Club Bylaws

PREAMBLE: 1/31/17

The ADRIATIC MARCHEGIAN CLUB (hereinafter Club) was organized June 5, 1926. Presently located at 30 Hawthorne Avenue, Derby, Connecticut, its fundamental ideals are honesty, brotherhood, love and respect. The Club was formed to promote and encourage the Italian culture, to provide for the recreation and amusement of its members and guests, to promote and encourage citizenship, and to do any and all things incident thereto. The Club shall not have partisan and political goals, but shall be motivated by brotherhood and humanitarian ideals.

ARTICLE I

A. QUALIFICATIONS

Any person 21 years of age or older seeking membership into the Club must submit an application to an active member. An active member seeking to sponsor a new applicant must be a member in good standing for one year in order to sponsor a new applicant. At the next regular monthly meeting, as described in ARTICLE II, A, the applicant’s name will be submitted to the membership for consideration. That applicant’s name will be posted at the clubroom for no less than 30 days, for all members to view. A screening committee, appointed by the President of the Club, will review the potential new applicant and make its recommendation to the President of the Club. The applicant shall become a member if two-thirds of the eligible assembly vote in favor of accepting the applicant as a new member at the next regular monthly meeting, as described in ARTICLE II, A.

B. MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES

Any member in good standing may have full use of all Club property at any time, unless limited by special functions. Members may also participate in all Club functions and special events.

C. DUES

The annual membership dues shall be established and adopted by the Officers of the Club at the annual meeting described in ARTICLE II, C.  Dues letters will be distributed no later than 1 week after annual meeting. Any member who fails to pay dues by January 31st of the New Year, shall be suspended until his dues are paid. Dues collector has final decision on member’s status.

D. TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION OF MEMBERSHIP

I. An individual ceases to be a member of the Club upon his death or written resignation.

II. A member may be suspended or expelled by the Officers of the Club, if upon receipt of a written complaint, the Officers find that such member’s conduct was in violation of the bylaws or otherwise unbecoming a member of the Club. Such disciplinary action may only be taken after the Officers have investigated the complaint and given the accused member a chance to be heard in his own defense. If the accused member is aggrieved by any action taken by the Officers he may appeal to the full membership by notifying the President in writing of his intention to appeal with seven (7) days of being notified of the Officer’s decision. Upon receipt of a notice of appeal, the President shall call a Special meeting, as described in ARTICLE II, B, of the Membership for sole purpose of hearing the appeal. After the Officers and accused member have addressed the membership and responded to their questions, upon motion duly made, the members must vote by a 2/3 majority to overturn the decision of the Officers to vacate the order of suspension or expulsion.

ARTICLE II – MEETINGS

A. Regular Monthly Meetings

There shall be regular monthly meetings held on the second Tuesday of each month, beginning at seven thirty p.m. Each year, every member will be given a written meeting schedule prior to the first meeting in January.

B. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Club may be called at any time by the President of the Club, or in his absence by the Vice-President. The Dues Collector shall cause written Notice of such special meeting to be mailed to the last recorded address of each member, not less that ten (10) days prior to the meeting date. The Notice shall state the date, time and purpose of such special meeting.

C. Annual meeting

The annual meeting shall be held on the second Tuesday of December at seven thirty p.m. At the annual meeting, the President will give a year-end report to the assembly. Biennially, officers will be elected for the next succeeding two years. Notice of the annual meeting shall be mailed to each member not less than thirty days prior thereto.

ARTICLE III

A. Officers

The Club shall have the following Officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, Dues Collector, three Trustees, three Councilors, and three House Committee members. The President shall appoint the Permittee of the Club.

