CONSTITUTION OF THE CUYAHOGA AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
As Amended October 2003

MISSION
The Cuyahoga Amateur Radio Society, hereafter known as C.A.R.S. enact
this Constitution as our governing law. It shall be our purpose to
further amateur radio by serving the public; to promote technical
knowledge, fraternalism, individual operating proficiency; and to
advance the general interest and welfare of amateur radio in the community.

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: Membership shall be by application and election according to
the terms stated in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE II - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 1: The Board of Directors shall consist of six (6) elected Board
Members.

SECTION 2: The six elected Board Members shall be elected to two year
terms according to the terms stated in the By-Laws. Three Board Members
will be elected in the odd year; three Board Members will be elected in
the even year.

SECTION 3: No person shall be eligible to serve on the board who has not
been a Full Member of C.A.R.S. for at least twelve (12) months
preceding the nomination for office.

SECTION 4: The duties of the Board of Directors shall be to look after
and maintain C.A.R.S. property; serve as the Trustees of the
Corporation, and conduct an annual audit of the books.

SECTION 5: An elected Board Member may be removed from office by a
three-fourths vote of the Full Members.

SECTION 6: The term of a member of the Board of Directors, elected at a
Regular Election Meeting, shall start January first of the calender year
following election to office. The term of a member of the Board of
Directors elected at a special election, shall commence immediately
following election to office.

ARTICLE III - OFFICERS
SECTION 1: The officers of C.A.R.S. shall be: President, Vice-President,
Secretary, and Treasurer.

SECTION 2: The officers shall be elected for a term of One (1) year
according to the terms stated in the By-Laws.

SECTION 3: No person shall be eligible to serve as an officer who has
not been a Full Member of C.A.R.S. for at least twelve (12) months
prior to nomination for office.

SECTION 4: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
(A) The President shall preside at all meetings of C.A.R.S. The
President shall enforce observance of this Constitution and By-Laws,
decide all questions of order, sign all official documents that are
adopted by C.A.R.S., and perform all customary duties pertaining to the
office of the President.

(B) The Vice-President shall assume all duties of the President in the
absence of the latter.

(C) The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings, including a
record of all members and guests in attendance; keep a roll of the
members, present applications for membership, carry on all
correspondence, and read all communications at each membership meeting.
The Secretary shall also have a current copy of the Constitution and
By-Laws, a current list of the Full Members and a recent inventory of
Club C.A.R.S. property at each meeting.

(D The Treasurer shall receive and receipt for all monies paid of and to
C.A.R.S.. They shall be responsible for issuing receipts for money and
equipment and other tangible property donated to C.A.R.S.. The
treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all money received and
expended. The treasurer shall pay no bills without proper authorization
by C.A.R.S. or the Board of Directors, as provided for in the
Constitution and By-Laws. The treasurer shall submit an itemized
statement of transactions and balance of funds available for C.A.R.S.
use at each meeting.

SECTION 5: Officers may be removed by a three-fourths vote of the Full
Members.

SECTION 6: The term of an officer elected at a Regular Election Meeting,
shall start January First of the calender year following election to
office. The term of an officer elected at a special election, shall
begin immediately following election to office.

ARTICLE IV - EXECUTIVE BOARD
SECTION 1: The Executive Board consists of all currently elected
officers and the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2: The Licensee Trustee(s) and the Statutory Agent shall be
appointed by the Executive Board.

SECTION 3: DUTIES OF THE License Trustee(s) and Statutory Agent
(a) The Licensee Trustee is responsible for all documentation relating
to the FCC Amateur Radio License for which they are Trustee. The
Licensee Trustee shall provide status of equipment, documentation of
changes, documentation of coordination with the authorized coordinating
committees and boards to the Executive Board annually.
(b) The Statutory Agent is responsible for all documentation relating to
the tax exempt status of C.A.R.S. The Statutory Agent, if not the
Secretary, shall provide to the Secretary a copy of all correspondence
relating to C.A.R.S. The Statutory Agent shall provide a written report
to the Executive Board of the current status annually.

