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Ohio
Dairy Goat Association Constitution
and By-Laws Revised
10-2007 Section 1
The name of the Association shall be the Ohio Dairy Goat Association,
Inc. Section 2
The objectives and purpose of the Association shall be: (a)
To advance the cause of the Dairy Goat Industry. (b)
To encourage and promote the breeding of quality Dairy Goat and to do
all possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection. (c)
To educate the public about the benefits and value of good Dairy
Goat’s, and Caprine products. (d)
To foster and promote the public exhibition of Dairy Goats at fairs
and other shows. (e)
To foster the study of Dairy Goats and Caprine products in schools of
higher learning and promote Caprine products knowledge through the state
agricultural extension service. (f)
To promote closer fellowship among Goat owners and enthusiasts by
coordinating the activities of various Local Associations. (g)
To facilitate the interchange of useful knowledge and helpful ideas
and in general, to provide in every way possible for the mutual protection,
benefit and welfare of this Association. Section
3
The Association shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no
part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the
association shall inure to the benefit of any members or individual. Section
4
The members of the Association shall adapt and may from time to time
revise such By-Laws as may be required to carry out these objectives. By-Laws Article
I
Membership Section
1
Eligibility.
There shall be two types of membership open to Ohio residents who
subscribe to the purpose of this Association. a)
Senior membership. Any
reputable individual 18 years of age or older, farm or dairy name,
partnership, husband and/or wife shall be eligible for Senior membership and
entitled to one vote. b)
Junior membership. Any
reputable individual under 18 years of age is entitled to all privileges of
Senior membership with the exception of voting and holding office. c)
Associate membership. Shall
be open to anyone upon payment of dues, may be a resident of states other
than Ohio, will receive a Newsletter, but has no vote. Section
2.
Dues. Membership dues shall be
set by the Director’s (see the current membership application for rates).
Dues are payable on or before the first day of October of each year.
No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year.
During the month of September, the Membership Secretary shall send to
each member a statement of his/her dues for the coming year.
Memberships beginning from July 1 – September 30 shall be and
remain in good standing through the following club year.
The Board of Directors is empowered to set the annual dues, however,
any changes must be made at least ninety (90) days prior to the beginning of
the club year (October 1). Each
Local Affiliated Club shall compile a complete list of ODGA
members including names and addresses and forward same with the
appropriate dues to the Membership Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to
the Annual Meeting and on a monthly
basis for the remainder of the club year.
All new memberships shall receive a copy of the Ohio Dairy Goat
Association, Inc. Constitution. Section
3.
Acceptance into Membership.
Membership may be acquired by payment of dues through an Local
Affiliated Club. If applicant
is not a member of a Local Affiliated Club, he/she may apply in writing
directly to the Membership Secretary. Such
applications shall state the name and address of the applicant and shall
include dues for the current year. Section
4.
Membership Secretary.
The President shall appoint a Membership Secretary to be
confirmed by a vote of the Board of Directors who shall: a) Receive all membership lists and dues and maintain detailed records of same. b) Report promptly all member names and current addresses to the Newsletter Editor. c) Promptly forward all monies to the Treasurer d) Prepare a membership directory for all members of the Association to be distributed no later than January of each year. e) Record, as of June 30, the total membership of each club to determine the number of Directors that may represent each club for the succeeding year complying with Article III Section 2 of these By-Laws. f) Prepare a roll of New Directors for the Recording Secretary to use and report any changes that occur during the year. g) Perform such other duties as requested by the Board of Directors or as indicated in other parts of these By-Laws. Said Membership Secretary shall not have a vote in Board decisions unless said Membership Secretary is a duly elected member of the Board of Directors. Section 5. Affiliation by Local Association. Any local club, society, or association adopting the same general purposes, objectives and rules of procedure as set forth herein, may become affiliated with this Association by complying with the provisions of these Constitution and By-Laws. a) Any individual may belong to more than one Local Affiliated Club, but may represent only one affiliate club for the purpose of Director representation, which is determined in June of each year. a) A written request for affiliation must be sent to the President of this Association a minimum of forty-five days (45) days prior to a regular meeting requesting affiliation with this organization. b) A member list which includes names, addresses and phone numbers shall be included with the request. c) Three copies of proposed constitution will be included with the letter requesting affiliation for examination by the Constitution Committee. d) The Constitution Committee shall clear any conflicting rules with the applying group prior to the regular meeting where the request for affiliation is to be presented. e) The Constitution Committee will report recommendations to the Board of Directors prior to the vote to affiliate. f) The vote to affiliate may be taken as the first item of business after the call to order so that the new directors may participate in the entire business meeting. Properly submitted requests pending at the Annual Meeting may be voted on during the Old Directors Meeting. g) A majority vote of the Directors present is necessary to affiliate. Section 6.
