Coppell Republican Club Bylaws

BYLAWS AND STANDING RULES OF THE COPPELL REPUBLICAN CLUB

bylaws (Approved June 2019)

Article I – Name

The name of the Club shall be the Coppell Republican Club. Only the Board of Directors can approve the use of the name of the Club.

Article II – Mission and Objectives of the Coppell Republican Club

Mission of the Coppell Republican Club. 

The mission of the Coppell Republican Club is to create an active social network which promotes conservative values within our community through educating and informing citizens and by giving support and feedback to local, state, and national candidates and officeholders.

Objectives:

  1. Promote an informed electorate through education and volunteerism through active participation in political activities, particularly in and around Coppell.

  2. Foster loyalty to the Republican Party and promote its platform.

  3. Support the objectives and platform of the Republican National Party, State of Texas Republican Party, and the Dallas County Republican Party (DCRP).

  4. Promote and support Republican candidates.

  5. Provide feedback on issues to our elected officials.

Article III – Membership

A Voting Member.  A voting member is anyone current in payment of Club dues, in high school or older, in good standing in the community, listed on the Club application as the member, and has pledged to support the objectives of the Club.

Article IV – Organization, Officers, and their Duties

Duties of Club Officers. The Officers of the Club, who are elected by the procedures described in Article VI, are automatically voting members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Coppell Republican Club shall consist of the following officers whose duties are described herein:

President   

  1.  Presides at all meetings, except during an agenda item for the Election of Officers.

  2.  Prepares, along with the Board, an annual plan for Club activities.

  3.  Represents the Club at any Republican event or meeting.

  4.  Has signature authority on the Club checking account.

  5.  Nominates replacements for Board positions as needed.

  6.  Updates the Club’s website as needed.

Secretary

  1. Prepares and maintains the minutes of Board and general Club meetings, and reads the general meeting minutes at all Club meetings.

  2. Records attendance of all Board Meetings.

  3. Maintains digital historical files which include other information about the Club such as press releases, announcements, awards, etc.

  4. Presides over the election of officers.

Treasurer

  1. Establishes and serves as primary signatory of any Club bank or other financial account.

  2. Maintains records of dues paid to the Club as well as any other funds received.

  3. Disburses funds as needed.

  4. Approves expenditures of up to $150

  5. Presents a Treasurer’s report at each monthly meeting with regard to dues collection and the disbursement of funds.

  6. Prepares an annual statement for presentation at the May general meeting.

Vice President – Programs

  1. Organizes and coordinates the programs for the monthly meetings.

  2. Maintains the annual plan for general meeting speakers and topics for the year, and presents a rolling quarterly schedule for board review and approval at board meetings.

  3. Prepares introductory remarks for each speaker at each meeting.

  4. Prepares promotional information about upcoming programs for use on Facebook, the Club website, and any press release. Forwards this information to the VP of Communications and the President on a timely basis for review prior to each program.

Vice President – Hospitality/Events

  1. Coordinates any events the Club holds or participates in.

  2. Works with the V.P. of Membership to ensure new Club members have name tags.

  3. Assists Republican candidates in the general election that hold meetings in the Coppell area.

Vice President – Communications/Technology

  1. Maintains the Club’s website and Facebook pages

  2. Updates the website and Facebook pages on a timely basis regarding events and activities.

  3. Assists the V.P. – Membership with maintenance of the Club’s database.

  4. Prepares and delivers press releases.

Vice President – Membership

  1. Promotes the Club to the community; is the primary contact for those interested in more information about joining the club.

  2. Maintains the Club’s membership database.

  3. Provides new members with an introduction to the club.

  4. Communicates to other Board members the interests of new club members regarding volunteer assistance.

  5. Updates the Club’s website as needed

Vice President – Club Liaison

  1. Represents the Club at meetings held by other Clubs in the county.

  2. Reports to the Board and to the membership regarding new ideas, best practices, and other important events throughout the county.

Vice President – Youth Outreach

  1. Develops and works with high school and college age residents who take an interest in Club activities.

  2. Provides candidate, voter registration, and other pertinent information to the youth of the Coppell area.

  3. Updates the Club’s website with particular focus on items of interest to young Republicans.

 Vice President – Legislative Affairs/Education

  1. Provides the Club members with legislative updates regarding important issues at the local, state, and national levels at general meetings.

  2. Posts important links and other information to the Club’s website on these issues and serves as the primary information resource for Club members.

