BY-LAWS

Cleveland Amateur Radio Club, Inc.

Adopted June 1972

Amended: November 1978; July 1989; July 21, 1992; November 1995

October 2000; August 8, 2006, October 12, 2010; April 9, 2013; April 14, 2015

April 11, 2017; April 13, 2022

ARTICLE I – Name

This organization shall be known as the Cleveland Amateur Radio Club, or also by C.A.R.C. or CARC or Cleveland ARC.

ARTICLE II – Purpose of the Club

1. To secure for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of the association of persons interested in amateur radio, to work with local and federal governments whenever called upon to do so.
2. To promote higher standards in amateur radio.
3. To create mutual understanding and cooperation between amateur radio and the general community.
4. To promote the mutual aid and benefit of its members.
5. To develop individual efficiency and leadership.
6. In general, to do anything and everything necessary and proper to the conduct ofthis club and its members for the purpose of attaining or furthering its objectives. To do any and all acts, and to exercise any and all other powers which now or hereafter may be authorized by law.

ARTICLE III – Membership

1. Membership in this club shall be available to anyone interested in amateur radio and who has approval of the membership.
2. Application for membership shall be presented at a regular meeting along with dues assessed in Article IV Dues.

3. Classes of membership

   1. Full Membership will be granted to licensed amateurs 18 years or older who are elected by a majority of members present at a regular meeting. A full member may hold office and operate club equipment within the limits of their license. Minor dependent children living in the same household as a full member shall be granted a free associate membership which shall terminate upon reaching the age of 18. Upon reaching the age of 18 they can apply for full or associate membership accompanied by dues outlined in Article IV Section 1a.
   2. Associate membership will be granted to any licensed amateur or person who shows an interest in amateur radio and is elected by a majority of members at a regular meeting. Associate members cannot vote or hold office and shall be restricted in the use of club equipment.
   3. Honorary membership can be granted to an individual for significant contributions to the club upon approval by a majority vote of full members present at a meeting. Persons chosen for this class of membership have no voting privileges and cannot hold elected office. They shall not be allowed to operate club equipment unless they have a valid amateur license.  The term of honorary membership shall be for the life of the individual. This amendment shall apply to current honorary members at the adoption of this section.  The club reserves the right to revoke honorary membership with a two-thirds majority of full members present at a meeting.
   4. The Cleveland Amateur Radio Club reserves the right to revoke the full membership of anyone at anytime by a majority vote of members present for any actions detrimental to the Cleveland Amateur Radio Club and its assets.

Article IV – Dues

1. Dues shall be established by a quorum of the membership. Dues shall be $36.00 per year for full membership regardless of the time of application. Associate membership shall be $18.00 per year. There shall be no pro-rated dues except as noted in Article IV Section 3.
2. All dues shall be paid on or before the beginning of each calendar year, and any member in arrears 30 days shall be notified by the club treasurer.
3. a. New/Tested Applicants: Applicants for membership who are both new Amateur Radio Operators (not previously licensed) and who have taken and passed their Technician License exam through the Cleveland Amateur Radio Club may join the club with their annual membership fee for the remainder of the calendar year waived. The membership fee after this initial entry period shall be the Club’s normal annual membership fee which is due in January.                                                                                                                                               b. All other Applicants: The fee for Applicants who are already licensed (or previously licensed) shall be prorated at one-half (½) of the annual membership fee for those joining in July thru December. The membership fee after this initial entry period shall be the club’s normal annual membership fee which is due in January.                                                                                                                                                                                                        c. There is no prorated fee for Associated Membership.
4. Memberships are based on a calendar year.

5. Penalties

   1. Any full member or associate member with dues in arrears after January automatically becomes a nonvoting member and retains this status until payment of dues.  If within an inactive period of three months the member does not become reinstated, they become a former member and must be re-elected by the club membership.  Written resignation will constitute former membership.

Article V – Meetings

1. Regular meetings shall be held the second and fourth Tuesday nights of each month.  Special meetings may be called by the President of the club or two elected officers.
2. Special meetings or operations, including emergency operations requiring the use of club property, shall be conducted only if there is a full member present at all times during the meeting or operation.  No non-member shall have a key to the club’s property or allowed access without a full member being present at all times.

Article VI – Elections

1. The president shall appoint a nominating committee of three full members in good standing and will designate one to serve as chair person, no later than the last regular meeting of September. The nominating committee will present the membership at the first meeting in November a slate of officers consisting of at least one person for each officer position who is willing to serve during the upcoming year. Nominating committee members shall be eligible to run for office.
2. Election of officers shall be by secret ballot by all members present at the last meeting in November. Voting by individual absentee ballot is a privilege permitted if the absentee ballot is requested by the individual full member.
3. All ballots that were cast in the election shall be read aloud to the membership immediately after voting has concluded. The secretary will tally votes that were cast for each candidate and announce the results to the membership. The president shall declare the election final. In the event of a tie vote a runoff ballot must be cast between the tie vote.

Article VII – Officers

1. The officers of this club shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer.
2. Anyone nominated for office shall be a member in good standing for one year.
3. Officers shall be elected for one year except as noted in section d of this article.  Election shall be at the last regular meeting in November, and elected officers shall take office January 1st of the following year.
4. If no quorum is present at the last regular meeting in November, the existing officers shall retain office until a quorum is met at the next regular meeting, at which time the officers elected shall assume their positions immediately and the length of their term of office is retroactive to January 1st.
5. The membership at any business or called meeting may replace any officer due to death, incapacitation, non-participation, or bad conduct, by at least two-thirds of the voting membership. (The procedure outlined in Article XI shall be followed in this instance).

