ARTICLE I NAME

The name of the organization shall be Utica Shelby Emergency Communication Association, Inc.

ARTICLE II PREAMBLE

We the members, wishing to secure for ourselves the pleasure and benefits of the association of persons commonly interested in amateur radio, have joined together as USECA, Inc. amateur radio club and enact this constitution as our governing law. It shall be our purpose to further public relations, emergency communication activities, training, and technical advancement of the club members, operation activities, and other miscellaneous activities.

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP

All persons interested in amateur radio communications, which is the amateur radio service as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), shall be eligible to be considered for membership.

ARTICLE IV BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the organization and shall meet regularly to determine such policies necessary for the continued growth and welfare of the organization.

ARTICLE V OFFICERS

The officers of the organization shall be licensed amateurs and shall be the governing body to oversee the meetings.

ARTICLE VI ARRL

This organization shall conform to any and all provisions required for affiliation with the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL).

ARTICLE I MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1 ELIGIBILITY

Any person interested in amateur radio communications, which is the amateur radio service as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), shall be eligible to be considered for membership and/or renewal.

A. Charter membership may be conferred on the founders of the club at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Charter members are eligible for full club privileges.

B. Lifetime membership may be conferred on members at the discretion of the Board of Directors for outstanding service to the club. Lifetime members are eligible for full club privileges.

SECTION 2 VOTING

Each member shall be eligible to vote on each matter brought before the membership for a vote.

A. Voting on major topics such as Election of Officers, Change in Constitution, or By-Laws shall be determined by a majority of a ballot vote, with absentee ballots being accepted. All absentee ballots shall be mailed to the Nomination Committee or its designee, and must arrive at least two days prior to the next meeting, or shall be brought in person to the next meeting.

a. The Membership Secretary and designees will validate membership.

b. The Recording Secretary shall hold ballots for one year, or until the next election.

B. Voting on minor topics shall be brought before the general membership at a regular meeting and shall be determined by a majority of yea/no vote or show of hands, whichever method the officers decide to use.

SECTION 3 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

Any member may be expelled from the organization for misconduct by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at a general meeting. This meeting will take place after reasonable notification has been made to the membership stating that there is a motion on the floor to expel a member. The Board of Directors must review any such motion before being posted. Misconduct is defined as any willing and repeated infraction of the rules and regulations of the FCC, and any other laws pertaining to the amateur service, or public misconduct, so as to reflect unfavorably upon USECA, Inc. or its members.

ARTICLE II DUES

The organization, by recommendation by the Board of Directors, and by majority vote of those members present at any regular meeting, may levy upon the membership such dues or assessments as shall be deemed necessary for the business of the club organization, within its objectives as set forth in the Preamble.

A. Dues shall be levied on each of the following categories:

a. Regular Membership; with or without auto patch privileges.

b. Family Membership; with or without auto patch privileges. Family Membership is defined as: a primary member and an adult partner, and licensed dependents living in the household.

c. Charter member and lifetime members are exempt from paying dues. If a family membership is desired, dues will be prorated at half the regular membership rate.

B. The membership period shall extend from January 1 of any given year, through and including December 31. New members shall be prorated as follows: January thru June; full membership rate – July thru September; half membership rate – October forward; full membership rate with membership included through following year.

C. A member who is in arrears (dues and/or assessments) for a period exceeding 6 weeks may have his membership terminated and will be dropped from the roster. A member dropped from the roster has no voting privileges and cannot serve as an officer or committee head.

ARTICLE III OFFICERS

SECTION 1 OFFICERS

The officers of the organization shall be: President, Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer. Only members who have been in good standing for the preceding six months, and who are licensed amateurs at the time of election shall be eligible to run for office.

SECTION 2 TERM OF OFFICE

The Officers and Board Members shall be elected for a term of one year, which shall run from January 1 through December 31. The election meeting shall take place at the December meeting, after nominations at the November meeting.

SECTION 3 VACANCIES

Vacancies occurring between elections shall be filled by the following means:

A. The Vice-President will fill the Office of the President.

B. All other vacancies will be filled by a special election at the next general meeting. A reasonable attempt will be made to notify the membership prior to the vote via announcements in the Express, and/or repeater announcements.

