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PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION / BY-LAWS

(These proposed changes will be voted on at a 2006 fall meeting)

Chris Walters - Bylaws Chairperson
Paul Guris
Jeff Holt

Proposed Changes to the DVOC By-Laws
The By-Laws Committee is proposing that the Club revise its By-Laws and Constitution by a vote at the June 1, 2006 meeting. The Committee, which consists of Chris Walters, Paul Guris, and Jeff Holt, proposes only three changes of substance, which aim in part to make the bylaws conform to current practice as well as to create by-laws more consistent with those adopted by the Membership October 2, 2003. DVOC Council supports these proposed changes.

The purpose of this page is to acquaint members with the proposed changes well in advance of the vote, as is required both by the current by-laws and by common sense. At the June 1, 2006 meeting, a 2/3 favorable vote is required for approval assuming a quorum is in attendance. The full text of all revisions is being placed on the website for review. The text of the three sections of the by-laws containing revisions of real substance are set forth in full below.

The proposed changes of substance are:
Article II, Section 6: extend from one year to two years the time within which the Club’s immediate Past President shall be a member of DVOC’s Council.
Article IV, Section 7: give to Council the power to drop a member from the Club, under the protective standards and procedures set forth in the revised by-laws. Previous to October 2, 2003, all membership decisions were made by a vote of those members attending a given Club meeting. When by-laws were last revised on October 2, 2003, the power to add members to the Club was given to Council without requiring a membership vote. At the time, no one thought to do the same with the little-used power to drop (expel) members, a power that remains lodged with the members rather than Council. Indeed, the current by-laws give a member being dropped the right to use an attorney and the right to a hearing, events which would make dropping a member extremely cumbersome. The revision now being proposed aims to correct this inconsistency by giving to Council the power to drop a member just as it now has the power to add a member. To present misuse, the revision requires a vote of 9 (of the 12) members of Council to expel and also allows a dropped member an ability to appeal to a panel of three former members of Council.
To be clear in case anyone wonders, Council can only use this expulsion power going forward, that is for actions of members that occur in the future, and not for member’s actions that occurred in the past.
Article X: provide for a Conservation Award to be given at the Annual Banquet, as has become our custom in recent years.

The full revised text of these three by-law sections follows:
ARTICLE II. OFFICERS AND COUNCIL
Sec. 6. The Council shall consist of the elected officers and members-at-large of Council, the Editor, and the last preceding President
for two years following the end of service as president. The Council shall transact all business of the Club, except the elections of officers
and members of Council.
ARTICLE IV. ELECTIONS AND EXPULSIONS
Sec. 7. Active Members may be dropped from membership by the Treasurer for dues arrearages (see Article V, Sec. 3 below). Active Members and Life Members may also be dropped from membership (expelled) if their continued membership is determined by Council to be detrimental to the operations or reputation of the Club. The votes of no less than nine members of Council shall be necessary to drop a person from membership, and each member of Council will be permitted to vote either in person or by proxy. The Secretary shall notify persons dropped from membership of the Council’s action promptly by mail. A person dropped from membership shall have the right to appeal Council’s decision to drop them if they so request in writing within forty-five days of the mailing of the Secretary’s written notice to them. To decide any such appeal, the President shall designate a panel of three former members of Council, whose decision on the matter, after hearing from both the dropped member and from Council, shall be final. The Club shall return to any expelled member such portion (if any) of the member’s dues or life membership payments as may appear appropriate under the circumstances. In the event of an appeal as provided herein, the panel shall determine what payments (if any) should be returned to any member whose expulsion is upheld by the panel.
ARTICLE X.
An award may be presented annually at the discretion of the Council to one or more non-members of the Club who have made a significant contribution to conservation of the environment. The presentation of the award shall be made at the annual banquet generally held on the third Thursday of November. The Conservation Committee shall suggest to Council possible candidates for this award.