1
ASSOCIATION ESTABLISHED
1.1 The Rural Council of Ottawa-Carleton was
established on the 23rd day of March, 2004 in Nepean,
Ontario.
2
OBJECTS
2.1 The Association shall work on behalf of
rural citizens, rural organizations, businesses and property
owners within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa, towards
ensuring the preservation and protection of rural community
fabric, rural rights, values and freedom from unwarranted
regulation. This work will be accomplished by means of
education, advocacy and political leverage.
2.2 The Association shall provide such
services as will encourage and assist the development of optimum
opportunities to meet the needs and interests of the rural
community.
2.3 The Association will accept grants,
donations, gifts, legacies and bequests in order to carry out
the above objects.
2.4 The Association shall be non-profit and
non-partisan. Although the Rural Council of Ottawa-Carleton does
not endorse political parties, we do support people who provide
quality representation to the people and who share our values.
3
MEMBERSHIP
3.1 The Association is primarily intended to
serve people living, doing full-time business, or owning real
property in rural Ottawa. The Directors may, in addition, admit
other individuals to membership.
3.2
The Directors shall maintain
an active membership list, specify the conditions of enrollment,
and, subject to the approval of a General Meeting shall specify
the membership fees of Voting Members. This
membership fee, payment of which is required to keep a member in
good standing, is not refundable in whole or in part.
3.3 The Board of Directors may at any time fix
by resolution, membership fees for some portion of the
membership year and may prescribe different rates of membership
payable by individuals and by organizations. Further, the Board
of Directors may by resolution waive, in whole or in part,
payment of any membership fee otherwise prescribed.
3.4 Membership in the Association shall be
open to all residents of rural Ottawa 18 years of age or older.
4
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
4.1 The Board of Directors shall be composed
of three (3) Directors from each of the former Municipalities of
Cumberland, Osgoode, Rideau, Goulbourn and West Carleton
together with three (3) Directors-at-Large. The Officers of the
Association shall be: President, Past-President, Vice-President,
Secretary and Treasurer and shall be selected from the
Directors. Should there be vacancies in any of the positions,
the Board shall be properly constituted subject to the quorum
provisions set forth herein.
4.2 The Officers and Directors shall be
elected to office at the Annual General Meeting by the majority
vote cast by Voting Members for a term of not more than two (2)
years.
4.3 Each Director shall be 18 or more years of
age and a Voting Member of the Association.
4.4 The Directors shall manage the affairs of
the Association between General Meetings, and shall report
thereon to the next General Meeting.
4.5 Should a vacancy exist on the Board of
Directors, a member of the Council may be appointed by the Board
of Directors to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the year.
4.6 A director may be removed at the
discretion of the Board of Directors for reasons such as absence
from three consecutive Board meetings without prior consent from
the Board.
5 DUTIES OF OFFICERS
5.1 The President:
coordinates Association activities;
enforces observance of the Constitution and
By-Laws;
chairs Executive and General Meetings of the
Association;
acts as external spokesperson on major issues;
is expected to provide leadership to the
Association by recommending action that is sensitive both to
community needs and to changes in the external political and
bureaucratic environment;
is automatically a member of all Association
committees.
5.2 The Vice-President:
provides assistance to the President in carrying
out Association activities;
acts as President during his/her absence;
5.3 Secretary:
prepares Decision Records for Association
meetings;
prepares Association correspondence;
notifies Executive members of forthcoming
Executive meetings;
with the President, prepares the agenda for
Association meetings;
ensures that appropriate facilities are reserved
and available at meetings;
maintains a file of all Association
correspondence.
5.4 Treasurer:
maintains the financial records of the
Association and conducts all liaison with the Association's bank;
prepares an Annual Budget and Revenue Generation
Plan;
receives all membership fees and other revenues
on the part of the Association;
reports on the financial status of the
Association at Association meetings and prepares a Financial
Statement for the Annual General Meeting.
6
MEETINGS
6.1 Annual and other General Meetings shall
constitute the senior policy-making authority of the
Association.
6.2 The Annual General Meeting shall be held
in the Spring of each year, at a time and place to be determined
by the Directors. The agenda of the meeting shall include:
Review of the report of the Directors for the
past year
Discussion of activities proposed for the year
to come
Report of the Treasurer
Election of Officers and Directors for the
coming year
Appointment of a Financial Reviewer, as deemed
necessary
Other business as may properly be brought before
the meeting.
6.3 A General Meeting may be called by the
Directors at any time, and shall be called by the President on
the written request of any ten voting members of the
Association, which request shall specify the matters to be
raised for discussion at the meeting.
6.4 Members of the Association shall be
notified two weeks in advance of all Annual or other General
Meetings, either by mail or email, or by notice published in a
weekly newspaper of general circulation in the community, and
such notice shall specify the time and place of the meeting and
the matters to be discussed.
6.5 At General Meetings of the Association,
all proposals shall be voted upon by the members thereat and
shall be decided by simple majority vote.
6.6 In the absence of the President and the
Vice-President, a General Meeting shall be chaired by a member
of the Executive elected by the Executive members present.
6.7 The Board of Directors (Officers and
Directors) shall meet monthly, or as required.
6.8 A majority of the Board of Directors
exclusive of vacancies shall form a quorum for the transaction
of business, and must include either the President or Vice
President.
7
VOTING
7.1 All members in good standing and 18 years
of age and older shall be entitled to vote at the General
Meetings.
7.2 In the case of an equality of votes at any
General Meeting, the question shall be deemed to have failed.
8 AMENDMENTS OF
CONSTITUTION, BY-LAWS AND RULES OF ORDER
8.1 Notice of all proposals for amendments to
the Constitution, By-Laws, and Rules of Order of the Association
shall be given, in writing, to the Secretary, who will advise
the Executive Committee and membership of the proposal and the
subject will then be placed on the agenda of the following
General Meeting.
8.2 Proposed amendments must be submitted to
the Secretary twenty-one (21) days prior to the General Meeting.
8.3 A decision thereon shall be by simple
majority of the members present at the following General
Meeting.
9
FUNDS
9.1 A bank account, which shall be a checking
account, will be maintained for Association funds.
9.2 The Treasurer shall be responsible for the
preparation of an Annual Financial Statement for review. The
statement shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for
consideration and subsequent presentation at the Annual General
Meeting of the Association.
9.3 Collections made on behalf of the
Association and profits accruing from any activities carried on
in the name of the Association shall be turned over promptly to
the Treasurer for deposit in the Association's bank account.
9.4 The fiscal year of the Association will
commence January 1st of each year and end December 31st.
10
COMMITTEES
10.1 The Board of Directors may appoint
Committees, and may specify the terms of reference and delegated
powers of such committees. Committee Chairs will normally be
members of the Board of Directors, but may also be ordinary
Voting Members, in which case age restrictions for Board members
do not apply. The Board may invite non-members to sit without
vote on Committees as advisors. Committees report to the General
Meeting through the Board.
11
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
11.1
Annually, prior to the Annual General Meeting,
the Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee, normally
composed of the Past-President and two other Voting members. It
is the responsibility of the Nominating Committee to call for
nominations and to ensure that at least one candidate has agreed
to stand for each elective position, and to conduct the election
of the Officers and Board at the next Annual General Meeting.
12 RULES OF ORDER
12.1 Members at a meeting shall conduct
themselves in a respectful manner and follow Robert’s Rules of
Order.