BY-LAWS
OF
THE RYE-COLORADO CITY SADDLE CLUB
JANUARY 10, 1991
Rev. April, 2016
ARTICLE I
NAME
The Saddle Club shall be known as the Rye-Colorado City Saddle Club, sometimes called the RCC Saddle Club, and shall have its headquarters located in Colorado City, Colorado.
The RCC Saddle Club colors shall be Purple and White.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of the RCC Saddle Club is to promote horsemanship, provide equine activities for its members, promote community interest in equestrian activities and promote community knowledge and awareness of equine value.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the RCC Saddle Club shall be granted to persons 18 years of age and over accompanied by one year’s dues, and a signed liability waiver. The Board of Directors may for sufficient cause decline acceptance of any membership.
A person under the age of 18 may become a member in the RCC Saddle Club by submitting an appropriate application accompanied by one year's dues. This application must grant parental permission for applicant to be a member of the RCC Saddle Club, relieve the RCC Saddle Club of any and all liabilities pertaining to applicant, and be signed by parents or legal guardian.
Membership in the RCC Saddle Club entitles the member to participate in all RCC Saddle Club sponsored activities and events. A member may use the RCC Saddle Club arena and grounds other than during regularly scheduled events. Use of the arena lights for personal use is prohibited.
ARTICLE IV
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Yearly membership dues in the RCC Saddle club shall be as follows:
Family Membership. Spouses and dependants/foster children aged 18 and under living in the same household: $40.00
Individual Membership. Persons 19 years of age and older: $25.00
Youth Membership. Children 18 years of age and under that are not in a family membership: $15.00
**All Age Definitions are as of January 1st of the current year.
There shall be no prorating dues. The full amount must be paid for all or part of a year. In order to be a member with all associated privileges, dues are payable January 1st. Dues are delinquent after March 1st and will be assessed a $10.00 late fee to renewing members.
Non-payment of dues by March 1st will automatically terminate membership status and all privileges thereof. Should such person be an officer or member of the Board of Directors, the remaining members of the Board of Directors shall immediately appoint a replacement to complete the remaining term of said office or position.
ARTICLE V
MEETINGS
Regular meetings of the RCC Saddle Club will be held each month, at a time and place which shall be determined by the Board of Directors. A regular meeting may, on occasion, be vacated by the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, provided sufficient notification be given to the membership.
A biennial meeting of the RCC Saddle Club shall be held in February, for the purpose of electing officers and members of the Board of Directors.
Special meetings of the RCC Saddle Club may be called by the President. If three (3) or more members of the Board of Directors request a special meeting, the President shall comply with said request, for the purpose of considering any matter which cannot wait until the regularly scheduled meeting.
During executive meetings of the Board of Directors the Secretary shall keep a record of said meetings, which shall be placed into the permanent records of the RCC Saddle Club.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
The RCC Saddle Club shall have the following officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. At the discretion of the Board of Directors, the office of the Secretary must be split into two separate offices; one of Recording Secretary and one of Corresponding Secretary.
The term of Offices or Positions shall be two (2) years. The election of Offices and Positions shall be elected by the membership present.
The RCC Saddle Club shall have a Board of Directors composed of five (5) members. The President and the Vice-President shall occupy two (2) of these Board positions.
There shall not be more than one member of an immediate family serving on the Board of Directors at any one time.
At a regular January meeting a Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. This committee shall consist of two to three members who are not officers or members of the Board of Directors of the RCC Saddle Club. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for each elective Office and Position.
Nominations from the floor may be made for any elective Office or Position at the Biennial February meeting. Nominations for each elective Office or Position shall be called for separately. When there is more than one Office or Position to be elected, each is to be a separate vote. In case of any ties, the Board of Directors shall flip a coin.
Any person nominated for an elective Office or Position shall have been an active member of the RCC Saddle Club for the proceeding year. (Reference Membership Dues/paragraph 2).
A voting member shall be defined as; any current member who is 14 years of age or older.
All voting for the election of positions to the Board of Directors and other Offices shall be by secret ballot. Ballots shall be counted by three (3) members who are not themselves nominees or immediately related to nominees. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared the winner of that Office or Position. The elective results of each Office or Position shall be announced separately.
