Bylaws
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Bylaws by Article
ARTICLE 1. NAME:
The name of this organization shall be the Wisconsin City/County Management Association.
ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE:
The purposes of the Association are to increase the proficiency of city, village, town, and county managers and administrators; to strengthen the quality of local government through professional management; and to accept charitable donations and contributions for the educational improvement of local government managers and administrators.
ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP:
Section 1. Categories of Membership.
The Association shall include Voting and Non-Voting Members. Voting Members are designated as Full Members (including Life Members) and Retired Members. Non-Voting Members are designated as Affiliate Members, Corporate Members, Honorary Members, Academic Members, and Student Members. The privilege of voting is limited to Voting Members.
Section 2. Voting Membership: Full Members.
- Qualifications. Any person whose professional conduct conforms to the Code of Ethics of ICMA, as outlined in Article 8, is eligible to be a Voting Member if that person meets the qualifications in either subsection i or subsection ii, as follows:
- The person serves as the full-time administrative head of a local government in a position operating in accordance with Section 2 of this Article.
- The person serves as a full-time administrative assistant, assistant city/county manager/administrator, management analyst, assistant to the manager/administrator, however designated, having significant general administrative responsibility in a local government position, and was appointed to that position by the city or county manager or chief administrator.
- Application. The application for Voting Membership shall be accompanied by payment of the proper dues. Upon receipt of the application and dues, the Executive Director shall, upon verification of compliance with Section 2.a., admit the member. If the Executive Director cannot verify compliance with Section 2.a., the application shall be submitted to the Board of Directors where the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the eligible voting members of the Board of Directors shall be necessary for the applicant to be admitted.
- Life Members. Upon retiring from active service with a local government, any Voting Member who has completed twenty-five years as a voting member of WCMA, or other ICMA affiliated state association shall become a Life Member. Also, any Voting Member who has been a voting member of WCMA at least fifteen years and retires from active service with a local government at age sixty-five or older shall become a Life Member. In addition, any Voting Member who has retired from active service with a local government and who, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the profession may be granted a Life Membership by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
- Retired Members. Former full member now retired from active professional life who does not qualify to be a Life Member.
Section 3. Resignation of Members.
Any member may resign his or her membership by providing written notice to the Executive Director.
Section 4. Voting Membership: Continuity.
Any Voting Member who leaves active service with a local government may retain his or her status as a Voting Member provided, he or she continues to pay dues, except that dues payment may be waived by the Executive Director because of resignation or removal from his/her position with a local government thereby becoming a member-in-transition. Voting membership continuity may be allowed if there has been no violation of the ICMA Code of Ethics which caused the removal from the position. Dues will be waived for up to three fiscal years.
Section 5. Non-Voting Memberships:
a. Affiliate Members.
Any person who has an interest in professional local government management but is not eligible to apply for membership as a Voting Member shall be eligible to apply for this classification.
b. Honorary Members.
The basis for Honorary Membership is distinguished public service; however, no person who is eligible to be a Voting Member shall be elected an Honorary Member. An Honorary Member shall be proposed by a Voting Member and shall be elected upon a three-fourths vote of all eligible voting members of the Board of Directors and a majority vote of the Voting Members present at an annual conference (see Article 8). The election of an Honorary Member shall be canceled if acceptance of the membership is not received within six months after the candidate has received notice of his or her election.
c. Consulting Members.
Any employee working for a firm that works with local governments and who does not wish to be a corporate sponsor under the WCMA Corporate Sponsor program.
d. Corporate Sponsor Members.
Employees of firms working with local government who take an interest in the advancement of professional management for local government managers and administrators and are part of the WCMA Corporate Sponsor Program.
e. Student Membership.
Any person enrolled in an academic program at any college or university pursuing a degree in public administration, public finance, political science, or related field of study is eligible for a student membership in the Association. Open to full-time and part-time students; however, one must not have been a previous voting member of WCMA.
f. Academic Membership.
Any university or college professor or academic professional is eligible for this
membership.
Section 6. Eligibility.
All questions on the eligibility of any person for membership in any grade shall be referred to and determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 7. Membership: Non-transferability.
Membership is not transferable; membership is in the name of the individual and shall not attach to the position.
ARTICLE 4. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
Section 1. Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Association shall be the President, President Elect, Vice President, Executive Director (who shall be a non-voting member of the Committee)., The duties of the officers of this Association shall be such as by general usage are indicated by the title of office. The Executive Committee shall act in the capacity of directors and shall supervise and control the affairs of the Association. The Vice President shall also serve as the treasurer of the Association.
Committee members shall attend either in person or electronically. Members attending via electronic communications shall count towards quorum and their respective votes shall be considered valid. A quorum consists of a simple majority of voting members of the body.
Members serving on the Executive Committee will generally serve a term of three years, ascending annually from Vice President to President Elect and then to President. If any officer retires from corporate service and retains residence within the state, the officer may be permitted to finish the term of office by majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors; otherwise, the resulting vacancy shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors within 30 days after such vacancy occurs.
Section 2. WCMA Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, President Elect, Vice-President, Past President, each Regional Coordinator, and a County Representative. Only Voting Members are eligible to serve on the Board of Directors.
Meetings of the Board of Directors shall occur quarterly, and when possible be held in conjunction with the semiannual conferences, and additionally as needed. Committee Members may attend either in person or electronically. Members attending via electronic communications shall count towards a quorum and their respective votes shall be considered valid. A quorum consists of a simple majority of voting members of the body.
Section 3. Appointments.
