BY
LAWS OF THE CONNECTICUT MORGAN HORSE ASSOCIATION INC.
ARTICLE
I - NAME
The
name of this Corporation is the Connecticut Morgan Horse Association,
Inc. hereafter referred to as CMHA.
ARTICLE
II - MISSION
The
purpose of this Corporation is to promote the Morgan breed, preserve
its history, market its versatility and enhance its profile
statewide. The organization is committed to appealing to all levels
of involvement for its members and all levels of Morgan performance.
CMHA promotes educational activities, programs and events designed to
enhance Morgan horse education, use and appreciation. In particular,
youth involvement is stressed at all levels. By encouraging social
activities and sharing mutual interests in the Morgan horse, its
members gain a common bond that helps the organization accomplish its
goals
This
corporation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable
purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)3 of the Internal
Revenue Code. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles,
the organization, shall not carry on any other activities not
permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from Federal
Income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986.
Upon
winding up and dissolution of the corporation after paying or
adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the
corporation, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a
non-profit fund, foundation, or corporation which is organized and
operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, and or
scientific purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status
under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code.
ARTICLE
III - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
Any
person, whether or not a resident of Connecticut desirous of becoming
a member of CMHA, may apply in writing to the Membership Chairperson.
Such application shall be accompanied by payment of one year’s
dues. Membership shall become effective upon receipt of the
membership application and payment of dues that expire on October
31st
of the current fiscal year.
Section
2
Annual
dues shall be determined at the Annual Meeting for the fiscal year
beginning November 1st
or
as directed by the Board of Directors.
Section
3
There
shall be three types of membership: Active, Honorary and Life. Active
and Life Members shall be entitled to vote at meetings of the Club
and be elected to office.
A) Active membership shall include:
Individual
- entitled to vote;
Family
(includes
an individual or partners, and children
under 21)
entitled to two (2) votes per family and;
Youth
(under 21 years of age) – Youth age 18 and older are entitled to
vote.
B)
Honorary Membership shall be exempt from payment of dues. Honorary
Members shall be individuals who have distinguished themselves by
virtue of their interest in the Morgan Horse. Honorary Membership is
attained for a period of two years upon the proposal by the Board of
Directors and approval by a majority vote of the Club Members present
at any meeting.
C)
Life Membership shall be exempt from payment of dues and is attained
by serving as President of the Club.
Section
4
CMHA
dues are due on or before October 31st.
Any member whose dues are not paid by October 31st
shall
be judged delinquent. The Membership Chairperson shall cause a notice
of unpaid dues, containing a
reminder of the membership year, to be sent to any member who shall
be in default in the payment of dues for a period of two months after
such dues have been judged to be delinquent. If such member’s dues
shall remain unpaid thereafter, such membership shall terminate on
the 15th
day
after the mailing of such notice.
Section
5
In
order to qualify for year-end awards, membership
current prior to the
commencing of an approved show or event.
Section
6
All
CMHA officers and directors, as well as anyone wishing to serve on
any committee of the club, are required to maintain current
membership with CMHA.
ARTICLE
IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 1
Officers
of CMHA shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary,
and a Treasurer.
Section
2
The
Board of Directors of CMHA shall consist of the Officers, the
Immediate Past President and 4-8 Directors.
Section
3
The
Officers shall constitute the Executive Committee, which shall manage
the business and affairs of CMHA. The Executive Committee may
exercise all the powers and do all the things which may be exercised
by, or done by, CMHA subject to the provisions of the Law, the
Statutes of the State of Connecticut, the Certificate of
Incorporation, these By Laws, or any vote of the members to the
contrary.
Section
4
The
President, whose term of office shall be for two (2) years, shall
preside at all the meetings of CMHA and act as Chairperson of the
Executive Committee. The President shall appoint all committees, call
special meetings of CMHA and of the Executive Committee, and perform
all duties usually assigned to the office. The President will execute
all legal documents upon the majority vote of the Executive
Committee. Election to this office will be made at the regular Annual
Meeting of CMHA held in opposite years of the election of secretary
and treasurer.
Section
5
The
Vice President, whose term of office shall be two (2) years, shall,
in the absence or inability of the President, perform all the duties
of the President. Election to this office will be made at the regular
Annual Meeting of CMHA held in opposite years of the election of
secretary and treasurer.
