Ray A. Master Post 217

 

BY-LAWS

of

Ray A. Master

Home Association

Incorporated

Topton, Pennsylvania

Revised - December 2023

 

A Non-Profit Corporation

Incorporated September, 9 1936

In the

Court of Common Pleas

Of

Berks County, PA

 

HOME ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS

 

Officers:

(2023 - 2024)

President: Bryan Berlew II

  Vice President: Jeff Solt

Secretary: Mike Weidman

Treasurer: 

 

Trustees:

Mary Ann WINK-KLINE

    Norm KRAUSS   

Dave Phillips

Marty Loch  

 

Manager:

Stephanie HAYES    

              

 

ARTICLE 1 - NAME
 
Section 1. This Corporation shall be known as “RAY A MASTER HOME ASSOCIATION INC.”
 
Section 2. The principle office and place of business of the corporation shall be 133 Centre Avenue, Topton, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
 
ARTICLE II - Purpose
 
Section 1. The purpose for which this corporation is to be formed is to establish and maintain a club for the social enjoyment of its’ members. It is a Non-profit Corporation, Incorporated on September 9, 1936. The Corporation shall meet on the third Monday of Each month to conduct business. The Purpose for which this corporation was formed is to establish and maintain a club for the social enjoyment of its’ members. It is a corporation that does not contemplate pecuniary profit, incidental or otherwise, to its’ members.
 
ARTICLE III - Membership
 
Section 1. The membership of this organization shall be confined to individuals no less than twenty-one years of age. There shall be three classes of membership as follows:
 
A. Active Membership: Active members male and female shall be Legionnaires in good standing of Ray A. Master Post 217 American Legion. Only active Legion members in good standing shall have the right to vote, and help manage the affairs of this corporation. Only active Legion members in good standing shall have the right to hold office.
 
B. Affiliate Membership: Active members male and female shall be Legionnaires in good standing of Ray A. Master Post 217, American Legion Post 217 Auxiliary, or Sons of the American Legion, and no less than twenty-one years of age.
 
C. Social Membership: Any individual person of good moral character and who is no less than twenty-one years of age shall be eligible for membership as a social member in this corporation; without the right to vote, participate in the management of the affairs of this corporation, or hold office. A Candidate for Social membership must be sponsored / recommended by a Legionare in good standing., and will be subject to a background check prior to the candidates application to be voted upon.
 
Section 2.  Applications of Affiliate & Social membership shall be made in writing and shall be voted upon at the next 2 regular meetings for final approval. Legionnaires shall be approved in the next meeting (Only 1 meeting required)
 
Section 3. If the membership rejects the application of any person for membership, no other application can be received for the same person for a period of six months.
(Reference Article IV section4)
 
Section 4. In order to be selected to membership, the applicant must receive the favorable Vote of not less than two-thirds of the active members present and voting.
 
Section 5. Every member shall notify the Secretary of his/her address and change of address, in writing. All communications to members will be sent by email, ordinary first class mail, post card, or certified mail to the last given address, shall be conclusive notice to such member of any matter relating to the organization therein contained, whether received by the member or not.
 
ARTCLE IV - Officers and Duties of Officers & Bar Manager
 
Section 1. Officers: The officers of this corporation shall be: (a) President, (b) Vice President, (c) Financial Secretary, (d) Recording Secretary, (e) Board of Trustees consisting of three or five Trustees, as membership allows, and (f) a Board of Governors composed of the four officers and the trustees. The following Positions shall be for a 1 year term: President, Vice President,  Financial Secretary, and Recording Secretary.
 
Section 2. Duties of the President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the corporation, the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Governors; shall call special meetings when, in their opinion it may be necessary or when required by the By-Laws; and shall perform such other duties as customarily pertain to the chief presiding, and executive officer.
 
Section 3. Duties of the V ice President: The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President during his absence or disability.
 
Section 4. Duties of the Recording Secretary: It shall be the duty of the recording Secretary to keep minutes of all business transacted at meetings of the Corporation, the Board of trustees, and the Board of Governors. It shall also be the responsibility of the Recording Secretary to notify applicants who have been denied Home Association membership and to coordinate with the Financial Secretary to refund monies paid by the denied applicant.
 
