Club Constitution

ARTICLE I:   NAME

This organization shall be known as:  Buckeye Beemers.  It may be subtitled:  BMW Motorcyclists of Central Ohio

ARTICLE II:  PURPOSE

    This organization shall be dedicated to pursuit of these purposes:

Sec. 1    Sponsoring motorcycling activities of various kinds, for the participation of members and their guests.  (E.g., touring, rallying, camping, and other activities.) 

Sec. 2    Participating as a group or as individuals in various motorcycling activities sponsored by BMWMOA, other BMW motorcycling organizations, or other motorcycling organizations.

Sec. 3    Emphasizing the advantages of motorcycling for practicality and enjoyment.

Sec. 4    Supporting safety and educational programs for members and other motorcyclists.

Sec. 5    Monitoring and reporting governmental proposals affecting motorcyclists.

Sec. 6    Promoting pride of ownership of BMW motorcycles.

Sec. 7    Presenting a positive image of motorcycling, especially on BMWs, to the public and to the press/media.

ARTICLE III:  MEMBERSHIP

Sec. 1    Active membership in this organization shall be open to any person who owns a BMW or other motorcycle, and who pays their annual membership dues. 

Sec. 2    The active membership categories shall be:

  1. Solo Membership - for any person owning a BMW or other motorcycle and operating it as driver.

  2. Associate Membership - any non-driver spouse or family member of a full club member.  Associate members do not have any voting rights. 

  3. Honorary Membership - for any person(s) this organization wishes to honor by this gratis membership status. 

Sec. 3    Active members may cast one vote on formal business matters and motions pending before this organization.  They shall be eligible to hold office, to serve on committees, and to participated in all activities of this organization. 

Sec. 4    Associate and Honorary members may not vote or may not hold office. 

Sec. 5    Persons joining this organization prior to October 01, 1980, will be designated Charter Members.

Sec. 6    Membership in this organization will be granted by the Vice-President - Membership, in response to a completed membership application and receipt of membership dues. 

Sec. 7    Members will be entitled to identification with this organization by various means, such as:

  1. Login access to the Club website

  2. Club patch and pin

Sec. 8 Members will be eligible for the following benefits:

  1. Reduced fees to certain club activities

  2. Other benefits as approved by the Board

ARTICLE IV:  DUES AND FEES

Sec. 1    The amount assessed as annual dues to members shall be set by the Board at the beginning of the fiscal year for this organization which runs from January 1st to December 31st each year.

Sec. 2    Annual membership dues are payable in advance of January 1st of each year.  Dues will be considered delinquent if not paid in full by the annual club banquet.  Delinquent members will have their membership and access to the club website suspended. 

Sec. 3    Dues for new members joining this organization at a given point during the year will be proportional to the actual months involved at the discretion of the Vice President - Membership.

Sec. 4     The Board may recommend to the membership for their approval other fees as may from time to time be required to assure financial solvency or to fund special activities of this organization.

ARTICLE V:  GOVERNANCE

Sec. 1    The activities of this organization shall be conducted through democratic processes by an elected Board consisting of five members serving annually beginning October 1st each year. 

Sec. 2    At any meeting prior to September, any active club member may declare themself a candidate for a specific available position on the Board that is to be voted on during the September club meeting.  Candidate names will be posted on the club website prior to the September membership meeting. 

Sec. 3    Voting for candidates for Board positions will be conducted by secret ballot at the September membership meeting.  All published candidates will be listed on the ballot.  If a member is unable to attend the September meeting, they may deliver their written ballot to any Board member to be submitted on that members' behalf when the vote is called.  Voting by text, email, mail, or proxy will not be permitted.  For each Board position that is being voted upon, the candidate receiving the most votes will be declared the new Board member.  In event of a tie for any position, a run-off election will be held at the same meeting.  At the conclusion of this meeting the President will formally install the new Board members in place with their official activity to begin October 1st. 

Sec. 4    The most recent members of the Board will provide advisory assistance to the newly elected Board from October 1st through December 31st after the election of the new Board members.

Sec. 5    Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by appointment of the President with a confirming majority vote of the Board for the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE VI:  DUTIES OF THE BOARD

Sec. 1    It shall be the duty of the Board to pursue the purposes of this organization through effective leadership, and to develop appropriate plans and activities on behalf of the members including:  planning and conducting Board and membership meetings, approving budgets and reports, monitoring the work of committees, exercising general oversight, and evaluating outcomes. 

ARTICLE VII: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

It shall be the specific duty of each officer to administer certain matters of business or other affairs of this organization. Each officer may also perform additional and appropriate duties required by the Board and/or the membership.

