Constitution
& By-Laws
ARTICLE I
NAME
ARTICLE II
OBJECTIVES
Section II-1:
The objectives of the Chapter shall be to promote the art and
science of fire protection engineering and its allied fields, to maintain
a high professional and ethical standing among its members and to foster
fire protection engineering education.
Section II-2:
The Chapter shall abide by the Constitution and By-Laws of the
Society.
(2/89)
ARTICLE
III
MEMBERSHIP
Section III-1:
Membership in the Chapter shall be open to individuals who are
Fellows, Honorary Members, Members, Associate Members, Affiliates,
Engineering Technologists, Engineering Technicians, or Student Members of
The Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Membership shall include individuals residing or working in
the general area of Northeastern Ohio.
(10/89)
Section
III-2: The Chapter recognizes
the need to maintain a liaison with individuals in fire-related fields of
endeavor and interest who are not members of the Society.
The Chapter encourages and accepts the support and participation of
these individuals in Chapter activities.
The Chapter will accord them the courtesies of regular Chapter
publications and participation in meetings and other events upon payment
of an annual handling and mailing fee.
(2/89)
Section III-3:
All applications for Chapter membership shall be submitted to the
Second Vice President, Membership Chairman.
Election to membership shall be by majority vote of the voting
members present at a regular meeting on recommendation of the Executive
Committee, who shall verify the eligibility and society membership of the
applicant. (6/89)
Section III-4:
Except for Student Members, all members shall have voting
privileges. Each member shall
be entitled to one vote in the affairs of the Chapter.
Section
III-5: Any voting member of
the local chapter who becomes ineligible, for not upholding Canons of
Ethics for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (Article B18) or due
to loss of membership in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, shall
forthwith be suspended by the Executive Committee, but may be reinstated
without re-election if, within six months of such suspension, the
condition is remedied. (10/89)
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section IV-1:
Officers of the Chapter shall be President, First Vice President,
Second Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
With the exception of Immediate Past President, officers shall be
elected by the members and hold office for one year or until there
successors are elected and qualified.
All officers shall serve without salary.
(10/89)
Section IV-2:
There shall be an Executive Committee including the President,
First and Second Vice-presidents, Secretary-Treasurer, latest past
President, and four other members, elected by the Chapter at the Annual
Business Meeting in the following manner: At the first election, two members shall be elected to serve
a term of one year. At each
subsequent Annual Business Meeting, two members shall be elected to serve
a term of two years or until there successors are elected and qualified by
the Executive Committee. The
President and a majority of the Executive Committee shall hold the grade
of Fellow, Honorary Member, Member, or Associate Member in the Society of
Fire Protection Engineers. (10/89)
Section IV-3:
No officer or member of the Executive Committee shall serve for
more than two consecutive terms in any one elective office, with the
exception of the Secretary-Treasurer.
Section IV-4:
Vacancies in office may be filled until the next election by
majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Section IV-5:
All elected officials should affirm that they will uphold the
duties of their office. (5/88)
ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section
V-1: It shall be the duty of
the President to preside at all meetings and to perform other duties usual
to the office. He shall call
meetings of the Executive Committee at his discretion or by request of
three or more members of the Committee.
He may appoint special or standing committees, as occasion may
require, subject to majority approval of the Executive Committee.
If, for any reason, the President is not available, the First
Vice-president, or in his absence, the Second Vice-president, shall have
the powers and prerogatives of the President.
The First Vice-president shall have the additional duty of Program
Chairman, which includes the issue of meeting notices, unless otherwise
directed by the President. The
Second Vice-president shall have the additional duties of Publicity
Chairman and Membership Chairman, unless otherwise directed by the
President. The President
shall forward a synopsis of bi-monthly meetings to the Society of Fire
Protection Engineers, for publication in the SFPE Bulletin.
(10/88)
Section V-2:
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to record all official
actions of the Chapter, and to perform the duties usual to the office of
secretary and treasurer. He
shall keep a register of the members of the Chapter.
He shall submit, at least annually, a membership list, notices of
meeting dates and other pertinent information to the Secretary of the
Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
The Secretary Treasurer should prepare a current financial report
for each regularly scheduled Chapter meeting, as well as an annual report
at the Annual Business Meeting. The Treasurer's books should be made available for audit by
the Executive Committee after the close of the Business Year, December 31.
