ALPHA RADIO CLUB
Constitution and By Laws
​
ALPHA RADIO CLUB
Bulloch County, Georgia
Constitution and Bylaws
Enacted February 3, 2021
Preamble
The name of this organization shall be the Alpha Radio Club, hereinafter referred to as the Club. It shall be our purpose to further the exchange of information and cooperation between members, to promote radio knowledge, fraternalism and individual operating efficiency, and to so conduct club programs and activities as to advance the general interest and welfare of Amateur Radio in the community.
The Club is organized as a non-profit amateur radio club within the meaning of section 501(c)(7)of The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(7)) and section 5 of part 97 of the FCC Regulations supporting The Communications Act of 1934 (47 C.F.R. 97.5(d)(2)). However, no filing before the Internal Revenue Service for non-profit status shall be necessary as long as the organization does not maintain a treasury of its own.
Article I
Membership
Membership shall be open to any person who actively supports Alpha Radio Club’s purpose as set forth in this document. We reserve the right to decline membership to anyone the board deems to not represent the goals and mission of this organization and members.
Article II
Officers / Directors / Board of Directors
Section 1: Officers
A. The officers of this club shall be President, Vice-President, and Treasurer/Secretary.
B. The positions of president and vice president, if permanently vacated, shall be filled through a nomination and vote of the membership via a special election.
C. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the president and vice president.
D. A member shall be designated as the Amateur Radio License Trustee. The Trustee shall establish and maintain an Amateur Radio Club Station for the use of the licensed members of Alpha Radio Club and other licensed radio amateurs, and shall carry out the duties designated by the Federal Communication Commission for the trustee of this station. In the event that the trustee can no longer perform the duties of Trustee, he shall designate another Society member who holds an amateur license to apply to the FCC to succeed him as trustee. The president shall concur in the selection of this new Trustee.
E. The founding officers (President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer) will serve a term of 3 years (2021, 2022, and 2023) to allow for continuity as the club grows. New officers will be nominated, voted on, and begin their terms in January of 2024.
Section 2: Directors
A. Two (2) directors will be appointed by the elected officers to serve the membership as part of the five (5) member board of directors.
B. The directors will serve a term of twelve (12) months along with the officers that appointed them.
C. The founding directors will serve a term of 3 years (2021, 2022, and 2023) to allow for continuity as the club grows. New directors will be appointed and begin their terms in January of 2024.
Section 3: Board of Directors
A. The three (3) elected officers and two (2) appointed directors will serve as the five (5) member board of directors.
B. The board of directors serves to meet the needs of the membership through leadership roles within the Club and the community.
Section 4: Qualifications
A.
An officer or director shall be a member in good standing of the Alpha Radio Club.
B. PRESIDENT
a. Candidates must have been a voting member of the Alpha Radio Club for a minimum of 2 years (24 contiguous months) to be eligible for the nomination to the position of president.
b. Members of the Alpha Radio Club must nominate the candidate and a majority vote must be reached prior to appointment for the role as president.
C. VICE PRESIDENT
a. Candidates must have been a voting member of the Alpha Radio Club for a minimum of 2 years (24 contiguous months) to be eligible for the nomination to the position of Vice President.
b. Members of the Alpha Radio Club must nominate the candidate and a majority vote must be reached prior to appointment for the role as Vice President.
D. SECRETARY/TREASURER
a. Candidates must have been a voting member of the Alpha Radio Club for a minimum of 2 years (24 contiguous months) to be eligible for the nomination to the position of SECRETARY/TREASURER.
b. Members of the Alpha Radio Club must nominate the candidate and a majority vote must be reached prior to appointment for the role as
SECRETARY/TREASURER.
E. DIRECTOR
a. Candidates must have been a voting member of the Alpha Radio Club for a minimum of 2 years (24 contiguous months) to be eligible for appointment to the position of Director.
Section 3: Eligibility
A member who meets eligibility requirements at the time of nomination and securing a majority vote of the membership shall be permitted to be installed in the role of officer. A member who meets eligibility requirements at the time of appointment shall be installed in the role of director.
Section 4: Term
A. After the completion of the founding member terms in 2023, elected officers and appointed directors will serve a term of 1 year, beginning in January of 2024.
B. Old terms end after the close of the monthly meeting in January of the calendar year.
C. Terms begin after the monthly meeting in January of the calendar year.
D. All officers are eligible to be re-elected into their previous roles upon nomination and a majority of club members. All directors are eligible to be reappointed into their previous roles by newly elected and installed officers.
Section 5: Vacancies
A. A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled by the Vice President.
B. A vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Secretary/Treasurer and that person shall serve the duties required of both roles until a special election is held by the membership.
C. A vacancy in the role as director shall be filled by appointment by the current elected officers.
Section 6: Censure, Reprimand, and Removal
Any officer or general member may be censured, reprimanded, or removed from office or general membership for dereliction of duty (officers) or conduct detrimental to the Club (officers and/or general members). Such action may be initiated when the Club membership receives formal and specific charges against an officer or Club member.
