Constitution and Bylaws
of the
Downey Amateur Radio Club, Inc
We, the undersigned, being desirous of securing for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of the association of persons commonly interested in Amateur Radio by furthering cooperation among its members, developing individual efficiency, conducting scientific tests and investigations, providing education, community service, and emergency communications and furthering the interest of Amateur Radio in the general community, do hereby constitute ourselves as the Downey Amateur Radio Club, Inc., and do enact this constitution as our governing law.
Article 1
Name
The name of this organization shall be the Downey Amateur Radio Club, Inc.
Article 2
Membership
All persons interested in Amateur Radio may be eligible for full or associate membership as regulated in the Bylaws.
Article 3
Officers
The Officers of this Club shall be elected by the full members and shall be the President, First Vice President, Vice President-Programs, Vice President-Membership, Vice President-Service, Vice President of Ways and Means, Secretary and Treasurer.
Article 4
Board of Directors
The governing body of this Club shall be the Board of Directors comprised of elected officers plus two Directors elected by the full members. The Board of Directors shall have such powers as provided in the Bylaws.
Article 5
Meetings
The Bylaws shall provide for regular and special meetings. An attendance of 25 percent of all members holding full membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Article 6
Dues
Membership fees shall be charged as provided in the bylaws.
Article 7
Dissolution
In the event of dissolution or disbandment of the club, all moneys shall be given to the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) for use in grant programs or the ARRL Education and Technology Fund.
Article 8
Rules
Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all proceedings of this Club.
Article 9
Amendments
This constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote of the full members present at a regularly scheduled meeting. Proposals for amendments may be submitted at any regular meeting but may not be voted on less than thirty days later, usually at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Bylaws of the
Downey Amateur Radio Club, Inc.
Qualifications of membership
1. Any person professing an active interest in Amateur Radio and holding a valid Amateur Radio license is eligible for full membership.
2. Any person professing an active interest in Amateur Radio and not holding a valid Amateur Radio license is eligible for associate membership.
3. Members may be suspended by a majority vote of the Board of Directors for activities detrimental to Amateur Radio or to the Club.
Powers and Limitations
1. The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of this organization. It shall have the authority to authorize disbursement of funds as specified in an annual budget adopted by the general membership, and in addition, may authorize expenditure of additional funds not to exceed ten (10) percent of the total budgeted or ten (10) percent of the funds in the treasury, whichever is less.
2. The President, or presiding officer, shall normally not vote, but shall cast the deciding vote in the case of a tie, except in the election of officers.
Officers
1. President - The President shall be the Chief Executive of the organization and shall preside at all general meetings and meetings of the Board of Directors. The President shall set the agenda for the Board of Directors meeting; shall present or have presented to them for action any items that require their vote or confirmation; shall call such meetings as the Bylaws provide; shall execute such documents separately or jointly with other officers of the organization as may be necessary in the business of the Club; shall see that the Bylaws of the Club and such rules and regulations of the organization as the membership may adopt from time to time are enforced; shall supervise generally the affairs of the Club; shall appoint such committees as may be deemed necessary; shall also be an ex-officio member of such committees; shall be a licensed Radio Amateur and must have been a member of DARC for at least one year at the time the President assumes office.
2. First Vice President - The First Vice President shall be vested with all the powers and shall perform all the duties of the President in the case of absence or disability of the President; shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be assigned to this position by the President or the Board of Directors.
3. Vice President - Programs - The Vice President-Programs shall be responsible for the general meeting programs, refreshments, public relations and publicity, the annual brunch, and “T-Hunting” events. The Vice President -Programs may appoint people or committees to handle these responsibilities.
4.Vice President - Membership - The Vice President-Membership shall be responsible for recruitment of new members, providing new member packets, the Club roster (in conjunction with the Treasurer), the Elmers, Helping Hams, and be the club representative to LAACARC, HAMCON, TASMA, SCRRBA, as needed. The VP of Membership may appoint people or committees to handle these responsibilities.
5.Vice President - Service – The Vice President-Service shall be responsible for emergency service, public service, ARES, RACES/DCS, Club Nets, QSL bureau, and Silent Key committee. The VP - Service may appoint persons or committees to handle these responsibilities.
