National Capital Region Section
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Revised and Adopted - 7/15/08
Section 1. The name of this Section of the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) shall be the National Capital Region (NCR) Section of the American Water Resources Association.
Section 1. The NCR Section includes Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland.
Section 1. The headquarters of the Section shall be the address designated by the elected Secretary.
Section 1. The objectives of this Section shall be:
a. To provide a common forum in which professionals in water resources and related areas can meet, discuss, and exchange ideas pertaining to all aspects of water resources research, policy, and management.
b. To encourage and/or assist in:
1. Promoting research and technological, social, economic, and legislative advances in all aspects of water and related resources planning, utilization, management, and development.
2. Collecting and disseminating information, knowledge, and data concerning all aspects of water and related resources through publications, symposia, and other media.
3. Relating the needs of management, educational institutions, and governmental agencies for specialized services and guidance to qualified professionals and consultants in water and related resources and environmental problems.
4. Opening up and maintaining lines of communication between members of this Section and the public.
c. To promote the rational and objective protection, development, utilization, and management of water resources.
d. To cooperate with Federal, State, and local agencies, private companies, and other local sections and chapters of organizations concerned with water resources.
Section 1. There shall be four classes of Section membership embracing all classes of AWRA membership, including members and student members, with equal rights and privileges for all. Any person interested in the purpose of the Association and living, working, studying, or interested in the water resources issues as they apply to the National Capital Region shall be eligible for membership upon payment of Section dues.
a. Regular Member. Persons interested in water resources who desire to participate in the furtherance of the objectives of the Association and otherwise comply with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association are eligible for regular membership.
b. Student Member. A full-time student while in attendance at a college or university is eligible for student membership in the Association. An application for Student membership shall (a) name the college or university which the applicant is attending, (b) state the year and major of the applicant, and (c) be endorsed by a faculty member.
c. Corporate Member. A business firm, corporation or association or a nonprofit organization or group interested in any phase of the objectives of the Association is eligible for corporate membership.
d. Institutional Member. An educational institutional or department thereof or a federal, state or local governmental agency or body is eligible for institutional membership.
e. Other Member. The Board of Directors may authorize other classes of membership, such as Honorary, Fellow, Emeritus, Special, etc., as the need arises. Rights and privileges of the class of membership shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. All applications for membership shall be made in writing to the Association and contain sufficient information to determine the applicable class of membership.
Section 3. Any member of AWRA is entitled to attend the meetings of this Section. Only Section members may receive discounts on NCR program fees, vote, serve on committees, or hold office in this Section.. Corporate and Institutional members are allowed to receive benefits for up to three (3) named individuals. Each corporation and institution is responsible to notify the Membership within 30 days of changes in designated individuals.
Section 4. Membership becomes effective upon payment of the NCR Section dues and acceptance by the Section. Membership in the Section will be terminated upon failure to pay local dues, failure to comply with terms of membership, transfer to another Section, or voluntary resignation.
Section 1. The officers of the NCR Section shall be a President, an Immediate Past President, a President-Elect, a Vice-President /Chair of Programs Committee, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Membership Chairperson. A combined office of Secretary/Treasurer may be filled in lieu of separate officers for each. All officers must be members of the National AWRA.
Section 2. The President shall preside at meetings and shall, in consultation with the Board of Directors, appoint all committees, and shall perform all other duties incident to the office. The President shall prepare, in collaboration with the Secretary, an annual report of the Section's activities to be presented to the annual meeting of the Section and to be forwarded by the Secretary to the Executive Vice President of the National AWRA. The President shall also be a signatory on the Section bank account.
Section 3. The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President when the latter is absent and shall succeed to the office of President in the following year.
Section 4. The Vice-President shall perform the duties of President Elect when the latter is absent. The Vice President shall also serve as the Chair of the Programs Committee and perform the duties of that office (see ARTICLE VIII).
Section 5. The Secretary shall keep the Minutes of the Section meetings, issue notices of meetings, and perform all duties incident to the office.
Section 6. The Treasurer shall maintain physical custody of the Section bank account, be responsible for all funds of the Section, and may be responsible for dues of AWRA if agreed to between the Board of Directors and AWRA. The Treasurer's accounts shall be audited at the close of each year. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual report and financial statement for presentation at the annual meeting.
Section 7. The Membership Chairperson shall lead efforts to recruit new members for the NCR Section.
Section 8. The officers of the Section shall serve for one year and may, with the exception of the President and President-Elect, succeed themselves, but shall not serve consecutively for more than two years. Their terms of office shall begin on the first day of the month following their election, and terminate upon the commencement of the terms of their successors.
Section 9. Section officers shall be selected from the membership of the Section and must live or work within the Section territory.