Duties of the Officers

1. President

   1. It shall be the duty of the president to conduct all meetings with order and according to parliamentary procedures.
   2. He shall appoint the members and chairmen of the following committees: Membership, By-Laws, Activities, Ways and Means, Public Relations, Program, T-V-I, House and Grounds, Repeater and Information Technology. The Chairpersons of these committees along with the elected officers and the past president shall constitute the Steering Committee. The committee shall remain in office at the pleasure of the president.
   3. All appointments shall be made by the president at the first meeting in January.
   4. The president shall have authority to appoint temporary replacements when committee vacancies occur and to appoint temporary members to a committee in the best interest of the club.
   5. The president must preside as chairman of the steering committee and shall serve in an ex officio capacity on each committee that he / she appoints, except the nominating committee.

2. Vice President

   1. The vice president shall preside at meetings in the absence of the president and shall assume the position of president in the event of the resignation of the president or in the event the president is deemed incapable of performing his duties by a majority vote of the members.
   2. In the case of the resignation of or permanent incapacitation of the president, a new vice president shall be elected at the next regular meeting.
   3. The vice president shall be responsible for all club property and will provide a yearly inventory of all club assets.

3. Secretary

   1. The secretary shall retain and keep records of all transactions and events of the club.
   2. The secretary shall preside at any meetings in the absence of the president and vice president, provided provisions of Article X are met.

4. Corresponding Secretary

   This officer shall be responsible for the public relations committee and for all incoming and outgoing correspondence.

5. Treasurer

   1. The treasurer will maintain all funds received by the club and shall keep deposits in a bank account under the club’s name.
   2. It shall be the treasurer’s duty to collect all revenue and disburse funds for debts of the club.
   3. The treasurer shall present a financial report at the first meeting of each month showing the previous month’s balance, all funds collected and spent, and the current balance of all accounts.
   4. The treasurer shall dispense no money by cash except petty cash, and shall show bills or receipts for all money dispensed for club approved expenses.
   5. All books shall be audited at the club’s discretion.
   6. A year-end balance sheet shall be posted by the second meeting in January.

Article VIII – Committees

1. Committees

   1. The president must give the duties to all appointed committees.  In addition, the president may appoint other committees, but their chairmen will not serve on the steering committee.  The committee chairmen shall have full control over their committees.

2. Steering Committee

   1. The steering committee shall consist of the following – the president of The club and all elected officers, the chairmen of each standing committee and the past president.  The duties of the steering committee shall be to discuss and decide issues that should be brought to the attention and possible vote of the membership.

3. Membership Committee

   1. The membership committee shall search for prospective members and encourage them to join the club and participate in the club’s activities. Membership applications shall be presented by the treasurer to the membership and voted on at the next regular meeting.

4. By-Laws Committee

   1. This committee shall check all laws, local, state and federal, to see that the local club does not conflict at any time.

5. Activities Committee

   1. This committee shall arrange events such as picnics, projects and social gatherings, contests, etc.

6. Ways and Means Committee

   This committee shall be responsible for planning ways to raise money for club activities and projects.

7. House and Grounds Committee

   1. This committee shall look after the club property and advise the vice president as to the condition, etc.

8. Public Relations Committee

   1. This committee shall be responsible for publicity and advertising as to pertaining to club activities and shall report to the corresponding secretary.

9. R-F-I Committee

   1. This committee shall be responsible for checking all complaints pertaining to any amateur radio activity.

10. Program Committee

    1. This committee shall arrange presentations for the club that are in the Interest of amateur radio. These may be educational or entertaining.

11. Repeater Committee

    1. The repeater committee shall consist of the repeater trustee and the control operator and any member or members so designated by the club president.  The repeater committee shall be responsible for compliance with Part 97 of FCC Rules and Regulations.

12. Information Technology Committee

    1. This committee will oversee the club’s computer hardware and software, network security, digital data storage systems, Internet service, telephone service and related equipment, website, email, and social media accounts.  The committee will develop policies and procedures for each of the above and bring updates to the membership, develop training for software used by the club, provide an up to date inventory of equipment under their control to the vice president, and recommend acquisition of new equipment and disposal of surplus equipment as necessary.  Only properly licensed and authorized software will be loaded onto club hardware.

Article IX – Voting

1a. Any issue concerning club business shall be voted upon by a show of hands or voice vote at the discretion of the presiding officer.  For voice votes “Aye” shall be deemed in support of the motion on the floor and “Nay” as opposed. However, matters deemed to be a controversial subject by any full member present, voting shall be done by secret ballot.

Article X – Quorum

1. A quorum shall consist of seven of the full members on the roll and any three elected officers.

Article XI – Amendments

1. These by-laws shall serve as the rules and guidelines of the Cleveland Amateur Radio Club but can be amended:
   1. at any meeting by a vote of two-thirds of those who are full members on the roll and present at the meeting;
   2. the amendment or amendments must be presented at two consecutive meetings;
   3. a quorum must be present; and
   4. absentee ballots shall be allowed.