Constitution of the Bellaire Area Historical Society
(Revised 12/04/2023)
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of the society shall be the Bellaire Area Historical Society.
ARTICLE II: Purpose
1. The purpose of the Bellaire Area Historical Society shall be to bring together those people interested in history, especially the history of the Bellaire area.
2. A major function will be to discover and collect any material which helps to establish or illustrate the history of the area, such as histories, genealogies, biographies, descriptions, directories, newspapers, pamphlets, catalogs, circulars, handbills, programs, posters, letters, diaries, journals, service records, reminiscences, account books, charts, surveys, field books, pictures, photographs, paintings, portraits, furniture and other objects illustrative of life, conditions, events and activities from the past and present.
3. The Bellaire Area Historical Society will provide for the preservation of such material and its accessibility to all who wish to examine or study it. At any time, should the Bellaire Area Historical Society decide to dissolve, the Board of Directors will decide Where all materials and money should be placed.
4. The Bellaire Area Historical Society will cooperate with the schools, township officers, village council, churches and other organizations, clubs, and individuals in the area interested in the preservation of historic buildings/sites, materials and objects.
5, The Bellaire Area Historical Society will periodically publish historical information, interesting and informative material, and other items for distribution to each member of the society. The public shall be informed of special activities and events of the Society by publications in the local newspaper or/and through the media: radio, television and posters.
ARTICLE III: Membership
Membership in the Bellaire Area Historical Society shall be granted to ANY individuals or businesses interested in the purpose of the Society who pay annual dues.
ARTICLE IV: Regular Meetings and Fiscal Year
Regular meetings of the Bellaire Area Historical Society shall be held each Spring and Fall. The fiscal year will be one calendar year: January – December
ARTICLE V: Board of Directors and Officers
The Board of Directors shall consist of (9) members elected from the active membership of the Bellaire Area Historical Society for the terms of three(3) years. Officers of the organization are: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Officers will be elected by the Board of Directors and serve for one(1) year terms.
ARTICLE VI: Election of Officers and Board of Directors
1. All Directors and Officers will be elected by the approval of the majority of Board Directors present at the annual Fall meeting from a list of candidates selected by the Nominating Committee.
2. Nominations for Directors and Officers may be made by any member of the Society, at any time prior to the balloting at the Fall meeting. All nominations will be added to the slate of candidates upon affirmation vote of a majority of members present at the Fall meeting. A candidate for election shall be an active member of the Bellaire Area Historical Society.
3. Directors and Officers shall be elected at the Fall meeting and installed on January 1, of the following year and shall serve until their successor has been duly elected and installed. In the event of a resignation or incapacity of any Officer or Director, the vacancy may be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors for the unexpired term of office.
ARTICLE VII: Amendment
This constitution may be amended at any time, at any regular meeting or special meeting called for that purpose, by a two-thirds vote of Directors present at the meeting, provided notice was given at a previous meeting or by written notice to all Board Directors. Board Directors must be notified five days in advance of a special meeting. All proposed amendments shall be presented in writing.
ByLaws of the Bellaire Area Historical Society
(Revised 12/04/2023)
ARTICLE I: Meetings / Voting
1. Regular meetings of the Bellaire Area Historical Society shall be held each Spring and Fall.
2. Special meetings may be called by the President.
3. Method of notice for meetings, requests, general information, and other updates will be by email unless other method (regular mail or phone call) is requested. Notification method preference and physical address/email/phone number will be updated after the Annual Fall meeting and as needed.
4. Meetings of the Bellaire Area Historical Society will be conducted following the., pp. 469-4781. See Addendum A.
5. A quorum shall consist of the following:
a. Five members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for doing business, provided all members of the Board of Directors have been duly notified of the meeting.
b. A majority of the votes cast by qualified members entitled to vote and present in person shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at meetings.
ARTICLE II: Duties of the Officers and Directors
President
a. Manage day-to-day operations of the Bellaire Area Museum.
b. Schedule and chair semi-annual and special meetings of the Board of Directors.
c. Develop agendas for all meetings
d. Write “from the President’s Desk” article for the annual newsletter.
Vice President
a. Shall assist the President as needed.
b. Shall preside over any scheduled board meetings if the President is not available.
c. Shall manage the day-to-day operations of the Bellaire Area Museum if the President is unavailable.
