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Lawrence Brewers Guild Charter / By-Laws


Article I - Organization

The NAME of the organization shall be the Lawrence Brewers Guild (hereinafter referred to as "the Guild.")


Article II - Purpose

The purposes of this organization are:

Article III - Policies

It is policy of the Guild to brew and consume beer strictly for fun. Under no circumstances does the Guild support or condone in any manner the sale or barter of homebrewed beer, the operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol by any member or by any participant in any club event, or the provision of alcoholic beverages to minors.


Article IV - Membership

A. Membership Qualifications
Any person interested in the brewing of beer and at least 21 years old may become a member, contingent upon meeting the requirements of "membership in good standing."

B. Dues
Annual Dues - Annual dues are payable as of January 1st. Dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee and subject to approval by the membership.

Penalty for late payment - Members who are not paid by the February meeting shall be ineligible to share in the activities of this organization. They may be reinstated only upon payment of the annual dues.

C. New Members
New members may be accepted at any time, subject to meeting the requirements of members in good standing.

D. Members in Good Standing
To be a member in good standing, a member must:

E. Expulsions
Members may be suspended or expelled by the Executive Committee following a vote by the membership when, in their opinion, the actions or conduct of a member bring discredit to the organization.


ARTICLE V - Officers and Duties

The Executive Committee consists of all officers. The Executive Committee can meet between regular meetings to conduct business of the Guild.

Board of Directors consists of the Secretary, Biermeister and Librarian. The Board conducts annual audits of the financial records of the Guild.

A. President
  1. Shall preside at all meetings and all meetings of the Executive Committee
  2. Shall see to the observance of the by-laws and general management of the business affairs of the organization and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Executive Committee are enacted
  3. Shall represent the club to the public, establish and maintain a positive public image and reputation for the club and be authorized to speak on behalf of the club
  4. Shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoint committees and committee leaders
  5. May delegate as many of the above-prescribed duties to other willing members as seen fit, so long as the reputation and public image of the club is preserved

B. Vice President
  1. Shall be responsible for assisting the President as required with any club activities and shall also perform the duties of the President during his absence or temporary disability
  2. Shall be responsible for scheduling the monthly seminars

C. Secretary
  1. Shall take minutes at each regular and special meeting. Minutes of each meeting shall be filed in the club files and posted on the forum
  2. Shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of the monthly club newsletter
  3. Shall conduct general organizational correspondence
  4. Shall provide records and documents to the Librarian for archival purposes
  5. Shall be the chair of the Board of Directors and assist in the annual audit

D. Treasurer
  1. Shall collect the organization's dues and any special fees
  2. Shall have custody of all funds belonging to the club and shall maintain a full and accurate account of all monies
  3. Shall deposit all monies within a timely manner in the account of the Lawrence Brewers Guild
  4. Shall give a financial report during the regular business meeting
  5. Shall make a detailed account of monies and expenditures within seven (7) days to any member in good standing when requested by the officers
  6. Shall ensure that an audit takes place at the January meeting by the Board of Directors
  7. Shall ensure that bank forms are filled in with the names of the new officers in February of each year. Three signatures shall be on file at the bank: President, Vice President and Treasurer
  8. Shall submit all financial records annually to an Auditing Committee (Board of Directors?Beirmeister, Librarian, Secretary) no later than February of the subsequent year. Auditing records and accounts shall be open to the President at any time
  9. Shall disburse funds for all debts incurred by the organization

E. Biermeister
  1. Shall create a yearly calendar of beer tasting styles, and at each meeting shall conduct a tasting of that month?s style. The tasting should include a description of BJCP guidelines for educational purposes
  2. Shall act as the new member liaison responsible for introductions at meetings and maintaining and handing out current new member packets
  3. Shall be on the Board of Directors and assist in the annual audit
  4. Shall find a replacement in the event that the biermeister is unable to attend the monthly meeting

F. Librarian
  1. Shall have custody of all documents (except financial), records, books and papers belonging to the Guild and shall be responsible for the disbursement and return of all materials
  2. Shall acquire new library materials as voted on by the membership
  3. Maintain AHA Club membership

ARTICLE VI - Terms of Office
  1. The terms of all elected officers shall be for one (1) year, commencing at the installation in January and continuing to installation in January of the following year.
  2. Upon vacation of office, the outgoing officials shall turn over all properties of the Guild to their successors
  3. If for any reason the President and Vice President are both absent from a meeting, the above order of officers shall be followed in numerical sequence to take the place of the President and Vice President.
  4. That officer shall be responsible for seeing that his regular position is filled in such an event.
  5. Anyone who seeks or accepts the responsibility of an Officer or a Committee Chairperson must be willing to assume all the responsibilities set forth in these by-laws and shall currently be a member in good standing.

ARTICLE VII - Elections

A. Nominations

At the November meeting, the President shall take nominations for all offices, which will be voted on in January.

B. Elections

Elections for club officers will be held at the January meeting. The vote shall be a hand vote unless a ballot vote is requested by a member at the meeting. The elected officers and directors will be installed immediately.

C. Removal

An officer and director may be removed for cause by a vote of the membership.

D. Cause

Frequent absence from the membership and Executive Committee meetings is sufficient cause for removal. Frequent absence is defined as less than two meetings per quarter year.

E. Notification

Prior to taking final action on any motion to replace an officer or director, the Executive Committee shall cause written notice to be mailed to the officer or director at the address as it appears on the membership records, giving reasonable notice of the date, time and place of the meeting at which such action is proposed to be taken.

F. Vacancy

The President will appoint a replacement at the approval of the membership.

G. Qualifications for Voting

Any member in good standing is qualified to vote. A simple majority of those qualified members voting will determine the election of the candidate for each office.


ARTICLE VIII - Expenditures

A. Not-for-Profit Status
The Lawrence Brewers Guild has been organized and functions as a not-for-profit organization. All monies received by dues, raffle sales or by any other means shall be used for sustaining the club and its major objectives.

B. Expenditures
  1. Expenditures shall be made by the approval of the president in conformity with a vote of the Guild. Such disbursement shall be by check signed by an Executive Committee member or by debit card.
  2. Treasurer shall be allowed to pay recurring expenses, such as rent, recycling and tasting reimbursement to Biermeister, as well as miscellaneous expenses up to $100 without a vote of the Guild
C. Emergency Expenditures
Emergency expenditures may be made upon approval by the majority of the Executive Committee and presented at the next regular meeting.

D. The fiscal year of the organization shall correspond to the calendar year.


ARTICLE IX - Meetings

Regular meetings shall be held on the second Thursday of each month.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

ARTICLE X - Liability
  1. No individual member nor any member of the Executive Committee or Board, nor any authorized representative of Lawrence Brewers Guild shall be personally liable for any debt or obligation of the association.
  2. Any business, corporation or any other entity contracted with, or otherwise having any claim against the club may look only to the current funds and property of the association for payment of any claim, debt, damages, judgment or decree, or any money that may become otherwise due and payable to them.

ARTICLE XI - Amendments to the by-laws

Any member entitled to vote in an election may propose amendments to these by-laws, which will be voted on by the membership.http://lawrencebrewers.org/main/templates/js_sifrstain/images/js_top.png