Table of contents
I. Affiliation. 2
II. Ethics
and Rules. 2
III. Membership. 2
IV. Programs. 2
V. Operations. 3
VI. Board
Meetings. 6
VII. Rules
of Order for Meetings: 7
VIII. Election
of Directors. 15
IX. Election
of Officers and Agents. 16
X. Duties
of Officers and Agents. 16
XI. Election
Templates. 16
XII. Other
Programs without their own documents yet. 21
XIII. Revision
History. 21
Figures
Figure 1: Quick Reference Procedure Diagram........................................................................................................... 13
1. The
MetroWest Chess Club is an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation
(USCF) and the Massachusetts Chess Association (MACA).
2. The
Club shall encourage membership in these organizations.
A.
Unless otherwise stated, the MCC abides by the USCF Code of
Ethics
B.
Unless otherwise stated, MCC abides by
1. USCF’s
Official Rules of Chess, 4th Ed
2. The
1998 "Everything You Ever Wanted To
Know About the USCF's New Clock Rules, But Were Afraid To Ask" pamphlet.
A.
Regular
1. Adult - membership is $30 per
year per individual.
2. Junior - membership is $15 per
year and is available to those 18 years of age or younger.
3. Senior - Dues for seniors, age 65 or older, are waived while the Club is located
at a Senior Center. (Note: Per current
agreement with the Natick Senior Center)
4. Family membership is $5 per year above the highest
applicable single-member rate. All
members must reside at the same address.
B.
Life – membership
is granted by a two-thirds (2/3rds) vote of the Directors then in office.
A.
Definition
1. A
program is defined as a series of one or more events, sponsored by the
MetroWest Chess Club.
2. A
program is established per guidelines below.
3. A
program is maintained on an annual basis, per the guidelines below.
4. A
program is dissolved per the guidelines below.
5. All
program documentation shall use the following templates to assure consistency:
a) Program
Documents
(1) Initial
Program Proposal for establishment of the program. (Only created once)
(a) The
template document titled “MCC_Document_Template_Program_Proposal” shall be used
for this document. (Note: this template
is not currently available.)
(2) Specific
Policies and Procedures Document for the Program.
(a) The
template document titled
“MCC_Document_Template_Program_Policies_and_Procedures” shall be used for this
document. (Note: this template is not
currently available.)
(3) Yearly
Plan and Budget Document for the Program.
(a) The
template document titled “
MCC_Document_Template_Program_Yearly_Plan_and_Budget” shall be used for this
document. (Note: this template is not
currently available.)
B.
Establishment
1. The
Board shall establish all Programs. Any
MCC member can propose a program.
a) If
the initiating MCC member is not a member of the Board of Directors, it is
their responsibility to secure a sponsor on the Board to put the program
proposal on the Board’s agenda.
b) The
initiating MCC member will work with their sponsor to create an Initial Program
Proposal for the program.
c) The
initiating MCC member will present the Initial Program Proposal at the Board
meeting where this agenda item is considered.
d) If
approved by the Board, the Program is established.
2. All
Programs shall have one MCC member appointed by the Board to serve as an agent
of the Board in the role of Program Director for each program.
3. Since
Program Directors are agents of the Board, they serve at the pleasure of the
Board and may be removed at any time by the Board.
4. Each
Program Director is responsible for producing Program Documents as required by
the Board.
C.
Maintenance
1. The
Program Director is responsible to track all budget and expenses, and all other
fiscal matters as deemed necessary by the Treasurer.
2. All
Programs shall be reviewed by the Board at least on an annual basis, no later
than September 30th each year.
3. The
Program Director for the Program shall Report to the Board on a periodic basis
required at the time of establishment, or at the last Board review, whichever
is most recent.
D.
Dissolution
1. The
Board may dissolve any program at any time.
A.
Venues
1. Smoking
Policy
a) There
is no smoking allowed at any time, at any club event, at any venue.
2. Natick
Senior Center
a) Unless
otherwise announced, all Board meetings are held at the Natick Senior Center.
b) Unless
otherwise stated in a Program Policy & Procedure, all events are held at
the Natick Senior Center.
c) Everyone
participating in an MCC event shall abide by the rules of the Natick Senior
Center regarding the use of their facilities and equipment.
B.
Contact Information
1. The
club shall maintain an answering machine to facilitate its operation.
2. The
club shall maintain a Post Office Box so that it can receive mail.
C.
Website
a) The
MCC web site may contain links to web sites of other organizations (e.g. nearby
Clubs, State Associations, private business, etc) that may be of interest to
the Chess community. These information
links are provided as a reference service, and shall not be considered advertising.
b) Simple
listings of events of interest to MCC may be included on the web site, and
shall not be considered advertising.
c)
Substantial event, product, service or organizational
content from third parties shall be considered advertising. Such advertisements will be accepted at the discretion of the web
master.
d) The
Board shall set fees charged for advertising.
e) Advertising
for the web may not be accepted if it not in a "web ready" format.
a) The
web team is not responsible for the creation or collection of content. Program Directors and other information
providers are responsible for ensuring that appropriate information is made
available to the web team for them to publish on the web site.
b) The
web team will make a reasonable effort to see that any content provided is
presented on the site in a clear, concise and useful manner to the users of the
site.
c) The
web team shall ensure that all links to both internal and external pages are
regularly checked and repaired.
d) The
web team shall assist the Board of Directors and it's agents in establishing
web-related policies and procedures and in providing guidance in the effective
use of the web for the good of the organization.