Termination of Membership.
Memberships may be terminated: a) By resignation. Any members may resign from the association upon written notice to the Membership Secretary; but no members may resign when in debt to the association. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Association and become incurred on the first day of the Associations’ year. b) By lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such members’ dues remain unpaid after the first day of January of each year. In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any Association meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting. c) By expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VI of these By-Laws. Article
II
Meetings Section 1. Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting of this Association shall be held on or near the last Sunday of October at a centrally located place selected by the President and announced a minimum of twenty-one (21) days prior to the meeting date. Eight percent (8%) of the membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. At the conclusion of the annual meeting, there shall be a Board of Directors meeting. The order of business shall be as follows: a) The retiring Directors shall complete all items of business in the order through unfinished business. All Officers shall remain in office until their successors are duly elected. b) The Recording Secretary shall then call the roll of incoming Directors who shall proceed to elect and install a President and Treasurer, on odd numbered years, a Vice President and Secretary on even numbered years, and then shall continue with the New Business of the Association. The following rules of election shall be followed: 1) There shall be at least two nominations for each position. 2) There shall be no Nominating Committee. 3) The vote shall be by written secret ballot, a majority affirmative to elect. 4) The position of Recording Secretary may be elected from the general membership, Section 2. Special Association Meetings. Special Association meetings may be called by the President, or by a majority vote of the members of the Board voting at any regular or special meeting of the Board, or by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by ten percent (10%) of the membership in good standing as of the date of the petition. Such special meetings shall be called within twenty-one (21) days from the receipt of such request or petition. Written notice of the meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting. The notice of the meeting shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other Association business may be transacted. The quorum for such a meeting shall be eight percent (8%) of the membership. Section 3. Board Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall by held on the last Sunday in February, April, and a Sunday in July, as designated by the Board at the April meeting, at a place and time designated by the President. Written notice of such meetings shall be mailed by the Secretary at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. The quorum for a Board meeting shall be one-third (1/3) of the total number of Local Affiliated Clubs. In the event of having three or less Local Affiliated Clubs, the quorum for the Board meeting shall consist of one-third (1/3) of all Director’s and at least two Clubs represented. Section 4. Conducting of Board Business. All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be open to the membership; however, only the Directors shall have the right to make and second motions and vote. The President shall be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors and have a vote. Section 5. Special Board Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or shall be called upon written request, to the President, of twenty percent (20%) of all Directors, allowing ten (10) days notice. The business transacted shall be limited to that stated in the notice. A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of one-third (1/3) of all of the Directors and one-third (1/3) of all the affiliated clubs represented. In the event of having only three or less Local Affiliated Club, the quorum for the Board Meeting shall consist of one-third (1/3) of all Director’s and at least two clubs represented.
Section 6. Voting. Each membership in good standing, whose dues are paid for the current year, shall be entitled to one vote at any general meeting of the Association at which he/she is present. Proxy voting shall not be permitted and ballots by mail may be sent on any question. Article
III Officers
and Directors Section 1. The Board of Directors of the Association shall consist of adult representatives elected annually by each Local Affiliated Club. The Association’s Officers consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities in regard to the Association and the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision over the affairs of the Association, shall direct its policies and shall control procurement, custody and expenditures of the Associations funds. Section 2. The Board of Director’s shall be filled in the following manner: a) The President of each Local Affiliated Club shall serve on the Board of this Association, unless said President shall live out of the State of Ohio in which case the Vice-President of said club shall represent the club on the Board. b) A local club shall have a minimum of ten (10) adult, individual memberships, Article I Section 5a in this Association to qualify for a Director in addition to their President. c) An individual membership as defined by Article I. Section 1(c)., is limited to one vote at a General Meeting of this Board. d) One Director shall be elected for each fifteen (15) members or fraction thereof, after the original ten (10) needed for the first Director. Adult memberships shall be counted if they are on the roll of the Membership Secretary as of June 30th of the preceding club year. e) Each Local Affiliated Club shall elect Alternate Directors to serve in the absence or incapacity of each local club President or Director. f) An Ohio resident serving as A.D.G.A. Director shall serve on this Board as a Director-at-Large during their term of A.D.G.A. service with full privileges. g) Names of Directors-Elect and Alternates-Elect shall be forwarded to the Membership Secretary a minimum of ten (10) days prior to the Annual Meeting. h) An Local Affiliated Club shall have a maximum of eight (8) Directors. Section 3. Officers. The Association’s Officers, consisting of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, shall serve for a period of two years with the President, and Treasurer elected in odd numbered years and the Vice-President and Secretary elected in even numbered years. The Officers shall be comprised of representatives of at