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Organized 1926 | Incorporated 1946

FIRST DRAFT – April 25, 1997
SECOND DRAFT – September 8 1997
ADOPTED – October 14, 1997
AMENDED – October 10, 2017

PREAMBLE

This constitution and By-Laws under it shall conform to the constitution and By-Laws of the Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches, Inc.

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of the organization is the Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches, Inc.

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE

Section 1

The Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches, Inc. (hereinafter called The Chamber) is organized for the purpose of advancing the commercial, industrial, recreational, moral, and civic interests of the Moriches area. To promote integrity and good faith; just and equitable principles in businesses; uniformity in commercial usages; to acquire, preserve, and distribute appropriate statistics and information of value; and to have a part in representing this area in the consideration and decision of community, educational, town, county, state, and national issues.

Section 2

The Chamber shall be non-partisan and non-sectarian and shall take no part in, nor lend, its influence or facilities, either directly or indirectly, to the nomination, election, or appointment of any candidate for office in town, county, state, or nation. Nor shall any meetings of a political nature, whatsoever, be held within the premises occupied by or under the control of The Chamber

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1

Any person, partnership, association, or corporation in business, or an individual residing in the community, and of good standing in the community interested and willing to assist in the promotion of the object of The Chamber shall be eligible for membership

Section 2

Application for membership shall be made to the Secretary of The Chamber on the approved form. The signed application shall be regarded as a representation of the applicant’s interest in, and agreement with, the objectives of The Chamber, and of the applicant’s promise to adhere to the By-Laws, rules, and regulations of The Chamber. The application shall be accompanied by advance payment of dues for the first year. A copy of the current By-Laws shall be given to a prospective member.

Section 3

There shall be three (3) classifications of membership;

  1. Professional and Business
  2. Resident
  3. Honorary – Shall be conferred only upon those individuals whom the Directors consider to have rendered conspicuous service to the community. Honorary members shall have no voting privileges, cannot hold any elected office, nor shall they be required to pay dues. The holding of any such Honorary Membership shall not preclude any member from also holding a Regular Membership and enjoying all the privileges and responsibilities of that membership.

Section 4

  1. A Professional of Business Membership shall be entitled to one vote.
  2. A Resident Membership may include both marital parties and entitle both to only one vote, and all privileges of The Chamber without payment of additional dues or fees.

Section 5

Any member may vote by proxy providing the proxy in writing be delivered to the Recording Secretary for filing prior to the vote. Delivery of the proxy may be accomplished by mailing or otherwise. The proxy must designate the individuals who may vote and the specific issue(s) upon which the individual is to vote.

An officer or a member of the Board of Directors may not vote by proxy at a Board of Directors meeting

Section 5(A)

Absentee ballots for election of officers or members of the Board of Directors are not permitted.

Section 6

Any member may be expelled by a ¾ vote of the Directors for any act, which, in the opinion of those Directors, is detrimental to the interest of The Chamber. In expulsion cases (except for non-payment of dues), written charges shall be presented to the Directors who, if they desire to act on the case, shall send a copy thereof to the member. In such cases, the President shall appoint three (3) members to investigate the chargers and report to the Directors. The member may appeal the decision of the Directors to the membership at the next regular business meeting of the Chamber. The membership may, by majority vote of members present at said meeting, override the Board of Directors. If no appeal is filed by the next regular business meeting, the decision of the Directors is then considered final. The procedure at both a hearing and an appeal shall be determined by the Directors, but the member shall be entitled to counsel (at their expense) if they desire. Should the Directors (or The Chamber, after an appeal) vote to expel a member, any prepaid dues shall be forfeited.

ARTICLE IV – DUES

Section 1

The membership dues shall be paid annually for the calendar year January through December in an amount designated by the general membership.

Section 2

There shall be a one-time option offered to new members who join The Chamber after July 1, to pay the first-year dues at ½ of the current new membership dues.

ARTICLE V – MEETINGS

There shall be three (3) types of meeting:

  1. Regular Business Meeting – to be held on the second Tuesday of each month, September through June. (There are no regular business meetings July and August.) Membership meetings are open to the public. For practical reasons, the membership may change the meeting date.
  2. Special Meeting – whenever the President or a majority of the Officers or upon petition signed by no less that fifteen (15) percent of the members in good standing shall constitute membership in good standing.
  3. Board of Directors Meeting – shall meet once a month, including July and August. The quorum for this meeting shall be 40% of the current Board of Directors.

Quorum – at all regular business and special meetings, the quorum shall be fifteen (15) percent of the current membership in good standing.