e) The
web team shall be responsible for the maintenance and moderation of the
automated email lists.
f)
The web team shall attempt to protect the organization by use
of their judgment regarding the appropriateness of content and defer posting of
the content until such time as the Board or at least the President shall be
consulted.
a) The
organization retains all rights and ownership of the URL, the site and its
contents.
b) One
Board member shall be designated as the administrative contact for the URL and
the site and shall have full access to the web site (the password).
c) One
person shall be designated as the Web Master and shall be responsible for the
functional operation of the web site and co-ordination among all the web team
members.
d) As
long as the organization has a web site, the Board shall establish a standing
committee called the Web Team with a chairman of the committee called "The
Web Team Committee Chairman". If
the Chairman is also the Web Master then Web Master may be used in place of the
Chairman title.
e) If
the Web Master is not a member of the Board of Directors, the Web Master shall
be an Agent of the Board, and shall take direction from, the Web Team Committee
Chairman or action taken by the Board.
a) Board
members and Agents are permitted to provide content for posting to the web
site.
b) All
requests for web related actions such as corrections or additions to pages or
any other matters concerning either the web site or the lists shall be sent by
email to the web team by way of the web masters address, mailto:WebMaster@MetroWestChess.org
c) All
members of the web team shall receive any email sent to the web master
address. This is done to relieve the
sender from having any knowledge of who is responsible for the various aspects
of the web site or who is available to do the work. Note that when this policy is not followed, the other members of
the web team are unaware of the requests and unable to ensure that the request
is dealt with in a timely fashion.
d) Requests
for changes or corrections must include the specific URL of the page so that no
confusion will arise regarding the proper page to edit.
a) Content
providers shall, to the best of their ability or resources available to them
(e.g. other people on the committee) format the content in such a way as to
require little or no work by the web team to make its suitable for posting to
the site.
b) The
preferred formats for submitting data are, in descending order of preference:
(1) Pre-formatted
HTML ready for posting. (Note: MS Word
97 or later generates this quite easily.)
(2) MS
Word document.
(3) Plain
text.
c) When
providing content in MS Word format the following techniques should be applied
(1) The
entire document should consist of tables with columns used to provide
horizontal spacing and alignment.
Tables when translated to HTML hold their formatting almost perfectly.
d) When
the number of columns needed to organize the data needs to be different than
previously, a new table with the appropriate number of columns should be used
as opposed to using the same table with the rows split into additional columns.
e) The
use of spaces and tabs for formatting should be avoided. The use of columns should generally
eliminate the need for spaces and tabs.
1. The
Board shall appoint an Agent to be the Marketing Director.
2. The
Marketing Director is responsible for:
a) Creating
and maintaining promotional campaigns
b) If
budgets are required, then present a proposal with at least the following
topics addressed:
(1) Purpose
(2) Start
date and duration
(3) Budget
(4) Time
and Materials needed
c) Working
with Program Directors to assure their on-going marketing requirements are
being met
3. The
Marketing Director will work with the Web Team to assure that the web site is
used in the best way possible to conduct promotional campaigns, and meet
on-going marketing requirements of Programs.
E.
Finance
a) Only
one bank account for the organization shall be maintained. This account will be referred to as the
“MCC” account.
b) The
President and Treasurer will be signatories to the account.
c) All
income and disbursements associated with any activity of MCC shall be made to
and from the MCC account.
d) The
Treasurer is responsible for tracking all income and disbursements to and from
the MCC account.
e) All
reimbursements to individuals must be submitted to the Treasurer on the approved “MCC Check Request Form”
and be accompanied by the appropriate receipts.
f)
For any MCC event, all parties who may issue checks or any
other form of payment in relation to the activity shall be directed to make all
payments to “MCC”, not to individuals or other accounts.
g) Representatives
of the organization are not allowed to have checks or other payments made to
them personally, except from the Treasurer of MCC.
h) The
Board by way of an approved Program budget, an amended Program budget or a
specific vote of the Board, shall approve all distributions of funds.
i)
Program Directors are responsible for tracking and managing
their budget. The treasurer will work
with the Program Directors to assure that proper accounting rules and reporting
procedures are used.
j)
Any financial issue where authority or procedures are unclear
shall be placed on the agenda for resolution at the next Board meeting.
a) The
Treasurer will maintain a Master MCC Budget
b) A
Program budget must be submitted during the establishment or maintenance of a
Program to spend or receive MCC funds, per the Program establishment and
maintenance guidelines.
c) Program
Budgets should be based on projected income for the Program.
d) Budgets
should be accompanied with supporting documentation. Items that do not fit into the pre-designated categories must be
clearly called out.
e) Any
expense must be explained in supporting documentation.
f)
Any items purchased that are not inherently disposable will
become part of the 'holdings' of MCC and must be clearly identified.
g) The
President will include budget items for the Master MCC budget, such as
allocation for miscellaneous expenses in the administrative budget that will
support operations.
a) Programs
will be allowed a 5% variance above the approved budget without necessitating
Board approval. Expenditures that will
bring the yearly total to above 5% of the approved amount must be presented to
the Board for approval prior to reimbursement.
