Powder Dog Ski and Snowboard Club By Laws

ARTICLE I - Organization

Section I:
The name of the organization shall be the POWDER DOGS SKI AND SNOWBOARD CLUB (hereinafter referred to as the "Club").
Section II:
The official emblem of the Club shall be the black lab dog incorporating the name of the Club similar to that as pictured on the bottom of this Constitution.
Section III:
The Club shall maintain registration with the Secretary of the State of Illinois as a not-for-profit corporation (filed in ILLINOIS).
Section IV:
The fiscal year of the Club shall begin on the 1st day of May and end on the last day of April.

ARTICLE II - Purpose

The purpose of the organization shall be to promote the sport of skiing and snowboarding and to provide social and recreational functions for the membership.

ARTICLE III - Membership

Section I:
Membership shall be on an individual or family basis. A family is defined as two or more people living at the same address.
Section II:

Any person shall be considered a member in good standing after meeting the following requirements:
A. Be at least eighteen years of age, or a child in a family membership.
B. Annually submit a signed and dated application, waiver and cancellation policy.
C. Annually pay any and all required membership dues and fees.
D. Shall be approved by a majority of the Executive Board.
E.Has not been previously expelled by the Club.

ARTICLE IV - Rights of Individual Members

Section I:
Members in good standing shall have the right to:
A. Propose motions and business at meetings.
B. Participate in all Club functions for which space is available, providing all requirements are fulfilled.
C. Run for elected office or hold appointed committee chairmanship, providing all requirements for that office are fulfilled.
D. Address the membership at meetings.
E. Vote at any general meeting on any issue.
F. Appear before the Executive Board.
G. Request an updated membership directory containing contact information. The requesting member must agree to not use or redistribute this information for solicitation purposes.
Section II:
Expulsion:
A member may be expelled from the Club for cause. Refer to Article I, Section II of the By-Laws for procedures.
Section III:
Each member shall be responsible for any damage or harm done to other persons or property. Such member shall not hold the Club and/or its Executive Board responsible for such damage or harm.

ARTICLE V - Executive Board

Section I:
The Executive Board shall consist of the Elected Officers as follows:
A. President
B. Vice President
C. Secretary
D. Treasurer
E. Sergeant-At-Arms
Section II:
Duties of the Elected Officers:
A. President - The President shall preside over all general and Executive Board meetings, and shall have charge and control over the affairs of the Club subject to the approval of the Executive Board.
B. Vice President - The Vice President shall assist the President in the administration of the Club. In the absence of the President shall perform the duties of the President, and shall be responsible for the proper functioning and coordination of all committees. The Vice President shall act as the Club Parliamentarian. The Vice President shall preside over and officiate elections.
C. Secretary - The Secretary shall handle all necessary correspondence of the Club and shall record the minutes of the general and Executive Board meetings, and shall keep a file of such records. The Secretary shall present the minutes of the preceding meeting at each general meeting.
D. Treasurer - The Treasurer shall maintain and balance the books of the Club, shall handle the collection of funds, and make all necessary payments. The Treasurer shall report on the financial condition of the Club at the general and Executive meetings. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all official Club documents.
E. Sergeant-At-Arms - The Sergeant-At-Arms shall maintain order at the meetings, and shall remove disorderly persons at the request of the President or presiding officer. The Sergeant-At-Arms shall be responsible for setting up the meeting room before the meetings. The Sergeant-At-Arms shall be responsible for inventory (condition and location) of all Club properties. The Sergeant-At-Arms shall publish in the newsletter an up-to-date inventory list of all Club properties just prior to the end of his term.
Section III:
Executive Board shall be the controlling body of the Club and consist of the Elected Officers each of whom shall have one vote.
Section IV:
The Executive Board shall have all powers permitted by the laws of the State of Illinois and shall include the following:
A. In general, to plan, supervise and conduct all business and functions of the Club.
B. To purchase and dispose of Club properties and to make such reasonable expenditures as will further the purpose or good will of the Club.
C. To schedule regular and special meetings of the general membership provided that reasonable notice shall be given of such meetings.
D. To appoint committee chairmen, including those for purposes which from time to time shall be deemed necessary or expedient (ad hoc).
E. To remove committee chairmen by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
F. To act as agents for the Club to collect any fees, penalties, Monies, and/or properties to the Club by any current or past member, and/or other parties.
G.The Executive Board in acting as agents for the Club shall be governed by all federal, state and local laws.
Section V:
Any decisions of the Executive Board may be overturned by a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of those members in good standing present at a general meeting.
Section VI:
Vacancy in the position of an elected officer:
If a vacancy occurs in a position of an elected office, the
Executive Board shall proceed to appoint a person to fill that vacancy. This appointment shall be subject to the approval of the general membership.
Section VII:
Impeachment and Removal:
Members of the Executive Board can be impeached and may be removed for cause. Refer to Article I, Section II of the by-laws for procedures.
Section VIII:
Terms of Office:
A. The terms of office of the Executive Board will be a two-year term. President, Treasurer, and Sergeant of Arms elections will be held in odd calendar years, while Vice President and Secretary will be held in even calendar years. The term will run from the first general metting in May and end with the closing of the meeting in April of the second year.
B. Members of the Executive Board shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.
C. The term of the Treasurer will be 25 months. The 25th month is to facilitate the closing of the previous years records. Term of the Treasurer will overlap to maintain the efficient working of the club.
D. In the event no one is elected to a position and the current holding officer has served the two-year term, the officer has the option of volunteering for an additional term to help support the club.
E. Past President would reside on the board and attend meetings, although would not have an executive vote.
F. In the event a current officer is elected to a position on the opposite year of their term ending, their position will open for the remainder of the term for general election at the next general meeting.

