Constitution & By-Laws

Constitution & By-Laws

ARTICLE I
Name

Section 1. The name of this corporation shall be Oak Leaf Country Club, hereinafter referred to as the Club.

Section 2. It’s principle office shall be located at Girard, Illinois.

Section 3. The seal of this Corporation shall be circular in form and around the rim, or margin, shall bear the words, “Oak Leaf Country Club, Girard, Illinois,” and in the center the words, “Incorporated November 2, 1923.”

ARTICLE II
Objects

Section 1. The objects of the Club are ‘not for pecuniary profit,’ but for educational purposes; for the development of both minds and bodies of its members and their families under hygienic rules; for the promotion of the welfare of the community as well as the members and guests of the Club, and for the promotion of social life, field sports, and other rational forms of amusement.

ARTICLE III
Membership

Section 1. Membership in this Club shall be limited to 325 members with a 10 member deviation, plus or minus, as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. All fees, associated with membership, shall be fixed at either the annual meeting or any special meeting called for that purpose.

Section 3. Irrespective of timely notification, each member shall pay quarterly dues, assessments, raffle tickets, and any other mandatory financial obligation(s) on the first day of January, April, July, and October. If unpaid by the end of the 15th day, of the month due, a fine of $20.00 shall be added to all monies owed and the member status shall be eligible to be considered delinquent. If still unpaid after 45 days then an additional fine of $50 shall be added to all delinquent monies and fines already owed, and the member status shall be eligible to be moved from delinquent to inactive. If the member status is still inactive by the 1st day of the next dues quarter then the member status shall be eligible to be moved from inactive to bad-standing.

Should a member drop in good standing, that is with all dues and fees paid in full, that member is not eligible for membership for a period of one year unless the member pays all membership fees that would have accrued during their period of absence, and provided there is a membership open. This member will not have to pay the documentation or membership initiation fee again.

At every monthly board meeting, the Secretary will report the names of members in arrears to the Board of Directors:

If the money owed by a member is not received by the end of the 15th day, of the month due, then the membership shall be eligible to be moved from active to delinquent status; the Secretary will send a notice.


If the money owed by a delinquent member has still not been received within 45 days, from which it was originally due, then the membership shall be eligible to be moved from delinquent to inactive status, and the Club shall have a lien on the membership for the amount of the unpaid financial obligations. Inactive members who continue to avail themselves to the Club’s goods and services must do so at the same rates, and availability, as afforded to the public at large; the Secretary will send a notice.

If the member is still in arrears by the 1st day of the next dues quarter then their membership shall be eligible to be moved from inactive to bad-standing status. The secretary shall give the inactive member a written notice of at least 10 days before the inactive membership is actually moved to bad-standing status. Neither the bad-standing member, nor any member of his/her immediate family, shall be eligible for membership for a period of one year from the start of the bad-standing status. Following at least one year, and after satisfying all liens against their previous membership, bad-standing members, as well as members of their immediate family, are eligible to rejoin the Club at the new-member rate and fee structure.

Members in arrears shall always assume that all eligible penalties and sanctions have already been administered, and are in effect, irrespective of the actual timely notification(s) previously noted.

Section 4. Applications for membership must be filed with the secretary and will be considered in the order in which they are filed. All fees and monies associated with the new membership must accompany the application. The accompanying fees and monies would pertain to, but may not be limited by, initiation fees, documentation fees, raffle tickets, and membership dues.

Section 5. There are three types of membership: regular, social, and junior.

Regular: This would include a husband and wife, or a single person (head-of-household,) including any children:

A. Living with the member(s) through grade 12.
B. Full-time college students (12 hours or more) through age 22 still residing in the member(s) home during out-of-school time periods.


Grandchildren, through grade 12, shall also be covered through a regular membership but they must be accompanied by the grandparent while playing.

Each regular membership comes with full voting privileges but can only cast one vote per membership certificate.


Social: This would include a husband and wife, or a single person, but would not include any children. A social membership carries no golf or voting privileges. Generally, social members pay ½ price dues and fees as determined by the Board of Directors. However, some fees (raffle tickets) must be fully paid as again determined by the Board of Directors. Social members will not be counted against the membership limit. Should members divorce, it is their responsibility to notify the secretary within 30 days as to which party will retain the social membership.

