I.R.C.S. Bylaws
ADOPTED NOVEMBER 4, 1998
REVISED March 5, 2003
ARTICLE I
Name and Purpose of Corporation
Section 1. This corporation shall be known as the Ithaca Radio Control Society, Incorporated, and hereafter referred to as the IRCS.
Section 2. The purposes of the IRCS shall be to promote technical advancement in the field of remote control model aviation, to encourage the development of each member’s personal skill levels in building and flying remote control aircraft, and to promote fellowship among those persons having interest in the field of remote control model aviation.
ARTICLE II
Membership
Section 1. The IRCS shall meet all requirements defined by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) to maintain status as an AMA recognized Chartered Club, including mandatory AMA membership for all IRCS members.
Section 2. The membership of the IRCS shall consist of those persons who are now and hereafter received into membership, and whose AMA and IRCS dues are paid in full for the current calendar year. The membership year shall be from March 1st to the last day of February of the following year.
Section 3. Membership dues shall be set by the board of directors each year at the Annual Meeting. Dues for existing members are due at the time of the annual meeting. New members must pay their membership dues before becoming a member. New members joining after October 1st shall also have their dues applied to the next year's membership dues.
Section 4. A member may not use any IRCS flying site if his or her dues are in arrears. Dues are in arrears thirty days after the annual meeting.
Section 5. Each member shall have only one vote per item of business at any meeting of the society.
Section 6. Membership shall be defined as follows:
Student: An individual under 19 years of age.
Regular: An individual at least 19 but less than 65 years of age.
Senior: An individual 65 years of age or older
Section 7. All members must abide by the current AMA National Model Aircraft Safety Code. Radio equipment must meet current AMA and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements. Radio equipment that does not meet the aforementioned requirements shall not be used at IRCS flying sites.
Section 8. Certain activities are deemed to be detrimental to the interests of IRCS. Among these activities are:
- To repeatedly operate remote control model aircraft in violation of AMA
and/or IRCS safety regulations or rules
- To intentionally operate a remote control model aircraft in any manner that
would pose an unusually high level of risk to other individuals
- To operate a remote control model aircraft while impaired by drugs or
alcohol
- To willfully act in a manner that would adversely impact the general
public’s impression of IRCS in particular or model aviation in general
A member may be charged under this section by any active member who has knowledge of the above indiscretion at any monthly meeting. Upon these charges being made, the President shall direct the Secretary to notify all active members of good standing that charges have been levied, and that their presence is requested at the next monthly meeting to discuss and vote on the matter. At the meeting following the indictment the charged member shall be asked to answer to the membership why he or she should not be expelled from the club. Following a reasonable discussion period but at the same meeting, all members shall be directed by the President to vote for, against, or abstain on a motion to expel the charged member. A vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present is required to expel undesirable members.
ARTICLE III
The Board of Directors
Section 1. The board of directors shall consist of the entire membership.
Section 2. The board of Directors shall establish corporate policies; control the property and affairs of the corporation; fix annual dues for members; disburse funds of the corporation; approve the establishment of committees; and take all necessary and proper steps to carry out the purposes of the corporation and promote its best interests.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 1. The officers of the corporation, shall be elected from the membership of the board of directors and shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Field Marshall, and Safety Officer.
Section 2. Members must be at least 19 years of age and a member for one or more years to be elected to an office.
President
Shall preside at all meetings of the IRCS and its Board of Directors and shall perform all such duties as are normally incidental to the office of the President and properly required of him including club spokesperson. The President shall appoint special committees as he or she deems necessary, and shall cast the deciding vote in any case where a tie vote is encountered.
Vice President
Shall assist the president in all matters and shall preside at the meetings in the absence of the President and exercise all functions of the President in his absence or disability. He or she is an exofficio member for all committees and functions.
Secretary
Shall keep accurate minutes of all the meetings of the IRCS and of the Board of Directors including a record of those in attendance; shall maintain a current list of all club members to include name, mailing address, AMA number, and telephone number; shall conduct correspondence at the direction of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties as are incidental to the office.
The secretary shall assist or take over the duties of the vice-president as needed.
Treasurer
Shall have charge of the funds of the IRCS; shall conduct its banking business; shall be responsible for collecting all membership dues; shall be responsible to notify members when their dues are in arrears; shall be responsible for filing all necessary tax forms; shall provide a treasurer’s report at each scheduled club meeting, and shall perform such other duties as are normally incidental to such office.
