BNHRTC Bylaws - Adopted June 30, 2009

Brentwood New Hampshire Republican Town Committee

By-Laws

Article I

Title

The name of this organization shall be the “Brentwood New Hampshire Republican Town Committee”, herein referred to as the “Town Committee”.

Article II

Purpose

The purpose of the Town Committee shall be:

• to encourage the active participation of all persons in the town of Brentwood, New Hampshire that are registered as Republicans, or shall as a result, register themselves as Republicans;
• a forum to discuss issues and policies affecting the Town of Brentwood, the State of New Hampshire, and the United States of America; to debate these issues and policies and develop recommendations and commonly accepted statements that offer solutions to those issues;
• to execute its duties in cooperation with the New Hampshire Republican State Committee in accordance with the New Hampshire State Committee by-laws, and RSA 667:22,
• to recruit qualified Republican candidates to run for public office at all political levels,
• to support the election of members of the Republican Party to all political offices,
• to direct the general policy and campaign activities of the Town Committee organization,
• to remain neutral in all activities relating to primary races at all political levels,
• to provide an active and visible organization in the Town of Brentwood to participate in regular town and state activities, including Town Meetings, and local ceremonies (Memorial Day, Veterans Day, the 4^th of July);
• Become a resource for the Town of Brentwood during any town emergency, displaying a positive image of the Town Committee and the State Republican Party.
• to support and promote volunteer activities that help our town become a better place to live and a successful community. As such, we commit to a minimum of 40 hours of community service annually.
• to perform all duties by law or custom required of it.

Article III

Composition

The Brentwood New Hampshire Republican Town Committee shall be composed of the Town Chairperson and such other registered Republicans of the Town of Brentwood, New Hampshire, as the Committee determines by the adoption of these By-laws. In order to qualify for membership in the Town Committee, a potential member must be a registered Republican and currently reside in the town of Brentwood, New Hampshire. To remain in good standing a member shall abide by all requirements for membership as required by these By-Laws, and must attend a minimum of two meetings annually.

• Duties: The Town Committee shall have the duty to manage the Republican Party in the Town of Brentwood, and, in cooperation with the State Committee, to direct the general policy and campaign activities of the party, and to perform all duties by law or custom required of it.
• Executive Committee: An Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairperson and the other officers, elected or appointed by the Executive Committee. It shall have the authority to act for its full committee when necessary. The Executive Committee shall forward to the Republican State Committee a complete list of members by the last day of February following the biennial election. An Executive Committee shall establish sub-committees to assist it, as it deems necessary.
• Officers: The Town Committee shall nominate and elect officers to serve on the Town Executive Committee, and include at a minimum a Chairperson, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and other positions as the members see fit.
• Chairman: The Chairperson shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Town Committee. He/She shall preside over all Town Committee Meetings, shall insure that the Town Committee is organized in accordance with the State and Town Committee By-Laws, maintain all records associated with the operation of the Town Committee, including the current roster of all Republican Town Committee members. The Chairperson will file an annual activity report with the State Committee. The Chairperson shall also propose to the assembled Town Committee the date, time and location of the next scheduled meeting, to be approved by a 2/3 majority of the full Town Committee present.
• Vice-Chairman: A Vice-Chairperson, under the direction of the Chairman, shall assist the Chairperson in the above-mentioned duties, and, in his/her absence, shall preside over meetings.
• Finance: A Finance Chairperson shall maintain a liaison with the state finance chairperson, and shall assist him/her with programs. The Finance Chairperson shall also be charged with the fundraising activities of the Town Committee, and the maintenance of any/all financial accounts held by the Town Committee as necessary. The Finance Chairperson shall provide a Financial Summary Report at every regularly scheduled Town Executive Committee meeting.
• Treasurer: A Treasurer shall receive all funds belonging to the Town Committee, shall maintain proper books of accounts of all funds received and paid out, and shall pay out funds only with a check counter-signed by the Chairperson. The Treasurer shall make disbursements at the discretion of the Chairman when approved by:
• A majority of the voting members in attendance at an Town Committee Meeting, or
• a majority of Executive Committee members, not to exceed $500 for any single disbursement without prior approval.
• The Treasurer shall assist the Finance Chairperson in preparation of the Financial Summary Report and include all receipts and expenditures thereof since the preceding report.
• Secretary: A Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Town Committee meetings, and be the custodian of all the permanent books and records of the Town Committee.
• Vacancies: The Town Committee Chairperson shall fill any vacancies on a temporary basis within thirty days of said vacancies. Such temporary officers shall serve until the next regular meeting of the full Town Committee, when the vacancy shall be filled by election. If a vacancy cannot be filled within thirty days of its occurrence, the State or County Chairperson shall have the authority to fill the vacancy until an election takes place.

• Article IV

Members

Part 1: Membership in the Town Committee shall be open to any person meeting the following criteria:

• Be a natural born or legally naturalized citizen of the United States;
• Be a current resident of the Town of Brentwood;
• Has, or will have achieved the legal voting age of 18 by the date of the next scheduled Local, State, or Federal election;
• Be a declared registered Republican, as verified by the then current Town Checklist available publicly on the Town of Brentwood website.
• Have completed and filed a Membership Application, and paid the annual dues.

