BY LAWS | Tucson Kennel Club

BYLAWS OF TUCSON KENNEL CLUB, INC.

Revised March 18, 2003

ARTICLE 1.

Name and Objects

SECTION 1. The name of the club shall be TUCSON KENNEL CLUB

SECTION 2. The objects of the CLUB shall be:

to further the advance of all breeds of pure-bred dogs:
to do all in its power and advance the interests of all breeds of pure-bred dogs and to encourage sportsmanlike competition at dogs shows and obedience trails;
to conduct sanctioned matches, dog shows and obedience trails under the rules of the American Kennel Club;
to promote education regarding the breeding, training, exhibiting and care of pure-bred dogs;
to support research into genetic and other health and welfare problems of pure-bred dogs.

SECTION 3. The Club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or residue from dues or donations to the Club shall inure to the benefits of any member or individual.

SECTION 4. The members of the Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such bylaws as may be required to carry out these objectives.

ARTICLE II.

Membership

SECTION 1. Eligibility. There shall be five types of membership open to all person who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purpose of this club.

Regular membership – open to all persons eighteen years of age and older. Regular members enjoy all the privileges of the Club including voting and holding office.
Honorary membership – consisting of those persons elected by the Board of Directors to honorary memberships for an indefinite term by reason of their support and endeavors on behalf of this club. Honorary members shall not be required to pay dues and cannot vote. No honorary member shall be or become an office of the Club, a members of its honorary members may be increased or decreased from time to time by the Board of Directors.
Life membership – consisting of those persons elected by the Board of Directors to life memberships by reason of their past support of and endeavors on behalf of the Club. Life members may vote and shall have the same rights as regular members, but shall not be required to pay dues.
Junior membership – open to persons ten (10) to seventeen (17) years of age. Junior members may not vote or hold office. Such members may apply for regular membership upon reaching their eighteenth birthday.
Associate membership – open to all persons eighteen years of age or older. Associate members enjoy all the privileges of the Club with the exception of voting and holding office. Such members may apply for Regular membership without paying an initiation fee.

While membership is to unrestricted as to residence, the Club’s primary purpose is to representative of the breeders and exhibitors in its immediate area.

SECTION 2. Dues. Regular membership dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors subject to approval by a vote of the membership, and payable on or before the 1st day of June of each year, for the fiscal year. No member whose dues are not paid for the fiscal year may vote. During the month of April, the secretary shall send to each member a statement of his or her dues for the ensuing year.

SECTION 3. Election to membership. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of Tucson Kennel Club, Inc. and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the name, address and occupation of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two members in good standing. Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit and initiation fee in the ten current amount as fixed by the Board, together with the dues for the current fiscal year. The applicant shall have attended at least three meeting of the Club as a guest, prior to submitting his application.

An applicant may not be sponsored by an immediate family member nor may two immediate family members sponsor the same applicant. In order to sponsor an applicant, a members must have been in the Club for two years. A member may sponsor only two applicants per fiscal year.

All applications are to be filed with the secretary, who shall deliver them to the Membership Committee for handling as mentioned in Article VI, Section 1-B. The Board of Directors, at one of the next two Club meetings, shall recommend to the membership, as to each such application, that the applicant is recommended for members or that the applicant is not recommended for membership. The application shall then be voted on by the membership, and affirmative votes of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant.

The applicant shall not be present at any portion of the meeting with the voting on his or her membership application takes place.

Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply within six-months after such rejection.

SECTION 4. Termination of membership. Members may be terminated:

by resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon written notice to the secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year;
by lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid 9 – days after the first day of the year; however the Board may grant an additional 90 days of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. In no case may a person by entitled to vote at any Club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting;
by expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VII of these bylaws.

ARTICLE III.

Meetings and Voting.

SECTION 1. Club Meetings. At least six (6) meetings of the Club shall be held each year within the greater Tucson area at such time, place and date as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by first class mail by the Secretary or announced in the Club bulletin at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such meetings shall be twenty percent (20%) of the members in good standing.

SECTION 2. Special Club Meetings. Special Club meetings may be called by the President, or by a majority vote of the members of the Board who are present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the Board, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the club who are in good standing.

Such special meetings shall be held within the greater Tucson area, at such place, date and hour as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least five (5) days and not more than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting, and said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other Club business may be transacted. The quorum for such a meeting shall be twenty percent (20%) of the members in good standing.

SECTION 3. Board Meetings. Meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held in or within the greater Tucson area at such time and place as may be designed by the President. The Secretary shall notify the Board members prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

SECTION 4. Special Board Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three (3) members of the Board. Such special meetings shall be held within the greater Tucson areas at such place, date and hour as maybe designated by the person authorized herein to call such a meeting. The members of the Board shall be notified by the Secretary prior to the date of the meeting, stating the purpose of the meeting, and no other business shall be transacted. A quorum for such a meeting is a majority of the Board.

SECTION 5. Voting. Each member in good standing, one whose dues are paid for the current fiscal year, shall be entitled to one (1) vote at any meeting of the Club at which he or she is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election.

SECTION IV.

Directors, Officers and American Kennel Club Delegate.

SECTION 1. The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, immediate past President, who is a voting member, and three (3) other persons, one of which three persons shall be elected each year for a three-year term at the Club’s annual meetings as provided in Article V; this Board member cannot succeed himself or herself. The term for officers is one (1) year. The President may serve two (2) successive terms; the Vice President may serve two (2) successive terms; the Secretary may serve five (5) successive terms; the Treasurer may serve five (5) successive terms; the immediate past President shall service until a new president takes office.

General management of the Club’s affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. Officers. The Club’s officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board, and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President in additional to those particularly specified in these bylaws.
The Vide President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President’s death, absence or incapacity.
The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He or she shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify new members of their election to membership, notify officers and directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses, collect all dues (delivering same to the Treasurer), and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in these bylaws.
The Treasurer shall receive all monies due or belonging to the Club. He or she shall deposit the same in a federally insured depository designated by the Board, in the name of the Club. His or her books shall be at all times open to inspection of the Board and he or she shall report them at every meeting the condition of the Club’s finances; and at the annual meeting he or she shall render an account to the membership. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such amount as the Board of Directors shall determine, and the Club shall pay the bond premium. The funds of the Club in its checking accounts shall be disbursed for obligations approved by the membership or by the Board of directors by check which shall bear the signature of the Treasurer. In the event of the absences or inability of the Treasurer to act, such disbursements may be made by checks bearing the signature of the President. The President shall also be bonded at the Club’s expense, in such amount as the Board shall determine. Withdrawals of funds of the Club from its savings account or certificates of deposit, approved by the members or by the Board of Directors, shall require the signatures of any two of the following: President, Secretary and Treasurer.

SECTION 3. The American Kennel Club Delegate. The American Kennel Club Delegate may be an officer of the Club or any member in good standing. The Delegate shall represent the Club at American Kennel Club Delegate meetings. He shall attend the Delegates’ meetings when instructed by the membership. The Club shall pay the Delegate’s expenses. He shall keep the Club informed of all information he receives from the American Kennel Club. The Delegate is to be appointed by the Board for a term of three (3) years with no limit to the number of terms he may serve.

SECTION 4. Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among officers or AKC Delegate during the year shall be filled for the unexpired term by a majority vote of all the ten members of the Board at its first regular meeting following the creation of such vacancy, or at a special Board meeting called for that purpose; except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled automatically by the Vice President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice President shall be filled by the Board.

ARTICLE V.

The Club Year, Annual Meeting, Elections.

SECTION 1. Club Year. The Club’s fiscal year and membership year shall begin on the 1st day of June and end on the 31st day of May.

The Club’s official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the election at the annual meeting and shall continue through the election at the next annual meeting.

SECTION 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting shall be held in the month of May, at which Officer and Directors for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret, written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. They shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his or her successor all properties and records relating to that office within 30 days after the election.

SECTION 3. Elections. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each position shall be declared elected.

SECTION 4. Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of February the President, subject to the Board’s approval, shall select a nominating committee consisting of five (5) members (including the chairman) and two alternates, and only one of said members and alternates shall be a member of the Board. The Board shall name a chairman and it shall be his duty to call a committee meeting on or before March 15. The President shall announce the names of the chairman, committeemen and alternates to the members at the Club meeting held in February.

The Nominating Committee shall nominate one (1) candidate for each office and one (1) candidate for the open Board position, and after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nomination to the Secretary in writing.
The Secretary shall, at least ten (10) days before the April meeting, notify the membership of the candidates so nominated.
Additional nominations may be made at the April meeting by a member in attendance provided that the person so nominated accepts when his name is proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, his or her proposer shall present of the Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his or her willingness to be a candidate. No person may be a candidate for more than one (1) position, and the additional nominations which are provided for herein may be made only from those members who have not accepted a nomination of the Nominating Committee.
Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than as provided in this Section.

ARTICLE VI.

Committees.

SECTION 1. The Board shall each year appoint the following three (3) standing committees to advance the work of the Club: Bench Show Committee, Membership Committee and Auditing Committee; and the President at his discretion may appoint other committees to carry on the business of the Club.

The Bench Show Committee shall consist of seven or more members of the Club. Its duties shall be to handle and arrange matters pertaining to the putting on of dog shows and obedience trails under the direction and with the approval of the Board of Directors.
The Membership Committee shall consist of three (3) members of the Club. Its duties shall be to receive from the Secretary all applications for membership, to investigate the applicants and to report its findings to the desirability of each applicant for membership in Tucson Kennel Club, Inc. to the Board of Directors in time for the Board to consider such finding and to make its recommendation to the membership as set forth in Article II, Section 3. No more than one (1) member of a family shall serve on this committee at any time.
The Auditing Committee shall consist of three (3) members of the Club, and its duty shall be to expedite an annual audit of the books within ninety (90) days after the annual meeting.

SECTION 2. Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee, and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have been terminated.

ARTICLE VII.

Discipline.

SECTION 1. American Kennel Club Suspension. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of The American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of this Club for a like period.

SECTION 2. Charges. Any members may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of ten dollars ($10.00) which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board meeting, and the Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club. If the Board considered that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club, it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date of a hearing by the Board not less than three (3) week nor more than six (6) weeks. The Secretary shall promptly send one (1) copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his or her own defense and bring witnesses if he or she wishes.

SECTION 3. Board Hearing. The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treating uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained, after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six (6) months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to appear before his or her fellow members at the ensuring Club meeting which considered the Board’s recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, its finding shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board’s decision and penalty, if any.

SECTION 4. Expulsion. Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board’s recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. Such proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within sixty (60) days but not earlier than thirty (30) days after the date of the Board’s recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his or her own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board’s finding and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his or her own her behalf if he or she wishes. The members shall then vote by secretly written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board’s suspension shall stand.

ARTICLE VIII.

Amendments.

SECTION 1. Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty present of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three (3) months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

SECTION 2. The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting at any regular or special meeting called for the purpose, provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each members at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

SECTION 3. No amendments to the bylaws that is adopted by the Club shall become effective until it has been approved by the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club.

ARTICLE IX.

Dissolution.

The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the Club, other than for purposes of reorganization, whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any members of the Club, but after payment of the debts of the Club, its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE X.

Order of Business.

SECTION 1. At meetings of the Club, the order of business so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:

Minutes of the last meeting

Report of the President

Report of the Secretary

Report of the Treasurer

Report of Committees

Election of Officers and Board (at annual meeting)

Election of new members

Unfinished business

New Business

Adjournment

SECTION 2. At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote of those present shall be as follows:

Reading of minutes of last meeting

Report of Secretary

Report of Treasurer

Report of Committees

Unfinished business

New business

Adjournment

ARTICLE XI.

Parliamentary authority.

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws or any special Rules of Order the Club may adopt.

ARTICLE XII.

It shall be known that this Club was originally organized as an associated on July 15, 1929, and incorporated in 1944. The corporate charter was later renewed for an additional period of 25 years from and after December 18, 1969.

CLUB

HISTORY

CLUB

HISTORY

CLUB

HISTORY

CLUB

HISTORY

CLUB

HISTORY