THE NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

Name
The organization shall be known as the North Central PA Beekeepers’ Association, hereinafter
called the NCPBA and will formally include the counties of Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter and
Tioga.
ARTICLE II

Purpose

The purpose of the NCPBA is:

A. Educate new and experienced beekeepers of the art and science of apiculture.
B. Encourage interested people to become beekeepers.
C. Educate the public about the many important benefits of honey bees.
D. Promote fellowship among members of the organization.
E. To promote the use of products made by our members.

ARTICLE III

Membership
A. Qualification of Membership: Any person interested in apiculture may become a member
of the NCPBA by subscribing to the purposes and goals of the NCPBA and paying dues
as established by the membership voting at a regular meeting.
B. Membership shall qualify any person, or persons, as part of a family living in one
household, as members and having to pay for only one membership. Only family
members with an interest in apiculture and supporting the purposes and goals of the
NCPBA will be eligible for membership and be entitled to all the rights and privileges of
the NCPBA and the right to hold office and vote at meetings.
C. Membership is not restricted by geographic area. Individuals or family members may
apply from other counties in Pennsylvania, New York, and beyond.

ARTICLE IV

Dues
Dues will be established by the voting membership and shall be set by the membership voting
as a regular meeting. Established dues shall remain in effect until changed by the membership
voting at a regular meeting. All members shall pay annual dues which covers the period of
January 1st through the end of the year. Any member joining the NCPBA after September 1
St of any given calendar year will have his or her dues cover the rest of the year and the
following year. Dues will be used to cover expenses the organization incurs, such as bringing in
outside speakers, purchasing educational materials, mileage reimbursement for a member
delegate to
attend the State Association’s annual meeting, etc.
Any member whose dues are in arrears 60 days or more days will lose membership benefits,
including the right to vote. The Secretary/Treasurer will make appropriate steps to collect dues
and to ascertain the member’s desire to remain in the organization.

ARTICLE V

Officers
A. Executive Officers​: The Executive Officers of the NCPBA shall be President,
Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer and these will constitute the Executive
Committee.
B. Executive Officers shall be elected by the membership voting at the Annual
Meeting and shall serve terms of two years, commencing January 1st following
their election, concluding on December 31st of the second year following their
election. The Annual Meeting shall be the last regularly scheduled meeting of the
year.
ARTICLE VI

Powers and Duties of Officers

A. P ​ resident​:
As the principle executive officer, the President shall administer the affairs of the
NCPBA. The President shall fix the date, time, and place of meetings, preside at all
meetings, appoint all standing committees, act as a delegate to organizations of which
the NCPBA may be a member or appoint a representative, and perform other such
duties that may be required under the constitution.
B. Vice President​:
The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President during the latter’s absence
or disability and any other duties as may be required by the constitution.
C. ​Secretary/Treasurer​: The Secretary/ Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all
proceedings of the NCPBA and the executive committee. The S/T shall give all notices
required by law or provided for by the constitution. The S/T shall keep a proper
membership record, including names, addresses, and status of all members, the dates of
their admission, and the dates and circumstances of their termination. The S/T will
submit, for approval, minutes from previous meeting via email before each meeting. The
minutes will be listed on the agenda for approval at each meeting without being read
again or printed out for each individual

The S/T shall collect dues, fees, and charges and perform such related duties as may be
required by the constitution. . The S/T will report, at each meeting, the bank balance at
the time of the last meeting, all incoming and outgoing funds, as well as a current
 balance of funds the organization possesses. In addition, the S/T should report on
upcoming or unpaid bills.

The S/T shall receive and safely keep all monies belonging to the NCPBA, based on the
calendar year, and shall distribute such monies under the direction the Executive
Committee. The S/T shall keep an accurate account and record of the finances of the
organization. The S/T books shall be open at any time upon request of the Executive
Committee. The S/T shall render a full account presented to the membership of all
financial records at the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE VII

Meetings

The NCPBA will conduct 9 regular meetings throughout the year, beginning in February and
ending with the Annual Meeting in October. The President or Vice President will conduct
meetings following Robert’s Rules of Order. The agenda for the Annual Meeting will include an
election of officers if needed that year, approval of a budget for the coming year, and a full
accounting of financial records presented by the Secretary/Treasurer. For purposes of voting, a
quorum will consist of eight active members. The agenda for meetings will use the following
format:

A. Call to Order
B. Welcome of new members and guests
C. Approval of Minutes
D. Treasurer's Report
E. Old Business from Previous Meet
F. New Business
G. Report from meeting program committees
H. Announcements - including upcoming Scheduled events
I. Date, time and place of next meeting
J. Adjournment
K. Open meeting with Speaker or program

ARTICLE VIII

Nominations and Elections

A. Nominations​: On or before the first day of August of each election year, the President
shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of one to three members. The
committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each of the officers to be elected,
and shall file the names with the Secretary/Treasurer by October 1st. The S/T shall
promptly notify the members of their nomination in writing or by e-mail. At the Annual
 Meeting, nominations from the floor shall be made only with the permission of the
nominee(s).
B. Election​: At the Annual Meeting of an election year, the active members present shall
elect by secret ballot the officers to be elected. A majority shall be required for election. If
a majority is not reached, the nominee with the least votes will be removed from a
subsequent ballot and another election for that office will be conducted until a candidate
wins a majority vote. In the case of a tie, the election will be decided by a flip of the coin.
C. Terms of Office​: Officers will serve a two year term, beginning January 1st
of the following year. The president will be limited to serving two consecutive terms.
D. ​Vacancies​: If a vacancy of the President occurs, the Vice President shall fulfill the
remaining term of the President. The new President will nominate a candidate to replace
him or her. An election will be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The
nominee will have the right to allow nominations from the floor. If either the Vice
President
or Secretary/Treasurer’s position becomes vacant, the President will nominate a
candidate to fill the open position. An election will be held at the next regularly scheduled
meeting. The nominee will have the right to allow nominations from the floor.
ARTICLE IX

Committees and Delegates

The President shall appoint committees and delegates as deemed necessary with the
concurrence of NCPBA membership. These committees will include, but not limited to:
A. Budget Committee
B. Auditing Committee
C. Meeting/Program Committee
D. Membership Committee
E. Nominating Committee
F. PA State Beekeepers’ Association Delegate

ARTICLE X

Amendments
Proposed amendments to this Constitution must be submitted in writing to the
Secretary/Treasurer and must be signed by the proposer. The proposed amendments
shall be sent to each active member together with a meeting notice of the meeting at
which the amendment is to be considered. The proposed amendments will be voted
upon at a meeting. At the meeting a two-thirds vote of the members present shall be
required for the adoption of such amendment which shall be in the exact form as was
submitted by the member. Any adopted amendment will be announced to the general
membership in the next meeting notice.
 ARTICLE XI

Dissolution

Dissolution of the NCPBA will only occur when moved, seconded, and carried by a
two-thirds majority vote of the entire general membership. Should the organization be
dissolved, then all assets, less liabilities, will be donated to the Pennsylvania State
University’s Honey Bee Research Program at University Park, PA

Should no one step forward as officers of the club and there is not a 2/3
majority vote to dissolve the club then the club will go into a hold
position for one year. Previous officers will still have the power to pay
all bills from the club account. Meetings can be called by any member,
at any time.

If, in One years’ time, (the following December 31 st) , no one has stepped
forward to take the officer positions, the previous officers may dissolve
the club without further notice and no additional voting has to occur.
Any funds will be donated as stated above.