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AAFCA BYLAWS

ALAMO AREA FIRE CHIEF'S ASSOCIATION

BYLAWS

Section I. DUES

  1. The dues for Voting, Associate, and Sustaining members are due and payable on January 1st of each year. Any changes in the amount of the dues shall be determined as provided in the Constitution. If no changes in the due structure are approved, the dues shall remain at the existing rate.
  1. All accepted members making application after October 1, of each year may be issued a membership card good from the issuing date to the end of the next year, but in no case shall the card be good for more than fifteen (15) months.
  1. No member in arrears for dues or assessments shall be eligible to hold office or vote. A member shall be declared in arrears if his/her dues are not paid in full within sixty (60) days of the due date. The secretary shall send written notification of dues being due two (2) times (if necessary) during the 60 day period.

Section II. ATTENDANCE

  1. All members shall be encouraged to attend all meetings and functions of the Association.
  1. Members may bring guests to regular Association meetings and social functions.

Section III. ACCOUNTING & AUDITS

  1. No officer or member shall spend any Association funds or obligate the Association for any debts without majority approval of the Membership, except that the President and/or Treasurer may take care of the ordinary and normal expenses of the office. Expenditures over $500.00, or an amount that is more than 10% of remaining available funds, must be approved by the Membership.
  1. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all expenditures, deposits and balances; and shall present such report to the membership for approval at each regular Association meeting.
  1. Audits will be performed as defined in the audit committee responsibilities.

Section IV.COMMITTEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. The President shall appoint members to serve on committees and assign a member to serve as Chairperson of such committees.
  1. The committees shall remain in place until they have completed their assigned task or have been dissolved by the President.
  1. Other Committees. The President may name any other committees as s/he may deem necessary and shall determine their responsibilities. Examples of committees that are commonly used:
  1. Constitution and Bylaws Committee

The responsibility of this committee would be to maintain current copies of the Constitution and Bylaws and provide copies to each member. When necessary, proposed changes shall be brought to the attention of the membership. When changes are voted on and approved, the changes shall be made by this committee and presented for final approval by the committee chairman at the next regularly scheduled business meeting. Copies of the Constitution and Bylaws, as amended, shall then be distributed to the membership.

  1. Communications Committee

The responsibility of this committee would be to work with the communications directors of the dispatch centers in Bexar and surrounding counties to develop, maintain, modify as necessary, and administer a communications plan and network for use by fire services of area.

  1. Nomination Committee

The responsibility of this committee would be to maintain a list of officers and current status of each relative to term expirations. This committee shall submit nominations for officers as per the Constitution and Bylaws and shall supervise the election of officers and any other special elections that may occur.

  1. Audit Committee

The responsibility of this committee would be to maintain an accurate accounting of the Associations finances. At least every two years, and each time a new Treasurer is elected a formal audit of association funds shall be done. The results of the audit shall be reported to the membership in writing at the next regular meeting.

  1. Training Committee

The responsibility of this committee would be to work with the training officers of the member departments to develop, maintain, a calendar of training opportunities and to work with said training officers on development of mutual aid training and other training classes to benefit and enhance the provision of emergency services in the area.

  1. The President may appoint Voting or Associate members as liaison persons to the organizations listed below. The person appointed shall be a voting Member of the organization to which he/she has been assigned, as allowed by that organization. It shall be the assigned member’s responsibility to keep the membership of this Association informed of the activities and positions of the organization to which he/she has been assigned and to inform, when appropriate, the assigned organization of the activities or position of this Association.

The Associations or organizations that may be assigned representatives are, but shall not be limited to, the following:

  1. Bexar County Firefighters Association
  1. Combined Emergency Services Organization (CESO)
  1. South Texas Regional Advisory Council For Trauma (STRAC)
  1. Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG)

Section V.BUSINESS MEETING/MINUTES

  1. The regular meetings of the Association shall follow this general outline:
  1. Opening
  1. Welcome
  2. Introductions
  3. Announcements
  1. Minutes of Previous Meeting
  1. Treasurers Report
  1. Treasurers statement
  2. Outstanding bills
  3. Membership/dues report
  1. Reports
  1. Board of Directors
  2. Committees
  3. Representatives
  1. Unfinished Business
  1. New Business
  1. Announcements from Departments, Agencies
  1. Announcement of next meeting
  1. Adjournment
  1. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all Association meetings, prepare and submit copies of the minutes of the meetings to the membership within two weeks and present such minutes for membership approval at the next Association meeting.