No guarantees of reimbursement above the 5% variance of the approved
budget will be offered - even if the money has already been spent.
b) A
Program is empowered to reallocate the expenditure of funds within their
Program budget. .
c) Re-allocation
of excess funds raised is a Board driven activity. A committee is NOT free to reallocate income even within its own
Program budget.
d) If
a Program cost overrun is anticipated, the Board may be petitioned to review
the budget for the Program. Supporting
documentation and a new budget must be submitted as part of the review process.
a) When
approval is required to spend extra money immediately and a Board meeting/phone
vote cannot be taken an attempt must be made to contact the four (4) MCC Officers
for approval.
b) Emergency
approval requires an approval of two (2) of the four (4) MCC Officers.
c) Emergency
approval is only valid for amounts up to $200.
d) Emergency
approvals must be placed on the next Board agenda for review.
·
Sept: Committees present year-to-date report on
actual vs planned to facilitate next budget cycle.
·
Oct: Treasurer calls for a master Budget from
all committees and members.
·
Nov: Treasurer distributes a compiled budget to
Board for review and discussion.
·
Dec: Budget is voted on and approved by Dec 31st. (Must have budget for Jan 1 fiscal year).
·
Dec: Committees submit year-end actual budgets
with a master summary statement.
·
Feb: A MCC year-end actual budget and summary
statement is presented by the Treasurer.
If, due to changes in committee chairs, there is a need to modify the
Dec budget, the Board may vote to modify the budget at this time. It is
expected that if a committee chair does not change with the Nov election, that
the budget will also not change.
·
Jun: Each committee or individual shall report
their planned vs. actual income and expenses for the first half of the
year. A summary will be compiled and
presented by the Treasurer. The Board
will review and modify the overall budget as necessary based on the mid-term
summary.
1. The
board shall meet on the 2nd Thursday
of January, April, July and October.
B.
Yearly Planning Guidelines
1. All
budgets and yearly plan for the next fiscal year must be completed and approved
by the Board prior to the end of the current fiscal year.
C.
Preparation and Conduct of Meetings
1. Introduction
a) The
President or the person to moderate over a meeting shall prepare an agenda
prior to the meeting.
b) The
President will ensure that all Board members receive an agenda no later than
one (1) week prior to any meeting.
c) Any
Board member wishing to place an item on the agenda should contact the
President at least fourteen (14) days prior to any meeting.
d) Any
business that is to be brought before the Board should appear as an agenda
item. Examples of agenda items are:
(1) Reports - To present the results of some activity.
(2) Direction - Discussion of an issue for soliciting the
Board’s inclination.
(3) Proposals - A proposal requiring approval of the
Board.
(4) Nomination - Nominating committee is seeking a vote on a
candidate for the Board.
(5) Other - Other matters not clearly falling into
defined item types.
e) For
any agenda item that requires a vote ( proposals ), the following guidelines
apply:
(1) To
streamline the voting process, it is suggested that the author of a proposal
distribute the proposal and any relevant information prior to the meeting. Materials, of reasonable size, submitted to
the President in writing at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting will
be distributed with the Agenda.
(2) Board
members are expected to review received information prior to the meeting.
(3) Board
members are encouraged to discuss and clarify any proposals prior to the
meeting.
(4) The
discussion of the proposal at the Board meeting should be focused on the pros
and cons of passing the proposal.
a) Board
members are expected to make reasonable effort to attend all Board meetings.
b) Notice
of a planned absence should be given to the President.
c) When
the President cannot be reached, Board members are expected to inform someone
who will be attending.
a) The
President shall designate someone who will serve as secretary for the meeting.
b) Minutes
shall be taken for meetings of the club.
c) All
minutes shall be maintained as part of the permanent records of the club.
d) All
motions shall be numbered for reference purposes.
e) A
running list of all motions made and the disposition of those motions shall be
maintained.
f)
A list of all subcommittees and ad hoc committees established
as well as the current status of those committees. This list shall be distributed with the minutes whenever there is
a change in the information.
b) Are
expected to abide by and support the decisions of the Board even when in the
Minority.
c) Are
expected to serve as ambassadors of chess in general and the MCC in particular.
d) Are
expected to follow USCF regulations, the Bylaws and the Policies and Procedures
of the MCC.
e) Are
expected to make them selves known to the membership to promote communication
between the Board and the general membership.
f)
6. Are expected to help one another with club related
efforts and assist the TD staff in the running of events.
g) Notice
of a planned absence should be given to the President.
h) When
the President cannot be reached, Board members are expected to inform someone
who will be attending.
1. The
object of rules of order is to facilitate the smooth functioning of the meeting
and to provide a firm basis for resolving questions of procedure that may
arise.
2. The
President has the authority and duty to make necessary rulings on questions of
procedure. All references to the
President regarding the Rules of Order may also be construed to be a reference
to the Officer who is lawfully entitled to be and is serving as the Presiding
officer of the meeting. If the
President decides that the correct procedures are not being followed he/she
declares the action that is being pursued as "Out of Order" and
directs the Board as to what may be properly done at that time.
3. If
at any time someone feels that the rules are not being properly followed he/she
may "Rise to a point of Order" by saying "I rise to a Point of
Order" or "Point of Order". This requires the President to immediately
make a ruling as to whether the rules have been breached or not and if so to
immediately correct the matter. If the
President is not sure of how to rule or does not wish to rule on the issue,
he/she may put it to a vote. A motion
to appeal a ruling by the President may be made at this time and a vote
taken. During the debate of the appeal,
people may speak only once with the exception of the President who may speak
first and last. An appeal must have a
Majority in order to reverse the decision of the President.
4. The
President is always allowed to vote even if his/her vote may break or cause a
tie or cause or block the attainment of a necessary two-thirds vote.
