ARTICLE
I PURPOSE:
These
by-laws are created as a guide to assist in the effective administration of
District 7210 of Rotary International and are subordinate to the constitution,
by-laws and other legislative documents and rules of Rotary International.
ARTICLE
II OFFICERS:
Section
1 – The district governor is the sole officer of
Rotary International in the district and shall govern it in the manner
prescribed by Rotary International.
ARTICLE
III OFFICIALS:
Section
1 – The officials of this district shall be as
follows:
a) The district
governor;
b) The district
governor-nominees;
c) The district
treasurer, during the period that the treasurer holds office;
d) The district
secretary;
e) The
historian-custodian.
Section
2 – DISTRICT GOVERNOR: The
qualifications, duties and manner of election of the district governor shall be
as set forth in the by-laws of Rotary International. The district governor shall serve as an
ex-officio member of all committees, except as otherwise provided for in these
by-laws. The qualifications, duties and
manner of election may not be altered or abridged except as authorized by the
by-laws of Rotary International. (See
Appendix A – Duties of the District Governor
taken from the Manual of Procedure)
Section
3 – DISTRICT GOVERNOR-NOMINEE(S):
The qualifications, duties and manner of selection of the district
governor-nominee(s) shall be as set forth in the by-laws of Rotary
International and as further provided for herein. To provide for more than two years of
preparation for the position, a district governor-nominee shall be chosen in
the Rotary year three years prior to the year of service, i.e., the district
governor of the year 1999-2000 will be selected during the Rotary year
1996-97. This practice will continue
unless otherwise changed in accordance with required by-law procedures. Each district governor-nominee shall be
designated by the Rotary year for which he/she is expected to serve as district
governor. The district
governor-nominee(s) shall perform such duties as are assigned by the district
governor and shall conduct themselves in a manner best suited to prepare
themselves to properly fulfill the duties and obligations of the office of
district governor. The district
governor-nominee(s) shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees,
except as otherwise provided for in these by-laws.
Section
4 – DISTRICT TREASURER: The
district treasurer, who shall be appointed by the finance committee
and shall serve at the pleasure of the district governor and who, while serving as treasurer, shall be the fiscal officer
of the district and shall have the sole authority to make authorized deposits
and withdrawals, to sign checks when authorized and to make insured investments
as approved by the finance or district reserve fund committees, as
appropriate. The treasurer will be an
ex-officio member of the finance committee and district reserve fund
committee and fulfill the duties as its fiscal officer. [The treasurer shall be elected in accordance
with the procedure hereinafter set forth, for a term of one (1) year, or until a successor shall take office, but in no
event shall the treasurer serve more than three successive terms.] The district treasurer shall be appointed
by majority vote of the finance committee to serve at the pleasure of the
district governor. The district
treasurer shall provide annually, at the district’s
expense, a surety bond for the faithful performance of his or her duties in
such amount as the finance committee may determine shall be adequate to cover
the funds of the district.
The
district treasurer shall maintain the books and other financial records of the
district, and no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to the district conference,
shall submit copies of the proposed budget for the next Rotary year, and a
financial statement for the current Rotary year to date, to each club
president, district governor and the district governor-nominees.
Since
each Rotary year ends on June 30th, the district treasurer shall
have until August 15th to close the books, turn the excess funds
over to the appropriate reserve fund; and shall submit the books, final treasurer’s report and I.R.S. Form 990 for audit by
August 30th; shall have the audit of the books, final treasurer’s report and I.R.S. Form 990 completed by
September 30th; and shall send a copy of the audit to the district
governor, to the immediate past district governor, to the district
governor-nominees, the district historian, each member of the finance
committee, and district reserve fund committee, each Rotary club of District
7210 and retain a copy for the treasurer’s
files. These copies shall be sent by
October 30th. If the district
treasurer is unable to meet the above schedule, the district governor will be
advised and the district governor shall take action to see that the final treasurer’s report is completed, audited and
distributed.
The
treasurer shall be prepared, at any time to render and deliver a
current report
- to the district governor concerning the current status of
any and all district finances and funds;
- to the finance committee concerning all annual operating
funds;
- to the reserve fund committee concerning all reserve funds.