ARTICLE VI – OFFICERS

Section 1 – President

The President – it shall be the duty of the president to call for and preside over all meetings of The Chamber or the Board of Directors, in just and impartial manner; appoint a Sergeant at Arms and all committees as hereafter indicated, and be, ex officio, a member of all committees, except the Nominating and Auditing Committees.

Section 2 – Vice President

The Vice-President shall act in the absence of the President; and in the absence of the President and the Vice President, the Recording Secretary and then the Treasurer shall act temporarily.

Section 3 – Recording Secretary

The Recording Secretary shall keep a true account and record in the Minute Book, the discussions and deliberations of all meetings, and at each meeting to report the previous meeting’s minutes. The Recording Secretary shall also keep a Policy Manual as described in Article VI, Section 6.

Section 4 – Corresponding Secretary

The Corresponding Secretary shall keep a roster of membership, send notices of meetings by mail, and conduct correspondence at the request of the President or the Officer acting in absence of the President.

Section 5

The Treasurer shall receive and disperse the funds of The Chamber by check, which shall be countersigned by the President or in the absence of the President by an Officer designated by the Board of Directors. At regular meetings, the Treasurer shall report to the membership all monies transacted. All monies of The Chamber shall be deposited by the Treasurer in account(s) in the name of The Chamber. The Treasurer shall keep records of the receipt and disbursement of all Chamber funds.

Section 6 – The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, The Treasurer, the immediate past President and seven (7) members elected annually from the general membership. The duties of the Board of Directors shall be to confer with, advise, and assist the President; consider applications for membership; and expulsion from membership, as indicated in Article III. Vacancies on the Board of Directors or among the Officers shall be filled by the Board of Directors by a majority Vote.

  1. The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing procedure, formulating and adopting all policies of The Chamber. These policies shall be maintained by the Recording Secretary in a Policy Manual to be reviewed annually and revised by the Board of Directors as necessary.
  2. A Member of the Board of Directors who shall be absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be automatically dropped from membership on the board, unless confined by illness or other absences approved by majority vote of those voting at any meeting thereof.

Section 7

In the event a majority of the Board of Directors shall resign, a special meeting of the membership shall be called to fill the vacancies by a majority vote of members present.

Section 8

All Officers and Directors shall serve their elected office for one (1) year; elections shall be conducted at the Chambers Regular Business Meeting held in the month of November. The newly elected Chamber Officers will take charge at the beginning of the January Meeting.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

Section 1

The President shall appoint Chairpersons for those committees deemed necessary to carry on the work of The Chamber. The members of the committees shall be volunteers from the membership.

Section 2

There shall be an Auditing Committee consisting of two (2) members. The Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. The Committee shall audit all the Treasurer’s books before the appointment of the new Chamber Officers, or upon a changer of Treasurer. The committee shall audit all the Treasurer’s books to ensure the books are in proper order and all monies accounted for. They shall report their findings to the membership at the next regular business meeting.

Section 3

There shall be a Nominating Committee consisting of three (3) members elected from the general membership two (2) months prior to the election of Officers in November; the Nominating Committee shall report the nominees at the Chamber’s Regular Business Meeting one (1) month prior to the election. Upon election to the Nominating Committee, a member of The Chamber shall not be eligible for nomination by the Nominating Committee as an Officer or member of the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee shall select one nominee for:

  1. Each elective office as indicated in Article VI.
  2. Five (5) members on the Board of Directors. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be presented at the first general membership meeting prior to the general election. Following the report of the Nominating Committee, the committee shall be disbanded, and all committee members shall then be eligible for nominations from the floor immediately prior to the election of Officers. No more that two (2) resident members can be nominated for, or hold, any elected office, including membership on the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII – CORRESPONDANCE

All correspondence shall be on Chamber stationary, which shall be obtained from the Corresponding Secretary only in the amount necessary for the business at hand. The original and duplicate or all outside correspondence must be filled with the Corresponding Secretary for approval by the President before mailing.

ARTICLE IX – PARLIAMENTARY RULES

“The Revised Roberts Rules of Parliamentary Procedure” shall be used to conduct meetings, if not in conflict with the By-Laws.

ATRICLE X – ORDER OF BUSINESS

  1. Call to order
  2. Salute to the flag
  3. Introduce all guests
  4. Reading and approval of minutes
  5. Treasurer’s report
  6. Bills and communications
  7. Reports of standing committees
  8. Reports of special committees
  9. Unfinished business
  10. New business
  11. Adjournment

ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS

The By-Laws may be adopted or amended by 2/3 vote of the members present at a regular meeting of The Chamber. The exact wording of the By-Laws or any amendment must be published and circulated to all members of The Chamber prior to any vote to adopt or to amend.

ARTICLE XII

The effective date of this Constitution shall supersede any former Constitution of By-Laws of The Chamber.