The basic objective for which this Society is formed is to promote the opportunity for all Dutch Oven cooks to come together in local chapter groups to better their cooking skills through friendly Dutch Oven cookouts.

Purposes:

1. To provide the opportunity via the coming together in local Chapter groups of all Dutch Oven cooks to better their skills through friendly Dutch Oven

2. To be a source of knowledge, recipes, ideas and instructional aids on Dutch Oven cooking to be shared by all Society members and members of Society-sponsored Chapters.

3. To be a source of known Dutch Oven cooks who can be drawn upon to help engage in charitable, literary, social, educational and other

4. To promote wholesome family fun and fellowship through Dutch Oven

To produce a newsletter and Website that will keep the membership informed as to what is happening within the Society, dates and locations of future Society and Chapter cookouts, demonstrations, meetings, and/or other pertinent news as well as distributing recipes from members and other sources.

Membership:

Membership in the Society is opened to all Dutch Oven enthusiasts. Members are sought who actively want to contribute their time and abilities to further the art of Dutch Oven cooking.

Dues:

Dues for membership shall be set yearly by the Board of Directors based upon the proposed annual budget of expenditures as presented and recommended for adoption by the Trustee.

The maximum per household membership dues shall not exceed $20 per year. The Board of Directors is authorized to pro-rate dues of new memberships for those joining on or after April 1st.

Board of Directors and Officers:

The Board of Directors will govern this Society. The Board of Directors is made up of elected officers and the Chapter Advisor from each Chapter consisting of at least three current members. All elected officers will be nominated at the General Membership meeting. No more than one member from any chapter may serve as an officer at any one time. All elected officers will begin their term at the January Board of Directors Meeting. The Secretary will forward the minutes to the President and newsletter editor no later than 14 calendar days after the meeting.

Duties of the Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors will formulate policies, manage, and have general charge of the affairs and property of the Society. The Board of Directors will conduct all business and pass resolutions at the Annual January Board meeting. The board will discuss all proposed changes and include their recommendations to the full membership through the quarterly LSDOS Newsletter. If a board member is not able to attend he/she may send a proxy in their place. The Board member must either by e-mail, fax or by written letter carried by the proxy advise the President of the proxy vote prior to the start of the meeting. The General Membership shall vote their approval/disapproval at the Annual General Membership meeting. All changes shall become effective immediately after being approved. All changes will be reported in the next available issue of the LSDOS Newsletter to the full Membership.

Duties of the Officers:

President – shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Society and have general supervision of the business of the Society. The President will preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Membership. The President will discharge the duties of a presiding officer, shall present a report of the business of the Society for the preceding fiscal year at each Annual meeting of the members, and perform other duties as prescribed by the Board of Directors.

1st Vice President – shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence at his/her request. If a vacancy shall occur in the Office of the President, the 1st Vice President shall become President and shall serve for the balance of the term. The 1st Vice President may also perform other duties as assigned by the President.

2nd Vice President – shall serve as the Chairperson of the Chapters Committee which consists of all Chapter Advisors. This Committee is to help start new chapters and provide support and assistance to struggling chapters. The 2nd Vice President shall also be in charge of maintaining the GUIDELINES FOR STARTING NEW CHAPTERS IN THE LONE STAR DUTCH OVEN SOCIETY and performing other duties as assigned by the President.

Secretary – shall attend all meetings possible and shall keep or cause to be kept a true and complete record of the proceedings of these meetings. The Secretary shall also maintain and update the archives of the Society. All archives will be passed on to the new Secretary upon completion of the incumbent’s term.

Trustee – shall have custody of the Society’s funds. The Trustee shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements. The Trustee shall deposit all Society monies into a separate depository account of their choosing in the name of the Society so long as the Society’s monies are kept separate from the Trustee’s personal funds. The Trustee shall disburse the funds of the Society and shall render to the President or the Board of Directors an accounting of the transactions and the financial condition of the Society upon request by the President or the Board. The Trustee will propose an annual budget of expenditures for the coming year to the Board of Directors for approval at the Annual January Board of Directors meeting.

Salaries and/or Expenses

Salaries: No Salaries shall be paid. All positions are voluntary.

Expenses: Expenses incurred on behalf of the Society must first be authorized by the Board of Directors and shall be paid from the funds held by the Trustee in a depository account for the benefit of the Society.

