Iowa City Chinese Association Bylaws

 

 

ARTICLE I    GENERAL 

 

Section 1   Name

                   

The name of this organization shall be Iowa City Chinese Association, hereinafter referred to as ICCA.

 

Section 2   Purpose

                   

The purpose of ICCA shall be to organize social events promoting Chinese culture heritance and fellowship inside and outside the Chinese community in the Iowa City area.

 

ARTICLE II     MEMBERS

 

Section 1   Classes of Members

               

ICCA shall have one class of members.

                   

Section 2   Appointment of Members
                   

Membership is open to any person who is 18 years old or older and supports the purpose of the ICCA and who is of good character, regardless of sex, religion, race, color national and ethnic origin. Appointment of a member should be automatic upon the acceptance by ICCA of the appropriate annual membership fee, but such membership shall not be provisional until the adjournment of the Executive Council meeting next following the acceptance by ICCA of such membership fee. The Executive Council shall have the power to rescind any provisional membership in its judgment such action would be the best interest of ICCA.

 

Section 3   Maintenance of Membership

                   

Membership of ICCA may be maintained by the member on a year to year basis by paying to ICCA the appropriate annual dues.

 

Section 4   Dues

                   

The amount of annual dues shall be set by a majority vote of the Executive Council. Dues are payable on or before the annual meeting and should cover the period of that entire calendar year.

Section 5   Voting Rights

Each member shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the membership. Votes may be delivered in person, by post, electronic mail or fax.

 

Article III   Meeting of Members

Section 1 Membership Meeting

There will be a Meeting of ICCA members at the annual Chinese New Year celebration organized by ICCA. The Membership Meeting will be chaired by the first of the following people who is present: the President, the Vice President, the most senior Trustee. At the Membership Meeting, business matters may be discussed, and motions may be made and voted on.

Motions other than amendments to the bylaws will require a 50% majority and will be advisory only. However, the reasons for rejecting such a motion must be explained to the members in the next edition of the Association of Automated Reasoning newsletter. Ties may be broken by a vote of the Trustees.

Proposed amendments to the bylaws are addressed in accordance with Article IX, Section 1.

Section 2  Place of Meeting

The Board of Trustees may designate any place within the State of Iowa as the place of meeting for any membership meeting or for any special meeting called by the Board of Trustees.

Section 3  Quorum

The members present at any meeting regularly held at a conference sponsored by the corporation shall constitute a quorum at such meeting. At any other meeting of the members, twenty (20%) percent of the members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 4  Proxies

At any meeting of members, a member entitled to vote may vote by proxy executed in writing by the member or by his or her duly authorized attorney in fact. No proxy shall be valid after sixty (60) days from the date of its execution, unless otherwise provided in the proxy. A given member may serve as the attorney in fact, and cast a vote, for at most one member.

Section 5  Closing of Membership Books and Fixing Record Date

For the purpose of determining members entitled to notice of or entitled to vote at any meeting of members or any adjournment thereof, or in order to make a determination of members for any purpose, the Executive Council may provide that membership books shall be closed a period not to exceed forty (40) days. In lieu of closing the membership books, the Executive Council may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of members, such date in any case to be not less than ten (10) days prior to the date on which the particular action requiring such determination of members is to be taken. If the membership books are not closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of members entitled to notice or entitle to vote at a meeting of members, the date on which the notice of the meeting is mailed shall be the record date of such determination of members.

Section 6  Notice of Meetings

Written notice stating the place, day and hour of the meting, and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called and the person or persons calling the meeting, shall be delivered, by or at the direction of the president, secretary, officer, person or persons calling the meeting, either by email or by mail to each member of ICCA:

(1) If notice of the meeting is mailed, such notice shall be delivered not less than ten (10) days nor more than sixty (60) before the date of the meeting and shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the member at his address as it appears on the membership books of ICCA, with postage prepaid.

(2) If the notice of the meeting is delivered by email, such notice shall be delivered not less than five (5) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting and shall be deemed delivered when actually received by a member.

 

Section 7  List of Members

A list of members as of the record date shall be open for inspection at any meeting of members. The list shall be prepared by or under the direction of, and shall be certified by, the secretary.

 

Article IV  Board of Trustees

Section 1  General Powers

Board of Trustees shall manage the election or dismiss of President; approval of members of the Executive Council.

Section 2 Number, Qualification and Tenure

Subsection 2.0 Membership of Board of Trustees

There will be up to six elected Trustees plus the ex-President of the previous year.

Subsection 2.1 Nominations of Trustees

Nominations for Trustee positions may be made by any member of ICCA, by email, to be received by the Trustees up to or during the next upcoming business meeting. Two members are required to make a nomination. No member may make more than one nomination. To be eligible, nominees must be ICCA members, must give their permission, and must meet the conditions set forth in x2.2 below. An election as described in x2.3 below will be held within thirty days of the business meeting for the purpose of selecting nominees to become Trustees.

Subsection 2.2 Terms of Trustees

The elected Trustees shall have terms of office that begin with the election after the members business meeting at which they are nominated, and end with the third subsequent trustees election. No Trustee may serve three successive elected terms of office. The current President will be Trustee after his/her period of appointment for one year.  

