Our Bylaws

LUKE ENLISTED SPOUSES CLUB
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA

ARTICLE 1 - GENERAL DUTIES OF BOARD MEMBERS

Section 1: The duties of the Board members shall be those implied by their respective titles and those specified by these Bylaws. These duties shall include but not be limited to:

Be present at each Board Meeting or notify the Secretary. Ensure the monthly report is delivered to the Secretary before the Board Meeting.
Notify the President at least 2 days prior to the Board Meeting of any agenda item other than the monthly report.
Submit a monthly report in writing at the Board Meeting. Report orally to the Board at the monthly meeting.
Attend general membership meetings.
Support revenue-producing activities.
Submit a proposed budget at the end of each Board year in July, and a revision as needed.
Maintain a notebook containing:

A current copy of LESC Constitution and Bylaws.
The current year’s minutes, financial statements, reports, contracts, articles published, policies and procedures, a copy of Air Force Regulations or Policy Letters regarding Private Organizations at Luke AFB, and other materials pertinent to the position.
Minutes and financial statements from the preceding 2 to 3 years.

Pass this notebook on to the successor upon the departure or expiration of the term of office, along with an end of term report.

Section 2: Resignation must be submitted in writing to the President and will become effective immediately.

ARTICLE II - DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS

The duties of the elected officers shall include but not be limited to:

Section 1: President

Preside at all general membership and Board meetings.
Vote only to break a tie.
Ensure that the Constitution and Bylaws are upheld.
Call special membership, Board, or committee meetings as needed.
Establish policies and procedures at the beginning of each Board year.
Appoint the Parliamentarian and Chairpersons of all standing and special committees, after conferring with the Honorary President and Advisor(s).
Confer with Board members to review job descriptions and Bylaws.
Write checks in the absence of the Treasurer. Co-sign with the Treasurer any disbursements.
Represent the LESC at the Newcomers Orientations, or send a designated representative from the Board.
Make welcome visits to General Officer and Senior Executive Service spouses.
Prepare an agenda for the monthly Board meetings.
Invite the Honorary President and Advisor(s) to serve.
Fill vacancies occurring in any office. Elected office requires Board approval.
Remove any member of the Board or Committee for just cause per Constitution.

Section 2: Vice President

Assist the President and perform the duties of the President in her/his absence.
Assume the duties of the office of President should it become vacant or until a successor is named for the remainder of the year. The quorum must approve the successor.
Be responsible for procuring the President’s appreciation gift at the end of said President’s term.
Appoint a committee to assist as needed with these duties.
Provide a monthly verbal report to Board members in absence of the President.

Section 3: Secretary

Keep a record of all Board and general membership meetings and their proceedings.
Keep a record of the minutes of the Board and submit said minutes to the President for approval no later than one week after the Board meeting. Minutes will include the names of all members in attendance at each session.
Distribute the Board minutes at the next LESC meeting.
Maintain the permanent file as stated in the Constitution.
Familiarize the successor with all records and files.
Prepare and dispatch correspondence for the LESC.
Collect and deliver all LESC mail.
Be responsible for the Certificates of Appreciation.
Notify the Board of the time and place of meetings and issue notices of any special general membership meetings.
Order and purchase all social stationery for the LESC.
Report to the Board correspondence received for the LESC.
Prepare and distribute to appropriate persons the Board roster to include names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Section 4: Treasurer

Establish financial policies and procedures at the beginning of the Board year.
Keep an itemized account of all receipts, disbursements, supporting vouchers and records.
Collect all accounts receivable and maintain them in an accredited financial institution.
Submit copies of reconciled monthly bank statements for all accounts to the President.
Disburse LESC funds as directed by the Board, with the authority to execute checks against the LESC accounts. All checks are to be co-signed by the President.
Deposit all funds within 72 hours of receipt.
Pay legitimate bills by the due dates.
Pay approved reimbursements to members with two (2) weeks of receiving written request.
Use a proper record keeping system (e.g., combination journal/ledger) to maintain account records.
Present a written financial report to the Board each month and present a copy to each Board member.
Chair committee in March to include all Board Members, Honorary President, Advisor(s), and Standing Committee Chairs to prepare and annual budget to be approved by the Board in April and presented to the general membership for final approval in May.
Chair the budget review Committee meeting to review and update the budgets for approval as needed.
Comply with current IRS requirements.
Ensure non-profit tax status is in force.
Submit the record for the annual audit of the accounts not later than two (2) weeks following the end of the LESC fiscal year, May 31, or upon resignation of the Treasurer.
Arrange for a timely and orderly transfer of the financial records with the newly elected Treasurer.