ARTICLE VI - Elections, Nominations and Voting

Section I:
A. Elections shall be held at the last meeting in April. Notice of elections shall be published in the newsletter immediately preceding elections.
B. Any candidate for an elected office shall be a current member in good standing and shall have been a member in good standing for at least one year prior to nomination.
C. Nominations shall be made from the floor at each general meeting in March.
D. Persons nominated must accept in person or in writing.
E. Voting shall be done by a roll call, a special secret ballot.
F. Ballots shall be counted by the Vice President and the Secretary.
G. In the event of a tie, a runoff election will be held between the tied candidates.
H. For election procedures see Article II of the by-laws.

ARTICLE VII - Committees

Section I:
Suggested committees shall be as follows:
A. Trip
B. Racing/Athletics
C. Membership
D. Publicity
E. Newsletter
F. CMSC - Two (2) delegates and one (1) alternates
G. Webmaster
Section II:
Duties of the committee chairmen shall be as follows:
A. Trip Chairman
The Trip Chairman shall coordinate, plan, and/or arrange all ski trips, which are sponsored by the Club in accordance with Article VIII of this Constitution.
B. Racing/Athletics Chairman
The Racing/Athletics Chairman shall coordinate the functions of all the Club's athletic teams. The Racing/Athletics Chairman shall also procure, maintain, and store all necessary athletic equipment.
C. Membership Chairman
  1. The Membership Chairman shall coordinate all functions to secure new members for the Club.
  2. The Membership Chairman shall maintain the membership records and carry out the functions appropriate to the membership committee.
D. Publicity Chairman
  1. The Publicity Chairman shall arrange for communications to publicize the Club.
E. Newsletter Chairman
The Newsletter Chairman shall coordinate the production of the newsletter and arrange for its mailing and the Powder Dogs Blog.
F. Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council (C.M.S.C) - Two (2) delegates and one (1) alternate.
The delegates and alternates shall represent the Club at C.M.S.C. meetings in accordance with C.M.S.C. guidelines. G. Webmaster Chairman
  1. The Webmaster Chairman is responsible for maintaining and organizing the official Powder Dogs Ski and Snowboard Club site on the World Wide Web.
  2. The Webmaster shall post in a timely manner information of interest to members including trips, activities, and election information.
  3. The Webmaster shall be in charge of access passwords, media content, and domain name registry.
  4. The Webmaster shall solicit and acquire additional information from club members for the web site.
  5. The Webmaster shall type, scan, or import and edit text and graphics for the web site.
  6. The Webmaster shall identify and maintain links to other Ski Club related information available on the Internet
  7. The Webmaster shall coordinate with the web site hosting agency or company to maintain high availability, sufficient disk space, and necessary technologies for the web site.
  8. The Executive Board shall have access to all passwords, and must approve any change in URL(Domain) name or Host Company.
  9. The Executive Board shall have authority over all web site contents.
Section III:
Committees Terms of Office:
Each committee chairman office must be approved by the executive board. The terms of appointed committee chairmen will begin at the opening of the first general meeting in May and end with the opening of the first general meeting the following April.