5. A
"Quick Reference Procedure Diagram" is provided as a guide to these
procedures and is subordinated to these procedures.
1. During
the course of a meeting a general discussion on some topic may occur. Generally, after some time discussing the
topic at hand, the President may suggest that the Board move onto some other
topic or that someone offer a motion pertaining to the topic just
discussed. If no motion is made the
President will proceed to a new topic for discussion. If a motion is made, the procedures that follow are used.
2. When
someone wishes the Board to take official action, they must make a
"motion" that the Board take some specific action.
3. Once
a motion has been made and seconded it is considered to be question before the
Board for consideration and is said to be "pending" or "on the
floor".
4. When
no motions are pending ( on the floor ) a person may make motions to do the
following:
a. To Take some kind of action
b. To Follow the order of events on the Agenda.
c. To Rescind or Amend something previously
adopted.
d. To Reconsider
e. To Make a motion to Adjourn.
5. All
motions must be seconded unless explicitly stated in these Rules of Order. A second is required to ensure that at least
two people consider the motion worthy of consideration. It does not mean to imply that the person
seconding necessarily favors the motion.
6. When
a motion is made, it must be seconded by someone saying, "I second the
motion", "I second" or "second". If no one seconds the motion within a short
period of time the President should ask, "Is there a second". If there is still no second the president
declares, "There is no motion on the floor" and shall proceed to the
next topic of discussion.
7. After
a motion has been seconded BUT before debate has begun, the following things
are allowed to occur.
f. A short and concise suggestion may be made
to the maker of a motion to modify his/her motion. The maker of the motion may agree to or reject the
suggestion. If the maker agrees to
modify their motion, the person who seconded the motion must at this time
confirm or withdraw their second of the modified motion. If the second is withdrawn, go back to STEP
5.
g. A suggestion to withdraw a motion, with short
and concise reason, may be made to the maker of a motion. The maker may withdraw his/her motion or
reject the suggestion. No debate is
allowed.
h. The maker of a motion may withdraw his/her
motion, providing a short and concise reason for doing so in the process. No debate is allowed.
8. The
President shall restate or have restated the motion to begin debate of the
motion.
9. After
debate has begun on the motion that is on the floor, any of the following
motions may be made to change the nature of the motion.
i. To Amend the motion
j. To Consider item by item
k. To Divide the question
10. The only
ways to finish dealing with a motion that is on the floor is by the following
means:
m. Debate appears to have ended and the President
asks "Is there any further debate".
If no-one has anything further to say the President will follow the
procedure on taking a vote.
n. Motion to call the question. When seconded,
the President is required to immediately end all debate and follow the
procedure on taking a vote for the question or amendment to the question that
was being debated. This requires a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present.
o. Motion to Refer the question to a committee.
p. Motion to Postpone until ( a particular date,
time or event )
11. To take a
vote, the President shall restate or have restated the motion about to be voted
on to signal that a vote is about to be taken and that nothing else is in
order. The vote is taken by counting
the number of Board members responding to the following questions: "All
those in favor", then "All those opposed" and then
"Abstentions". The President
then declares the result of the vote.
Once the results of the vote are declared, the vote is considered closed
and no-one may change their vote. When
the Board decides to do what a motion proposes, it is said to adopt the motion
or carry the motion. When the Board
votes against the motion, the motion is said to be lost or rejected.
12. Since the
vote is now closed, the President will proceed to the next topic for
discussion.
1. The
presiding officer moderates debate and assigns who has the "floor" or
the right to speak.
2. The
originator of the motion has the right to speak first during debate.
3. Whoever
has the floor is entitled to speak without interruption.
4. Questions
may be asked of the person speaking if the speaker wishes to allow it. Questions are not allowed to turn into
private debate. Questions should be to
solicit the speakers opinion or to clarify information.
5. Debate
must be confined to the merits of the pending question.
6. Speakers
must maintain a courteous tone, and, especially in reference to any divergence
of opinion, should avoid injecting a personal note into debate. To this end, they must never attack or make
any allusion to the motives of members.
The measure, not the person is the subject of debate.
7. The
presiding officer should assign someone to moderate if he/she intends to
participate very actively in the debate.
To adjourn means to
close the meeting.
a) Must
be seconded
b) Is
not debatable
c) Is
not amendable
d) Requires
a majority vote
e) Cannot
be reconsidered
This motion is used to
modify the wording of a pending motion before the pending motion itself is
acted upon.
The adoption of the
motion to amend does not adopt the motion thereby amended; that motion remains
pending in its modified form. Rejection
of a motion to amend leave the pending motion worded as it was before the
amendment was offered.
A member's vote on an
amendment does not obligate him to vote in a particular way on the motion to
which the amendment applies; he is free to vote as he pleases on the main
motion, whether it is amended or not.
Majority Vote required
to pass, even in cases where the question to be amended takes a two-thirds
vote.
a) Must
be seconded
b) Is
debatable
c) Is
not amendable
d) Requires
a majority vote
e) Can
be reconsidered.
An appeal is a motion
used to overrule the President when he/she has made a ruling on how to properly
proceed in carrying out the intent of the Policies & Procedures. By electing a presiding officer, the Board
delegates to him/her the authority and duty to make necessary rulings on
question of procedures.
Is only in order when a
Point of Order has been raised
a) Must
be seconded
b) Is
debatable
c) Is
not amendable
d) Majority
Vote is required
e) Can
be reconsidered
This motion is used to
cause an immediate vote on one or more pending questions.
No other motions are
allowed until this motion has been dealt with.