Funds may be drawn only upon approval from the board of directors.
The treasurer shall assist or take over the duties of the secretary as needed.
Field Marshall
Shall be responsible for monitoring the condition of IRCS flying site(s), coordinating flying site maintenance including mowing and building upkeep, recommending flying site improvements, and taking other actions as necessary to insure that AMA and IRCS operational and safety rules are followed.
The Field Marshall is also responsible for operating a transmitter impound rack to insure proper radio frequency control during all IRCS club events.
The Field Marshall has the responsibility and authority to bar any individual from using or continuing to use the club flying field if the individual fails to adhere to AMA or IRCS rules. Field use may be reinstated by the Field Marshall or Safety Officer when either of these officers considers the situation corrected.
The Field Marshall shall work closely with the Safety Officer,
assuming the Safety Officer’s duties when he or she is absent.
Safety Officer
Shall be responsible for monitoring and enforcing all AMA and IRCS operational and safety rules during daily flying site operation and club events. The Safety Officer has the responsibility and authority to bar any individual from using or continuing to use the club flying field if the individual fails to adhere to AMA or IRCS rules. Field use may be reinstated by the Field Marshall or Safety Officer when either of these officers considers the situation corrected.
The Safety Officer is also responsible for monitoring and control of vehicular traffic and spectators during daily flying site operation and club events.
The Safety Officer shall work closely with the Field Marshall,
assuming the Field Marshall’s duties when he or she is absent.
Section 3. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined into one office, Secretary-Treasurer, at the option of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V
Elections
Section 1. The Officers of the association shall be elected at the Annual Meeting. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote for each individual position. The candidate receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall elect one of their number President; one of their number Vice-President; one of their number Secretary; one of their number Treasurer; one of their number Field Marshall; and one of their number Safety Officer. The Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting and the Officers shall take office immediately after the completion of elections. Officers shall hold office until new officers are elected.
Section 3. If vacancy occurs among the officers the vacancy shall be filled for the remaining term by the Board of Directors via special election held during a regular club meeting.
ARTICLE VI
Meetings
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall meet once a month, the first Wednesday of the month. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or on a petition of one-half of the Board members.
Section 2. A quorum for Board meetings shall consist of twenty five percent of the board members, but not less than 5 members. The vote of the majority of the Directors present shall be the vote of the board in the transaction of any business, provided those present constitute a quorum.
Section 3. The Annual Meeting of the IRCS shall be held on the first Wednesday in March. The time and place to be fixed by the Board of Directors, at which meeting the Officers shall be elected as hereinafter provided, and at which time there shall be presented and filed the annual reports of officers, directors and committees, and such other business transacted as may lawfully come before the meeting.
Section 4. Notice of the Annual Meeting or special meetings shall be printed or written and mailed to each member not less than fourteen or more than forty days before the meeting.
Section 5. Special meetings of the society may be held from time to time and at such place as the board of Directors or President may determine.
Section 6. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this society in all cases where they are applicable and in so far as they are not inconsistent with these By-Laws.
ARTICLE VII
Procedure
Section 1. The IRCS shall adopt the AMA safety rules as the safety rules for its flying sites and functions. Additional flying rules and safety requirements above and beyond those specified by the AMA shall be determined, documented to the club membership, posted at the IRCS flying sites, and enforced by the club officers.
ARTICLE VIII
Amendments
Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended only by a majority vote of the members present at the regular or special meeting of the IRCS, provided notice of the purpose of proposed amendment has been stated in the call for the Special Meeting.
By-Law Amendments
As determined by vote during club meetings per ARTICLE VIII, Section 1
1.) Amendment to Article III, section 2; ADOPTED March 5, 2003
1. In order to cover small expenditures not anticipated during the budget approval process, the club President and one club officer or in the absence
of the President any 2 club officers may authorize expenditures from the club treasury without prior approval of the club membership up to an annual amount
which shall be set by the membership each year at the annual meeting.
2. Expenditures approved as a result of this amendment must be reported by the President or Treasurer to the club membership at the next formal club meeting.
3. For budgeted items, expenditures within the budget line are at the discretion of the member in charge of the event or committee.
