MID-FLORIDA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND BY-LAWS


ADOPTED: 1974
REVISED: 1994, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I, Name
ARTICLE II, Purpose
ARTICLE III, Membership
ARTICLE IV, Officers and Committees
ARTICLE V, Officers and Committees
ARTICLE VI, Meetings
ARTICLE VII, Parliamentary Authority
ARTICLE VIII, Quorum
ARTICLE IX, Amendments
ARTICLE X, Suspension and Expulsion
ARTICLE XI, Expenditures and Reimbursements


ARTICLE I, Name

This organization is the Mid-Florida Council of the Blind, hereafter referred to as MFCB, a chapter of the Florida Council of the Blind.


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ARTICLE II, Purpose

The purpose of this chapter shall be to educate people who are blind or visually impaired, communities, employers, families, legislators, and others on the local, state, and national concerns of the blind.


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ARTICLE III, Membership

A. A majority of the MFCB Membership shall be legally blind.

B. Any person who wishes to join MFCB and is under the age of 18 may join with signed parental consent.

C. Annual MFCB dues will be determined by the membership and payable no later than the 15th (fifteenth) of November to the chapter, $8.00 (eight) of which will be forwarded to the State Council. Members who wish to join after the due date may still pay dues but will not be counted as voting members for the State Council.



ARTICLE IV, Officers and Committees

A. Officers

1. The Officers of MFCB shall be President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary. Proposed duties of these officers shall be as spelled out in the FCB Policy Manual.

2. Officers shall be elected, in accordance with the Nominating Committee's guidelines, at the November General Meeting for a term of 1 (one) year. The President and Vice-Presidents shall not serve in the same office for more than 4 (four) consecutive terms. There shall be no restriction on the number of consecutive terms the Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary may serve. In case of a vacancy, the Board of Directors may fill the office until the next regular election.

3. The President and Vice-Presidents shall be legally blind. This restriction does not apply to all other elected Officers.

4. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected Officers and the Immediate Past President.

5. In order to be eligible to hold an office, a person must be a Member of MFCB for at least 1 (one) full year.

6. The calendar year shall constitute the fiscal year, January 1st through December 31st. Each term of office begins with the calendar year.

B. Duties

1. President

a. Comply with all duties listed under State President (See FCB Policy Manual).

b. Maintain a liaison between the local chapter and the state President.

c. Serve as the primary contact between the chapter and the local community.
d. Represent the local chapter on the FCB State Board of Directors.

2. Vice-President(s)
Comply with all duties and responsibilities listed under the state Vice-President(s) (See FCB Policy Manual).

3. Secretary

In addition to the normal duties listed under the state Secretary (See duties of state officers in FCB Policy Manual), this officer shall be responsible for responding to any correspondence in cooperation with the chapter President.

4. Membership Secretary

a. Collect all dues and prepare the membership roll for submission to the state Membership Secretary in compliance with time limitations by November 30th (thirtieth) of each year.

b. Maintain membership rosters and official records.

c. Issue signed current membership cards to all paid members.

d. Serve as chair of the Chapter's Membership Committee.

5. Treasurer

a. Hold and maintain the financial records and give a full accounting at each Meeting.

b. Complete all necessary forms (see Appendix B in FCB Policy Manual), which must be submitted to the state Treasurer in compliance with federal and state regulations in a timely manner.

c. Serve as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee.


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ARTICLE V, Committee Chairs and Duties

At the January Meeting, the President shall appoint standing and special committees of MFCB, including their chairs, with the following exceptions:

A. The Budget and Finance Committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer and shall present a proposed budget to the general membership at the February Meeting.

B. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President at the September Meeting, with up to 4 Members including the chair, and approved by the membership. The Nominating Committee shall determine the manner in which the voting shall be conducted.

The Nominating Committee shall present its slate of Officers at the October Meeting.


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ARTICLE VI, Meetings

A. There shall be a minimum of 8 MFCB monthly Meetings a year, 6 of which must be General Business Meetings, as determined by the Board of Directors.

B. Committee reports can be given at every MFCB monthly Meeting.

C. The Rotter-Lamb Memorial Scholarship will be awarded at the Annual Awards Luncheon.


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ARTICLE VII, Parliamentary Authority

The conduct of the MFCB General Meeting and other orders of business shall be in agreement with the established rules of the FCB By-Laws and Policy Manual, as well as parliamentary procedure in the most recent revision of Roberts Rules of Order Revised.


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ARTICLE VIII, Quorum

A. 1/5 of the registered MFCB membership shall constitute a Quorum at any monthly Meeting.

B. A majority of the Officers shall constitute a Quorum at a Board of Directors Meeting.


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ARTICLE IX, Amendments

The MFCB By-Laws are to be amended in the following manner:

A. Any proposed revisions must be first formally read at a monthly Meeting.

B. Those revisions must then be printed in a special mailing to be sent to the MFCB general membership in the media format each Member prefers.

C. The same revisions would then be re-read, discussed and voted on at the next Meeting.

D. Revisions must be approved by a majority vote of those members present at any Meeting.

E. The revisions must be submitted to the FCB By-Laws Committee for review and approval.

F. The Chapter By-Laws must be presented to the FCB By-Laws Committee on a yearly basis as stated in the FCB Policy Manual.


ARTICLE X, Suspension and Expulsion

Members found to be in violation of the MFCB and / or FCB Constitution and By-Laws may be suspended by the Board of Directors, pending a hearing by the Board of Directors. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors is required for expulsion. Such hearing must be held within 60 (sixty) days of suspension.


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ARTICLE XI, Expenditures and Reimbursements

A. All financial accounts require the signatures of the Treasurer and 1 (one) other officer.

B. In addition to membership dues, each chapter shall be assessed a minimum of $50.00 (fifty dollars) annually, or 20% (twenty percent) of chapter-sponsored fundraising activities, whichever is greater and 35% (thirty-five percent) on raffle tickets up to $1,000.00 (one thousand dollars) of ticket sales.


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