Officers Association
BY-LAWS
January 2006
Officers Association
BY-LAWS
Table of Contents
ARTICLE 1
Section 1 Name
ARTICLE 2
Section 1 Mission
Statement
ARTICLE 3
Section 1 Officers of the Association
Section 2 President’s Responsibilities
Section 3 Vice President’s Responsibilities
Section 4 Secretary Responsibilities
Section 5 Treasurer Responsibilities
Section 6 Annual Financial Review
Section 7 Board of Directors
Section 8 Registered Agent
ARTICLE 4
Section 1 Elections and Voting Procedure
Section 2 Eligibility for Office
Section 3 Election Years
Section 4 Term of Office
Section 5 Board
Member Attendance At Scheduled Meetings
Section 6 Board of Director Vacancies
Section 7 Annual Stipend
ARTICLE 5
Section 1 Membership Criteria
Section 2 Application Procedures
Section 3 Dues
Section 4 Reinstatement of Membership
Section 5 Entitlement
Section 6 Retiree Membership
Section 7 Insurance Premiums
Section 8 Military Activation
Section 9 Active, Retiree, Life and Honorary Members
ARTICLE 6
Section 1 Meetings
Section 2 Quorum
Section 3 Rights of Members
ARTICLE 7
Section 1 Amendment Procedure
ARTICLE 8
Section 1 Governing Rules
ARTICLE 9
Section 1 Member Development
Section 2 Training and Education Account
ARTICLE 1
Section 1
Name
This
organization shall be known as the Fairfax County Professional Fire and Rescue
Officers Association, and may be recognized by its initials as “FCPFROA”. Hereinafter throughout these Bylaws the
organization is referred to as the “Association.”
ARTICLE 2
Section 1
● Secure the passage of beneficial legislation
and promote initiatives to ensure a safe, efficient, and productive work
environment for all of its members.
● Attend to the overall welfare of members
in the performance of duties or otherwise as career professional firefighters
and/or advanced life support providers.
● Provide the senior leadership of the Fire and Rescue
Department,
● Serve as advocates for the officers of
the Fire and Rescue Department.
● Provide career-related educational and
development opportunities for members.
● Maintain participation with other bona fide employee groups and the Fire and Rescue administration to jointly
develop vision and goals for the Department.
● Seek and advocate new and innovative
means of providing service to the citizens of Fairfax County and methods for
conducting operations within the Fire and Rescue Department.
● Promote and foster camaraderie and friendly
and social relationships among the Fire and Rescue officers of
ARTICLE 3
Section 1
Officers of the Association
The officers
of this Association shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
and three (3) Directors. No officer
shall serve in more than one office at any time except during periods of
temporary vacancy.
Section 2
President’s Responsibilities
It shall be
the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Association and at
Board of Director meetings. He or she
will be the executive head of the Association, and he or she shall be a member
ex officio of all committees. The
President may appoint committees as may be provided in these Bylaws and such
special committees as may be needed to investigate and make recommendations to
the Association and/or Board of Directors for member assistance or in
furtherance of the Association’s objectives.
Section 3
Vice President’s Responsibilities
The Vice
President shall assist the President in such a manner as the President may
determine. In the event the President is
unable to attend any regularly-scheduled
or special meeting, the Vice President is expected to carry out the duties that
would be discharged by the President.
Section 4
Secretary Responsibilites
The
Secretary shall keep minutes of all regular and special meetings of this Association
and keep a record of the names and addresses of each member.
Section 5
Treasurer Responsibilities
The
Treasurer shall receive all money and keep accurate account of the same. All checks shall be signed by the Treasurer
and one other member of the Board of Directors.
The Treasurer will present to the Board of Directors at each meeting,
when requested, a Treasurer’s Report detailing the financial status and
standing of the Association.
Section 6
Annual Financial Review
The books
of the Treasurer shall be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors as a
whole. The President may appoint an
Auditing Committee appointed to conduct an official audit, if deemed necessary.
Section 7
Board of Directors
There shall
be a Board of Directors who shall manage the affairs of the Association. The Board shall consist of seven members: The
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three (3) members who will
serve as at-large members.
Section 8
Registered Agent
The
registered agent of the Association shall be appointed by the President.
ARTICLE 4
Section 1
Elections and Voting Procedure
The members
of the Board of Directors shall be elected by a majority paper ballot vote of
the membership in even-numbered years. Nominations
for the Board of Director positions will be accepted at the August
meeting. Paper ballots will be mailed to
all members at the address on file for them with the Fire and Rescue
Department. The ballots will be due to
the Association at its regular mailing address no later than two (2) weeks
prior to the November meeting. The
ballots will be tabulated and the results announced at the November meeting of
an election year. Ballots shall be
maintained for one (1) year following an election. If any candidate nominated for any Board of
Director position is unopposed, they will be declared winner by acclamation.
Section 2
Eligibility for Office
Any member
in good standing shall be eligible to be a candidate for office in this
Association.
Section 3
Election Years
The members
of the Board of Directors shall be elected biennially at the November
membership meeting of the Association in even-numbered years. The term of office will commence January 1st
of the calendar year immediately following the election.
Section 4
Term of Office
Term of
office for the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Directors
shall be two years with reelection possible.
Section 5
Board Member Attendance At Scheduled
Meetings
The
President shall declare vacant the office of any Director who shall be absent
from three consecutive meetings, except when excused by the President.
Section 6
Board of Director Vacancies
When any
office becomes vacant, it shall be immediately filled by the majority vote of the
Board of Director members present at a regular Board of Directors meeting of
this Association.