Section VI.BUDGET AND FISCAL POLICY

  1. A dividend may not be paid to, and no part of the income of the Association may be distributed to members, directors, or officers of the Association.
  1. The Association may:
  2. Pay compensation in a reasonable amount to the members, directors, or officers of the Association for services provided;
  1. Confer benefits on the Association’s members in conformity with the Association’s purposes; and
  1. Make distributions on winding up and termination of the Association. See Section IX, Distribution of Property.
  1. The Association shall not lend money or otherwise assist an employee, officer of the corporation, or director.

Section VII.BUSINESS

  1. Contracts. The Board of Directors shall approve all contracts related to the affairs of the Association.
  1. Checks And Drafts. The Treasurer shall prepare all checks and drafts. Checks shall bear the signature of the Treasurer and the signature of one other board member. In the absence of the Treasurer or circumstance where the Treasurer is incapacitated, the Secretary shall be responsible for preparing checks and drafts.
  1. Deposits. The Treasurer shall immediately deposit all funds received by the Association. In the absence of the Treasurer, the Secretary may make deposits.
  1. Gifts. The Treasurer shall receive and deposit all gifts and donations to the Association. The Treasurer shall be responsible for informing the Board of Directors of all gifts and donations, and shall issue receipts as requested. Gifts and donations shall not benefit any Member, Officer or Board Member; they shall be used in furtherance of the purposes of the Association only.
  1. Records And Reports. The Association’s Secretary and Treasurer shall maintain current and accurate financial records with complete entries as to each financial transaction of the Association, including income and expenditures, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. An Annual Financial Report shall be approved by the Board of Directors of the Association for the preceding year. The report shall conform to accounting standards adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and must contain:
  1. A statement of support, revenue, and expenses;
  2. A statement of changes in fund balances;
  3. A statement of functional expenses; and
  4. A balance sheet for each fund.

The Association shall keep records, books, and annual reports of the financial activity at the corporation’s registered or principal office for at least three years after the close of the fiscal year.

The Association shall make said records available to the public for inspection and copying during regular business hours. The Association may charge a reasonable fee for preparing a copy of a record or report.

Section VIII.TAX EXEMPT

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these bylaws, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on: (a) by a corporation exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law); or by a corporations contributions to which are deductable under Section 170 (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the Revenue Law). The specific and primary purposes are stated in the Constitution of this Association.

Notwithstanding any of the above statements of purposes and powers, this Association shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any activities and exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the primary purpose of this corporation. This corporation is organized pursuant to the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act and does not contemplate pecuniary gain or profit to the members thereof and is organized for nonprofit status

Section IX. DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY

If, for any reason, this Association is disbanded, upon dissolution the assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organizations or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

Section X NOTICE OF MEETINGS

The Association shall provide written notice of the place, date, and time of a meeting, and if the meeting is a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. The notice shall be delivered to each member entitled to vote at the meeting not later than the 10th day and not earlier than the 60th day before the date of the meeting. Notice may be delivered personally, by mail, publication, or by electronic mail.

Section XI LIST OF VOTING MEMBERS

  1. The Secretary shall prepare and maintain an alphabetical list of the names of all current voting members. The list must identify:

A. The members who are entitled to notice and the members who are not entitled to notice of the meeting;

B. The address of each voting member; and

C. The number of votes each voting member is entitled to cast at the meeting.

  1. The Secretary shall make the list of voting members available at the meeting, and the list shall be available for inspection at any reasonable time.

Section XII.AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS

  1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be made by a simple majority of the Voting Members of the Association present at a regularly scheduled meeting.
  1. Approved amendments to these Bylaws shall be sent out with the monthly minutes to all member Alamo Area Fire Chiefs.
  1. The approved amendment as set forth in items 1 and 2 above shall require a second reading at the next regularly scheduled meeting. To repeal the proposed amendment, a two-thirds vote of those members present shall be required. The amendment will become effective or be repealed at that time.
  1. A regularly scheduled meeting shall be defined as any meeting for which there has been more than 28 days notice.
  1. Voting by Proxy shall be allowed only when the representative has written authorization for the Fire Chief who is being represented.

Section XIII.ADOPTION

  1. These Bylaws are hereby and originally adopted by the Alamo Area Fire Chief’s Association on July 3, 2009.
  2. These bylaws are hereby amended by the Alamo Area Fire Chiefs Association at it regularly scheduled meeting for May 2013.