Sierra
Division
National
Model Railroad Association
By-Laws
Article One – Dues
There
shall be no regular dues collected in the Sierra Division.
The expenses of the Sierra Division shall be managed through the proceeds
of the door prize raffle (when held), the sale of Sierra Division Memorabilia
(if any is available) and the proceeds from the International Railfair.
Article
Two – Election of Officers
A.
Nominations – At the yearly business meeting of the Sierra Division
held on or about October 1 in odd numbered years the Nominating Committee shall
present a slate of candidates to the membership.
The Nominating Committee shall present no less than two (2) candidates
for the office of Division Director.
The Nominating Committee shall have ascertained, prior to the
presentation of the slate, the willingness and desire of the candidates to be
elected to the respective office and to carry out the duties and functions of
that office, if elected. The
Nominating Committee shall make every effort to present a slate of candidates
who, if elected, can work harmoniously toward the goals and objectives of the
Division. The election
of Division Director shall be administered by the Pacific Coast Region.
See Article Eight.
At
the yearly business meeting of the Sierra Division held on or about October 1 in
even numbered years the Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates
to the membership. The
Nominating Committee shall present no less than two (2) candidates for the
office of Superintendent, Chief Clerk and Pay Master.
The Nominating Committee shall have ascertained, prior to the
presentation of the slate, the willingness and desire of the candidates to be
elected to the respective office and to carry out the duties and functions of
that office, if elected. The
Nominating Committee shall make every effort to present a slate of candidates
who, if elected, can work harmoniously toward the goals and objectives of the
Division. Nomination
from the floor will be taken at the same meeting for the positions of
Superintendent, Chief Clerk and Pay Master.
Nominees from the floor shall be asked publicly by the Nominating
Committee Chairperson of their desire and willingness to be elected to the
position for which they have been nominated from the floor.
A person nominated from the floor but not present at the time of
nomination may not be placed on the ballot, unless the Nominating Committee
Chairperson has received a written statement of the desire from the nominee
prior to the nomination.
B.
Method of Election – For the
election of Division Superintendent, Chief Clerk,
And Pay Master the Nomination Chairperson shall appoint tellers to
distribute ballots to the members in good standing of the Sierra Division who
are present at the yearly Business meeting held on or about October 1 of the
even numbered years. The
ballots shall be distributed after the nominations have been officially closed
and a quorum verified. After
allowing sufficient time for voting, the tellers shall collect the ballots and
proceed to count them in a controlled area.
The results of the election shall be reported verbally by the
Superintendent at the same meeting as the elections.
The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared
elected. Because the
final results may not be available until after the conclusion of the current
business meeting and the results announced during the following activities, the
elected officers shall be considered as having taken office before the
conclusion of the yearly Business Meeting at which he/she was elected.
The new officers shall assume office officially on January 1 at the start
of the new fiscal year. All Division
materials pertaining to their office shall be turned over to the newly elected
officers at the first of the year when they take office.
Article
Three – Vacancies
A.
Officers – Immediately following
notification of a vacancy or vacancies the highest ranking officer shall appoint
a Nominating Committee of three members in good standing who shall select not
less than two (2) candidates for the vacant position(s) making sure that the
candidates are willing and desire to serve.
The names shall be presented to the membership at the next regular
membership meeting on a ballot for election to the unexpired term of the vacant
office(s).
B.
Chairperson - Vacancies in any appointed
committee chair shall be filled as soon as possible by the Superintendent.
Article
Four – Committees
A.
Standing Committees - The
Sierra Division shall maintain the following standing committees:
1.
Clinics
2.
Contest, Model Construction
3.
Contest, Photography
4.
Membership Promotion
5.
Member Aid
6.
Nominating
7.
Registration
8.
Site Planning
9.
International Railfair (Rail Fair)
10.
Editor of the Short Line Newsletter
The
Superintendent shall appoint the Chairperson of each standing committee as soon
as possible after his / her election to the office.
All chairpersons shall serve at the pleasure of the Superintendent and
shall remain in office either until replaced by the Superintendent or until the
replacement of the Superintendent by election
1.
Clinics – The
Clinic Chairperson and committee shall be responsible for the calendar of
clinics to be presented at each regularly scheduled meet.
The committee shall strive to publish a synopsis of the clinics to be
presented in the Sierra Division publication, The Short Line News, distributed
approximately three weeks prior to the next regular division meet.
If possible the committee shall review the proposed content of the clinic
to determine suitability to the hobby of Model Railroading.
2.
Contest, Model Construction –
The Model Contest Construction Chairperson and committee shall be responsible
for the acquisition and storage of all materials necessary to the smooth
operation of a model construction contest.
The committee may operate the model construction contest at all regular
meets held by the Sierra Division.
The committee shall also attempt to enlist the aid of the contest judges
to eliminate the potential partisan judging.
The committee shall operate the model construction contest in accordance
with the model contest construction rules of the Pacific Coast Region and the
National Model Railroad Association.
A popular vote contest can also be held and the discretion of the Model
Contest Construction Chairperson.
3.
Contest, Photography –
The Photography Contest Chairperson and the committee shall be responsible for
the acquisition and storage of all materials necessary to the smooth operation
of the photography contest. The
committee shall operate the photography contest at selected meets which will be
announced in the Short Line News prior to the selected meets.
