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Court of Chevaliers |
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Wisconsin DeMolay |
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Article I – Name This organization shall be known as the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers
Article II – Allegiance 2.01 This organization shall yield full allegiance to the Executive Officer of DeMolay in the Jurisdiction of Wisconsin.
Article III – Purpose 3.01 The purpose of this organization shall be to aid Wisconsin DeMolay, its jurisdictional officers, staff, and individual chapters as requested.
Article IV – Membership 4.01 Chevaliers invested and/or residing in the Jurisdiction of Wisconsin are considered members of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers once they have been invested with the degree and upon payment of all dues owed as per section 8.02 and 8.05.
Article V – Active Members An Active member of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers is a member of the Court who has paid his annual dues for the current official year. A Chevalier designate will be considered an active member at the annual meeting of the year in which he is designated. Only active members shall be allowed to vote.
Article VI – Officers The officers of the Court shall be: Grand Commander; Commander in the West, Commander in the South; Grand Chaplain; Grand Marshal; Grand Secretary; and Grand Treasurer. The officers of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers shall be active members; elected at the annual meeting. Each officer shall serve a term of one year with the exception of the Grand Secretary and the Grand Treasurer who shall both serve two year terms. No member may hold two offices within the court at the same time with the exception of the Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer which may be held by one member. All officers serve at the pleasure of the executive officer.
Article VII – Executive Committee Voting members of the Executive Committee shall be composed of the officers set forth in Article VI. Past Grand Officers shall be invited to serve on the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity, but will not possess a vote. The Executive Committee shall rule and govern the activities and programs of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers. A vacancy in a Court office shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Committee after all interested Court active members have been given an opportunity to express an interest in the office vacated.
Article VIII - Dues Anual Payments Due. Dues payments will be due before the first day of the Court’s fiscal year. Who shall Pay. All members of Wisconsin DeMolay Court of Chevaliers shall pay dues with the exception of new designates, who shall not pay dues for the one full year following their conferment. Amount. Dues shall be set at $10 (Ten) Dollars per year. Payment Options. Members have the option to pay dues by any of the following methods. Annual. Members can pay the annual dues each year. Five-year option. Members may prepay for 5 years of dues at a rate of 4.5 times the annual dues. Perpetual Membership. Members will have the option to purchase a Perpetual Membership at an amount determined in section 9.04. Delinquent Dues. A member who has not paid dues for the current year will not be allowed to hold an elected office in the court, or have voting privileges at the meetings. Any delinquent member may become current by paying the current year’s dues plus the lesser of two years’ back dues or the actual amount in arrears.
Article IX - Perpetual Membership Name of the Plan. The name of this plan shall be: “Perpetual Membership Plan” of the Wisconsin DeMolay Court of Chevaliers. Qualified Members May Participate. Any member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year may become a participant of the plan. Such person is, hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “Member”. Administration of the Plan. The plan will be administered by the Grand Treasurer of the Court as a separate account set aside from general operating funds. Only Interest, dividends, or other increases in fund value may be withdrawn from this fund for general operating expenses. If the fund value drops below the amount of principle deposited, no additional withdraws may be made until such time as the value rises above the total deposited principle. Determination of Purchase Price. The purchase price of this plan shall be determined by multiplying the amount of the current annual dues by the factor set forth in the following table:
Member’s age Factor 17-40 30 41-45 28 46-50 26 51-55 24 56-60 22 61 and older 20
Dues Increases. If the court has already voted to raise dues for the following year, the “current annual dues” used to calculate the purchase price shall be the new dues amount. Single sum or deferred payment of purchase price. The purchase price may be paid in one lump sum or spread over two years. If the member wishes to pay over a two year period, the calculated purchase price will be divided by a factor of 2.7, with the amount so determined being the amount of the initial payment due at the time of application, and like amounts due by the last day of each of the next two fiscal years of the court (for a total of three payments). Default of deferred payments. If the purchase price of a Perpetual Membership is being paid on a deferred basis, and if any installment is not made when due, the member’s perpetual membership shall be terminated. The total amount previously paid into the plan shall be transferred from the designated fund into the Court’s General Fund. Of this amount, 75% will be credited towards the member’s dues since they entered the plan and then towards future year’s dues. The remaining 25% shall be forfeited.
Article X – Official Year 10.01 The official year of the Court shall be from November 1 to October 31 of the following year.
Article XI – Annual Meeting 11.01 The Annual Meeting will be held on the same day as the State Chevalier and Legion of Honor Investitures, held in conjunction with Wisconsin DeMolay’s Honors Day.
Article XII – Meetings A Special Meeting of the Court may be called by a majority vote of the members of the Executive Committee with the approval of the Executive Officer. Monthly Meetings of the Court shall be held at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Article XIII – Annual Reunion 13.01 The annual Reunion of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers shall be on the Saturday nearest November 8th each year, at the site to be determined by the executive committee.
Article XIV – Notice of Meetings The Grand Secretary will, by direction of the Grand Commander, send due and timely notice to all members of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers to notify them of the annual meeting or of a special meeting of the Court called by the Executive Committee. The Grand Secretary, by direction of the Grand Commander, will send due and timely notice to all members of the Executive Committee to notify them of all Committee Meetings.
Article XV – Ritual Day The Court shall sponsor each fiscal year a Wisconsin DeMolay Ritual Day; supplying judges, financial support, and promotional activities.
Article XVI – Restrictions No State Officer of Wisconsin DeMolay or an officer of the Legion of Honor shall be an officer of the Wisconsin Court of Chevaliers.
Article XVII – Revisions These By-Laws may be revised at the Annual Meeting by a two-thirds vote of all active members present and upon approval of the Executive Officer.
Article XVIII – Operational Procedures The Court will pay approved bills within thirty (30) days, and will make deposits within fourteen (14) days.
These By-Laws were approved by a unanimous vote of all present 7 October, 1995 and were approved by the Executive Officer, Carl J. Wussow.
These By-Laws were amended by vote of members at annual meetings in 2000 (split of the Secretary and Treasurer offices) and 2004 (add a perpetual membership program). |
