Constitution and By-Laws
of the
Friends of Island Beach State Park, Inc.
Revised & ratified – 10/14/2005
Revised & ratified – 3/29/2007
CONSTITUTION
OF FRIENDS OF ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, INC.
Preamble
The Friends of Island Beach State Park, Inc. and the New
Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry shall have mutual and complementary
interests in the preservation and interpretation of
Article One—Name
The name of the corporation is Friends of Island Beach State Park, Inc. It is hereafter referred to as “FOIBSP”.
Article Two—Purpose and Objective
To encourage support for
By-Laws
Of
Friends of
Island Beach State Park, Inc.
Article I--Name
The name of the corporation is Friends of Island Beach State Park, Inc. It is hereafter referred to as “FOIBSP”.
Article II—Purpose and Objective
Article III—Location
The office of FOIBSP will be in
Article IV—Membership
Section 1. Eligibility
Any person who supports and subscribes to the purposes of the FOIBSP shall be eligible for membership as an active member. An active member, age 18 and over, may vote and hold office. Families shall be eligible for family membership.
Section 2. Dues
Annual dues shall be fixed by the Board of Trustees. Annual dues are due and payable during the month of January. Any active member whose dues remain delinquent and unpaid for a period of 30 days following their annual membership renewal shall be sent a reminder. If the dues remain delinquent for another 30 day period the member shall be removed from the active membership rolls.
Section 3. Termination and Removal
Membership shall be terminated upon written resignation of the member, death, or failure of the member to pay dues within 30 days of the due date. An active member may be removed from membership with or without cause upon a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Trustees at a regular or special meeting of the Board. The member shall be given at least two weeks written notice of such proposed removal and shall be given the opportunity to appear before and address the Board of Trustees regarding removal prior to any vote on such removal.
Section 4. Unbecoming Conduct
FOIBSP will immediately suspend or terminate membership of any member whose conduct is unbecoming, whose behavior is objectionable or whose conduct and/or behavior reflects negatively upon the FOIBSP, Division of Parks and Forestry, Department of Environmental Protection and/or State of New Jersey, as determined by the Director, Division of Parks and Forestry.
Article V—Board of Trustees
Section 1. Number
Management of FOIBSP shall be vested in a Board of Trustees consisting of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary, and not less than three (3) or more than five (5) additional members of FOIBSP.
Section 2. Term
All Trustees shall be elected for a two (2) year term, staggered so approximately one half of the terms expire each year.
Section 3. Election
The Board of Trustees shall be elected at the October General Membership Meeting and will be elected by a majority vote of the members attending the meeting and a mail ballot.
Section 4. New Trustee’s
The Board of Trustees may, by unanimous vote, name new Board members for the FOIBSP membership. Said Board members shall be approved by a vote of the General Membership attending the next General Membership Meeting of the FOIBSP.
Section 5. Vacancies
In the event that a Trusteeship position becomes vacant, the President may name a member to fill the vacancy, and be approved by a majority vote of current trustee’s, until the next General Membership Meeting, at which time the members shall elect a member to serve the remainder of the term, if any.
Section 6. Compensation
Board members will not be paid for their services.
Article VI—Officers
Section 1. Titles
The officers of Friends of IBSP shall consist of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Membership Secretary.
Section 2. Election
The officers shall be elected at the October General Membership Meeting and will be elected by a majority vote of the members attending the meeting and a mail ballot.
The officers shall serve for a term of one (1) year, with a maximum of four (4) consecutive terms.
Section 3. Duties
(a) The President will be the Chief Executive Officer of FOIBSP. The President shall preside at all General Membership meetings and all meeting of the Board of Trustees. The President shall be one (1) of two (2) signatories necessary on the financial instruments of the FOIBSP when the amount exceeds five hundred dollars ($500.00). The President shall be bonded. The President shall appoint a Historian. The Historian shall be responsible for gathering and recording information on past events and activities of FOIBSP.
(b) The Vice President shall act as President in the absence of the President. In the absence of the President, the Vice President may be one (1) of two (2) signatories necessary on the financial instruments of the FOIBSP when the amount exceeds five hundred dollars ($500.00). The Vice President shall be bonded. The Vice President shall perform such other duties and possess other powers as are incident to the office or as assigned by the President or the Board.
(c) The Treasurer shall have the custody of the funds of FOIBSP and shall keep or cause to be kept regular books of accounts. The Treasurer shall make a complete itemized report of all receipts and disbursements at each General Membership Meeting of FOIBSP. The Treasurer shall prepare the account books for annual review or audit or at any time upon demand of the Board of Trustees. The Treasurer shall sign all financial instruments of the FOIBSP. The Treasurer shall be one (1) of two (2) signatories on the financial instruments of the FOIBSP when the amount exceeds five hundred dollars ($500.00). The Treasurer shall be bonded. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties and posses other powers as are incident to the office or as assigned by the President or the Board.
(d) The Recording Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept minutes of all meetings. The Recording Secretary shall perform such other duties and possess other powers as are incident to the office or as assigned by the President or the Board.
(e) The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct all official correspondence of FOIBSP. The Corresponding Secretary shall perform such other duties and possess other powers as are incident to the office or as assigned by the President or the Board.
(f) The Membership Secretary shall keep all records of membership. The Membership Secretary shall receive applications for membership with the required membership fee and shall remit these monies to the Treasurer. The Membership Secretary shall notify members of the date on which their membership is due for renewal. The Membership Secretary shall perform such other duties and possess other powers as are incident to the office or as assigned by the President or the Board.
