NAME:    The name of this organization shall be the Knox County Beekeepers Association.

PURPOSE:    The purpose of this Association is to engage in activities which promote the development and interest of beekeeping in Tennessee; to encourage the use of scientific and practical methods of beekeeping among Tennessee beekeepers; to encourage the increased use of honey and to promote its sales; to aid in the prevention and control of bee diseases by cooperating with the State Department of Agriculture; and to cooperate with all agencies and organizations interrested in beekeeping and fostering the general welfare of the industry.

MEMBERSHIP:    Membership is open to any person in the area served by this Association who is interrested in the art of beekeeping. Members will be required to conform to the rules and regulations of this Association. Memberships shall be divided into four classifications: Regular Membership, Honorary Membership, Youth Membership, and Life Membership.

REGULAR MEMBERSHIP:    A dues paying member 18 years of age or older.

YOUTH MEMBERSHIP:    A dues paying member under the age of 18 years.

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP:    Members who have been voted honorary membership by the Association in recognition of outstanding contributions to Beekeeping.

LIFE MEMBERSHIP:    A member age 70 or older who has been a member of this Association ten or more years and has rendered outstanding service to the Association. A Life Membership must be recommended by the Executive Committee and elected by a majority affirmative vote of the privileges and shall not be required to pay annual dues.

Honorary, and Youth Members shall have all privileges of the Association except Voting and Holding Office.

DUES:    The annual dues shall be set by the Executive Committee and shall be approved by a majority vote of the Association members present at the time of voting. Youth Members shall pay one half of Regular Member annual dues. **NEW members (New Beekeepers or a member who has not paid dues in two or more years) joining after October 1 shall have annual membership through the remainder of that physical year and the next calendar year. The Treasurer shall maintain The Card File to reflect yearly dues payments.

Membership dues expire on December 31 and dues for the ensuing year become due and payable January 1 of each year. All members failing to pay annual dues within 90 days after expiration shall lose their privileges as a member.

MEETINGS:    A regular scheduled meeting of the Association shall be held monthly (example: first Tuesday night at the University of Tennessee -and- first Monday night at New Harvest Park Community Building). Time, place, and any change of the scheduled meetings will be set by the Executive Committee. A notification of each meeting shall be made (by mail, e-mail, or phone) to all members at least ten days prior to the scheduled meeting.

In the event of an emergency - a special meeting may be called by the President or the Executive Committee for the purpose of transacting business.

In the event that a vote of the membership is necessary between regular scheduled meetings - a notification shall be made (by mail, e-mail, or phone) to all members. A Quorum shall be the majority of members responding.

QUORUM:    A majority vote of Association Members present at a regular meeting with the President or Vice President in attendance shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business matters.

OFFICERS:    Officers of this Association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary / Treasurer, and State Representative/s/ The Association shall also yearly elect two Members at Large and one Youth Member at Large to serve on the Executive Committee.

The Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members present at the November meeting and installed in December. Officers shall serve for one year or until their successors are elected and installed. All out-going officers shall surrender to their successors by the last day of that same December all moneies, papers, property, and equipment belonging to the Association in their posession. The resignation of any officer may be accepted by a majority vote of members present at any regular meeting. An office vacancy may be filled by a majority vote of members present at the next regular meeting and shall serve until the next regular election of officers.

Duties of Officers shall be such as are specified in these By-Laws and the guidelines of the Tennessee Beekeepers Association. Officers shall not be required to pay asociational dues for the year in which they are elected to serve the Association...including President, Vice President, and Secretary / Treasurer.

PRESIDENT:    The President shall preside at all regular and special meeting of the Association, the Executive Committee, and shall appoint all necessary committees. He / She shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. He / She shall perform all duties pertaining to his/her office.

VICE PRESIDENT:    The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absense or other duties at the President's request.

SECRETARY / TREASURER:    The Secretary / Treasurer shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Assocation and the Executive committee, have charge of all papers and documents of the Association, shall send meeting notices in the manner herein provided, shall collect all fees and dues, shall be the custodian of all funds, record books, accounts, and property (except Library) of the Association. The Treasurer shall maintain The Card File to reflect yearly dues payments. He / She shall also make monthly or quarterly reports to the Association.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE/S:    The State Representative/s shall keep the Association Membership informed of state meetings and events. He / She shall attend state meetings and report to the membership at the next regular meeting. For representing the Assocation, the State Representative/s shall be reimbursed for one night's lodging to attend the Tennessee Beekeepers Association (TBA) annual meeting.

