RCKARA Constitution

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1. The name of the organization shall be RENO COUNTY KANSAS AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION.

Section 2. The purpose of the organization shall be to:

A. Financially support the Reno County Amateur Radio Association (RCKARA) repeaters.
B. Encourage interest and participation in amateur radio
C. Provide a service to the citizens of Reno County

Article II. Membership

Section 1. Any licensed amateur radio operator or supporter of amateur radio is eligible for membership in this organization.

Section 2. Membership cannot be denied any individual on the grounds of race, color, creed, sex or age.

Section 3. Annual Dues

A. The annual dues shall be paid during November for the forthcoming year. The forthcoming year is defined as the period from 1 January to 31 December.

B. The amount of dues shall be determined by the membership prior to the election of officers.

C. Each additional licensed amateur radio operator or supporter of amateur radio, living in the same household as a dues-paid member, will be eligible to become a member at a reduced rate, as determined by the membership prior to the election of officers. The reduced rate is only available to members who would normally pay an equal or lesser amount than the primary household member.

D. Any person seeking to join RCKARA for the first time, shall be subject to 1/2 of the regular membership dues.

E. Any person seeking to join RCKARA who is age 18 or under, shall be subject to 1/2 of the regular membership dues.

Article III. Officers

Section 1. The officers of this association shall be a president, a vice-president and a secretary-treasurer.

Section 2. Present association officers or a committee appointed by them shall nominate a complete slate of officers. Nominations from the floor will also be accepted. Election shall be by ballot (or voice vote if no objection is raised) at the election meeting of the association which will normally be the November meeting. All officers will assume their duties on January 1 the following year and will serve until December 31.

Section 3. A majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to constitute election.

Section 4. The duties of the officers shall be such as their titles imply.

Section 5. Vacancies in office may be filled by a special election called by the association officers.

Section 6. Any persons holding office in RCKARA must be a member in good standing. (“Good Standing” is defined as members who have paid annual dues.)

Article IV. Meetings

Section 1. Meetings will normally be held once a month. However, the president or the executive committee may effect changes as the need arises.

Section 2. The presence of twenty percent of the paid membership, including one elected officer, shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3. A special meeting may be called at any time at the discretion of the president or his designee(s).

Section 4. Only members in good standing will be able to vote on matters at the regular monthly meeting. (“Good Standing” is defined as members who have paid annual dues.)

Article V. Committees

Section 1. The repeater trustee shall appoint a Repeater Access and Control Committee. The trustee will be the chairman of this committee.

A. The duties of the committee shall be:

(1) To control access to the repeaters and supporting equipment for the purposes of construction, adjustment, repair and maintenance.

(2) To administer the control of the repeaters’ operation in terms of the rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission and the purposes of this association.

Section 2. There shall be an executive committee made up of the president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, repeater trustee, club station license trustee and the last past past president. The normal function of the executive committee is to plan meetings and other association activities. Executive committee meetings will be open to all association members unless otherwise specified.

The executive committee is empowered to act on behalf of the association in emergency situations when the association is not capable of immediate assembly. Should the executive committee be evenly divided on an issue, the president is required to call a special meeting of the RCKARA membership to resolve the issue. All members should be notified. However, this special meeting is not bound by quorum mandate (Article IV; Sec. 2).

Section 3. The club station license trustee, in accordance with FCC regulations, shall be designated by the RCKARA president. The club station license trustee shall maintain the license in effect and is responsible, together with the control operator, for lawful operation of radio equipment using the RCKARA call sign. The trustee may set forth requirements and restrictions in addition to accepted operating procedures.

Article VI. Parliamentary Authority

Section 1. Roberts Rules of Order, Revised Edition, shall be the parliamentary authority for this association. The president shall serve as parliamentarian subject to over-rule by two-thirds vote by the membership present at a called meeting.

 Article VII. Amendments

Section 1. Proposed amendments must be presented in writing to the executive committee prior to the meeting where they will be presented to the association members.

Section 2. Proposed amendments will be voted upon by the membership at the following regular meeting after which they were presented to the RCKARA members. A two thirds majority of the votes cast is required to pass amendments.

Footnotes

• Members under the age of 18 are unable to vote on corporate matters. Corporate matters are defined as any issue dealing with the transfer of money.

This constitution was last amended on 12 October, 1999.