Subsection 2.3 Election of Trustees

New members of the Board of Trustees shall be elected at the member meeting, using an voting tool chosen by the Board of Trustees. The election will be held within thirty days of the business meeting that marks the close of nominations and shall be binding on the Trustees.

Subsection 2.4 Vacancies

Trustee positions which become unexpectedly vacant due to resignation, death, or for other reasons, may be filled at the email election taking place subsequent to the following member meeting, or in a Special Election.

Section 3  Meetings

A meeting of the Board of Trustees may be called by any two Trustees. The Trustees calling a meeting of the Board may fix any place within the State of Iowa as the place for holding any meeting of the Board called by them. The Trustees may hold meetings via electronic mail or in person, as they choose.

Section 4  Quorum

A majority of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board; but if less than a majority of the Trustees are present at said meeting, the Trustees present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice for a period not to exceed six (6) months.

Section 5  Manner of Acting

The act of a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Trustees, unless the act of a greater number is required by law or by these By-Laws.

Section 6  Compensation

Trustees as such shall not receive any stated salaries for their services; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Trustee from serving ICCA in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefore.

 

ARTICLE V    EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

 

Section 1   General Powers

                   

The affairs of ICCA shall be managed by the Executive Council.

 

Section 2   Number and Qualifications

                   

The number of council members shall be five (5), and this number shall constitute the entire Council. Each council member must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and a member in good standing of ICCA.

 

 

Section 6   Officers

           

ICCA shall have a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and any other officers deemed necessary by the Executive Council.

a. President - The president shall serve as the chief executive officer of ICCA. The president shall exercise general supervision over and control the affairs of the corporation and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the council are carried into effect.

b. Secretary - The secretary shall be a council member and elected by the Council. The secretary shall have the following duties:

(1) Keep or cause to be kept of records of the proceedings and actions of the members and the Council in one or more books provided for that purpose;

(2) See that all notices are duly given in accordance with these by-laws or as required by law;

(3) Be custodian of ICCA records;

(4) Keep a register of the names and the addresses of each member; and

(5) In general perform all duties incident to the office of secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the president or the Council.

c. Treasurer - The treasurer shall be a council member and elected by the Council. The president must not be the treasurer. The treasurer shall have the following duties:

(1) Have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds and securities of ICCA;

(2) Receive and give receipts for money due and payable to ICCA from any source whatsoever, and deposit such moneys in the name of ICCA in such depositories as shall be selected by the Council;

(3) Forward a copy of source documents of ICCA’s financial activities to the assistant secretary; and

(4) In general perform all duties incident to the office of treasurer and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the president or the Council.

d. Assistant Secretary - The assistant secretary shall be appointed by the president with he consent of the Council. The assistant secretary shall assist the Secretary and perform the following duties:

(1) Keep and be custodian of the financial records of ICCA; and

                       (2) Prepare or cause to be prepared of financial statements of ICCA.

 

Section 3   Election and Term of Office

                   

The President will be nominated by Board of Trustees and approved by the Membership Meeting. The other members of the executive council will be nominated by the President and approved by Board of Trustees. Each council member shall hold office until the next annual meeting of members and until his successor has been elected and approved. The term of President is one-year and no president can serve more than three consecutive years.

 

 

Section 4   Removal of Council Members

 

Any or all council members can be removed without cause by a vote of a membership meeting called upon by the Board of Trustees.

 

Section 5   Vacancies

                   

When the position of President is vacant before an annual meeting, Board of Trustees will appoint an interim President until the next Membership Meeting.

When the Executive Council other than the President has a vacancy occurring, the President may nominate any ICCA member approved by the Board of Trustees.

 

Section 7   Compensation

                   

Council members shall not receive any salaries for their services as Council members; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Council members from receiving reasonable compensation for other services provided to ICCA.

 

Section 8   Public Statements

                   

No member of ICCA may make statements on behalf of ICCA without the approval of the Council.

 

 

Section 9   Meeting of the Executive Council

 

                  a. Regular Meeting - The president shall call a Council meeting after an annual             meeting of members.

b. Special Meetings - Special meetings can be called by the president or any four members of the Council with location and time determined by the person(s) calling such meeting.

c. Notice of Meetings - The notice of meeting of a Council meeting shall be sent to each Council member by any usual means of communication not less than five (5) days before the meeting. Attendance of a Council member at a meeting shall constitute waiver of notice of such meeting.

  d. Quorum and Vote of Council Members - A majority of the Council members then in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the vote of a majority of Council members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Executive Council.

 

ARTICLE VI     BYLAW AMENDMENT PROCEDURE

 

Section 1   Proposal of Amendment

 

Amendment to these bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Council on its own initiative or upon the application of any 20 active members of ICCA.

 

Section 2   Publication

 

Proposed amendment shall be sent to each member at least 30 days prior to the meeting at which they are to be voted upon or the due date when a mail ballot is to be counted.

 

Section 3   Approval

 

Amendment to the bylaws shall require approval of two-thirds of the voting members present and voting at a meeting of members at which a quorum is present, or by a majority of all members in a mail ballot.