Can be applied to any
immediately pending debatable or amendable motion; to an entire series of
pending debatable or amendable motions and to any consecutive part of such a
series, beginning with the immediately pending question.
a) Must
be seconded.
b) Is
not debatable.
c) Is
not amendable.
d) Requires
a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present.
e) Can
not be reconsidered.
A motion by which a
member can require the Board to conform to an agenda that has been published as
the course of business for a meeting.
The content and ordering of items on the agenda is left to the
discretion of the President under advisement of the Board and is not binding
unless this motion passes.
Is Out of Order if the
published agenda is being followed.
a) Does
not require a second.
b) Is
not debatable.
c) Is
not amendable.
d) Requires
a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present.
The motion that was in progress is considered Out of Order and the next
topic on the agenda is discussed.
e) Can
not be reconsidered.
A report or long motion
consisting of a series of resolutions, paragraphs, articles, or sections that
are not totally separate questions can be considered by opening the different
parts to debate and amendment separately, without a division of the
question. Only one vote is taken on the
motion as a whole when debate has ended.
a) Must
be seconded.
b) Is
not debatable.
c) Is
amendable.
d) Majority
Vote required to pass.
e) Can
be reconsidered.
When a motion relating
to a single subject contains several parts, each of which is capable of
standing as a complete proposition if the others are removed, the parts can be
separated to be considered and voted on as if they were distinct questions.
This motion would generally
be made when it would appear that the debate on the merits of the overall
motion might easily be settled if it were broken into separate pieces.
The motion must clearly
state the manner in which the question is to be divided.
a) Must
be seconded.
b) Is
not debatable.
c) Is
amendable.
d) Requires
a majority vote.
e) Cannot
be reconsidered.
A Motion is a
recommendation or suggestion for action or decision.
The use of the phrase
“Open Vote” in the stating of a motion is used to proscribe the manner in which
the vote on the motion shall be taken.
A motion using this
phrase is made to allow a reasonable effort to be made to contact members of
the Board who are not currently present to vote.
The motion is Out of
Order if not at a meeting of the Board of Directors.
The motion is Out of
Order for items on the published agenda.
If an “Open Vote” motion
is passed, the President shall start the tally of the vote with those present
at the meeting and complete the vote by following the procedure of a phone vote.
Other than the manner in
which the vote is tallied, all the other rules that would otherwise apply to
the motion if it were not an “Open Vote”, apply.
This motion is made to
allow action to be taken by the Board between meetings of the Board.
Is Out of Order when a
Board meeting is in session.
May be Ruled out of
Order by the President if the President feels the motion should wait until the
next meeting of the Board.
The President shall make
a reasonable effort to contact all members of the Board concerning the vote.
The President shall
present a report of who voted and their vote to the Secretary at the next
meeting of the Board for inclusion into the minutes.
When enough votes have
been cast to determine the result of the vote the President may then declare
the vote closed and no longer accept any change of votes.
Board members should
abstain if they do not know which way they wish to vote yet and wish to debate
the merits of the motion with other members.
It is expected that Board members shall return a vote within a
reasonable time to the President.
Board members may change
their votes until the President has declared the vote closed. It is possible and allowable that the vote
could close before the member has cast their vote.
All phone votes shall
expire as failed if not passed by the start of the next meeting of the
Board. This reason for failing shall be
noted in the minutes with the Presidents report on the vote.
a) Must
be seconded
b) Is
debatable.
c) Is
amendable.
d) Requires
the normal Majority or two-thirds (2/3) appropriate for the motion. For Majority votes, the vote must be of All
members of the Board.
e) Can
be reconsidered.
When a Board member
thinks that the rules of the Policy and Procedures are being violated, he/she
can make a Point of Order, thereby calling upon the President for a ruling and
an enforcement of the regular rules.
A Point of Order is
always in order
a) Does
not require a second
b) Is
not debatable
c) Is
not amendable.
d) Does
not require a vote. The Point of Order
is normally ruled upon by the President.
No vote is taken unless the chair is in doubt or his/her ruling is
appealed.
e) Cannot
be reconsidered.
This motion is used to
put off action on a pending question, with some limit, to a definite day,
meeting, hour, phone vote or until after a certain event.
a) Must
be seconded.
b) Is
debatable; but debate is limited in that it must not go into the merits of the
main question any more than is necessary to enable the assembly to decide
whether the main question should be postponed and to what time
c) Is
amendable as to the time to which the main question is to be postponed.
d) Majority
Vote required to pass.
e) Can
be reconsidered.
This motion is used to
send a pending question to a relatively small group of selected persons, a
committee, so that the question may be carefully investigated and put into
better condition for the assembly to consider.
a) Must
be seconded
b) Debate
can extend only to the desirability of referring the main question and to the
appropriate details of the motion to refer and not to the merits of the main
question.
c) Is
amendable as to the committee or composition of the committee to which it is
being referred.
d) Majority
Vote required to pass
e) Can
be reconsidered.
A recess is a short
intermission in the meeting which does not close the meeting, and after which
business will immediately be resumed at exactly the point where it was
interrupted.
a) Must
be seconded.
b) Is
not debatable.
c) Is
amendable as to the length of the recess; any such amendment is not debatable.
d) Majority
Vote required to pass.
e) Cannot
be reconsidered.
This motion enables a
majority in an assembly, within a limited time and without notice, to bring
back for further consideration a motion which has already been voted on. The purpose of reconsidering a vote is to
permit correction of hasty, ill-advised, or erroneous action, or to take into
account added information or a changed situation that has developed since the
taking of the vote.