Section
5 – DISTRICT SECRETARY: The
district secretary shall be appointed by the district governor for a term of
one year, shall attend and keep records of all district meetings and shall
assist the district governor upon request.
Section
6 – HISTORIAN CUSTODIAN: The
historian-custodian shall be elected for a term of three years and shall be
responsible for maintaining all district records and memorabilia. Every district officer, official, committee
and club shall forward to the historian-custodian such material in their
possession which, in their opinion or in the opinion of the district governor,
would benefit the historical tradition of the district. In addition, each club in the district shall
regularly forward to the historian-custodian a copy of its club bulletin.
ARTICLE
IV COMMITTEES:
Section 1 – STANDING COMMITTEES: There shall be the following standing
committees in this district:
a) Rotary Foundation
Scholarship Committee;
b) Finance
Committee;
c) By-Laws and
Resolutions Committee;
d) Conference
Advisory and Contract Negotiating Committee;
e) District Reserve
Fund Committee.
The
district governor may appoint such other committees, for the Rotary year as
deemed necessary, for the carrying out of the programs, projects and activities
of the district. Except
in the capacity as advisor, no Rotarian, if APPOINTED to such a committee, may
serve more than 3 consecutive years as a member of a standing committee, nor
more than 5 consecutive years as a member of any committee. A Rotarian ELECTED to any committee may be
re-elected to the same committee immediately after the expiration of the
current term.
Section
2 – ROTARY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE: The Rotary Foundation Scholarship committee
shall consist of five members, whose terms of office will start on January 1st and end on December 31st, and one
alternate member, as hereinafter provided.
The members shall include the most immediate past district governor
living in the district, who shall serve as chair, the district governor, and
three members-at-large.
Each of
the members-at-large shall serve for a term of three years, with one member
retiring from the committee each year.
The district governor nominees shall serve as ex-officio members. Prior to July 1st the incoming
district governor shall appoint one at-large member of the Rotary Foundation
Scholarship committee to replace the retiring member effective the following
January 1st. The incoming
district governor shall appoint an alternate member of the committee who will
serve for one year starting the following January 1st. This alternate member will only serve as a
voting member in the absence of one of the three members-at-large. The Rotary Foundation Scholarship committee
shall handle all matters pertaining to the responsibility of choosing the
district nominee(s) for Rotary Foundation Scholarships.
Section
3 – FINANCE COMMITTEE: The district
finance committee shall be chaired by the most immediate past district
governor, living in the district, with three members-at-large and the district
treasurer. The at-large members shall
each serve a three-year term, the terms to be staggered in order that one
at-large member shall rotate off the committee each year. The at-large members shall not have been
district governors, but each must have served as a club president. A member-at-large shall be elected at each
district conference to begin the term of office in the next Rotary year. The district governor and the district
governor-nominees shall be ex-officio members of the finance committee. (This is in keeping with Article III, Section
2 and 3)
The
district finance committee is charged with the following responsibilities:
a) Preparing a district budget in cooperation
with the district governor-nominee and reviewing annually the district per
capita contribution.
b) present to the
district conference the proposed budget and the per capita dues for discussion
and recommendations. Thereafter, present
the proposed budget and the per capita assessment to the district assembly for
its vote of approval by an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the
incoming presidents present and voting at the assembly, pursuant to Article
XII, Section 6 of the by-laws of Rotary International.
After
approval of the district budget by the finance committee and approval by the
district membership:
- no individual line item may be exceeded by
more than 15% without the approval, for good and sufficient cause, by the
budget and finance committee;
- no allocated monies
may be removed from any individual line item without the consent of the
Rotarian responsible for that line item.
If such consent is withheld, and for good and
sufficient cause, the budget and finance committee may allow such transfer.
c) governing the disbursement of funds;
d) selecting a
district treasurer who shall serve at the pleasure of the district governor;
e) selecting an
assistant district treasurer who shall be a non-voting member except when
acting in place of the district treasurer;
f) Appoint a Certified Public Accountant who
shall be responsible for conducting an annual audit of district finances. Compensation for this will be authorized by
the finance committee.
g) periodically
reviewing all investments of district annual operating funds. The district treasurer and the assistant
district treasurer shall be bonded in an amount sufficient to cover their
respective responsibilities. The finance
committee shall meet at least once every 3 months and, as requested, at the
call of the district governor or chair.
