Revised 09/28/15
M.T.A.A. BYLAWS
ARTICLE I – NAME
Section 1 The name of the Association shall be “MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION”, also known as the “M.T.A.A.”
Section 2 This Association shall have a seal upon which shall be inscribed the name of the Association, the year of its creation, and the words “Incorporated Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section 1 The purpose of the organization shall be to bring the youth and adults of our community together to create ideals of good sportsmanship, fair play, honesty, loyalty, entertainment, and social diversion among the youth of Muhlenberg Township. This will be achieved through organized, supervised, competitive events and other various activities that may be offered. The association, and its members, will establish and maintain such facilities as are necessary and proper in order to carry out its purposes. This is a nondiscriminatory organization.
Section 2 The regular meetings of this organization shall be held once a month as advertised on the association’s website and other means of communication.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 Membership in the Muhlenberg Township Athletic Association shall be limited to adults 18 years of age or older, who are residents of Muhlenberg Township. Membership entitles one vote per family at the annual election.
Section 2 Membership in the Association will be given when the applicant pays the required dues during signups for the activities sponsored by the Association. This membership shall be valid for the calendar year in which the due is paid.
If at any time a member has outstanding money due to the association (.i.e membership fee, raffle tickets, fundraising payments, insufficient checks, sports fee or equipment) they will not be permitted to participate in any MTAA sport until paid in full.
A board member in good standing, who actively serves at least 12+ months, will have 50% off their child’s (ren) sports sign up fee and membership waived and will only incur the raffle fee.
If a resident would like to join without a child in the organization, an application will be completed and voted upon by the Board of Directors within 60 days of the date of application. A majority vote of the board members, at the Board of Directors meeting, will award a membership.
Section 3 Honorary Memberships and Life Memberships in the Association will be awarded at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
Section 4 Membership in the Association may be terminated or suspended upon satisfactory evidence of violation of these bylaws, or any other conduct which discredits this Association, provided the member has been given a fair hearing including reasonable opportunity to defend him/herself before the Board of Directors. (See ARTICLE XII – CODE OF CONDUCT, Section 2)
Section 5 In order for a child to participate in any activities sponsored by the Association, they must live at a residence within the Muhlenberg Township School District boundary and have proof of residency. Any request outside these regulations will need to petition the Board of Directors for the child to be allowed to participate in a sponsored activity.
Section 6 Any member not in good standing shall not have the right to vote or hold any office.
Section 7 No member of the Association shall contract for, incur any debt or enter into any agreement or otherwise obligate the Association except by authorization of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV – MANAGEMENT
Section 1 The management of the Association shall be vested in the Board of Directors.
Section 2 All Board of Directors, Commissioners, Coaches and Assistant Coaches shall be required to complete the Child Abuse and Criminal Background checks found on the Association’s website. Such clearances shall be valid to meet PA state law. In the event someone has clearances that are less than one year old they shall serve for that year. Upon their expiration (one year from having been obtained) said person shall need to obtain clearances through the Association’s website. Those clearances shall be then valid to meet state law. Anyone having any legal issue reportable in these clearances shall have the responsibility to report same to the association immediately. If it is not reported upon discovery the association shall take immediate action up to and including removal from their position.
ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section 1 The Executive Officers of the Association shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Commissioner Coordinator, Recording Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms.
Section 2 In order to be elected as an Executive Officer, the nominee must be a member of the Association in good standing for one year and attend three meetings in the year prior to the annual election meeting. During the November board meeting, all Board of Director nominations shall be made, and the election of the Executive Officers will be held at the December general meeting of the Association.
Section 3 The Executive Officers shall be elected by the members at the annual election meeting and shall hold office as follows: President position shall be voted on every year for the term of one (1) year from that meeting date or until their successors shall have been elected and qualified. The President shall only serve more than two terms if nominated by another member of the association and not by self nomination and receive 2/3 of the votes cast for this office. The Vice President, Treasurer and Commissioner Coordinator shall be voted on in odd years and shall hold office for a term of two (2) years. The Recording Secretary and Financial Secretary and Sergeant at Arms shall be voted on in even years and shall hold a term of two (2) years.
Section 4 Newly elected board members shall accept the responsibilities of their position immediately following the election meeting. The existing Treasurer shall work with the newly appointed Treasurer to transfer responsibilities and prepare yearend closings. Once complete, the newly elected Treasurer shall continue in the roll.
Section 5 The Board of Directors of the Association shall remove from office any Executive Officer or Director of the Association who shall fail to attend, without just reason, three consecutive scheduled meetings of the Association.
Section 6 Any Executive Officer may be terminated or suspended upon satisfactory evidence of violation of these bylaws, or any other conduct which discredits this Association, provided the Executive Officer has been given a fair hearing including reasonable opportunity to defend him/herself before the Board of Directors. The Executive Officer shall be removed from office with a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 The Board of Directors shall consist of maximum of nineteen (19) members designated as follows: The Executive Board which consists of, as outlined above, President, Vice President, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Recording Secretary, Commissioner Coordinator, and Sergeant-at-Arms . The remaining twelve (12) Board of Director positions shall be elected at large.
