Amended 4/20/2022
CONSTITUTION
Article I
Name: The name by which this organization shall be known is the ‘Connestee Falls Fishing Club’.
Article II
Objectives:
- To promote the sport of fishing.
- To promote good fellowship.
- To offer assistance to the Connestee Falls Property Owners Association in sustaining and improving the fishery of our multi-purpose lakes and related amenities.
- To promote water safety.
- To enhance the image of the Club and Connestee Falls in general in the surrounding community.
Article III
Membership
There shall be three types of membership. Those listed in 1Â and 2Â below are limited to Connestee Falls Property Owners Association members and each of those types is entitled to one vote in all matters where member voting is required.
- Household membership for one or more residents in a household.
- Lifetime membership — for Club members who have provided exceptional service to the Club for at least ten years and are selected by the Executive Committee.
- Honorary membership – Granted to persons who are not members of the Club or the CFPOA but have consistently provided exceptional service to the Club. Granting honorary membership must be recommended by the Executive Committee and requires approval of a majority of members present at a regular meeting.
Article IV
Officers and Committees
- Executive functions of this Club shall be vested in the elected officers, namely: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Â The President and Vice President are limited to two one-year terms in the same position when served consecutively; individuals are permitted to serve in an office held in the past if at least one year has elapsed since the prior service. Terms run from October 1 to September 30.
- There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the four officers of the current term and the immediate full-term past-president. Previous past presidents and current committee chairs or co-chairs are welcome to participate in an advisory role but will not have voting privileges.
- There shall be the following standing committees:
- Awards Committee
- Membership Committee
- Fishery Management Committee
- Outreach Committee
- Fish Fry Committee
- Nominating Committee
- Appointments of Chairpersons or Co-chairpersons of these committees are at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Chairpersons shall appoint the other members of their committees.
- There shall be no limit to the number of members on any committee, with the exception of the Fishery Management Committee, which shall consist of a minimum of five members, including the chair person or co-chair persons.
Article V
Bylaws – This Club shall adopt Bylaws consistent with the CFPOA Restrictive Covenants and Rules and Regulations and Policies as may periodically be adopted by the CFPOA.
Article VI
Amendments to the Constitution – The Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a majority vote of the members voting in person and those casting ballots electronically in advance, provided the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership in writing at a previous regular meeting and distributed by email or other electronic means in order to inform and solicit comments.
BYLAWS
Article I
Meetings
- Regular – Scheduled at a time and place as determined by the Executive Committee.
- Special — As deemed necessary by the President, provided five days’ written or oral notice be given to all members in residence.
- Annual — An awards presentation meeting shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
- Executive Committee — Monthly at a time and place determined by the President, provided at least five days’ written or oral notice is given to all members of the Committee.
Article II
Elections - At the June regular meeting, the President shall appoint and announce a Nominating Committee of three members, designating a Chairperson for the nomination of officers. In addition to nominees selected by the Committee, nominations from the floor may be submitted to any member of the Committee in person, by phone or by email. The Committee will be responsible for verifying the eligibility, qualifications, and willingness of all nominees. At the July regular meeting the Committee shall report on the status of nominations. Nominations will be accepted until the second Thursday of August. At the regular August meeting, the Committee shall announce the nominee (s) for each office and an electronic ballot will then be sent by email to all members. The election shall be at the September meeting by members previously casting ballots electronically and those present at the meeting. If there is more than one candidate for an office, the candidate with the most votes shall win. If there is only one candidate for an office there shall be no balloting for that office and the one candidate shall be elected at the meeting by acclamation.
Article III
Duties of Officers
- President — The President shall preside at all meetings and shall have general charge of and control over the affairs of the Club. Should the office of the President become vacant, the order of succession for the remainder of the term shall be Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Should a vacancy occur in any other office, a replacement shall be appointed by the Executive Committee, to serve until the next election. The President, or the President’s designee, shall be the sole spokesperson for the Club.
- Vice-President — In case of the absence of the President, the Vice President shall be vested with all powers to perform the duties of the President. The Vice-President shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by the President.
- Treasurer — The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all Club funds and shall keep an accurate and detailed record of all such transactions. Such records shall at all times be subject to inspection by any member of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall give a financial report at each regular meeting of the Club.
- Secretary — The Secretary shall keep a record of the minutes of all meetings of the members, shall give notice of meetings as provided by the Bylaws, shall have custody of all documents except those in the custody of the Treasurer, and may from time to time perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.
Article IV
Amendments to the Bylaws - the Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a majority vote of the members voting in person and those casting ballots electronically in advance, provided the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership in writing at a previous regular meeting and distributed by email or other electronic means in order to inform and solicit comments.
Article V
Rules of procedure
- Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern all actions of the Fishing Club meetings.
- The Chair shall decide all points of order. Those decisions shall be final.
- Twenty members shall constitute a quorum of any meeting of the members. A majority of voting members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum of any meeting of the Executive Committee.
Article VI
Finances
- The Fiscal Year shall be from January 1 through December 31.
- The annual budget shall be prepared by the Executive Committee, introduced and made available to members at the regular meeting in November and approved by a majority of members casting votes electronically and present at the regular meeting in January.
- Each January, the President shall appoint an ad-hoc Audit Committee of two members, designating a chairperson. The Audit Committee shall audit the fiscal records of the Club, for the period of January 1 through December 31 of the prior year. The Audit Committee shall be empowered to inspect any records, past or present, they deem necessary to complete the audit. The Audit Committee shall present its report to the President at the March meeting. After review by the Executive Committee, the report will be presented to the membership at a subsequent regular meeting.
- The funds contained within the Fishing Club treasury shall be used for enhancing and promoting the objectives stated in Article II of the constitution and, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, supporting other Connestee Falls organizations, funds and projects.
- In order to facilitate normal business functions and activities, the Executive Committee shall have discretionary use of Fishing Club funds for non-budgeted items in an amount up to $300. Any proposed non-budget expenses in excess of $300 shall require a prior vote by a majority of members present at a regular meeting of the Club.
Appendix A
Fishing Club Documents controlled by the Executive Committee
- Hand-out sheets provided with the purchase of a CFPOA fishing license:
- Regulations
- Catch & Release
- Spotted Bass description
- Lunker Award program
- Golden Trout contest
- First Catch Award program
- Watercraft Safety Rules and Regulations
- Watercraft Safety Tips
- Outreach Program Operational Guidelines
- Boat Donation / Sale Program
- Community Projects Guide Sheet
Appendix B
Other Committees and Functions
- Boat Donation / Sales
- Clothing Sales
- Sunshine
- Website
- Financial Audit
- Publicity and Public Relations
- Programs
- Fish-A-Rama
- Lunker Award Program
- First Catch Award Program
- Golden Trout Contest