Bylaws

Article I – General Club Officers and Elections

Section 1. The President shall preside at all General Meetings, Executive Board Meetings, and at all called meetings. The President shall be entitled to vote either as a member or in case of a tie. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee. The President shall appoint the Corresponding Secretary, the Parliamentarian, and all committees except the nominating committee.

Section 2. All other duties of officers of the General Club shall be those which customarily pertain to their respective office. In addition to their regular duties, the First Vice President shall be Program Chairman of the General Club and shall assist the Program Chairman of each department; the Second Vice President shall be chairman of Kentucky Federation of Woman’s Club and General Federation of Woman’s Club contests.

Section 3. General Club Officers shall meet with department officers in June. The President shall meet with all department chairs, the First Vice President will meet with all department vice-chairs, the Recording Secretary will meet with all department secretaries, and the Treasurer will meet with all department treasurers.

Section 4. The General Officers and Departmental Chair, with the Chair of the Standing Committees, shall constitute the Executive Board and shall exercise general supervision over all Club work. Eight members (8) of the Board shall constitute a quorum. Each department shall have one (1) vote. Each standing committee shall have one vote. No guests may attend the Executive Board Meetings without the approval of the President. Any business must be placed on the President’s agenda prior to the date of the Executive Board Meeting.

Section 5. The Officers of this club shall be elected to a term of office of two (2) years at the regular March meeting in the even-numbered years beginning in 2012. The election shall be by acclamation unless more than one (1) candidate is proposed for an office, in which case the voting shall be by ballot. The installation of officers shall take place in May of the even-numbered years.

Section 6. To be eligible to be a General Officer in the Murray Woman’s Club, a member must have been active in the General Club for at least one year (1) preceding the election. To be eligible to become President of the Murray Woman’s Club, a member must have served at least one year (1) on the Executive Board.

Section 7. No member of the Club, who is also a member of more than one department, shall serve as Chair, Co-chair, or Vice-Chair of more than one department during any club year. Chair of a Murray Woman’s Club Standing Committee is ineligible to be elected to any of the above-mentioned offices for that club year.

Section 8. The past presidents who are active members of the Murray Woman’s Club shall, at the expiration of their term of office, by virtue of their position automatically become members of the Advisory Council. The retiring President, at the close of her term of office, shall be Chair of the Advisory Council, and, as Chair of the Advisory Council will be a member of the Executive Board. Membership on this Council shall be concluded by resignation from the Council or withdrawal of membership.

The duties of the Council shall be the operation of the Club House and Grounds as well as to advise and cooperate with the Executive Board in the formation of policies of the club. The Chair of the Advisory Council will be in charge of Club House rentals and maintenance of the Club House and Grounds. The Chair of the Advisory Council shall make a monthly report to the Executive Board.

Section 9. The nominating committee shall be elected by the Executive Board. The nominating committee shall be composed of five (5) members representing the following groups: one from the Advisory Council, one from the Executive Committee, two from the Club Department Chairs, and one from the Standing Committees.

Section 10. In case of the death or resignation of the President, the First Vice President shall be offered the position of President for the remaining term. If the First Vice President is unable to serve, the Executive Committee shall appoint an interim President. During this interim, a nominating committee will be elected. (See Article I, Section 9.)

If an officer, other than the President, is unable to serve her term, a nominating committee will be elected by the Executive Board. This nominating committee will be composed of three (3) members representing the following groups: one from the Executive Committee, one from the club Department Chairs, and one from the Standing Committee Chairs.

At the following Executive Board meeting, the nominating committee will recommend a replacement who must be approved by the Executive Board.

Article II – Members and Dues

Section 1. Dues and membership fees must be paid within two weeks after accepting membership to the club. Each department Chair must turn in all membership fees to the General Club Treasurer by October 10th for the current club year. All dues collected after this date and May 15th must be turned in to the General Club Treasurer by May 31st.

Section 2. A department will be penalized twenty-five ($25) per month for failure to give dues and membership list to the General Treasurer by October 15.

Section 3. Membership may be terminated at any time by a written resignation if all dues have been paid. If, after one (1) written notification by the Department Treasurer following the September Department meeting, dues have not been paid by October 10, membership shall be terminated.

Section 4. Members resigning within thirty (30) days of dues payment may have a refund upon approval of the Executive Board.

Section 5. LIFETIME MEMBER. Former Club member, now living elsewhere, has the privilege of becoming a Lifetime Member by paying $50.00.

Section 6. HONORARY MEMBER. In recognition of 25 years of continuous service, a club member, who has become inactive because of illness, may be given an honorary membership upon recommendation of the Advisory Council.

