Constitution
Preamble
We, the undersigned, wishing to secure for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of the association of persons commonly interested in Amateur Radio contesting, constitute ourselves as the Louisiana Contest Club (LCC)and enact this constitution as our governing law. It shall be our purpose 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, with a focus on contesting.
Article I
Sec. 1 – All persons interested in amateur radio contesting shall be eligible to submit an application for membership. Membership shall be by application and dues payment upon such terms as the club shall by its by-laws provide.
Sec. 2- In extraordinary cases, membership may be revoked “for cause”if two-thirds of the LCC membership vote in favor.
Article II
Sec. 1 – The officers of this club shall consist of a President, VicePresident, Secretary/Treasurer and two Directors, all of whom will be voted on by the membership at large.
Sec. 2 – Officers term shall be one year, and shall run January 1 – December 31.
Section 3 – Any member of the club in good standing shall be eligible to stand for election as an officer. The officers of this club shall be elected by receiving the most votes, represented in person or by email representation, at the (Fourth Quarter) election meeting. Nominations for officers shall be solicited during the regular business of the Third Quarter club meeting. Nominations may also be made known to the President through email, postal mail, telephone, or other means of communications prior to the Election meeting.
Sec. 3 – If willing to serve, the membership may choose to elect an officer to more than one consecutive term.
Sec. 4 – Vacancies in official positions occurring between elections must be filled by special elections at the first meeting following the withdrawal, removal or resignation.
Sec. 5- Officers may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the membership.
Article III
Sec. 1 – The President shall preside at all meetings of this club pursuant to its Constitution and by-laws. The President shall: appoint persons to fill non-officer positions; sign official documents; enforce observance of Articles and by-laws; appoint Committee Chairs; endeavor to accomplish the goals of the club. With the assistance of the Treasurer,will prepare an Annual Operating Budget. He shall perform all other customary duties pertaining to the office of President.
Sec. 2 – The Vice-President shall assume all the duties of the President in the absence of the latter. Will perform other duties as agreed upon with the President.
Sec. 3 – The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings, keep a roll of the members and carry on and maintain all club correspondence. He shall receive and account for all monies paid to and on behalf of the club. At each regular meeting he shall submit a statement of receipts and expenditures. The Secretary/Treasurer shall assist the President in the preparation of an Annual Operating Budget. He shall maintain and reconcile bank accounts and invest all funds guided by the Prudent Man Rule. The President and the Secretary/Treasurer are authorized to sign account checks individually. Secretary/Treasurer will be responsible for filing or confirming that all government forms are filed as appropriate. He shall perform all other customary duties pertaining to the office of Secretary/Treasurer. Upon the end of his term,or removal from office, the Secretary/Treasurer shall, in a timely manner,turn over and deliver all club records, monies, and access to accounts in the club’s name, to his successor or other club officer as designated by the board.
Sec. 4 – The Directors may be assigned tasks as deemed necessary by the president or Board.
Sec. 5 – The elected officers shall constitute the “Board of Directors”, who, acting in the best interest of the club, shall handle any business arising between regular meetings.
Article IV
Sec. 1 – The President shall appoint a Contest Coordinator, who may be a board member or a member at large. The Contest Coordinator shall, either at meetings, or by other means available, strive to keep members advised of pending contests; encourage club members to participate and submit their individual scores to the contest sponsor and to the club; encourage overall contest participation, either individually, multi-op or team. The Contest Coordinator, working within guidelines adopted by the board, shall develop programs and incentives designed to encourage contest participation. He shall handle any “pre-registration” and shall submit the club’s aggregate score to the appropriate contest sponsors.
Sec. 2 – The President may appoint an Advisory Committee, composed of club members in good standing, to assist him in the operation of the club.The President shall attempt to have members other than officers serve in these posts in order to provide for diversity in the operation of the club. The members of the Advisory Committee shall not have additional voting privileges.
Article V
The by-laws shall provide for Regular meetings at such times and places as shall be conducive to maximum attendance. Meetings and votes shall beheld/acted on in person or due to the size of the area covered by the club, via electronic means. Votes by US Mail also are acceptable.
Article VI
The club, by majority vote, may levy such dues as are deemed necessary for the operation of the club. Payment of current dues shall be a pre-condition for voting privileges and for submission of member scores to the Louisiana Contest Club aggregate in competitions.
Lapses in member dues payments exceeding twelve months shall cause the member to be dropped from the Louisiana Contest Club active roster. However, any former member may submit a new application and upon paying full dues assessment, be returned to active status as prescribed in Article I.
Article VII
The club will utilize e-mail, an Internet web site and other technology to reduce printing and postage cost. Subscription to the club e-mail reflector and restricted pages on the web site is limited to club members or approved non-members
Article VIII
Sec. 1 – The club shall submit a club score in all major contests for which there is a club competition. Club members shall be encouraged to participate in all amateur radio contests, with particular emphasis given to contests sponsored by the ARRL, CQ, National Contest Journal and others as deemed appropriate by the board.