6. Vice President - Ways and Means - The Vice President-Ways and Means shall be responsible for ordering and/or maintaining Club property, such as hats, caps, jackets and other wearable items. The VP - Ways and Means may appoint people or committees to handle these responsibilities.
7. Secretary - The Secretary shall record the minutes of the Club general meetings, the Board of Directors meetings, and any Special meetings called in accordance with these Bylaws. The Secretary shall coordinate storage of all Club records. In the absence of the Secretary, a secretary pro tem shall be selected.
8. Treasurer - The Treasurer shall be custodian of the Club's funds and shall arrange to keep, or cause to be kept, full and accurate accounts of receipts, disbursements, and balances and shall perform all duties incident to the office of the Treasurer.
9. Directors – There will be two Directors, one shall be elected for a term of two years, and the other for a term of one year and serve on the Board of Directors to help guide Club activities and help assure continuity of the Board's actions.
Appointive offices
Positions may be created as needed.
Term of office
1. All elected officers described herein shall hold office from November 1 following their election for a period of one year or until such time as a successor has been elected and installed.
2. The term of the of the one- and two-year Directors is described in Section 9 under “Officers”.
Manner of nomination and election
1. Nomination of candidates to be voted on for Club offices each October shall be made by a nominating committee appointed by the President and announced at the September meeting. Additional nominations will be accepted from the floor from full members at either the September or October meetings.
2. Names of the next Club calendar year nominees shall be announced in the October “Q5”, with nominations from the floor available at the October meeting. Voting shall be at the October meeting and the winners shall be a majority vote of the full members present. If requested a write-in ballot shall be made
3. A tie vote shall be decided by a second vote of the members present with only the names of the candidates who were tied on the new ballot.
Vacancies
1. Vacancies in office may occur by death, resignation, or termination of membership. The Club may, by majority vote, grant a leave of absence to an officer, not to exceed six months’ duration at any one time. Any office shall be declared vacant upon the majority vote of the full members present at a regular or special meeting. If an officer is absent from three successive regular meetings without a leave of absence having been granted, the Club may declare such an office vacant at a succeeding meeting.
2. The presiding officer may, at his discretion, call a special election to fill any elected office vacancy. If a special election is called, nominations will be accepted from the floor at the next general meeting, and the election shall be conducted at the meeting following the acceptance of nomination.
Board of Directors
1. The board of directors shall be constituted of the President, First Vice President, two Directors, Vice President-Programs, Vice President-Membership, Vice President-Service, Vice President-Ways and Means, Secretary, and Treasurer.
2. The board is empowered to conduct all the business of the Club with the fiscal limitation provided by these Bylaws.
3. The Board shall meet at least once a month for the purpose of planning activities and conducting the business of the Club at such time and place as the President shall decide.
4. Board meetings shall be announced at the previous regular membership meeting and shall be open to attendance by all members of the Club, who may audit the meeting and participate to the extent approved by the Board. Only members of the Board of Directors may vote.
Meetings
Monthly general meetings of the membership and specific meetings will be scheduled by the Board of Directors. The monthly general meeting will generally be held on the same day and time of each month specified by the Board of Directors. Special meetings of the membership may be called at any time by the President by instructing the VP of Service to email each full member a notice of the special meeting, stating the time, place, and purpose thereof. This notice is to be emailed to members at least ten days prior to the date of such a special meeting. Notice may be given by telephone or by radio in the event of an emergency or reasonable necessity. At special meetings no business shall be transacted except that specified in the notice.
Presiding Officer
The President is the presiding officer of the Club’s general meetings, Board of Directors’ meetings and any special meetings that are not committee related. In the case of the President’s absence, the replacement order of officers shall be as follows: the First Vice President, the Vice President of Programs, the Vice President-Membership, the Vice President-Service or the Vice President-Ways and Means shall act as presiding officer. If all of the above persons are absent, the members shall elect a chairman who shall act as presiding officer.
Dues and Assessments
1. Normal annual dues for full membership are thirt4 dollars per year. Full membership dues for immediate family members residing in the same household as a full member paying normal dues will be 50 percent of the normal annual dues, to a maximum of $45 total per household. Changes in the dues structure shall be proposed by the Board of Directors and approved by the membership at the next appropriate general meeting.
