Courtown Sailing Club Constituation

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE CLUB. 3
2. MEMBERSHIP. 3
3. THE OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE OF THE CLUB. 4
4. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS. 5
5. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS. 5
6. TRUSTEES. 6
7. AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS. 6
8. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. 7
9. Finance. 7

1.    OBJECTIVES OF THE CLUB

1. The objectives of the Courtown Sailing Club (hereafter referred to as “The Club”) shall be to organise sailing races and other boating activities, to encourage interest in these and to develop relevant social amenities.

2.    MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership shall consist of the following classes of members:-
   1. Individual Members, who must be 18 years of age or over on June 1st of the current sailing season
   2. Family Group Membership, membership of a family including parents and children under 18 years of age June 1st of the current sailing season
   3. Student Members, who must be under 18 years of age on June 1st of the current sailing season
   4. Student Member in full time education 18 years and over on June 1st of the current sailing season
   5. Honorary Members (including temporary honorary members)
   6. Motor Boat Members (non-Voting associate Members)
   7. Associate single membership (Non Voting. Can be held for a maximum of 2 two years)
   8. Associate family membership (Non Voting. Can be held for a maximum of 2 two years)
2. Anyone who had a mooring in Courtown Harbour in 1983, or who participated in any of the sailing races organised there in 1983 shall be entitled to become a founder member (in the appropriate category) of the Club. Elections of other persons to be members of the Club shall be carried out in accordance with regulations drawn up by the Committee and approved (either with or without amendment) at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club.
3. Election to membership and retention of membership shall (except in the case of honorary members) be subject to the payment of such entrance fees and annual subscriptions as may be fixed from time to time, at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting and to compliance with the timing and other conditions for such payment as may be laid down by the Committee.
4. Any member of the Club who infringes or violates the rules or regulations of the Club or whose conduct is, in the opinion of the Committee, derogatory to the Club, may be expelled from membership of the Club by the Committee, but such expulsion must be made in accordance with regulations drawn up by the Committee and approved (either with or without amendments) at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club.
5. All new members must join as an associate member but may be invited to join as a full member by the committee after one or two years.

3.    THE OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE OF THE CLUB

1. The affairs of the club shall be managed by a committee (hereinafter referred to as “The Committee”) made up of the officers and four other members (not being junior or honorary members).
2. The officers of the Club shall be a Commodore, Vice Commodore, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasure, Moorings Officer, Dinghy Officer and Cruiser Officer
   1. The Committee shall appoint a moorings sub-committee to manage the moorings and to set the mooring fees. The Moorings Officer shall chair this sub-committee.
   2. The Committee shall appoint a dinghy sub-committee to manage the dinghy section. The Dinghy Officer shall chair this sub-committee.
   3. The committee shall appoint a cruiser sub-committee to manage the cruiser section of the club. The cruiser officer shall chair this sub-committee.
   4. A club development committee shall be formed. This committee will be chaired by electing its own chair. This committee will serve a term of 4 years and shall be made up of between 4 and 6 members excluding the vice-commodore. Election to this committee will be by majority vote at the annual general meeting of the term end. This Committee shall report via the vice-commodore to the main committee and shall report annually to the annual general meeting. The Club development committee may co-op other members as required to serve on committee.
3. The Officers and other members of the Committee shall first be elected at the meeting at which these rules are adopted, by a simple majority of those present and voting who are entitled to become founder members of the Club, and who are 18 years of age or over, in accordance with a procedure established at that meeting. The term of office of those so elected shall commence forthwith and shall end on September 30th, 1984.
4. Subsequently, the officers and other members of the Committee shall be elected annually by a simple majority of the members who are 18 years of age or over, present and voting at the Annual General Meeting, in accordance with a procedure established at the Annual General Meeting. The term of office of those so elected shall commence on the first day of October following the election.
5. A vacancy occurring among the officers or other members of the Committee during the year may be filled by co-option by the Committee of a successor to the office concerned or to membership of the Committee, as the case may be.
6. The quorum for the Committee shall be five.
7. Officers and members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election, but a person may not serve as Commodore for more than 2 years consecutively.
8. The Committee may appoint such sub-committees as it considers necessary to assist it in achieving the objectives of the Club and may delegate functions to any sub-committee. A sub-committee may include persons who are not members of the Committee.
9. Decisions at meetings of the Committee or of a sub-committee shall be taken by a simple majority vote. In the case of a tie, the chairman shall have a casting vote.
10. If a committee member misses three consecutive meetings, at the discretion of the committee his or her membership of the committee will cease and a replacement will be co-opted by the committee.
11. In its management of the affairs of the Club, the Committee shall act in accordance with any general directions laid down at Annual General Meetings.
12. The Committee shall have the power to suspend and expel members who in the opinion of the Committee bring the Club into disrepute, use verbal or physical abuse to the members, or whose conduct is derogatory to the Club or its members, or injurious to the interests of the Club. Such suspension or expulsion may be appealed within 14 days of such suspension or expulsion if written notice of appeal is given. Such appeal must be heard within 14 days of receipt.
13. A ‘Past Commodores’ Committee shall be appointed to mediate/decide on issues where the main committee have to be impartial or don’t know what to do. The Past Commodores Committee themselves should decide who can attend. It is above the main committee and cannot take instructions from it as to who should attend. However, it should not over-rule the main committee. A quorum of 5 is recommended but a minimum of 3 is acceptable.

