Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club, Inc.
Constitution and By-Laws


THE PREAMBLE

This organization, known as the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club, is dedicated to the promotion of hiking and related activities, which enhance the appreciation, understanding, preservation, and enjoyment of the land, its plants, and wildlife.

ARTICLE I – MEMBERSHIP
Section I - Eligibility for Membership
To be eligible for membership, the following requirements must be met:
  1. The prospective new member shall have filled out and filed with the Hiking Club a Membership Application Form, agreeing to the Hiking Club’s Guidelines & Policies For Members.

  2. Dues shall be payable to the club Treasurer or designated representative at any time of the year and will carry membership for 12 months from the date of payment.

  3. Dues for all new members shall be the same as for current active members. Dues will cover the cost of operating the club’s website, annual liability insurance, club radios, batteries, first-aid kits, and all fees required to reserve permits, campgrounds, and all other necessary payments and expenditures required to conduct legitimate club activities throughout the year.
Section II - Privileges of Membership
A member in good standing shall be entitled to:
  1. Admittance to all scheduled functions of the Hiking Club, subject to the individual requirements of such activities.

  2. Participation in all activities of the Hiking Club, subject to the individual requirements of such activities.

  3. Eligibility to vote in all Hiking Club elections.

  4. Use of the club’s library of books, maps, and videotapes.

  5. Eligibility to lead hikes, camping trips, and other outings for the Hiking Club.
Section III - Termination or Reinstatement of Membership
Membership in the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club may be terminated and revoked at any time for just cause (including, but not limited to, violation and abuse of specific articles, sections, or paragraphs of the club’s Constitution and By-Laws), or reinstated by action of the Club’s Executive Committee.
ARTICLE II – ADMINISTRATION
Section I - Hiking Club Executive Committee
The affairs of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club shall be administered by an Executive Committee, composed of the elected officers designated in Section II of this Article, and may include appointed officers at the discretion of the club members. The Executive Committee shall have full power in the administration of the affairs and business of the Hiking Club, subject to the limitations imposed by the Constitution and By-Laws.

At the close of each membership year, the Executive Committee shall, upon special request, be required to present to the general membership of the Hiking Club a report of club activities from the prior year.
Section II - Elected Officers
The elected officers of this organization shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President shall be elected to office at a time not less than two (2) and not more than four (4) months prior to the start of his/her term of office, and shall, during the intervening period, serve on the Executive Committee as “President Elect”.

The President shall be responsible for presiding over all Hiking Club meetings, whenever possible, and any other club functions in need of a leadership role, and shall act as the chief coordinator and chair of the Executive Committee. The President shall act as a primary mediator and coordinator whenever needed, overseeing all committee activities and ensuring that all officers are carrying out their appointed duties, according to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club.

The Vice-President shall be responsible for taking over as the next ranking officer and conducting the Hiking Club meetings, in the absence of the club President. The Vice-President shall also act as the club’s focal point for sending out all hiking announcements and notices to everyone on the club’s email list. If the club Secretary cannot, for whatever reasons, maintain the email list, the Vice-President shall make all necessary changes to this list (additions, deletions), as needed.

The Secretary shall be responsible for taking meeting minutes and submitting those minutes and any other necessary reports to the club’s website manager. The Secretary shall also be responsible for maintaining a current roster of all active members in the club, as well as maintaining (making all necessary additions and deletions) the club’s email list.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for accurately maintaining the club’s checking and savings accounts, writing any checks for authorized and legitimate club expenditures and purchases, keeping accurate records of all payments and receipts, collecting annual dues, and reporting the current account balances at Hiking Club meetings.

The highest-ranking officer present shall conduct any meeting in the absence of the above ranking officer.

All elected officers are eligible to vote in the Executive Committee. Motions are passed by majority vote.
Section III - Terms of Office
The terms of office for all elected officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) shall be one (1) year, commencing on the first day of January immediately following the election. An incumbent President or Vice-President may be re-elected to one (1) additional term, but cannot serve more than two (2) consecutive terms of office. A President who has served two (2) consecutive terms must remain out of elected office for at least one year before being eligible to serve again, but may then run for any elected office.
Section IV - Appointed Officers
  1. The appointed officers of this organization (commensurate to its size and as deemed necessary by the general membership) may include, but not be limited to:
    •  Membership Chair
    •  Program and Publicity Chair
    •  Special Events and Education Chair
    •  Awards and Banquet Chair
    •  Website Manager
    •  Historian
    •  Librarian
    Such appointments are to be confirmed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club.

