constitution and by-laws

CONSTITUTION AND BY LAWS
- of the -
WADING RIVER CIVIC ASSOCIATION - WADING RIVER, N.Y.
ADOPTED MAY 11, 1935
AMENDED: JULY 26, 1936 AUGUST 23, 1974
JULY 29, 1938 AUGUST 22, 1975
JULY 25, 1941 AUGUST 13, 1976
JULY 25, 1952 AUGUST 8, 1980
AUGUST 28, 1959 AUGUST 14, 1981
AUGUST 30, 1963 AUGUST 12, 1983
SEPTEMBER 29, 1967 AUGUST 23, 1995
AUGUST 23, 1972 AUGUST 21, 1996

CONSTITUTION

Article I

Sec.1 This organization shall be known as the Wading River Civic Association.

Sec.2 The object of the Association is to discuss and study the needs of the community and to take direct action to promote civic betterment.

Sec.3 The territorial limits of the Association shall be as follows: Starting at a point on Long Island Sound and the westerly boundary of Wildwood State park; then southerly along said boundary to a point where it intercepts the north side of Fire Lane; then westerly along the north side of Fire Lane to the point where it intercepts the east side of Hulse Landing Road then running southerly along Hulse Landing Road to where it intercepts Sound Avenue to Route 25A and continuing along the north side of Route 25A to the eastern boundary of Camp Wauwepex; thence south along this boundary to the southern boundary of the Shoreham Wading River School District; thence coterminous with said School District boundary to a point where a line drawn southerly from the LILCO private road would intercept; thence northerly along this line and coterminous with the easterly side of the LILCO private road to the point where it intercepts the northerly side of North Country Road to the eastern boundary of the LILCO property and northerly along said boundary to the mouth of the Wading River Creek at Long Island Sound.

Sec.4 The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on the first day of January and end on the thirtieth day of December in each year.

Sec. 5 This Association in its activities shall be non-partisan and non-sectarian, and shall take no part in the election or appointment of any candidate for national, state, county or town office.

Sec.6 A majority of the membership present at a regular, special or annual meeting shall determine the policy of the Association. No officer, director or member shall make a statement contrary to this policy, when representing the Association.

Article II

Sec.1 Officers of the Association shall consist of President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary.

Sec.2 The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association and shall hold office for a period of two years or until their successors are elected and assume office. A majority of the votes of those present shall constitute an election.

Sec.3 Duties of Officers - the President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors and implement the policy of the Association as directed by the membership. The Vice President shall act in the absence of the President. In the absence of the President and Vice President, a member shall be chosen from the Board of Directors and act temporarily. The Recording Secretary shall preserve all books, documents and communications and keep the minutes of meetings. The Membership Secretary shall send dues invoices to the members in the month of January, keep a record of the members, and send notices of meetings to the members. The Treasurer shall receive and disburse the funds of the Association and keep books of account.

Sec.4 A Board of Directors shall consist of the officers of the Association and six other members, three to be elected at each annual meeting to hold office for two years. Should a vacancy occur on the Board of Directors for any reason, the Board of Directors shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy until the next annual meeting when an election shall be held. The duties of the Board of Directors shall be to recommend policy to the membership and to assist the President in implementing the policy of the Association.

Article III

Sec.1 Membership-Any resident or property owner with the territorial limits as defined in Article I, Section 3, eighteen years or older, may apply at any meeting and be accepted as a voting member at the next election.

Sec.2 Dues for each member shall be $10.00 per couple and $6.00 per person per annum, payable in the month of January. Members in arrears shall be informed by a letter in the month of May that they will be dropped from the rolls of the Association and are ineligible to vote unless their dues are paid by June 15. Also ineligible to vote on amendments to the Constitution and for the officers of the Association at the annual meeting are those members who have not attended a minimum of 2 meetings of the prior 12 months (June through May).

BY-LAWS

MEETINGS

Sec.1 Regular meetings of the Association shall be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month except for the month of November when the meeting will be held the third week of the month, and no regular meeting will be held in December unless it is otherwise determined by the Board of Directors.

Sec.2 Fifteen members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting. Ten members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at special and regular meetings.

Sec.3 The order of business at the regular meetings shall be:

Reading of Minutes
Reports of Officers
Reports of Committees
Communications
Unfinished Business
New Business

Sec.4 At special meetings nothing can be considered beyond the subject for which the meeting was called.

Sec.5 The Treasurer shall report at each monthly meeting the balance in the treasury and all disbursements and income since the previous months report.

Sec.6 Notice shall be sent to members not less than four days before each meeting.

Sec.7 The rules contained in “Roberts Rules of Order Revised” shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and which they are not inconsistent with the By-Laws of the Association.

Sec.8 Non-expense appropriations of $25 or more cannot be proposed and approved at any meeting. Such appropriations shall only be proposed at a regularly scheduled meeting and voted on at the next scheduled meeting. A condition of the vote is that the membership shall be informed of the proposal by mail communication prior to the scheduled vote. Non-expense appropriations are defined as expenditure for no service rendered to the Association (such as donations and gifts). Expense appropriations are defined as expenditures for services rendered and/ or materials received by the Association.

BY - LAWS

COMMITTEES

Sec.1 There shall be the following standing Committees composed of at least 3 members each: Highways and Roadside, Waterways, Membership, Publicity.

Sec.2 The Highways and Roadside Committee shall study public highway and roadside situation. It shall bring before the members of the Association all those conditions considered improvable, with recommendations as to what action should be taken. The committee shall take the necessary corrective action as directed by the membership.

Sec.3 The Waterways Committee shall study Beach and Creek conditions and bring before the members all conditions pertaining thereto with recommendations.

Sec.4 It shall be the duty of the membership Committee to endeavor to enlist all the residents in supporting the Association and its aims by becoming members.

Sec.5 It shall be the responsibility of the Publicity Committee to bring before the public the activities of the Association.

Sec.6 The President shall each year appoint a Nominating Committee of either 3 or 5 members two months prior to the date of the annual meeting, to nominate at least one member of each position for which elections will be held at the annual meeting. The Nominating Committee must make its report to the members at the May meeting. However, members must be advised of the Nominating Committee’s four days prior to the May meeting. Nominations from the floor will not be accepted at the annual meeting unless nominations have not been received in May for a particular position that is coming up for election. If nominations are different from the Nominating Committee’s original slate, members must be notified of all nominations at least four days prior to the annual meeting.

Sec.7 The President shall appoint all standing and special committees and designate the duties of such committees, if not already defined by the By- Laws.

AMENDMENTS

Sec.1 Amendments at the Constitution and By-Laws must be proposed at the May meeting. At this meeting, approval by the majority of the members present must be made in order for these proposals to be submitted at the annual meeting. At the annual meeting (June), these same proposals must be approved by 2/3 of the members present.