Benton County Beekeepers Association By-Laws

ARTICLE I - IDENTIFICATION
The name of this organization shall be the Benton County Beekeepers Association. “Club” or “BCBA”
when used hereinafter shall be defined to mean Benton County Beekeepers Association.

ARTICLE II – MISSION
It is the mission of the BCBA to establish and source reliable information, education, and services for
beekeepers and the communities they live in, in all of Northwest Arkansas and surrounding areas.

ARTICLE III – OBJECTIVES
Benton County Beekeepers Association is organized exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific
purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt
organizations described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section
of any future federal tax code.

The objectives of the Benton County Beekeepers Association shall be to further the general knowledge
and success of member, hobbyist beekeepers through:

(1) Educational programs designed for improved promotion, production and marketing of bees and bee products and services for hobbyist beekeepers in and around Benton County, Arkansas. Such educational programs, to the extent possible, shall also include the publication and dissemination of information to the general public as to the importance of honey bees and beekeeping activities in the continued production of various foods and products in the United States and in the world.

(2) The compilation and dissemination of useful and worthwhile information to members for optimum
success of the members in pursuit of beekeeping as a hobby.

(3) While the Club is established primarily for the hobbyist beekeeper, persons involved with
beekeeping as a profession are invited and are welcome as members. Their professional expertise
is especially welcomed in order to assist in meeting the Club's purposes as stated in paragraphs (1) and (2) above.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership requirements

(1) Membership is open to all people of any race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

(2) Active membership in the Benton County Beekeepers Association shall be limited to persons interested in beekeeping who have paid their annual dues.

Section 2. Suspension of membership

(1) The rights of any member to membership in the Club may be suspended or terminated for cause by action of the Board of Directors, or by failure to pay annual dues in a timely manner.

(2) Basis for suspension for cause shall consist of violation of provisions of the By-laws of the Benton County Beekeepers Association, or performance of other acts which are considered prejudicial to the best interests of the Club; such termination of membership shall be effected by a majority vote of the members of the Board of Directors in meeting assembled, after due notice and opportunity for hearing shall have been given the member affected. Suspended members may be reinstated to membership in the Club by vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors in meeting assembled, and under such reasonable and equitable conditions as may be required by said Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Overall management and control of the Benton County Beekeepers Association shall be
vested in the Board of Directors, the members of which shall be elected by the membership at the
Monthly Meeting, held during the month of October each year unless seriously extenuating circumstances
dictate otherwise, in which case at least 30 days advance notice must be given prior to the election.
Should circumstances necessitate an online ballot, arrangements will be made for all members to have
access to vote. Each director shall serve without pay.

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall consist of seven members: The President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, and Event Coordinator, and two members at-large.

Section 3. Each member of the Board must be a member of the Benton County Beekeepers Association
for a minimum of one (1) year and shall be elected for a term of one (1) year. Each director shall hold
office from the date of the first Board Meeting following election, for the term for which he/she was elected
or until his/her successor shall be chosen.

Section 4. Vacancies occurring in the Board of Directors shall be filled at the next scheduled regular
meeting, after due notice to all members and such election shall be for a period of time equal to the
unexpired portion of the term of the original director.

Section 5. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Club. It shall have
the right to delegate to officers, directors or members the duties, responsibilities and the authority to carry
out assignments. The board shall be responsible for investigating or correcting conditions/problems in
such affairs as may be properly brought to its attention. Although all officers and members shall serve
without remuneration, nothing herein contained shall prevent reimbursement for authorized or approved
expenses and similar items which are approved by the Board.

Section 6. While it shall be the general duty of the Board of Directors to transact all business and by vote
settle all controversial matters that may come before it, nothing in this designation of voting power shall
be construed as precluding the privilege of any member making recommendations or objections at
monthly Club meetings.

ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS
Section 1. The Officers of the Club shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and
Events Coordinator. All officers shall be elected from the membership by a majority vote of the active
members present and voting in person at the October meeting of the organization, or as stated above in
Article 5, Section 1.

Section 2. Each officer shall hold office for one (1) year from the date of the fourth quarter board meeting.
Officers may be reelected to such offices from year to year.

Section 3. Immediately upon the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of President, either by resignation
or due to circumstances beyond his/her control or due to the temporary absence of the President, the
duties of President shall be exercised by the Vice-President.

Section 4. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Benton County Beekeepers Association and
of the Board of Directors. The President shall convene the Board of Directors whenever in his/her opinion
the affairs of the Club so demand, or on the written request of three (3) or more members of the Board,
but in any case, the Board shall meet at least four times per year (quarterly).

Section 5. In addition to assuming the duties of the President during the absence of the elected
President, and in order to be prepared to assume such duties, the Vice-President shall have an active
interest in the financial records and reports of the Club and in addition perform the duties usually
incumbent on Vice-Presidents.

Section 6. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings and process such correspondence as
may be directed by the President and/or Board of Directors.

Section 7. The Treasurer shall collect annual dues and all other monies due the Club, and in all matters
perform the duties usually incumbent on a Treasurer. He/she shall make reports of receipts and
disbursements as the Board of Directors may require or direct, and in all matters pertaining to the office
be under the direction of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer's records shall be open to inspection by
any active member in good standing at any reasonable time. The Treasurer shall receive and keep
account of all monies belonging to the Club, paying out the same upon receipt of liabilities or expenditures
authorized by the Board of Directors. He/she shall make a report of receipts, disbursements, and bank
balances at each regular meeting of the Board of Directors. He/she may be aided by such assistants as
are deemed advisable and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 8. The Events Coordinator shall, with the cooperation/assistance of the members of the Club and
suggestions, plan for, schedule, and arrange for programs, speakers, and/or activities which will enable
the Club to better achieve its purposes as stated in Article II of these By-Laws. Such arrangements shall
be coordinated particularly with the President as necessary, and with the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS
Regular monthly meetings shall be held on the first Thursday of each month and, unless otherwise
announced or published, shall be held beginning at 7:00 P.M. in the family center building of the Cave
Springs Church of Christ, 476 N. Main St., Cave Springs, AR 72718.

ARTICLE VIII - DUES/MEMBERSHIP YEAR
Section 1. The annual dues for each active member of the Club shall be determined by the Board of
Directors on an annual basis.

Section 2. The membership year shall be one (1) year from the date paid.

ARTICLE IX - VOTING
Upon all matters submitted for consideration and vote by the meetings of the membership of the Club,
each member in good standing shall be entitled to cast one vote. Absentee balloting will not be permitted.
Election of officers/Board of Directors shall be by secret ballot. A method of alternate voting may take
place when authorized by the Board of Directors due to extenuating circumstances.

ARTICLE X - ADVERTISING AND SOLICITING
Section 1. No member shall make any reference to the Benton County Beekeepers Association in any
advertisement relating to beekeeping, except that they may state that they are a member of the Club.

Section 2. Soliciting of any kind will not be permitted at any meeting. However, nothing in this section
shall be construed as prohibiting individual members of the Club from mutually agreeing to sell, trade,
barter or otherwise exchange items useful for the conduct of beekeeping as a hobby.

ARTICLE XI - PROFITS
No income or profits which may accrue to, or be earned by, the Club shall ever be paid or distributed to
the members by way of dividends, but the same shall be used by the Board of Directors in the furtherance
of the purposes as stated above.

ARTICLE XII - MISCELLANEOUS
Section 1. Smoking will not be permitted in the meeting rooms.

Section 2. The titles/headings given to certain paragraphs or parts of these by-laws are inserted for
reference purposes only and are not to be considered a part of the document in interpreting its provisions.
All words used in this document in any gender shall extend to and include all genders and in numbers
when the content or facts so require, and any pronouns shall be taken to refer to the persons intended
regardless of gender or number.

ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENTS
Section 1. At any regular or called meeting of the Club only such amendments to these By-Laws may be
considered when announced at a monthly meeting, and emailed to the members, with the vote taking
place at the following monthly meeting.

Section 2. Provided the requirements of Section I above are met, these By-Laws may be amended at
any regular or called meeting of the membership by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting.

ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION
Upon the dissolution of the Benton County Beekeepers Association, assets shall be distributed for one or
more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or
corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or
to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of
by a court of competent jurisdiction in Benton County, exclusively for such purposes or to such
organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated
exclusively for such purposes.