By-Laws
Michaux Forest
Association
Revised June 2021
Article I
Preamble
1. The name of this association shall be Michaux Forest Association (“Association”).
2. The purpose of this organization shall be to bring together the holders of leased cabin/camp sites on Michaux State Forest (“Forest”) lands in Pennsylvania east of Shippensburg Road and north of Piney Mountain Ridge and/or within Pine Grove Furnace State Park (“Park”).
3. It shall be the mission of the Association to work in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration wherever possible with state and local government agencies which might have an impact on lease holdings in this area; to advocate on behalf of these leaseholders with regard to legislation, regulations, and policy which will affect lease holding; to promote an understanding of the environment and environmental issues; to seek a safer and more secure community through the patrol service and other security measures as needed; and to develop strategies for dealing with all matters pertinent to the community of leaseholders. The Association shall be dedicated to promoting the civic welfare and fostering a sense of community within the area and among the members that it represents.
Article II
Membership
1. Any person having a leased cabin/camp site on Michaux State Forest lands in Pennsylvania east of Shippensburg Road and north of Piney Mountain Ridge and/or within Pine Grove Furnace State Park may become a member. Also eligible for membership are the leaseholder's spouse and adult children.
2. Active members shall be all persons whose dues are currently paid. Such members shall have the right to vote at all General Membership Meetings. However, regardless of the number of memberships associated with one lease, the collective memberships for an individual lease shall have one vote to assure equal voting rights of each leaseholder.
3. The membership year shall be from January 1 to December 31.
Article III
Annual Dues
1. The annual dues of the Association shall be an amount set annually by the Board, and shall be payable prior to January 1st of each year.
2. Any member failing to pay his or her dues prior to January 1 shall be unable to vote or share in any personal privileges extended to members, until such payments are made.
3. Members falling in arrears shall automatically be removed from the membership rolls and membership list of the Association January 31st of the membership year.
Article IV
Board, Officers, and Executive Committee
1. The Board of the Association shall consist of no more than twelve (12) individuals comprised of members in good standing and representative of the Park and Forest areas from which members are drawn. The twelve (12) person Board shall consist of five (5) officers and seven (7) directors.
2. The five (5) officer positions of the Association shall be the following:
- a. President
- b. Vice-President
- c. Treasurer
- d. Secretary
- e. Newsletter Editor
The Executive Committee shall consist of the five officers.
3. When a vacancy exists, the Board shall appoint a replacement Board member from the membership being careful, in so far as possible, to see that all areas of the Park and Forest are represented. Any interim replacement due to the vacancy of an officer or director position shall be approved by a quorum of the Board at any meeting scheduled in accordance with these By-Laws other than the Annual General Membership Meeting. Any interim replacement of an officer or director position must be approved by the general membership at the first Annual General Membership Meeting after the appointment of such individuals.
4. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee following January 1 of each year. This committee will nominate a slate of officers and directors as vacancies or expiring terms exist. The slate of nominated officers and directors will then be presented to the general membership for approval at the Annual General Membership Meeting.
5. Any member of the Association may submit the name of a member of the Association to fill any vacant positions on the Board. These nominations must be submitted to the Board or to the Nominating Committee no later than one month before the date of the next Annual General Membership Meeting.
6. Nomination and election of officers and directors shall be held at the end of each fiscal year. Officers, other than the Treasurer, shall hold office for a period of two (2) years and may hold the office for an additional two (2) years provided no candidate is found to suitably fill the position. However, the additional two year term must be approved at the Annual General Membership Meeting. The Treasurer shall hold office for a period of two years and may hold the office for additional two years terms upon approval at the General Membership Meetings at the end of each expiring term. No elected member of the Board may serve longer than eight (8) years at which time he or she must retire for a period of at least two (2) years before resuming a Board position.
7. Officer and director candidates shall be elected by the general membership at the Annual General Membership Meeting. The election may be by acclamation, but any five (5) members may demand a vote by ballot.
Article V
Duties of the Officers
1. President - It shall be the duty of the President to:
- A. Preside at all General Membership Meetings of the Association and all meetings of the Board;
- B. Countersign all checks issued by the Treasurer;
- C. Enforce all provisions of the By-Laws;
- D. Appoint committees not otherwise provided for;
- E. Be ex-officio on all committees;
- F. Have the power to cast the deciding ballot on any motion, at any meeting, in case of a tie vote;
- G. Bring leadership and continuity to Board activities;
- H. At all times conduct him or herself in a manner befitting the office of President;
- I. Request action of the Board in the event the financial records are not received from the Treasurer for audit within fifteen (15) days following a request of the Auditing Committee;
- J. Call special meetings of the Board when appropriate; and
- K. Maintain consistent and regular contact with the independent contractor or contractors engaged by the Board to provide cabin inspections.