Section 5. Duties of the Financial Secretary: The Financial Secretary shall receive all monies due the Corporation, and shall keep regular books accounts of the same. The Financial Secretary shall pay money only when authorized at a meeting of the corporation.
 
Section 6. Duties of the Board of Trustees: The Board of trustees shall be the general executive committee of the Corporation; shall have general management and direction of its’ affairs; and its’ actions shall be final upon matters not expressly reserved to the vote of the members of the Corporation matters by law, or by these By-Laws. They shall be custodians of all Material goods real and personal, of the Corporation, and any pertinent insurance policies.
 
Section7. Duties of the Board of Governors: The Board of Governors shall have management of all disciplinary matters involving members of the Corporation.
 
Section 8. Duties of the Bar Manager:  The management of the affairs of the canteen, kitchen and banquet rooms are the responsibility of, and under the direct control of the Bar Manager under the guidance of the Home Association President, the administration of the affairs of the Association, and the conditions of employment of the Bar Manager, are the responsibility of and under the direct control and supervision of the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors alone shall be responsible for hiring, disciplining and termination of Home Association employees.
 
 
 
 
ARTICLE V - Nomination, and Election of Officers & Bar Manager
 
 
Section 1. Nomination and election: Nomination for President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Financial Secretary shall be made at the regular meeting in September of every year, and the nomination for one Trustee shall be made every year at the regular meeting in September, provided that the potential nominee has attended at least six meetings during the prior corporate year before meeting nominated. The Corporate year shall begin November 1 and end October 31. Each nominee’s record will be reviewed to check for attendance and active membership status in the corporation, After eligibility has been determined, nominations will be closed and the election held at the regular meeting in October. All terms of office shall expire immediately after the opening of the regular monthly meeting, and report of the auditors in November, when the newly elected officers shall assume their duties. If an individual elected and sworn into office does not meet the Pennsylvania liquor control Board (PLCB) eligibility, then at the next regular meeting, a nomination, and election shall be held to fill the vacant post. The President does not vote in the election of Officers. In case of a tie vote between 2 or more candidates, the vote of the President of the Corporation shall break all ties.
 
Section 2. Terms of Office: The terms of all officers shall be one year except for the Trustees, whose terms shall be two years.
 
Section 3. The Bar Manger shall be an ex-officio member without the power to vote.
 
 
ARTICLE VI - Responsibility and Bonding of Officers, and Employees
 
Section 1. The Board of Trustees may require a bond of any officer, or employee handling money, or securities of the Corporation, in such reasonable amount, as they shall fix, and the Corporation shall pay for such bonds.
 
Section 2. No officer or employee shall be discharged from liability to the Corporation until after his/her accounts have been duly audited, and the report of the auditing committee is accepted, and approved by the Corporation.
 
ARTICLE VII - Committees
 
Section 1. The President of the Corporation shall appoint the members of all committees unless such committees are named in whole or in part by the motion authorizing them.
 
Section 2. The newly elected President shall, upon assuming office, appoint an auditing committee of three members, to serve for 1 year, none of whom shall be acting elected officers, who shall immediately audit the financial transactions of the corporation for the proceeding year, check and verify all inventories and lists of property, and securities of the corporation, and make a report at the next regular meeting. Alternately, an independent firm of good repute may be employed for this task. For such purposes they shall have the right to demand inspection and possession of all books and property of the corporation. No officers, committees, or employees of the corporation shall, upon retiring from office, be discharged from any liability until their reports and affairs for the preceding year have been audited and approved by the auditing committee or independent firm. The auditing committee shall also make audits and report to the corporation at its regular meeting in April and September of each year.
 
 
ARTICLE VIII - Meetings
 
Section 1. The Corporation shall meet at 6:15 pm on the third Monday of each month.
 
Section 2. A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of 5 active members of whom at least 3 shall be officers or trustees.
 
Section 3. Special meetings may be called by the President, and he shall be required to call a special meeting when requested to do so, in writing, by 5 active members of the corporation, such writing stating the purpose of the meeting.
 
