I have a revised constitution that will be on the ballot for members to vote on. There are many changes from our existing constitution, but the main theme is to make it less ridged and less restrictive while spreading out the secretarial duties, so that 90+% of the work isn't on one person. Please support it when you receive your ballot.
Ameraucana Alliance Constitution – proposal 9/22/2018
Article I – Name
This organization shall be known as the Ameraucana Alliance.
Article II – Mission
Our mission is simple…an alliance of folks focused on the promotion of standard bred Ameraucana chickens and positive support for those interested in standard bred Ameraucana chickens.
Article III – Membership
Any person may become a member upon payment of the annual dues. However, a member may be expelled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors for acts deemed harmful to the Ameraucana breed and/or this organization.
Article IV – Dues
Annual dues shall be set by the Board of Directors and shall be payable on January 1st for each calendar year.
Article V – Organization
Section 1. The officers comprising the Board of Directors shall consist of the following:
President
Club Director (2 to 6 positions)
Section 2. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership to a term of two
years beginning on the first day of January following the election.
Section 3. Open positions on the Board of Directors shall be filled by a person selected by the President and approved by the Board of Directors. If the President is unable to serve, the remaining members of the Board of Directors will select a replacement, from the Board, by majority vote.
BY-LAWS
Article 1 - President
The President shall be Chairman of the Board and responsible for the execution of the Constitution & Bylaws and shall receive and process all proposals for their amendment. The President may preside at club meetings or appoint another member to preside. The President shall appoint an Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner for the biennial election. Committees, headed by a Board member, may be appointed by the President and he/she shall assign duties to officers and members that volunteer. The President shall endeavor to see that all officers properly discharge their duties and may assist with any duties as he/she sees fit.
Article 2 – Honorary Vice President(s)
The Board of Directors may establish a policy concerning an honorary (non-voting) Vice President(s).
Article 3 - Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall control the affairs of the club at all times. Policy decisions require the President to allow a discussion period by the board followed by a vote, with only a consensus needed for issues of lesser importance. The Directors shall remove from office any officer, upon majority vote of the Board, for misconduct or failure to adequately perform the duties assigned. Directors shall be responsible for actively promoting the club and its' activities and take an active part in the recruitment of new members. They shall contribute quarterly reports/articles to be published in Ameraucana Newsletters. All Board members are expected to help with secretarial duties at the request and upon appointment of the President. Volunteer members, other than officers, may also help with secretarial duties when appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board. These duties may include the placing of club meets, reporting meet results for the newsletter, sending club awards to members, calculating exhibitor points, publishing the quarterly Ameraucana Newsletter, acting as webmaster and other duties related to the internet and social media, organizing and facilitating the club’s National Meet and any other areas as needed. Each Board member may be an Administrator on any internet forum and social media site that the club has.
One director will also act as Treasurer upon appointment by the President. The Treasurer shall have access to all monetary accounts of the club. The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due the club, pay all bills undertaken by it, and publish a “Treasurer’s Report†in the club Newsletters.
The Treasurer shall surrender all pertinent files, monies, and other club property to the new Treasurer at the expiration of his term of office in a timely fashion.
Article 4 – Ameraucana Newsletter
Our Ameraucana Newsletter is our official means to disseminate information to our membership, but since it is only received quarterly the board may also use our Ameraucana Forum (Ameraucana.org) and/or email to communicate information it feels is relevant.
Article 5 - Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner
An Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner shall be appointed by the President by August 20th of an election year. They cannot be current officers or on the ballot for office. The Commissioner may receive ballots via email, thru an online voting site and by U.S. Mail. The Commissioner shall tally them and promptly forward the results and the ballots to the Assistant Election Commissioner. The Assistant will then forward only the official election results to all Board members. The Assistant Election Commissioner shall retain the ballots until December 31st, in case of any challenges to the election, and then all ballots and copies shall be destroyed.
Article 6 - Election of Officers
Officers shall be elected every two years. Any continuous member (no lapse in membership) for at least 12 months that is not also a member of another Ameraucana breed club (due to any possible conflict of interest), may run as a candidate for office. Candidates for President must also have first served at least one full two year term on the Board of Directors, before taking the office of President. Candidates must notify the President by October 1st of their candidacy. Ballots shall be prepared by and mailed by a Director, appointed by the President, to members by October 15th. Completed ballots must be received by the Election Commissioner by November 1st. When there is only one candidate for any office, including any write-in canidates, that person will be elected by acclamation. No officer shall have more than one voting position on the Board of Directors. The official election results shall be included in the Winter Newsletter and the new officers shall assume office on January 1st.
Article 7 - Sanctioned Meets
The Board of Directors shall approve a Meet Policy to govern our sanctioned meets at poultry shows.
Article 8 – Annual Meeting
An annual meeting, open to all members, shall take place each year in conjunction with our Ameraucana National Meet whenever feasible.
Article 9 - Interpretation
A simple majority (more than half of all ballots cast) is required for passage of membership votes and an absolute majority (a majority of all Board members, not just those who voted) is required for passage of Board of Director votes. Email counts as “Mailâ€. In all cases of dispute arising from interpretation of the Constitution and Bylaws of this club, and on all other matters not covered herein, a majority vote of the Board of Directors shall decide the issue. Such decisions shall be declared final.
Article 10 - Amendments
Any proposal to amend or alter the Constitution and/or Bylaws of the Ameraucana Alliance shall be submitted to the President by October 1st of an election year. He or she will in turn submit the proposal to the entire Board of Directors who will vote whether to place the proposal before the membership for a vote. Proposals passed favorably by the Board of Directors shall be included on the ballot with the biennial election of officers. If adopted the amendment shall become effective on January 1st following the election. The amended Constitution and Bylaws shall be included with the Winter Newsletter.
