Bureau County Mounted Posse BYLAWS

Bureau County Mounted Search and Rescue Team
BYLAWS

ARTICLE I. NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be: Bureau County Mounted Search and Rescue, (the "Team").

Section 2. The purpose of this organization shall be:

A. To serve the residents of Bureau County IL and surrounding communities.

B. To assist the Sheriff's Department of that county in the performance of its duties.

C. To provide the membership with training in search and rescue duties, first aid, and law enforcement.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to all persons, regardless of sex, race, creed, color, or religious preference.

Section 1. Membership

A. Members may hold an elected office.

B. No member shall exercise any duties of a deputy sheriff without direct orders from the Sheriff or a representative.

Section 2. Requirements for new membership shall be as follows:

A. Member must be a citizen of the United States of America.

B. Member must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. Persons younger than 18 may be Junior Members under direct supervision of parent or guardian.

C. All new members, after being accepted, must complete the minimum training requirements as required by the Sheriff.

D. All members will meet all state laws and county ordinances as directed by the Sheriff's Office.

E. Before assisting in a Search and Rescue callout, members will complete SAR training as directed by Sheriff.

F. Prior to final acceptance, the applicant shall have successfully completed a Sheriff's Office background check

Section 2. Member in good standing

A. A member in good standing shall be defined as:

1. Member with a minimum of 50% attendance at all meetings, training, and callouts.
2. Member must be current on training requirements.

ARTICLE III. TERMINATION OR WITHDRAWAL

Section 1. Termination of membership shall be by or for the following reasons:

A. By the Sheriff of Bureau County for any reason deemed necessary.

B. By the Board of Directors for any of the following reasons:

1. When 50% of the regular meetings, callouts and trainings are missed during the Teams calendar year.

2. By action which will embarrass or discredit the Team.

C. A member's attendance shall not be required when such attendance would jeopardize the member's means of livelihood, but any member whose livelihood is jeopardized by a reasonable attendance should reconsider their membership.

D. Voting for termination of membership shall be by secret ballot.

Section 2. Withdrawal from the Group

A. Any member may withdraw from this unit by submitting to the Secretary a written resignation.

B. The member must also return any badges, shoulder patches, identification cards, and all other Team property when presenting their resignation.

ARTICLE IV. GOVERNING BODY

Section 1. The government of this organization shall be vested in the officers.

Section 2. The elected officers of this organization shall consist of:

One Commander
one Secretary - Treasurer
Three Squad Leaders.

Section 3. Only members in good standing may run for an elected office. Members not present may be elected if prior consent is given.

Section 4. All officers may be re-elected and may succeed themselves.

Section 5. The chain of command shall be as follows:

A. Commander, Larry Dalton in his/her absence:
B. 1st Squad Leader, Brian Boers in his/her absence:
C. 2nd Squad Leader, Roger Ault in his/her absence:
D. 3rd Squad Leader, Linda Strader in his/her absence:

E. 4th Squad Leader (Ground Pounders), Kathy Tori in her absence:
E. Secretary / Treasurer, Dorene Stalter

Members may be assigned to any tasks on a rescue regardless of their positions in the chain of command.

Section 6.

A. No elected officer would be eligible for re-election if their attendance was less than required during their previous administration.

Section 7. New officers will assume office on Jan 1st.

ARTICLE V. DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. Duties of the Commander

A. Those which are usually imposed upon such officials and as required by law.

B. Shall preside at all meetings.

C. Shall present a report of the affairs of the organization to the members at the annual meeting.

Section 2. Duties of the Secretary - Treasurer

A. Keep a complete and accurate account of all proceedings in meetings of this organization.

B. Shall disburse all money only as directed by the Board.

C. Shall submit to the members at the annual meeting a financial statement for the preceding year.

D. Report Team activities and distribute appropriate news material or articles to interested organizations and the news media.

E. Shall submit in writing, annually to the Board and Team members, an accounting of the attendance for each member.

F. Chairman of the Standards and Training Committee.

G. Maintain the historical record of the Team activities.

H. Perform all other duties as prescribed by the Board.

Section 3. Duties of the Squad Leaders

A. Duties of the 1st Squad Leader:

1. Shall serve as contact person for Squad 1.
2. All other duties prescribed by the Commander.

B. Duties of the 2nd Squad Leader:

1. Shall serve as contact person for Squad 2.
2. All other duties prescribed by the Commander.

C. Duties of the 3rd Squad Leader:

1. Shall serve as contact person for Squad 3.
2. All other duties prescribed by the Commander.

C. Duties of the 4th Squad Leader:

1. Shall serve as contact person for Squad 4.
2. All other duties prescribed by the Commander.

ARTICLE VI. THE BOARD AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 1. The Board shall consist of the Liaison Officer from the Sheriff's Office, Commander, Secretary-Treasurer, and three Squad Leaders.

