ARTICLE I
Name

The name of this organization is the AppleQuerque Macintosh User Group, hereinafter referred to as the Club.

ARTICLE II
Purpose

The purpose of this organization is to educate and to foster knowledge in the use of Macintosh computers, and associated hardware; and to provide members a forum to exchange ideas and techniques, and to provide services in order to create an environment conducive to accomplishing the aforementioned purpose. The Club shall be organized and operated on an informal basis with written bylaws and informal rules that shall define the Club and eligibility for membership, provide an orderly transfer of leadership (nominations and elections), define a fiscal year, dues and budget responsibility, allow for orderly meetings and shall provide a process for amendments. The Club is not organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, nor is it a corporation or chartered organization. It does not pay a staff nor pay for an official office. Neither does the Club lobby the legislature for political gain. Operating under flexible rules rather than formal ones will help maintain an ambience of educating, helping and sharing information.

ARTICLE III
Members

1. General: Any person interested in the Club and willing to participate in its activities may become a member, subject only to the requirements of the following paragraphs.

2. Members: There shall be no limit to the number of members. Memberships are not transferable. Members of the Club shall consist of those individuals who pay such dues as are determined by the Executive Board. Members who are not in arrears with respect to payment of dues are considered to be in good standing. Membership in the Club without the payment of dues may be granted by the Executive Board in those cases of financial hardship.

3. Dues: The annual dues are payable for a calendar year and are pro-rated when paid after January 31 of the current year. The Membership Director shall notify members who are one month in arrears, and those members whose dues are not paid within one month thereafter shall be dropped from membership in the Club. Members in arrears shall be notified. Notification of members in arrears shall be accomplished through a notation on the newsletter mailing label, e-mail, postal mail, or phone call. Notification of members in arrears shall be accomplished through a notation on the newsletter mailing label, e-mail, postal mail, or phone call. Dues will be set by the Executive Board for a single membership and for a family membership. A single membership is entitled to one vote and a family membership is entitled to two votes, at all Club functions where a vote is required by the general membership.

ARTICLE IV
Officers

1. Officers: The officers of the Club shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Communications Director, a Director-at-Large, and a Membership Director. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Club.

2. Term of Office: The term of office for all officers shall be one (1) year. Newly elected officers shall assume their duties at the close of the first regular meeting in May. No member shall hold more than one office at a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.

3. Duties of the President: The President shall have general supervision and control of the affairs of the Club; shall preside at all meetings; shall appoint ad hoc committee chairpersons as required; and shall be ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee; and shall appoint the chairpersons of the standing committees; shall establish an agenda for the subsequent general membership meeting which shall be published in the newsletter; and shall perform such other duties as set forth in these bylaws.

4. Duties of the Vice-President: The Vice-President shall act as program coordinator and shall preside in the absence of the President.

5. Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary shall keep minutes of all regular meetings of the Club and the Executive Board, and shall prepare the correspondence of the Club and maintain a file of the minutes, correspondence and other documents of the Club.

6. Duties of the Treasurer: The Treasurer shall collect and receive all money due, shall make deposits in a bank, and shall disburse the same only upon the order of the Board. The Treasurer shall present statements to the Board at its regular meetings. The Treasurer shall publish a proposed budget during the month preceding elections (the Annual Meeting) and the proposed budget shall be printed in the newsletter.
The Treasurer shall prepare a year-end report for the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer shall be assisted by an ad hoc Budget Committee appointed by the Executive Board to prepare a budget for the ensuing fiscal year. The budget shall be submitted one month prior to the Annual Meeting. The budget shall be approved by the general membership at the Annual Meeting.

7. Duties of the Communications Director: The Communications Director shall serve as the principal coordinator and clearinghouse for information published by and about the Club. The Communications Director shall be responsible for appointing volunteers to produce such materials as deemed necessary by the Board or to fulfill the needs of particular programs or events.

8. Director-at-Large: The position of Director-at-Large shall be filled by membership vote during regular Board elections. This position does not have pre-determined duties other than assisting the Board in fulfilling its duties to the membership. Duties may be determined and assigned by the Board as deemed necessary and appropriate. The Director-at-Large should make reasonable efforts to stay current with issues concerning the membership and function of the Club.

9. Duties of the Membership Director: The Membership Director is responsible for maintaining the Club’s membership list and mailing database. The Membership Director is also responsible for notifying members when their memberships have expired pursuant to the provisions of Article III, section 3.

10. Job Guidelines: The aforementioned duties of the officers may be further qualified through the use of Job Guidelines, which must be approved by the Executive Board. Job Guidelines cannot substantively change or alter the duties of the officers as set forth above. The Executive Board may appoint an individual or ad hoc committee to establish or update the Job Guidelines.

ARTICLE V
The Executive Board

1. Membership: The officers of the Club, including the Directors, shall constitute the Executive Board.

2. Function - The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Club during the time between the general meetings, fix the hour and place of all meetings, make recommendations to the Club, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws.

3. Meetings: Unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Board, regular meetings of the Executive Board shall be held each month at a time and place to be decided upon by the Executive Board. Special meetings of the Executive Board can be called by the President and shall be called upon the written request of three (3) members of the Executive Board.

4. Quorum & Voting: A quorum for an Executive Board meeting shall be four (4) members of the Board. If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of the majority of the members present will be the act of the Executive Board.

5. Obligating Funds: A following-year budget will be published in the April newsletter and presented to the membership at the April regular meeting, at which time the membership will be asked to vote on the following-year budget. Prior to obligating any funds other than general management costs such as postage, paper, and other office supplies, or acting on any substantive issue, the Executive Board will present the facts and issues to the general membership and then call for a vote of the membership.