(10/89)
Section V-3: The
President and First Vice-president shall be the Chairman and
Vice-chairman, respectively, of the Executive Committee.
Section V-4:
The Executive Committee shall meet at least quarterly, but may meet
as often as necessary or desirable at the discretion of the Chairman.
Section V-5:
A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum at any
meeting of the Executive Committee.
Section V-6:
It shall be a specific duty of the Executive Committee to pass upon
desirability of any action submitted to the Chapter for its consideration
with respect to basic policy. Negative or advisory results will be reported immediately to
the Chapter for further action.
ARTICLE VI
EXPENDITURES
AND APPROPRIATIONS
Section
VI-1: No expenditure or
appropriation of Chapter funds shall be authorized, except by majority
vote of the Executive Committee. This
shall not include such necessary expenditures required by the
Secretary-Treasurer for stationery, postage and incidentals.
(6/88)
Section VI-2:
The Chapter shall not speak for the Society of Fire Protection
Engineers on any local or national matter without specific written
authorization of the Society; nor shall the Chapter incur any contractual
or financial obligations on the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
No action by this Chapter shall be binding on the Chapter without
specific prior authorization of the Executive Committee.
(2/89)
ARTICLE
VII
CHAPTER
MEETINGS
Section
VII-1: Meetings shall be held
at least quarterly, one meeting designated by the Executive Committee as
the Annual Business Meeting. In
case of a special meeting, at least 10 days written notice shall be given
to the members. (6/88)
Section VII-2:
At the Annual Business Meeting, the retiring President shall
present to the members an annual report reviewing the activities of the
Chapter during the past calendar year and recommending future activities,
together with a report showing receipts and disbursements for the year,
and a statement of assets, liabilities and net worth at the close of the
calendar year. The President
shall submit a copy of this annual report to the Secretary of the Society
of Fire Protection Engineers within 30 days after the Annual Business
Meeting.
Section VII-3:
In order to transact business at any meeting of the Chapter, there
shall be at least ten voting members present or 25 percent of the total
voting membership of the Chapter present (whichever is greater).
Section VII-4:
Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the transaction of business in
all meetings unless inconsistent with these articles.
Section VII-5:
It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to report in
writing to the members, at least 30 days preceding the Annual Business
Meeting, a list of nominations for all officers and vacancies on the
Executive Committee, to be voted on at the Annual Business Meeting.
This shall not preclude additional nominations from the floor
preceding the voting at the Annual Business Meeting.
(8/88)
ARTICLE
VIII
DUES
Section VIII-1:
The annual dues of each member shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00)
for the Chapter year payable upon election of the new member, and on or
before January 1st, of each calendar year thereafter.
Members who fail to pay dues within the prescribed time shall be
suspended by the Secretary-Treasurer, after due notice in writing to said
member of his delinquency. The
Chapter Year will be from January 1 to December 31.
(10/89)
Section VIII-2:
Upon reaching the age of sixty-five, and having been an SFPE member
in good standing for at least ten years, a member of any grade is exempt
from any further assessment of annual Chapter dues.
This does not prohibit him from continuing to pay these fees if he
so desires. (5/88)
ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS
Section IX-1:
A proposed amendment to these Articles shall be submitted to the
Secretary-Treasurer at a regular Chapter meeting, in written form and
shall be signed by a majority of the voting members, or shall be proposed
by action of the Executive Committee.
(6/88)
Section IX-2:
A proposed amendment shall then be considered by the Executive
Committee and shall be voted upon at the next regular Chapter meeting.
A two-thirds affirmative vote of the voting members present shall
be necessary for passage, based upon approval by the Society of Fire
Protection Engineers' Board of Directors.
(5/88)
Section IX-3:
The proposed amendment and the reasons therefore, shall be
submitted to the SFPE Board of Directors for review.
The amendment shall not be in force until approval by the Board of
Directors. (5/88)
Section IX-4:
The Constitution and By-Laws shall be reviewed by the Chapter
Executive Committee and Society of Fire Protection Board of Directors at
five-year intervals and shall be amended as needed.
The last review was October 1989.
(6/88)
Section IX-5:
A revision date should be entered following a revised section.
Revision dates may be dropped at five-year review periods, but a
review date for the Constitution and By-Laws shall be noted in Section
IX-4. (6/88)
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