  2. Recommendations for appointment to such offices can be made by the general membership of the Hiking Club, subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

  3. The elected officers of the Executive Committee may vote to include any of the appointed officers on the Executive Committee for the remainder of the year. Appointed officers so chosen will receive notice of the time and place of Executive Committee meetings, and shall have a vote.
Section V - Executive Committee Meetings
The Executive Committee, at its discretion, may decide to hold meetings periodically, at a time and place to be agreed upon by the committee members. Any member in good standing of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club may attend and may be given voice, but may not vote on deliberations of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meetings may also coincide with the general membership meetings.
  1. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be held at the request of any member of the Committee.

  2. All members of the Executive Committee are required to attend seventy-five percent (75%) of the meetings, or be subject to reprimand and/or replacement.
Section VI - Expenditures
The Treasurer may disburse funds of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club only upon authorization of the Executive Committee. Approval of a budget item shall constitute such authorization, but it shall remain the Treasurer’s duty to ascertain that all disbursements made under such budget items are for the purposes intended by the Committee.
Section VII - Equipment Donations
The club will accept equipment donations such as 2-way radios, “AA” batteries, maps, hiking guide books, and other hiking or camping related items that we may have a use for.
All donations must be unconditional. For example, donated equipment cannot be considered as barter for membership dues or anything else in return. Items donated become the property of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club and cannot be returned to the donor.
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS
There shall be no requirement for regularly scheduled general meetings of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club membership. Special meetings of the Hiking Club membership may be held at the request of any three (3) members of the Executive Committee, or upon written request of ten percent (10%) of the membership. Notice of such meetings shall be posted at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE IV – ELECTIONS
Section I - General Elections
  1. The Executive Committee shall conduct an election each year for the purpose of electing officers for the ensuing period and transacting such other business as may require vote by the club membership.

  2. Nomination and election for officers shall occur each year at the November general membership meeting. The results must then be published on or before the third Monday of December.

  3. All elections shall be held by secret ballot. The general membership shall be notified of the election by either the Secretary or the Vice-President.

  4. In the case of a tie vote for an office, a new balloting will be conducted within ten (10) calendar days of the tie vote in an attempt to break the tie. If the second ballot fails to break the tie, the candidates receiving the most votes will then cut a deck of cards to break the tie, with the victory going to the highest cardholder. A ballot proposition must receive a majority of the votes to pass.
Section II - Election of Officers
  1. Officers shall be elected by a plurality vote of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club’s general membership at a time specified by Section I, Paragraph 2 above.

  2. Notice of the election and a list of candidates selected for each office shall be sent to all members not less than two (2) weeks prior to the date fixed for the election. Subsequent to the mailing of such notice, and prior to a deadline date not more than one (1) week before the election, additional candidates may be nominated.
Section III - Eligibility for Office
To be eligible for office, a candidate shall be required to have been a member in good standing of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club for a period of at least six (6) months immediately prior to nomination.
Section IV - Recall
Any officer, whether elected or appointed, may be recalled (removed from office) for just cause by a majority vote at a general ballot. A petition signed by one-third (1/3) of the general membership shall cause such election to be held within thirty (30) days following receipt of such petition by the Hiking Club Executive Committee. Any officer or officers named in such petition shall be suspended from further administration duties, except for said election. Vacancies created by such recall action shall be filled in accordance with Section V of this Article, but in the event of a petition for recall of the entire Hiking Club Executive Committee, an alternative committee must be submitted for election.
Section V - Vacancies
Vacancies for unexpired terms of office shall be filled by a majority vote of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club membership.
ARTICLE V – AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by any member of the Executive Committee or by written two-thirds (2/3) majority of members in good standing of the Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club. The Executive Committee may temporarily pass any amendment by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the committee members, but any amendment so passed shall remain in force only if ratified by a majority vote of the club membership at the next following general election.
ARTICLE VI – DISSOLUTION
The Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club may be dissolved at any time by a majority vote of the members of the club.

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updated December 3, 2014 © Copyright 2014, Arizona Trailblazers.  All rights reserved.