Paducah Chess Club Constitution

Preamble

We, the members of Paducah Chess Club Limited, do hereby adopt and establish this

constitution as the guiding instrument of our Club.

Article I: Structure

The real name of this Club shall be Paducah Chess Club Limited and shall be established in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as an unincorporated nonprofit association, hereafter referred to as PCC or the Club. The Club may also operate under the assumed name of Paducah Chess Club.

Article II: Mission

The purpose of PCC shall be to create and grow a chess community in and around the city of Paducah and by doing so, make the opportunity to play chess more accessible in western Kentucky.

Article III: Membership

  1. Membership shall be considered equally for anyone who seeks it regardless of age, race, ability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, financial means, or national origin provided the Member agrees to abide by the Bylaws of the Club.
  2. A person shall be considered a Member if they have paid any dues and other obligations established in the Bylaws of the Club.
  3. Each Member is entitled to one vote on any motion or election brought before the general Membership.
  4. All Members shall be treated equally in every possible way by the Officers of the Club.

Article IV: Elections

  1. The Officers of PCC shall be elected from and by Members.
  2. All elections of Officers must be announced at least seven days prior to the election date and reasonable efforts must be made to ensure that all Members receive the announcement. The announcement of any election must contain the date, time, location, and a list of all ballot measures. Special elections may be held without a seven day prior notice if and only if a quorum of two-thirds of all Members are present at the time of the special election.
  3. The elected Officers of PCC shall include, at a minimum, a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. These Officers and any other Officers mandated in the Bylaws of the Club shall be known as the Executive Committee.
  4. Officer Terms begin on January 1 each year and end on December 31 the following year for a total period of two years. The Term of the Secretary shall be staggered such that the President and Treasurer are elected one year and the Secretary elected the next year.
  5. Elections for Officer positions must begin no earlier than December 1 and be completed no later than December 8 each year.
  6. There is no maximum limit on how many Terms a Member may hold the same office, however, Members may only hold the same office for two consecutive Terms.
  7. Special Elections may be held at any time as necessary to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee.
  8. Candidates must receive a majority vote to be elected. If no candidate receives a majority vote, the top two vote-getters will be placed on a run-off ballot and the Membership shall then be allowed to vote on the run-off ballot. If the run-off ballot results in a tie, the sitting President shall cast a tie-breaking vote unless the sitting President is a candidate in the run-off. In this case, the tie-breaking vote shall pass to the Secretary unless they are also a candidate in the run-off. In this case, the Treasurer will cast the tie-breaking vote.
  9. All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot. The ballots shall be collected and tabulated by any two Officers not on the ballot for that particular office. If no such Officer exists, the Officers shall appoint other Members to tabulate the votes. These appointed Members must also not be on the ballot for that particular office.
  10. Since the first Term for all Officers will be partial Terms and all Officer Terms will begin simultaneously:
    1. The initial, partial Terms shall continue as regular terms with the President and Treasurer Terms ending on December 31, 2025 and the Secretary Term ending on December 31, 2024.
    2. The requirement for an election between December 1, 2023 and December 8, 2023 shall be waived.

Article V: Executive Committee

  1. All Officers serve voluntarily and are not entitled to any compensation from the Club, financial or otherwise, for their service.
  2. The Executive Committee shall hold at least one executive meeting each fiscal quarter with no more than four months elapsing between executive meetings.
  3. A quorum of two-thirds of the Executive Committee is required at each Executive Committee meeting. If a quorum does not exist at the beginning of the meeting, the meeting must be rescheduled to a time when a quorum can be present.
  4. President
    1. The President shall preside over every executive meeting of the Officers or general Membership.
    2. The President is responsible for setting and monitoring goals and activities of the Club and ensuring that the Club is working to fulfill its Mission.
    3. The President has the authority to create committees from the general Membership and appoint committee chairs to lead projects and initiatives.
    4. The President may delegate tasks to Members as necessary.
  5. Secretary
    1. The Secretary shall record the minutes of each executive meeting of the Officers or general Membership.
    2. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining a list of all Members.
    3. The Secretary will ensure the safekeeping and organization of all Club records, documents, electronic files, and official correspondence. This task may be delegated to another Member as necessary.
  6. Treasurer
    1. The Treasurer is responsible for the creation of any financial accounts approved by the Executive Committee on behalf of the Club.
    2. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining and monitoring all financial accounts of the Club.
    3. The Treasurer is responsible for depositing any money paid to the Club as soon as possible.
    4. The Treasurer is responsible for releasing funds from the Club as approved by the Executive Committee in conjunction with any other required signatories.
    5. The Treasurer shall report the balances and new activity on all of the Club’s financial accounts at each executive meeting of the Officers or general Membership.
    6. The Treasurer is responsible for collecting all Membership dues and reporting the change in Member statuses to the Secretary.
    7. The Treasurer is responsible for ensuring the Club complies with all local, state, and federal tax obligations and filings.
  7. Any Officer may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Executive Committee or by a two-thirds majority vote of all Members, regardless of how many Members cast votes.
  8. Vacancies in any Executive Committee office must be filled as quickly as possible by a special election. The term of the office for which the special election is required shall end on the normal date. The partial term served by the Member shall not count toward any term limits imposed for that Member in that office.

Article VI: Dues

  1. Dues for Club Members will be established by the Executive Committee.
  2. Dues, along with other money generated by the Club, will be used to finance the activities of the Club at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

Article VII: Bylaws

  1. Enactment, amendment, or repeal of any Bylaws must be approved by a simple majority of the votes cast by Members. A quorum of one-half the total Membership is required in order for a vote on any change to the existing Bylaws to take place.
  2. Any Member may propose a change in Bylaws by submitting the proposed change in writing to the Executive Committee.
  3. The Executive Committee shall notify the general Membership of the proposed Bylaw change and hold a vote of the Members. Votes may be collected by ballot, at an in-person meeting, or any combination of the two at the discretion of the Executive Committee. If the measure passes, it shall be enacted immediately.
  4. All Members are required to comply with and uphold all Bylaws. Any penalty imposed on any Member for noncompliance with any Bylaw is limited to the penalty prescribed in that Bylaw.

Article VIII: Amendment

This Constitution may only be amended by approval of a two-thirds majority vote of all Members, regardless of how many Members cast votes for or against the amendment. Amendments shall be enacted immediately.

Signed November 18, 2023 by:

Grady Wring
Geoff Speed
Luke Hansen
Aaron Standiford
Alec Yaw
Roy Garman
Jimmy Patterson