CONSTITUTION
OF THE
OFFICER'S SPOUSES CLUB
FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
ARTICLE I
NAME AND PURPOSE
Section
1. This association will be officially known as and called the Officers' Spouses'
Club of Fort Benning, Georgia, herein after to be referred to as the OSC.
Section 2. The OSC is established as a private organization pursuant to DOD Instruction
1000.15, Private
Organizations on DOD Installations; DOD 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation; AR 210-22, Private Organizations on Department
of the Army Installations; and US Army Infantry Center policy memoranda regarding Private Organizations. The OSC exists on
the military installation at the discretion and with the consent of the Installation Commander
or his designee. Such consent shall be contingent upon the following requirements and conditions as may be appropriate.
a.
Any programs and activities conducted
will not prejudice or discredit the military
service or other agencies of
the United States Government,
b.
No activity will be conducted in
the name of the installation or any organization of the
Army establishment.
c.
Neither the Army nor a Non-appropriated
fund entity as defined in DODI 1000.15 shall
incur any obligation on behalf of or assume any obligations of the association.
Individual members of the
OSC may become personally liable for the obligations and
debts of the Association,
unless incorporated as stated in Article 2, Section 3.
d.
The OSC will not engage in activities
that are in conflict with the provisions of DODI
5500.7-R, the Joint Ethics Regulation.
Section 3. The purpose of this association shall be to develop and foster a spirit of
community responsibility;
to provide welfare; to provide opportunities for social, cultural, and creative and educational pursuits; and to support worthwhile service and
community projects.
Section
4. This constitution supersedes all previous constitutions.
ARTICLE II
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
Section 1. The OSC shall be self-sustaining and will receive no financial assistance
from Non-Appropriated Fund instrumentality in the form of contributions, repairs, services, dividends, or other donations of money or other assets as
stated in paragraph 6.5, DODl 1000.15, and paragraph 4-12c, AR 215-1.
Section 2. The Installation Commander and/or his designated representative has the authority
to enforce compliance by the OSC with conditions enumerated herein, to inquire into their activities and to withdraw his consent
for its existence on this installation if deemed necessary in the interest of the Government.
Consent for the OSC to operate on the installation will automatically cease two years after being granted unless the
OSC applies for and receives revalidation within that two year period.
Section 3. The Property of the OSC shall consist of such articles as may properly come
into its possession.
Records of the property shall be maintained by the Treasurer in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Should the OSC either dissolve or cease to be allowed to operate on Fort Benning, Georgia, the OSC will remove all
OSC property from Fort Benning within 10 working days of dissolution or receipt of notice to cease
activities on Fort Benning. After that time, the OSC’s property will
be considered abandoned on the installation by the OSC and may be acquired or disposed of by the installation under applicable
DOD, Army, federal, state, and or local laws, regulations, etc.
Section 4. The Recording Secretary will maintain a historical file consisting of the
following permanent
records:
a. Original Constitution
with all current revisions.
b. Original Bylaws with
all current revisions.
c. Records of approval
of Constitution and Bylaws and all amendments thereto.
d. Annual membership rosters.
e. Copies of previous
audits.
Section 5. All files of the OSC, excluding the permanent records and the current checkbook,
will be kept
on a calendar year basis, and held at least three years after which time they may be destroyed. The checkbook will be placed
with related records when it is completed; using the applicable provisions of AR 25400-2 series as a guide.
Section 6. This organization will comply with federal, state and local laws
concerning taxation, licensing, certification, or registration in regard to club activities.
Section 7.
The monthly
minutes and financial statements of the OSC will be forwarded to the Commander, USAIC and DMWR for review and approval within
fifteen working days following the conduct of a club meeting.
Section 8. The OSC will not use a seal, logo, or insignia of any DOD component,
organization, unit or installation on the OSC’s letterhead, correspondence or in its title.
Section 9. In no event shall the United States Government be held liable, in
fact or in spirit, for any actions taken or indebtedness incurred by the OSC or the members of the OSC.
Section 10. The Association will not compete with any appropriated
or nonappropriated fund activity that offers similar programs or services.
