Italian Club Bylaws

PURPOSE

The Villages Italian Club is a social organization, open to all Villagers with an interest in Italian culture. We are an event-driven organization and our events are designed to celebrate Italian traditions and lifestyles.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be granted to all Villagers, including renters but not non-resident owners, subject to the following conditions:

  1. All members must pay annual dues, as established by the Board of Directors. Membership is automatically terminated for a member who fails to pay dues in a timely manner.
  2. The Board may establish a closing date for new members in any calendar year.
  3. The Board may at any time decide to limit the total number of members in the Club.
  4. Membership is automatically terminated for anyone who moves out of The Villages.
  5. The Board may expel any member for behavior detrimental to the best interest of the Club and its members. Any expelled member may be refunded all or part of the dues for that year, at the Board’s discretion.

 FISCAL YEAR

For purposes of establishing dues payments and other Club business, the fiscal year shall be January 1 to December 31.

 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 The Board of Directors shall consist of no more than 16 members.  There are no term limits on Board membership. The members shall be polled each year in October to determine if they wish to continue on the Board for the next calendar year.  If there are resignations, the President shall seek suitable replacements from the current membership roster.

Officers for each year shall be elected by the Board at its December meeting. Officers must include a President, at least one Vice President, a Secretary, a Membership Secretary and a Treasurer. A list of the officers shall be available to all Club members via the Club’s web site.

All official Club events must be chaired by a member of the Board of Directors.  The chairperson may appoint an assistant who is not a member of the Board, but still remains responsible for the finances, pre-planning and conduct of the event.

Board members may not miss more than three consecutive meetings during a calendar year.  Any Board member failing to meet this requirement may be asked to resign.  The vacated seat may be filled immediately, at the Board’s discretion.

MEETINGS

The Board of Directors shall meet on a regular basis, at least six times a year, with dates to be determined by the President.

At least one general Membership Meeting shall be held every year, in November whenever possible, to provide the Club members with a report on the overall state of the Club, to introduce  Board members, to preview the next year’s event schedule, and to conduct any other necessary business.

FINANCES

The Board of Directors shall control all monies in The Italian Club treasury, under the following conditions

  1. All funds must be deposited in one checking account, which shall be administered by the Club Treasurer.
  2. At least two directors shall be authorized to sign checks.
  3. The Treasurer is responsible for making a statement of accounts and financial activity at each Board meeting. This statement shall become part of the Minutes of each meeting.
  4. Donations will not be made to any person(s) not a member of The Villages Golf and Country club, or Organizations not within and recognized by The Board of Directors of The Villages Golf and Country Club. In cases where outside parties make presentations to the Italian Club members and request that their fee be directed to a charity, that payment is defined as a redirected fee or honorarium.
  5. The property located in the Villages Italian Club container in the maintenance yard and the Cribari closet is property belonging solely to the Villages Italian Club.  It can only be used for Italian Club events.It will not be loaned out to other individuals or Clubs.

CHANGE OF BYLAWS

The Board of Directors shall review these ByLaws during the fourth quarter of each year, amend them as necessary, and make the new version available to members via the Club’s web site.

Revised 11-24