B. Qualifications and Vacancy

No member shall be eligible to hold elective or appointive office unless he has been a member in good standing for not less than twelve consecutive months prior to his election or appointment. Officers shall serve for a two year term commencing on the first day of January immediately after their election. In the case of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice-President shall immediately succeed to the office of President. In the case of a vacancy in any other elective office, the position shall be posted on the board no less than 15 days prior to the next scheduled monthly meeting. Applicants shall sign their name to the notice showing that they are applying for the position. The only exception is, if nobody signs up for the position, or if the membership votes not to accept the person that signed up because they feel that he is not capable of filling the position, then the President shall appoint a member in good standing to fill that position. The person that fills the vacancy shall hold that office for the remainder of the term. If a vacancy occurs in any appointed office, the position shall be appointed by the President.

C. Officers

(I) President- The President shall be the chief officer of the Club, and shall be present at all meetings of the Club. He shall be a member ex officio of all committees. He shall communicate to the Club membership such matters and make such suggestions as may in his opinion tend to promote the ideals, welfare and usefulness of the Club and shall perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the office.

(II) Vice-President- The Vice-President of the Club shall perform all duties of the President during the absence of the President. He shall be a member ex officio of all committees. He shall be responsible for all bar activities, including bartenders, inventory management, and the recording of daily bar receipts, which will be reported to the Secretary/Treasurer on a monthly basis.

(III) Secretary/Treasurer- It shall be his duty to give notice of and attend all meetings and keep a record of such proceedings. The treasurer shall keep an account of all monies received and expended for the use of the Club, and shall make disbursements authorized by the President. All sums received shall be deposited in a bank or banks approved by the President, and he shall make a report at the monthly meeting, as described in ARTICLE II, A, or when called upon to do so by the President. He shall be responsible for completing annual State and Federal tax returns. All funds may only be drawn upon by the signatures of at least two of the following offices: the President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer.

(IV) Dues Collector- The Dues Collector shall keep a list of all Club members; establish machinery for the collection of dues and their payment to the treasurer; prepare, with the concurrence of the Treasurer, an annual report of the transactions and conditions of the Club.

(V) Trustees- The Trustees, at any time, will have immediate access to all documentation relevant to any and all Club transactions, including financial reports and inventories, to ensure all records, inventories, and all financial statements are maintained properly, and in accordance with the rules of the Club.

(VI) Councilors- The Councilors shall be available to the President, Vice President, or any other officer of the Club when called upon, providing guidance, opinions, and recommendations related to any club matter, in which any recommendations advised have the best interest of the Club in mind at all times. The President may call on the Councilors at any time, or during any special meetings of the Club, as described in ARTICLE II, B.

(VII) House Committee- The House committee will oversee and recommend all repairs and maintenance relevant to all Club property.

ARTICLE IV

A. Election

The election of officers shall take place every two years at the time and place of the Annual meeting, as described in ARTICLE II, C. Any member in good standing shall be entitled to vote. Any candidate who receives a majority of votes cast shall be elected. At all assembly meetings, in the event of a ballot vote tie, the presiding officer shall cast one vote to break a tie.

ARTICLE V

A. Disolvement of the Club

I. The Club shall be dissolved upon two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at a special meeting called solely and expressly for the purpose of considering a resolution to dissolve the Club.

II. Upon the adoption of such a resolution, the Club’s assets, of every type and description, shall be sold in a manner to generate the greatest amount of revenue, provided such sale or sales of assets shall be completed not later than six months after the adoption of such resolution.

III. Upon completion of the sale of all the Club’s assets, the officers shall cause all of the Club’s just debts to be paid in full.

IV. Upon the payment of all the Club’s just debts, the remaining proceeds from the sale of the Club’s assets shall be divided among the Club membership in the following manner:

a) Each member in good standing on the date the motion to dissolve the Club is adopted shall be entitled to one unit of distribution for each year he has been a member commencing with his thirteenth year. By way of illustration, an individual who has been a member for 50 years shall be entitled to 37 unit; that is 50 less 13. No one who has been a member for less than thirteen years shall be entitled to any unit of distribution. In computing years of membership, it is not necessary that such years be continuous, but no credit shall be given an individual for any year he was not a member, even if such individual was a member before and after such period of non-membership.