Junior: This type of membership would be available to young single golfers. The fees associated with a junior membership follows an escalating scale based on the junior member’s age. The current age/rate scale can always be obtained from either the secretary or the clubhouse manager. A junior membership carries no voting privileges. While junior members always pay reduced dues and/or fees, as determined by the Board of Directors, some fees (raffle tickets) must be fully paid as again determined by the Board of Directors. Junior members will not be counted against the membership limit.

Section 6. Every applicant elected to membership shall be required to read the Constitution and By-Laws of the Club before being entitled to any of its rights and privileges.

Section 7. The Board of Directors shall have the power to place an assessment upon every member for such a period of time as they deem necessary. Assessments will never be prorated or ½ price.

Section 8. The Club may hold up to (2) raffles each year, at events determined by the Board of Directors. Every membership, of all types, will be required to sell (10) raffle tickets for each announced event as part of fulfilling their ongoing membership obligation(s.)

Section 9. New members shall pay a one-time set-up and documentation fee of $20.00. This fee may be split between the 1st and 2nd dues statements if so requested by the new member. This fee may also be waived by the Board of Directors for any, or all, prospective new member(s.)


Section 10. Every January 1, annual membership dues will be automatically adjusted, be set and fixed for the then current calendar year, and thereafter, by a percentage amount based on the COLA percentage number implemented by the Federal Government’s Social Security Administration as it relates to the calendar year beginning January 1. If necessary, the minimum percentage adjustment shall be set at 1.25%. The amount of the new quarterly dues amount will be raised to the next highest whole dollar amount.

ARTICLE IV
Officers

Section 1. The officers of the Club shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Board of Directors making a total of seven people.


Section 2. The President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected from the Board of Directors, a majority vote being necessary to be elected. The Board of Directors shall be elected at each annual meeting of the membership at large, provided, no member shall be eligible to be on the Board of Directors until he, or she, has been a member in good standing of the Club for a least (1) year. The names of the members nominated for election to the Board of Directors shall come from the floor and voted on by the members in attendance in the form of secret ballot. In the event of a tie the process of voting will be repeated until there is no tie.


Section 3. It shall be the duties of the Board of Directors to pass upon all applications for membership, and all other matters not assigned to any special committee. They shall have charge of, and be responsible for all property of the Club and control its premises. They shall audit all bills and accounts of the Club and direct all orders to be issued against the Treasurer. They shall make, alter, and amend rules for the government of the clubhouse and grounds. They shall protect all Club property, and see to the enforcement of the Club rules and By-Laws, assess all fines and penalties, and suspend all members liable to suspension. They shall, as they see fit, procure a suitable keeper, or keepers, for the club premises and make all necessary contracts or agreements thereto and to remove him or them at their discretion. They may authorize the use of the Club premises, in whole or in part, other than for Club purposes with Club functions taking precedence. By authority of the Board of Directors all certificates of membership, notes, bonds, written contracts, deeds, mortgages and other instruments shall be executed in the name of Oak Leaf Country Club by its President and attested by its Secretary under the seal of the Club. Any director who shall absent himself from three consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors without consent from the President shall be considered to have thereby resigned his, or her, office and the Board shall proceed to fill the vacancy by appointment until the next Annual meeting.

Section 4. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Board of Directors. He shall within ten days after the Annual meeting, appoint the following committee chairpersons: Clubhouse, Grounds and Greens, Special Events, Construction, Accounting, Tournaments, and Legal/Finance.

Section 5. The Vice-President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.


Section 6. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep a record of all the proceedings of the Club and of its Board of Directors in a bound book, furnished by the Club, issue all notices of meetings and elections, conduct the general correspondence of the Club and Board of Directors, and have custody of the seal, charter, By-Laws, membership certificates, and other records of the Club all of which shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of the members. The Secretary shall collect all dues, fines, and other monies due the Club. The Secretary shall keep an accurate account of all monies received, and pay them out of the Club’s bank accounts, usually by check, upon the order of the Board of Directors. The Club shall furnish the Treasurer’s bond in the amount of $10,000 approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 7. The full annual report of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be printed and available at the Annual Meeting of the membership at large. A partial report thru the end of November will be mailed to each member in December.

