Butler County Genealogical Society Bylaws

Article I. Name of this group will be the Butler County Genealogical Society.

Article II. Purpose and Mission Statement.

The Butler County Genealogical Society is a group of volunteers dedicated to the collection and preservation of information about its families, past and present, of Butler County and to help its families obtain the information they need to document their family heritage. Our membership is open to anyone with an interest in genealogy.

Article III. Membership.

Section 1. Membership shall be open to any individual who is interested in promoting and participating in the purposes of this organization.

Section 2. Voting rights shall be vested in the individual member in good standing, who shall be entitled to one vote with respect to any motion that may be presented at any meeting of the organization.

Section 3. A majority vote, of members present, on any issue, shall be construed as the motion being carried.

Section 4. A membership year shall be 1 January to 31 December. Three types of memberships will be available: Life, Individual and Family memberships.

Section 5. No member shall use the name or any member of the BCGS for their own personal profit.

Article IV. Meetings.

Section 1. Monthly meetings will be held at the discretion of the members and/or executive Committee. Business will be conducted under the guidelines of “Robert’s Rules of Order”.

Section 2. The annual business meeting shall be held at the November meeting for the purpose of election of officers for the ensuing year. Nominations shall be made at the October meeting. Additional nominations may be made prior to the election at the annual meeting.  New Officers’ terms will begin on January 1, with December to be used as a transition period.

Section 3. Special meeting or events may be called at any time by the President or upon the request of three members. Such a meeting may supersede one of the regular meetings.  A seven-day advance notice, in a way most appropriate to each member, of this meeting is required.

Section 4. A quorum shall consist of ten per cent of the total membership, two of whom must be officers.

Section 5. These bylaws may be amended or revised at any regular meeting provided a quorum be present and the proposed amendment be presented at the last two previous meetings. Amendments or revisions to the bylaws shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of members present in good standing.

Article V. Dues.

Section 1. The annual membership dues shall be determined by a majority vote of the members at any regular meeting and shall be paid at the beginning of the calendar year.  Members shall be declared delinquent after March 31st of the current calendar year and be omitted from the second mailing of the newsletter.


Section 2. Any person joining after three months has elapsed, may have their dues pro-rated at the rate of one fourth (1/4) the yearly rate for each remaining quarter left in the calendar year. This only applies to the first year of membership.

Section 3. Guests shall be limited to attendance at two regular meetings before becoming paying members.

Article VI. Officers.

Section 1. Elected officers of this organization shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary.

Section 2. Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting and shall serve for a term of one year beginning January 1. The officers must be members in good standing both at the time of their nomination and subsequent election and throughout their entire term of office. Failure to maintain membership in good standing shall be considered a resignation from office. The President and Vice President shall be limited to a term of three consecutive years each, and there is no limit on the terms of the other three Officers.

Section 3. A vacancy in any office shall be filled for the unexpired term by a special election at a regular meeting within three months of the resignation date with no less than seven days notice to the membership that the special election will occur.

Section 4. The duties of the officers shall be:

a. President: The President is responsible for presiding at meetings. This person shall provide leadership and direction in implementing the goals of the organization. The President shall be a member on all committees. The President will be liaison to any Butler County institutions or groups interested in furthering the preservation/research of Butler County and its Families or will designate this task. The President is responsible for appointing no less than three qualified individuals to an audit committee who will review the financial records of the organization and verify for accuracy. The committee will provide an audit report to the membership within the first quarter of each year regarding the previous year’s financial records. The President is responsible for appointing members in good standing to serve on a Nominating Committee whose responsibility is to select appropriate candidates for the elected officers of the organization.

b. Vice President: The Vice President shall work in close association with the President to aid in the planning, publicity, and promotion of the organization’s agenda, and exercise the functions of the President in his or her absence.

c. Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for taking accurate minutes at monthly and executive meetings. The minutes should include a record of finances as of the meeting date, number of members and officers present, and motions presented, carried or tabled during the meeting.

d. Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for the authorized purchases, collection of monies, and paying of the bills for the group. The Treasurer shall see that a motion is brought before and carried by the membership at a regular meeting to give prior approval to all purchases in excess of $300.00, and that a motion is brought before and carried by the executive committee to give prior approval to all purchases in excess of $100.00 but less than $300.00.

e. Membership Secretary: The Membership Secretary shall maintain accurate records of all members, and be responsible for all mailings, emails, and correspondence to members.

Section 5. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer shall act as an executive committee when problems arise between meetings, with any three elected officers present being a quorum. All five members must be notified at least three days in advance of said meeting.

Article VII. Committees.

Section 1. The President of the Butler County Genealogical Society, or in consultation with the members, may establish committees and select committee members from the membership when they are needed to help in carrying out the objectives of the group.

Section 2. Permanent committees shall include, but are not limited to the following:

a. Research Committee

b. Program Committee

c. Project Committee

d. Nominating Committee

Article VIII. Publications.

Section 1. A newsletter will be sent to the members in good standing once each quarter.

Article IX. Dissolution.

Section 1. In the event of the dissolution of the Butler County Genealogical Society, the Officers of the group shall dispose of all funds and property of the group to organizations organized and operated for genealogical, historical, educational or charitable purposes, within this county.