Secretary
a. Work with the President to prepare and distribute agendas for all meetings of the Board of Directors.
b. Record and distribute minutes for all the meetings of the Board of Directors.
c. Send thank you notes.
d. Edit and distribute the annual newsletter.
e. Maintain Bellaire Area Historical Society membership and contact list.
f. Notify members of all meetings.
g. Maintain the Memorial Board in the museum.
Treasurer
a. Be responsible for all Bellaire Area Historical Society financial reports.
b. Prepare and present financial reports at all board meetings.
c. Record/deposit all donations and inform the Secretary of them so than k you notes can be sent if appropriate.
d. Provide an annual financial report at the end of the fiscal year that is available toll upon request.
e. Work with the Secretary to maintain membership list
f. Send federal and state yearly 501C3 papers, as required.
g. File an annual tax return for the organization.
h. Check donation box in museum and make bank deposits when needed.
i. Prepare a money bag for volunteers to take to off-museum site sales events.
j. Keep track of sales made at the museum.
k. Pay the bills for the society.
Other Positions – Need people to:
1. Schedule volunteer docents at the Bellaire Area Museum.
2. Do the display at the Bellaire Public Library.
3. Maintain the 100-years-ago display on north hallway bulletin board.
ARTICLE III: Committees
1. The Board of Directors may designate committees: standing, ad-hoc or otherwise as it deems necessary.
2. Any member of the Bellaire Area Historical Society may serve on committees.
3. The Chairman and members of each committee shall be elected by the President with the aid of the Board pdf Directors. The number of people on each committee shall be determined by the Board of Directors. All committees shall serve for one(1) year terms with renewal as needed.
ARTICLE IV: Amendments of the By-Laws
These By-Laws may be amended at any time, at any regular meeting or by a special meeting called for that purpose, by a two-thirds vote of Directors present, provided written notice is given to all Board Directors five days before the date of the special meeting. All proposed amendments shall be in writing.
Addendums
Addendum A
Robert’s Rules, 10th Edition, pages 469-471. “Informal Procedure for Small Boards of 12 Individuals or less.”
Conduct of Business in Boards
GENERAL PROCEDURE. In an organized society, the board operates under the bylaws, the parliamentary authority, and any applicable special rules of order or standing rules of the society, except as the bylaws may authorize the board to adopt its own rules (see 2,56). A board that is not a part of the society can adopt its own rules, provided that they do not conflict with anything in the legal instrument under which the board is constructed.
Under the general parliamentary law, business is transacted in large boards according to the same rules of procedure as in other deliberate assemblies. In smaller boards, those rules apply as far as practicable, with exceptions noted below. In any case, a board can transact business only in a regular or properly called meeting or at an adjournment thereof (9), of which every board member has been notified and at which a quorum ( a majority of total membership unless otherwise specified in the bylaws established by the constituting power) is present. The personal approval of a proposed action obtained separately by telephone or individual interview, even from every member of a board, is not approval mod the board, since the members were not present on one room where they could mutually debate the matter. If action on such a basis is necessary in an emergency, it must be ratified (pp.118-20) at the next regular board meeting in order to become an official act of the board.
A record of the board’s proceedings should be kept by the secretary, just as in any other assembly: these minutes are accessible only to members of the board unless the board grants permission to a member of the society to inspect them, or unless the society by a two-thirds vote (or a vote of the majority of the total membership, or a majority vote if previous notice is given) orders the board’s minutes to be produced and read to the society’s assembly.
At regular board meetings of the executive committee, if there is one, should be required to make a report of its activities since the last board meeting. No action is taken on this report, which is generally intended asm information only.
PROCEDURE IN SMALL BOARDS. In a board meeting here there are not more than about a dozen members present, some of the formality that is necessary in a large assemblynwould hinder business. The rules governing such meetings are different from the rules that hold in other assemblies, in the following respects:
*Members are not required to obtain the floor before making motions or speaking, which they can do while seated.
*Motions need not be seconded.
*There is no limit to the number of times a member can speak to a question, and motions to close or limit debate (15,16) generally should not be entertained.
*Informal discussion of a subject is permitted while no motion is pending.
*Sometimes, when a proposal is perfectly clear to all present, a vote can be taken without a moti9n’s having been introduced. Unless agreed by unanimous consent, however, all proposed actions not a board must be a–roved by vote under the same rules as in other assemblies, except that a vote can be taken initially by a show of hands, which is often a better method for such meetings.
*The chairman need not rise while putting questions to a vote.
*The chairman can speak in discussion without rising or leaving the chair; and, subject to rule or custom within the particular board (which should be uniformly followed regardless of how many members are present), he/she can make motions and usually votes on all questions.