Section 8. It shall be the duty of the Grounds and Greens chairperson to supervise the stocking of the lake and regulate the fishing privileges. Their will be no jug or trout line fishing allowed.

Section 9. It shall be the duty of the Grounds and Greens committee to have the general supervision of the fairways and the greens. The Tournament’s committee shall have charge of all play and golf tournaments on the course.

Section 10. The Board of Directors is to set the price of:
1. Green fees to be charged to non-members for play on the course.
2. Cart rental fees charged for both member and non-members.
3. Liquor.
4. Non-kitchen edible items.

In addition to the items listed previously, the Board of Directors reserves the right of discretionary approval for all other items offered for sale to members, and non-members, at the Club.

Section 11. The names of the members of each committee shall be kept posted in the Club House and these committees are under the control and supervision of the Board of Directors at all times.

ARTICLE V
Meetings

Section 1. The Annual meeting of the Club shall be held on the second Wednesday of January of each year for the election of officers and directors and the transaction of such business as may properly come before it.

Section 2. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at least once each month at a time fixed by the President or upon allocation to the President by three or more Board members. Four members shall constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of those present is sufficient for action. Notice of such meetings shall be given by the Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 3. Any special meeting of the Club may be called during the year by the Board of Directors for such business as may be necessary for attention, and such meetings will not be legal unless three day’s notice stating the object of the meeting shall be given in writing to each voting membership of the Club.

Section 4. At any meeting of the membership at large, as called by the Board of Directors, 10% of the total number of voting memberships shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present shall be sufficient for action.

Section 5. If a Regular membership is held by a married couple, then the husband and wife shall each have a vote at any meeting of the membership at large. If the Regular membership is held by a single person then he, or she, shall have one vote.

ARTICLE VI
Ground Rules

Section 1. The Club premises are private grounds for the use of the Club members, their families, and guest(s) and are not basically for public or general use. The premises shall be used in an orderly and decent manner and the conduct of all persons within the premises shall be such as to give no cause for offense at any time.

Section 2. No firearms or sling shots will be permitted on the grounds at any time. No person shall be permitted to hunt, trap, or kill any birds, fowl, or animals of any description excepting by special permission of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. No pets will be permitted in the Club House or to run at large on the premises.


ARTICLE VII
Penalties

Section 1. Any member of the Club, or member of his, or her, family, or guest who shall violate any By-Law, rule, or regulation of the Club now in force, or which shall hereinafter be adopted, shall be subject to suspension or expulsion. In all cases guests at the Club shall be subject to the same rules an regulations as the members of the Club.

Section 2. The keeper shall report every violation of the By-Laws known to them to the President or a member of the Board of Directors, whereupon at least five days written notice shall be given to the offending member of alleged violation, and the time and place of the meeting of the Board of Directors at which time said Board shall act upon the charges made, as it may deem the facts require.

Section 3. Any member may be expelled by a majority vote of the Regular members of the Club, for any cause they may deem sufficient, provided the member shall first be given at least fifteen days written notice before action is taken.


Section 4. Any member may be suspended from any or all privileges of the Club by a majority vote of the Board of Directors of any violation of a rule or By-Law of the Club, for such period as they may direct, but the penalty shall not abridge the power to expel as previously provided for.

ARTICLE VIII
Guests

Section 1. All golfing or fishing guests must register upon entering onto the grounds.


ARTICLE IX
By-Laws

Section 1. The By-Laws may be amended by majority vote of the quorum of voting membership of the Club at any meeting called for that purpose by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. All questions of interpretation of the By-Laws will be the decision of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. All members of the Club, and of the Board of Directors, shall be governed by Robert’s Parliamentary Rules of Order.


Amendments/Revisions to:

August 1, 1944
February 1, 1960
March 1, 1969
May 19, 1970
October 27, 1971
January 12, 1972
January 8, 1975
January 20, 1999
April 21, 2009
November 11, 2009

Adopted: November 11, 2009