Section 2. Each member of the Board shall have one vote.

Section 3. Questions voted upon by the Board shall be determined by a majority vote of the Board members present provided a minimum of four members are present.

Section 4. The Board shall have a Board meeting at least three times per year.

A. The Commander may call additional meetings at his/her discretion.

Section 5. The Board shall create and prescribe duties of the committees and appoint members thereof.

Section 6. The Board shall have the power to fill all vacancies on the Board until the next election.

Section 7. During the month of January, the Board shall review all members as to their attendance and training certification. The Board shall take appropriate action.

Section 8. The Board shall have the power to impose disciplinary action or expel any member guilty of an offense, which affects the best interest of this organization.

Section 9. The Board shall remove from office any member of the Board who does not perform their duties as outlined in these By Laws. The Board shall consider this matter only at the scheduled Board meetings. All removals must have the approval of four members of the Board.

Section 10. A majority of the Board members must approve each expenditure.

Section 11. All Board members shall maintain fifty percent (50%) attendance at all meetings and callouts. The membership shall review the Board members' attendance during the month of January.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held monthly as specified by the board.

Section 2. The annual election meeting shall be held in December of each year, at which time nominations and election of officers shall take place.

Section 3. Special meetings of the membership and/or the officers may be called at the discretion of the Commander or any three members of the board, provided all concerned have twenty-four (24) hours notice of the meeting.

Section 4. A change in the date of a regular meeting or an annual meeting may be made by the officers, provided the members are given at least two weeks notice prior to the first date.

Section 5. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the membership present at any regular or duly called special meeting, provided at least fifteen (12) members are present.

Section 6. Robert's Rule of Order shall govern in all meetings.

ARTICLE VIII. BYLAWS

Section 1. The bylaws of this Team may be amended, altered, repealed, changed, or corrected, in whole, or in part, by a vote of three-fourths (3/4) majority of the members present at the annual meeting.

Section 2. The Bureau County Sheriff must approve all changes to these bylaws.

Section 3. Each Team member should be given a written copy of any proposed change at least fourteen (14) days prior to the annual meeting.

A. A proposed bylaw change that is submitted in a timely matter, may be amended, altered, changed or corrected by a majority vote of members present at the annual meeting, resubmitted in its adjusted form and be presented for vote to the membership.

Section 4. Any changes of the bylaws shall become effective immediately after adoption by the membership.

Section 5. Any changes shall replace and supersede any Article of Bylaw or any instrument theretofore adopted.

Section 6. Nothing contained within these bylaws will supersede any Policy, Order, or Directive of the Sheriff.

ARTICLE IX. COMMITTEES

Section 1. The following committees shall be appointed by the Commander for one year terms to run concurrent with the term of office of the officers.

A. Auditing Committee: Shall consist of two members, who shall audit the accounts as necessary. This audit shall be performed at least once during the fiscal year. The Committee shall report its findings to the membership at the annual meeting.

B. Bylaws Committee: Shall consist of two members in good standing who shall review the bylaws each year and submit any proposed changes prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2. The Standards and Training Committee shall consist of the Secretary - Treasurer as Chairman and no less than two additional members. Their terms shall run concurrent with the elected officers for a period of one year.

Section 3. The duties of the Standards and Training Committee shall be:

A. To establish standard operating procedures and to provide all members with a copy of the same fourteen days prior to effective date, and to post the same fourteen days prior to effective date.

B. Provide training and guidance to all team members.

C. Develop written standards for Member and Horse evaluation.

D. Any other duties prescribed by the Board.

ARTICLE X. VOTING

Section 1. Each member of this organization is entitled to one vote on all matters referred to the membership.

Section 2. Absentee and proxy votes must be in writing and signed by the member issuing the vote. A proxy is a vote made by one member on behalf of another.

Section 3. Absentee and proxy votes must be in the hands of the Commander prior to the time the issue is voted upon.

Section 4. Unless otherwise specified by these bylaws, business matters voted upon by the members shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present, in person or by representation as in Article X, Section 3.

Section 5. Only members in good standing may vote on any matter requiring said vote.

ARTICLE XI. HORSES

Section 1. All Team Horses will be accepted subject to approval by the Board and the Sheriff. Horses will be evaluated against standards set forth by the board including, but not limited to:

Ø Must be sound and kept in good condition.

Ø Must not kick, bite, rear or buck when ridden in a group

Ø A calm, alert disposition is preferable.

Ø Must have current Coggins test

Ø Must demonstrate ability to perform a set a tasks as determined by the Training Committee.

ARTICLE XIII. DISSOLUTION OF TEAM

Section 1. Upon dissolution of this Team, its assets shall be distributed to any charitable organization in the United States which qualifies for acceptation under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and/or according to a plan of distribution to be approved by the membership.