Section
6
The
Secretary, whose term of office shall be two (2) years, shall conduct
all general correspondence of CMHA; shall send all notices of
meetings of CMHA and the Executive Committee; shall record accurate
minutes of such meetings upon the books and records of CMHA; and
shall retain copies of all pertinent and relevant records and
documents obtained from Committee members, Directors and Officers
(see Article VI, Section 8). Election to this office will be made at
the regular Annual Meeting of CMHA held in opposite years of the
election of president and vice president.
Section
7
The
Treasurer, whose term of office shall be two (2) years, shall receive
and keep records of all monies, debts, and other monetary obligations
of CMHA; shall have the authority to sign checks and make other
disbursements for the purpose of meeting the approved financial
obligations of CMHA; shall report and enter a complete financial
report to the members at the Annual Meeting; shall collect all monies
due CMHA; and have such other powers and perform such other duties as
the Executive Committee shall, from time to time, designate. The
Executive Committee may require the Treasurer to give such bonds for
faithful performance of his or her duties as they may from time to
time determine. Election to this office will be made at the regular
Annual Meeting of CMHA held in opposite years of the election of
president and vice president.
Section
8
Half
of the Directors will be elected in even numbered year and the other
half in odd numbered years.
Section
9
All
expenditures of the Club must be Board approved, either by individual
vote or as part of an approved budget. If an Officer, Director or
other Board or Committee member of the Club enters into a contract or
other obligation on the Club’s behalf that has not been previously
approved by the Board of Directors or as part of an approved budget,
that debt will become the sole financial responsibility of the
Officer, Director or other Board or Committee member making that
obligation.
ARTICLE
V - COMMITTEES
Section
1
The
President shall appoint all committees necessary to carry on the
business of CMHA except where otherwise noted. All committees will be
reviewed by the Board of Directors.
Section
2
The
Nominating Committee: Shall be appointed by March 1st
and
shall consist of three (3) active members of CMHA to be appointed a
two (2) year period. It shall be the duty of this Committee to
nominate two (2) members for each vacancy including Officer and
Director openings to be voted on at the Annual Meeting of CMHA. If
only one (1) candidate is available for a position, the Committee may
nominate only one (1) candidate.
Section
3
Membership
Committee: A Membership Chairperson shall be appointed by the
President.
Section
4
Any
Committee must seek approval of the Board as to any expenditure that
exceeds their total approved budget by one hundred ($100.00) dollars
or more. For CMOHS, any expenditure that exceeds their total approved
budget by one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars or more must be approved
by the Board.
Section
5
Budget
Committee: The Treasurer shall chair the Budget Committee. Said
Committee to be formed each year and shall be composed of the
President and two (2) members appointed by the membership. All
Committees shall submit an annual budget proposal to the Budget
Committee no later than November 1st
of
the fiscal year. This Committee shall submit a recommended budget to
the Board of Directors at the November Board Meeting. The final
budget will be available to the membership.
Section
6
Connecticut
Morgan Open Horse Show Committee: The Connecticut Morgan Open Horse
Show (CMOHS) committee chairperson
is appointed by the president; and coordinates meetings and
communicates updates to the president and board of directors. There
can be co-chairpersons or a single chairperson. If there are
co-chairs, one will be designated to report to the board. There are
formal policies with timelines and expected deliverables for the
horse show
committee to fulfill.
Section
7
Committee
& Club Records: Each Executive Committee member and Committee
Chairperson or committee member shall retain the records of their
position/committee in accordance with the club’s record retention
policy. Records include notes, procedures, online accounts, and
official documents related to the position/committee. The records of
each outgoing Executive Committee member or Committee Chairperson
shall be passed onto the incoming Executive Committee member or
Committee Chairperson along with a current job description (see also
Article VI, Section 8).
ARTICLE
VI - ELECTIONS
Section 1
Officers
shall be elected every two (2) years as outlined in Article IV,
Section 4 through 8.
Section
2
Two
(2) - four (4) Directors shall be elected every two (2) years
depending on the number of Directors on the slate for the given year.
In the event that the outgoing President declines to serve as a
Director, the Nominating Committee shall select an additional member
to fill the slate.
