CONSTITUTION OF THE
LAKE TRAVIS YOUTH ASSOCIATION
Ratified - May 11th, 2004
PREAMBLE
To provide our children with a program of safe, supervised recreation; to sponsor activities designed to build character, sportsmanship, and citizenship; to promote equal participation in each of its programs; and to provide the opportunity for our children to have a pleasant first experience in competitive sports, the LTYA has been organized, and to such ends the Constitution of which this Preamble is a part, is herewith set forth.
ARTICLE I -- NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. This club shall be known as the LAKE TRAVIS YOUTH ASSOCIATION, hereinafter referred to as "LTYA" or the "ASSOCIATION."
Section 2. The purpose of the LTYA shall be to stimulate, promote and foster activities designed to provide a richer and more wholesome life for the children of our community and to help instill in them the values of teamwork, fair play and dedication as stepping stones toward the day when they must take their place in a competitive world and, hopefully, improve it.
Section 3. LTYA is not a social club, and it shall be non-profit, non-political, and non-sectarian.
ARTICLE II -- BOUNDARIES
Section 1. The boundaries of LTYA shall be the area generally served by the Lake Travis Independent School District. Any additional areas shall be approved by the Board of Directors on the basis of availability of facilities for practice and play.
ARTICLE III -- HEADQUARTERS
Section 1. LTYA headquarters shall be located at the home of the Club President in Travis County, Texas, where the files and records shall be kept.
ARTICLE IV -- MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. There shall be four classes of membership in LTYA: Honorary, Life, Active and Associate. (Amended to delete Life Membership in futuro)-ed.
Section 2. An Honorary Member shall be any person nominated by the Board of Directors and receiving a majority vote of the members present and voting at any regular meeting of the Membership. No dues shall be required for Honorary Members; they will be elected for life. An Honorary Member shall not be eligible to serve on the Board or to vote.
Section 3. An Active Member shall be any person: eighteen years of age or older; residing within, or receiving his livelihood from enterprises located within, the boundaries of the Association. Membership shall become effective upon the payment of the annual dues. An Active Member shall participate in all activities of the Association and shall have full voting privileges.
Section 4. A Life Member shall meet the qualifications for and have the privileges of Active Membership, excepting that upon the payment of the life dues, no further dues shall be charged. (No more Life Memberships may be granted after the effective date of the amendment.)-ed.
Section 5. An Associate Member shall be any person, eighteen years of age or older, who professes an interest in the purpose and aims of the Association and its activities. Membership shall become effective upon the payment of the annual dues. An Associate Member shall participate in all activities of the Association, excepting that he shall not be eligible to serve on the Board or to vote, and his children shall not be eligible to participate in the Association's activities.
Section 6. It shall be the duty of all members to attend all Membership meetings, be available for committee service, and make suggestions to the Board of Directors concerning the improvement of the Association's activities and operations and the promotion of its general welfare.
Section 7. Dues shall be as provided in the By-Laws.
Section 8. Authority to discipline members shall be as provided elsewhere in the Constitution and By-Laws.
ARTICLE V -- OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 1. The business, property, and activities of LTYA shall be managed by a Board of Directors who shall be elected by the Membership as provided elsewhere in the Constitution.
Section 2. The Directors shall be Active or Life Members of LTYA.
Section 3. The Directors shall receive no compensation for their services.
Section 4. The Officers of LTYA shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer who shall be elected by the Board as provided elsewhere in the Constitution. The Duties of Officers shall be provided in the By-Laws.
ARTICLE VI -- COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of: the President as Chairman; the Vice President; the Secretary; the Treasurer; and the immediate Past President, in the event he holds no other office.
Section 2. Standing Committees, as well as Special Committees that may be desired, shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. It shall be the duties of these Committees to perform such general services as the style of their committee name suggests. A list of Standing Committees and their duties shall be as provided in the By-Laws.
Section 3. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of all holdover Directors, i.e. those with an additional year to serve of their additional terms at the time of the annual election of Board members. Executive Committee members shall not serve on this Committee. The Nominating Committee Chairman shall be elected by majority vote of the members of the Committee.
ARTICLE VII -- MEETINGS
Section 1.The Annual Meeting of the Membership shall be held on the second Tuesday of May.
Section 2. Quarterly meetings of the Membership shall be held on the second Tuesday of February, May and September.
Section 3. When any meeting date occurs on a holiday, the scheduled meeting shall be held on the following Tuesday.
Section 4. The exact time and place for each meeting, as well as its agenda, shall be determined by the Executive Committee and the Membership so notified prior to the meeting.
Section 5. Special meeting of the Membership may be called by a majority vote of all the Board of Directors. The purpose of such meetings shall be set forth in the notice to members and no business other than that for which the meeting was called shall be transacted. The notice for such a meeting shall be mailed not less than ten days in advance of the date set for the meeting.
Section 6. For the purposes of transacting business of the Association at Membership meetings, a quorum shall consist of twenty (20) voting members.