Can be made only by a
member who voted with the prevailing side.
The making of this
motion is subject to time limits. The
time limit shall be the duration of meeting in which the vote was taken or the
following meeting in the case of a phone vote.
a) Requires
a 2nd by any member regardless of how they voted on the motion to be
reconsidered.
b) Is
debatable in all cases in which the motion proposed to be reconsidered is
debatable, and when debatable, opens to debate the merits of the question whose
reconsideration is proposed.
c) Is
not amendable.
d) Requires
only a majority vote, regardless of the vote necessary to adopt the motion to
be reconsidered. The original motion
still requires the appropriate number of votes.
16. RESCIND or
AMEND something previously adopted
The motion to RESCIND,
also known as Repeal or Annul is the motion by which a previous action or order
can be canceled or countermanded. The
effect of rescind is to strike out an entire main motion, resolution, rule,
bylaw, section, or paragraph that has been adopted at some previous time.
AMEND SOMETHING
PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED is the motion that can be used if it is desired to change
only a part of the text or to substitute a different version.
A motion to RESCIND or
AMEND provisions of the bylaws is subject to the requirements for amendment as
contained in the bylaws.
a) Must
be seconded.
b) Is
debatable.
c) Is
amendable.
d) Requires
the same voting conditions to Rescind or Amend as it took to pass the original
motion.
e) A
negative vote on this motion can be reconsidered, but not an affirmative vote.
Figure 1: Quick Reference Procedure Diagram
a) The
purpose of this section of the Policies and Procedures is to provide procedural
accommodation to the existing Rules of Order so that the Board of Directors may
conduct business by way of E-mail.
b) These
procedures do not currently accommodate the situation of one or more Board
members being unable to participate due to not having email.
a) Unless
otherwise noted within this section, the existing rules of order for the
conducting of business shall be applied to the conducting of business by way of
E-mail.
b) Matters
for the Board’s consideration may be brought to the attention of any Board
member by any MCC member. Any Board
member receiving such a request for consideration shall communicate it to the
President.
c) The
President, consulting with other Board members at his discretion, will
determine the appropriateness of each matter for Board consideration.
d) If
the President determines that the Board should consider a matter, he or she
will officially designate the matter as a Topic.
a) The
President will frame the wording of the Topic for consideration by the Board,
and distribute it via e-mail to the Board members. This constitutes notice of the topic and initiates the discussion
period.
b) Discussion
will be open for a period not less than fourteen (14) days from the date of the
notice, expiring at midnight of the fourteenth (14th) day.
c) Board
members shall acknowledge the motion as soon as possible after having received
it. Participating in the debate of the
motion serves as acknowledgement.
d) In
the event the President has not received an acknowledgement of a Topic from a
Board member within fourteen (14) days, he or she will make a reasonable effort
to contact such Board member by means other than e-mail to determine whether
the member received the e-mail notice.
e) Discussion
may include discussion of how a motion might be crafted; such discussion does
not in itself constitute the making of a motion.
f)
Discussion may continue for more than fourteen days after
notice of the Topic upon the carrying of a motion to continue the discussion.
g) Discussion
ends when the Board agrees that a motion may be entertained, but in the event
an acknowledgement of the Topic has not been received by the President from one
or more Board members, discussion shall not end sooner than fourteen (14) days
after notice of the Topic.
a) Motions
by Board members shall be submitted to all Board members.
b) In
the event that multiple motions are made pertinent to a single Topic, the
President will determine which motion merits being first to be put forward for
a second.
c) If
the motion selected to be put forward is not seconded, the President will
proceed with other motions, again deciding the merit of the order to seek
seconds.
d) If
the motion selected to be put forward is seconded, all other motions pertinent
to the Topic are dismissed as though never made.
e) When
a motion has been seconded, a notice of the motion shall be distributed to the
members of the Board to begin debate of the motion.
f)
Board members will acknowledge the motion as soon as possible
after having received it. Participating
in the debate of the motion serves as acknowledgement.
g) In
the event the President has not received an acknowledgement of the motion from
a Board member within fourteen (14) days, he or she will make a reasonable
effort to contact such Board member by means other than e-mail to determine
whether the member received the motion.
h) Debate
ends when:
(a) the Board generally agrees that
debate has ended, or
(b) the President determines that a vote
would settle the debate, or
(c) a motion to call the vote is made and
carried.
i)
A vote on a motion may be entertained as soon as debate has
ended. In the event an acknowledgement
of the motion has not been received by the President from one or more Board
members, a vote shall not be taken sooner than fourteen (14) days after notice
of the motion.
a) The
voting phase will continue until a majority (or the appropriate number dictated
by the bylaws or existing Policy and Procedures ) is achieved in favor or
opposed, but in no event for more then fourteen (14) days (expiring at midnight
on the fourteenth day).
b) In
the event a question has been called and the President has not received a vote
from a Board member within fourteen (14) days, he or she will make a reasonable
effort to contact each such Board member by means other than e-mail to
determine each member’s vote.
c) Failure
of a member to advise the President of his or her vote within fourteen (14)
days of the calling of the question will be deemed an abstention.
d) A
motion fails if the requisite number of votes required for the type of motion
to pass is not achieved within the voting period.
e) Members’
votes must be communicated to the President, but they need not be communicated
via e-mail.
f)
Members’ votes are to be made available to all board members.
