LAKE WORTH WRITERS’ CLUB
BY-LAWS
Article I: Title. The name of the membership is the Lake Worth Writers’ Club.
Article II: Meetings
Section 1. A Stated meeting will consist of three officers and any number of other members present, constituting a quorum.
Section 2. Purpose. The purpose of the Lake Worth Writers’ Club is to assist each member in the art of writing through reading and critiquing. Other means of achieving our purpose are through seminars and conferences. Our goal is to write and achieve publication.
Section 3. Bi-Monthly Business Meeting. The Lake Worth Writers’ Club shall meet the first and third Thursday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the transaction of business as may come before the Club. The reading and critique session will start at 7:00 p.m. and end at 9:30 p.m., following the business meeting. All meetings are subject to time and location changes.
Section 4. Reading and Critique Sessions.
Sub-Section A. Timekeeping. The amount of time a member has to read and be critiqued will be determined by the number of members reading divided by the time allotted for the meeting. A timer shall be utilized for each reader.
Sub-Section B. Readers. Readers will refrain from defending their work at any time during the meeting. One member may read aloud the work of another member, if so agreed by both readers. Readers may not edit their work as they read.
Sub-Section C. Critique. Punctuation should be marked on members’ copies and need not be brought to the reader’s attention during the meeting. Marked copies may be given to the reader at the end of the critique session.
Sub-Section D. Audience. There will be no talking among members while the reader presents his or her work.
Sub-Section E. We do not read explicit sexual material during the stated meeting or sent by e-mail.
Section 5. Special Meetings. The President and any other officer may call Special Meetings as deemed necessary by majority vote of the members present.
Section 6. Place of Meeting. The members may designate within the local commuting area as the place of meeting for the bi-monthly meeting or for any special meeting.
Section 7. Notice of Meetings: The membership will be notified of all meetings stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting by electronic (e-mail), telephone, written, or verbal notification.
Section 8. Voting. Each current member of the Lake Worth Writers’ Club will have an equal vote in all decisions regarding the transaction of business by the Club as a body. Proxy votes will be allowed if submitted on an official Lake Worth Writers’ Club Proxy form and mailed or hand delivered to the presiding officer.
Article III. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Lake Worth Writers’ Club shall begin the first day of January and end the last day of December the following year (January 1 st through December 31 st ).
Article IV. Officers.
Section 1. Number of Officers. The Officers of the Lake Worth Writers’ Club shall be five (5): President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Such other officers and assistant officers as may be deemed necessary will be elected by the membership.
Section 2. Election and Term of Office. The Officers shall be elected by the current members of the Club at the second regular meeting in December. Each Officer shall hold office until a successor has been duly elected. Officers may be consecutively re-elected. Any officer may decline to be re-elected. Any member may decline to be elected. Voting will be by written secret ballot.
Section 3: President – Duties. The President shall be the principal officer of the Club and, subject to the control of the membership, shall supervise and control all meetings of the Club. The President will preside and perform all duties incident to the office of President. The President shall be responsible for the Charter and Bylaws of the Lake Worth Writers’ Club.
Section 4. Vice Presidents – Duties. The Vice Presidents shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of that officer. Each Vice President shall succeed to the duties of the President in order of rank as determined by the membership. The Vice Presidents shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him or her by the President or the majority of the membership.
Section 5. Secretary – Duties. The Secretary shall: (a) keep the minutes of the meetings in one or more minute books provided for that purpose; (b) see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provision of these Bylaws; (c) keep a register of the address of each member which shall be furnished to the Secretary by such member; and (d) in general perform all duties incident to the office of the Secretary.
Section 6. Treasurer – Duties. The Treasurer shall: (a) have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds and securities of the Club; (b) receive and give receipts for moneys due and payable to the Club from any source whatsoever, and deposit all such moneys; and (c) in general perform all of the duties incident to the office of Treasurer.