The committee shall attempt to enlist a sufficient number of judges to
eliminate the potential partisan judging.
The committee shall operate the photography contest in accordance with
the Photography Contest rules of the
4.
Membership Promotion –
The Membership Promotion Chairperson shall be responsible for the acquisition
and maintenance of any and all materials necessary to the promotion of the hobby
of Model railroading and the solicitation of membership from spectators at all
outside functions in which the Sierra Division is involved.
The committee may solicit the aid of any member of the Sierra Division,
within reason, to assist with the process of enlisting new members into the
Sierra Division. The
Membership Chairperson shall receive a list of new members to the Division and
correspond with that person in order to welcome that member to the next Division
Function.
5.
Member Aid –
The Member Aid Chairperson shall be responsible for contacting other members in
the event any member has a modeling question or problem that they cannot solve
on their own. The
list of members and their respective field of knowledge shall be the responslity
of the Member Aid Chairperson and shall pass from one to another when that
person leaves office. Any
question that the member Aid Chairperson cannot answer may be put out to the
membership at the next Division Meet for assistance.
6.
Nominating –
The Nominating Chairperson and Committee shall be responsible for the operation
of the nomination process as described in the Constitution and these By-Laws.
This committee shall be responsible for the acquisition of all materials
required to effect the election of the officers and Division Director.
7.
Registration –
The Registration chairperson and Committee (if needed) shall be responsible for
the operation of the registration table at all regular Sierra Division Meets.
This committee shall be responsible for the acquisition of door prize and
raffle prizes for each Division meet and any materials needed to conduct the
sale of raffle tickets and the distribution of the raffle prizes and door
prizes. This committee
shall determine the method of distributing any and all prizes.
8.
Site Planning – This
committee shall be responsible for locating and arranging suitable sites within
the Sierra Division for the regularly scheduled meets held by the Sierra
Division. The
Chairperson shall produce for publication in the Sierra Division publication,
The Short Line News, distributed approximately three weeks prior to the meet
with a map and directions detailing the location of the Meet
9.
International Railfair Committee –
This committee shall consist of two members from within the Sierra Division and
be responsible for any and all contact with the International Railfair Committee
throughout the year. This is
our major fund raiser for the year and committee members shall be appointed by
the Superintendent of the Sierra Division for a term that is acceptable to both
the appointee and the Superintendent.
This position shall be renewable on a yearly basis.
10.
Editor of The Short Line Newsletter – This
committee shall publish The Short Line Newsletter about 3 weeks before the
Division meets.
11.
Special Committees –
The Superintendent may appoint special committees as needed.
In each case the Superintendent, at the time of appointment, shall state
the purpose, scope and term of such committees.
Article
Five – Fiscal Year
The Fiscal year of the Sierra
Division shall be from January 1 to December 31 to coincide with the calendar
year.
Article
Six Publications
The Sierra Division publication
shall be known as The Short Line News.
It shall be published as close to three weeks prior to any Division meet.
As possible The Short Line News shall contain, as a minimum, the
following in formation
1.
The publication masthead of the Sierra
Division
2.
The names, addresses, telephone numbers
and e-mail address of the Division Officers, the Editor, and Chairpersons of
Standing Committees
3.
Detailed information and a map
describing the location of the next Division Meet.
4.
The classes and categories of contest to
be held.
In addition the publication may
contain committee reports, officer reports and any other newsworthy items or
articles relating to the Division or model railroading.
Article
Seven – Board of Operations
The Board of Operations shall
consist of the following members:
1.
Superintendent (chairperson)
2.
Chief Clerk
3.
Paymaster
4.
Division Director
5.
The Chairperson of all standing and
special committees
The Board of Operations shall be
responsible for the organization and operation of the Division in discharging
its goals and objectives. A
quorum for Board of Operations shall be a majority of the officers of
Superintendent, Chief Clerk, Paymaster and Division Director
The Board of Operations shall meet
at least once per year to conduct the annual Business Meeting of the Division.
This board shall have the authority to expend funds by majority vote of
the board members at the regular business meeting.
The Board of Operations Meeting shall be called and publicized in The
Short Line News at least three weeks prior to the meeting.
This meeting shall be open to all interested members who are in good
standing in the Division. Comments
from the floor shall be directed to the meeting chairperson and acted upon by
the Board of Operations and the results made known to all Division members at
the next regular Sierra Division Meet.
Article
Eight – Election of Division Director
The Nomination Chairperson shall
present the complete list of candidates to the Chief Clerk for the transmittal
to the Pacific Coast Region for inclusion on the next ballot.
Election – The election of the
Sierra Division Director shall be administered by the
Article
Nine – Division Meets
The Sierra Division normally has 4
Division Meets a year. The
Division also attends and works on the International Railfair.
The normal dates for these Meets are:
1.
The annual Sierra Division Banquet and
Division meet shall be held on or about the second Saturday in February.
2.
The spring Division Meet shall be held
on or about the second Saturday in May.
3.
The summer Division Meet shall be held
on or about the second Saturday in August.
4.
The fall Division Meet and Sierra
Division Yearly Business Meeting shall be held on or about the second Saturday
in October.
5.
The International Railfair is the second
weekend in Nov
The Superintendent can change the
dates of these Meets to fit the needs of PCR Convention, meeting space
availability, International Rail Fair or other conflicts that may arise.