Constitution
and Bylaws
Revised/Approved: March 2006
Section 1. This
organization is one Chapter of the Pacific Northwest International Section
(PNWIS) of the Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA) and it shall be known as the Puget Sound Chapter
(herein referred to as the Chapter).
Section 2. The
geographic area of the Chapter shall consist of the counties in western
Section 3. The
address of the Chapter shall be the Office of the Incumbent Chair.
Section 1. It shall
be the purpose of the Chapter to promote better understanding about air pollution control, waste management, and related environmental
concerns. The Chapter will provide a neutral forum for discussion, education, and
networking with government agencies, research personnel, educators;
representatives of industry, consultants,
and the general public; and, to work toward resolution of issues. It shall also be the purpose of the Chapter
to promote closer professional and personal relations among members of the
Chapter and to further the purpose,
values and objectives of A&WMA.
Section 2. The
Chapter shall have all the powers granted to it by A&WMA and have the
ability to do all things necessary and incident to its purposes; provided,
however, that it shall not engage in any activities or exercise any powers not
permitted under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 1. Anyone who supports the
purpose of the Chapter is eligible to become an active member and entitled to
engage in all activities of the Chapter.
The different memberships and voting rights shall be fixed by the
Bylaws. Membership is available to
persons residing or conducting business in the geographic area of the
Chapter. The Chapter membership includes
Full Members, PNWIS Affiliates, and other members as defined below.
Section 2. Full Members are those,
residing within the geographic area of the Chapter, who are members of
A&WMA. Only Full Members of A&WMA are eligible to be elected to the Chapter
Board. Full Members in good standing are
also PNWIS Affiliates in terms of membership (see below).
PNWIS
Affiliate status is available to those persons in the Chapter who are not Full
Members. Affiliates shall enjoy the
privileges of the floor at Chapter meetings, serving on committees, and the
right to vote, but may not hold elective office.
Dual Membership is available
to those persons who are Full Members of other Chapters/Sections of A&WMA
and reside outside the geographic area of PNWIS. Dual Members shall enjoy all the privileges
of the Section except the right to hold elective office.
Honorary Members of A&WMA,
residing in the geographic area of the Chapter, are entitled to all of the
privileges of Full Members but are excused from payment of dues.
All
A&WMA Full Members, PNWIS Affiliates, Dual Members and Honorary Members in
good standing will enjoy the privileges of Chapter membership as set forth in
the Bylaws.
Section 3. Chapter members are
encouraged to attend Chapter meetings or seek to form a new chapter or
sub-chapter as approved by the PNWIS Board.
Section 4. Full Member dues shall be set
by A&WMA and are payable on an annual basis. Affiliate dues are set by the PNWIS Board,
will cover the period January 1 through December 31, and are payable at the
time of affiliation or the Annual Meeting.
There is no initiation fee charged for memberships. The Chapter receives a portion of the
A&WMA and PNWIS dues.
Section 5. Full Members or PNWIS
Affiliates who are three months delinquent in payment of dues may be dropped
from the membership rolls at the discretion of the Board.
Section 6. Meetings of Chapter members
and/or any part of the Chapter Board may be held in any location for any reason
as determined by the Board.
Section 1. The
fiscal year (May 1 – April 30),
the membership year (calendar)
and the operating year (May 1 – April
30) of the Chapter shall be the same as that of PNWIS.
Section 1. The Board shall carry out the
executive, financial and general administrative functions of the Chapter within
the policies established by PNWIS and A&WMA. The Board will authorize the expenditure of
funds for routine and special activities of the Chapter and make appointments
to fill interim vacancies of Board members.
Section 2. The Board members shall
include officers, directors, the Past Chair (during the year following his/her
term of office), and A&WMA Board members that are members of the
Chapter. Everyone elected and serving on
the Board shall be a member of A&WMA and shall be entitled to vote except
the Chair as noted below. Board members
shall serve without remuneration; although, if travel is authorized by the
Board, they may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
Section 3. The Board officers shall
consist of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Terms of office shall be one operating year,
May 1 through April 30. The Chair shall
be the Chairman of the Board and will vote only in the case of a tie vote on
matters before the Board. The Chair
will also represent the Chapter on the PNWIS Board. These officers shall hold office for the
ensuing term or until their successors have been elected and take office.