C. Members presently serving on the Board of Directors that wish to be considered for nomination for a vacant position must first resign their current position in order to be eligible.

SECTION 4 REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS

Officers and Board Members may be removed from office by a three-fourth vote of the members present at the next scheduled general meeting. This shall be upon written notice to said officer and by recommendation of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV DUTIES OF OFFICERS

All officers may enlist volunteer assistants as necessary to fulfill the duties of the office. All officers are charged with keeping accurate records as may be necessary for their position and turning over to their successor, upon expiration of their term, any and all items belonging to the club.

SECTION 1 PRESIDENT

The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization, conduct them according to the rules adopted by the club, make appointments to the committees, and be responsible for the operation of the organization. The President shall oversee all club activities. The President shall have discretionary fund approval up to two hundred dollars. The President will then report on any expenditure to the Board at the next Board meeting.

SECTION 2 VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President when he/she is absent. The Vice-President will assist the President in the affairs of the club, as well as oversee general meeting presentations.

SECTION 3 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

The Corresponding Secretary shall keep all minutes of meetings as deemed necessary, maintain all correspondences for the club, notify the members of all communications to the club, and oversee the mailing of written notices for special meetings. He/She shall keep the club Constitution and By-Laws and have the same, with any and all amendments, changes, and additions available at all meetings for any inquiries by the membership.

SECTION 4 MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

The Membership Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the membership roster. It is to be kept accurate, up-todate, and available at all club meetings. He/She shall be responsible for all membership cards, new member information, and seeing that each new member receives all information necessary. He/She shall contact the Technical Director to establish a quick dial number for a member with autodial privileges who requests it.

SECTION 5 TREASURER

The Treasurer shall accept and deposit in the club account all monies collected by the club, make disbursements as authorized by the club, and shall be responsible for and keep an accurate record of the financial status of the club. Any disbursement over two hundred dollars shall be brought before the membership for approval.

ARTICLE V BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers (President, Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer), the immediate Past President, and three elected members. They shall be the governing body of the organization and shall meet regularly to determine such policies necessary for the continued growth and welfare of the organization. All officers shall maintain their membership and their amateur license during their term of office. Members of the Board shall keep their dues current, arrearage being cause for removal from office. If, for any reason, the Past President is unable to serve on the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors may appoint a previous Past President to the position. If there is no Past President available to fill the position a special election at the next general meeting will be held to fill that position.

ARTICLE VI MEETINGS

SECTION 1 REGULAR MEETINGS

Regularly scheduled general membership meetings shall be held at least once a month with the exception of the months of July and August. A quorum for the meetings for the transaction of business shall be ten percent of the total membership. Meetings are open to all organization members and guests. Only members in good standing shall have a vote in the proceedings.

SECTION 2 SPECIAL/EMERGENCY MEETINGS

The Board of Directors may schedule special or emergency meetings. Announcements to this effect will be made as deemed necessary. Approved October 14, 2003 Page 4 of 5

SECTION 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS

Board of Directors meetings shall be held at least once a month with the exception of the months of July and August. A quorum for the transaction of business shall be five board members. Meetings are open to all organization members. Only the Board of Directors shall have a vote in the proceedings.

ARTICLE VII REPEATER TRUSTEE

The Repeater Trustee shall be appointed or changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. He/She shall be responsible for the proper operational compliance of the repeater according to the rules set forth by the FCC. The Repeater Trustee shall appoint control operators, at the Board’s discretion, as needed to monitor the repeater operation for compliance. The Repeater Trustee is responsible for maintaining coordination of the repeater frequency pair and filing the Technical Data Sheets with the required pertinent information to the Michigan Area Repeater Council in a timely manner.

ARTICLE VIII CLUB CALL SIGN TRUSTEE

The Club Call Sign Trustee will be appointed by the Board in agreement with the Repeater Trustee. He/She will be the administrative contact for the club and will handle the duties of QSL Manager. The Club Call Sign Trustee shall also maintain a set of guidelines for the use of the club call sign. Permission to use the club call sign shall be coordinated with the Call Sign Trustee.

