WEST ISLAND MODULAR RAILROAD CLUB
BY-LAWS
BY-LAW I
NAME
Article 1 The club shall be known as the: “WEST ISLAND MODULAR RAILROAD CLUB” in English, hereinafter called the “Club”.
BY-LAW II
PURPOSE OF CLUB
Article 1 To maintain and operate, on a regular basis, an HO scale, modular, model train layout.
Article 2 To share information and modeling tips among members, and have fun operating model trains.
BY-LAW III
CLUB LOGO
Article 1 The Club logo shall be as follows:
BY-LAW IV
MEMBERSHIP
Article 1 (as amended March 14, 2006) There shall be three classes of members; Junior Member (ages 12 to 17), Regular Member (ages 18 and older) and Family Member (spouse or child (age 12 to 17) of Regular Member), generally known as “Members”.
Article 2 Children younger than twelve (12) shall only be permitted on the Club premises under the supervision of a parent or guardian who is a Regular Member.
Article 3 Subject to Article 5, a person shall be considered to be a Member in good standing as long as his/her membership dues are no more than one month in arrears.
Article 4 A Member may resign at any time by giving notice in writing and shall have returned to him/her any amount of prepaid membership dues that is greater than one month’s dues.
Article 5 A Member may be asked to resign the club should his/her behavior be considered unacceptable to Regular Members. The decision to terminate a Member shall be based on a majority vote cast by Regular Members. The vote by open ballot shall take place at a Club meeting specifically called in writing by the President to discuss the matter. Regular Members unable to attend such a meeting may cast their vote in writing through the President. The Member in question shall have the right to attend this meeting to give his/her side of the matter before the vote is taken. A Member so terminated shall be refunded any amount of prepaid dues that is greater than one month’s dues.
Article 6 A Member shall be considered to have automatically resigned from the Club should he/she fail to pay any amount of his/her membership dues in arrears within one month of being requested in writing to do so by the Board of Directors.
BY-LAW V
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Article 1 Membership dues shall be paid by one of two methods; monthly – paid 12 months of the year, or annually.
Article 2 The amount for membership dues shall be set, and may be adjusted, by a majority vote of Regular Members at an AGM or any meeting specifically called in writing by the President to discuss the matter. Regular Members unable to attend such a meeting may cast their vote in writing through the President.
Article 3 Members who elect to pay annually shall pay their dues to the Treasurer no later than July 15th of the applicable year. Members who elect to pay monthly shall pay their dues to the Treasurer at the first Club meeting of the applicable month.
Article 4 A Member may, in writing to the Secretary, request an exemption from the payment of dues for a period of absence from club activities of up to six months. Any such exemption request shall be subject to review by the Board of Directors and the terms of approval shall be at the discretion of the Board.
Article 5 A Member who voluntarily resigns from the Club shall be refunded membership dues in accordance with Article 4 of By-Law IV
BY-LAW VI
INITIATION FEE
Article 1 (As amended September 19, 2008) A person who joins the Club, or who rejoins the Club after a period of absence of more than twelve months, shall pay a non-refundable initiation fee to become a Club Member.
Article 2 The amount of the initiation fee shall be set, and may be adjusted, by a majority vote of the Regular Members at an AGM or any other meeting specifically called in writing by the President to discuss the matter. Regular Members unable to attend such a meeting may cast their vote in writing through the President.
Article 3 A new Member shall be permitted to spread the payment of his/her initiation fee over a period of up to six months from the start of his/her membership.
BY-LAW VII - RÈGLEMENT # 7
PROBATION
Article 1 A new Member shall be subject to a twelve month probationary period. During this period, any new Member may be asked to leave the Club should his/her behavior be considered unacceptable to the other members. In such case the terms of Article 5 of By-law IV shall apply.
BY-LAW VIII
DIRECTORS
Article 1 A Board of four Directors shall be elected by the Regular Members to manage the operations of the Club. The Directors shall be the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
Article 2 The Directors shall serve a term of one year. Their election shall take place at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). They shall serve as Directors until the next AGM.
Article 3 The President shall be responsible for duties including; formal communications with external organizations, setting the date for the AGM or other formal meetings called to discuss Club business, serving as chairperson at Club meetings, settling disputes among Members, and designating duties to consenting Members.
Article 4 The Vice President shall be responsible to act as President when the President is absent or unavailable to carry out the President’s responsibilities.
Article 5 (as amended September 15, 2006 and September 19, 2008) The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records of the Club, collection of membership dues, control of disbursements of funds and presentation of financial statements. The Treasurer shall present an annual financial statement to the Board and to the Members at the AGM, following Board approval. The Treasurer shall also present fiscal year quarterly financial statements at the first Board meeting following the end of each quarter. Each quarterly and annual financial statement shall describe, as a minimum, for the applicable period: opening balance, details of income received and disbursements made and closing balance. The Treasurer may also act as President when both the President and the Vice President are absent or unavailable to carry out their responsibilities.
Article 6 The Secretary shall be responsible to take the minutes of the AGM and other Club formal meetings, distribution of minutes to Club Members, and for the receipt and distribution of internal and external correspondence as required
Article 7 (as amended September 15, 2006) A Director may, by writing to others of the Board, resign before his/her term is over. In such event, a replacement shall be elected by a majority of Regular Members at a formal meeting called for this purpose. A temporary replacement may be appointed by the remaining Directors until a permanent replacement is elected. The new Director shall serve as Director until the next AGM.
BY-LAW IX
FISCAL YEAR
Article 1 For financial purposes, the fiscal year of the Club shall be July 1st of one year to June 30th of the next year.
BY-LAW X
BANK ACCOUNT
(Added September 15, 2006)
Article 1 The Club’s bank account shall be kept in a chartered bank, or other financial institution, as determined by the Board of Directors.
Article 2 Cheques drawn on the Club’s bank account shall be made by a Director and shall be signed by two Directors.
Article 3 All disbursements from the Club’s bank account shall be made by cheque only.
BY-LAW XI
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
Article 1 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held in September of each year.
Article 2 The President shall set the date for the AGM after discussing with Members their availability.
Article 3 The President shall prepare and present the agenda for the AGM.
Article 4 The President shall act as Chairperson at the AGM.
BY-LAW XII
FORMAL CLUB MEETINGS
Article 1 Formal Club meetings (other than the AGM) may be held at any time to discuss matters involving the Club or its Members.
Article 2 The President shall set the date for Formal Club meetings after discussing with Members their availability.
Article 3 The President shall prepare and present the agenda for Formal Club meetings.
Article 4 The President shall act as the chairperson at Formal Club meetings.
BY-LAW XIII
QUORUM
Article 1 A majority of members in good standing (more than one half) shall constitute a quorum at any club meeting.
BY-LAW XIV
COMMUNICATIONS
Article 1 Communication with a Member may include written communication, e-mail, or verbal communication, either in person or by telephone.
Article 2 A Member shall be required to inform the Directors of any change in his/her address, telephone number, or e-mail address.
BY-LAW XV
AMENDING BY-LAWS
Article 1 The By-laws of the Club may be added to or amended at any time by a majority vote of the Regular Members at an AGM or any other meeting specifically called in writing by the President to discuss the matter. Regular Members unable to attend such a meeting may cast their vote in writing through the President.
These By-Laws have been enacted by a majority vote of the Regular Members of the Club, at Dorval, QC, the 16th day of September 2005, and have been amended by a majority vote of the Regular Members of the Club, the 15th day of September 2006 and further amended by a majority vote of the Regular Members of the Club the 19th day of September 2008.