Section 4. Notice of any special meeting shall be given to all members by a printed notice, which may include text or email, stating the place, date and time of the meeting and the purpose of the meeting, not less than 5 days before the date of the meeting.
 
Section 5. No business shall be transacted at any special meeting except such business as was stated in the notice of the meeting, and the By-Laws shall at no time be suspended in this regard.
 
 
ARTICLE IX - Rules and Conduct
 
Section 1. Rules and regulations: The Board of Trustees shall make rules and regulations for the management and uses of property of the corporation and for the conduct of its members, and, after approval of such rules and regulations by the active members at a meeting, the rules and regulations shall be posted conspicuously upon the property of the Corporation.
 
 
ARTICLE X - Discipline, Trials, Fines, Suspension and expulsion of Members
 
Section 1. Upon knowledge of information of conduct on the part of any member which would if proven, render such member liable to a written warning, expulsion, fine or suspension by the Corporation. The Board of Governors or a member of the Board of Governors and 2 active members may verbally and immediately suspend any member for infractions of the Rules of the Corporation, for any conduct tending to bring reproach upon the corporation or conduct tending to make the member undesirable as a member of the corporation. The Board of Governors shall meet to discuss and after rendering a decision by majority vote hence and thereafter will notify the member whose conduct is in question, in writing, with the reason for his/her discipline.
 
 
Section 2. The member whose conduct is in question, and after the Board of Governors decision has been rendered may request a meeting with the Board of Governors. The member whose conduct is in question may be present and be heard in his/her own defense. At this meeting, the Board of Governors may elect to have an additional meeting to discuss and/or revise the voted upon by majority voted disciplinary action if and only if conclusive extenuating circumstances can be provided.
 
 
Section 3. Members, whose conduct is in question, may receive a written warning, and/or be fined, be suspended, or expelled by a majority vote of the Board of Governors at a meeting. Discipline shall consist of the following:
 
A. A documented written warning
B. A fine up to $500.00
C. Suspension of privileges for a period of 30 to 90 days.
D.  Suspension of privileges for a period of 6 months to 1 year.
E. Permanent expulsion
 
 
ARTICLE XI - Limitation of Powers of Trustees and Meetings
 
 
Section 1. The Board of Trustees shall not make any purchases or contracts in excess of $2,000.00 without approval at a regular meeting, except for normal operating expenses and emergency repairs needed for the operation of the club.
 
 
ARTICLE XII - Membership Dues
 
Section 1. The yearly dues for active and social members shall be set per year at a regular monthly meeting held in June to be payable on or before October 31 of each year. Any dues not paid by the grace period of December 31 will result in the termination of membership.
 
 
 
 
ARTICLE XIII - Order of Business
 
1.Establish a Quorum
2. Opening of Meeting
3. Reading of the Minutes of Previous Meeting
4. Nomination and election of officers as prescribed by these By-Laws
5. Communication and Bills
6. Applications for Membership and Voting upon Same.
7. Report of Financial Secretary.
8. Reports of Committees
9. Old Business
10. New Business
11. Remarks for the good of the Order.
12. Adjournment
 
 
ARTICLE XIV - Amendments
 
Section 1. Amendments to these By-Laws shall not be made except by printed notice to all active members and posted conspicuously on the property of the corporation not less than thirty days before the date at which the proposed amendments are to be voted upon, and after presentation and reading at one meeting of the Corporation and laying over for final action at the next meeting. The affirmative vote of two-thirds of the active members present and voting at the meeting is required before the By-Laws may be amended.
 
 
 
ARTICLE XVI - Corporate Seal
 
Section 1. The Corporation shall have and use a common seal, the impression of which shall read as follows:
 
 
 
ARTICLE XVII - Board of Governors
 
 
Section 1. The administration of the Home Association “Board of Governors” shall be under the supervision of the Ray A Master Post 217 Officers which are as follows: The Commander, The Adjutant, the Finance Officer, and all Past Post Commanders of Post 217 who are still members in good standing. 
 
 
Revised & Posted December 2023.