ThunderKatz Bylaws
Article I - Name
Section 1.
The name of this club shall be "Thunderkatz Inc."
Article II - Purpose of Club
Section 1.
It shall be the purpose of this club:
- To sponsor and promote the welfare of all cats,
- To sponsor cat shows, special programs and otherwise promote the interest in and knowledge of all domestic cats,
- To cultivate friendship among and promote the interest of the owners, fanciers, and breeders of cats and to encourage and promote a spirit of cooperation with other clubs and associations,
- To encourage breeding to the TICA standards and encourage the registration of cats within TICA,
- To promote and encourage kindness to all animals and to assist in the prevention of cruelty and maltreatment of all animals,
- To encourage the spaying and neutering of any and all cats not specifically being used as part of a viable breeding program.
Section 1.
Persons interested in the purposes of this club shall be eligible for membership.
Section 2.
Membership is open to all. Membership applications shall be acted upon separately by vote at the next regular meeting. New members voting privileges are not in effect at their validation meeting.
Section 3.
Membership classifications are as follows:
Junior Member - Members under the age of 18, no voting privileges.
Associate Member - Members unable to attend meetings due to geographical restrictions and who do not participate in club functions, no voting privileges.
Regular member - is defined as:
- A member who attends no less than 3 meetings a year, either at our regularly scheduled monthly meetings or at special meetings held at cat shows throughout the year.
- A member who actively contributes to the support of the club's annual cat show.
- A member who regularly contributes to the club through various activities through donations of their time throughout the year.
Any member can be voted out should their conduct become detrimental to the club and/or its members. (See Article X.)
Section 5.
A simple majority of collected votes shall be sufficient to elect or reject applications. Should votes result in a tie, the decision shall be at the discretion of the Board.
Section 6.
The Secretary shall send notice to each accepted or rejected applicant.
Section 7.
The dues of this club shall be $15.00 per year per person payable on or before January 1 of each year for the ensuing year. Two members of the same household (18 yrs or older) may join with a family membership of $25.00 (additional members of the same household (18 yrs or older) may join for $10.00 each. There will be an Associate membership (non-voting) for $5.00 each with no age requirement. There will be a Lifetime membership available for a one-time $250.00 fee.
Section 8.
Upon failure to pay dues within two months after the due date, January 1, the delinquent member shall automatically be dropped from membership on March 1. Dropped members wishing to rejoin will be subject to the same rules as a new member. The Secretary shall send notice to the delinquent member at least two weeks before March 1 cutoff.
Article IV - Voting
Section 1.
Voting members, at the time of elections, shall be eligible to cast a ballot (in person or on-line), with the exception of members on probation.
Section 2.
Associate members and Junior members are not eligible to vote.
Article V - Affiliation
Section 3.
This club shall be affiliated with The International Cat Association (TICA). Officers of this club shall maintain TICA, membership according to their by-laws.
Article VI - Location
Section 1.
This Oklahoma based club is intended to serve the interest of the owners, fanciers and breeders of cats residing in The International Cat Association's South Central Region.
Article VII - Meetings
Section 1.
Regular monthly meetings shall be held on such dates and such time and place as the Board of Directors shall designate.
Section 2.
Special meetings may be called from time to time if necessary for the transaction of business, and may be called by either the President, Board of Directors, or upon written demand of five voting members. The business at this meeting shall be limited to that mentioned in the call.
Additional meetings may be called at various cat shows throughout the year for members to gather and discuss the promotion of the club or its show. Five members must be present to hold a meeting with at least one officer in attendance to record the minutes for presentation at the next regular meeting. These meetings are for discussion purposes only and do not constitute a regular meeting.
Section 3.
The Secretary shall notify members of the time and place of all meetings by mail, telephone, E-mail or in person.
Section 4.
Five regular voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 5.
Only meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order. The club will not be bound by any other rules pertaining to Roberts Rules of Order. Routine business will be voted upon by voting members present at the regular monthly club meetings.
Section 6.
Meetings are open to members of all levels and guests who are specifically invited by those members.
Article VIII - Officers and Directors
Section 1.
The officers of the club shall be President, Vice President, Recording/Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Councilor.
Section 2.
The management of the business and affairs of this club shall be under the direction of a Board of Directors consisting of the elected officers, one elected Councilors and two additional elected directors.
Section 3.
Officers and Directors shall be nominated at the October meeting elected at the November meeting and take offices January 1 to serve for the ensuing year or until their successors are duly elected. The President and Vice-President shall not serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be eligible to serve unlimited terms in the same office.
Members under disciplinary action are ineligible for nominations to run for office, but will retain their voting privileges.
Section 4.
The remaining members of the Board of Directors shall fill vacancies in offices or on the club's Board of Directors for the unexpired term by appointment.
Section 5.
The club's Board of Directors shall appoint annually a Membership Committee, an Attendance Committee, a Publicity Committee, a Show Committee, and any other committees deemed advisable.
Article IX - Duties of the Officers
Section 1.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the members and of the Board of Directors, and shall perform such other duties as are incidental to his office. He shall be ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2.
The Vice President shall perform all the duties of the President in the absence of that officer.
Section 3.
The Secretary shall keep all the minutes of all the meetings of the members and Board of Directors, and shall present them at ensuing meetings when requested. The Secretary shall keep an attendance record and list of all members in good standing with their names, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. The Secretary shall serve as Membership committee chairman and notify applicants of their club membership status. He/She shall notify the members of regular and special meetings at least 48 hours prior to date of meetings and be responsible for all other club correspondence.
Section 4.
The Treasurer shall receive and have custody of all monies and shall deposit same in a bank account in the name of the club. He/She shall keep an account of all receipts and expenditures and shall render a financial report at each regular meeting. The Treasurer shall furnish to the Secretary (in a timely manner) the names and addresses of all paid members. Monetary disbursements, unrelated to show expenses, exceeding $200 must be voted upon by a simple majority of the voting membership.
Section 5.
The Executive Board shall appoint a second signor to the club's bank account to exclude members of the same household of the Treasurer.
Section 6.
The Councilor shall be a member familiar with the Association, club, and show procedures. The Councilor shall be able to guide and advise the club whenever assistance is needed or whenever the Councilor feels that the club is not acting in the best interest of the fancy as a whole or is failing in some obligation to TICA.
Article X - Discipline
Section 1.
The Board of Directors reserves the right to reprimand, suspend, or expel from membership any person determined to be in violation of rules of Thunderkatz, or TICA, or if conduct is determined to be detrimental to this club, its members, TICA Bylaws, or to the cat fancy.
Detrimental Conduct is defined as: Any act that damages or destroys the integrity of the club or any of its members including, but not limited to, personal attacks via communications (electronic, written or verbal), or in person-to-person
