VALLEY OAKS CHAPTER CDS

ARTICLE I - NAME 

The name of this organization shall be the Valley Oaks Chapter of the California Dressage Society (CDS).   

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE 

1. The purpose of this chapter shall be to follow the Bylaws of the California Dressage Society (CDS) and promote the CDS goals. 
2. This chapter shall promote educational activities on the local level and carry out the plans of the Executive Board of the CDS for local competitions and education events. (CDS Bylaws, Art. XII, Sec 1.)   

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP  

1. Chapter membership shall be those persons who are paid members in good standing with CDS and who have indicated an interest in associating with the Valley Oaks Chapter. 
2. Chapter members are encouraged to attend chapter meetings and volunteer at chapter activities.    

ARTICLE IV - RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES 

1. Any members in good standing with the California Dressage Society, who have declared their association with this Chapter, shall be able to participate in Chapter functions, and are eligible to hold offices in the Chapter. 

ARTICLE V - DUES AND ASSESSMENTS 

1. Annual dues shall be paid to the California Dressage Society and shall be sent to the Central Office together with the official application or renewal form. 
2. Checks for annual dues are made payable to the California Dressage Society and are paid individually by each member. There shall be no other mandatory assessments to members of the Chapter.  
3. Annual dues for the Valley Oaks Chapter board are reimbursed to the board memebers, by the Valley Oaks Chapter, at the end of the service year. To qualify, a board member must participate in 50% of club sponsored activities and 75% of the board meetings. 

ARTICLE VI - VOTING 

1. Active members in good standing shall be entitled to one vote each. 
2. Voting for officers of the Chapter shall be by ballot and will allow for write-in candidates.  
3. When only one candidate is volunteering for a board position, no vote will be held. The candidate is unchallenged and will be appointed to the board position.

ARTICLE VII -  ELECTION OF DIRECTORS 

1. A maximum of seven directors shall be elected by and chosen from the membership of the Chapter. 
2. A Chapter may change the number of Directors it has, providing the number does not exceed seven.
3. The number of Directors must be determined at the Chapter’s Annual Election of Directors.
4. The number of elected Chapter Directors must conform to the results of the Annual Chapter Election.
5. The term of office is from January 1st through December 31st after the election is held.  
6. Election of offices shall be held yearly and the retiring chair shall act as advisor for three months after the end of the term by attending the meetings of the new board.  
7. CDS Secretary/Central Office must be notified of the elected members of the Chapter Board by January 1. 

ARTICLE VIII - NOMINATING COMMITTEE 

1. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the current Chapter Board, to begin serving no later than September 1 of each year. This committee shall consist of at least two members, none of whom are current members of the Chapter Board of Directors. 
2. The nominating committee shall present a ballot of nominees no later than October at a regularly scheduled business meeting of the Chapter. The ballot of nominees presented at this meeting shall be considered final.
3. Nominations from the floor are permitted.
4. In all cases, written consent of the nominee must be obtained.

ARTICLE IX- ELECTION PROCEDURE

1. A ballot shall be available to each memeber of the Chapter. 
2. Each candidate shall be listed on the ballot. There shall be a provision for write in candidates.
3. The return date must be listed on the ballot.
4. Ballots shall be returned to a specific member of the ballot counting committee of two chapter members who are not current members of the Chapter Executive Board or candidates on the ballot. 
5. The individuals who receive the most votes will be appointed to the Board position.
6. The results of the election shall be relayed by the counting committee to the Chapter Chair who shall announce them at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Chapter.
7. This procedure must be completed by December 31.
8. When only one candidate is volunteering for a board position, no vote will be held. The candidate is unchallenged and will be appointed to the board position.
9. Any exceptions to this proceedure must be approved by the CDS Executive Board. 

ARTICLE X- DUTIES OF THE CHAPTER BOARD 

1. The Chapter Board shall hold a minimum of one business meeting each year and shall hold as many additional meetings as are necessary to conduct the business of the Chapter.
2. It shall be the duty of the Chapter Board to conduct all business of the Chapter between meetings of the Membership. 
3. The Chapter Board shall expend these funds deemed necessary to carry on the activities of the Chapter.
4. All meetings shall be open to all members in good standing of the Chapter and to any CDS Executive Board members or CDS State Officers who wish to attend. Closed meetings should be held only when there are sensitive personnel or monetary matters to discuss, and minutes must be kept.
5. Minutes must be maintained and published with the exception that the minutes of closed meetings are not to be published. All minutes, including any closed or executive sessions, must be made available to the State Executive Board and State officers, on request.
6. All Chapter finacial matters will be made available to the CDS State Treasurer and the CDS State Board upon request. 
7. Only Board members have a vote on the Chapter Board.

ARTICLE XI- OFFICERS OF THE CHAPTER 

1. The elected members of the Chapter Board shall elect the Chapter Chair from the membership of the elected Chapter Board. Co-chairs are permitted.
2. The Chair of the Chapter Board shall appoint the Chapter Co-chair from the membership of the elected Chapter Board.
3. The Chapter membership shall appoint the Chapter Secretary and Chapter Treasurer. One individual may serve as Secretary and Treasurer.
4. The Chapter Board shall appoint as many Committee Chairs as are needed to manage the planned activitiesof the Chapter. These individuals do not have to be elected individuals of the Chapter Board. Non-elected Chapter Board Committee Chairs do not carry a vote. 
5. All appointed Officers and Committee Chairs must be current memebers of CDS, in good standing, and their names must be reported to the CDS Central Office as specified under Notification Procedures.

ARTICLE XII - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

1. The Chapter Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Chapter Board. He/she shall approve the meeting agendas. He/she shall appoint all committee chairpersons with the approval of the Chapter Board. He/she shall make all appointments with the approval of the Chapter Board. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nomination committee.  
2. The Co-Chair shall take over in the absence of the Chapter Chair. He/she shall actively maintain and improve communications between members of the Chapter Board and perform other duties as requested by the Chapter Chair.
3. The Chapter Secretary shall take minutes of each meeting of the Chapter. He/she shall be responsible to notify all Chapter Board memebers of meeting dates and locations, and shall arttend to other matters pertaining to meeting procedures as directed by the Chapter Chair. He/she shall prepare meeting notices, meeting waivers (hold harmless statement for the meetings), and agendas for all meetings with the approval of the Chapter Chair.
4. The Chapter Treasurer shall maintain a complete record of all business transactions and be prepared to report on the financial status of the Chapter at all times, to both the Chapter Board and membership and to the CDS Executive Board. He/she is responsible for preparation of all financial reports required by the California Dressage Society Treasurer.  
5. Chapter Board Memebers shall attend Chapter Board meetings and shall serve as Chair-persons of committees, as appointed. They shall be sensitive to the thoughts and wishes of the Chapter membership. 
6. Each officer at the expiration of his/her term of office, or upon resignation, shall transfer all records pertaining to his/her office to the succeeding officer within two weeks. 

ARTICLE XIV- NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES

1. In January of each year, the Chapter is responsible for reporting to the CDS Central Office the following:

• A completed statement of Chapter Finances (by January 31), using the form provided by the CDS Central Office or CDS Treasurer.
• A complete list of current Chapter Officers/Directors
• A report on the previous year’s activities including: number of meetings held, number if activities held, desciption of activities held. 
• A list of activities planned, including dates, locations and name/contact information for the person responsible for coordinating the event.

ARTICLE XV- DISSOLUTION

If at any time the Chapter dissolves, any funds remaining in the treasury shall be distributed to the California Dressage Society. 

IMPLEMENTATION:

This document was amended and voted on at the October 2022 meeting of the Valley Oaks CDS chapter board meeting.