Section 4. The Board includes six
directors with 3-year terms of office, May 1 through April 30. Two directors shall be elected each year.
Section 5. Board officers and directors
shall be elected by ballot per Article VII below. Interim vacancies shall be filled by Board
appointment until the next election.
Section 6. The Board shall establish
standing or special committees as needed to carry out the function of the
Board. The Chair shall appoint all
committees and committee chairs with Board consensus.
Section 1. The Chair
shall: preside at meetings of the
Chapter, call special
meetings as may be necessary, appoint,
with Board consensus, the committees indicated in Article VIII (below), and preside at meetings of the Board.
Section 2. The Vice
Chair shall: preside at meetings in the
absence of the Chair, and assume the duties and functions of the Chair in the
event of resignation or other
reasons of absence.
Section 3. The
Secretary shall: give written notice of
general business, technical, special, and Board meetings; keep a record of the
minutes of all meetings of the Chapter; make an annual report to A&WMA regarding activities of the Chapter, membership,
Chapter-hosted meetings,
business transactions, and the Treasurer’s
report; and, surrender at the end of his/her term of office to his/her
successor, or to someone
authorized by the Chair to receive them, all properties and records of the
Chapter and/or A&WMA as may
be in his/her custody.
Section 4. The
Treasurer shall: receive all monies of
the Chapter and deposit or invest them as directed by the Board; keep accurate
and complete records of all financial transactions; furnish a financial report
at the business meetings of the Chapter or as called for by the Chair and/or
Board; submit his/her records and accounts for audit on an annual basis to an
auditor appointed by the Chair; provide
an annual financial report as required by A&WMA; and surrender at
the end of his/her term of office to his/her successor, or to someone authorized by the Chairman to
receive them, all properties and records of the Chapter and/or A&WMA as may be in his/her
custody.
Section 1. Prior to October 31 of each year, the Chair of
the Chapter shall appoint a Nominating Committee of not less than three
members, not more than one of whom shall be a member of the Board. This Nominating Committee shall nominate one
or two candidates for each elective office including those names submitted per Section 2 below. They shall obtain acceptance of nomination
and present the slate to the Board no
later than December 15.
Section 2. Between October 31 and December 15, members
may submit nominations for officers or directors
to the Board with a nominating
petition signed by at least 10 members of the Chapter.
Section 3. Between January 1 and January 15, the Board
shall prepare a ballot listing all nominees named by the nominating
committee. Included with the ballot
shall be a brief biographical sketch of each of the nominees. Ballot
transmittal to Chapter members shall be accomplished by e-mail, other
electronic communication, or postal mailing to the last address of record
before January 15. A date, no
later than February 1, shall be
specified for the return of the ballots.
The Chair shall appoint two tellers to help the Secretary count the
ballots. The election shall be
determined for each office and Executive Board position on the basis of a
majority of the votes cast. The Secretary shall report the election
results in writing to the Board before March 1.
Section 4. After March 1 and prior to May 31 of each
year – on a date set by the retiring Chair, there shall be a meeting of
the retiring and new Board members. At this meeting, appropriate annual reports
shall be submitted and training
conducted for the new officers and directors.
Section 5. All Chapter officers and directors shall be Full
Members of A&WMA. By May 1 of each year, PNWIS and A&WMA shall be provided with a
list of all elected and appointed Board
members of the Chapter.
Section 6. If an
operating year of PNWIS is established such that the dates provided here are
inappropriate, the Board shall establish dates which correspond to those
required by the PNWIS operating year, keeping the same relative position of
dates as described here.
Section 7. If any elected officer or
director vacates their office for any reason prior to the expiration of their
office, the Board shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy until a successor,
elected at the next annual election, takes office.
Section 8. The Secretary shall keep an
attendance record of each Board meeting.