Section 10. Officers shall be nominated by a Nominating Committee, which shall be appointed by the President, Past President, and President-Elect. In addition, nominations may be submitted by written petition signed by not less than 25 members of the Section in good standing, or 20 percent of the number of Section members as of the immediately preceding January 1, whichever is smaller, and be delivered to the Secretary of the Section at least 60 days prior to the election. A candidate must receive a plurality of the votes cast. The election shall be held no later than August 1. Elections may be conducted in a special meeting or by e-mail, as determined by the President.
Section 11. In the event an office is vacated either voluntarily or by action of the Board of Directors, as described in Article VII, Section 6, the Board of Directors shall appoint someone to fill out the unexpired term.
Section. 1. The Board of Directors shall be the officers and two Directors-at-Large.
Section 2. Directors-at-Large shall be selected from the membership of the Section and will serve 2-year, staggered terms. Board membership of officers shall coincide with their terms of office.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall manage the affairs of the Section, including administration, program development, and supervision of financial affairs. It shall meet at least annually and at the call of the President.
Section 4. If a vacancy develops in the Board of Directors, the remaining members of the Board are authorized to appoint an eligible Section member to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term.
Section 5. Members interested in serving on the Board of Directors may submit interest to the Nominating Committee. Section members serving on the Board of Directors shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee. Ballots listing the nominations shall be mailed to the Section membership and a candidate must receive a plurality of votes cast to be elected.
Section 6. The Board of Directors may remove an officer from office if the officer accrues two or more unexcused absences from Section meetings within a calendar year or if the officer is judged to no longer be able to fulfill the obligations of the office. The motion for removal shall be an official agenda item on a scheduled Board meeting and shall require a two-thirds vote for removal by Board members in attendance to accomplish the removal from office.
Section 1. The following committees shall be appointed, if needed, by the President in consultation with the Board of Directors. The duties of these committees shall be as indicated.
a. Auditing Committee - to audit the accounts of the Treasurer.
b. Membership committee - to promote the AWRA and to recruit new members.
c. Nominating Committee - to nominate qualified candidates for the office of the Section in accordance with the provision of Article VI.
d. Program Committee - to make arrangements for all meetings of the Section.
e. Communications Committee - to prepare and distribute a Section newsletter and maintain a Section website.
f. Other standing and special committees, if needed.
Section 2. Special committees shall serve until their duties are accomplished, but may be dissolved upon a majority vote at any Section meeting. Members of standing committees shall serve until the end of the officers' year and shall be eligible for reappointment. The Board of Directors shall determine the committees to be appointed and recommend the scope of their functions.
Section 3. No committees shall expend funds of the Section unless authorized by the Board of Directors.
Section 1. There shall be an annual meeting of the Section. The Secretary shall notify the Section's membership of the date and place (to be set by the Board of Directors) at least 30 days prior to the annual or other meeting. Special meetings shall be called by the President upon written petition of not less than 50% of the Section members, or may be called when in the opinion of the President there is business which should be brought before the membership for action prior to the next regular meeting. At least 15 days advance notice shall be given of any special meeting.
Section 2. Any business which may properly come before the Section membership may be discussed and acted upon at the annual or other regular meeting. Only that business may be discussed or acted upon at a special meeting which has been announced by written notice sent by the Secretary or the President to the members at least 15 days prior to such special meeting.
Section 3. A quorum at any duly called Section meeting shall consist of the members present, but not fewer than 20% of Section membership as of the immediately preceding January 1.
Section 4. The order of business and all parliamentary procedure at any meeting shall be in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, except where this conflicts with the Bylaws of the Section or AWRA.
Section 1. Annual dues shall be established by the Board of Directors. Dues are due within 30 days of receipt of notification from the Treasurer of the Section.
Section 2. The funds of the Section shall be the responsibility of the Section Treasurer. Funds shall be deposited to the credit of the Section in a bank approved by the Board of Directors. The name of the bank should be known to all Section officers. The Section President shall also be a signatory to the Section checking account.
Section 1. The Section may be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of all the members of the Section through mail balloting, or by the Board of Directors of AWRA for just cause or if the Section becomes inactive.
Section 2. If dissolution is favorably acted upon, all just debts shall be paid out of the funds of the Section, and all remaining Section funds and other assets, together with all Section records and files, shall be transferred to the National AWRA.
Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote
of members present at any annual or general meeting, or at any special meeting
called for this purpose, provided that in every case a quorum as specified in
Article IX, above is present, and written notice of the proposed amendment is
sent to each Section member as previously provided at the time notice of the date
of the meeting is announced.
Modified:
August 6, 2008
www.awra.org/state/natcap