4.    ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in October each year on a date and at a time and place fixed by the Committee. Thirty days notice of the meeting shall be issued to members by the honorary secretary.
2. An Annual General Meeting shall
   1. receive from the outgoing Committee a report on the accounts and general concerns of the Club for the proceeding year
   2. elect the officers and Committee members for the succeeding year
   3. appoint auditors
   4. deal with any other business of interest to the Club of which notice in writing shall have been given to the honorary secretary by any member, fourteen clear days before the meeting and may discuss and make recommendations to the incoming Committee on any other matters of concern to the Club
   5. A proposer for a change to the constitution must be a full member and present at the AGM at which it is being proposed
3. Except for decisions under Rule 7.1, resolutions at an Annual General Meeting may be passed by a simple majority vote of the members, 18 years of age or over, who are present and voting.
4. The honorary Treasurers report shall be circulated at least 14 days before the AGM to all paid up members of the club.

5.    SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

1. The Committee may at any time call a Special General Meeting on a date and at a time and place fixed by the Committee to deal with a particular business of interest to the Club, specified in the notice of the Meeting, which shall be issued to members fourteen days before the date fixed for the Meeting.
2. Except for decisions under Rules 6.2 and 7.1, resolutions at a Special General Meeting may be passed by a simple majority vote of the members, 18 years and over, who are present and voting.

6.    TRUSTEES

1. An Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting may appoint trustees to hold and manage property of the Club in accordance with conditions decided on at the meeting.
2. There shall be no less than two and no more than four Trustees of the Club who shall remain in office until they resign or cease to be members of the Club, or die, or be removed by a resolution passed at a Special or Annual General Meeting of the Club, by a majority of not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at such meeting.
3. Any vacancy arising in the Trustees shall be filled at the Club AGM next ensuing, or at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose and shall be by way of resolution, passed by a simple majority at such meeting.
4. The property of the Club shall be vested in such Trustees and they shall deal with the property as directed by resolution of the Committee (of which an entry in the Minute Book shall be sufficient evidence) and they shall be indemnified against liability and expense incurred by them by reason of their position as Trustees, in-so-far as the assets of the Club may be deficient, by the members for the time being of the Club.
5. The Trustees shall have power, with the approval of the Committee or with the approval of a Special or Annual General Meeting of the Club, to execute a Deed of Charge or mortgage of the lands and premises belonging to the Club, or to deposit the Title Deeds thereof to or with a Bank or other lender for the purpose of securing payment of money which the said Bank or Lender may, from time to time, advance to the Club, or which may be due by the Club to the said Bank or Lender on Current or Loan Accounts. Notes, Bills, Cheques or otherwise, together with the interest thereon at such rate as may be agreed upon, not exceeding for principal and interest at any one time, the total aggregate sum of €500,000 and the Trustees shall be under no personal liability to the Bank or Lender in respect thereof. All present and future members of the Club shall be deemed to have accented to the creation by the Trustees of any security entered into or deposit made by them by virtue of this Rule.

7.    AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS

1. Additions or amendments to these rules may be made by resolution passed at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting by a two-thirds majority vote of the members, 18 years or over, who are present and voting.

8.    ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

Membership Type

A new Members Levy of €100 is payable in addition to the Annual Subscription

Annual membership subscriptions are subject to an additional ISA Fee. This is calculated as a percentage of your membership fee.

An additional levy of 5% to be applied on any non-online payments of club membership, mooring fees and course fees.

Annual Membership Subscriptions shall be due on Feb 1st each season. April 1st is the cut-off date for payment. A reminder will be sent out 2 weeks before the cut-off date. Anyone renewing after this date must rejoin as a new member and be subject to the €100 new members levy.

9.    Finance

1. Any single expenditure over 5,000 euro must be approved by the Trustees.
2. The minimum annual payment of 10,000 euro on the new property must be paid each year before the 10th of July until the liability on the property is fulfilled at the latest in 2032.
3. There shall be four signatories of the bank accounts. Two of the trustees, The Commodore, and the Treasurer.