The President shall appoint, with the approval of the Executive Committee, Regional Coordinators and the County Representative whose appointment shall be for be for three years beginning on January 1 and running through December 31 of that three-year period. Regional Coordinators may be reappointed to multiple terms, but an open process for considering candidates for the Regional Coordinator position shall be followed prior to reappointment. The President will appoint members to an Ethics Committee, Membership Development and Services Committee, Professional Development and Conference Planning Committee, Emerging Leaders Committee, Women’s Leadership Committee, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and Scholarships and Awards Committee and such other standing or ad hoc committees as the majority of the Board of Directors may deem advisable. Voting and Non-Voting members are eligible to serve on committees, with the exception of the Ethics Committee. Only Voting Members shall be allowed to serve on the Ethics Committee. All committee appointments will be confirmed by a majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Executive Director.
The Executive Director shall administer the affairs of the Association, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and to such policies as the Board of Directors or Executive Committee may adopt. The Executive Director shall annually prepare a budget for the Association and, upon its approval by the Board of Directors, shall have the authority to disburse the sums appropriated, with the Treasurer providing an electronic approval for disbursement as set forth in the Financial Policy as established by the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall be responsible for any monies of the Association that come into his/her possession; for the keeping of the accounting records; and for preparation of such financial statements and reports, including an annual audit, as the Board of Directors or Executive Committee may require. The Executive Director shall keep a record of the minutes of all meetings, give proper notice of meetings to the membership and perform other duties as may be delegated to the Executive Director by the Executive Committee or Board of Directors.
The Executive Director shall be hired by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 5. NOMINATIONS AND VOTING:
Section 1. Annual elections.
At the annual meeting held each year either in conjunction with the summer conference or virtual, the Voting Members of the Association shall elect a Vice President to a three-year term, the first year as Vice President, then automatically ascending to President Elect the next year, and then President the final year. At the time the nominating committee makes the nomination for Vice President, additional nominations shall be permitted. Once the vice-president nomination is approved, this completes the slate of officers for WCMA.
Section 2. Nominations.
Nominations of the vice president shall be made by a nominating committee of not less than five members, appointed by the President, with the approval of the majority of the Board of Directors. The five members shall include the three most recent past presidents and two members of WCMA.
Section 3. Voting.
Voting by eligible members on all matters, may be conducted at the annual meetings, by mail, secure web-based voting, or electronic media, provided however, that a single medium shall be employed for each vote. If a vote does occur at the annual meeting of WCMA, then no proxy vote is allowed, and the threshold for voting shall be based upon the number of voting members present at the meeting, for all other votes the threshold for voting shall be all eligible voters casting votes. Voters shall be given at least 30 days to vote, except for votes occurring at the annual meetings.
ARTICLE 6. DUES AND FISCAL YEAR:
Section 1. The fiscal year shall be from January 1 through December 31. Dues shall be payable January 31st of each year.
Section 2. The annual dues shall be set by the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Any Voting Member whose dues are in arrears for a period of three months shall be suspended from membership and notified by the Executive Director in writing of the suspension.
ARTICLE 7. MEETINGS:
Meetings of this Association shall be held in conjunction with the Conferences. If an in-person conference is not held, the meeting of the association can be held virtually. Notice of the time and place of all meetings shall be sent by the Executive Director to all members not less than ten (10) days in advance of the date of such meetings. At the annual meetings of the Association, the order of business shall be as follows, but may be suspended by a majority vote of the voting members present: (1) Report of the Executive Director; (2) Report of the Executive Committee; (3) Reports of Committees; (4) Business for Consideration; (5) Election of Officers; and (6) Adjournment
ARTICLE 8. CODE OF ETHICS:
The Association hereby adopts the Code of Ethics of the International City/County Management Association. Upon appointment as a member of this Association, the member agrees to adhere to and abide by the ICMA Code of Ethics. Failure to do so or violation of the Code of Ethics may result in a private censure, public censure or expulsion, or other action from the Association after a thorough investigation by the Association Ethics Committee and upon action by two thirds vote of the Board of Directors on any recommendation presented by the Ethics Committee. The procedure for an alleged violation of the ICMA Code of Ethics by a WCMA member who is not an ICMA member will be handled according to the WCMA Rules of Procedure for an Ethics Violation. The Association shall carry liability insurance as a means of protection in the event of any legal action because of any investigation, expulsion, or action of the Association.
ARTICLE 9. AMENDMENTS:
ARTICLE 10. DISSOLUTION OF ASSOCIATION:
The Wisconsin City/County Management Association may be dissolved by a three-fourths vote of Voting Members. In the event the Wisconsin City/County Management Association is dissolved, all remaining assets after all liabilities have been satisfied shall be distributed to either an institution of higher education to educate and train municipal managers/administrators or they shall be distributed to one or more local governments in Wisconsin, who shall use such assets exclusively for a public purpose.
If for any reason, the assets of the Association are not disposed of in a timely manner, the assets shall be disposed of by the circuit court of the county in which the Association’s main office was located immediately prior to its dissolution. The circuit court shall distribute the assets to any organization that qualifies under and shall use the assets for any purpose within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
ARTICLE 11. ADOPTION:
This constitution shall be in full force and effect from and after its approval by the majority of those eligible and exercising Voting membership.
Adopted: June 21, 1958
Amended:
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June 30, 1971 May 12, 1972 December, 1972 June, 1978 November, 1979 May, 1980 April, 1981 June, 1992
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May, 1993 June, 1999 June, 2003 June, 2005 June, 2009 June, 2012 June, 2015 |
June, 2018 March 2021 |
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