By-Laws Approval

At the January meeting of MTAA, there were bylaw updates presented and approved by the board to be brought to the membership for approval.  I have copy and pasted those bylaws here for you to read.  They will be brought to the General Membership Meeting in February. The date is February 26th 2018.  Most of the changes were updates to the bylaws that reflect current practice or just wording issues.  The most important issue was the removal of the officer job descriptions from the by laws and separate job descriptions adopted so they can be tweeked at anytime if necessary to accommodate new officers strengths.  I do know that the copy and paste function will create harder to read bylaws but here it goes!

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 and Laureldale. 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 quarterly 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 and Laureldale.

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 dues are 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) their child/children 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 and participates as required, will have one half their child’s (ren) sports sign up fee waived. Membership and raffle fees will still apply.

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 or 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 in Muhlenberg Township or Laureldale and have proof of

residency. Any requests 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 state law. In the event someone has clearances that are less than one year old they shall serve for that year (if new ones). Upon their expiration (one year from having been obtained) said person shall need to obtain clearances through the

Association’s  website. Those clearances shall then be 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 two meetings in the year prior to the

annual election meeting. During the September general 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, 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 elected 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 board meetings of the Association. Board members shall be required to attend 6 of the 12 meetings of the Board in order to be in good standing.

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  (2/3) 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 Sargent 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 two (2) general member meetings prior

to nomination. The at large members of 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. If there is an item of necessity it may be brought forward by the president for an email vote between meetings. If necessary, an emergency meeting may be called if the topic cannot wait until the next scheduled  meeting.

Section 4 The Board of Directors shall hold monthly meetings on the fourth Monday of the month. 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 loses 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 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 at the meeting 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  ALL EXECUTIVE OFFICER DUTIES ARE DESCRIBED IN THE APPROPRIATE JOB DECSCRIPTION.

Section 2 The officers of the association shall adhere to these bylaws and any other tasks 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 Board of Directors shall appoint a minimum of 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 or through the Commissioner Coordinator..

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 the 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 may be 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
• 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 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 Commissioner Coordinator prior to the first game in each sport. Failure to do. 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 of 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 or committee of the board.

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 __th________ day of ______________________,____.

MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP ATHLETIC ASSOCATION

___________________________________________President

_______________________________________VicePresident

___________________________________________Treasurer

Attested to:

_________________________________________________

Recording Secretary

BYLAWS OF THE

MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP

ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Approved _____________