ARTICLE VIII - Ski Trips

Section I:
For simplification, all trips referred to in this Article will be only those overnight ski trips requiring bus, train or air transportation unless otherwise noted.
Section II:
The Trip Chairman will be responsible in coordinating the surveys when needed.
Section III:
The Trip Chairman shall present a trip schedule to the Executive Board for approval prior to presentation to the membership.
Section IV:
The Trip Chairman shall present a trip schedule for the coming year at the general membership meetings.
Section V:
The Trip Chairman shall be responsible for the determination and notification to the membership of initial deposit and schedule for payments for each trip.
Section VII:
The Trip Chairman shall request volunteers and supervise a trip leader for each ski trip.

ARTICLE IX - Financial

Section I:
Dues and Payments:
A. Membership dues and fees shall be a set amount as deemed by the Executive Board.
B. Membership dues are non-refundable, whether a member voluntarily leaves the Club or is expelled.
Section II:
Payments for Trips, Social, and Club Functions:
A. Payment shall be governed by all pertinent by-laws.
B. The Executive Board shall charge the responsible member a fee equal to that incurred by the Club due to a non-sufficient fund penalty charge.
Section III:
Financial Review:
The Club financial records shall be reviewed approximately one month after the end of each fiscal year by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE X - Meetings

Notice of the time and location of all general meetings shall be given to members by e-mail, by announcement at the preceding
general meeting and be listed on the Club's web site.
A. General meetings shall be governed by "Robert's Rules of Order" and by the Club's by-laws.
B. A member of the Executive Board must be present to conduct a general meeting.

ARTICLE XI - Amendments to the Constitution


Any motion to amend the Constitution must be made at a general meeting.
A. Upon entrance of a valid motion, a hearing will be set for the next Executive Board meeting.
B. The motion shall be published in the electronic newsletter.
C. The Vice President shall review the constitutionality of the new amendment and report to the membership before the vote is taken.
D. A three-fourths (3/4) majority of members present at the time of voting is needed for the amendment to be adopted.
E. No amendment shall be in conflict with the By-laws.

ARTICLE XII - Dissolution

Grounds for dissolution shall be brought before the Executive Board for consideration and discussion at an Executive Board meeting before presentation to the general membership and published in the electronic newsletter and on the Club's world wide web site prior to being called for a vote at a general meeting.
A. Voting shall be done by proxy and a roll call with a special secret ballot.
B. Ballots shall be counted by the Vice President and the Secretary.
C. Dissolution will occur in the event of affirmative vote by a three-fourths (3/4) majority of all members in good standing.
D. In the event of dissolution, the Executive Board will assume the responsibility of disposing of the assets of the Club in accordance with the General Not-for-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Illinois (latest edition).

ARTICLE XIII - BY LAWS

The By-laws of the Club shall be the primary rules, which govern the day-to-day operation of the Club and its meetings.
A. No by-laws may be in conflict with this Constitution.
B. The by-laws may be added to, amended, or removed.
C. Any motion to amend the by-laws must be made at a general meeting.
D. After being seconded, the motion shall become valid and upon verification of constitutionality a vote will be taken.
E. A three-fourths (3/4) majority of those present at a general meeting is required to pass said motion.

Articles of the By Laws

Article I - Membership, by laws

Section I:
Terms of Membership:
A. Must be a paid member to participate in club activities and trips.
B. No charge to attend a club meeting.
C. The term of membership shall be September 1st through August 30th.
D. Persons joining less than four months prior to September 1st shall be considered as members for the following full term of membership.
E. Members can participate in summer activities until first meeting in September.
Section II:
Expulsion:
A. A motion to expel a member must be made at an Executive Board meeting.
B. Upon issuance of a motion, a hearing shall be set by the Executive Board.
C. The Executive Board will hear the complaint and defense, and will present the motion to general membership if approved by four-fifths (4/5) of the Executive Board.
Section III:
Impeachment and Removal:
A. A motion to impeach an Executive Board member can be made at any general meeting. Upon being made and seconded, the motion shall be considered valid.
B. Upon issuance of a valid motion, a hearing shall be set by the Executive Board.
C. The Executive Board will hear the complaint and the defense. Three (3) yes votes will be necessary for passing of impeachment.
D. The Executive Board member who is under impeachment consideration shall have a vote in the issue.
E. A decision to remove must be made by a three-fourths (3/4) majority of those members present at the next general meeting after the issuance of the impeachment vote by the Executive Board.
F. No member of the Executive Board may hold elected office after being impeached and removed.
Section IV:
General:
A.Copies of the Constitution and by-laws shall be available to any member who so requests or on the club website.