Section 7. ASSOCIATE MEMBER. A club member may be recommended by her Department for an Associate Membership if she is unable to attend the club meeting due to health reasons for herself or an immediate family member. She will remain in name only, and be designated as an Associate Member in the yearbook and a non-participating member of the Murray Woman’s Club. (a) The Associate Member will pay annual dues of $25 or may choose to pay $50 for lifetime Associate Member status (dues to be divided as with regular annual dues.) When health permits, full membership can be reactivated. (b) Time spent as an Associate Member will not count toward years of service.

Article III – Departmental Action

Section 1. Actions of the departments shall be: (a) there may be one or more open meetings during the club year; (b) all members shall consider themselves honor-bound, as far as possible, to attend at least one General Club Meeting of the Murray Woman’s Club per year; (c) prospective members may be guests at one department meeting prior to being invited to join.

Article IV – Membership

Section 1. When joining in July through December, all dues must be paid in full, with an additional $2 for each additional department joined. District, State, and International dues are included in the local dues. When joining after December 31, dues shall be 1/2 the annual dues plus $2 for each additional department.

Section 2. Upon accepting membership in the Murray Woman’s Club, the new member shall pay a ten dollar ($10) entrance fee and full dues within two (2) weeks.

Section 3. The Murray Woman’s Club, Incorporated, does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, or national origin.

Article V – Quorum

Section 1. Twenty-five members, including two General Officers, shall constitute a quorum for the entire Woman’s Club at a General Club meeting.

Section 2. A quorum for a department shall be one-fourth (1/4) of the membership, including two (2) officers.

Section 3. At no time shall the absence of a quorum at a General Club Meeting or a department meeting prevent those present from proceeding with the program for the day even though official business cannot be conducted nor a binding vote be taken.

Article VI

Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be our Parliamentary Authority.

Article VII

Section 1. The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the membership present and voting, providing each proposed amendment shall have been submitted to the club in writing (reasons given at a previous meeting). (Constitution and Bylaws last updated 10/10/2010)

Club Policies

The expense of fuel for one car and expenses for registration, room, and designated convention meals for the Executive Officers may be paid to state convention and state board meetings. If the incoming president is not currently serving as first or second vice president, her expenses may be paid by the club. Other expenses may be paid subject to the approval of the Executive Board.

Departments are responsible for the costs associated with serving as host for the General Club meetings, not the individuals representing their departments.

Clubhouse Rules

1. The clubhouse is available for rentals. Anyone desiring information as to prices and reservations please contact our Clubhouse Manager at (270)753-5023.

2. No rentals may ever conflict with regularly scheduled General Club or Department Meetings. An exception may be made if permission is obtained first through the Advisory Council Chair. This permission must be in writing and may be submitted in either hard copy or electronic form. This permission must come from the club president for a general club conflict and from the department chair for a department conflict. In no event shall the chair of the Advisory Council need to seek permission from more than one chair in the case of department co-chairs.

3. If regularly scheduled meeting dates fall on holidays, meetings may be changed to another date that does not conflict with already scheduled meetings.

4. Subject to availability, Clubhouse may be used by departments on additional dates other than their regularly scheduled meeting times, at no charge to the departments, for preparation of General Club or Department programs, projects, or fundraisers.

5. The hostesses for department meetings are responsible for preparation of food, cost of food, and cleanup of kitchen(s) that includes the washing of dishes for their department meetings. Hostesses who do not wish to wash club dishware after department meetings may contact the club’s Contract Cleaner to arrange to have her wash and store dishes for a $10 fee (or as otherwise negotiated) However, dishes left clean in the dishwasher(s) shall be properly stored by the Contract Cleaner at no charge to the department.

6. Murray Woman’s Club will not be responsible for the preparation of any food.

7. Caterers shall set up and arrange tables as needed, return such to the original arrangement, and clean kitchen(s) after catered meals.

8. There is no reduction in price for rentals by club members.

9. No furniture or accessories should be moved in the clubhouse except with the express permission of the club’s authorized agent. Draperies are NEVER to be taken down.

10. The painting of the clubhouse and the mirror hanging in the upstairs auditorium and the grand piano also upstairs are NOT to be moved for any reason from their current locations. ANY of these actions by a renter may result in forfeiture of the full deposit.

11. No club furniture, china, or silver may be removed by anyone from the clubhouse under penalty of a fine.

12. Food Safety Guidelines for food prepared and served in the Murray Woman’s Clubhouse

(a) Wash hands properly and wear disposable gloves when handling and preparing foods.

(b) Maintain proper temperatures to ensure safety of foods, hot and cold.

(d) Maintain proper separation of meats from fruits and vegetables during preparation.

(e) Label dishes containing possible allergens, e.g. nuts, eggs, dairy, shellfish, etc.

(f) Consult club’s Food Safety Manager for advice on required procedures.

13. Additional guidelines regarding club-sponsored bake sales:

(a) No meringues.

(b) Package all items in saleable amounts to ensure food cannot be touched.