ARTICLE III – STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTES

Section 1: Parliamentarian

Shall advise officers and members of parliamentarian procedures upon the request of the President or members.
Shall quote and interpret the Constitution, Bylaws, Standing Rules of the Club, Robert’s Rules of Order and any subsequent changes.
Shall be the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.
Shall conduct telephone and email votes at the request of the President.
Shall perform additional duties as designated by the President.
Shall be responsible for making sure changes or revisions to the Constitution are made as agreed upon.
Shall make ballots and keep them for thirty (30) days after a secret ballot, then destroy. The count of the ballots shall not be disclosed.
Shall not vote as a member of the Executive Board.

Section 2: Standing Committees

The term of office for each committee chairperson is for one year beginning June 1 and ending May 31. Committee Chairpersons and a co-chair will be appointed by the President as necessary. Each chairperson will prepare monthly reports accessing the activities of his or her committee. At the end of the term of office the Chair shall prepare a separate annual report. Each chairperson may select as many members as he or she deems adequate to carry out the functions of his or her committee.

Membership

Shall welcome and introduce guest and new members at general membership meetings.
Shall issue information folders to new members, such folders to include: a copy of the latest membership roster, rules of etiquette for the club, and a calendar including a brief description of all on-going events.
Shall be in charge of nametags for all events.
Shall actively seek out new members to join the Club.
Shall maintain a current file on all members, and assist the Secretary and Treasurer in keeping files up to date.

Publicity

Shall handle all Club publicity, keep the club scrapbook, and act as or appoint an Editor for monthly publications.
Shall act as the Club historian and be responsible for recording all functions.
Shall be responsible for working with the Office of Public Affairs, and advertising all upcoming Club functions.

Activities

Be responsible for the organization and coordination of all the LESC activities Sign Ups.

Report at Board and General Membership meetings regarding ongoing activities.
Establish policies and procedures at the beginning of the board year.
Advertise for and procure instructors, execute instructor contracts, schedule non-member instructors on a space available basis.
Stay in contact with leaders of monthly group activities.

Prepare an LESC activities calendar and distribute to members.

Section 3: Special Committees

Special Committees shall be established by the President after conferring with the Honorary President and the Advisor(s), and present a final report to the Board Members with the exception of the Nominating and the Constitutional Review Committees. Special Committees shall include but are not limited to:

Constitution/Bylaw Review Committee shall:

Review the Constitution and Bylaws and make recommendations to the Board Members on amendments.
Be chaired by the Parliamentarian and consists of the Honorary President or her designee, President, Vice President, and three other members appointed by the President.

Budget Committee shall:

Be chaired by the Treasurer and consist of the Honorary President, Advisor(s), President, Vice President, and Parliamentarian.
Propose a budget for the club’s fiscal year (See Article II, Section 4, Parts K and L).

Nominating Committee (See Article IV, Section 1)

ARTICLE IV –OPERATING PROCEDURES

Section 1: Nominations

The Parliamentarian, with the approval of the Board, may appoint and make public the nominating committee, which shall be charged with nominating members for elected offices for the upcoming term of office. The nominating committee shall meet in January after the membership business meeting and report their recommendations at the February membership business meeting.
The Parliamentarian shall present the slate of nominees at the March membership business meeting. Additional nominations, with the prior consent of the nominee, may be made from the floor at that time.