Section
3
At
least sixty (60) days before the Annual Meeting, the Nominating
Committee shall present to the Board of Directors a list of names
being considered for vacancies. The Nominating Committee shall make
the final decision on the slate and present it to the Secretary who
shall mail it to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the
Annual Meeting.
Section
4
Following
the report of the Nominating Committee, further nomination from the
floor will be accepted.
Section
5
The
Treasurer and Membership Chairperson shall confirm the eligibility of
the candidates by verifying that they are active or life members of
the club.
Section
6
Elections
shall be by closed ballot of those present or by proxy of those
absent. The ballots shall be counted by the Secretary and verified by
the Nominating Committee. The candidate or candidates receiving the
largest number of votes shall be elected. In the case of a tie, a
second ballot shall be cast eliminating the candidate(s) who did not
tie. If a second tie results, the candidate(s) having the longest
period of membership in CMHA shall be elected.
Section
7
If
a vacancy should occur on the Board of Directors during a member’s
term, this vacancy
can be filled by the Board of Directors. Such appointment shall
continue until the end of that position’s term.
Section
8
Passage
of all pertinent and relevant records and documents from outgoing
Committee members, Directors and Officers shall be kept on file in a
designated place of occupancy with the Secretary where they will be
available to the newly elected Committee members, Directors and
Officers in order to assist them in the performance of their duties.
ARTICLE
VII - MEETINGS
Section 1
There
shall be an Annual Meeting of the members at such time and place as
shall be designated by the Board of Directors and specified in the
notice of meeting. The Annual Meeting shall include budget approvals,
financial review results and elections of Officers and Directors.
Special meetings may be held from time to time upon the call of the
President or as provided by law.
Section
2
Meetings
of the Executive Committee may be held from time to time upon call by
the President or by request of five (5) or more members of the
Committee. All members of the Committee shall be notified in writing,
by telephone or in person at least twenty-four (24) hours before the
time of the meeting. Acknowledgement by all members of the Committee
is required so that it is known that all members of the Committee are
aware there is a special meeting.
Section
3
All
notices of meetings shall include the date, time,
place or meeting link, and agenda.
Section
4
Order
of business shall be: Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting,
report of the Secretary, report of the Treasurer, reports of standing
committees, reading of communications, unfinished business, election
and installations of Officers, new business, open discussions, and
adjournment.
Section
5
A
quorum of the Executive Committee, at a meeting of that body, shall
consist of three (3) voting members of that committee. A quorum of
the board of directors shall consist of six (6) voting members. A
quorum of the members at a meeting of the members shall consist of
ten (10) percent of the membership present and voting in
person.
Section
6
Officers
and members of the Board of Directors missing more than three (3)Executive
Committee meetings held during CMHA’s fiscal year shall be reviewed
by the Board of Directors and face possible expulsion. A member
facing expulsion may appeal his/her case to the Executive Committee
for review.
Section
7
All
members of the Corporation shall be furnished electronically with:
- An up-to-date copy of the By Laws upon joining CMHA and whenever the
By Laws are completely revised and a new printing is ordered by the
Board of Directors.
- A copy of the minutes of the meeting of the general membership, if
requested in writing.
Section
8
A
copy of the list of members, together with a copy of the annual
fiscal statement of CMHA and a copy of the latest annual financial
statement of the results of any fiscal function shall be made
available for inspection by any member at each Board of Directors
meeting as well as at the Annual Meeting of the members. In addition
thereto, copies of any of the above shall be furnished to a member
upon request in writing upon the condition that such member reimburse
the CMHA for all reasonable expenses incurred in providing such
material.
ARTICLE
VIII – FINANCIAL REVIEWS
Section
1
The
books of account of the Treasurer shall be reviewed annually, or as
otherwise directed by the Board of Directors, and any members that
submit a request to the Board of Directors. The results of this
review shall be available upon request.
ARTICLE
IX - AMENDMENTS
Section
1
Any
of the By Laws may be amended, repealed or changed by a quorum vote
of the members present and voting at any Annual Meeting of CMHA. In
the notice of the meeting to the members, the proposed amendment,
repeal or change must be clearly stated.
Revised
–March
9th,
2022