Section
4 – BY-LAWS AND RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE:
The by-laws and resolutions committee shall consist of three Rotarians,
each of whom shall have served as a club president. They shall be elected for a three-year term,
with one term expiring at the end of each Rotary year, and they shall be voting
members. The district governor and the
senior district governor-nominee shall be ex-officio members and the district
governor shall appoint, for a one-year term, a lawyer who is a Rotarian in the
district to act as legal adviser. In
addition, the district governor shall appoint one of the members to serve as
chair.
This
committee shall meet at least once annually to review and make recommendations
for amendments or changes, if any, in the district by-laws. It shall also review resolutions, which must
be submitted at least thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the district
conference and shall, at the request of the district governor, prepare
resolutions for said conference. It
shall also assist any club, which requests it, in preparing any proposed
amendments to the by-laws or resolutions.
Section
5 – CONFERENCE ADVISORY AND CONTRACT NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE: The conference advisory and contract
negotiating committee shall
consist of the chair of the last three (3) district
conferences. Each new chair shall serve
for three years. In addition, the
district governor shall appoint, for a term of one year, an attorney who is a
Rotarian in the district to act as an advisor.
The
committee shall meet with the time and place committee prior to their seeking
proposals for the district conferences and shall advise the time and place
committee with options available to them and discuss the type of contract best
suited for the district needs.
It
shall also be the duty of this committee to review the contracts submitted by
various hotels and make recommendations and suggestions to the time and place
committee and to the district governor-nominee as to any problems and/or
omissions.
The
committee members shall also make themselves available as consultants to the
district governor in the concerns of conducting the district conference.
Section
6 – THE DISTRICT RESERVE FUND COMMITTEE:
The district reserve fund committee will consist of the three most
recent past district governors preceding the immediate past district governor,
who reside in the district and are willing to serve. The senior past district governor will serve
as chair, the district governor, [chair of the finance committee] and the
district treasurer will be ex-officio members.
The
district treasurer will be responsible for all deposits to,
and disbursements from, the reserve fund, acting with committee approval. The committee will meet at least semiannually
or at the call of the district governor or the chair of the committee.
The
district reserve fund is charged with the following responsibilities:
a) Management of all
district funds outside current year operating budget and current project
fund-raising efforts:
1. Restricted reserve
fund – any funds collected, donated or accumulated for a specific purpose
and deposited into the reserve fund.
2. Unrestricted reserve
fund – surplus funds from previous operating budgets. These funds are to be used to offset
unanticipated revenue shortfalls. A
minimum fund of $20,000 should be maintained.
b) Investing all
reserve funds in protected investments.
The committee may elect to appoint a knowledgeable Rotarian as a
financial consultant.
c) Review any
requests from the district governor or the finance committee.
ARTICLE V VACANCIES:
Section
1 – Vacancies in the office of district governor or district
governor-nominee shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of the
constitution and by-laws of Rotary International.
Section
2 – All other vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the district
governor until the next nominating committee procedure is completed, except
that if there is any district-wide meeting scheduled to be held between the
time of the vacancy and the time of the next nominating committee meeting, and
the office is an elective one, the district governor shall conduct an election
at such meeting to fill such vacancy. In
that event, potential candidates may be nominated by either the resolution of a
Rotary club, or by nomination from the floor, and shall be elected by a
majority of the clubs present and voting with each club allocated one vote.
ARTICLE VI COMPENSATION:
District
officers and officials may be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses that fall
within the district budget. Such
compensation shall not be in the way of payment as wages or salary, but based
on itemized expenses in accordance with the approved budget allowances, it
being understood that the acceptance of the elective or appointive office
constitutes a donation of services to further the objects of Rotary
International..
ARTICLE VII ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND OFFICIALS:
Section
1 – Excepting for the office of
treasurer, officers and officials shall be selected by a nominating
committee procedure, as set forth herein and in accordance with the by-laws of
Rotary International.
Section
2 – There shall be a nominating committee consisting of at least one
member from each region in the district, to total an odd number, all of whom
shall be past presidents and two of whom must be past district governors and
who will be appointed by the district governor and who are members of a Rotary
club in the district and who are willing and able to serve. Appointments to the
nominating committee will consider geographical representation to the maximum
extent possible.