Section 2: Elections

Elections shall be at the membership business meeting in April.
Officers of the Club shall be elected by written secret ballot. The nominee receiving the majority of votes of members present, as well as absentee ballots shall be elected.
To be eligible for an elected office, a member must be in good standing and must have attended two (2) out of the last six (6) business meetings prior to but not including the election meeting, providing he or she has been a member for that length of time. If he or she is a new member, he or she must have attended the last two (2) meetings prior to but not including the election meeting.
To be eligible to vote, a member must be in good standing with the club.
Officers shall serve a period of one (1) year, beginning on June 1 and ending on May 31.

Section 3: Vacancies

With the exception of the office of President, whose succession is assured in Article II, Section 2B, vacancies or resignations in the offices of Vice-President, Treasurer, and/or Secretary shall be filled by holding a special election at the next regularly scheduled membership business meeting.
If more than three (3) months remain of the un-expired term, a secret ballot is not necessary if there is only one nominee.
If less than three (3) months remain, the office shall be filled by appointment by the President, with the approval of the Board.
Upon the request of the President, a nominating committee may be formed to fill any of the elected officer vacancies and will act in accordance with Article V, Section 1 of this document.

Section 4: Voting when the Board is not in session

The President is authorized to make a request for a telephonic or electronic vote of the Board if a decision of such urgency is required which precludes a scheduled meeting of the Board. The following guidelines apply and must be utilized in regards to voting when required outside of the scheduled Board meetings.

The President will authorize the Parliamentarian to implement either a telephonic or electronic vote.
The Parliamentarian will provide each Board member with the details of the issue to be voted on and will execute a Board vote, either telephonically or electronically.
All the members of the Board must be contacted and given the opportunity to submit their vote and a quorum of the members of the Board must be polled.
The members of the Board must be informed that this is a voting procedure; must be read or emailed the full motion, along with the name of the individual who made the motion and the name of the second and must be asked for their vote.
The polling must be conducted expeditiously. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary to approve the motion.
The President or Parliamentarian will inform the Honorary President and the Advisor(s) of the vote and enter such action and its results in an addendum to the minutes to be read at the next Board meeting.
The minutes will include the exact words of the motion, names of members who either could not be reached or did not respond to such polling prior to the deadline, and the exact accounting of the vote.

ARTICLE V – FINANCES

Section 1: Fiscal Year

The fiscal year shall commence on June 1 and end on May 31 for all budget purposes.

Section 2: Dues

Dues are determined by the Board at their June meeting after considering the recommendations of the previous board.
Dues shall be paid in three (3) month, six (6) month or twelve (12) month intervals, and are non-refundable.
Dues for E-4 and below shall be six dollars ($6) for three (3) months, twelve dollars ($12) for six (6) months, or twenty-four dollars ($24) for one year.
Dues for E-5 and above shall be twelve dollars ($12) for three (3) months, twenty-four dollars ($24) for six (6) months, or forty-eight dollars ($48) for one year.
A member whose dues are unpaid for a period of two (2) months will be notified by the Treasurer.
A member whose dues remain unpaid for three (3) months shall by dropped from the LESC.
Reinstatement of membership will occur only when the member requests reinstatement in writing, pays delinquent dues equal to the number of months past due, and continues to pay in a regular manner.

Section 3: Expenditures

All Club expenditures will be paid by the Treasurer.
In any one month, the Board may authorize necessary expenditures not to exceed one hundred fifty ($150) dollars.
Expenditures in excess of one hundred fifty ($150) dollars must be approved by the membership, prior to being authorized.
Standing and Special Committee chairpersons must not exceed the amount budgeted to them.
The current Board shall leave office with all bills paid.
A mid-year budget review may be called if deemed necessary.

ARTICLE VI – ADOPTION

These Bylaws shall become effective upon the affirmative votes of the majority of members present at any membership business meeting. The Bylaws are subject to approval by the Installation Commander or his/her designee.

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be recommended for amendment by a majority of voting members of the Board at any regular or special business meeting of the Club. Such amendments shall become effective when approved by the Installation Commander or his/her designee.

LUKE ENLISTED SPOUSES CLUB LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA