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BYLAWS OF THE ASSOCIATION
AS OF
AUGUST 2000
ARTICLE: I | II
| III | IV | V
| VI | VII | VIII
| IX | X | XI
| XII
ARTICLE I
Section 1. Name and Territorial Limits
(a) The name of this organization shall be the ³Florida
Emergency Preparedness Association, Incorporated², hereinafter sometimes
referred to as the ³Association².
(b) The Association shall be a nonprofit organization, incorporated
under and operated in compliance with the laws of the State of Florida.
Section 2. Geographical Limits
The Association shall be organized into regional areas that
coincide with the geographical areas established by the State of Florida
Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management.
ARTICLE II
Section 1. Purpose
The purposes of this Association shall include, but not
be limited to, the following:
(a) To promote a professional emergency management organization
comprised of all disciplines of emergency management.
(b) To promote and enhance the effective management and operation
of professional emergency management offices and services throughout the
State of Florida.
(c) To study, research, collect, compile and disseminate information
about effective emergency management and related functions to federal,
state and local governments, and other entities throughout the State of
Florida.
(d) To monitor the legislative process and the decision-making processes
of the state regulatory agencies as relates to the interests of the membership,
and to keep the membership informed of same.
(e) To develop, promote and conduct educational programs including
workshops, seminars and conferences in the field of emergency management.
Section 2. Goals and Objectives
The goals and objectives of the Association shall be:
(a) To advance the professional development and career enhancement
of the members through the exchange of ideas, development and provision
of training, and promotion of professional standards.
(b) To coordinate the efforts and plans of this Association with
other organizations having common goals and objectives.
(c) To provide forums for sharing lessons learned from disasters.
(d) To address planning and procedural issues critical to emergency
management, particularly at the local level.
(e) To serve as an advisory body to the Florida Division of Emergency
Management as it discharges its duties to support local emergency management.
(f) To assist county and municipal governments, businesses, industry,
and private citizens in the establishment and maintenance of an effective
emergency preparedness, management, and planning program.
(g) To promote a strong organizational structure through which county
and municipal governments, commercial, industrial, voluntary organizations,
and citizens can best prepare for natural and technological emergencies
and disasters.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIPS, DUES AND RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Section 1. General
Membership in the Association shall
be available to any person whose responsibilities relate to emergency management
with any governmental agency, public or private non-profit organization,
or private for profit organization, and having filed a completed membership
application and met the financial obligations set forth in Section 4 of
this Article, is deemed to be in good standing. Members may hold
office, are entitled to one vote, and are subject to dues.
(a) Annual dues shall be paid not later than
December 31 of each calendar year. Failure to pay dues by March 30
of the succeeding year will result in the revocation of membership.
(b) Resignations from the Association shall
be in writing and directed to the attention of the Executive Director.
Members resigning prior to the end of the calendar year shall forfeit dues.
(c) The Executive Committee may deny or revoke
a membership for conduct that brings disrepute to the Association.
In the case of revocation, the Executive Director shall notify the individual
in writing not later than 30 days prior to the effective date that revocation
of their membership is effective and the reason(s) for such action.
(d) Dues for regular members shall be $50 per
year. Effective January 1, 2001, dues shall be $60 per year.
Effective January 1, 2002 and thereafter, dues shall be $75 per year.
Section 2. Honorary
Honorary membership shall be accorded
to each past president and by majority vote of the Board of Directors,
may be accorded to other individuals in recognition of outstanding contributions
to the Association. Honorary members may hold office and are entitled
to vote; however, upon leaving government service, they are not subject
to the requirement of annual dues.
Section 3. Institutional
Institutional membership may be extended
to any local, state or federal agency that has responsibilities or duties
relating to emergency management. Institutional members may not hold office
in the Association. Institutional members are entitled to one vote
per institution, which shall be cast by the member¹s designated representative.
Institutional members shall be subject to dues as set by the Board of Directors.
Institutional members may serve on committees.
Section 4. Corporate
Corporate membership may be extended
to any corporation, business or member of the private sector that provides
a service in or product for emergency management. Corporate members
may not hold office in the Association. Corporate members are entitled
to one vote per entity, which shall be cast by the member¹s designated
representative. Corporate members shall be subject to dues as set
by the Board of Directors. Corporate members may serve on committees.
ARTICLE IV
The officers of the Association shall
be the:
President
President-Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Immediate Past-President
Section 1. Duties
(a) The President shall appoint all
committees in consultation with each committee chair, and shall discharge
all other duties as required by the Bylaws and membership of the Association.
The President shall chair the meetings of the membership, the Board of
Directors and the Executive Committee.
(b) The President-Elect shall have and perform
all the powers and duties of the President in the President¹s absence.
(c) The Secretary shall keep an accurate record
of all meetings of the general membership, the Board of Directors and the
Executive Committee.
(d) The Treasurer shall oversee the financial
affairs of the Association.
Section 2. Election of Officers
At the Annual Meeting, the President-Elect
shall automatically assume the office of President. The President-Elect,
Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected by ballot at the Annual Meeting
in accordance with procedures listed in these Bylaws.
Section 3. Terms of Office
The terms of office for officers of
the Association shall commence upon installation following the elections
conducted at the Annual Meeting and shall be for a period of one (1) year
or until successors are elected. Officers may be elected for multiple
terms of office provided that the multiple terms of office do not exceed
two (2) consecutive years in the same office. No member shall hold
more than one (1) office at a time.
Section 4. Vacancies
Should a vacancy occur in the office
of President, the President-Elect shall automatically become President
for the unexpired term. Should a vacancy occur in any office other
than President, a successor may be nominated and elected by the Board of
Directors to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term of the office.
Such nominees need not be members of the Board of Directors.
Section 5. Elections
Nominees for the elective positions
shall be elected by majority vote of Association Members present and qualified
to vote at the Annual Meeting. When a nominee for a specific office
does not receive a majority of the votes cast for that office, a run-off
election shall be immediately conducted between the two nominees receiving
the greatest number of votes. Absentee ballots may be cast for elected
office, provided that all such absentee ballots are received by the Chairman
of the Nominating Committee prior to the respective election.
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Composition
The Board of Directors shall be comprised
of the following members: The elected officers of the Association; the
Parliamentarian; the Area Governors and Alternate Area Governors; the previous
two available and qualified Past Presidents of the Association; and, the
ex-officio Director(s) of the Association as may be recommended by the
Board of Directors and approved by the membership. The Board of Directors
shall appoint the Parliamentarian. The Director of the Florida Division
of Emergency Management shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Board
of Directors.
Section 2. Responsibilities and Duties
The Board of Directors shall have
general supervision of the affairs of the Association, adopt an annual
budget for the Association, make recommendations to the general membership
of the Association, and perform such other duties as specified in these
Bylaws, as contained in the Administrative Policies and Procedures or as
directed by majority vote of a quorum of the membership of the Association.
Section 3. Area Governors
The voting members in the respective
geographic areas of the Association shall elect an Area Governor and an
Alternate Area Governor to serve on the Board for two-year term of office.
Alternate Area Governors shall have the same authority as any Area Governor
while acting in the absence of the Area Governor. Elections for Area
Governors and Alternate Area Governors from even-numbered areas shall occur
during even-numbered years. Elections for Area Governors and Alternate
Area Governors from odd-numbered areas shall occur during odd-numbered
years.
Section 4. Meetings
Unless otherwise directed by the Chair,
regular board meetings will be conducted quarterly. One (1) such
meeting shall be conducted immediately preceding the Annual Meeting; a
second meeting shall be conducted immediately preceding the annual Governor's
Hurricane Conference, and special meetings may be called by the Chair or
by a written request to the Chair of the Board from at least four (4) Board
Members. A simple majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute
a quorum. The Board may meet by telephone conferencing.
ARTICLE VI
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. Composition
The Executive Committee shall consist
of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Immediate
Past-President of the Association. The President and President-Elect
of the Association shall be the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee
respectively.
Section 2. Duties of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall supervise
the activities of the Executive Director, continually assess the long-range
and strategic needs and objectives of FEPA, make recommendations to the
Board, and perform such other duties as specified by the Board, the Administrative
Policies and Procedures, or as directed by majority vote of a quorum of
the membership of the Association.
Section 3. Meetings
The Executive Committee will conduct
meetings as directed by the Chair and as prescribed by the Administrative
Policies and Procedures of the Association. The Executive Committee
may meet by telephone conferencing.
