BYLAWS of the Collins Regional Historical Society
ARTICLE I
Membership and Dues
Section 1. Any person interested in the purposes of the organization who applies for membership in an appropriate classification of membership and who tenders the necessary dues shall thereby become a member.
Section 2. Annual dues for individual active members shall be $10.00.
Section 3. Annual dues for second adult individual in same household shall be $5.00.
Section 4. Annual dues for students 18 and under shall be $5.00.
Section 5. Annual dues for family groups shall be $25.00.
Section 6. Dues for individual lifetime membership shall be $100.00.
Section 7. Dues for lifetime membership of second adult individual living in same house as lifetime member shall be $50.00.
Section 8. Dues for lifetime membership of a single family (2 adults plus any present or future children under the age of 18) shall be $250.00.
Section 9. Annual dues for business/institutional members shall be $100.00.
Section 10. Annual dues for contributing and sustaining members shall be: Bronze Benefactor $250.00; Silver Benefactor $500.00; Gold Benefactor $1,000.00: and Platinum Benefactor $5,000.00.
Section 11. Annual dues for honorary members shall be FREE.
Section 12. Annual dues shall be payable in advance, and members in arrears more than six months after payment is due shall be dropped from membership.
ARTICLE II
Schedule and Quorum for Meetings
Section 1. Regular meetings of the society shall be held on the third Thursday of each month.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President.
Section 3. The board of trustees shall meet quarterly, until such time that society is more fully organized; at that point trustee meetings shall be bi-monthly. Special meetings of the board of trustees may be called by the President.
Section 4. One-fifth of the active members of the society shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE III
Duties of the Officers and Trustees
Section 1. The president shall have executive supervision over the activities of the society within the scope provided by these bylaws and shall preside at all meetings. The president shall report annually on the activities of the society and shall appoint the members of committees and delegates not otherwise provided for. In the case of extensive incapacitation of the President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of President and an interim Vice-President shall be elected.
Section 2. The vice-president shall assume the duties of the president in the event of absence, incapacity, resignation, or removal of the president. In the case that the Vice-President shall be incapacitated for an extended duration, an interim Vice-President shall be elected.
Section 3. The secretary shall keep the minutes of meetings of the society and of the board of trustees, maintain a list of members, and render an annual report. In case of an extended incapacitation of the secretary, the treasurer shall assume the duties of the secretary until such time that an interim secretary can be eleceted.
Section 4. The treasurer shall be responsible for the safekeeping of society funds, for maintaining adequate financial records, and for depositing all monies with Community Bank, 37 W. Main St., Gowanda, NY 14070. Monies shall be paid out by numbered checks made out in the name of Collins Regional Historical Society, and shall require two persons to be on said checking account; the Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer; but require only one signature. The treasurer will collect dues, and shall render an annual report based on the calendar year.
Section 5. The society’s EIN is: 46-3156796.
Section 6. A Deputy Treasurer shall be appointed by the President. This person may hold an elected office as well as the appointed position. The duties of the Deputy Treasurer are to assist in overseeing all financial transactions on a monthly basis, reporting any discrepancies to the Board of Trustees immediately. The deputy treasurer shall have the ability to sign any checks as necessary and shall take over responsibilities of the treasurer due to vacation or illness. Should the duration of the illness be extensive or in cases of incapacitation, resignation or removal of the elected treasurer, the office of treasurer shall assigned to an elected interim treasurer.
Section 7. There shall be one trustee per standing committee within the society. Each trustee will be responsible to assure that standing committees have adequate members. The trustee is also responsible for a separate section of bylaws regarding the specific committee they are overseeing, as well as reporting to the board of trustees any projects their committee may be involved in.
Section 8. The board of trustees shall have the power to conduct all affairs of the society. It shall select candidates for office, pursuant to the constitution. The board of trustees shall decide questions of policy that for any reason cannot be acted upon at a meeting of the society and perform such other functions as designated in the bylaws or otherwise assigned to it.
At any meeting of the board of trustees, four members shall constitute a quorum. The board of trustees will elect its own chairperson. The board of trustees, through the president, shall render an annual report at each annual meeting.
ARTICLE IV
Committees
Section 1. The society shall have the following standing committees:
(a) Library Committee. Responsible for collecting, cataloging, caring for, arranging, and repairing books, manuscripts, newspapers, and other historical source material. The committee shall also be responsible for obtaining a digital library of source materials not otherwise obtainable, to include; digital census documents for the town of Collins, ship manifests and old newspapers with at least weekly coverage of the Collins area.
(b) Museum Committee. Responsible for collecting, cataloging, cleaning, repairing, and restoring historic objects; for arranging museum exhibits, and the correct historic interpretation of these exhibits; for the care and upkeep of museum quarters.
(c) Publications Committee. Responsible for finding ways and means for publishing joint or individual research studies; newsletter to members, a quarterly bulletin, or books; for publicity; for staging radio and television programs.
(d) Historic Sites Committee. Responsible for establishing the historic validity for sites proposed for marking; for marking historic sites; for arranging tours of the sites.
(e) Program Committee. Responsible for arranging suitable programs; for setting time, place, and date of meetings. Programming to include viewing of historical movies, documentaries, museum visits, etc.
(f) Membership Committee. Responsible for membership drives and processing new candidates for membership.
(g) Nominations Committee. Responsible for making nominations for officers and members of the board of directors.
(h) Fundraising Committee. Responsible for conducting four fundraising events per year, with at least two such fundraisers becoming annual events.
Section 2. The president of the board of trustees shall appoint members and chairmen of the standing committees.
Section 3. Other committees, standing or special, may be appointed by the president as directed by the society or board of trustees, except that the nominating committee shall be appointed by the board of trustees.
ARTICLE V
Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of the society except in such cases as are governed by the constitution or the bylaws.
ARTICLE VI
Amendment to the Bylaws
Section 1. These bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting by a two-thirds vote of those voting, provided notice was given at the previous meeting. Or they may be amended at a special meeting called for that purpose, with previous notice and a two-thirds vote. All proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing.