Lincoln Hills Hiking Group

BY-LAWS

March 15, 2008

 

ARTICLE 1 – NAME

The name of this organization shall be:

        LINCOLN HILLS HIKING GROUP (LHHG)

 

ARTICLE 2 – PURPOSE

The Lincoln Hills Hiking Group offers outdoor recreation for hikers of varying fitness levels. Goals of the group are 1) to provide a safe and enjoyable hiking experience, 2) to explore a wide variety of trails, generally within a two-hour drive of SCLH and 3) to bring a greater awareness to all hikers of the beauty and peace of the natural world. Hike leaders scout the trails and give information and support to new and experienced hikers. Hikes of varying degrees of difficulty are scheduled each month year-round and published on the Website.

ARTICLE 3 – MEMBERSHIP

All residents of Sun City Lincoln Hills are welcome to join the LHHG. Each member in good standing is entitled to one vote.

Each member of the LHHG shall sign a Group Event Release Form.

Unacceptable behavior, as outlined in the Shared Interest Group Guidelines, by a member or officer will result in suspension from the group.

Members shall:

1.     Sign a release and waiver of liability form when they join the group (Group Event Release Form 1) and before each hike in which they participate (Release Form 2) which states that no member, including board members, shall be held liable for any incidents that may occur during group outings.

2.     Read and follow the Hike Information and Guidelines (Form3) that are published on the Website.

3.     Keep informed by checking the Website frequently.

4.     Pay their dues in a timely manner.

5.     Advise one of the officers of address, email or phone changes.

6.     Promote and /or participate in hiking trips and events when feasible.

7.     Promote LHHG membership.

8.     Members may bring a guest with approval of the hike leader.

Guests must sign waivers.

 

 

Hike Leaders shall:

1.     Promote hiking trips.

2.     Pre-hike or state on the Website that the hike has not been pre-hiked.

3.     Provide a description of the hike which details the contacts, meeting times, place, level of difficulty, potential risks and equipment needs.

4.     Provide cost information in hike description.

5.     For Getaways (overnight outings) provide information on accommodations, food and services availability and/or non-availability.

 

 

ARTICLE 4 – NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Officers will be elected every two years.

A nominating committee consisting of at least three (3) but no more than five (5) members shall be appointed by the board for the purpose of nominating officers for the following two years. Only those willing to serve will be considered. The slate of candidates will be published on the Website two months before the September annual meeting.

Officers will be elected by a vote of members at the September meeting. A quorum is required for this election. (A quorum is 30% of the membership or 30 members whichever is fewer.)

 

ARTICLE 5 – ELECTIVE OFFICERS, COMMITTEES, AND THEIR DUTIES

The officers of the LHHG shall be installed at the September general meeting and shall serve terms compliant with Lincoln Hills Community Association guidelines. The officers will begin their term on October 1st.

The elected officers shall be president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The elected officers shall constitute the board, and among other duties will be responsible for maintaining an active, interesting and worthwhile club.

PRESIDENT:

The president shall preside at all regular, hike leader and board meetings of the LHHG. The president shall have the power to call meetings and shall act as an ex-officio member of all committees. The president shall attend, or appoint a suitable representative to attend, the LHHG board meetings. The president shall appoint, subject to the approval of the board, such committees as may be deemed necessary to conduct LHHG business.

The president shall further:

1.     Assist officers and hike leaders in implementing their duties and responsibilities.

2.     Schedule meetings of officers, the board and hike leaders as required.

 

 

 

 

VICE PRESIDENT:

The vice president shall act as an assistant to the president, assuming those duties in the event of the president’s absence.

Additionally the vice president will be responsible for the following:

1.     Coordinate the annual second (social) meeting of the year.

2.     Reserve the meeting space for the annual September meeting and other meetings as needed.

 

SECRETARY:

The secretary shall:

1.     Maintain minutes of all board meetings and the General Meetings covering the election and installation of officers.

2.     Distribute the advance notices of LHHG Board Meetings to the Board Members.

3.     Maintain a file of all LHHG by-laws, policies, procedures, plans and correspondence.

4.     Provide the newly elected officers with a copy of the by-laws.

5.     Submit the minutes of elections and meetings to the Activities Department within 30 days of the meeting.

 

 

TREASURER:

The treasurer shall:

1.     Maintain the LHHG bank account with a signature card bearing the signatures of the president and treasurer. Any check over $249.00 will require both signatures.

2.     Promptly record receipts and deposits.

3.     Collect all other monies and maintain a current and accurate accounting of the group’s finances.

4.     Make payments for all duly authorized bills.

5.     Report to the membership the financial status of the group at the September annual meeting

6.     Submit a Financial Statement twice a year, June 30 and December 31 to the SCLH Community Association. Two officers must sign the Financial Statement.

7.     Maintain the group roster.

8.     Notify the membership of any changes in the web address or roster password.

 

 

PRESS SECRETARY: (Appointed by the board)

The press secretary shall:

1.     Write a monthly news column for the Compass.

2.     Publicize events and activities as appropriate. (For example, posters for special presentations, annual Compass flyer and display case exhibits.)

 

ASSISTANT PRESS SECRETARY: (Appointed by the board)

The assistant press secretary shall:

1.     Write a monthly news column for the Sun Senior News.

2.     Assist the press secretary as requested.

The press secretary and the assistant press secretary should be different people as the columns cannot be identical.

 

WEBMASTER: (Appointed by the board)

The webmaster shall:

1.     Accept hike descriptions from Hike Leaders and reformat for web page

2.     Post new hike descriptions on the web

3.     Maintain hike calendar on web site

4.     Relocate completed hike descriptions to archive page

5.     Post hike photos in gallery

6.     Maintain web site roster, in coordination with treasurer

7.     Maintain reference hike documents, including LHHG Waiver Form, Hike Sign-in Waiver, Hiking Guidelines and Group By-laws

8.     Keep front page of website current, posting event notices and posting date of update

9.     Update page-top photos, to keep site interesting

10.  Keep current with web site host and maintain the web address

 

ARTICLE 6 - VACANCIES

Vacancies occurring on the board shall be filled by a majority vote of the board.

 

 

 

ARTICLE 7 – DUES

Annual dues are $5.00 per person. Dues shall be collected at the start of each year for the entire year, and will be in arrears 30 days after the due date. Members in arrears shall be dropped from the club membership. Dues will not be refunded for any reason.

 

 

 

ARTICLE 8 – GROUP ROSTER

The group roster will be maintained by the treasurer. To obtain a copy one must be a member in good standing. The roster can only be accessed on the website by using the current password. The roster may only be used for group activities.

 

 

 

ARTICLE 9 – REVISIONS

Revisions to these by-laws shall be reviewed and revised by the board. Revised by-laws will be presented to the membership for a vote at the annual September meeting and then presented to the CCOC for final approval.