By - Laws
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of the organization shall be called the Latimer County Firefighters Association and shall be referred to in these by-laws as the association.
ARTICLE 11: OFFICERS
The association shall consist of five (5) elected officials.
1. President
2. Vice - president
3. Secretary / treasurer
4. County training officer (Elected among the association's instructors)
5. Public relations officer
ARTICLE III: DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
1. President:
A. The president shall plan, schedule, and conduct regular meetings on dates as set by the association.
B. The president shall appoint all committees as needed to conduct association business. Each committee so formed shall consist of at least three (3)members of the association, with the president appointing one of the three (3) as chairperson.
C. The president shall schedule one (1) regular monthly meeting and may set up special meetings as necessary.
D. The president, vice - president and the secretary/ treasurer shall be on the signature card for the checking account of the association and that there must be two (2) signatures on each check authorized not to exceed $25.00 without the approval of the association members.
E. The president is authorized to spend up to $25.00 at a time of the association funds for training aids, postage, stationary, and/or supplies without the voting approval of the association.
F. On expenditures exceeding the approved limit, the president shall obtain a majority vote at regular monthly scheduled meeting.
A. The vice president shall conduct regular meetings when the president is unable to attend.
B. The vice - president shall assist the president, if needed, in program planning and on committees.
C. The vice - president shall assume the duties of president when the president is unable to perform his duties.
A. The secretary/treasurer shall record all proceedings and discussions at the associations meetings.
B. The secretary/treasurer shall type the regular monthly meeting minutes and shall mail them to all listed county volunteer fire departments with the agenda for the next regular monthly meeting.
C. Pursuant to Article VI Section 2 the secretary/ treasurer shall mail agendas, minutes and announcements to all Latimer County volunteer fire departments not less than 72 hours prior to each regular scheduled meeting.
D. The secretary/treasurer shall maintain a record of all association activities.
E. The secretary/treasurer shall collect all monies and fees for the association and deposit into the association account.
F. The secretary/treasurer shall furnish the association with a monthly balance that shall be reported at regular association meetings.
G. The secretary/treasurer shall keep a current record of all income and all expenditures.
H. The secretary / treasurer shall pay all bills for the association.
I. The secretary/treasurer shall be authorized to write checks on the association checking account when needed not to exceed $25.00 without the approval of the association members.
J. The secretary/treasurer may obtain a petty cash fund for miscellaneous supplies and the petty cash fund shall not exceed $25.00. The secretary/treasurer must keep cash receipts of all expenditures.
4. County Training Officer
A. The County Training Officer shall schedule all association training events.
B. The County Training Officer shall notify each fire department of what training is being offered.
C. The County Training Officer shall keep record of all training needed by association members and give a written report of training to the secretary/treasurer.
5. Public Relations Officer
A. Take care of getting articles and write-ups to newspapers, media, etc.
B. Collect information from member fire departments concerning fire department activities that need advertising.
ARTICLE IV: ELECTIONS AND VOTING
1. The elected officials shall be elected to serve a one (1) year term.
2. The election of officers shall be held at the regular scheduled and announced meeting in December for a one year term.
3. An official elected shall obtain a simple majority vote of the association members at the regular meeting.
4. Any business conducted by the association requiring a vote shall obtain at least a simple majority of the vote of members present at any regular meeting or announced special meeting.
5. If an elected president is unable to complete the term in office, the vice - president shall fill the vacated position.
6. If a vice - president, secretary/treasurer, or public information officer is unable to complete his elected term, a special election shall be held to fill the vacancy at an announced regular meeting.
7. The by-laws must be approved by the majority of the membership at a regular announced scheduled meeting.
S. The by-laws may be changed by a majority of the vote at any announced scheduled meeting.
ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES
1. A committee may be assigned by the president to accomplish any duty as deemed necessary by the president.
2. The president may appoint committees for activities, fund raising, investigations, training, etc., as he thinks necessary.
3. When a committee completes its assigned duties. The committee small be disbanded by the president.
4. The president shall appoint a three (3) member committee to audit the secretary/treasurers books prior to elections of officers and the committee shall be comprised by members from three (3) fire departments in the county.
ARTICLE VI: MEMBERSHIP
1. The membership of the association shall consist of the volunteer fire departments of Latimer County.
2. Any volunteer fire department in Latimer county may be a member of the association. A yearly fee of $25.00 for each volunteer department is required to be paid by each January 31 for the volunteer department to be accorded voting privileges and to receive notices. This money will be used for postage, envelopes, stationary, and all expenditures that need to be met.
3. If a fire department decides not to join the association, the individual firefighter from that department could join by paying a fee of $10.00 and would have a vote in the association.
4. The amount of fees can only be changed by the majority vote at any announced regular scheduled meeting.
5. Non - members of the association can attend association training events by paying a training fee required for that specific training event, as long as space is available, association members are priority.
6. Associate memberships are available to all organizations, businesses, and associations without voting privledges by paying a $25 membership fee.
ARTICLE VII: DISTRIBUTION
When the by-laws have been voted on, edited and approved, the secretary shall mail a copy to each volunteer fire department in Latimer County, or a representative of a county fire department. This may be mailed at a regular mailing of the minutes and agenda.
ARTICLE VIII: SPECIAL ARTICLE
1. All elected officers of the year 1999, will hold office until December 1999. Election of officers will then follow Article IV Line 2 and Article VIII then will be removed from the by-laws.
These by-laws presented by the Latimer County Firefighters Association members are approved on this 4th day of May, 1999.