- L. Deliver to his or her elected successor all records and property of the Association at the expiration of his or her term. This includes the archives on flash drive.
2. Vice-President - It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to:
- A. Assist the President in the discharge of his or her duties;
- B. Attend all meetings of the Association and the Board;
- C. Perform the duties of the President when the President is absent or incapacitated.
- D. Develop, in partnership with the Board, an annual plan to solicit feedback from the general membership of the Association and encourage membership; and
- E. Be responsible for the timely upkeep and security of the MFA web site: MichauxForestAssociation.com. Forward all web site fees to the treasurer for prompt payment. At the end of his/her term as Vice-President, assist successor by passing on all information for web site security and maintenance; and
- F. The Vice President shall succeed the President at the end of the President’s term of office.
3. Treasurer - It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:
- A. Receive and process all membership dues, renewals, and new memberships;
- B. Maintain an updated membership database and make records available to the Board upon request;
- C. Receive, record and itemize all membership dues and other income of this Association;
- D. Deposit all moneys received in a convenient bank, as directed and approved by the Board;
- E. Provide financial reports at the Annual General Membership Meeting and quarterly to the Board as to the amount of income and expenses since the previous report, divided between income and expenditures classifications;
- F. Pay all bills and retain on file all receipts received for checks written;
- G. Either purchase all approved supplies needed by the Board to complete their respective duties or approve requisitions to do so;
- H. Annually make available by May 1 all financial records for examination and audit by the Audit Committee of the Board;
- I. Deliver to his or her elected successor all moneys, financial records and property of the Association at the expiration of his or her term. This includes the membership database and any unused membership cards.
- J. Maintain an updated database of all public information pertaining to current lease site holders within the Association membership area for the purpose of determining current membership participation and soliciting participation by current nonmembers; and
- K. Upon request of the Newsletter Editor prepare and send the necessary mailing labels for the newsletter mailing.
- L. File and distribute 1099 tax forms and file federal Income tax returns with a financial year starting July 1st.
4. Secretary - It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:
- A. Record all proceedings at Board meetings and any General Membership Meeting and within 30 days after such meetings provide a draft copy of the meeting minutes to each member of the Board and past Presidents for review and comment;
- B. Manage correspondence of the Association;
- C. Apprise the Board of all correspondence received by the Association no later than the first Board meeting after receipt of the correspondence;
- D. Answer correspondence as directed by the Board;
- E. Send a notice of all Board meetings to all past Presidents and all current directors and officers by mail or email at least two (2) weeks in advance of such a meeting. Emergency meetings may be called without prior written notice; and
- Present all correspondence and minutes of the prior meeting for approval at all Board meeting
- G. Forward all correspondence and Association documents deemed important and worth keeping on a regular basis to the Vice-President for updating the archives on the Association web site.
- H. Deliver to his/her elected successor all records and property of the Association at the expiration of his/her term.
5. Newsletter Editor - It shall be the duty of the Newsletter Editor to:
- A. Solicit articles from the Board, the general membership, DCNR (Park and Forest), the wider community and local governmental authorities for publication in the newsletters;
- B. Compile, edit and produce the newsletter in a professional manner;
- C. Produce and distribute at least two (2) newsletters a year (beginning of November and beginning of May);
- D. Solicit appropriate advertising from local businesses for publication in the newsletters; and
- E. Mail the newsletter to members in good standing and to other parties designated by the Board.
Article VI
Board Responsibilities
1. The Board shall:
- A. Handle all business of the Association;
- B. Have general supervision over all funds and property of the Association;
- Set regularly scheduled Board meeting dates known at least two (2) months in advance. There shall be a minimum of three regularly scheduled Board meetings during the Association’s fiscal year (tentative months for meetings are September, February and April);
- D. Cause to be audited all books of the Treasurer by the Auditing Committee once a year. When the Board deems it necessary, the Treasurer’s records will be audited by a Certified Public Accountant and the audit statement retained as part of the permanent records of the Association;
- E. Insure that proper indemnification insurance is procured.
- F. Shall be responsible for supervising an inventory of Association property as deemed necessary;
- G. Serve on committees as assigned or carry out responsibilities as requested by the Executive Committee; and
- Call special meetings by any five (5) members of the Board.