Section 7. Resignation of an Officer. Any officer wanting to resign from the club must submit their resignation in writing to be voted on at the next stated meeting. At this same stated meeting, another member may be voted to fill the vacancy immediately. If the officer who resigned changes their mind between the times of submitting their resignation and the vote of the membership, said officer should submit their request to remain, in writing. This action renders the original resignation null and void.
Article V. Membership.
Section 1. Yearly Dues. Membership in the Lake Worth Writers’ Club shall be forty dollars ($40.00) per person per year. Additional members within the same household shall be assessed five dollars ($5.00) per person per year.
Section 2. New Members: New members will be assessed dues based on the date of admission to the Club.
Sub-Section A. January through March. New members joining within the first three (3) months of the fiscal year (January through March) will be assessed forty dollars ($40.00). Additional members joining within the same household will be assessed five dollars ($5.00).
Sub-Section B. April through June. New members joining within the second three (3) months of the fiscal year (April through June) will be assessed thirty dollars ($30.00). Additional members joining within the same household will be assessed five dollars ($5.00).
Sub-Section C. July through September. New members joining within the third three (3) months of the fiscal year (July through September) will be assessed twenty dollars ($20.00). Additional members joining within the same household will be assessed two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50).
Sub-Section D. October through December. New members joining within the last three (3) months of the fiscal year (October through December) will be assessed ten dollars ($10.00). Additional members joining within the same household will be assessed two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50).
Sub-Section E. Full dues are payable the first meeting in January.
Section 3. Prospective Members. Prospective members may visit a regular meeting free of charge for two meetings. Membership fees will be assessed on the third visit, in accordance with Section 2 above.
Section 4. Renewal of Dues. Yearly dues are payable to the Treasurer the first meeting of the fiscal year (January 1
st
), and are valid for the entire fiscal year. Dues may be paid within three (3) consecutive months before the end of March of the fiscal year.
Section 5. Remission of Dues. No rebate of annual dues will be granted to members.
Article VI. Budget.
Section 1. Expenditures. Any outgoing expenditure by the Treasurer shall first be voted on and approved by a majority vote of the members present.
Section 2. Withdrawal of funds. Authorized withdrawal of the Club’s funds will require the signatures of the Treasurer and/or First Vice President.
Section 3. Proceeds. Any proceeds received by the Club will be utilized as deemed necessary by a majority vote of the members present.
Section 4. Audit. A yearly audit of the Treasurer’s records will be conducted by both Vice Presidents during the month of November. The audit report will be read at the first meeting of the new fiscal year (January). An audit will be conducted upon the resignation of the Treasurer.
Article VII. Amendments. These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed, and new Bylaws or Articles may be adopted by a majority vote of the members present at any regular or special meeting with the President presiding. Amendments will be presented and lay over for thirty (30) days until the second stated meeting, for vote by the members present. The above Bylaws are certified and have been adopted by the membership of the Lake Worth Writers’ Club on the twenty-sixth day of January 2008.
Article VIII. Disbandment of the Club. The Lake Worth Writers’ Club can only be disbanded by majority vote of the members at a regularly stated meeting. This meeting must consist of a quorum of at least three officers and any number of members. The vote to disband must lay over for 30 days until the second regularly stated meeting, at which time the motion to disband will be voted upon again. The decision of the second vote is final.
Article IX. Disbursement of Assets.
Section 1. Outstanding Debts. In the event the Lake Worth Writers’ Club members vote to legally disband the Club, all bills and outstanding invoices must be presented to the Treasurer at same stated meeting. The Treasurer will disburse the existing funds according to the bills and/or invoices presented.
Section 2. Remaining Funds. After all outstanding monetary obligations have been paid, the remaining moneys will be split equally between the Lake Worth Masonic Lodge #1410 and the Lake Worth Order of the Eastern Star Chapter #1109. The Treasurer will write a check to each of these organizations. The checking account, being depleted, will be closed after all outstanding checks have cleared the bank.
_______________________________
Nancy L. Anthis
Secretary
January 26, 2008