6. Vacancy: A vacancy on the Executive Board occurring by reason of resignation, death, incapacity or disqualification, may be filled until the expiration of the term by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board. Two consecutive absences from Board meetings by any member without a reason acceptable to the Board shall be deemed a resignation from the Board. If the vacancy occurs in the office of President, then the membership shall be notified of the appointment of a new President before the next general meeting and shall ratify the appointment at the next general meeting.

ARTICLE VI
Meetings of the Membership

1. Regular Meetings: The regular meeting of the Club shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Board. The annual meeting will be the regular meeting scheduled for May.

2. Special Meetings: Special meetings can be called by the President and shall be called upon the written request of ten members of the Club. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call, along with a proposed meeting location, date, and time. At least ten days notice shall be given. All notices by the members must be delivered to the President.

3. Additional Meetings: Members of the Club may hold additional meetings for such reasons as conducting tutorials, discussing special interests, or assisting new Macintosh owners; however, no Club business will be conducted at these meetings.

4. Quorum & Voting: Ten (10) percent of the members of the Club shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum exists, the affirmative vote of the majority of the members present will be the act of the membership.

5. Eligibility: All members in good standing may vote on matters affecting the Club subject to the provisions of Article III, section 3.

6. Procedures: The rules contained in Webster’s New World: Robert’s Rules of Order Simplified and Applied shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Club may adopt.

ARTICLE VII
Elections

1. Elections: Elections of officers and directors shall be held at the annual meeting in May by secret ballot. The candidates shall be designated by the Nominating Committee and/or nominated from the floor during the first regular meeting in April. Additional nominations may be made from the floor on the date of the election. The candidate for each office receiving the majority of votes of members in attendance shall be elected to that office. If more than two (2) candidates are involved and no majority is obtained, an additional ballot must be taken involving the two (2) candidates who received the highest number of votes.

2. Nominations: All nominations shall have the prior consent of the nominee. All nominees must hold membership in the Club at the time of nomination and be in good standing.

ARTICLE VIII
Committees

1. General: Committees may be established as deemed necessary by the general membership, the Executive Board, or the President to carry out the work of the Club. Committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the President or the Executive Board as in the case of the Auditing Committee.

2. Library Committees: There shall be a Library Committee. The Library Committee shall be a standing committee. The chairperson of the Library Committee shall have general charge of the Club software libraries. The chairperson may appoint committee members for assistance.

3. Newsletter Committee: The Newsletter Committee shall be a standing committee. The chairperson of the Newsletter Committee shall have general editorial control of the Club newsletter. The chairperson may appoint committee members for assistance.

4. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall be an ad hoc committee consisting of the chairperson and two (2) additional members. The Nominating Committee shall propose a slate of officers and directors at the first regular meeting in April.

5. Website Committee: The Website Committee shall be a standing committee. The chairperson of the Website Committee shall have general charge of the Club’s website files, software and associated equipment. The chairperson may appoint committee members for assistance. The chairperson may elect to establish the Club Website through the use of Club owned software and/or equipment or through the use of software and/or equipment owned and operated by persons outside the Club.

6. Auditing Committee: An auditing Committee of three members of the Club shall be appointed by the Executive Board at the first regular meeting in January. The duty of the Auditing Committee is to audit the Treasurer’s accounts as of the last day of the fiscal year and to report to the membership no later than the regular meeting held in April.

ARTICLE IX
Amendments

Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Board or by ten percent (10%) of the members. Amendments proposed by members shall consist of a signed petition clearly stating the proposal. Proposed amendments and any affected sections shall be printed in the newsletter and distributed to all members for two (2) consecutive issues. The membership shall have two regular meetings in order to discuss the proposed amendments once the first issue of the newsletter containing the proposed amendments is delivered to the membership. A vote will be taken at the third regular meeting. Amendments shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members in attendance provided that a quorum exists. Members must be in good standing in order to vote.

ARTICLE X
Monetary Matters

No member, director, or officer will receive, directly or indirectly, any compensation or pecuniary benefit from the Club, except that the Club may reimburse them for authorized expenses. The Club may pay reasonable compensation for authorized services rendered, even if the recipient is a member, director or officer of the Club. The Club shall not engage in any activity that results in a monetary transaction that could jeopardize the Club’s status as a user group as defined by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.

ARTICLE XI
Dissolution

Dissolution of the Club shall be initiated by a decision of the Executive Board. A resolution of dissolution shall be submitted to the members for vote using the notification and voting procedure prescribed in Article IX. In the event of ratification, the Executive Board shall proceed promptly to settle any and all outstanding debts. They shall notify appropriate agencies and shall comply with all relevant regulations. Any money or property remaining shall be distributed to a qualified not-for-profit charity as determined by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE XII
Expulsion of a Member

The Board of Directors shall have the power to expel any member for any reason the Board deems to justify such action, subject to the following conditions:
1. All accusations must be submitted in writing and cannot be anonymous;
2. The accused member shall be given the opportunity to present his or her side of the story to the Board before any vote is taken;
3. A majority of the entire Board must vote in favor of expulsion;
4. The expelled member’s current-year dues balance shall be returned.

ARTICLE XIII
Use of Membership Roster

Use and distribution of the Club membership roster, including partial information from the roster, shall be restricted to official Club purposes. Specifically, no information from the Club roster shall be made available to any commercial organization.

END

Completed 3.2004