g) New
motions on the topic may be entertained after the vote on a motion on the floor
has been concluded.
a) Membership
on the Board implies an expectation that members’ participation be active and
timely. A Board member should advise
the Board of any extended absence (two weeks or longer) that would impair the
member’s ability to respond to Board business in a timely fashion.
b) The
time periods stipulated above for discussion, debate and voting may be
shortened for compelling reason if the Topic requires an earlier resolution.
c) If
a Topic requires a resolution so quickly that the business cannot reasonably be
conducted through e-mail, the President will determine the appropriate action,
which may be any of the following:
a. Calling for a phone vote as set out
in the Rules of Order,
b. Calling a meeting
2. Members
will be reminded and made aware of the election process during the month of
October. For those who cannot be
reached electronically, a paper-based reminder shall be used.
b)
(1)
Received by midnight on December 31st if done
electronically
(2)
Postmarked by midnight on December 31st if done by
paper.
(3)
Members shall be made aware that in order to accommodate both
the verification of whom an absentee ballot has been received from and so that
no double voting occurs, the identity of all absentee ballots and their votes
shall be made available at the Annual meeting and then checked against those
present.
(4)
If a member who has submitted an absentee ballot is present at
the Annual meeting, their absentee ballot shall be voided by their presence.
c)
7.
The Board determines the specific procedures for the annual
election as required. These procedures incorporate the following provisions:
a)
Only current members of the Club may nominate and vote for
candidates for the Board of Directors. Any Club member who satisfies the
requirements for candidacy may nominate himself or herself as a candidate for
the Board.
b)
To stand as a candidate for the Board, a person must (i) be a
current member of the Club, (ii) be 18 years of age or older, and (iii) have
routine access to email.
c) With
respect to each person nominated, the Club
President will (i) verify that the person submitting the nomination is a
current member of the Club, (ii) verify that the nominee satisfies the
requirements for candidacy, and (iii) confirm that the nominee is willing to
serve on the Board if elected. If all these conditions are met, that nominee
will be included on the election ballot.
d) The Board shall make reasonable efforts to ensure
that only those votes are tallied that were cast by members eligible to vote.
With respect to votes cast by email, the Board will assume definitively that if
the vote was sent from an email address that the Club’s records show as
belonging to a Club member, then that member cast the vote.
e)
The Board will appoint a person, to be overseer of the
election. This overseer may be a member of the Board and preferably will not be
a candidate in the election. This person will validate all ballots received
against criteria established by the Board and will make necessary and appropriate
arrangements for counting them. Ballots determined to be invalid will not be
included in the vote tally.
8.
Physical Board meetings are held on an as-needed basis.
9.
Board meetings are open to the membership.
10.
Minutes of Board meetings shall be available to the
membership.
A.
TBD( how will this be done at any meetings)
A.
General Guidelines
1. In
addition to the duties and responsibilities outline in the bylaws the following
guidline are presented for the Officers and Agents below.
B.
The President
1. TBD
– (a lot covered in the bylaws)
C.
Treasurer
1. TBD
– We need an outline of what our quarterly balance sheet is to look like.
D.
Clerk
1. TBD
– (a lot covered in the bylaws)
2. Shall
transmit Club records to his or her successor as appropriate.
E.
Program Director
1. The
Program Director or delegate shall be present at every event of a program.
NOTICE OF MCC ANNUAL ELECTIONS
The MetroWest Chess Club (“the Club”)
is conducting the election of its Board of Directors for the term January 1, [xxxx]– December 31, [xxxx]. This involves three basics steps, namely:
1. Soliciting nominations to the
Board,
2. Confirming from nominee that they
accept the nomination and will stand for election. If they cannot be reached, they will be listed as a nominee. It is recommended but not necessary that you
first check with those whom you intend to nominate to see if they would
consider serving. This will save much
time and effort in the process and not place undue pressure on your candidates.
3.Voting. Voting will be conducted only if the number of nominees exceeds
the current number of Board positions.
If voting is necessary, absentee ballots or a method of voting will be
available to members by the second Tuesday in December.
The transition to the new Board will
be effected during the Regular Annual Meeting of the general membership to be
held at the third regular meeting in January prior to the start of the tournament round scheduled for that
evening. The directors at their first
meeting following the annual meeting of the members shall elect the President,
Treasurer and Clerk.
Eligibility to
Participate in This Election
Only current Club members may nominate or vote for candidates for Board positions. Former members whose
membership has expired may participate upon renewing their membership.
Non-members may participate upon joining the Club.
Only current Club members may be
candidates for Board positions. Additionally, candidates must be 18
years of age or older, and have routine access to email.
Nominations for Board
of Directors
If you are currently a member of the
Club, you may nominate candidates for the Board. Fill in the name(s) of your nominee(s) on the other side of this notice. If you satisfy the requirements
for candidacy indicated above and would like to run for the Board, you may list
yourself as a nominee.. Sign the
nomination form and return it to any current Board member or tournament
director, or mail it to: MetroWest Chess Club, PO Box 1182, Framingham, MA
01701. Nominations may also be
submitted by email; see the instructions pertaining to email below.
Whether returned in person, by mail,
or by email, nominations must be received no later than the last day in November. Nominations received after that date
will be disregarded. The Club President will confirm that each person nominated
satisfies the requirements for candidacy and that he or she is willing to serve
on the Board if elected. If so, that person’s name will be included on the
election ballot.
Submitting
Nominations by Email
Nominations may be submitted by email
to the Info email address. A simple
statement in the form “I nominate x for the Board of Directors is all that is
required.