Section 7
Annual Stipend
The
President of the Association will receive an annual stipend of One Thousand Two
Hundred Fifty and No/100’s ($1,250.00) Dollars in November each year. The Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
shall each receive an annual stipend of Two Hundred Fifty and No/100’s
($250.00) Dollars, and each of the three (3) at-large Directors shall receive
an annual stipend of One Hundred Twenty-Five and No/100’s ($125.00) Dollars in
payable in November.
ARTICLE 5
Section 1
Membership Criteria
Membership
in the Association shall be open to all personnel in the Fairfax County Fire
and Rescue Department holding the permanent rank of Lieutenant through Fire
Chief. No member or applicant for
membership in the Association shall be discriminated against on the basis of
race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.
Section 2
Application Procedures
Any career
uniformed officer who wishes to become a member of this Association shall
submit an application and signed payroll deduction card, and be accepted by a
majority vote of the Board of Director and Association members present at the
meeting at which the applicants are considered; usually the next meeting
following receipt of the application.
Section 3
Dues
Dues shall
be in the amount as determined by the Board of Directors and shall be paid
through payroll deduction. As of the
current edition of these By-laws, the monthly dues are Five and No/100’s
($7.50) Dollars per pay period, with a monthly maximum of Ten and No/100’s
($10.00) Dollars. The dues for
membership will be reviewed annually at the November meeting, and any dues increase
will be published to the general membership immediately upon adoption.
Section 4
Reinstatement of Membership
Any member
who leaves the Association, but later wishes to be reinstated and be in good
standing in the Association, must first pay all back dues at the current
monthly rate and be voted in by ballot by the members present at a Board of
Directors meeting of the Association. A
two-thirds majority vote will be required for reinstatement.
Section 5
Entitlement
Active and life
members may hold office and have a full voice in all activities and receive all
benefits of this Association.
Section 6
Retiree Membership
Members in
good standing of this Association upon normal or disability retirement shall be
offered Retiree Membership in this Association.
Retirees will be assessed a reduced annual dues fee of thirty-five ($35)
dollars payable to the Association through the Treasurer of this Association.
Section 7
Insurance Premiums
Each active
and life member will be personally responsible for paying the Association
through the Treasurer, the premium for any group insurance that may be in
force.
Section 8
Military Activation
Any member
in good standing in this Association who enters the Armed Forces on active duty
will be placed on Military Leave and shall continue to be entitled to all
benefits of this Association. During
military activation they shall be exempt from all dues and assessments with the
exception of any insurance premiums that may be in force. Upon return to duty in the Fairfax County
Fire and Rescue Department they shall be returned to active membership status
in this Association.
Section 9
Active, Retiree, Life and Honorary
Members
There shall
be the following types of members in this Association:
Active – An active member of the
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department who holds the permanent position of
Lieutenant or above, has applied and been accepted as a member of the
Association, and has fully maintained all financial obligations to the Association.
Retiree – A retired Association member
in good standing who wishes to remain active in, and/or maintain affiliation
with the Association.
Life – A retired Association member in
good standing who, by virtue of their contributions to the Association, is
nominated and voted by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors for full
membership, without dues, but with full entitlement to the benefits and
privileges of membership in the Association.
Honorary – Any person who by virtue of
their contributions to the Association or its mission, is nominated as a member
of the Association and is voted in by a two-thirds majority ballot vote of the
Board of Directors. A letter of membership
shall be written by the Secretary of this Association.
ARTICLE 6
Section 1
Meetings
The General
Membership meetings will be held quarterly in the months of November, February, May, and August at a
location designated by the President.
The Board of
Director meetings may run concurrent with the General Membership meetings, and
the President may additionally call special meetings of the Board of Directors
for the purpose of conducting Association business as needed. The specially-called Board of Director
meetings need not be on a regularly scheduled basis, but the general membership
will be notified of the dates of any specially-called or scheduled Board of
Director meetings.
Section 2
Quorum
The quorum
for any meeting of the Association, either regular, special, or emergency shall
be five (5) members in good standing, inclusive of three (3) members of the
Board of Directors.
Section 3
Rights of Members
Every
member in good standing shall have the right to attend any meeting and to
participate in such meeting. Members
shall conduct themselves in such a manner as not to interfere with the legal or
contractual obligations of the Association, nor shall members conduct
themselves in a manner which would be construed as disorderly or inappropriate.
ARTICLE 7
Section 1
Amendment Procedure
Any
proposed amendments to the by-laws of the Association must be submitted in
writing and signed by three members in good standing. The proposed amendments shall then read aloud
at a Board of Directors meeting and tabled until the following Board of
Directors meeting. Each member will be
provided an opportunity to review the proposed changes for review before the
Board of Directors acts on said proposed amendments.
ARTICLE 8
Section 1
Governing Rules
The Rules
contained in Roberts Rules of Order shall govern this Association in all cases
in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these
by-laws.
ARTICLE 9
Section 1
Member Development
Any member
in good standing of the Association wishing to obtain financial assistance in
pursuit of professional development through training and educational
opportunities shall submit to the Board of Directors through the President a
letter or memorandum describing the assistance being requested, a detailed
description for which assistance is being requested, and such other documentary
evidence or explanation as may be deemed necessary by the President. The Board of Directors will be consulted on
the member’s request, and the decision of the Board of Directors will be
communicated to the member as soon as practicable. Such requests may be considered by the Board
of Directors without having to schedule a formal meeting, and the decision of
the Board of Directors, as communicated through the President, will be final.
Section 2
Training and Education Account
A separate
bank account shall be maintained by the Treasurer for the purpose of member
development and the sponsorship of training events. Any monetary proceeds resulting from the
Association-sponsored seminars, symposia, or other training/education events
shall be deposited into this account.