If a Board member misses two meetings in succession, the Secretary shall
contact them (by email or in writing) to determine if they wish to continue in
their position on the Board.
Section 1. Standing committees shall consist of:
The Membership Committee shall promote the growth of A&WMA by soliciting membership in
the Chapter, as a Full Member or PNWIS
Affiliate. Members and other contacts will be notified
of Chapter activities and membership opportunities through email, other
electronic communication, postal mailing, the Chapter website, or other
methods.
The Program Committee shall secure speakers and arrange
and present the program for technical meetings.
This will include one-day
technical conferences, workshops, seminars, and maintenance of a technical
meetings (luncheon or evening) program.
The Nominating Committee consists of not less than
3 members. No more than one shall be a member of the
Board. This committee shall elect a
chair and complete nominations according to Article VII above.
Other standing committees may be
established by the Board to promote the purposes of the Chapter.
Section 2: Each
standing committee chair
shall prepare and submit an annual report with information to be included with the annual report to A&WMA.
Section 3. The Chair
may appoint temporary committees as deemed necessary, provided such appointment
does not conflict with other provisions of the Bylaws.
Section 1. The
Chapter shall hold at least one full-day technical conference during the operating
year. The Chapter will host additional technical meetings (luncheon or evening)
as appropriate.
Section 2. The
Chapter shall provide news reports to the section for publication in the PNWIS
newsletter and post information on the chapter website. The news reports shall contain information on
all activities of the Chapter as well as information of interest about other chapters, PNWIS, and A&WMA. Articles may
address air pollution control, waste management developments, and related environmental issues and
solutions.
Section 3. The Chapter website shall be maintained
with current, accurate and complete information about membership, events,
activities, and participation opportunities.
Section 4. The Chapter contact list shall be
maintained electronically (including, as available, email and postal addresses,
affiliation, and phone numbers) and used to communicate with members and others
about Chapter activities and events.
Section 1. Board meetings may be called by the Chair by
notifying the members of the Board. The
Board shall designate the dates for periodic Board meetings, general business meetings, technical meetings to be
hosted by the Chapter, or other special meetings. The Secretary shall give notices
thereof to the Board or membership as appropriate.
Section 2. Quorum: Five (5) members of the Board shall
constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Board.
Section 3. Voting: Only members of the Chapter (see
Article III above) are
entitled to vote. Unless otherwise
provided, a majority vote of the members present and
voting shall rule. A record
of the vote shall be kept by the Secretary and reported to the Board.
Section 4. Elections: The new officers and directors will assume their duties on May 1
of the operating year, or upon election if specified by the Board.
Section 5. Rules of
Order: Unless otherwise provided,
“Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the procedure for all meetings.
Section 1. The fiscal year shall be May 1 through
April 30. The Board shall prescribe the
methods of keeping and disbursing the funds of the Chapter.
Section 2. The financial matters of the Chapter
shall be managed by the Treasurer who shall report financial status at Board
meetings and for the annual report to A&WMA.
Section 3. Responsibilities for officers and
directors of the Board are specified in Articles V and VI above.
Section 4. In the event of the
dissolution of the Chapter, any remaining assets after discharge of all
liabilities and obligations shall be transferred to PNWIS or a successor organization. Upon dissolution, if PNWIS is unable, unwilling, or
ineligible to receive assets, they will be distributed to one or more
organizations exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 1. Any Full Member
or PNWIS Affiliate may propose an amendment to the Bylaws to the Board. Before the amendment can be submitted to the
members, it must be approved by the Board or bear the written endorsement of at
least ten Full Members and/or PNWIS Affiliates.
Such approved or endorsed amendments shall be submitted promptly to the
membership via email, other electronic means, or postal delivery. Extensive revisions to the Bylaws may be
posted on the website if the membership is notified of same. Amendments to the Bylaws shall become
effective immediately on adoption by a two-thirds majority of those voting.
Section 2. Any section of
the Bylaws which conflicts with the Bylaws of PNWIS or A&WMA or the laws of the State
of