Section 2 In order to be elected to the Board of Directors the nominee must be a member in good standing for one (1) year and must attend at least three (3) general member meetings prior to nomination. The Board of Directors shall hold office for one calendar year. The election of the Board of Directors will be held at the December meeting of the Association.
Section 3 A quorum, for the purpose of holding any meeting (special or regular), shall consist of at least one more than one half (1/2) of the Board of Directors. A majority vote of those present shall be sufficient to carry any order of business. One more than one half (1/2) of the members of the Board of Directors of the Association constitutes a quorum. Any action taken at a regular meeting or at a special meeting shall require a majority vote of the Board of Directors present. No action may be taken unless a quorum is present. Voting for all issues must take place during a meeting and not via email. If necessary, an emergency meeting shall be called if the topic cannot wait until the following month’s meeting. Exception: A vote may take place via email for purchase or repair of an essential daily operating expense necessary to keep the organization running if such item(s) cannot wait until the next meeting (approval amount must be $500 or less).
Section 4 The Board of Directors shall hold a monthly meeting on the fourth Monday of each month immediately following the general membership meeting. The President or fifteen (15) members may call special meetings of the Board of Directors provided that fifteen (15) days notice is given in order for the members to be present.
Section 5 Any member who resigns and/or is removed from the Board of Directors shall be removed from the board immediately upon their date of resignation and/or termination and lose all rights to vote as a Board member. Vacancies in any elected office may be filled by the Board of Directors at any meeting of the Board of the Association at which a quorum is present. The successor so chosen shall serve for the remaining amount of time of the term of their predecessor.
Section 6 The Board of Directors shall determine dues/fees for each member of the Association two months prior to the signups for that particular sport/activity.
Section 7 All board members must actively serve on at least 1 committee per year.
Section 8 All members of the board must comply with the Board of Directors Code of Conduct. If they do not they will be subject to parameters stated above.
ARTICLE VII – EXECUTIVE OFFICER DUTIES
Section 1 The duties of the Executive Officers shall be as their title would indicate or as may be assigned to them by the Association.
Section 2 The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Association. The President shall be responsible for the monthly meeting agenda and shall preside at all meetings of the Association and its Board of Directors. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and shall carry on those other responsibilities assigned to them by these Bylaws and by the Board of Directors.
Section3 The Vice President shall act in all cases for and as President in the latter’s absence or incapacity.
Section 4 The treasurer shall have custody of the Association funds and securities and shall keep full accurate accounts of deposits and disbursements in the books belonging to the Association. The monies of the Association shall be kept in separate accounts to the credit of the Association and shall be disbursed as ordered by the Executive Board. There will be two (2) signers for all payments. Those two signers shall be the Treasurer and President. There will also be a third authorized signer appointed by the Board of Directors in the event one of the other two is unavailable.
Section 5 The Recording Secretary shall keep an accurate account of all of the meetings of the association. The Recording Secretary shall have the duty of posting proper notices of all called meetings of the Association.
Section 6 The Sergeant at Arms is responsible for declaring the quorum.
Section 7 The Financial Secretary will be responsible for recording all incoming monies and making those deposits and turning the deposit records over to the treasurer for recording in the association’s books.
Section 8 The officers of the Association shall adhere to these bylaws and other tasks as assigned in the SOP’s/Policies of the Association.
ARTICLE VIII – FISCAL YEAR
Section 1 The fiscal year of the Association shall commence on the first day of January and end on the thirty first day of December.
ARTICLE IX – SPORTS COMMISSIONERS
Section 1 The Association shall appoint two (2) active Association members to serve as Commissioner and Assistant commissioner for each sport that is offered and sponsored by the Association. These positions will be reviewed by the Board of Directors every year within a month of the season ending.
Section 2 The Commissioner shall report directly to the Board of Directors during monthly Association meetings as to the current status of the sport they represent.
Section 3 Each Commissioner shall submit a proposed budget covering the total anticipated expenses for their sport to the Board of Directors no later than three months prior to the commencement of the sport or activity. Budget shall include but not be limited to equipment purchases, umpire/referee fees, tournament fees, uniforms, etc. If no commissioner is appointed as of 3 months prior to the commencement of the sport the treasurer will use last year’s budget with a 10% increase for inflation. No additional major expenses (over $50) shall be incurred, after budget is completed and approved, without board consent.
Section 4 Any Sport Commissioner shall not hold more than one Commissioner position during any given season.
Section 5 The Commissioner shall be responsible for distributing registration papers at their specific sport’s signups. The Commissioner shall then meet with the coaches for their specific sport within a reasonable time frame and determine how the team selection process shall take place.