A. If the membership deems the charges to be sufficient, the person charged shall be advised in writing of the charges.
B. A statement of the charges shall be provided to the person charged at least 20 days before final action is taken.
C. The statement shall be accompanied by a notice of the time and place of the meeting of the membership at which the charges shall be considered.
D. The officer or member shall have the opportunity to appear in person and present any defense of such charges before action is taken.
E. Censure, reprimand, or removal shall be by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership of the Club.
Article III
Duties of Officers
A. The President shall preside at all meetings, and conduct them according to the rules adopted. He/she shall enforce due observance of this Constitution and By-Laws; decide all questions of order; sign all official documents adopted by the club, and perform all other duties pertaining to the office of President. Meeting minutes of Alpha Radio Club are maintained by the President at his/her discretion.
B. The Vice-President shall assume all the duties of the President in his/her absence.
C. The Secretary/Treasurer shall record meeting minutes and account for all monies for the club, record-keeping, and correspondence.
Article IV
Meetings
Club meetings for Alpha Radio Club shall be informal and may be called at the discretion of at least two officers. Such meetings may take place in person, over amateur radio, or through other electronic communication means. At a minimum, one business meeting will be held each January for the purposes of electing and installing officers, receiving reports, amending bylaws, and conducting such other business as may arise. Robert's Rules shall govern proceedings at all business meetings.
Article V
Dues
* BEGINNING JAN 2022 THE COLLECTION OF DUES WILL BE SUSPENDED FOR THE TIME BEING.
Alpha Radio Club shall collect dues for ongoing expenses required for the operation of the organization to reach its goals of furthering the Amateur Radio Hobby.
A. Annual dues for members shall be payable each year.
B. Dues may be paid upon joining the Club at any time during the calendar year. Dues paid for membership will be considered to be for the current year only and no pro-rating of dues will be allowed.
C. Dues for membership in the following calendar year must be paid by the meeting date of the January meeting in order to secure voting rights for officers or amendments to the bylaws.
D. The Board of Directors may set the necessary annual membership dues, which may not be increased by more than 25% of its current level without consent of two-thirds of the membership. The initial dues amount shall be $30, and $10 for spouse or any others under same household 17yrs of age or younger. Any dues shall be collected in U.S. dollars.
E. No member who is an arrears for dues shall vote or hold office, be appointed as director, or shall be entitled to receive reports of the transactions or activity of the Club. Any member in arrears for more than sixty (60) days shall be erased from the roles of membership.
* BEGINNING JAN 2022 THE COLLECTION OF DUES WILL BE SUSPENDED FOR THE TIME BEING.
Article VI
Elections
Section 1: Nominations
A. Nominations for the role of officer shall be formally announced at the January business meeting of the Club.
B. Nominations may be made by any member that meets the requirements to hold office themselves (see Article II, Section 2 for officer eligibility requirements).
C. Eligibility shall be confirmed based on membership history.
Section 2: Election
A. The President, Vice-President, and Secretary shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership.
Article VII
Amendments
The constitution or By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the total membership. Proposals for amendments shall be submitted in writing at a regular meeting and shall be voted on at the next following regular meeting, provided all members have been notified at least one month in advance by mail or email of the intent to amend the constitution and/or
By-Laws at said meeting.
Article VIII
Equipment and Property
Unless purchased with funds from the organization's treasury, all equipment used by the organization remains the property of the respective trustee. No rights shall affix to the equipment by virtue of its use by the organization or its members nor shall the ownership rights of the trustee be diminished. All equipment purchased by the organization itself, from its funds, remain property of the organization and likewise, no right of ownership attaches to such by the appointed trustee (or his successor).
Article IX
Indemnification
To the greatest extent of the laws of Georgia, every officer or member of the Club shall be indemnified by the Club against all expenses and liabilities, including attorney’s fees, in connection with any threatened, pending, or completed proceeding in which the above-named individual is involved by reason of his being or having been an officer or member of the Club if
the above-named individual acted in good faith and within the scope of the above-named individual authority and in a manner reasonably believed to be not opposed to the best interest of the Club. In no event shall indemnification be paid to or on behalf of any above-named individual going beyond or acting beyond the powers granted by authority of this organization or Bylaws. The foregoing right of indemnification shall be in addition to, and not exclusive of, all other rights to which such officer or member may be entitled.
Constitution and bylaws adopted on February 3, 2021
Alpha Radio Club
The constitution and bylaws are hereby ratified on February 3, 2021, with the initial directors of the organization being:
Brandon Currin, N4BKC - President, Elected Director, Callsign Trustee and Repeater Trustee
Reggie Hodges, KN4ADM - Vice President, Elected Director
Matthew Dunn, KM4MD – Secretary/Treasurer, Elected Director
Chris Weiss, KR4YON - Elected Director
Chris Smith, KO4KLZ - Elected Director