BUX-MONT BASSMASTERS

 BY-LAWS

(Amended as of 03/29/08)

ARTICLE I - Name and Purpose

Section 1.    Name

 This chapter shall be called Bux-Mont Bassmasters as of December 1, 1997.

Section 2.    Purpose

A.    - To stimulate public awareness of Bass fishing as a major sport.

B.    - To offer our State and conservation department our organized moral and political support

  and encouragement.

C.    - To promote full adherence to all conservation codes and to demand adequate water

  standards and legal enforcement of existing regulatory standards.

D.    - To detect and report any polluter and call public and political attention to this crime.

E.     - To improve our skill as Bass Anglers through a fellowship of friendly exchange of expert

  Bass catching techniques and ideas, and to promote and encourage youth fishing along

  with a love for this recreation.

F.     - To function as a dynamic and effective link with other chapters embracing the principals

  and purposes of  THE BASS FEDERATION.                             

ARTICLE II – Membership

Section 1.    Number of Members:

                Bux-Mont Bassmasters will strive to maintain a membership with at least 50% boat owners and 50% riders. All persons who apply must have a desire to fulfill the purpose and requirements of the Bux-Mont Bassmasters.  There will be no quota placed on new members such as boat ownership or non ownership. If an imbalance shall exist during tournament draws this problem will be dealt with under Tournament rules.      

                 BUX-MONT BASSMASTERS will have four types of members.

              Active members: 

These are members who are current with their dues and have full Club benefits.

Non-active members:

These are members who have placed their memberships in escrow.  If a member who is in good standing should elect to leave BUX-MONT BASSMASTERS for any reason (e.g. work, health, military service etc.) that member shall inform the Club in writing of his or her intention. When the Club has received written notice said member’s status shall be changed from active to non-active status and be held in escrow till the end of the current year. This member will then be notified by the Secretary of the Club that said membership will expire. The member whose                                                                                                                       membership is in escrow will then be require to either inform the Club of his or hers                                 decision to remain in a non-active status at which time he or she will be required to pay                                for his or hers State and  Federation dues. The member may also elect to be permanently                                             removed from the Club roster or to again return to full status at which time said member                                              will be required to start paying Club dues at the next monthly meeting. Members who                                         are on non-active status and wish to return to active status in the same calendar year and              before State and Federation dues are due must have contributed enough dues during the                                           current year to cover State and Federation dues or pay the difference or the full amount.                                             Members whose membership is in escrow will not be eligible for any Club benefits such

as Club points awarded to Active Club members. Members who are held in escrow will      

not be eligible to advance via the Club route to the state level. Members held in escrow   

will be eligible to advance to the state level only through the District tournaments

Members in escrow will be eligible to fish Club tournaments only after all active members

have been paired and said non-member is needed to complete either a boater or non-boaters position so that all eligible active members can fish the tournament.

                Members on probation:

This is a member who is in arrears on dues or has broken a club rule and disciplinary action has been taken. This member is ineligible for any club benefits until his or her dues become current or their time on probation has expired. Time and conditions of probation will be determined by the Executive Board. This member will have an appeal of the Executive Board’s decision to the full membership. The appeal will then be put before the full membership debated and a closed ballot will be taken and the out come will be final on this issue. Participation in club Tournaments will be up to the Executive Board and after all currant and trial members have been paired.

                Trial-members:

This is a person who is seeking membership into BUX-MONT BASSMASTERS, said person will be on a three month trial bases during which time said trial member MUST attend three monthly meetings and participate in two (2) club functions (e.g. tournaments, Casting Kids, Youth functions or Conservation).

A Trail Members must voluntarily express genuine interest in becoming a member of Bux-Mont Bassmasters and it principals and goals.                    

                              A Trial Member may participate in a Club tournament only after all Active Members                             have been paired. A Trial Member is not eligible to receive any club points.

                                Each new Trial Member must be voted in by the full membership or a quorum of the                           membership. The vote will be a closed ballot and affirmation must be by 2/3 majority.

Participation in two (2) club functions maybe waived by the Executive Board if they feel that the applying Trial Member has shown a real desire to join and contribute to the betterment of  BUX-MONT BASSMASTERS.         

Trial Members will be required to pay their one time Initiation Fee at the meeting they are voted into Bux-Mont Bassmasters club as an Active Member. This fee will cover there membership in both Pa Federation and District One. It shall be the duty of the Club Secretary to inform them prior to the vote on the Trial Member’s acceptance that his or her fees will be due.

                                NO Club Points will be awarded to new member until all fees have been paid.