Article II - Election Procedures, by laws

Section I:
Nominations and Elections shall be conducted by the Vice President in accordance with "Robert's Rules of Order."
Section II:
Nominations for an office shall come from a member in good standing who is present at the general meeting.
Section III:
A nominee shall be a current member in good standing for at least one full year.
Section IV:
A nominee may be nominated for more than one office.
Section V:
A nominee must accept each nomination in person.
Section VI:
Speeches shall be given in alphabetical order of last name of nominees.
Section VII:
Nominees not elected to an office may be nominated for subsequent offices.
Section VIII:
A list of nominees for each office shall be prominently displayed for the Election meeting.
Section IX:
A person may hold only one elected office.
Section X:
Results of voting for each office shall be known prior to the close of nominations for the subsequent offices.
Section XI:
The final results of the Elections shall be published in the first Club newsletter published after the Elections and be listed on the Club's world wide web site.

Article III - Payments, by laws

Section I:
Dues:
A. Payment of membership dues shall entitle each member to all rights and privileges of a member.
B. Payment of membership dues shall constitute acceptance of the Club's Constitution and by-laws.
Section II:
Club Functions:
A. No person shall be allowed to participate in any Club function unless full payment has been made prior to the function.
B. If an individual who has signed up and paid for any club function chooses to cancel his or her spot, any unrecoverable expenses due to the cancellation will be forfeited to the Club. In addition, persons will be charged a cancellation fee set by the appropriate chairman and approved by the Executive Board for any cancellation later than an established cutoff date. This cutoff date may be revised by the Executive Board based upon contracts for the event.
C. Initial deposits and schedules of payments shall be set by the function organizer.
Section III:
Bump Clause:
Person's delinquent in final payment for any Club function may be bumped by the appropriate chairman. There will be a 48-hour grace period. If after 48 hours, payment has not yet been received, that person shall be bumped in favor of the next person on the waiting list.
Section IV:
Waiting Lists:
When all of the available spaces have been filled for any Club function, waiting list shall be drawn up on a first come, first served basis with members having a priority over non-members. The waiting list will be made available for inspection upon request.
Section V:
Returned Checks:
A. Any position for a trip, social function and/or Club function secured by payment with a check, is subject to that check clearing the bank from which the check was drawn.
B. If a check does not clear said bank, the position goes to the first name on the waiting list and the person who wrote the check that was returned because of non-sufficient funds shall go to the bottom of the list.
Section VI:
Emergency Expenditure Reimbursements:
Funds spent on any Club function which are determined by the Executive Board to be of an emergency nature, will be reimbursed no later than 30 days after submission of a formal expense report accompanied by receipts and/or proper backup.

Article IV - Conduct, by laws

Section I:
Executive Board:
A. The Executive Board as individuals and as a body shall govern themselves in a businesslike manner.
B. The Executive Board shall conduct the meetings in a businesslike manner.
Section II:
Membership:
A. Each member shall conduct themselves in a manner so as to allow others the opportunity to hear and be heard at any general meeting.
B. Conduct of a guest of a member shall be the responsibility of said member, and said member shall be held accountable to the
Executive Board and to the rest of the membership.
C. No member or guest of a member shall behave at a Club function in such a manner as to be detrimental to the Club and/or its members.
D. A compliance with all state and local laws and ordinances relating to alcoholic liquors and other legalized substances.
E. All state and local laws and ordinances relating to alcoholic liquors will be complied with.
Official Emblem Of The Club
Powder Dogs Black Lab Logo
Officers for 2023 - 2024 season: Chair people volunteers for 2023 - 2024 season:

This document has been revised as voted on by the members at the January 16, 2024 and February 20, 2024 general membership meetings. The previous version can be found by clicking here.

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The Powder Dogs Ski & Snowboard Club.