SoAR ByLaws

Mission Statement:

It is the Primary Mission of Southern Area Rocketry to educate its members and the general public in the principles of safe and enjoyable rocketry.

Article I – Name of Association:

The name of the organization shall be Southern Area Rocketry. It shall be abbreviated as SoAR.

Article II – Objectives:

It is the Primary Mission of SoAR to:

(a) Aid and abet the aims of the National Association of Rocketry in Georgia

(b) To hold meetings and conduct launches for the purpose of aiding and encouraging all those interested in rocketry

(c) To encourage in other scientific, educational, or related activities, including, but not limited to furthering interest in all phases of competition, research and development activities.

Article III – Membership:

Open to all persons interested in Rocketry

Article IV – Dues:

Section 1.  Membership dues amounts shall be set by majority club vote.

Section 2. Dues shall be collected, once a year, between January the 1st and February the 15th, of said year. Members that fail to pay their dues shall be considered "Inactive" and thereby lose their "Active" Membership privileges. Active Membership privileges may include, but shall not be limited to:

• Safe organized launches
• Professional equipment
• Hobby store discounts
• Waived launch fees
• Newsletters
• Contests
• Awards

When, if, an "Inactive" member so chooses to become "Active", they shall owe the entire yearly dues.

Section 3. Applicants, wishing to become "Active" SoAR members shall;

(a) Owe the entire yearly dues if joining between January the 1st and February the 15th or;

(b) Owe a monthly pro-rated amount. The pro-rating scale and procedure shall be adjustable by majority club vote.

Section 4.  The Treasurer shall notify members delinquent by one month in their dues, and those members shall become "Inactive" on March 20, of that year, if their dues remain unpaid.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall keep all dues moneys in a General Fund.  SoAR shall use a budget to allocate said funds in the appropriate manner. The membership must vote funds for special projects.

Section 6.  Immediate family members of a member shall enjoy all the rights and privileges of a member except the right to vote.

Section 7.  Members who pay full dues, and are immediate family members of one or more members, shall have the same right to vote as any other member.

Article V – Voting:

Section 1. If a quorum exists, an action is approved by majority vote of the attending "Active" members.

Section 2. A quorum is not necessary provided written notice of a pending action is sent to the SoAR active membership no less than five days in advance of such meeting. If this is the case, said action is approved by majority vote of the “attending” active members.

Article VI – Meetings:

Section 1. Meetings of SoAR shall be held at least four (4) times per year at times and places designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 2.  The first meeting held in each calendar year shall be the Annual Meeting and shall be for the purpose of electing officers, receiving annual reports, and conducting any other business that may arise.

Section 3.  The Board of Directors or one-fourth of the membership may call additional meetings when circumstances require.

Section 4.  No notice shall be required for a regular meeting.  Notice of a special meeting, for any purpose other than educational or recreational, shall be given at least five days in advance.

Section 5.  One-fourth of the "Active" membership shall constitute a quorum.

Section 6.  Educational or recreational meetings may be held at any time as desired and determined by the Association membership.

Article VII – Board of Directors:

The SoAR Board of Directors shall consist of the club officers and any standing committee chairpersons.

Article VIII – Officers:

Section 1.  The officers of SoAR shall consist of the following:

Nominated Officers

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer

Volunteer Officers

• Communications Officer
• Newsletter Editor

Section 2.  The officers shall perform the duties described in the parliamentary authority and these bylaws.

Section 3.  The officers shall be elected by ballot at the Annual Meeting to serve a term of one year or until their successors are elected.  The Nominated Officers shall be nominated by the membership, or committee, and then elected by ballot. The Volunteer Officers may volunteer for their position, or be recommended by the membership, and then elected by ballot. If there is only one nominated or volunteered officer, for a position, then the presiding officer shall declare that individual elected by acclamation, thus forgoing the timely ballot method. The term of office shall begin upon adjournment of the Annual Meeting.

Section 4. All officers must be "Active" members of SoAR for a previous, consecutive period of no less than 1 year.

Section 5. The additional duties of the President, not described in parliamentary authority, shall be to act as ex-offico member of all committees except the nominating committee and to ensure that the daily operations of the organization are handled in an appropriate manner. The President shall preside over all meetings and delegate duties to officers and committees as necessary.

Section 6. The duties of the Vice President shall include, but not be limited to, performing the duties of the President in their absence or inability to serve.

Section 7. The duties of the Secretary shall include, but not be limited to, keeping minutes of all meetings and to prepare such minutes for publication.  In addition, the Secretary shall handle all regular correspondence.

Section 8.  The duties of the Treasurer shall include, but not be limited to, receiving all moneys of the club, keeping a just and true account of the same.  The Treasurer shall also disburse funds as authorized by the Board of Directors, prior to, such disbursement.

Section 9. The duties of the Communications officer shall include, but not be limited to, maintaining the organizations web page and telephone information systems. The Communications officer must work very closely with the secretary, treasurer and newsletter editor.

Section 10. The duties of the Newsletter Editor shall include, but not be limited to, the production of the club newsletter. The Newsletter Editor must solicit information for articles from the club membership as well as other sources. The Newsletter Editor will have to work closely with the secretary, treasurer and communications officers.

Article IX – Committees:

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall appoint committees.

Section 2. Standing Committees may be formed as needed by majority vote of the membership. Standing Committees shall include, but not limited to, Public Awareness and Contest.

Section 3. A Committee may exercise the authority of the Board of Directors. They may not, however, authorize distributions, adopt, amend, or repeal these by-laws. A Committee must conduct the business for the reason they were formed and recommend actions to the Board of Directors for consideration.

Article X – Parliamentary Authority:

The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the Association in all cases where they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.

Article XI – Method of Amending the Bylaws:

These bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of those SoAR members present and voting, provided that previous notice of the pending amendment was given to all members at least 5 days prior to such meeting.

These By-Laws were adopted on November 6, 1999.