Trial Members may be expelled from the club during this three (3) month period for any                     infraction of the By-laws or Tournament rules with the vote of the majority of the                                  members.

Section 3.    Membership Dues:     

Initiation: This will be $50.00 for new Trial members. This money will be due when        the Trial Member is voted into the club and before any points can be awarded for                                       participation in club tournaments .  This will be applied towards Federation and District dues.

Monthly: Dues will be $10.00 per month which is due at the beginning of each     meeting.

Special Note:

All Club dues monies including initiation fee are non-refundable once paid.        

If a member leaves for any reason and does not seek reinstatement during that calendar year he or she must pay the initiation fee again to be reinstated.  

Section4.  

Attendance:

                                Attendance is required at all monthly meetings. If a member is unable to attend he or                                           she must notify an Officer of the club prior to the meeting as to why they are not                                                   attending. If they do not fulfill this requirement then said absence with be counted as a                                    missed meeting and will be counted towards possible dismissal.

ARTICLE III - Officers Elections, Vacancies and Eligibility

Section 1.    Officers and Committee’s and their Duties

                                                (Club officers will also referred to as the Executive Board)

A.      President: 

Preside over all meetings and direct all official business.  Appoint and direct

all committee functions and supervise all club functions. The President has the power to call for special sessions to deal with club matters outside of the norm of regular club matters. This may include a vote by all or some of the members who may have been present to or have knowledge of the matter under consideration.

B.      Vice President:

 Act as program chairman and assist the President in his duties.  The

Vice President will handle Public Relations as well as preside in the

absence of the President.

C.      Secretary:

Maintain accurate minutes of all regular club and officers meetings.  Maintain

regular liaison between chapter and THE BASS FEDERATION national headquarters. E-mail or mail minutes of club meetings and newsletter to all active club members within two weeks of the meeting. Maintain a record of attendance of Club members and notify any member who might be delinquent in attendance as of their status according to By-Laws rules. Maintain an up to date Club Roster. Make additions and deletions in a timely manner. Coordinate with the Treasurer to make sure all dues to The Pa Federation (TBF) and District One are paid in a timely manner. 

D.    Treasurer:

 Maintain accurate financial records and report such at meetings with copies of                                                            bank statements to accompany monthly reports to be available to each member. These reports will contain all collections of monies and disbursement of checks. Copies of these reports and statements will be included in the monthly minutes. Collect monthly dues before each monthly meeting. Purchase all necessary supplies for running of the clubs business. Notify any member who is in arrears in their dues of their status prior to that member going on Automatic Probation.         

E.     District Representative:

Must attend all district meeting and report back to the club on contents of the meetings.  Maintain accurate notes on all district meetings. This is not an Executive Board position. This person maybe requested to attend Officers meetings to bring Officers up to date on District activities.

F.     Tournament Director: 

Will be in charge at all club tournament functions. He will be responsible for all necessary tournament permits. . He will be responsible to make all reports to all organizations requiring information on our tournaments. He must conduct a draw at the meeting prior to a tournament pairing boaters and riders .He must             maintain accurate records of all club tournament results and report theses at the following meeting along with club standings. He will be responsible for all monies collected for entry fees of tournaments and side pots for lunker. He will be responsible for maintenance of all equipment necessary to hold a tournament. He will make hotel reservations for the State Team and the clubs Classic tournament.

G.    Sergeant at Arms: 

Will maintain order at monthly meetings, and at the request of the                                                                                           President have the power to remove any member who disrupts the monthly meeting. This is not an Executive Board position.

COMMITTEES:    (Are not an Executive Board position.)

        By-Law Committee:

This committee will consist of the President and two (2) appointed members. This committee will have the responsibility to review the BY-Laws             yearly and at any time a change is needed. Changes can come from a request of a member or be developed by the committee. They will review and revise the suggested change for content and merit. If the suggested change pass’s committee it will be brought before the membership for a vote.

        Fund Raising Committee:

This committee will be in charge of all functions to raise additional money for Bux-Mont Bassmasters. It will come up with ideas and plans to this end. It will be in charge of all fund raising events. It will coordinate with the Tournament director                 when a tournament is being held to raise funds for the club. It will be responsible for purchase of tickets, signs, flyers etc. and the collection of all monies for that event. When said function or functions are completed a report will be given to the club and all monies made will be turned over to the Treasurer for deposit in the Club account. This committee will be appointed by the President and will report to President. This is not an Executive Board position.

Tournament Committee:

This committee appointed by the President will be in charge of coming up with the tournament schedule with input from the membership. It will consist of the Tournament Director and any additional members deemed necessary by the President. This is not a Executive Board position.