Section
3 – When all members of the nominating committee have been appointed and
not later than November 30th, the district governor shall announce
in writing to all clubs the names of the members so appointed and shall
designate one of them as chair of the committee.
Section
4 – SUBMISSION OF CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE:
Any club may submit the name of any qualified member to the district
governor for consideration by the nominating committee and/or to the finance
committee for the office of treasurer in the following manner:
A) On or before October 30th of each
year, the district governor shall by means of his/her monthly
letter, or otherwise in writing, notify all clubs in the district of the
specific offices to be considered by the nominating committee, and the
finance committee for the office of treasurer.
List of
Offices to be Elected:
1. District Governor-Nominee
– Term to commence in two years
2. Historian-Custodian
(Term of three years)
3. A Member of
By-Laws and Resolutions Committee (Term of three years)
4. District
Treasurer
5. Member of the
Finance Committee (Term of three years)
B) Any club may submit a written nomination for
such office by delivering such nomination to the district governor on or before
December 10th of the current year in such a manner as to receive a
receipt for the delivery thereof. Said
nomination shall contain the following:
1. A letter of nomination certified by the club
secretary, stating the fact that by club action the club nominates a qualified
member for a specific office. Nomination
of a person not a member of the club shall be accompanied by the concurrence of
the club of which the candidate is a member.
2. A short summary of the candidate’s
Rotary history and activities as well as his community and vocational
achievements should be written. This
material shall be submitted in ten copies.
In preparing such material, the candidate should be consulted to insure
its completeness and accuracy. The
candidate for district governor shall indicate that he/she has read the
District 7210 By-Laws Appendix A, Duties of the District Governor, and
completely understands them; and if elected will fulfill these duties of the
district governor.
3. The district governor shall retain such
material in his/her possession without revealing the contents, and shall
deliver one compete set to each member of the nominating committee and to
the treasurer nominee and the finance committee, not more than fifteen (15)
days prior to the scheduled meeting of said committee.
4. There shall be no campaigning or electioneering
on behalf of any candidate other than by means of the material above described.
Section
5 – NOMINATING COMMITTEE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE PROCEDURE: The chair of the nominating and finance
committee shall, in cooperation with the district governor, set the date, time
and place for the committee meeting, but not later than January 31st,
and shall notify the members of the nominating committee, the district
governor, the current district governor-nominee and all submitted
candidates. The chair shall make efforts
to secure the attendance of all members at the respective meetings.
The
chair shall convene the meeting at the agreed time, place and date. A quorum of at least seventy (70) percent of
the members shall be present. However,
at the discretion of the district governor and with consent of all candidates
running for office the district governor may reduce the percent necessary for a
quorum to no less than fifty percent.
There shall first be an informal gathering during which time the
candidates shall have the opportunity to meet each member of the
committee. Such candidates shall then be
excluded from the meeting and the committee shall go into executive session
with the district governor and the current district governor-nominee.
The
district governor shall then outline the duties, obligations and procedures of
the committee, including the fact that in selecting the district
governor-nominee, the committee must choose the person the committee feels is
best qualified for the office, even though such person may not be among the
nominees submitted.
When
the district governor is satisfied that the nominating committee and finance
committee is fully informed as to its functions and responsibilities, the
district governor and current district governor-nominee shall remove themselves
from the committee’s presence and hearing, but
shall remain in a place where the district governor is available for
consultation with the committee on matters of procedure only.
Section
6 – NOMINATING AND FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTING: In its executive session the committee may
discuss the candidates, but all voting shall be by written secret ballot,
unless there is only one nominated candidate and no other candidates are
proposed by any member of the committee.
The
result of any ballot, other than the announcement of the selection of the
committee, shall forever be secret. If
there are three or more candidates, the committee shall resort to the single
transferable ballot to determine its selection among the candidates. (See Manual of Procedure, “How the
Single Transferable Ballot System Operates”.) Before adjourning, the committee shall
ascertain that its selection is ready, willing and qualified to serve. This shall be either by prior written
statement or by telephone prior to adjournment.
The district governor may then declare the work of the nominating
committee and the finance committee meeting completed as far as nomination.
When
the selections have been completed, the nominating committee and finance
committee shall hand its written report, signed by all members, to the
district governor before it adjourns.
