THE CONSTITUTION of the PLYMOUTH ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY

Name:The name of the society shall be The Plymouth Archaeology Society.

Objects:

The object of the Society shall be to promote and encourage conservation of the historic environment in Plymouth and the surrounding areas of South-East Cornwall, the Tamar Valley, the South Hams and Dartmoor.

The aims and actions of the Society:

The aims and actions of the Society shall be for the enjoyment, benefit and education of the public, for archaeological research and for promotion of interest in and preservation of monuments, artefacts and records of the past.

Administration:

The Society shall be administered and managed in accordance with these Rules by members of the Committee

Application of income and capital:

The Committee must apply the income and capital in furthering the objects.

Membership:

Membership of The Society shall be open to all persons interested in furthering its objects who shall pay the subscription appropriate to their class of membership. The Society shall comprise:

• Ordinary Full Members: who are entitled to vote at General Meetings, eligible to serve on any committee and to hold office.

• Joint Full Members: i.e. two or more members of the same family or household who shall have the privileges of Ordinary Full Members except that no more than two representatives shall be entitled to vote at General meetings.

• Student Members: who are students with bona fide student card or members aged under 18, who shall have the privileges of Ordinary Full Members.

• Institutional Members: who shall be entitled to nominate a representative who may vote on behalf of the member institution.

Subscriptions:

The annual subscription shall be due on 1st October.

Subscription fee shall be confirmed at the Annual General Meeting. A renewal notice shall be issued to all members a month before it is due.

All subscriptions must be paid before 1st December in the current year.

Members failing to pay within this time will be deemed non-members and shall pay non-member fees for lectures and walks.

Financial Year:

The Financial Year shall be from 1st October to 30th September

Annual General Meeting:

The Society should hold its Annual General Meeting in January of each year or within eight weeks thereafter.

Notice of the Annual General Meeting and request for nominations shall be given to all paid up members in writing not less than 3 weeks before the next Annual General Meeting.

Twenty Full Members personally present and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum.

Included in the business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:

• Report from the Chair

• Presentation of the examined Accounts

• Election of Officers

• Establishment of the Annual Subscription Rate

Special General Meetings

Upon receiving a requisition signed by twenty of more Full Members, or at the request of the Committee, the Hon. Secretary shall summon a Special General Meeting, giving twenty-one clear days of the Meeting and of the matters to be discussed thereat. The holding of such a meeting shall be announced within fourteen days of the receipt of such a request. Twenty Full Members personally present and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum.

Honorary Officers:

The Officers of The Society shall consist of Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Minute Secretary, and whatever officers the Committee shall consider from time to time necessary.

Elections:

Nominations for the position of Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Committee members shall be proposed and seconded in writing by Full Members and received by the Secretary not less than seven days before the Annual General Meeting. The Chair shall be elected annually and may be eligible for re-election for a period not exceeding three successive years. The only exception being if no other nominations have been received for the seat of Chair; the current Chair may stand another year if they are willing to carry on.

Committee:

The management and control of The Society shall be in the hands of the Committee consisting of members not exceeding thirteen to be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. The officer responsible for curating archaeological objects and records in 'The Box' archives and the officer responsible for Heritage in the City Council shall be ex-officio be members of the Committee. The Committee may appoint any member of the Society to fill a casual vacancy and from time to time co-opt not more than two additional members until the next Annual General Meeting.

Reasons for termination of committee member status:

• Persistent absence from Committee meetings without valid prior justification.

• Failure to adequately support the Committee and the Society by not acknowledging or responding to Committee communications and requests, thereby neglecting responsibilities to fellow members and the Society.

• Engagement in actions that may bring the Society into disrepute.

A decision to terminate a Committee member's status may only be made if a quorum is present at a regular or specially convened Committee meeting.

The minutes shall document the number of votes cast for and against the motion, but not the names of individual voters. The number of abstentions shall also be recorded. In the event of a tied vote the Chair shall exercise the casting vote.

Committee Meeting:

A Committee meeting shall be held within twenty-one days following the Annual General Meeting and thereafter at least every three months. The Minute Secretary shall give notice of at least seven days to all Committee members for each meeting. Five Committee Members shall constitute a quorum.

Accounts:

The Treasurer shall circulate the Annual Accounts to members prior to the Annual General Meeting. The Accounts shall be certified by an Auditor appointed annually by the Committee.

The Constitution:

The Constitution of the Society can only be altered at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. The proposed alteration having been noted on the agenda circulated to members. Such alteration must be carried out by two thirds of the members present and voting. Twenty members personally present and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum.

Winding Up:

Any proposal by the Committee to wind up the Society shall require ratification by an Annual or Special General Meeting at which it shall be determined that in the event of the winding up of the Society the available funds of the Society shall be transferred to such one or more groups having objects similar or reasonably similar to those herein before declared as maybe chosen by the Committee. your text here...