Sec 2 – In addition to individual and club entries, several contests allow “Team” competition. Louisiana Contest Club members are encouraged to join together as teams and submit scores to increase club exposure.
Article IX
This constitution or the by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the membership. Proposals for amendment must be submitted in writing, at least 30 days in advance of the meeting at which the proposed amendments are to be acted on. Such notice shall be posted on the Louisiana Contest Club web site and include the proposed new language integrated into the existing language. Proposals for amendments must then be submitted to the Secretary in writing at a meeting and voted on at that meeting.
Article X
All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with and be governed by the Louisiana Contest Club Constitution & By-laws and Robert’s Rules of Order.
By-laws
- Club Jurisdiction. The center of the club shall be located at Latitude 31.226894N, Longitude –92.944580W, near Marksville, Louisiana.The jurisdiction of the club shall encompass an area within a radius of 171 miles of the above location.
- Membership. New members shall be enrolled after presentation of an application for membership and payment of current dues.
- Communication. To facilitate communications among club members and to promote the club to the Amateur Radio community, the club shall maintain a World Wide Web site at the URL https://louisianacontestclub.org. The Board shall appoint a webmaster willing and able to maintain the service.The club may acquire, use or support additional URL’s or technological improvements, in order to streamline and encourage greater use by members or interested parties.
- Meetings. Meetings shall be held Quarterly. To encourage more attendance and participation, the meeting location shall not be fixed, but shall be flexible, moving around within the club’s jurisdiction. Meeting location, date and time shall be posted on the club internet site as early as practical.
- Elections. Elections of Officers shall be scheduled pursuant to Article II of the Constitution. Election shall take place at the last quarterly meeting of the club’s fiscal year. All electronic and mail votes received within the allotted time frame shall be tallied and added to the live votes at the last meeting of the year. Winners for each office shall be named at the meeting.
- Advisory Committee. An Advisory Committee may be appointed pursuant to Article IV of the Constitution. The Advisory Committee shall consist of positions such as deemed necessary by the President. Appointment does not confer board voting privileges.
- Dues. An annual dues assessment covering the period January 1 – December 31(defined as the Louisiana Contest Club Contest Season) is hereby levied pursuant to Article VI of the Constitution to meet current club operating expenses. Being current with Club dues is a precondition for participation in the various Club awards programs that shall be offered to members and also for voting privileges. The dues assessment shall be reviewed each year by the board. If any change is deemed necessary, the board will vote on the change and the full membership will be notified and vote to approve the boards recommendation. Current members, whether in good standing or in arrears, shall pay full assessment for their category. New Regular members joining January 1 through June 30 shall pay full dues. New Regular members joining between July 1 and December 31 shall pay ½ the assessment for that year. Family and Student memberships are already discounted and not eligible for the additional pro-rated discounts. The dues assessment levels are as follows:
Regular Member (RM)
Available to the first, or only licensed Amateur Operator at a given address. Eligible for Louisiana Contest Club awards programs,access to “members only” areas of the club internet site and other club incentives.
Family Member (FM)
Grants full membership to all additional amateurs residing at one domicile after payment of one member’s “Regular Member” annual dues.All members of said family are eligible for Louisiana Contest Club awards programs.
Student Member (ST)
Grants full membership to students enrolled full time in any primary or secondary school, up to and including the undergraduate level.
- Quorum. For purposes of constituting a quorum for elections and other transaction of club business, when matters are presented in advance,a majority of the votes from members, either in person or by email representation (by the time stated), shall be valid. Two-thirds majority is required for changes to the Constitution, removal of officers, or removal of members “for cause.”
- Fiscal Matters. The fiscal year for the Club is January 1 through December31. Spending will be guided by a detailed Budget. Unbudgeted expenditures over $250.00 must be approved by a majority of the Officers. Budgeted expenditures up to $500.00 must be approved by the President or Treasurer and over $500.00 by the President and the Treasurer.
- Dissolution of the Club. A vote of 2/3 of the entire membership shall be required for dissolution of the club. Upon the dissolution of the Club, the Club shall, after paying or making provision for paying all its liabilities, transfer all assets to the American Radio Relay League, Inc.(ARRL), under the guidance of its Officers. In the event that the ARRL no longer exists, then the Club shall dispense of all its assets to an organization recognized and operated for purposes of maintaining and furthering Amateur Radio, as determined by its Officers. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the appropriate Court in the Parish in which the principal office of the Club is then located,exclusively for such purposes or to such organization (s), as said court shall determine.
Constitution and Bylaws enacted by unanimous vote of the Charter members, August 9, 2008.
Constitution and Bylaws amended April 21,2012.
Charter members of this club are: N5WE, W5WZ, W5WMU, NA5Q, and K5ER.
Charlie Morrison, N5WE
Scott Dickson, W5WZ
Pat Sonnier, W5WMU
Roland Guidry, NA5Q
Mark Ketchell, K5ER