A member of the Board of Directors of the RCC Saddle Club may only be removed for sufficient cause. A hearing shall be held at either a regular or special meeting to determine whether any cause be sufficient to warrant removal. The person in question shall be given equal time to present any defense before the membership present and the Board of Directors, prior to the matter coming to a vote. Sufficient cause shall be determined by a majority vote of the membership present which shall include the Board of Directors. Neglect by a member of the Board of Directors or any officer shall be defined as, but not limited to, failure to attend three (3) consecutive meetings or any four (4) meetings in a period of 12 months. Should neglect occur, an automatic hearing shall be called by the Board of directors to determine whether sufficient cause for removal due to neglect exists. The Recording Secretary or Acting Secretary shall be responsible for notifying the Board of Directors of any offense or neglect pertaining to attendance.
ARTICLE VII
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
The President shall preside over all regular, special, annual and executive meetings: Shall appoint the heads of all standing committees and shall manage the affairs of the RCC Saddle Club, including the scheduling of all events and activities.
The Vice-President shall assume the responsibilities of the President in the event of his absence and shall have other responsibilities as designated by the President.
The Recording Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings, read the minutes of the previous meeting (unless waivered), keep an accurate attendance count at the meetings and shall have other duties as designated by the President. It will be the Recording Secretary's responsibility to appoint a replacement in the event of absence.
The Corresponding Secretary shall keep an up to date list of all members and send any club notifications to members.
The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all moneys received and disbursed, report monthly and year-end fiscal amount standings to the membership during meetings, pay all disbursements by check and collect receipts for all payments, collect dues and advise the Corresponding Secretary of dues status monthly and shall have other duties as designated by the President. The Treasurer may appoint an assistant if deemed necessary.
Checks written for any amount of the RCC Saddle Club shall bear two of the three signatures; one being that of the Treasurer, with the second and third signature being that of a Board of Director but cannot be related.
All records and accounts kept by the Secretaries and Treasurer shall be made available to member's at all reasonable times. Availability of said records and accounts shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors shall have supervision over and control of all matters involving the RCC Saddle Club and its properties, and shall act only after a majority vote by the Board of Directors. All expenditures in excess of $200.00 shall require a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Three members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of regular RCC Saddle Club business.
ARTICLE VIII
RECOURSE FOR GRIEVANCE
Any voting member may file a written grievance with the Board of Directors during a regular meeting of the RCC Saddle Club. The Board of Directors shall evaluate the grievance and determine the disposition of said grievance. Should the Board of Directors decide said grievance has merit, the Board of Directors may act directly to resolve the matter or they may opt to present it before the membership for suggestions and/or in the form of a hearing call for a vote on the disposition of grievance. Should a hearing be held, the membership shall determine the final disposition of said grievance, in accordance with these By-Laws.
If the Board of Directors shall find the grievance to be without merit they shall notify filing member, in writing, of said decision not later than 24 hours prior to the next regular meeting for the RCC Saddle Club.
Any member whose written grievance has been found by the Board of Directors to be without merit, may petition the Board of Directors for a hearing on the matter if said member can obtain 20% or more of the voting memberships support on said petitions. If a valid petition be submitted which meets said requirement, the Board of Directors shall convene a hearing on said matter during the next regular meeting of the RCC Saddle Club.
The voting membership shall be notified of said hearing before the next regular meeting of the RCC Saddle Club.
During any hearing called by petition, or directly by the Board of Directors, the petitioner, or filing party, shall be given equal time to present their views before the membership present. The membership present shall vote on the disposition of said grievance, whether on resolution of, or continuation of consideration. A majority vote by the membership present shall determine the final disposition of said grievance.
ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS OF BY-LAWS
These By-Laws shall only be amended by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. All members shall be informed of any proposed amendments at the regular or special meeting during which said amendments shall be put to a vote. Before amendments are put to a vote a floor discussion shall be held on proposed amendment(s).
ARTICLE X
SADDLE CLUB LIABILITY
The RCC Saddle Club shall not be liable for any indebtedness which is not transacted in accordance with these By-Laws. The RCC Saddle Club shall not be held liable for any injuries or damages suffered by any member or participant in any Saddle Club event or activity. The RCC Saddle Club shall not be liable for any injuries or damages resulting from the unauthorized use of, or presence upon, any RCC Saddle Club property. Alcohol is not permitted on the RCC Saddle Club property.
ARTICLE XI
DISSOLUTION OF SADDLE CLUB
The RCC Saddle Club shall be dissolved by a majority vote of the entire Board of Directors, and shall be ratified by a majority vote of the present membership, at the next regular or special meeting of the RCC Saddle Club, provided that all members have been given not less than 30 days notice.
Upon dissolution, all club property shall be sold, indebtedness paid, and the remaining funds, if any, shall be donated to a Charitable Organization within the Communities of Colorado City and Rye, to be determined by the Board of Directors.