Sec.1    The President shall:

  1. Preside at meetings of the Board and the membership

  2. Appoint, with a confirming majority vote of the Board, the Chairman, and members of any standing committees

  3. Be the parliamentary authority of all procedures

  4. Maintain the master copy of the Constitution and the By-Laws

  5. Be spokesperson for this organization in official or executive capacity

Sec. 2    The Vice-President - Membership shall:

  1. Administer membership recruitment efforts

  2. Keep accurate membership records

  3. Grant official membership in the organization to new members

  4. In the absence of the President, preside at meetings of the Board and the membership

Sec. 3    The Vice-President - Activities, shall:

  1. Develop a calendar of events

  2. Recruit appropriate committees and work teams for staffing and accomplishing these events.

  3. Collect entry fees at events for deposit to accounts kept by the Treasurer

Sec. 4    The Treasurer shall:

  1. Accept payments of member dues, provide receipts as required, deposit funds into the club’s bank account, record, and report all monies received, paid, or donated by this organization

  2. Maintain the bank account(s) of this organization

  3. Keep an account of all income and expenses

  4. Prepare and present financial reports at the monthly membership meetings

Sec. 5    The Secretary shall:

  1. Prepare minutes of meetings of the Board and present them to the membership for approval and acceptance at each monthly membership meeting

  2. File minutes for archival reference on the club’s website

  3. Prepare and distribute communications for the Board, as required.

ARTICLE VIII:  MEETINGS

Sec. 1    The Board shall meet monthly except if waived by a majority vote taken at the last preceding meeting or the most efficient means available for communication.

Sec. 2    Meetings of the Board shall be open to observation by members; however, members may not participate directly in the business pending before the Board.  At the conclusion of the Board meetings, the President shall recognize any member who wished to speak to the Board on any matter related to the purposes of this organization. 

Sec. 3    At least one membership meeting shall be held in each quarter of the year. The September meeting for election of Board members may be one of these meetings.  A membership meeting may be held in conjunction with any activity.

Sec. 4    Board and membership meetings shall be announced to the membership, in advance, via email and/or the calendar posted on the club website.

Sec. 5    A quorum must be present for the transaction of business at Board and membership meetings.  The quorums required shall be:

  1. For the Board, three (of five)

  2. For the membership, 10% of total current membership

Sec. 6    A majority vote of those present at meetings with a quorum will be required for passage of normal items of business.

Sec. 7    Additional or special meetings of the Board and/or the membership may be called by the President or by a majority vote of the Board.  Notice of such additional or special meetings will be distributed by the Vice-President, Communications, via the newsletter or by another effective mean if turnaround time is short.

ARTICLE IX:  STANDING AND OTHER COMMITTEES

Sec. 1    The President shall appoint, with a confirming majority vote of the Board, Chairpersons, and members for the following standing committees of the Board:

  1. Audit, in charge of the annual certification of the financial records of this organization

  2. Government, in charge of monitoring and reporting to members governmental proposals and policies affective motorcyclists

  3. Club communications, in charge of gathering and editing information for publishing on the website of this organization.

  4. Safety, in charge of all considerations for riding safely during activities of the organization and of safety-related matters of general interest to the membership. 

Sec.2    Standing committees report to and serve at the pleasure of the Board.  Chairpersons of standing committees may attend meetings of the Board as non-voting resource persons.

Sec.3     Other committees may be established by the Board, officers, or membership for specific tasks or ad-hoc work. 

ARTICLE X:  PARTICIPATION AND CONDUCT

Sec.1     A reasonable level of participation in meetings and activities is expected of members, including riding in events, working at events, serving on committees, and fulfilling the purposes of this organization. 

Sec. 2    Good conduct, warm friendship, and the open hospitality traditionally associated with the BMW marque should permeate all meetings and activities. 

Sec. 3    Certain activities will not be tolerated at meetings or activities.  These behaviors will be considered cause for revocation of membership:

  1. Disorderly conduct

  2. Gross profanity

  3. Consumption of alcoholic beverages, except as previously approved by the President.

  4. Drug Abuse

  5. Wild, unsafe motorcycling habits, especially those which may jeopardize the safety of others

  6. Obnoxious behavior detrimental to the positive image of this organization and its members

ARTICLE XI:  AMENDMENTS

Sec. 1     This constitution may be amended by a two-third vote of the membership or unanimous approval of the members of the Board of Directors in the absence of two-thirds of the membership at the meeting.  An Amendment may be proposed by any active member.

Sec. 2    Amendments must be offered in writing to the Secretary and/or Treasurer for review at a meeting of the Board.  The President shall present the amendment to the membership at its next meeting. The member offering the amendment shall have the opportunity to speak about it first. 

Sec.3    If passed, the amendment will be incorporated into the master copy of the constitution kept by the President.  As needed, an updated version of the constitution will be re-typed for appropriate distribution.

Adopted at the club meeting held on September 20, 2022.