the Executive Board.

i) All Board members are voting members for all votes.

j) The President or any member of the Executive Board may act in the best interest of the Club in any matter needing emergency action without the Board’s approval, although an attempt should be made to have a quorum approval before this is done.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

a) The Board of Directors is responsible for the Operations of the Club, including the handling of all Club business with property owners, paying of the lease, setting of the dues, purchasing equipment and materials and setting Club rules. The Board is responsible for enforcement of Club rules and levying fines as deemed necessary. It is the intent of the Board to insure a safe and productive Club for the members.

b) The Board of Directors shall consist of up to 16 full members. Board member elections are held in July of every odd numbered year. Terms are for 4 years, except for Executive Board members. Election is determined by those eligible nominees who receive the highest number of votes during the election. All elections for Board members are held at regularly scheduled general club meetings.

c) To be eligible for election to the Board, one must be a full member in good standing for a minimum of five consecutive years. The Board may waive this requirement if a member’s experience and qualifications prove the candidate worthy. The Board may also choose to appoint a member to fill a vacated office. This member may become either a junior board member (no board vote) or a full board member at the Board’s discretion.

d) The Board may choose to elect a Chairman from its members. The Chairman then calls and facilitates all Board meetings. If so desired the Chairman will be elected annually in June.

e) A junior board member is someone who is selected by the Board, based on their qualifications and active role within the club, to work with the board on selected projects. They will usually attend Board meetings, but do not have a vote at such meetings. The Board may select as many members as desired from the existing membership to act as junior board members.

f) The Board may choose to dismiss any Board member who is consistently demonstrating an inability to meet their responsibilities. Such a motion must be made at one Board meeting and voted on at the next. A two-thirds majority vote of the Board is required to dismiss a Board member.

g) The Board of Directors shall meet a minimum of 4 times a year at a place designated by the Chairman. It shall be the duties of the Board of Directors to take up at their meetings all business matters of the organization and to present them, with recommendation, at the next regular membership meeting.

h) It shall be necessary to have a quorum of at least five members to conduct business at any Board meeting.

ARTICLE III

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

a) The general membership of the club are full members who join the Club and agree to abide by all established rules and by-laws. Board members are also general members. Guests are not general members, no do they have voting rights.

b) The general membership is responsible for election of Board members and governing of the general members. Each full general member has one vote per issue and must be present at general meetings to use this vote.

c) To become a full member of the club a person must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid Georgia hunting license. Membership periods generally run from January 2 nd to January 1 st , but may be modified, at the Board’s discretion, to coincide with the ending of deer seasons.

d) Any dependent under 16 shall have an adult club member with him/her and close enough to him/her to provide supervision while on club property.

e) Any dependent reaching his/her 18 th birthday will have the option to become a full member at that time, regardless of any waiting list. If they decline at that time and decide to join at a later date, they would be place on the waiting list.

f) Anyone who joins the Club and violates the rules may be subject to fines or expulsion without refund. Anyone who is fined must pay said fine before they will be allowed to return to the property. Members are responsible for the actions of their guests and dependents. Any violation of club rules by a guest or dependent will be assessed toward the member who purchased the membership.

g) Memberships are not transferable. No member may loan or sell a membership to another person, nor may anyone use someone else’s membership. Doing so will result in confiscation of membership materials. This does not apply to guest badges.

h) Neither The Etowah Sportsman’s Club nor Temple-Inland are responsible for any member’s personal property.

i) The Board may appoint a member to the position of Monitor. His/Her job will be assisting the Board Members in looking after a certain area of property or working on certain projects. They would have the authority to check anyone on the property for proper identification, as would a Board Member. If chosen for this position, the member would be issued a special badge signifying Monitor status.

j) It is the member’s responsibility to know the current rules and regulations and By-Laws of the Etowah Sportsman’s Club.