The district governor may then declare the work of the nominating
committee and finance committee completed. Upon submission of the finance committee
report designating the treasurer, the district governor may thereupon declare
such candidate as elected as treasurer to serve at the pleasure of the district
governor.
Section
7 – ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND OFFICIALS:
The district governor, within fifteen (15) days following the
adjournment of the nominating committee meeting, shall publish the selections
of said committee in writing to all clubs.
Thereafter the same procedure shall apply to all officers or officials except
treasurer as applies to the selection of the district governor-nominee
as set forth in Article XII, Section 7(e) of the by-laws of Rotary
International dated 1986.
In the
event the nominating committee or finance committee fails,
for any reason, to make a nomination for any vacancy, and the by-laws of Rotary
International do not provide an alternative method of nomination, or, in the
event a nominee resigns or ceases to be a nominee for any reason, and, in the
opinion of the district governor there is not sufficient time to notify the
clubs of the vacancy, receive further nominations and to reconvene the
nominating committee or finance committee prior to the
district conference, in so far as possible, the following procedures shall be
followed:
The district
governor, as soon as may be practical, shall notify all the clubs by mail of
the occurrence and except for the office of treasurer advise the clubs
that an election to fill the vacancy will be conducted at the district
conference. The district governor shall
notify all clubs that nominations will be made from the floor. In so far as possible, if time permits, the
district governor may ask that nominations be received by him/her prior to the
district conference.
The
voting shall be by electors, using the single transferable ballot method and a
majority shall decide the election. The
representative and alternate representative to the Council on Legislation shall
be elected in accordance with the provisions of the by-laws (Article VIII,
Section 6 of Rotary International). The
district governor, not later than November 15th in the Rotary year
in which they are to be elected, shall send to the president and secretary of
each club a summary of the Rotary International by-laws outlining the
qualifications and method of electing the representative and alternate
representative to the Council on Legislation.
Clubs shall submit nominations in writing, signed by the club secretary,
at least ninety (90) days before the first day of the district conference and in
such a way as to receive a written receipt for same. Such nomination shall be accompanied by at
least two hundred copies of a one-page summary of the candidates’ Rotary
history and other pertinent information.
Not
later than forty-five (45) days before the district conference, the district
governor shall send to the secretary of each club full details on the need for
the club to designate its electors and credential forms for each elector to
present at the district conference. The
governor shall also send copies of the candidates’ resumes and notify the
clubs of the day and approximate time that votes will be cast for such
election. Prior to the casting of
ballots, each candidate may have a three minute nominating speech made on his
or her behalf.
ARTICLE VIIA RECALL
OF ELECTED OFFICERS AND
OFFICIALS:
Section
1 – Officials duly elected at the last district conference and during his
or her term of office may be recalled from office and his or her authority to
hold office may be terminated by a majority vote of the then president of
Rotary clubs within the district upon the following terms and procedures.
A) Any official who fails to properly
discharge his or her duties while holding office or who is alleged to be guilty
of misfeasance or malfeasance in office may be reported by any official named
in Article II, Section 1 of these by-laws to the district governor. Such report will set forth the basis for such
allegations of misfeasance and/or malfeasance in office, and shall set forth non hearsay statements, affidavits or affirmations in
support thereof (hereinafter referred to as “charges”.
(i) Such official making the charges shall have such charges
endorsed and
supported
by a fellow officer then holding office.
Such charge shall be presented
to
the district governor and said charges shall be deemed confidential until an
adjudication
shall be made thereon pursuant to the provisions of the procedures
hereinafter
provided.
(ii)
The district governor shall thereafter convene by notice sent to the
officers
by regular
mail a panel of the district officials as promptly as possible to conduct a due
process hearing on said charges. Each
official shall be sent such notice.
(iii) The panel so convened in
section (ii) above shall meet at the date, time and place set by the district
governor for the convening of the panel.
(iv) Attendance at such meeting so convened by the
district governor of at least fifty percent (50%) of all the officers of the
district both at this meeting and any subsequent meetings shall constitute a
quorum.
(v) At such first meeting of the panel so
convened, the district governor shall
distribute the charges to each member of the panel. Such distribution shall not violate the rule
of confidentiality hereinbefore set forth.