• Members shall be eligible for voting privileges at the first regular meeting of the Town Committee following registration and payment of annual dues. Membership dues shall be set annually, as recommended by the Executive Committee and approved by a vote of the membership.

Part 2: Associate, non-voting membership will be granted to any persons under the legal voting age of 18, who meet requirements a, b, in Article IV, except that no dues are required, and declare themselves a Republican.

Article V

Election of Officers

The Executive Committee shall be elected by the members of the Town Committee, assembled during the first week of January following the biennial elections. Said officers shall be elected for a two year term. Any officer that is not present for three consecutive unexcused Executive Committee meetings shall be considered to have tendered their resignation as an officer. Replacements shall be seated as outlined per Article III (Vacancies).

• Nominations: Each Executive Committee Candidate shall be nominated by a member of the Town Committee, and seconded by another member of the Town Committee other than the nominee themselves.
• Nominations shall be requested in order of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Finance, Treasurer, Secretary, and then any other available Executive Committee officers.
• Upon being nominated for a Town Executive Committee Office, the candidate shall be provided the opportunity to accept or not accept the nomination.
• After all nominations have been completed and duly recorded by the current Secretary, all candidates shall be displayed in writing in accordance with the office they have been nominated for. This can be accomplished either by publicly listed on a whiteboard/tablet visible to all assembled Town Committee Members, or distributed via secret ballot.
• Candidate Speeches: Each nominated candidate shall be afforded the opportunity to speak for no more than five minutes on their qualifications for the office they have been nominated for. The candidate may elect to pass on this opportunity if he/she so desires.
• Voting: All candidates shall be voted on for the office they are running for by either voice vote or secret ballot, at the recommendation of the existing Executive Committee. In order for an election to be valid, a quorum of twenty percent of the total membership of the Town Committee must be present. The polls shall be open for a minimum of 30 minutes in the event of a secret ballot.
• Results: Elections results shall be tabulated by the Secretary, and overseen by the Executive Committee as necessary. Once verified and finalized, the results shall be announced by the Chairman, noting the total votes received by each candidate.
• The Executive Committee-elect members shall be sworn in and assume office at the next regularly scheduled meeting following their election. 

• Article VI

Procedures for Removal

[To be amended by recommendation of the Executive Committee, and approved by the vote of the assembled Town Committee, as required in Article IX]

Article VII

Meetings

The Town Committee shall be required to meet at least twice per year, once in January, and at least on one other occasion during each calendar year. A quorum of at least two-thirds of the Town Committee membership must be present to conduct a vote. Meetings shall be held at a location within town limits.

The Town Executive Committee shall schedule and meet at least once per month, normally the second Wednesday of the month. If the second Wednesday of the month falls on a national, religious or state holiday, the meeting shall be scheduled for the following Wednesday. Normal meetings shall convene no later than 7 o’clock PM.

The Executive Town Committee may at its discretion schedule additional meetings as is deemed necessary for the business of the Town Committee. The Chairperson shall be responsible for providing written and/or electronic notification to all members of the Town Executive Committee and the Town Committee at least seven days in advance, the date, time and location of any additional Executive Committee meetings. The meeting shall also be publicly posted in the Town Of Brentwood Town Hall, and either the Town Committee web site or other public resource.

A quorum of at least three Executive Committee members, including either the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson, must be present for an Executive Town Committee meeting to conduct business.

Article VIII

General

The following provisions shall govern the conduct and operation of the Town Committee created by these bylaws:

• Each voting member in good standing shall have one vote.
• A majority of those present and voting shall decide any question in the case of a vote with more than two candidates, in which case, a majority of the vote is sufficient to elect.
• Twenty percent of the total membership of the Town Committee shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.

Article IX

Amendment of Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by any member of the Committee in good standing by proposing the change(s) at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Town Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall in the method that it sees fit, assign an article identification to each By-Law Amendment proposed during the course of the year. The Executive Committee shall then review and open for discussion in a “public” session of the Committee Membership, the proposed change(s). At a subsequent Executive Committee meeting, the Executive Committee shall then publish in writing the proposed change(s) to the full Town Committee, and include the recommendation to either adopt or not adopt the change(s).

 Changes to the Bylaws can only be made at the first meeting of the year, in January as outlined in Article VII (Meetings). All amendments to the By-Laws proposed since the previous January, shall be voted upon by the assembled Town Committee. To be adopted, the amendment must pass by a two thirds vote of the voting members present. Amendments to the By-Laws shall be by secret ballot only.

Once adopted, any amendment to the by-laws shall be filed with the Rockingham County Republican Committee.

Article X

Procedures

The Town Committee meetings and any Executive Committee meeting shall be guided by Roberts Rules of Order revised, or the latest edition thereof.

Adopted, June 29, 2009