All votes taken to change By-Laws, to vote new members in and remove members for cause will      require a quorum equal to a 75% of the total membership.

Section 2.    Elections:

The election of Officers shall be held annually at the regular club meeting during the                                          month of October. Nominations for officers will be held the month before the                 election.(September)

Section 3.    Eligibility of Vote

A.      Each Active Member is entitled to one (1) vote.  Proxy votes will be permitted when submitted to an Officer in writing prior to club vote.

                     B.   Club votes for Officers will be a closed ballot. The totals of the ballots will be counted                                         aloud and available for inspection by the members.

Section 4.    Term of Office

The term of office is for one (1) year, for all Officers which shall begin at the end of the   October meeting.

Section 5.    Vacancies

                     In the event that an office should become vacant, nominations shall be asked for and an election

                     held to fill the unexpired term of the individual vacating the office. All criteria for holding an             election will be up held.

Section 6.    Eligibility for Holding Office

A. Must have been a member in good standing for at least the last six (6) months.

B. Must have attended at least 50% of all chapter meetings and functions.

C. Must have genuine interest in performing the duties of the office he is so nominated for.                                              

ARTICLE IV - Method of Amending the By-Laws

     A.       Any proposal to amend the By-Laws must be in writing and presented to the By-law

         Committee. This committee will review the proposal and decide if any action should              take place. If the proposal has past the committee it will then come before the        membership for debate. After all changes have been made said changes will be put to a       vote by the membership. Members will then receive a revised copy of the By-Laws at the   next meeting.                                                                                               

ARTICLE V  

Disciplinary Action, Probation & Removal of Membership

Section 1.  Disciplinary Action:

Any action, which would reflect, dishonor and or bring disgrace to the Bux-Mont Bassmasters will cause disciplinary action to be taken. This action can be in the form of probation or dismissal from Bux-Mont Bassmasters. The responsibility of probation or dismissal of a member due to above mentioned infractions or noncompliance with the ethics of being a member of Bux-Mont Bassmasters lies solely with the Executive Board unless said infraction is of an automatic disciplinary nature. If disciplinary action is necessary, said penalty will be brought forward by the Executive Board and presented to the membership for a vote. If the vote passes according to the rules set forth for voting the penalty phase would be imposed.

Automatic Probation:

Three (3) months of missed dues by a member will put said member on Automatic probation. If said member can show due cause why they should not be put on probation (i.e. sickness, work) then a vote shall be taken by the membership to determine if probation will be imposed. A member who is put on probation will lose thirty (30) points off their Club Standings each time he or she is delinquent in dues for three (3) months. A member who is on Probation will not be a member in Good standing and therefore ineligible to participate in any Club functions until his or her probation has been completed and dues have been paid.

Dismissal:

                                 If a member misses five (5) meetings in a one year period without cause a vote will be                                         taken to remove said member.

                                If a member has been found cheating in a tournament a vote will be taken to remove                                            said member.

If a member is found to using drugs or alcohol during a tournament or to or from a tournament said member will be immediately dismissed from the club.                                                              

                                If a member voluntarily leaves the club he or she is required to due so in writing. A vote                                     to accept the removal of this member from the Club Roster will be taken and the                                           Secretary will make the appropriate notification to The Pa Federation (TBF) and the District.

ARTICLE VI – Fiduciary Matters

Section 1. Expenditures

A.    All expenditures of club money over One Hundred dollars ($100.00) must be brought    before the monthly meeting of the club by a motion from the floor then seconded. The motion on the expenditure will then be debated by the members. The motion would need a two thirds (2/3) vote to pass. All members in good standing will get to vote on all money matters. If a member in good standing is not present when the expenditure is being considered the Secretary will make a best effort attempt to contact that member for their vote. If this expenditure is of an emergency nature and must be dealt with before the next meeting, the Treasurer will notify all members by best means available (i.e. e-mail, phone etc.). The members vote will be recorded and all rules for voting will be applied. At the next meeting the vote will be recorded in the minutes with an explanation given.

B.    Expenditures up to One Hundred dollars ($100.00) can be made by a vote of the majority of the Officers without club debate. Notification of said expenditure will be made to the members at the next meeting.

C.    Expenditures of club monies over One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) will pertain to T.B.F. and Club functions ONLY. These expenditures must pass with a 2/3 Vote.

E.     All Motions for expenditures not dealing with T.B.F. or  normal business of club money will be handled on a one time personnel contribution by the members, unless said motion is unanimously voted on by all members.