b) The Officers and Trustees shall compute the number of units of distribution to which each member is entitled and shall certify that computation in a letter to the entire membership. Any member may challenge the number of units allocated to him by notifying the President of the Club in writing. Such member, shall, at the same time, present any information or documentation to support his challenge or claim. Upon receipt of said notice, the Officers, Trustees and Club Attorney shall review such members claim and make a determination of its validity. The determination so made by the Officers, Trustees and Club Attorney shall be conclusive and binding on all parties.

c) In determining the number of units to which each member is entitled, the date of adoption of the resolution to dissolve the Club shall, in all cases, be deemed the last date of membership for every member.

d) If a member who is entitled to units of distribution is living at the time of the resolution to dissolve the Club is adopted, but dies before actual distribution, the amount to which he would be entitled shall be paid to his surviving spouse, but if he has no surviving spouse, said amount shall be paid to his estate.

e) If a member dies prior to the adoption of the resolution to dissolve the Club, neither his surviving spouse, nor his heirs, nor his legal representatives shall be entitled to any distribution.

f) The actual amount to be distributed to a member (or his surviving spouse or estate if he dies after the adoption of the resolution to dissolve but before distribution) shall be computed by dividing the total number of outstanding distribution units into the sum of money on hand after payment of the Club’s just debts and by multiplying that number by the number of units owned by such member. By way of illustration, if the amount on hand is $200,000 and the total number units outstanding is 2000, then each unit is valued and $100 and a member holding 15 units would be entitled to $1500.

g) The allocation of units is personal to each member and no member may give, sell, pledge or otherwise transfer any of his units to any other person or entity and the Club shall not recognize any attempt by any person to collect or transfer units except as provided in subdivision (d) of this subsection IV of the Article V of these bylaws.

ARTICLE VI- RULES AND REGULATIONS

The Officers may promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary for the smooth, efficient and harmonious operation of the Club provided any matter relating to fees, dues, food and beverage prices.

1) A new member application fee will be fifty dollars ($50.00)

2) Annual membership dues are seventy five dollars ($75.00)

3) Every member present must sign the monthly meeting book prior to the start of our regular monthly meeting. There must be a minimum of twelve signatures in the monthly meeting book to bring a monthly meeting to order.

4) Any person who is a non-member may only be allowed to be signed in as a guest of the club twice in one month. This policy does not apply for special functions.

5) New members are not allowed to bring guests to the clubroom for the first six months from the day they are voted in as new member.

6) Fighting is prohibited on club property.

7) Membership is capped at three hundred and fifty (350).

8) The executive board, will be in charge of all emergency disbursements in excess of $2500.00, after approval from the President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer of the club. (November 3, 2011)

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Annual membership dues are $75.00, effective, January 1, 2007

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Dues Collector of the Club has the final ruling on past dues owed to the club

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Firearms are not allowed inside the club

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Thursday, September 2, 2010

Any regular or special meeting that requires member voting, once the presiding officer has called the meeting to order, any member entering meeting thereafter is not eligible to vote. Member is allowed to attend meeting and make his opinion known.

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Thursday, October 28, 2010

Any member involved in a fight or physical confrontation will automatically be placed on indefinite suspension until the Officer’s of the A.M. Club have interviewed all accused members and witnesses. The penalties will be based on the following criteria:

A) Any member deemed to be the “aggressor” in a fight or physical confrontation will receive a minimum of a 9-month indefinite suspension up to expulsion from the club.

B) Any member deemed to be in “self defense” in a fight or physical confrontation will receive a maximum of a 9-month indefinite suspension. The executive board may also issue a lesser suspension or probation, based on each individual incident.

C) Any fight or physical confrontation between members, in which there is no clear evidence of an “aggressor” or “self defense”, each accused member will receive a minimum of a 9-month indefinite suspension up to expulsion from the club.

D) Suspensions will begin from the time of the original indefinite suspension prior to the executive board meeting.

E) Any member receiving an indefinite suspension must petition the membership in writing for re-instatement back into the club after suspension has been completed.