ARTICLE IV

GENERAL MEETINGS

a) General meetings will be held at scheduled times as determined at the start of each new year. Scheduled meeting dates will be published in membership packets. General meetings are held to discuss Club issues and problems, provide information to Club members, to elect Board members, and to govern our Constitution and By-Laws.

b) General meeting will follow a published agenda. To have items added to the agenda, please contact the club President at least two days prior to the scheduled meeting. Additional topics may be added for discussion at the start of the meeting at the discretion of the President or meeting Chair.

c) A motion may be put on the floor by any member, provided it pertains to the subject being discussed at the time of the proposal. In order to pass, a motion must be seconded by another member and have a majority vote of the members present. The President has the right not to entertain any motion brought before a general meeting. If the President does not accept a motion, it will automatically be send to the Board of Directors for consideration. If a motion brought before the club passes, it then shall be presented to the Board of Directors for action on the approval.

d) There must be a quorum of five full members present to conduct business at a general club meeting.

e) Any ten members may call a special membership meeting. Notice must be given to the Club President at least 7 days in advance of the meeting. A written agenda of the meeting must be included with such notice.

CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

a) All meetings shall be conducted according to a modified Robert’s Rules of Order format (modifying the use of the legislative procedures).

ARTICLE V

CHANGING OF THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

a) In order to change the Constitution and By-Laws of the Club, the following must occur:

1) Discussion is held during a general meeting regarding a topic. At this time, the topic may be referred to the Board for consideration without a vote, or the general membership may vote to refer the topic to the Board. A simple majority is all that is needed to refer a motion to the Board.

2) The Board will consider the issue (at their next meeting) and vote on whether to bring a motion to the general membership for consideration. A simple majority is all that is needed to approve a motion for general membership vote. It is not a requirement that motions referred to the Board be brought back to the membership for further discussion. The Board may also initiate motions of their own.

3) Any motion passed by the Board must be brought to a general Club meeting and read aloud. Motions passed by the Board do not necessarily reflect the Board’s approval, only that the Board feels that the item should be voted on by the general membership. At this time, it will be announced that a vote on the issue will occur at the next regularly scheduled general meeting. It is the responsibility of the Club members to attend meeting if input into the Constitution and By-Laws is desired.

4) At the next general meeting, the motion will be read. A second of the motion is required for voting to commence. Once seconded, discussion is opened on the item. Once discussion is completed, a vote ensues. A two-thirds majority of members voting is required to pass a change to the Constitution and By-Laws.

5) The Board may choose, at its discretion, to notify all members, by mail or e-mail, of an upcoming vote concerning changes to the Constitution and By-Laws. In this event, notification must be made at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting. Should such notification occur, this notification takes the place of the first meeting and the reading of the changes.

6) The articles of the Constitution and By-Laws may not be suspended for any single meeting. To suspend any article, the same procedure must be followed as to change the By-Laws.

CHANGING CLUB RULES AND REGULATIONS

a) It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to set the Rules and Regulations of the Club. It is the intent of the Board to set the Rules and Regulations for the year before membership sign-ups begin. Once rules have been distributed for the year, only change to the lease, state regulation changes or emergency situations warrant rules changes. Rules and Regulations may be changed for the following year by a simple majority vote. Rules and Regulation changes during the current year require a two-thirds majority vote of the Board. The general membership does not vote to approve changes to the Rules and Regulations.

ARTICLE VI

GENERAL

a) Subject to a decision by the Board of Directors, any member may be dropped from the rolls of this organization if found guilty of violating any law enforced by The Department of Natural Resources of this state, or any rule or regulation set by this club. If this occurs, there will be no refund of dues.

b) No individual member or group of members other than the President shall sate views as being those of the Club’s without official authorization of the President or the Board of Directors.

c) In the event of dissolution of the club, and after settlement of all bills against the club, the remaining Board members will decide how best to allocate remaining assets. No Board or general member shall profit from such decisions. Charitable donation to Bartow County organizations is strongly recommended.