Section 11. The Association will reimburse the Army for
any utility expenses incurred by the Army as a result of the operation of the Association, unless it would cost the Army more
to bill and collect than it costs to provide the utility.
Section 12. The Association will neither propagate extremist
activities nor advocate violence against others or the violent overthrow of the Government.
Section 13. The Association will not seek to deprive individuals
of their civil rights.
Section 14. The Association will not engage in the distribution
or sale of alcoholic beverages at any time.
ARTICLE
III
OFFICERS AND GOVERNING
BODY
Section 1. Nominations, elections, terms of office, and duties are outlined in the Bylaws.
Section 2. The elected officers of this association shall be the following: President,
First Vice President,
Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Corresponding Secretary.
Section 3. The OSC shall be administered in accordance with this approved Constitution
and Bylaws
of the Association and other applicable government and state directives under the supervision of the Executive Board.
Section 4. There shall be a Mentor who shall be the spouse
of the Commanding General
or her designated representative. The spouse of the Deputy Commanding General shall be invited to be the Senior Advisor. If
she is unable to serve in this position, the Mentor, in consultation with the President, may designate an alternate
to serve as the Senior Advisor. The Mentor and Senior Advisor are
non-voting members
of the Board of Directors.
Section 5. The executive board shall consist of the Mentor, the Senior Advisor, the
Parliamentarian, and the Elected Officers. The Mentor, Senior Advisor, and the Parliamentarian are non-voting members of the Executive
Board.
Section 6. The Executive Board shall carry out the purpose and objectives of the OSC
by approving transactions
of its routine business (such as employee issues) in accordance with the approved Constitution and established policies and shall make and enforce
such Bylaws as are necessary to govern the OSC.
Section 7. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Mentor, the Senior Advisor, Elected Officers, and Chairmen
of the Standing Committees. The Board shall conduct routine business of the OSC. Only the Elected Officers and Standing Committee Chairmen, as out-lined
in the Bylaws,
shall be voting members of the Board of Directors. If co-chairs exist, there will be only one vote allowed per Standing Committee.
ARTICLE
IV
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion,
age, disability, or national origin will not be permitted, I AW DODI 1000.15, Para 6.12. The use
of male or female pronouns in this document is a matter of convenience and in no way implies any intent to discriminate.
Section 2. Membership in the OSC will be voluntary. The following will be eligible for membership and will become members upon payment of dues:
a. Active Members shall live
in the Fort Benning or surrounding area, pay annual dues and have all rights and privileges of the organization. Active members
shall be spouses
or widows/widowers of commissioned and warrant officers of the US Armed Forces who are/were:
1. Active Duty
2. Reserve or National Guard
Components
3. Retired from active duty
4. Retired from reserve component
duty
5. Ex-spouses who maintain eligibility
for rights and privileges that accompany DD1173 (family member ID)
b. Associate Members shall live in the Ft. Benning area, pay annual dues and
have all the rights
and privileges of the organization with the exception of holding elected office. Associate members shall be:
1. Spouses
of officers of allied nations
2.
Spouses
of inactive reserve component officers of the US Armed Forces
3.
Spouses
of and/or DOD civilians GS~7 and above
4.
Spouses
of US Armed Forces members who are attending Officer Candidate School (OCS). Associate
membership will continue as long as the OCS Candidate reaches Senior Status.
c. Complimentary Members shall be individuals invited by the President to be members for one year upon approval of the Board of Directors. Complimentary members pay
no annual dues and are ineligible to vote or hold office.
d. Honorary
Members, who are spouses of General Officers serving at Fort Benning, are exempt from annual
dues and are entitled to all rights and privileges with the exception of holding office and committee chairmanship. If they
choose to pay
dues, they may participate in the general membership votes.
1. The spouse of the Commanding General will be invited to be
Mentor for
the duration of the Commanding General's tour.
2. The spouse of the Deputy Commanding General will be invited
to be the Senior
Advisor for the duration of the Deputy Commanding General's tour.
e. Honorary Lifetime Memberships will be bestowed upon all past Presidents of the Officers’
Spouses’ Club of Ft. Benning, and all wives of departing General Officers.
Section 3. The OSC will
advertise and solicit membership by hosting a “Super Sign-Up” or similar event at the beginning of the membership
year, and throughout the year through distribution of flyers and/or other communication to all individuals, agencies and organizations
associated with Fort Benning. Membership in
the OSC will not be discussed in official business meetings, and the OSC Membership Committee Chairman and/or Treasurer will
strictly maintain lists of members and non-members. Under no circumstances will
such lists be posted in public view in the workplace.
Section 4. All members shall
be provided a copy of the Constitution and Bylaws upon request.
ARTICLE V
METHOD OF FINANCING
Section 1. The funds of the association shall be derived from annual membership dues,
Activities, Bit
of Benning, Thrift Shop, and special projects as approved by the Board of Directors. There will be an account maintained with the subheadings
of General Operating Fund and Welfare Fund.
a.
The General Operating Fund is derived
from annual dues, activities, and 30% of the
net profits from Bit of Benning.
b. The Welfare Fund is derived from the net profits of the Thrift Shop, 70% of the net profits from Bit of Benning, and other fund raising activities.
Section 2.
A Thrift Shop account shall be a separate account and shall be maintained by the manager and
the bookkeeper of the Thrift Shop. Net profits shall be deposited monthly in the OSC welfare account.
Section 3. "A Bit of Benning" account shall be a separate account and shall be maintained
by the manager
and bookkeeper of the Bit of Benning. A portion of the net profit shall be deposited into "welfare account" and "operating account" as
is divided in Section 1 above. When there is no paid bookkeeper, the OSC Treasurer may be a signatory on the "Bit of Benning" account.
Section 4. Books of the Thrift Shop and "Bit of Benning" are open to the OSC Executive
Board for inspection
at all times.
Section 5. Any check up to $500.00 may be signed by either the
President or the Treasurer. Checks in the amount of $500.00 or higher must be signed by the Treasurer and either the President
or the First Vice President. At each monthly Board meeting, the Treasurer will
provide each Board member with a list of all individual checks written in the amount of $500.00 or higher. This list will give the payee name, date and amount of each check and will include all such checks written
since the last Board meeting.
Section 6. Transfer of funds from one account to another will be done
in accordance with appropriate
governing regulations.
Section 7. The OSC understands that gambling in federal buildings is
prohibited and that raffles on post have been restricted as a matter of policy. Raffles
conducted off post will be in conformance with Georgia law and with the approval of the county sheriff.
ARTICLE VI
ACTIVITIES
Section 1. The primary purpose of the OSC Thrift Shop is to provide
welfare funds
for the organization and scholarships.
Section 2. The primary purpose of “Bit of Benning”
is to provide a service to the Fort Benning community, by providing the members of the community a way
to conveniently purchase gifts and other merchandise at a reasonable price. Any net profits made by “Bit of Benning”
are deposited in the General Operating and Welfare Funds as described in Article V, Section 1 of this Constitution.
Section 3. Other fund raising activities may be undertaken with the consent of the Board
of Directors
and the approval of the Installation Commander, USAIC, DMWR, and AR 600-29, and Policy Memorandum 99- 25.
ARTICLE VII
MEETINGS AND QUORUMS
Section 1. The general membership meetings, to include luncheons and social activities,
shall be held according to an announced schedule which may be changed with a minimum of one month's notice. Other business
meetings may be called at the discretion of the President. Organizational business that requires action by the members may
be conducted at any of these meetings.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall meet monthly, unless otherwise
announced by the President.
An Executive Board meeting may be called at the discretion of the President. The Board of Directors must ratify all decisions of the Executive
Board.
Section 3. A quorum for conducting business of the Board of
Directors shall be defined as two-thirds of the voting members of the Board.
Section 4. A quorum for conducting general
membership business shall be defined as a majority of voting members present.
Section 5. All meetings
will be conducted according to the then current Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised Edition). The President will have the final authority to decide points of order.
ARTICLE VIII
ADOPTION AND AMENDMENTS
Section 1. This Constitution and any Bylaws hereto shall become effective
upon the adoption by a quorum vote at a scheduled general membership meeting, provided at least one week's notice has been given to its
members, either orally or in writing. The Constitution and Bylaws must be approved by the Installation Commander, USAIC, DMWR, AR 600-29 and Policy Memorandum
99-25 subsequent to adoption by the Membership.
Section
2. The procedure for Constitutional Amendment is:
a.
The Amendment must be voted on by
the board and approved by a two-thirds majority. Majority vote of the members present and voting in a duly constituted regular
or special
meeting of the General Membership is required. The amendment will
be adopted upon approval of the Installation Commander, USAIC, DMWR, AR 600-29 and policy Memorandum 99-25.
b.
The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds
vote of the voting members present of the Board
of Directors at any regular or special meeting of the Board, provided all
members of the
Board have been
notified of the meeting and of the proposed amendment at least one
week in
advance of the meeting.
ARTICLE IX
INSURANCE
Section 1. The
Garrison Commander (GC) or the GC’s DMWR designee has been furnished with a “Declaration Page”, “Policy”,
and a “prepaid in-full” receipt for one (1) year’s coverage as proof of “umbrella” liability
insurance in the amount of $300,000; which amount the GC or the GC’s DMWR designee deemed as sufficient for protection
against public liability, claims, property damage claims, or other legal actions arising from OSC activities, one or more
of the OSC’s members acting on its behalf, or the operation of any equipment, apparatus, or device under the control
and or responsibility of the OSC. Should that amount of insurance coverage be
insufficient, the OSC members may be held personally liable for debts, claims, and legal actions that arise as a result of
the activities of the Association or one or more of its members acting on its behalf.
Therefore, individual Association members could be sued, judgments could be rendered against them, and their assets
(e.g., land, homes, cars, bank accounts, other personal and or real properties) could be seized and or their salaries and
incomes (military and or civilian) garnished to pay the judgments.
Section 2: OSC members may be held personally liable for
debts, claims, and legal actions that arise as a result of the activities of the OSC or one or more of its members acting
on its behalf. All members shall be required to sign a statement acknowledging
their individual personal liability in the event OSC assets are insufficient to discharge all OSC liabilities. The OSC shall
ensure that all State and jurisdictional laws are met.
Section 3: Fidelity bonding will be purchased for members
or employees handling monthly cash flow exceeding $500. Such bonding will be
in an amount equal to the normal maximum amount of cash handled.
ARTICLE X DISSOLUTION
Upon dissolution of the OSC by an affirmative vote of a majority of the General Membership
present, without any provision to meet again in the future, the funds in the treasury at the time will be used to meet the outstanding debts, liabilities,
and obligations. The balance will be disposed of as determined by the membership at that meeting.
This Constitution and Bylaws were approved by the General Membership at a regular meeting
held on_____________________
In witness whereof the following officers affix their signatures:
President______________________________________ Date_________________
1st Vice-President_______________________________ Date_________________
Recording Secretary ______________________________ Date_________________
BYLAWS
OF THE OFFICERS’ SPOUSES’ CLUB
OF FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
ARTICLE
I
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The duties of the officers shall be those implied by respective titles,
those prescribed by the Constitution of the OSC, and those specified by these Bylaws.
Section 2. The OSC, its officers, and its members will comply with all provisions
of the following regulations:
a. DODI 1000.15, Private Organizations on DOD Installations
b. DOD 5500.7R, Joint Ethics Regulation
c. AR 210-22, Private Organizations on Department of the Army Installations
d. US Army Infantry Center policy memorandum
regarding Private Organizations
Section 3. President - The President shall preside at the meetings of the OSC
and of the Board of Directors and shall be a member (ex-officio) of all committees. She shall, with the Treasurer, review
all contracts and obligations authorized by the Board of Directors. The President (or in her absence, the 1st Vice President)
shall cosign all disbursements (checks) in excess of five hundred dollars ($500.00). The President shall appoint all standing
and special committee chairpersons, unless otherwise stated in the Bylaws. The President shall appoint a replacement to fill
any vacancy occurring in the elected offices or Board of Directors, except President. The President will be a representative
or shall appoint a representative to all councils requiring OSC presence. The President will ensure pertinent records are
reviewed, i.e. Thrift Shop SOP, Bit of Benning SOP, and taxes.