Section 7. The order of business for the regular meetings of the Membership shall be:
1. Call to Order
2. Recognition of New Members and Guests
3. Reading of Minutes
4.Reports of Officers
5.Reports of Committees
6. Unfinished Business
7. New Business
8. Announcements
9. Adjournment
Section 8. A written report prepared by the President summarizing the Association's activities for the year ending shall be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Membership. Included in the annual report shall be an audited statement of the Association's financial condition.
Section 9. A written report of the Association's financial condition shall be presented at each Quarterly Membership Meeting.
Section 10. All meetings shall be conducted according to Parliamentary Law as set forth in the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
ARTICLE VIII -- ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Seven members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the Membership at the Annual Meeting. Voting shall be by secret ballot. Board positions shall be filled by the nominees receiving the most votes. Additional board positions will be filled by LTYA sports commissioners, or by designated representatives from all LTYA sports which have an elected board, or a board approved by the LTYA board and a budget approved by the LTYA board. An elected LTYA board member cannot be the Commissioner or voting representative of an individual sports board.
Section 2. The terms of the elected directors shall run from June 1 to May 31, for a two-year period. The elected directors shall be divided into two classes: three members shall be elected on odd numbered years, and four members on even numbered years.
Section 3. Nominations for the Board shall be in the hands of the Association Secretary fifteen (15) days prior to the Annual Meeting. Nominations can be made by any Active or Life Member, and all Active and Life Members shall be eligible for nomination except those specifically excluded in other sections of the Constitution. The Secretary shall send a written notice to all members thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Meeting that nominations for the Board of Directors are open and will be accepted by the Secretary until fifteen (15) days prior to the Annual Meeting.
Section 4. The immediate Past President of LTYA shall serve on the Board of Directors for one additional year as a non-voting member of the Board and voting member of the Executive Committee in the event that his term on the Board has expired.
Section 5. Vacancies in the Board of Directors shall be filled by the Board. The new Director shall serve until the next Annual Meeting of the Membership.
ARTICLE IX -- ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The Officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors within thirty (30) days following the Annual Meeting of the Membership and the Membership duly notified of the results of said election.
Section 2. The Officers shall be elected for one-year terms. No one shall be eligible to serve as an Officer who is not an elected Director of the Association.
Section 3. Nominees for each office shall be selected by the Nominating Committee. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall inform all members of the Board of Directors in writing of the names of the nominees at least five (5) days prior to the election. The Nominating Committee shall nominate no more than two persons for each office. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.
Section 4. Vacancies in the offices shall be filled by nominations and election by the Board.
ARTICLE X -- VOTING
Section 1. All elections and matters voted upon shall be determined by a majority of those present and voting, except where the Constitution or By-Laws provide otherwise (one vote per family membership).
ARTICLE XI -- CODE OF CONDUCT
Section 1. Should you, as a member, disagree with a coach or a manager, you should discuss your differences with him before bringing the matter to the attention of anyone else. If your discussions with the coach prove unsatisfactory, you may then bring the matter to the attention of the Commissioner or Director-in-Charge of the activity or, finally, to any LTYA Director for resolution.
Section 2. Refrain at all times from any abusive criticism of officials. Should an official be guilty of an obvious error, please point it out to your child's coach or manager in a constructive manner.
Section 3. Under no circumstances shall abusive comments or remarks from adults toward an opposing team or team member be tolerated.
Section 4. If your child is to be absent from a game or practice session, please tell his coach or manager the reason for the absence in advance, when possible. In addition, please inform the coach or manager of any illness or injury from which your child may be suffering.
Section 5. Remember, above all, that the primary purpose of LTYA is to benefit the children of our community. We, as members, should strive always to set a proper example for them to follow.
ARTICLE XII -- DISCIPLINE OF MEMBERS
Section 1. The Code of Conduct shall be binding on all members.
Section 2. The Board may, by two-thirds vote of all Directors, reject any membership application or cancel any membership where a member's activities are not in accord with the Association's purpose and aims as set forth in this Constitution or, more specifically, in the Code of Conduct.
Section 3. For the purposes of administration of this authority, when a complaint is presented to the Board, it shall be referred to the Ethics Committee for investigation. Where no such committee exists, a Special Committee of at least three members shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.
Section 4. The accused shall be notified of the nature of the complaint, and shall have an opportunity to be heard by the Committee.
Section 5. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Committee shall present its findings to the Board together with a recommendation for or against disciplinary action.
Section 6. Any Director shall be removed from the Board after three consecutive absences from regular meetings of the Board.
Section 7. The Board may, by a 2/3 vote of all Directors, remove a Director for gross neglect of assigned duties or misconduct. This action shall be taken only after counseling with the Director affected, and after he has had the opportunity to be heard by the Board.
ARTICLE XIII -- AMENDMENT
Section 1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of all voting members present and voting at any regular Membership meeting after the proposed amendment has been duly set out in the notice of such meeting and distributed at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date set for the meeting.
Section 2. Amendments to the By-Laws shall be made by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors present and voting at any Meeting of the Board provided the Board members have been notified of the proposed amendment at least seven (7) days prior to the date set for the meeting.
ARTICLE XIV -- ENACTMENT
Section 1. This Constitution submitted herewith, having been ratified by the members present and voting at the regular Membership meeting of September 6, 1978 became effective on that date.