Section 6 Once fields have been secured through the Board of Directors, the Commissioner shall inform all coaches of their practice and game times and locations.
Section 7 No fundraising activities shall be determined by the Commissioner of the sport/activity. Fundraising decisions will be decided upon only by the Board of Directors. Individual sports/teams may approach the board with proposals for specific sport fundraising. The proposal must meet the guidelines as outlined by fundraising committee and have board approval.
Section 8 The commissioner is responsible to notify the board immediately of any incidents that occur during an organizational function which is perceived as endangering the welfare of another person or liability to the organization. The completion of an incident report is also required.
Section 9 All Sports Commissioners shall abide by any and all directives given by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X – COACHES
Section 1 A Head Coach has the responsibility to maintain a safe environment for their team, Assistant Coaches and other individuals present at both practices and games.
Section 2 Coaches must recognize and satisfy off field obligations including, but not limited to:
- · Timely communication with their Commissioner, players and parents
- · Attendance at meetings as scheduled by the Commissioner or Association
- · Completion of all related paperwork on schedules
- · Participation in support tasks, such as field maintenance, equipment issuance and evaluations.
- · Attend all practices and games or appoint a designee
- · Select Assistant Coaches who have also satisfied the Child Abuse and Criminal Background Checks as outlined in Section 1
- · Enforce the Code of Conduct for players and parents.
No coach may incur additional outside expenses (aside from what was approved in the initial budget) without prior approval from commissioner (i.e. equipment purchases, tournament fee etc.)
Section 3 The coach is responsible to notify the commissioner immediately of any incidents that occur during an organizational function which is perceived as endangering the welfare of another person or liability to the organization. The completion of an incident report is also required.
Section 4 All Coaches shall abide by any and all directives given by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XI – ASSISTANT COACHES
Section 1 Assistant Coaches as selected by the Head Coach shall follow duties as assigned to them by the Head Coach.
Section 2 All Assistant Coaches shall abide by any and all directives given by the Board of Directors.
The asst. coach is responsible to notify the head coach immediately of any incidents that occur during an organizational function which is perceived as endangering the welfare of another person or liability to the organization. The completion of an incident report is also required.
ARTICLE XI – RULES OF ORDER
Section 1 The Association shall refer to Robert’s Rules of Order regarding any rules not covered in these Bylaws.
ARTICLE XII – CODE OF CONDUCT
Section 1 The Association has adopted a Board Code of Conduct, Commissioner Code of Conduct, Coach Code of Conduct, Parent Code of Conduct and Player Code of Conduct which shall be enforced for each specific sport/activity. The completed Code of Conduct forms for coaches, parents and players shall be submitted to the Commissioner coordinator for recording.
Section 2 Code of Conduct forms must be completed by each coach, parent and player and submitted to the Corresponding Secretary prior to the first game in each sport. Failure to do so does not excuse the person from the responsibilities in the code of conduct document!
Section 3 The Board of Directors has the right to enforce any disciplinary action against a commissioner, coach, player or parent for violations to the Code of Conduct, provided the member has been given the opportunity for a fair hearing including reasonable opportunity to defend him/herself before the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XIII – DISCIPLINARY ACTION BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 Any and all reported or witnessed incidents that are a violation of these By-Laws or any other conduct which discredits this Association shall be investigated by the Board of Directors.
Section 2 Upon completion of the investigation, punishment may range from a warning to termination from the organization.
Section 3 If the decision is termination from the organization, the individual shall be given an opportunity of a fair hearing including reasonable opportunity to defend him/herself before the Board of Directors. Removal from the Association shall come with a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XIV – BYLAWS
Section 1 These bylaws shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members present and voting at the time of its proposal for ratification.
Section 2 These bylaws shall be in full force and effective immediately upon their adoption as set forth in Section 1.
Section 3 These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Association by a majority of members attending such meeting. The members calling for such amendments shall provide notice of the call for amendment one (1) month prior to the vote on said amendment. The vote shall take place at the next general meeting provided at least one (1) month has past.
ARTICLE XV – DISOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION
Section 1 Upon the dissolution of the Association, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of the liabilities of the Association, dispose of all the assets of the Association in such manner, or to such organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable educational religious or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501c (3) or the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law as they may be amended) or to a local governmental body as the Board of Directors shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of through the Court of Common Pleas of the County in which the principal office of the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, or governmental body as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated for such purposes.
ARTICLE XVI – ACCEPTANCE OF BYLAWS
Section 1 These bylaws shall be effective immediately upon enactment. Enacted and
ordained this __28th________ day of _____September__________________, 20115____.
MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP ATHLETIC ASSOCATION
Donald B Raifsnider Jr _____________________President
Melissa Smeltzer _________________________Vice-President
Kelly Sands _____________________________Treasurer
Attested to:
Gretchen LaFerriere _______________________ Recording Secretary
BYLAWS OF THE
MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Approved – September 28, 2015