least two Local Affiliated Clubs. If elected State Officers are not re-elected Director of their local club, they may still fulfill their obligations to the State for the reminder of their term of office. The Officer’s shall be comprised of representatives of at least two Local Affiliated Clubs. These Officers have the following duties: a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors and shall have all duties and powers normally appurtenant to the Office of President. The President shall be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors and shall have one vote. The President shall also handle the Associations Bank Accounts in the absence or incapacity of the Treasurer. The President shall serve as ex-officio member of all committees. b) The Vice-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of President in the case of the President’s death, absence or incapacity. The Vice-President shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. c) The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors and of all votes taken by mail, and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Association, and shall have charge of the correspondence, promptly forward a copy of the minutes to the Newsletter Editor and the President, assist the President by providing an agenda of necessary business to be conducted at each meeting and carry out such other duties as are prescribed by these By-Laws. d) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due or belonging to the Association. The Treasurer shall deposit same in a bank in such accounts as approved by the Board of Directors, in the name of the Association. The books shall at all times be open to inspection and he/she shall report at every meeting of the Association and the Board every item of receipt and payment not before reported. The Treasurer shall provide a detailed annual report of Association funds for publication in the January Newsletter. The Treasurer shall be bonded in an amount set by the Board and paid for by the Association. The Treasures’ books shall be audited once each year by a committee of three (3) members appointed by the President. Section 4. Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring among the officers during the year shall be filled until the next election by a majority vote of the Directors at a regular of special meeting except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be atomically filled by the Vice-President, and a vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled as prescribed above. A vacancy on the Board may be filled, during the year, provided it is done in the same manner as the annual election of Directors by the local club and written notice is received by the Membership Secretary prior to the next Board Meeting. Article
IV. The
Club Year, Nominations, Elections Section 1. Club Year. The Association’s fiscal year shall begin on the first day of January and end the last day of December. The Association’s official year shall begin immediately following the Old Director’s meeting and shall continue through the next Old Director’s Meeting (October). The Elected Officers shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election during the New Director’s Meeting. Each Retiring Officer shall turn over to his successor in office all Properties and records relating to the office within thirty (30) days following the election. Section 2. Nominations. Nominations may be made by Directors in good standing from the floor at the beginning of the New Director’s meeting. No person may be nominated who is not a member in good standing. There shall be two nominees for each office. Section 3. Elections. After nominations are closed, voting will proceed by secret written ballot. The nominee receiving the majority of votes for each office shall be elected. The Counting Committee shall be appointed by the Outgoing President. Article
V. Committees Section 1. The President shall each year appoint Standing Committees to advance the work of the Association in such matters as: a) Newsletter. The Editor of the Newsletter shall prepare and incorporate items of Association business and news of the membership and Local Affiliated Clubs into a Newsletter which shall be published six times per year and mailed on or near the first day of each odd-numbered month (January, March, May, July, September, and November). The Editor shall be responsible for maintaining accurate records of all income and expenditures pertaining to the Newsletter and for submitting an itemized accounting to the Treasurer prior to each Director’s Meeting. A detailed fiscal report is to be handed to each Director at the Annual New Director’s Meeting to aid the Director’s in the general supervision of the Newsletter. The same report is to be published in the January Newsletter. Advertising rates and rules shall be determined by the Board. The Newsletter shall be available to all adult members as part of their membership fees and to non-members and to junior members for an additional fee (see the current membership application for rates). b) Parliamentarian. This person shall be responsible for all matters of Parliamentary Procedure. c) Liaison – DHI. This person shall work to keep Dairy Goat members advised of all changes in rules and shall act as a go-between with the State DHI offices. d) ODGA/OSU Research. The chairperson shall advise OSU of the criteria for Research Grants in the field. e) Futurity. This person shall handle all details in regards to the Annual Two Year Old Futurity to be held in conjunction with the Annual Show. Said Chairperson shall deposit all monies in a special account and shall render to the Treasurer of the Association a full accounting of all monies received and distributed for each year. A copy of said report shall be published in the Newsletter each year in November. f) Constitution. This committee shall keep the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association up to date and shall pass on all Constitutions submitted by members of the Clubs. g) Annual Conference. The committee shall plan and present an Annual Conference for Dairy Goat Enthusiasts in the State. All plans are subject to the authority of the Board of Directors. h) Annual Show. This committee shall plan and execute an Annual Show for Dairy Goats around the time of the July Fourth (4th). All proposals are subject to the authority of the Board of Directors. i) Historian. The Historian shall maintain a historical record of the Association. j) A.I. This committee shall work to further the use of Artificial Insemination in the Dairy Goat Industry. Section 2. Any committee appointment may be terminated by the President upon written notice to the appointee, and the President may appoint successors to those persons whose service has be terminated. Article
VI.
