Toronto Woodturners Guild

BY-LAWS

 

A. FEES AND DUES

1.         (a) The Executive shall set annual dues and initiation fees.

(b) Annual dues are only refundable with the approval of the Executive.

(c) There shall be an initiation fee for Regular members only.

(d) Annual membership fees are due in the first month of the membership

year, and should be paid by the second month for the member to

remain in good standing.

(e) Each and all Family members dues shall be 50% of the dues of a

Regular member. A "Family Group" shall pay only one initiation fee.

Only Regular members shall be entitled to vote.

(f) Special attendance fees may be established by the Executive to support

special events, such as guest speakers, seminars, work shops and extra

ordinary events. As much as possible, these events should be

financially self-supporting.

(g) New members may have annual dues pro-rated from April 1st for a

part year and such dues along with initiation fees are payable with the

application for membership.

 

B. THE EXECUTIVE

1. The Executive shall consist of the following members, elected at the

a) President

b) 1st Vice-President

c) 2nd Vice-President

d) Secretary

e) Treasurer

f) Membership Secretary

g) Editor

h) Executive Member At Large

2. Each member of the Executive Committee shall have one vote. The

President or Chairperson of the meeting may choose to exercise that vote

to break a tie vote, or to create a tie.

3. In the event that any office becomes vacant during the Guild year (January

through December) the Executive shall appoint a Regular member to fill

the vacancy.

4. Executive members shall be elected at the Annual Meeting for a two year

term according to the following plan.

A. Even numbered years B. Odd numbered years

President

2ndVicePresident

1st Vice President Secretary

Treasurer Editor of the Newsletter

Member-at-large Membership Secretary

In order to establish the alternating two year pattern, Executive nominees

running for election in 1999, in roles listed under column A, shall serve

for one year only. Those running for roles listed in column B shall serve

for two years. Thereafter, one half of the Executive will be elected in even

numbered years and one half in odd numbered years.

5. Executive Assistants may be appointed by the Executive Committee to assist

and work closely with specific Executive officers. Executive Assistants

may attend Executive Committee meetings but would only vote on

motions in the absence of the related Executive Officer.

 

C. EXECUTIVE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Note: Depending on the particular talents and time available by Executive

members, some minor transfer of the following duties may occur between

Executive members.

1. President

a) Presides over all meetings.

b) Acts as head of the Guild.

c) Signs any and all contractual documents on behalf of the Guild.

d) Shall be a signing officer for Guild cheques.

e) Presents an annual report for approval at the Annual meeting.

2. 1st Vice-President

a) In the absence of the President, acts in his/her place and stead.

b) Co-ordinates with 2nd Vice-President to plan and develop member

meeting programs.

3. 2nd Vice-President

a) Co-ordinates with 1st Vice-President to plan and develop members

meeting programs.

b) maintains library of Guild information for members use.

4. Secretary

a) Records the minutes of all meetings and distributes minutes to the

Executive in a timely manner.

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b) Conducts correspondence for the Guild and reports same to the

Executive.

c) Has custodial care of all documents relating to the Guild.

d) maintains a photo album or scrap book of Guild activities.

5. Treasurer

a) Receives all monies from the membership, donations, advertising

fees, etc. and issues receipts.

b) Maintains the Guild's bank account and may maintain a petty cash

fund not to exceed $100.00 (one hundred dollars).

c) Pays out such monies as are required by instruction of the

Executive. All major expenditures will have prior approval of 2/3

of the regular members present at the meeting.

d) Maintains an auditable set of financial records at all times, and

keeps the financial books available for examination by the

Executive at any Executive meeting.

e) Assists the President to prepare an annual budget.

f) Prepares an annual report for distribution to the membership and

such other reports as may be requested by the Executive from time

to time.

g) Communicates regularly with the Membership Secretary.