Vice President – Precinct Liaison

  1. Coordinates all activities between the Club and the Precinct Chairmen.

  2. Helps identify candidates to be new Precinct Chairmen and Block Captains; works with all people who want to assist in elections in their neighborhoods.

  3. Maintains precinct voting information as needed by the Club, the Candidates, and the DCRP.

  4. Acts as the primary liaison between the Club, the Precinct Chairmen, and the DCRP.

  5. Terms. The terms of each officer shall be two years. No officer can serve more than two terms in any position without approval of the general membership at the next scheduled club election to fill any remaining term.

 

Rules applicable to all officers

  1. Vacancies. The President shall appoint any Club member to fill a vacancy on the Board with the approval of two-thirds of the other members of the Board.  Appointed Board members shall stand for election at the next scheduled club election to fill any remaining term.

  2. Composition of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Club shall consist of all of the officers of the club.

  3. Attendance Requirements - Board Meetings.  During any calendar year, a member of the Board is allowed to be absent from two meetings. If a Board member misses more than two meetings, the President, with the approval of two-thirds of the other members of the Board, can remove that officer.

  4. Duties of the Board of Directors.

    • Develop an annual plan for Club activities 

    • Discuss and approve all expenditures above $150. In the event an expenditure needs to be paid prior to a regularly scheduled Board meeting, the President may solicit approval from the Board for a proposed expenditure via email.

    • Approve the annual audit of income and expenditures.

    • Develop, propose, and nominate new candidates for offices.

    • Nominate an acting President to lead general Club meetings in the absence of the President.

    • Develop a plan to support Republican candidates during general elections.

    • Vote on the removal of any officer or Club member. Two-thirds of the Board must approve the removal of either.

Article V – Club and Board Meetings

A quorum is necessary for the Board and the Club to transact and approve any business.

  1. For Board meetings, a quorum shall be considered one-half of board members currently holding office plus one.

  2. For Club meetings where elections of Board members or changes to bylaws will be held to a vote, a quorum shall consist of twenty-five percent (25%) of paid memberships (any member of a family membership, as defined in Article III) present at that meeting.

  3. Club meetings will be held the 3rd Tuesday of the month unless the Board determines another meeting date and time is appropriate.

Article VI – Nominations and Election of Officers

  1. Nominations. All nominations for Club officers shall be accepted through the date of the April general meeting. Anyone nominated must have been  a dues paid member of the club for at least 30 days before election. A list of nominees will be posted on the Club website no later than 4 business days after the April General Meeting.  Nominations may also be accepted from the floor at the May meeting at the discretion of the current Board.

  2. Elections. Elections for Club officers will be held at the May general meeting or the first meeting after this date. When there is only one nominee (or people agree to co-chair a position, which shall be considered one nominee), the approval may be by voice vote. When there is more than one nominee for an office, the election must be by secret ballot.

The following board positions will be voted on in odd-numbered years:

    • President

    • Secretary

    • VP, Hospitality

    • VP, Membership

    • VP, Legislative Affairs

    • VP, Precinct Liaison

To address any concerns about the Board and these changes, the club election in 2014 will include all Board positions.  The above positions voted on in 2014 shall be one year terms (until 2015), but thereafter shall be two year terms like all other positions, where half the board is up for election in any single year.

Article VII – Audit

Annually, there shall be a complete audit of all the financial records of the Club. The audit will be conducted by three members of the Board other than the President and the Treasurer. The audit will be conducted after the May meeting and the results (including total receipts and expenditures) will be presented at the next board meeting and general meeting, and shall be available to any dues paying member.

Article VIII – Rules of Order

All Club and Board meetings will be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order.

Article IX – Amendment of the Bylaws

Changes to the bylaws may be made only with the approval of the general membership. By-law changes must first be approved by two-thirds of the Board of Directors and recommended to and voted on by the voting members at the next general meeting. They must also be posted to the Club’s web site and Facebook page for at least one week prior to the general meeting.

Standing Rules

  1. The amount of annual dues is determined by the Board. Dues may be collected throughout the year from new members but are due from current members by the time of the February meeting. New members who pay after October 1st are considered paid up for the following year. The dues cover all family members living in one household that are listed on the Club’s application form.

  2. Neutrality in Republican Primaries.  The Club and its Officers, when using their position or title in the Club, must remain neutral regarding Republican primary races regarding public endorsements. Any Club Officer or Club member may work independently for a candidate in a primary but may not represent themselves as working on behalf of the Club.