Discipline. Section 1. The membership of an Individual or Local Affiliated Club may be terminated or suspended for any act or conduct upcoming or detrimental to the interest of this Association. Written and signed charges by five (5) or more unrelated members in good standing are required to initiate proceedings. Upon the filing of charges, written notice will be sent to the Secretary by certified mail to the accused and each Director. Said notice shall contain the charges, time and place of hearing and shall state that the accused will have the opportunity for defense. Said notice shall be sent thirty (30) days prior to the hearing. A two thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of all Director’s present and voting shall be required for suspension. Termination can only be voted by the membership at an Annual Meeting and must by approved by two-thirds (2/3) majority. All voting shall be secret written ballot. Article
VII. Youth
Ambassador Selection Section 1. Each Local Affiliated Club may nominate one candidate for ODGA Youth Ambassador. Independent members may also compete. Section 2. The following criteria shall be used: a) The application, with picture, shall be submitted to the Chairperson of Youth Activities prior to or at the Annual Fall Conference.
b) Senior candidates must be a member of ODGA, a resident of Ohio, and between the ages of sixteen (16) and twenty one (21) as of January 1 of the following year. c) Junior candidates must be age fourteen (14) or fifteen (15) as of January 1st of the following year and must be an individual member of ODGA, not part of a family membership. In addition a parent signature is required for all Junior and Senior contestants. Section 3. Applicant may compete more than once in this contest, but may not succeed themselves as the Youth Ambassador Section 4. The Youth Ambassador and the Runner-up must be able to attend the Ohio State Fair Jr. and Open Class Shows (4 days), the ODGA Buckeye Classic (3days), and the Ohio Dairy Goat Conference. If for any reason he/she is unable to attend these events he/she should not apply for this position. Section 5. Criteria for selection will be: a) 35% Dairy Goat knowledge b) 35% Participation in Dairy Goat related work. (4H, FFA, ODGA, Local Dairy Goat Associations, Fairs, Shows, State Fair, etc.. c) 30% Personality, Poise, and Personal Appearance. Section 6. The applicant will be interviewed at the ODGA Conference which is held each fall with date and place to be announced each year. He/she will be interviewed by a panel of three judges which will be selected by the current ODGA President. The applicants must have completed an Ohio Dairy Goat Association Youth Ambassador Application. At the conclusion of the conference, the Youth Ambassador and a Runner-up will be announced. The Ambassador’s term will run from induction until the Annual Conference of the following year at which time he/she will induct the next years Youth Ambassador. Section 7. The Youth Ambassador is encouraged by the Ohio Dairy Goat Association to attend the ADGA National Show, the ADGA Convention, and to compete in the ADGA Youth Ambassador Contest. The Youth Ambassador and the Runner-up are encouraged to help with various shows, events and activities throughout the year as they are invited to do so. The Youth Ambassador is also encouraged to compete in the Ohio State contest, if the Youth Ambassador chosen by ODGA can meet the requirements for this contest. Section 8. Additional requirements: Required that there be a chaperone with the Youth Ambassador at all ODGA functions. Section 9. An Ambassador may be selected from any age group fourteen to twenty one (14 – 21) years of age. ODGA will provide a sash for the Youth Ambassador and Runner-up. Article
VIII Rules of
Order Section 1. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised Edition shall govern this Association in all cases where they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution or By-Laws of this Association. Article
IX Amendments Section 1. Amendments to theses Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary and signed by eight percent (8%) of the members in good standing. Amendments proposed by such a petition shall be promptly considered by the Directors and must be submitted to the membership with recommendations of the Directors by the Secretary for a vote within ninety (90) days of the day when the petition was received by the Secretary. Section 2. These Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any time provided a copy of the proposed amendments and a ballot is sent to each active member by the Secretary. Said notice shall specify a date of not less than thirty (30) days after the date of the mailing by which date the ballots must be returned. A favorable vote by two-thirds (2/3) of those voting shall be required to pass any amendment. Article
X
Dissolution Section
1.
The Association may be dissolved at any time by the written consent
of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the members in good standing.
In the event of the dissolution of the Association, whether
voluntary, involuntary or by operation of the law, none of the property of
the Association shall be distributed to any members of the Association, but
after the payment of the debts of the Association, it’s property and
assets shall be given to an organization for the benefit of Dairy Goats
selected by the Officers at the time. Article
XI Order
of Business Section 1. As meetings of the Association, the order of business so far as the character and nature of the meetings may permit, shall be as follows: Call to Order Roll Call Minutes of the Last Meeting Report of the Treasurer Correspondence Unfinished Business Committee Reports New Business General discussion for the good of the Association Adjournment
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