2. Normal annual dues for Associate membership are ten dollars per year. Associate membership dues for immediate family members residing in the same household as a full or associate member paying normal dues are 50 percent of the normal associate member annual dues.
3. Annual dues are payable upon joining the Club and renewed by January 1st of each year.
4. If the annual dues impose a financial hardship on an applicant or member, a confidential request may be made to the Board of Directors, and it may reduce the dues to an acceptable amount.
5. Full and associate members may be required to pay additional fees for special activities or projects of the Club as voted by two-thirds of the full members present at a regular or special meeting.
Liability
No liability shall exist against the members of this Club or any individual thereof beyond the membership fees provided in the Bylaws.
Funds
1. All money received from the operations of any committee or Club function of this organization shall be deposited in the general funds of the Club.
2. At no time shall any money be paid to members in the form of a share of profits, installment earnings, or dividends.
3. All money to be paid out shall be disbursed by check.
4. The President shall appoint three or more Club members to audit the Treasurer's accounts. The end of the Club year shall be October 31, after which the books of the Treasurer shall be closed and audited. The reports of the treasurer and audit committee shall be presented to the Board of Directors at the December meeting. The audit committee shall also present such recommendations, as it may deem beneficial for the club.
Publications
1. The official publication of this organization shall be titled the “Q5".
2. It shall be electronically published monthly and distributed via email to all members and such other persons or organizations that may be deemed to need a copy thereof.
3. Each issue shall contain the callsigns, names and telephone numbers of the Club Officers in addition to the other information as may be determined by the editor, President, or Board of Directors.
4. Club rosters shall be updated and distributed to Club members as often as required, but at least semi-annually.
Subgroups
The Board of Directors may, from time to time, recognize the existence of or authorize the establishment of one or more subgroups to serve the special interests of a portion of the Club membership. Such subgroups may organize their leadership and activities as they see fit but may not establish treasuries separate from the Club treasury. To be recognized as a Club subgroup, at least two-thirds of the membership of each subgroup must be members of DARC.
Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the full members present at a regular meeting, provided that the text of the proposed amendments is distributed to Club members prior to that meeting.
The (original) constitution and bylaws were read and adopted by Charter members of the Downey Amateur Radio Club, Inc., at its Second meeting held June 12, 1951.
Herb Black Ray Reynolds
W6HQR W6PNW
Secretary President
__________________________________________________________________
History of Amendments
Amended May 13, 1952
Carson Binkley HarryMiddlecoff
W6RVG
Secretary President
Amended March 23, 1971
Oscar Senteney Reed Craven
WN6KXS WB6BFK
Secretary President
Amended April 1, 1982
Frank Myers Reed Craven
N6ATU WB6BFK
Secretary President
Amended March 3, 1983
Olivia Denisac Reed Craven
KA6SLS WB6BFK
Secretary President
Amended September 1, 1983
Olivia Denisac Reed Craven
KA6SLS WB6BFK
Secretary President
Amended June 7, 1984
Olivia Denisac Leon Emerson
KA6SLS NM6M
Secretary President
Amended April 7, 1988
Clem Patooka Fred Hart
KB6ACJ KB6MJQ
Secretary President
Amended October 6, 1988
Clem Patooka Fred Hart
KB6ACJ KB6MJQ
Secretary President
Amended January 4, 1989
Mike O'Domey Ken Wahrenbrock
KK6AF KF6NC
Secretary President
Amended September 6, 1990
Mike O'Domey Ken Wahrenbrock
WCIV KF6NC
Secretary President
Amended October 8, 1993
Douglas Lyon David Buhler
N6WZI WB6ZGF
Secretary President
Amended August 3, 1995
Ray Fas Douglas Lyon
KD6GRM N6WZI
Secretary President
Amended May 1, 1997
John Marthens David Buhler
NU6A WB6ZGF
Secretary President
Amended July 1, 2010
Delight Miller Rick Norwood
WB6WWI KD6KHJ
Secretary President
Amended November 7, 2023
John Powell Dave Glenn
KF6EOJ N6TEB
Secretary President
Amended April 7, 2026
John Powell Dave Glenn
KF6EOJ N6TEB
Secretary President
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