MEMBER AT LARGE and YOUTH MEMBER AT LARGE:    A Member at Large shall attend the January yearly planning meeting and Executive Committee Meetings to assist elected officers in planning programs and activities.

** In the event that an elected officer (President, Vice President, Secretary / Treasurer), State Representative/s or Member at Large fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings, the Nominating Committee for that year's elected persons shall at the next regular meeting of the association recommend the name of a replacement person, who will be voted on, installed, and begin serving immediately for the remainder of the calendar year.

COMMITTEES:    Committees for this Association shall be Executive Committee, By-Law Committee, Fair Committee, Library Committee, Medication Committee, Nominating Committee, and Refreshment Committee.

Except for the Executive Committee, the President shall appoint all committees in a timely manner (by April of each calendar year) enabling the committee to meet and do its work.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:    The Executive Committee shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary / Treasurer, State Representative/s, two elected Members at Large, on Youth Member at Large, and the immediate past President. The Executive Committee and all interested Association Members shall meet in January of each year to plan meetings and events for the year. The Executive Committee shall meet in the event of an emergency between regular meetings to transact necessary business of the Association. A report shall be made at the next regular meeting.

BY-LAW COMMITTEE:    A By-Law Committee shall be appointed in years ending in 9 to meet, revise wording, and / or make changes to keep the By-Laws current. This committee shall be appointed in June, report to the Association in August, and any vote necessary shall be taken in September at the regular meeting. This will enable revisions and / or changes to be posted on the Association web site. The Secretary / Treasurer shall have a printed copy at the registration table. All revisions and / or amendments shall be in accordance with ARTICLE X.

FAIR COMMITTEE:    The Fair Committee shall meet at a reasonable time prior to the fair to complete the display for the Association. It will be the responsibility of the Fair Committee to prepare and set up the County Display.

LIBRARY COMMITTEE:    The Library Committee shall be responsible for the care of books, videos, dvd's and booklets / pamphlets about BEEKEEPING donated to the Association and have these materials at our regular meetings for Association members to borrow.

MEDICATION COMMITTEE:    The Medication Committee shall assist in providing necessary medications to maintain a healthy hive of honey bees. The cost of the medications to the membership will be at wholesale prices and purchased by the Association in bulk.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE:    The Nominating Committee shall be appointed in September to seek candidates for Association leadership and present a slate of officers at the regular October meeting to the membership. Officer elections shall be in November, and officer installations shall be in December.

REFRESHMENT COMMITTEE:    The Refreshment Committee shall be responsible for the care of and the assurance that the normal, necessary supplies and equipment are available at each regular meeting.

Committees for special events (Picnic, Annual Banquet, others) will be instructed at the time of appointment.

FINANCES:    The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting and dispersing all monies of the Association. The current President of the Association shall be a secondary signer on the checking accounts. The Executive Committee shall be authorized to spend no more than one hundred ($100.00) of the association's funds at any time without prior authorization of the Association. The Secretary / Treasurer is authorized to purchase reasonable necessities (postage, paper, computer ink cartridges) or other supplies needed to fulfill the duties of office. He / She will report expenditures at the next regular meeting or on a quarterly basis.

No committee or individual is authorized to spend any Association funds without prior authorization of the Association.

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY:    The Rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern decisions of this Association.

AMENDMENTS:    Any proposed amendment / amendments or revisions to these By-Laws shall be made in writing and signed by any member or group of members of the Association. Any proposed amendment / amendments or revisions shall be voted upon at the next regular meeting and become effective upon majority affirmative vote of the members present.

Revisions and Amendments presented by the By-Law Committee in years ending in 9 and voted approvingly by the Assocation membership shall remain in effect until further viting action is taken.

By-Laws shall be posted on the Association web site. The Secretary / Treasurer shall have a printed copy at the registration table.

SUGGESTED ORDER OF BUSINESS:

     Call to Order
     Invocation
     Recognition of New Members and Guests
     Program
     Summary or Reading of the Previous Month's Meeting Minutes
     Treasurer's Report (Monthly or Quarterly)
     Announcements and Committee Reports (as necessary)
     Business - Unifinished and / or New
     Adjournment