2. Attendance - If any Board member shall fail to attend two meetings of the Board during the fiscal year or fail to participate in assigned responsibilities or assigned Board committees or otherwise indicate a lack of interest, the Board may upon due notice to him or her declare his or her office or Board membership vacant and appoint a successor to serve the unexpired term.
Quorum - Seven (7) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
Article VII
Advisory Board and Committees
1. Advisory Board - There shall be an Advisory Board consisting of all past Presidents of the Association. This Advisory Board shall have the right to participate in, but not vote on, all proceedings of the Board.
2. Committees - There shall be three standing committees each chaired by a member of the Board. Additional members for each committee may be taken from the general membership. Committee members shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Board. The committees are:
- A. Auditing Committee whose responsibility it is to audit the financial records of the Association annually unless waived by a vote of the Board on the recommendation of the committee. This committee shall be appointed at the April Board meeting and the committee must complete and deliver a final report to the Board by May 31. The Board must review, resolve any discrepancies and approve the audit prior to the Annual General Membership Meeting. This approved annual report shall be given to the general membership at the Annual General Membership Meeting.
- B. Nominating Committee whose responsibility it is to produce a slate of candidates for open officer and director positions annually for the following year and to present the slate of officer and director candidates to the general membership for approval at the Annual General Membership Meeting.
- C. Annual General Membership Meeting Committee whose responsibility it is to set the date of the Annual General Membership Meeting, secure the location for the meeting, plan the program apart from the business meeting, obtain speakers or other program necessities, plan and obtain refreshments, and restore the meeting place following the meeting.
Article VIII
Annual General Membership Meetings
1. The Association shall hold its Annual General Membership Meeting at Pine Grove Furnace no later than June 30th of each year. The date, place, and time shall be specified in the Spring newsletter or other general written communication.
2. Special meetings of the general membership may be called by the President, the Executive Committee or upon written request of any five (5) members of the Association in good standing directed to the President for approval and/or approved by the Board. Such written requests must state clearly the purpose of the proposed meeting. The general membership must receive written notice at least two weeks in advance of such a meeting. All members attending a meeting must conduct themselves properly while the meeting is in session. All members must at all times recognize the chair.
3. Ten (10) members in good standing shall constitute a quorum.
Article IX
Order of Business
Annual General
Membership Meeting
1. The Order of Business:
- A. Call to Order by the President
- B. Invocation
- C. Speaker
- D. Roll call of Officers
- E. Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting
- F. Report of the Secretary
- G. Report of the Treasurer
- H. Communications
- I. Unfinished business
- J. New Business;
- K. President’s comments to the membership
- L. Nomination and election of officers and directors
- M. Installation of new officers and directors
- N. If applicable, new President’s comments to the membership
- O. Good of the Order
- Adjournment
2. Installation - The installation ceremonies for newly elected officers and directors may be performed by a member designated by the Executive Committee, as having been bestowed the highest honor of being Installation Officer or by any past President in case of a vacancy in this honorable capacity.
3. Ceremonies - The Installing Officer says:
Do you hereby pledge on your honor to perform the duties of your respective offices and to bear truthful allegiance as required by the By-Laws of this Association? To deliver all books, papers, and other property of this organization that may be in your possession at the end of your term to your successor in office, and at all times conduct yourself as becomes an officer or director of this Association?
Officers and directors respond: I do
Installing Officer concludes:
Your duties are defined in the By-Laws of the Michaux Forest Association and I trust you will all faithfully perform your duties so that you may gain not only the esteem of your fellow members, but what is of even more importance, the approval of your own conscience. You will now assume your respective offices.
Article X
Rules and Regulations
1. The Board shall have the power to make such rules and regulations as it may deem proper in accord with the spirit and purpose of the Association and in conformity with the rulings and Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Such rules and regulations when adopted from time to time, shall have the force of the By-Laws.
2. Members shall be notified of new rules and regulations in the first Association newsletter after implementing the changes or at the first Annual General Membership Meeting (if the changes occur after the publication of the Spring newsletter, but prior to the Annual General Membership Meeting) and said rules and regulations shall be attached to the By-Laws.
Article XI
Amendments of the By-Laws
1. These By-Laws were considered and approved at the Annual General Membership Meeting of the Michaux Forest Association held during the month and year designated as the revision date of page one of these By-Laws
2. To change these By-Laws, the proposed amendment must be in writing, signed by at least five (5) members in good standing and given to the Secretary in sufficient time to notify each member of the Board of the proposed change, one (1) week before a regular meeting of the Board, where the proposed amendments will be presented and discussed. The By-Laws may then be amended at any Annual General Membership Meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members present.