Section 4. Resignation, Termination, and Removal
An Officer’s position shall be terminated upon written resignation of the Officer, death, illness, or failure of an Officer to pay dues within 30 days of the due date. An Officer shall be removed from the Board of Trustees with or without cause upon a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Board of Trustees at a regular or special meeting of the Board. An Officer shall be given at least two weeks written notice of such proposed removal and shall be given the opportunity to appear before and address the Board of Trustees regarding such proposed removal prior to any vote on such removal.
Section 5. Vacancies
Vacancies caused by resignation, death, illness, or removal of an Officer, shall be filled upon the majority vote of the Board of Trustees. Officers so appointed shall serve until the next general membership meeting, at which time voting will take place to fill the vacancy.
Article VII—Committees
Section 1. Formation
The President, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, shall appoint a Nominating Committee, a Finance Committee, a Program Committee, and such other standing and special committees as the Board of Trustees shall direct. The President shall be an ex-officio member, without vote, of all committees.
Section 2. Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall propose a slate of candidates one month prior to the October General Membership Meeting to fill all expired or vacant Trusteeships. The Nominating Committee shall also submit a slate of proposed Officers one month prior to the October General Membership meeting. Interested candidates must have their name submitted to the nominating committee no later than September 1st preceding the October meeting. The Nominating Committee shall be composed in part or wholly of sitting Board members.
Section 3. Finance Committee
The Finance Committee shall be
composed of the President, Treasurer and two (2) members whom the President
shall designate. The Finance Committee
shall prepare an annual budget for approval of the Board of Trustees. The Finance Committee shall be responsible
for an annual review or audit of financial records and for preparation of the
financial portion of the annual report to the New Jersey Division of Parks and
Forestry required by all Officially Recognized Friends Organizations by
Division Order # 30, issued
Section 4. Program Committee
The Program Committee shall solicit and receive proposals for projects and programs that FOIBSP may undertake. All proposals for activities/programs/events must include the name of a sponsoring member and the names of supporting members. These proposals shall be presented to the Board of Trustees and the Board will determine which proposals to present to the General Membership.
Article VIII—General Membership Meetings
Section 1. Meeting Frequency
A minimum of four annual General Membership Meetings will be held each year. The meetings will be held on the third Sunday of January, April, July and October. The election of Trustees and Officers will take place at the October General Membership Meeting.
Section 2. Time and Location
Meetings will begin at Noon and be held in the
Section 3. Notice
All active members shall receive written notice of the time and location of all General Membership Meetings at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting date.
Section 4. Quorum
Fifteen (15) active members shall constitute a quorum of the General Membership for the transaction of business.
Section 5. Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the meetings of the FOIBSP.
Article IX—Board of Trustees Meetings
Section 1. Meeting Frequency
The Board of Trustees shall meet prior to the General Membership Meetings. Additional meetings may be called by the President and shall be called by the President upon request from a majority of the Board of Trustees.
Section 2. Notice
Adequate notice for a Board meeting is required; generally, at least one (1) week notice is required.
Section 3. Quorum
Five (5) trustees shall constitute a quorum of the Board of Trustees for the transaction of business.
Article X—Finances
Section 1. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year for the FOIBSP shall be the calendar year.
Section 2. Deposits
All funds of the FOIBSP shall be deposited by the Treasurer or by his/her order in such bank or banks designated by the Board of Trustees in the name of Friends of Island Beach State Park, Inc.
Section 3. Disbursements
Disbursements shall be made by check. The Treasurer shall sign all checks. All checks shall be signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the President or, in his/her absence, by the Vice President when the amount of the check exceeds five hundred dollars ($500.00). The Finance Committee and the Board of Trustees shall review and approve all expenditure requests that are not budgeted for the current fiscal year.
Section 4. Budget
The Finance Committee shall prepare
and submit an annual budget for the coming year for the approval of the Board
of Trustees prior to the annual January meeting. The approved budget shall be presented at the
January meeting.
Section 5. Review
A review shall be made at least once a year by a qualified person with an accounting background or firm chosen by the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall review and report the results of this review to the Board of Trustees in a timely manner. The results of the review shall then be reported to the membership at the next General Membership meeting.
XI—Conduct and Operations
Section 1. Conduct
FOIBSP shall not undertake to conduct any activity or bring any non-State owned property onto Island Beach State Park without prior approval of Director, Division of Parks and Forestry, nor will FOIBSP undertake or conduct any activity contrary to its:
· Certificate of Incorporation
· Constitution and By-Laws
·
Master, Management and/or Annual Plan for the
development or operation at
Section 2. Funds
All funds and property received by
FOIBSP for use at
Section 3. Documents
Planning documents, grant
applications and other such initiatives and proposals of FOIBSP pertaining to
the physical and programmatic development of
Article XII—Amendment of By-Laws
By-laws may be altered, amended, or repealed upon a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Trustees and upon the majority vote to the active members voting at one of the scheduled meetings or at a special meeting called for that purpose. Written notice setting forth the proposal(s) must be mailed to the Trustees and to the active members two weeks before the scheduled meeting or special meeting called for that purpose.
Article XIII—Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the FOIBSP, after payment of all debts, no part of the remaining assets may be distributed to any Trustee, Officer, or member of the FOIBSP. Assets shall be distributed to organizations as shall qualify under section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.