Association of Retired Houston Municipal Employees (arhme)

Bylaws

Article I -- Name of Organization

Association of Retired Houston Municipal Employees (ARHME)

Article II – Purpose

The purpose of the association is to provide a voluntary non-profit organization benefiting retired municipal employees of the City of Houston, to take such action as necessary to protect and preserve retirement benefits in a responsible manner, and to educate, promote and sponsor activities for the mutual benefit of all members.

Article III -- Membership

Section 1:  Membership in this association shall be of three classes: active, associate, and honorary.

Section 2:  All retired City of Houston municipal employees or their surviving spouses receiving benefits from the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System as well as those with deferred retirements are eligible to be active members of the association; however, they must register by providing their name and contact information to the Secretary. All retired employees of the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System (HMEPS) receiving pension benefits, or their surviving spouses are also eligible for active membership. They also must register with the Secretary to become active.

Section 3:  Active membership in the association shall terminate for the following reasons:

(a)   Resignation from the association;

(b)   Death;

(c)   Actions or conduct deemed contrary to the principles or purposes of the association, such termination to be effective upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 4:  Prior to termination under Section 3(c) of this Article, notice of intention to terminate the membership shall be given by the Board of Directors to such member by registered mail ten (10) days prior to the date of termination. A member, upon request, shall be given an opportunity to show cause why membership should not be terminated.

Section 5:  A membership terminated under Section 3(c) of this Article may be reinstated by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 6:  An associate member shall be an individual who is not eligible for active membership, but who supports and adheres to the purposes and objectives of the association. An individual may become an associate member through a written request to the Board of Directors and approval by a majority vote of the Board. An associate member has no voting rights.

Section 7:  The Board of Directors shall have the power to confer nonvoting honorary membership upon individuals with a two-thirds (2/3) vote.

Article IV -- Dues

At this time, no dues will be assessed (4/21/2008).

Article V -- Board of Directors

Section 1:  The affairs of the association will be guided by a Board of Directors (Board) composed of nine (9) members elected by active members.

Section 2:  The initial election of Directors shall prescribe that those five (5) Directors receiving the highest number of votes shall serve two-year terms, and the remaining four (4) Directors shall serve one-year terms.

Section 3:  Directors shall be elected for two-year terms by the active members in attendance at a regular June meeting of the membership. Each year an election shall be conducted for the directors whose two-year term has expired. Ties will be broken by a coin-flip or other appropriate method. Elected directors shall begin serving their terms in office on July 1 of the calendar year elected.

Section 4:  A Director can be removed from the Board because of actions or conduct deemed contrary to the principles or purposes of the association. In person attendance is required at nine (9) board meetings in a calendar year. Missing three (3) Board meetings in a calendar year may be grounds for removal. Consideration of removal of a Director shall be by a two/thirds (2/3) vote at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Written notice shall be given to all Directors of the date, time, and place of the meeting. Such notice shall be provided to all Directors at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting.

Section 5:  If any Director ceases to be a member in good standing during his/her term of office, his/her office shall be vacated, and a successor may be appointed by the Board for the unexpired term.

Section 6: The Board may consider no more than once every 12 months the addition of an “Emeritus” (non-voting) member upon nomination by an active director. The nominee must be a member in good standing for the previous 10 years and a contributing member to the ARHME PAC for at least the previous five years. The nominee must have served on the Board as an elected retiree. The nominee must receive a two/thirds (2/3) vote at a regular meeting of the Board. The “Emeritus” position is maintained as long as the nominee is a member of ARHME and a contributing member to the ARHME PAC. No more than four “Emeritus” positions may serve at any given time.

Article VI – Officers

Section 1:  The Board shall annually elect four (4) officers:  a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer to serve for one year. This election will occur at the July regular meeting of the Board.

Section 2:  The President shall preside at all meetings of this association, preserve order, enforce the Bylaws, and exercise supervision of its affairs generally. He/she shall decide all questions of procedure and order for the association. He/she may vote, but shall not be required to vote, except in case of ties. He/she shall, with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors, appoint all committees. He/she shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors. He/she shall perform such other duties as is customarily performed by such officer.

Section 3:  The Vice-President shall assist the President in the discharge of his/her duties; preside at all meetings of this association and Board of Directors in the absence of the President. In the absence of the President, or in the event the office of the President is vacant, he/she shall perform all the duties of the President, and such other duties as are customarily performed by such officer.

Section 4:  The Secretary of this association shall keep a full, true and correct record of all proceedings of this association, have charge of all records (excluding financial), shall receive all communications, conduct all correspondence, shall perform the same duties with respect to the Board of Directors, and shall perform such other duties as are customarily performed by such officer.

Section 5:  The Treasurer of this association shall receive funds and keep proper financial records of same. All money shall be deposited in the bank designated by the Board of Directors and shall be withdrawn upon the signatures of the Treasurer and the President, or in the absence of the President, the Vice-President. He/she shall also perform such other duties as are customarily performed by such officer.

Article VII – Meetings

Section 1:  A General meeting of the membership of this association shall be held at the time and place designated in the notice by the Board of Directors, at least twice a year.

Section 2:  Special meetings of the membership may be called by the President or Vice- President, with the consent of the majority of the Board of Directors, with at least a one-week notice.

Section 3:  Social gatherings of the membership are also desirable and may be held from time to time as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 4:  A regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held as deemed necessary and at a time and place as designated by the President but no less than once every three months. These regular meetings are open for attendance by all members.

Section 5:  Special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at a time and place designated upon call of the President, or the Vice-President in the absence of the President, with the consent of the majority of the Board of Directors.

Section 6:  Presence of the majority of the Board members will constitute a quorum for conducting the business of the Board and association.

Section 7:  General and Special meetings may be cancelled or postponed by the President with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors. In the event of a general meeting cancellation/postponement, the Secretary will notify the membership by written or electronic communication. Items that were to be considered at the cancelled/postponed meeting will be considered at the next called meeting.

Section 8:  A regular meeting of the Board of Directors as well as General and Special meetings of the membership may be held electronically if deemed necessary and appropriate by the President.

Article VIII – Committees

Section 1:  There shall be two types of committees, standing committees and task committees.

Standing Committees shall be those that are concerned with matters of continuing interest to the Association and will continue to function each year.

Task Committees shall be those that are concerned with the execution of a specific task. These Committees shall function with a constant membership, except for necessary replacements, until the task is completed, and the committee is discharged.

Section 2:  Appointments to the Standing and Task Committees shall be made as necessary by the President or in his/her absence, the Vice- President with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors.

Section 3:  The number of members of each and all of the committees shall be within the discretion of the President, or in his/her absence the Vice- President. Both President and Vice- President shall be ex-officio members of all committees.

 Article IX -- Procedures

Robert’s Rule of Order, latest edition, where not in conflict with these bylaws shall be the authority for procedure in conducting all meetings.

Article X -- Amendments

The Bylaws may be revised, changed, or amended at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote and ratified by a majority vote of members attending the next general meeting.

Adopted April 21, 2008

Revised June 8, 2009

Revised June 18, 2010

Revised June 20, 2011

Revised June 18, 2012

Revised June 26, 2023