By-Laws

FRIENDS of OAK LAKE

(A Lake Association)

Quinte West, Ontario

Membership

There shall be a single class of membership: “Member”, which shall be representative of each property, whose Membership is in good standing. To be in good standing, members will have completed an application for membership and have paid the membership fees for the relevant year.

Fees

Annual membership fees will be set by the decision of the majority vote of the members present at the Annual General Membership Meeting.

Fees to cover other activities or events shall be reviewed and set by the decision of the majority vote of the members present at a regular business meeting.

Selection of Officers

The Officers of the Association shall hold office for a term of three (3) years and be elected by majority vote of the voting members present at the Annual General Membership Meeting to be held in the second week of August of each year.

Officers will hold their office until their successors are elected. They shall be elected by a show of hands or, if requested, by secret ballot.

If a vacancy occurs in any office for any reason, a member in good standing of the association shall be elected by the Executive to fill the vacancy and the member so elected shall hold office for the remainder of the term of his/her predecessor. In the case of a tie vote of the Executive, the decision will be made by simple majority vote of the membership at a business meeting held for this purpose.

Responsibilities of Officers

President

The president shall chair all business meetings of the association and shall call special meetings at the request of the majority of the executive committee or when he/she deems it necessary to do so. The president may appoint another member of the membership to chair a business meeting if it reasonable and/or desirable to do so, or according to the by-laws or Robert’s Rules of Order. The president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Vice President

The Vice President shall take the place of the President if the President is unable to attend any meeting that the president would normally attend.

Secretary

The secretary shall:

Keep a record in a minute book of the proceedings of each Executive and general/business meeting of the association and record names of the members and guests who attend each meeting.
Be the final recipient and keeper of all correspondence.
Keep a copy of all By-Laws available at all times.
Keep a copy of the Membership register.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall:

Collect and receive all monies due and owing the association.
Deposit the funds of The Association into a chartered bank or credit union approved by the officers of the association.
Make payment out of Association funds by way of cheques or money orders drawn up by him/herself and countersigned by the President or Vice President of the association.
Keep books of accounts showing all receipts and expenditures as required by the By-Laws.
Produce, publish and present a budget for the association at the Annual General Membership Meeting.
Establish and maintain a petty cash fund for the purpose of purchasing operating supplies such as office supplies, postage, etc., and shall report such expenditures along with other expenditures to the membership at each business meeting.
Establish and maintain special cash funds as required by the executive to control expenditures for special projects.
Invest any surplus funds as directed by the executive.

Lake Steward

The Lake Steward shall:

Manage environmental monitoring programs relating to Oak Lake. This can include water quality, both aquatic and terra firma habitat, and emerging environmental issues.
Liaise with government, associations, and other organizations regarding programs, strategies, and initiatives for protecting Oak Lake and its ecosystems.

Official Year and Financial Audits

The official year of the association shall be from August 01 to July 31. (approved at 2020 AGM)

An auditor will be appointed at the first business meeting in each year by a majority vote of the voting members of the association present at the meeting. The auditor will serve for the next year. The report of the auditor will be presented at the Annual General Membership Meeting to be held in August.

Quorum

Three members of the executive plus any three members of the membership must be at a general business meeting to constitute a quorum. A minimum of 40% (percent) of the Executive members must be present at an Executive meeting to have a quorum.

Committees

There shall be an executive committee composed of Officers of the association.

Special committees may be appointed by the President or established by majority vote of the voting members present at a regular business meeting of the association.

Meetings

Executive committee meetings shall be held at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month.

General business meetings will be held, as required, to provide for the best representation of members. Proxy voting forms may be attained by members through the website.

The Annual General Membership Meeting will be held during the second week of August each year and elections for the executive committee will be held at that time. The auditor for the following year shall also be appointed at that time.

Notice and location of all general and business meetings shall be given to all members thirty (30) days in advance by e-mail and web site postings.

Between meetings, the general management and control of the affairs, funds and property of the association shall be vested in the elected executive of the association. Subject to the By-Laws and decisions of record taken by the majority vote of the members present at a business meeting.

Order of Business

The following order of business shall govern all business meetings of the association unless it is inconsistent with the By-Laws. Roberts Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of each regular business meetings.

Call to order
Consideration, revision and approval of the agenda
Reading and approval of the minutes of the previous meeting
Reading of correspondence
Introduction of visitors and their presentation
President’s and/or vice president’s remarks
Treasurer’s report and its approval
Committee Reports (Standing then special)
Unfinished business
New Business
Determination of place and time of next meeting
Announcements
Adjournment

Voting

Members in good standing shall have the power to vote at meetings of members.

Except as otherwise provided, at meetings of the association, the votes of the members shall in the first instance be by a show of hands, but any member of the association may demand a vote by secret ballot.

Voting may be carried out by using a one vote with single written proxy method and when approved at a regular business meeting, voting by e-mail shall be acceptable.

Amendments to By-Laws

Subject to prevailing laws, this By-Law may be amended from time to time by the Executive Committee but any amendment shall have effect only until the next annual meeting of the members and shall cease to have effect unless confirmed at such meeting by the affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the voting members voting on the matter.

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