SECTION 4: The Executive Board shall meet a minimum of three (3) times
a year to conduct business.

SECTION 5: All Executive Board Members shall at the expiration of their
term, removal from office, or vacancy of office, turn over all C.A.R.S.
property in their possession to their successor. All Club C.A.R.S.
records more than three (3) years old shall be turned over to a person
designated by the board as Property Custodian.

SECTION 6: The Property Custodian shall provide a secure storage for
all C.A.R.S. records, documents and equipment in their possession. The
Property Custodian shall provide the President and Secretary the
location, key(s) and summary of all historical material/records annually.

ARTICLE V - MEETINGS
SECTION 1: The By-Laws shall govern all meetings. All FCC Rules and
Regulations shall be followed where they pertain to C.A.R.S. amateur
radio equipment operation. Except as provided for in the FCC Rules and
Regulations, this Constitution, By-Laws, and the Articles of
Incorporation, all C.A.R.S. business shall be conducted according to
Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VI - DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
SECTION 1: Membership dues shall be as provided for in the By-Laws.

SECTION 2: Proposals for assessments shall be submitted in writing at a
Regular Meeting and shall be voted on at the next Regular Meeting,
provided all members have been notified in writing prior to the vote
meeting. The assessment may be levied by a two-thirds vote of all Full
Members present at the vote meeting. Full Members may also vote by
giving their written proxy to a member of the Executive Board.

SECTION 3: Assessments shall not be levied on Family, Auxiliary, or
Honorary Members.

ARTICLE VII - MERGER AND DISBANDMENT
SECTION 1: No merger shall be made with any group in which the Cuyahoga
Amateur Radio Society would lose it’s identity. Any other merger may be
made upon the consent of ninety per-cent (90%) of the Full Members and
two-thirds of the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2: Disbandment shall be covered by Section 501(3)(c) of the
Internal Revenue code, and stated in the Articles of the
Not-For-Profit-Corporation, referred to in the body of this Constitution
as , The Cuyahoga Amateur Radio Society, C.A.R.S.

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1: This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the
Full Members. Proposals for Amendment shall be submitted in writing at a
Regular Meeting and voted on at the next Regular Meeting, provided all
members have been notified in writing of the intent to amend the
Constitution prior to the vote meeting.

ARTICLE I - Definitions
SECTION 1: C.A.R.S. - The Cuyahoga Amateur Radio Society
SECTION 2: Executive Board: The Officers and the Board of Directors.
SECTION 3: Quorum: The minimum number to conduct voting at any Regular Meeting or Board Meeting or Special Meeting. A minimum of four (4) from the Executive Board. This quorum limit does not supercede the requirements of the number necessary to spending authorization in Section VIII.
SECTION 4: C.A.R.S. Property: Purchased or donated equipment, supplies, and/or facilities, accrued without lien.
SECTION 5: Board Meeting: A meeting of the Executive Board and interested C.A.R.S. members.
SECTION 6: Regular Meeting: The monthly membership meeting.
SECTION 7: Regular Election Meeting: The Regular November meeting.
SECTION 8: Special Meeting: A meeting of the membership called by the Executive Board to do business that must be conducted before the next Regular Meeting.
SECTION 9: WO - The C.A.R.S. Newsletter called the Wobbly Oscillator
SECTION 10: The C.A.R.S. WEB SITE - http://www.CARS.ORG. The domain name CARS.ORG is property of C.A.R.S. The Registrant shall be C.A.R.S. with a C.A.R.S. designated mailing address.
SECTION 11: C.A.R.S. Sponsored Activity - Any activity that is approved by the Executive Board, such as HAMFEST, FIELD DAY, PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS, VE SESSIONS and C.A.R.S. NET.
SECTION 12: C.A.R.S. NET - The weekly UHF/VHF radio meeting to provide C.A.R.S. information to C.A.R.S. members.
SECTION 13: Membership Year - The period of one year when all annual dues and assessments have been paid.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: Applications for membership shall be submitted to the Membership Chairman. Applications shall be voted on at the next Regular meeting, provided all members have been notified in the WO prior to the vote meeting. The application shall be accompanied by any required dues, starting with the month following the meeting of the vote, and continuing until the end of the membership year. A one time administrative fee of five dollars ($5.00) shall also accompany the application. Acceptance shall be by a two-thirds vote of the Full Members present at the vote meeting.