However, the charges once distributed into the hands of the panel shall
be deemed confidential until such time as released by majority vote of the
panel.
(vi) The panel shall formally convene and, after
reading the charges and
evidence in support thereof, shall make a determination by majority vote of
either probable cause or no probable cause.
If the panel votes that the evidence does not support the charges or
does not warrant a recall of the officer charged, the panel may make a
determination of no probable cause and upon the adoption of such finding by the
panel the recall proceedings shall be deemed terminated and the charges
dismissed.
(vii) If the panel finds probable cause, based on
the charges and evidence
supporting the charges, the panel will then convene a due process hearing of
the officer so charged.
(viii) The
hearing shall be conducted by a chairman elected by majority vote of
the panel and attended by officers present, and such chairman shall notify by
regular U.S. mail the following of the date, time and place for a due process
hearing:
(a)
all officials of District 7210 who
shall comprise the hearing panel;
(b)
the officer charged with misfeasance
or malfeasance (hereinafter
“respondent”), and
(c)
a member of the by-laws and
resolutions committee who shall act as prosecutor.
(ix) The panel shall forward a copy of the
charges and evidence upon which they are based and convene at the date, time
and place designated by the chair and will serve as a panel to hear and
determine the charges, as well as the respondent, who may or may not be
represented by counsel if he or she so desires, and the prosecutor shall appear
and be prepared to present the case against the respondent to the panel.
(x)
The chair of the panel shall conduct the proceeding in the following
order:
(a)
opening statements from the
prosecutor;
(b)
opening statements from the
respondent;
(c)
calling of witnesses by prosecutor;
(d)
cross examination of witnesses by
respondent;
(e)
calling of witnesses by respondent;
(f)
cross examination of witnesses by
prosecutor;
(g)
closing arguments by respondent;
(h)
closing arguments by prosecutor, and
(i)
deliberation and decision by panel.
B) The decision shall then be delivered
to the district governor, who shall then distribute same by mail to the
presidents of each club in the district together with a ballot that shall read
as follows:
The district officers of District 7210, after
conducting a due process hearing
on charges of misfeasance or malfeasance by the following
officer of District
7210
________________________________________
has determined that said
officer has committed the following act or acts
warranting
a recall and removal from office:
The said officer did . . . .
_______________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
and by virtue of said acts the panel of officers of District
7210
determined that such acts were of such a nature as to constitute
misfeasance or malfeasance in office warranting recall and
removal from office.
Pursuant to Article VIIIA of the by-laws of Rotary
District 7210 such removal
must be
voted upon by the presidents of each club in the district to either
uphold
or dismiss the determination of the panel aforesaid.
The panel has determined that the charges were
sustained and that the officer
be
recalled and removed from office.
The presidents are asked to vote on this
determination and are requested to
vote either
Yes [ ] to
uphold the determination of the panel, or
No [ ] to reverse the determination of the
panel and
dismiss the
petition for recall/removal.
Please return the within vote by placing a check
mark in the appropriate box,
signing
this notice and returning same to the district governor by U.S. mail
postage prepaid addressed to the district governor at the
address below.
Dated ____________ __________________________
District Governor
__________________________
Address
__________________________
City State Zip
ARTICLE VIII DISTRICT CONFERENCE:
Section
1 – ANNUAL CONFERENCE: The district
shall conduct a district conference annually, in accordance with the provisions
of the by-laws of Rotary International.
The governor will prepare a conference budget and present it to the
district budget and finance committee for approval before any expenditures are incurred.
This budget must be presented at least five months before the date of
the conference. After approval of the
budget, no line item may be increased by more than 15% without the prior
approval of the budget and finance committee.
The
district treasurer shall serve as the treasurer of the conference committee and
shall be the sole person responsible for all payments and deposits.
Section
2 – SELECTION OF TIME AND PLACE BY DISTRICT GOVERNOR NOMINEE: [Every district governor-nominee of this
district, i]
Immediately upon his/her selection, the district governor nominee
shall appoint a time and place committee of not less than 3 or more than 5
members representative of the areas of the district. No more than 2 of such members shall be from
the home club, one of whom should be the person expected to be the conference
chairperson.
The
district governor-nominee shall notify the district governor promptly of such
appointments and they shall be confirmed as district appointments.