6. Membership Secretary

a) Distributes and receives applications for membership. Records and maintains information

b) Collects fees from members for renewing and new members, and

submits such funds to the Treasurer.

c) Maintains records, assigns membership numbers and membership

cards, notifies the Executive of those members who are in arrears in

payment of fees.

d) Communicates information on a regular basis to the Treasurer and Newsletter Editor with

7. Newsletter Editor

a) Publish newsletter.

8. Executive Member At Large

a) Assist all/or any Executive members.

b) At the request of the President, serves as the Executive representative

of various established committees, their chairpersons or co-ordinators.

9. Signing Officers

a) Signing officers for the financial affairs of the Guild shall be any 2

(two) of (i) the Treasurer (ii) The President (iii) The Secretary.

b) No officer or group of officers is empowered to incur debt in the

Guilds name.

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D. TERM OF OFFICE

a) Elections shall be held at an Annual meeting each year as outlined

under By-Law B (4)

b) The Executives shall be elected for a period of 2 (two) years, and will

assume office immediately and will remain in office, until replacement

successors are elected.

c) Between elections, vacancies shall be filled by Executive appointment

for the unexpired portion of the term.

E. REMOVAL OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

a) Removal of any elected officer(s) at anytime during their term of office

must be dealt with at a Special meeting called in accordance with the

By-Laws and called for that specific purpose.

b) Any motion made to remove elected officer(s) will require a 2/3 (twothirds)

majority vote by the Regular attending members.

F. METHOD OF ELECTION

a) A Nominating Committee will be established by the Executive to

prepare a slate of candidates to fill the positions described in By-Law

B.1.

b) The immediate Past President or a member appointed by the Executive,

will chair the Committee.

c) The Nominating Committee will consist of the immediate Past President

or a member appointed by the Executive to chair the Committee, the

President (ex-officio) and 2 (two) Regular members appointed by the

Executive.

d) Voting will be by secret ballot.

G. MEETINGS

1. Regular Meetings

a) The Executive shall schedule regular meetings each month for the

b) A night may be established by the Executive as a hands-on night and instruction for beginners on a monthly basis as needed.

c) A tentative schedule of regular meetings and hands-on nights for

d) Regular meetings shall be held in such premises and at times as arranged by the Executive.

2. Executive Meetings

a) Will be held at the call of the President or by 3 of the Executives. There

will be a minimum of one meeting per year at such location as agreed

upon by the Executive.

3. Annual Meetings

a) The Annual Meeting shall be held early in the membership year, or at

the end of the previous membership year.

b) All members are to be notified as to location, date and time.

4. Special Meetings

a) Shall be called by the Executive at its discretion or in response to a

proper petition by the Regular members.

b) All members are to be notified as to location, date and time.

H. CANCELLATION OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Guild may be cancelled by a majority vote of the

Executive if:

a) A member's actions are perceived to be detrimental to the interests of

or to the reputation of the Guild.

b) A member undertakes unauthorized actions or representations on

behalf of the Guild. This would include use of the name Toronto Woodturners Guild, the symbol “TWG", or the Guild Logo without prior written approval of the Executive.

c) A member exhibits disruptive or inappropriate conduct during

meetings.

d) A member fails to pay his/her membership dues within a reasonable

time of the date of renewal. Note: fees are due the first month of the

membership year.

I. SAFETY AND LIABILITY

1. All members are responsible for knowing and conducting themselves in

accordance with safety rules as established by the Executive.

2. Non-compliance with rental agreement regarding premises and equipment

Safety Rules, and/or behaviour dangerous to themselves or others may

result in ejection from the facilities.

3. Any member, guest or visitor at any Guild meeting or event under the

influence of alcohol or drugs shall be requested to leave immediately. A

repeat offence within a one year period may result in expulsion from the

Guild.

J. BUSINESS YEAR

The business year commences with the first meeting of the membership year.

K. DISSOLUTION OF THE GUILD

A dissolution may be proposed by a proper petition or by the Executive and voted

on by the Regular members. A 2/3 (two-thirds) majority vote shall be required

for approval of any plan or proposal, i.e. a 2/3 vote of the Regular members.