Section 4. Executive Director
(a) The Executive Director of the
Association shall be selected by the Executive Committee subject to confirmation
by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors. The Executive
Director may be employed by means of a contract or other similar agreement
(b) The Executive Director shall be the chief
executive officer of the Association and, under the direction of the Executive
Committee, shall establish and manage the Association office. The
Executive Director shall do or cause to be done on behalf of the Association
all actions directed by the Executive Committee and shall have the power
to carry on the business of the Association and to do the things necessary
to execute the policies, decisions, and instructions of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Director or the designee of the Executive Director shall
keep all records of the Association, give notice of such meetings at the
direction of the President, receive and disburse all moneys of the Association
and record same in approved depositories, and at the close of each month,
render a financial statement to the officers. The Executive Director
shall cause a review of the Associations financial records to be performed
at the close of each fiscal year.
ARTICLE VII
COMMITTEES
The President shall appoint members of all
standing committees, after consultation with the Chair of each such committee.
A majority of the membership of a committee shall constitute a quorum.
Section 1.
The Treasurer shall serve as Chair
of the Conference and Education Committee. The committee shall be
responsible for the planning, development, coordination, promotion, administration,
awards and oversight of the Annual Conference, and of all training, education
and certification activities of the Association.
Section 2.
The President-Elect shall serve as
Chair of the Legislative Committee. The Committee shall keep
abreast of pending legislation which may affect the Association; establish
communications with the Legislature; coordinate the development and distribution
of proposed legislation; brief the Association membership on matters pertaining
to Legislation; and, perform other duties as specified by these Bylaws,
the Administrative Policies and Procedures, or as directed by majority
vote of the membership.
Section 3.
The Secretary shall serve as Chair
of the Membership Committee. The committee shall solicit new and
renewed membership to the Association. The Committee shall be responsible
for the development and execution of an organized approach to the solicitation
of potential members for the Association.
Section 4.
The Immediate Past-President of the
Association shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee. The
Nominating Committee shall solicit nominees from the membership, confirm
interest and qualifications of candidates, and make recommendations to
the membership for nominees to serve as officers of the Association.
Section 5.
The President shall be an ex-officio
member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President
may appoint other committees as is deemed necessary.
Section 6.
Telephone conferencing may be used
as an acceptable form of meeting of a Committee, provided that minutes
must be kept by the Chair of the Committee and written copies of the minutes
must be approved by the Committee membership prior to presentation to the
Board of Directors or the Association for action.
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings
Regular meetings will be held at
least three times each calendar year unless otherwise directed by the Board
of Directors. All meetings shall require at least fourteen (14) days
notice; however, the Executive Committee may waive this requirement.
Section 2. Annual Meeting
The regular meeting conducted in
conjunction with the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association, Inc./Division
of Emergency Management (FEPA/DEM) Annual Conference shall be known as
the Annual Meeting. When a FEPA/DEM Annual Conference is not held,
the Annual Meeting may be conducted at the annual Governor's Hurricane
Conference or as directed by a majority vote the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Quorum
A quorum during regular meetings
shall be the number of members present.
ARTICLE IX
GENERAL POWERS
The Association shall have the
power to rent, purchase or otherwise own or hold property, including beneficial
interests therein, either solely or jointly with other organizations; to
solicit and receive contributions; to assess and collect dues; to contract
with governmental units, persons, firms or other organizations to procure
or provide services or to perform functions by either contracting partly
or jointly and to pay or receive money therefore; and to do all such other
things as are incidental and proper or reasonable and desirable to carry
into effect the purposes of the Association.
ARTICLE X
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current
edition of "Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised" shall govern the Association
in all cases which are applicable and which are not inconsistent with these
Bylaws or the Administrative Policies and Procedures of the Association.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
The bylaws may be amended at a
meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of Association members
present and qualified to vote provided that the amendments have been advertised
to the membership at least thirty days prior to the regular meeting.
ARTICLE 12
AMENDMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Administrative
Policies and Procedures of the Association shall be consistent with
these Bylaws and may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board
of Directors. All revisions to the Administrative Policies and Procedures
shall be provided to the general membership within thirty (30) days after
being adopted by the Board of Directors.
Revised August 17, 2000
Ocala
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