The
said committee shall investigate possible sites and dates for the district
conference to be held in the year in which the said district governor-nominee
shall serve as district governor. The
committee shall be prepared to make a report, including a recommendation as to
the time and place, at the district conference in the year in which the
committee is appointed. Such report
shall include at least two alternative sites for consideration, in the event
that the recommended choice is not adopted.
If said
recommendation is rejected, the clubs shall vote on the other sites and/or
dates included in said report. If more
than two such choices are to voted upon, voting shall
be by a single transferable ballot with one vote per club. A majority shall decide the issue.
If for
any reason, a decision on the time and place of said district conference cannot
be made at the district conference, the district governor-nominee shall, as
soon as possible, submit the choice to a mail vote by clubs, which mail vote
shall decide the issue without delay.
[Mail votes must be returned no later than September 1st or
at such earlier date designated by the district governor.]
Section
3 – CONFERENCE RULES: The
conference rules shall be as set forth in “Appendix B”, attached
hereto, and as prescribed in the various legislative documents of Rotary International
or the rulings of its Board of Directors.
Section
4 – Conference Voting (RI By-Laws - Article XII, Section 5(a)) Voting for the
composition and terms of reference of the nominating for district governor, and
the election of the representative of the clubs of the district on the Council
on Legislation shall be restricted to electors.
Every active, senior active or past service member in good standing of a
club in a district who is present at the district conference shall be entitled
to vote on all other matters submitted to a vote at such conference except that
any elector shall have the right to demand a poll upon any matter presented to
the conference, in which event the voting shall be restricted to electors.
ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS:
Section
1 – METHOD OF AMENDING: The by-laws
may be amended by a majority vote of those voting, excluding abstentions, in a
vote at the district conference or at a duly convened district meeting or by a
mail vote of the clubs in accordance with Article XII, Section 5 of the RI
by-laws.
Section
2 – METHOD OF PROPOSING AMENDMENTS:
An amendment to these by-laws may be proposed in writing by a club
resolution or by the by-laws and resolutions committee or by no fewer than ten
(10) Rotarians, members of no fewer than three clubs in the district.
The
proposed amendment shall state the Article and Section proposed to be amended
and shall state the exact wording of the section or paragraph to be
amended, (In so stating the exact
wording)
Any
words to be eliminated shall be enclosed in brackets, thus:
[words to be eliminated]
and any words to be
added shall be underlined, thus;
words to
be added
Section
3 – PROCEDURE FOR VOTING: The
proposed amendment shall be submitted to the district governor no fewer than sixty
(60) days prior to the convening of the district conference or district meeting
at which it is to be considered. Within
fifteen (15) days after receiving the proposed amendment, the district governor
shall send one copy to each club. If the
amendment is to be voted on by the clubs by mail ballot, the district governor
shall set a date at least thirty (30) days after his mailing of the proposed
amendment for the clubs to return their ballots.
Any
proposed amendment may be further amended at the district conference or the
district-wide meeting by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting in
accordance with Article XII, Section 5 of the RI by-laws.
Any
amendment voted on by mail ballot of the clubs shall require a two-thirds
affirmative vote of the clubs returning ballots.
Section
4 – RECONSIDERATION OF A DEFEATED AMENDMENT:
A) If a proposed amendment is defeated at a
district conference or a district-wide meeting, it may be reconsidered upon the
motion and seconding of the motion by at least ten (10) members from three or
more clubs. In such a case, the vote to
reconsider must receive a majority of the votes of all those present and voting. If passed, a standing head count will be
taken to ascertain if a majority of those clubs voting favor the amendment with
each club entitled to one vote.
B) In the event that any proposed amendment is
defeated by a mail vote of the clubs, it shall not be submitted to a mail vote
at any time during the then current Rotary year. However, the proposed or similar amendment
may be submitted to the next ensuing district conference or district-wide
meeting on thirty (30) days’ notice to the district governor.
ARTICLE X ENACTMENT:
These
by-laws shall not cause the forfeiture or abridgment of any
term of office held by any Rotarian at the time of their enactment nor impair
any rights, except as specifically set forth herein.