ARTICLE IX COMMITTEES OF THE CLUB

The need for committees shall be determined by the membership through the daily activities of the club. The President shall appoint or request a volunteer to chair each committee as needed. Each committee chairperson shall be responsible for appointing assistants or requesting volunteers as needed to complete the work of the committee.

ARTICLE X CHANGES TO THE BY-LAWS

Major changes and restructuring to the By-Laws may not be accomplished more than once every three years, although amendments may be requested when appropriate. The process to add or rescind By-Laws is to present the change to the membership at a regularly scheduled meeting, have it printed in the Express for the entire membership to review and return ballot votes the following meeting per Article I Section 2; Voting.

ARTICLE XI CLUB FUNDS

It is the wish of the membership that if the Utica Shelby Emergency Communication Association, Inc. (USECA, Inc.) disbands as a club, that all equipment owned by the club be sold. All funds from the sale, along with any other funds of the organization shall be donated to the organization known as Handy-Hams. This organization is properly named Courage Handy-Hams System and is located at 3915 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55422.

ARTICLE XII LISTING OF COMMITEES/DIRECTORS FOR USECA, INC.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

The Technical Director shall be appointed or changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Technical Director shall be responsible for maintenance of all repeater equipment and distribution of any and all codes. The Technical Director shall also provide all necessary technical data to the repeater Trustee for coordination of the repeater.

EDITOR

The Editor of the club newsletter shall be responsible for the assembly, editing and write-up of the club newsletter.

NET COORDINATOR

The Net Coordinator, serving at the Board’s discretion, shall coordinate a schedule for USECA Net Control Operators and make an earnest effort to see that all nets have scheduled and/or alternate operators available. The Net Coordinator may select and appoint an assistant (Net Point and Awards Manager) to handle compilation and publishing of net points, as well as the design and preference of any awards offered.

REFRESHMENT CHAIRPERSON

The Refreshment Chairperson shall be responsible for refreshments at club meetings.

SWAP AND SHOP CHAIRPERSON

The Swap and Shop Chairperson shall be responsible for the annual Hamfest, seeing that all areas are staffed, advertising/flyers are sent out and that spaces are properly allotted and sold.

FIELD DAY COODINATOR

The Field Day Coordinator shall be responsible for Field Day, seeing that an appropriate area is found, that all stations and special areas have someone to act as station chairpersons and coordinate equipment. The coordinator shall be responsible for assuring that current field day rules are adhered to.

MAILERS/SORTERS

These people are volunteers who help put the newsletter together and make sure it goes out on time to the membership.

HATS AND BADGES COODINATOR

The Hats and Badges Coordinator makes sure that if any hats or badges are requested by the membership, the order is filled in a timely fashion.

HEALTH AND WELFARE COORDINATOR

The Health and Welfare Coordinator makes sure that flowers or cards are sent to any club member should a death or sickness occur in their immediate family.

CLUB HISTORIAN

The Club Historian is responsible for keeping the history of the club through any and all means possible; newsletters, pictures, scrapbooks, videos, etc. This history will include all club activities and community work. A report on the club history to the membership will be provided annually.

ARRL LIAISON

The club ARRL Liaison is responsible for maintaining a good relationship with the ARRL, keeping the club abreast of information coming from the ARRL and providing encouragement to USECA Club members to join or maintain their ARRL membership.

NOMINATION COMMITTEE

The Nomination Committee shall consist of three to five members appointed by the President to assist in the election process. They shall have the responsibility to investigate the possibilities of future officers of the club from the membership. After contacting the possibilities and gaining a positive answer, they will present the slate of officers in November, accepting nominations from the floor. The slate of officers shall be printed in the club newsletter. Nominations will also be taken from the floor at the December general meeting prior to the vote. The voting procedures will be in compliance with Article I Section 2, Voting.

ARTICLE XIII USECA CLUB RESERVED RIGHTS