This organization shall be known as the Bowie-Crofton Garden Club.

The aims of this club shall be to promote interest in and develop skills in gardening through cooperation, joint efforts and good fellowship.

It shall be the policy of this club to stimulate interest and share knowledge on gardening, and to serve the Bowie-Crofton area through community service projects that will enhance the beauty of our environment.

This club shall finance its activities on a fiscal year basis, beginning July 1st and ending June 30th, a period referred to as a club year. Membership dues are based on class of membership, described in Article III, and are as follows:

    Regular Individual....................$10.00

    Regular Family...........................12.00

    Junior (See Article III)...................2.00

New members who join the club after January 1st shall pay one-half the applicable annual dues. The V.P. of Membership shall notify members delinquent by one month in their dues, and those members shall forfeit membership if their dues remain unpaid by the end of August, and a reinstatement fee of $5 will be added to the normal dues payment.

Other fund-raising activities may be established by a majority vote of the General Membership present at a general membership meeting.

It shall be the responsibility of the club to properly operate, maintain and safeguard facilities and equipment provided for club use by private or public sources.

Regular Membership - open to any person, at least 18 years of age, willing to assume a fair share of the financial and organizational responsibilities and to exhibit an active interest in gardening.

Family Membership - open to any family of two or more people, all residing at the same address.

Junior Membership - open to any youngster who is at least 10 years of age at time of application and less than 18 on December 31s1 of the club year at the time of application.

Honorary Membership — The club may choose to bestow honorary life membership on individuals who are no longer active but have made significant contributions.

There shall be seven (7) club officers, as listed in Section 2, below. Their duties are described in Section 3. These positions are elective, in accordance with ARTICLE IV, except when appointed in accordance with Section 4, below.

Officers shall serve two year terms and may be re-elected for further terms without limit- Each term shall alternate between odd and even years depending upon the office as follows:

    President...................................................Odd years

    1st V.P., Programs...................................Even years

    2nd V.P., Membership.............................Odd years

    3rd V.P., Plant Exchanges/Door Prize...Even years

    4th V.P., Public Relations........................Odd years

    Secretary...................................................Even years

    Treasurer...................................................Odd years

President - Preside at all meetings and represent the club whenever necessary. He/she shall appoint two (2) individuals each year as auditors for the end of the fiscal year audit of the Treasurer's records. He/she shall appoint a nominating committee of three (3) members, two months prior to elections.

First V.P. , Programs - Shall assume the duties of the President during any absence and shall act as Program Chairman, responsible for planning and implementing the programs for regular meetings.

Second V.P. , Membership - Shall act as the membership chairperson and maintain the membership roster, and be responsible for mailing newsletters.

Third V.P. , Plant Exchanges/Door Prize - Shall be responsible for setting up plant and seed exchanges at regular meetings, and secure door prizes.

Fourth V.P. , Public Relations - Shall be responsible for publicity and liaison with other garden clubs.

Secretary - Shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the club.

Treasurer - Shall be custodian of the club funds and shall handle, record and report, as required, the details of all financial transactions. He/she shall collect all dues from the members and coordinate dues information with the 2nd Vice President (membership). Informed reports of funds status shall be issued at any meeting upon request. The Treasurer shall propose a budget for the coming fiscal year and present it to the Executive Committee in April. (See Article VII, Budget.)

In the event of mid-term vacancies, the position may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee to complete the club year. If the normal term extends into the following club year, that position shall be included in the next annual election in accordance with Article V for fulfilling the remaining period of the term.

The Executive Committee in accordance with ARTICLE VI shall perform administration of the club.

An election of officers, whose terms expire in accordance with ARTICLE IV Sections 2 and 4, shall be conducted annually in April at a regular meeting. The slate of nominees shall consist of those candidates presented by the Nominating Committee, and nominees submitted from the floor at the election meeting. Officers are elected by a simple majority vote of the members present at the election meeting.

Newly elected officers shall be installed in May.

The committee shall consist of all club officers, plus each committee chairperson and the Editor/Co- editor of the Club Newsletter. This committee is responsible for all administrative functions of the club, including finances, establishment and definition of duties of committees, initiation of special projects. The Committee shall meet at least 3 times each club year. One meeting will be held in April to review the budget proposed by the Treasurer. The other meetings shall be at the call of the President. In addition, there will be one transitional meeting, to include both incoming and outgoing Executive Committee members, following the election of new officers-

The Nominating Committee, appointed by the President in February, shall find nominees within the membership for each position due for election, and present the slate to the membership at the March meeting to be voted on at the April meeting.

Standing committees include Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, Field Trips, Plant Sale, Historian, Hospitality, Member Garden Tours and Sunshine. Chairs of the standing committees serve for one-year terms, and are appointed or re-appointed by the President at the time of officer elections in April.

The operating budget for the coming fiscal year is proposed by the Treasurer to the Executive Committee at the April committee meeting. After review/revision by the Executive Committee, the proposed budget shall be published in the April newsletter and voted on by the general membership at the May meeting.

All non-budgeted expenditures over $100 shall be approved by the general membership. The Treasurer or President must authorize expenditures under $100 such expenditures shall be published in the Treasurer's report in the next newsletter.

General Membership meetings shall be held once a month, each month, except June and December, on the last Tuesday of the month, unless holidays or unforeseen events prevent meeting at that time. In that event, the Executive Committee will issue a notice of change in the meeting schedule. Additional meetings may be called by the President at his/her discretion, and must be called when requested by a written petition bearing the signatures of ten (10) or more members in good standing. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.

A General Membership meeting may amend or alter the By-Laws, provided the proposed amendments have been submitted to the Executive Committee in writing one month prior to the meeting. A copy of the amendment and the Executive Committee's recommendations shall be distributed to the membership. Approval of two-thirds of the members present at the meeting shall be required for adoption of the amendment.

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