With respect to nominations submitted by email,
the Board will assume definitively that if the nomination was sent from an
email address that the Club’s records show as belonging to a Club member, then
the nomination was submitted by that member.
Nominations sent from an address not associated with a member in the
Club’s records will be disregarded. Members considering using email to nominate
(or vote) for candidates should confirm their email address with the Club. If
two or more Club members share a single email address and want to make
different nominations, then the email note must clearly indicate the
nominations of each: “Member A nominates x …Member B nominates z ….”
Directors’
Responsibilities
The
Directors are responsible for participating in discussions regarding the
direction of the Club, issues of policies, and any other Club business that
needs to be dealt with. They are
expected to represent the interests of the general membership to the best of
their abilities and to take more responsibility than the general membership for
the health and maintenance of the Club. The Directors meet in person at least
once during the year (and more often at their discretion), but as a matter of
convenience, they conduct much Board business by email. As the number of members of the Board is
generally set to its minimum of seven
positions, active participation by all Directors is essential. The Articles of Organization, the Bylaws and
the Policies and Procedures guide the Board’s deliberations. Directors must
maintain their Club membership throughout their tenure.
MCC [xxxx] Election Nomination Form
For a Term in Office from January 1,
[xxxx] to December 31, [xxxx]
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To guide the incoming Board in its selection of
whom you may desire to serve in a particular office, you may indicate your
preference next to the nominees name if you wish. The new Board selects these officers from among those elected
to serve on the Board.
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It is recommended but not necessary
that you first check with those whom you intend to nominate to see if they
would consider serving. This will
save much time and effort in the process and not place undue pressure on your
candidates.
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Nominee’s Name
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Suggested
Office
(President,
Clerk or Treasurer)
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Director 1
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Director 2
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Director 3
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Director 4
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Director 5
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Director 6
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Director 7
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Your name (please print): _________________________________________
Your signature: _________________________________________
Your E-Mail: _________________________________________
Remember: Only current members of the MetroWest Chess
Club may nominate and vote for candidates for its Board of Directors. If your
membership has expired, please renew it before submitting this nomination form.
If you are not a Club member, we invite you to join and participate in this
election.
MetroWest Chess Club
ANNUAL ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
For the Term January 1, [xxxx]– December 31, [xxxx]
OFFICIAL ABSENTEE VOTING INSTRUCTIONS
Voting by Paper
Absentee Ballot Form
The number of Board positions to be
elected is stated on the other side of this notice. Please complete and return
your ballot in accordance with the following instructions.
1.
You
MUST identify yourself on the ballot itself.
2.
Vote
for a candidate by clearly marking the box next to his or her name in
accordance with the Blank lines are provided to accommodate write-in votes.
3.
Return
the ballot in person to the place designated at the club or mail it to
MetroWest Chess Club, PO Box 1182, Framingham, MA 01701.
Voting by
non-paper absentee ballot
Votes may be submitted by email to xxxx
@MetroWestChess.org. A simple statement in the form
“I vote for the following candidates is all that is required.
With respect to votes submitted by email, the
Board will assume definitively that if the vote was sent from an email address
that the Club’s records show as belonging to a Club member, then that member
submitted the vote. Votes sent from an address not associated with a member in
the Club’s records will be disregarded. Members considering using email to vote
for candidates should confirm their email address with the Club. If two or more
Club members share a single email address and want to vote by email, then the
email note must clearly indicate the votes of each: “Member A votes for x
…Member B votes for z ….”
Please be aware that absentee votes will not be
anonymous. You may attend the annual meeting and cast
your vote by the raising of your hand when prompted or you may vote by the
absentee process.
Deadline for Voting
by absentee ballots are
(a) Must be received by midnight on December
31st if done electronically
(b) Postmarked by midnight on December 31st
if done by paper.
Criteria for
Invalidating Absentee Ballots
A ballot will be excluded from the vote tally if any of the following is
true:
(a) It cannot be identified whom
the absentee ballot is from
(c) It was sent from an email address not associated with a
member in the Club’s records.
(d) It was received from someone who is not a
member or whose membership in the Club has lapsed (i.e., has expired and has
not yet been renewed) on the date of the Election
(e) It is received after
the designated deadline.
(f) Another valid ballot or email vote was
previously received from the same member.
OFFICIAL ABSENTEE
BALLOT
MCC Board of
Directors
For the Term January 1, [xxxx] –
December 31, [xxxx]
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Do not vote for more than 7
candidates. This is the
current limit of the size of the Board.
Ballots with more than the allowed number of candidates selected shall
be invalidated.
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Candidates Name
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Suggested
Office (optional)
(President,
Clerk or Treasurer)
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Member’s Name (printed)
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Signature of Member
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A.
Library
1. Members
shall have free access to the books and videos that comprise the club library.
2. Members
shall be permitted to borrow from the library on an honor system whereby the
member will be responsible for the materials to be signed out upon removal and
then signed back in upon return.
3. Members
shall be permitted to have up to 2 items signed out at any time.
B.
Study Group.
1. Members
shall have free access to attend and participate in any study group activity
sponsored by the club.
C.
Club Matches - Only Club members may participate in matches
against other clubs or hold titles associated with Club Championship events.
A.
10-24-02
Initial adoption of this Document
B.
10-09-03
Election process related motions incorporated
Motion_2002-09-07
Motion_2002-09-08
Election Templates brought into alignment with actual policies