SECTION 2: Full Member:
(A) An individual elected to membership in C.A.R.S., who holds a valid amateur radio license, has currently met obligations regarding payment of dues and assessments. A Full Member has voting privilege. Full Members must be present at a voting meeting to participate in voting. Exceptions will be made only for the Regular Election Meeting. Full Members may cast an absentee ballot which will be provided in the W.O. Full Members will receive a copy of the C.A.R.S. Constitution and Bylaws, Repeater access information, guidelines for participation on the repeater and C.A.R.S. NETS, ability for phone patch access, the current C.A.R.S. roster, C.A.R.S. WEB PAGE information and other information as necessary for full participation.

(B) An individual licensed amateur who is in the immediate family of, and resides at the same address as, a Full Member, and meets the same requirements as outlined in SECTION 2: (A) above, shall be eligible to be a Full Member at 25% of the established dues for a Full Member, This was formerly called the Family Member. This member will not receive a separate WO but will be eligible to vote.

SECTION 3: Inactive Member: A member becomes considered an Inactive Member after failing to attend any C.A.R.S. Sponsored Activity or attend a Regular Meeting in a Membership Year and failing to pay dues within 30 days past the Membership Year.

SECTION 4: Auxiliary Member: Any interested party who does not meet the requirements for a Full or Inactive membership, or who lives outside a seventy-five (75) mile radius of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. An Auxiliary Member has no voting privilege.

SECTION 5 Honorary Member: The title of Honorary Member, may, by a motion of and a vote of two-thirds of the Full Members present, be bestowed upon any person who, by nature of outstanding or meritorious contribution to the furtherance of amateur radio and the ideals of the Cuyahoga Amateur Radio Society, is deemed to be deserving of such title. Such term of membership shall be for a period of one year, and shall carry all privileges of membership, except the right to vote.

SECTION 6: Former Member: Any previous C.A.R.S. member who is delinquent with dues and/or assessment. Former members lose member privilege such as, they receive no newsletter, lose any mailbox, auto patch privilege and may be relieved of any C.A.R.S. property or material warranted by the Executive Board.

SECTION 7: REINSTATEMENT (A) A former member will by automatically reinstated into C.A.R.S. within a twelve month period, provided all dues and assessments for this 12 month period are paid in full. (B) A Former Member who re-applies for membership after the twelve month period, must apply and fulfill the requirements of a new member as stated in Article II, Section 1 of these By-Laws. The administrative fee will not be required of a Former Member.

SECTION 8: MEMBERSHIP STATUS
Membership status will be maintained through the joint effort of the Treasurer and by the Secretary. The C.A.R.S. current roster shall be updated and posted on the C.A.R.S. WEB SITE and in the WO at least twice per calendar year. It is every members responsibility to notify the Officers of any changes in amateur license status and current address.

ARTICLE III - DUES
SECTION 1 - DUES PAYMENT
(a) Dues of per month $20.00 per year shall be paid by all Full and Inactive Members.
Dues for immediate family members will be $5 per family member, providing the Full Member dues has been paid in full for the Membership Year.
(c) Auxiliary Members shall pay dues equal to 25% of the dues paid by the Full and Inactive Members.
SECTION 2: PAYMENT OF DUES
(a) Members three months behind in dues will be dropped from the C.A.R.S. roster.
(b) Full Members who are one month behind in dues will automatically become Inactive Members.
(c) Notification of dues payment requirement will be made in the WO and on the CARS WEB SITE one month prior to the end of the Membership Year.

ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS
SECTION 1: The Executive Board shall determine and advise the membership of the date, time, and place of all Regular and Special Meetings.
SECTION 2: All Executive Board Members shall be notified of the date, time, and place of all Board and Executive Board Meetings.
SECTION 3: A quorum must be present at all Regular and Special Meetings to conduct business.
SECTION 4: Two-thirds of the Executive Board must be present at an Executive Board Meeting to conduct business.

ARTICLE V - ELECTIONS
SECTION 1: Election of Officers and elected Board Members shall be by secret ballot at the Regular Election Meeting. Nominations for office shall be submitted at the Regular Meeting in September and October then presented to the Full Membership via the WO.
SECTION 2: Election shall be by plurality of the Full Members present, and absentee ballots from Full Members accepted by the Executive Board. In case of a tie, successive ballots shall be cast only on the tied candidates, until the tie is broken.
SECTION 3: Vacancies occurring between elections must be filled by Special Election. Nominations shall be submitted at the first Regular Meeting following written notification to the Executive Board of the vacancy. Elections shall be held at the first Regular Meeting following presentation of the nominations . In the interim, the Executive Board may appoint a member who meets the requirements for that office, to the post, until the Special Election is held.

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES
SECTION 1: The President of C.A.R.S. shall appoint the chairmen of those committees that is deemed necessary to carry out the objectives of C.A.R.S.
SECTION 2: The chairman of a committee may enlist members for the committee as necessary to carry out the duties of the committee.

ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1: The By-Laws may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the Full Members present at a Regular Meeting. Proposals for amendments shall be submitted in writing at a Regular Meeting, and voted on at the next Regular Meeting, provided all members have been notified in writing of the intent to amend the By-Laws prior to the vote meeting.

ARTICLE VIII - SPENDING AUTHORIZATION
SECTION 1: AUTHORIZATION
(A) For payments up to but not exceeding $100.00, approval of two Executive Board members is required and one must be the President or the Vice President, in the Presidents absence.
(B) For payments up to but not exceeding $600.00, approval of the majority of the Executive Board is required.
(C) The Executive Board may preauthorize recurring charges not exceeding $100.00 per month for payment of bills including, but not limited to, phone bills, newsletter printing, postage, and insurance.
(D) A majority of the Full Members present and two-thirds of the Executive Board voting at a Regular or Special C.A.R.S. meeting is required for approval of payments exceeding $600.00.
(E) The billing contact will always be the Treasurer.

SECTION 2: AUDITS
(A) An annual Audit will take place each year. It will begin after the November election meeting and must be completed by December 31.
(B) An Audit will take place at any time that the Treasurer leaves office, and the newly-elected Treasure must take part in the Audit.
(C) The Audit will be conducted by three members of the Executive Board with the Treasurer also present.

ARTICLE IX - C.A.R.S. COMMUNICATION
SECTION 1: C.A.R.S. WEB SITE
(A) The CARS.ORG WEB SITE is a registered name for the use of C.A.R.S. members. It will be maintained by the Webmaster appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board. All decisions as to the WEB SITE, its administration, email policies shall be the approved by the Executive Board.
(B) The WEB SITE administrative contact shall be the Secretary (secretary@CARS.ORG).
(C) The WEB SITE billing contact shall be the Treasurer (treasurer@CARS.ORG).
(D) The Webmaster contact shall be Webmaster@CARS.ORG

SECTION 2: The WO, THE C.A.R.S. NEWSLETTER
(A) The WO represents C.A.R.S. monthly communication information to the membership. Submissions to the WO may be sent to the newsletter editor via the C.A.R.S. e-mail to NEWSLETTER@CARS.ORG or given to the newsletter editor directly.
(B) The Newsletter Editor shall be appointed by the Executive Board.
(C) All costs associated with producing and delivering the WO shall be submitted to the Executive Board for approval.
(D) The content of the WO shall adhere to the MISSION as stated in the CONSTITUTION of C.A.R.S.