APPENDIX A DUTIES OF THE
DISTRICT GOVERNOR:
THE
GOVERNOR
Is the officer of Rotary
International in the district functioning under the general control and
supervision of the Board. In the exercise of the district governor’s responsibility for direct supervision of
the clubs of District 7210, the district governor is charged with the
particular duty of furthering the object of Rotary International, and shall
personally:
· supervise the
organization of new clubs in this district;
· help strengthen the
existing clubs in the district;
· promote cordial
relations between the clubs in this district and between the clubs and
R.I.;
· plan, develop, and
preside at the district conference and district assembly of this
district;
[· make an official visit to every club in the district as
early in the year as possible.]
[· The visit should not be hurried and it should
be of sufficient length to afford the
governor an
opportunity to counsel with the club by holding an effective club
assembly and by
delivering to the club a comprehensive Rotary address;]
· issue a monthly
letter to each club president and secretary in this district;
· report promptly to
Rotary International as may be required by the president or the
Board;
· supply to his or
her successor full information as to the condition of clubs in the
district with
recommended action for strengthening clubs;
· transfer continuing
district files to his or her successor;
· perform such other
duties as are inherent in his or her responsibility as the officer of
R.I. in the district, including
responsibilities for implementation of programs and
activities
established by the president and the Board.
Other
things that the governor is expected to do are:
· read the ROTARIAN, the R.I. NEWS, the GENERAL
SECRETARY’S LETTER
and all other
bulletins and literature from the R.I. Secretariat, and the publications
from the clubs in
the district;
· encourage each club
to participate in at least one intercity meeting during each year;
· promote attendance
at the R.I. convention; arrange, when circumstances require, for
special
conferences of club presidents and/or secretaries;
· prepare a summary of
the attendance reports of the clubs in the district each month
and send this
district report to the general secretary of R.I.
APPENDIX B DISTRICT CONFERENCE RULES:
1. LIMITATION ON SPEAKING. No persons, except those who have been
assigned set speeches and discussion, shall be allowed to speak more than
twice, nor for more than three minutes each time, on any subject before the
conference, without the unanimous consent of the conference. When a person has proposed a resolution or
subject matter for discussion, his/her answering of specific questions directed
to him/her shall not count in such limitation.
The conference shall have the right, by a two-thirds vote of those
present and voting, excluding abstentions, to limit discussion on any
subject. The chair may limit the period
of discussion on any subject before the conference, and the chair’s
ruling may be overruled by a vote of said two-thirds.
2. RESOLUTIONS.
Unless with the consent of said two-thirds of the
conference, no resolution may be read from the floor. All resolutions must be typewritten, on
letter-size paper, on one side only;, and delivered at
least in triplicate to the chair of the resolutions committee not later than
2:30 p.m. on the first day of the conference.
Resolutions shall be presented at the time scheduled in the conference
program.
3. CONFERENCE VOTING. Except as otherwise specified in the legislative
documents of Rotary International or these by-laws, each member in good
standing in a club in this district who is present at the conference shall be
entitled to vote upon all questions and matters which are properly presented. Where said legislative documents or by-laws
limit voting to electors, each such elector shall present proper qualifications
to the secretary of the conference. In
the event that the district governor appoints a credential committee, the
proper qualifications shall be presented to said committee at designated times
and places. Each elector shall be
entitled to one vote, cast in person.
There shall be no voting by proxy for an elector or member.
4. RECOGNITION BY CHAIR. Any person desiring to be recognized by the
chair shall stand and when recognized give his/her
name in full and the name of his/her club.
Any person physically unable to stand may have any other person rise and
seek recognition for him.
5. RULES OF PROCEDURE. The Rules of Procedure as set forth in the Manual
of Procedure of Rotary International, the legislative documents of Rotary
International and these by-laws shall be the parliamentary authority for all
matters of procedure. In the event a
situation occurs not covered by any of the aforementioned documents, the
Roberts Rules of Procedure shall be followed.
The district governor may appoint a parliamentarian to advise the chair
on all rules of procedure and such ruling may only be overruled by a two-thirds
vote of the conference, as above set forth.
6. RULINGS OF THE CHAIR. Except where a motion to overrule the chair
is duly made and seconded and then carried by a two-thirds vote, as above set
forth, all rulings of the chair shall be final.
An appeal to overrule the chair shall take precedence over any other
motion, except one to adjourn, provided it is made prior to the conference
moving on to any other matter.