Elections:

1. All elected officers, https://www.ncahcsp.org/buy-xanax-online/ i.e. President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, and Trustee, shall be nominated by the membership at large no later than by the Society’s Annual General Membership meeting. The election of officers will be held by mail-in or electronic ballot, as soon as reasonably possible, following the Annual General Membership meeting. All official ballots must be returned to the Society’s Secretary or to the individual so appointed, who will canvas, record, and certify the votes to the President. Only one vote per LSDOS membership unit (family) will be allowed. Each mail-in vote must be returned by mail via an individual U.S. Postal Services First Class stamped envelope and postmarked by November 15. Electronic balloting will also cease on November 15. Only official LSDOS ballots shall be counted. All photocopies or otherwise reproduced ballots will not be accepted. If all officers are uncontested, the election may be canceled and nominees will be elected by acclamation.

Officers shall be elected for two-year terms. All officers may serve as long as desired, providing they are re-elected, except the President who may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Should an officer resign during his/her term in office, the President will appoint a replacement.

Chapter Advisors: All Society-sponsored Chapters shall elect a Chapter Advisor. The elected Chapter Advisor’s name will be forwarded immediately to the Society’s President, Secretary, and to the newsletter editor. Chapter Advisors may serve multiple terms as long as they are re-elected each year by the Chapter.

The By-Laws will be the governing rule for the LSDOS. Any member can propose a change in the By-Laws. Any changes to the By-Laws will be considered in non-election years.

Meetings:

Quorum: The first order of business for any meeting of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society is for the secretary to record that a quorum has been met. A quorum shall be no less than 10% of the membership for the membership meeting and no less than 25%  of the board for the board meeting.

Board of Directors – shall meet annually each January at a specified location convenient to all. This meeting may be held through a conference call, fax, and/or email if deemed appropriate. The results of the January Board of Directors meeting shall be recorded by the Secretary and submitted to the President and the newsletter editor no later than 14 calendar days after the meeting. The newsletter editor will include the results of this meeting in the February newsletter.

General Membership – shall meet annually at a time and place selected by the Board. Other than amendments as stated in Article VII above, all items voted on at the General Membership meeting shall require only a simple majority of LSDOS members present in order to pass. Non-LSDOS members are not eligible to vote. The results of this meeting shall be recorded by the Secretary and submitted to the President and the newsletter editor no later than 14 calendar days after the meeting. The newsletter editor will include the results of this meeting in the next newsletter.

Other Meetings – shall meet as required and must be requested by the Society’s President or Board of Directors. The reason for such meetings will be announced in writing to the Board of Directors at least 21 calendar days prior to the meeting. These meetings must consist of at least five (5) members of the Board and may be attended by other LSDOS members for the purposes of proxy voting. If a board member is not able to attend they may send a member to vote by proxy in their place. The Board member must, either by e-mail, fax or by written letter carried by the member to vote by proxy, advise the President of the proxy vote prior to the start of the meeting. Results of this meeting shall be recorded by the Secretary and submitted to the President and newsletter editor no later than 14 calendar days after the meetings. The newsletter editor will include the results of the meetings in the next available newsletter.

For the sole purpose of filing for tax exemption from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Texas State Comptroller, the by-laws of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society may be repealed and replacement by-laws ratified by a simple majority of the Board of Directors at any special board meeting called by either the President or a majority of the Board of Directors 21 days in advance of that meeting. This meeting may be held either on an online social media portal, teleconference call, fax, and/or e-mail, if deemed appropriate. A quorum for such meeting shall be at least 50% of the Board of Directors. A Board member’s proxy may be counted for the purpose of establishing a quorum.

Committees:

The President shall be empowered to appoint special or ad hoc committees as deemed necessary. The Board of Directors may vote to appoint committees as needed. The results of any of the committees shall be recorded by the Secretary, or a designated representative, and submitted to the President and to the newsletter editor no later than 14 calendar days from the meetings. The newsletter editor will include the results of the meetings in the next available newsletter. All committee decisions shall be presented to the Board of Directors for approval. The LSDOS Board of Directors will make final approval on all committee decisions.

Upon the dissolution, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities, distribute all the assets to one or more organizations then qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) selected by the Board of Directors. Any of such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the appropriate Court of the city or county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located to such organization or organizations as said court shall 6determine and as are then qualified as exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).