Note: This Document was copied from a document provided to me. This may not be a copy of the original or current by-laws. I have made some changes to the sentence construction and edited obvious errors and redundancies without changing the spirit or intent of the original. I have added comments to point out areas that need revision and clarification. I designed this page to open in a new window so that you may minimize this page, go to the Contact-Us page and type in any comments you wish to submit while you are reading this document. The Close window button is at the bottom of the page.
Harbor Town Yacht Club Charter
Article I - Establishment
Section 1-Name
The Name of the club shall be "Harbor Town Yacht Club"
Section 2 - Existence
The club shall remain in existence until such time as three-fourths of its members shall vote to disband it. No member shall have the right, title or interest in any of the assets of the club.
[ Should be clarified, either during its existence or after the disbandment ]
Article II - Objectives
Section 1 - Purpose. The Club has been formed and exists for the purpose of promoting good fellowship and fun and sharing friendship with fellow members.
[ Should be expounded to include statement of social events, legal purpose, disclaimers etc.]
Article III - Membership.
Section 1. Membership Requirements and Information:
1. Ownership of a boat or desire to own a boat.
2. Attendance at one social function and one club meeting is required prior to submitting application for membership.
3. Acceptance of prospective members into the club will be decided by majority vote of members at the regularly scheduled meeting.
4. An 8X10 framed photo of your boat to be displayed in The Water's Edge Restaurant is requested.
5. The cost of some social functions will be charged accordingly. Some advance notice may be required.
[ This statement needs to be clarified ]
Section 2. Honorary Members
[ This section is not complete and needs to finished (copied as written from my copy!)]
Article IV - Club Meetings
Section 1 - Regular Meetings.
1. Regular meetings will be held monthly.
2. Regular meetings shall be held the 2nd Thursday of each month.
3. The meeting location will be voted on at the Regular Meeting.
4. The meeting location may change due to weather.
[ There needs to be a statement of Purpose for the Meetings to include what issues must be voted on and a statement of expected member conduct during the meeting and some statement about the meeting format, and Parliamentary procedure etc.]
Section 2. Special Meetings.
Special Meetings of the club may be called by the Commodore or Rear Commodore.
Section 3. Voting Privileges.
Each boat shall have the voting rights of one vote per vessel.
[ Does this mean that members with out boats have no votes?]
Section 4. Quorum.
Majority of the members eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum at any announced meeting. The executive Committee may vote decisions and rule with majority when decisions must be made and regular meeting is not possible.
[ This statement needs to be cleaned up, like a majority vote of the members eligible to vote shall ]
Article V - Officers [ This section needs overhauling ]
Section 1. Election of Officers.
The Elected officers of Harbor Town Yacht Club shall consist of the Commodore, Rear Commodore, Vice Commodores,, Yeoman and Purser. They shall be elected by a majority vote of the members voting in an election.
[ This statement belongs in the purpose of the meetings ]
Section 2. Powers and Duties [ of Officers ]
A. Commodore
The Commodore shall preside at all club meetings and shall take such appropriate action as deemed necessary or beneficial to the effectiveness of the club.
B. Vice Commodore
The Vice Commodore shall act as Commodore in that individuals absence, and shall have as a primary responsibility the planning and organization of the Commodore's Ball in February. The Vice Commodore shall order new flags for the new officer elects that will be presented at the Commodore's Ball. The Vice Commodore shall perform other duties as prescribed by the Commodore.
C. Rear Commodore
The Rear Commodore shall assist the commodore and Vice Commodore in their duties and act as Commodore in the absence of the Commodore and the Vice Commodore. The primary responsibility of the Rear Commodore shall be to serve as Chairperson of the Activities Committee. Other responsibilities shall include planning and organizing Social functions except for those functions assigned to other officers and ladies night out, which falls to the Gentlemen of the club.
D. Yeoman
The Yeoman shall be responsible for the recording of the minutes at all meetings and functions, and be responsible for distributing club minutes to members as well as providing the information to the Webmaster to be posted on the HTYC website. The Yeoman will also act as liaison to persons desiring to become members of Harbor Town Yacht Club.
E. Purser
The Purser shall be responsible for the financial records of Harbor Town Yacht Club. The Purser shall have the authority to make deposits into the HTYC account as such deposits become necessary. The Purser shall be the Chairperson of the Ticket Sales Committee at fundraising functions. The signatures of the Purser and the Commodore shall be required to endorse any checks on behalf of the club.
[Revision needed, to include reporting requirements]
F .Captain of the Fleet
The Commodore shall appoint the Captain of the Fleet. The Captain of the Fleet shall be responsible for any Tie ups or parades that the club may participate in and any other related duties as directed by the Commodore.
G. Webmaster/Publicity Chairman
The Commodore may appoint a member to act as Webmaster/Publicity Chairman. The Webmaster/Publicity Chairman shalledit notes/flyers and post information to the HTYC website, provide publicity for club sponsored events, as directed by the Commodore.
H. Staff Commodore
The past year's Commodore shall, if mutually agreeable, serve in the capacity as an advisor to the Clubs current Executive Committee for a period not to exceed one year.
[ revisions need to be written to include time-lines, deadlines and accountability][ need to add Club Photographer}
Section 3. Election of Officers
Election of all officers shall take place annually in February. The term of office shall be one year beginning in the month following the election. Should an Officer be unable to complete the term of office within the first 8 months, a Special election may be held to elect a member to fulfill the term.The outgoing board of officers shall act as the Nominating Committee, and present the club with a slate of Nominees at least two weeks prior to the elections.
[ Needs revision and clarification] { Election of Officers belongs in the Objectives of the club section}
Article VI - Committees
Section 1. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the six Officers named in Article V and shall meet as often as required by the Commodore.
[purpose of the Executive Committee?]
Section 2. Activities Committtee
The Rear Commodore Shall be the Chairperson of the Activities Committee, with members appointed by the Rear Commodore. The Activities Committee will plan all Social Events, Activities and co-ordinate any Fund-Raiser opportunities.
[needs clarification, contradicts some sections of Article V] {should be included in responsibilities of members section}
Article VII - Dues
Section 1. Regular Members
Dues shall be charged to all members in the amount of $100.00 per year. These dues are due after the election of officer annual in February. (This line was copied verbatim...the only line I didn't edit)
Section 2. Honorary Members
No dues shall be charged to Honorary Members. Commodore and Purser will maintain the list of Honorary Memebers.
I will undertake the task of re-writing this document. If you have any proposals for the club to vote on, use the Contact-us form and send them to me. The re-write will be posted on the website. The intent of the re-write is to bring the document to the proper degree of excellence it deserves.