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Tuesday February 6, 2011

Any member that sponsors a new applicant, that member must be present at the monthly meeting, when the membership votes on that new applicant.

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Thursday November 3, 2011

Item 8 above, “wording is amended”.

Any member running for an elective position must be present at the meeting night vote to be eligible for election.

Any officer that misses 50% of all scheduled board meetings during one calendar year or misses three consecutive meetings, will be replaced as an officer of the club.

AMENDMENTS- RULES & REGULATIONS- Monday October 3, 2016

Any member interested in seeking elective office must post his name no later than 8pm on the Tuesday before (one week) prior to annual meeting. Election sign up sheet will be posted on Nov 1st until 8pm Tuesday (one week) prior to annual meeting. Election candidates will then be posted, with members being notified via regular mail & email, by Wednesday before the annual meeting.

NO nominations from floor on annual meeting night will be allowed. Members seeking elective office must have their names posted on election sign up sheet, to run for elective position. It is in best interest of club that membership has transparency in reviewing all possible candidates seeking elective office.

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS: ARTICLE VII

Amendments to these by-laws may be proposed by:

(a) The officers of the club acting through the President; or

(b) A group of individuals consisting of not less than five (5%) of the members in good standing.

Proposed amendments shall be in writing and shall be posted by the officers. In the case of an amendment proposed by a group of individuals, the officers shall verify that the proposal is sponsored by the required number of members prior to posting. After the proposal has been posted, it shall be read aloud by the President or presiding officer at each of the next consecutive three regular meetings and the membership shall be permitted to offer comments. At the third meeting following posting and after the proposal has been read allowed and debated, the proposed amendment will be voted on by the membership. An affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of those present and voting shall be necessary for adoption of the proposed amendment. No proposed amendment which fails to gain enough votes sufficient for adoption shall be resubmitted for posting for a period of six months.

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS: ARTICLE IV- Tuesday, May 9, 2006:

1. If a person is denied membership, that person cannot re-apply for membership for twelve months. If that person is denied membership a second time, that person is not eligible for membership.

2. Members can only run for one elective office per election.

3. The Sergeant at Arms will be appointed by the President of the Club. He must be present at all regular and special meetings and at all other functions that the President may deem necessary. His duties include maintaining order at the meetings and upon the President’s or presiding officer’s orders, expel any member for disorderly conduct.

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS: ARTICLE III (B) – Tuesday, January 3, 2011:

1.) In the case of a vacancy in any other elective office, the position shall be posted on the board no less than 15 days prior to the next scheduled monthly meeting. Applicants shall sign their name to the notice showing that they are applying for the position. The only exception is, if nobody signs up for the position, or if the membership votes not to accept the person that signed up because they feel that he is not capable of filling the position, then the President shall appoint a member in good standing to fill that position. The person that fills the vacancy shall hold that office for the remainder of the term. If a vacancy occurs in any appointed office, the position shall be appointed by the President.

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS: ARTICLE I (D) (II) – Tuesday, March 8, 2011:

1.) After the officers and accused member have addressed the membership and responded to their questions, upon motion duly made, the members must vote by a 2/3 majority to overturn the decision of the Officers to vacate the order of suspension or expulsion.

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS: ARTICLE IV (A) – Tuesday, April 12, 2011:

1.) At all assembly meetings, in the event of a ballot vote tie, the presiding officer shall cast one vote to break a tie.

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS: ARTICLE I (C) – Tuesday, July 8th, 2014:

1.) Dues letters will be distributed no later than 1 week after annual meeting. Any member who fails to pay dues by January 31st of the New Year, shall be suspended until his dues are paid. Dues collector has final decision on member’s status..

update 1/31/17

Club By-law History (V. Ingrassia 1/18/13)

Click here to view the Original 1926 Italian By Laws (47 Articles)

Click here to view the Original 1940 Italian By Laws (53 Articles)

Click here to view the Original 1940 Italian By Laws translated into English (53 Articles)