SENTOA Bylaws
1. Background:
Inspired by the leadership of Al Casanova, the first SENTOA
Rendezvous was held in Stuart, Florida, April 4-6, 2003.
The purpose was to foster comradeship amongst Nordic Tug
owners and explore the feasibility of starting an association.
Based on a positive response from those attending, the
Southeast Nordic Tug Owners association (SENTOA) was created.
A second Rendezvous was held in Ft. Myers, FL on April
3-5, 2004 and a decision made to formalize the creation
of SENTOA, as stipulated in these bylaws.
2. Mission Statement:
To maximize the value of our Nordic Tugs and to enhance
our ownership experiences by: providing assistance to
other owners; sharing ideas, cruising information and
local knowledge; as well as enjoying social activities
with other association members.
3. Membership:
Membership is limited to: a) persons actively aspiring
to be Nordic Tug owners, b) owners, or c) previous owners.
A membership fee, as agreed upon by the membership, will
be assessed each boat or couple upon joining SENTOA and
annually thereafter, including existing members. The membership
fee is due on January 1, each year. Each member is expected
to volunteer for at least one of the three standing committees.
4. Structure: (see figure 1)
SENTOA is structured to carry out three main functions:
annual Rendezvous, financial accountability, and communications/membership.
Each function shall be carried out within a voluntary
standing committee structure, lead by a chairperson. The
charge to each of the standing committees is as follows:
a) Meetings Committee
- to plan and conduct the annual SENTOA Rendezvous,
- facilitate membership cruises, as may be appropriate;
b) Finance Committee
- maintain general accounting of SENTOA’s finances,
- report financial status to the membership at the
annual business meeting,
- facilitate corporate or other donations as may be
necessary to support the mission of SENTOA,
- manage cash collections and disbursements,
- make any official filings necessary to retain SENTOA’s
non-profit status in good standing,
- manage the transfer of signature authority for the
SENTOA’s bank account.
c) Communications/Membership
- maintain a current membership directory,
- monitor the status of existing or prospective members
regarding their meeting or retaining the requirements
for SENTOA membership,
- maintain SENTOA’s communication list serve
and the SENTOA web site.
5. Governance: (see figure 1)
Executive Committee
There shall be five officers: three committee chairpersons,
a Commodore and a Vice Commodore. Collectively these
officers will constitute the Executive Committee.
The role of each committee chairperson is to lead
their respective committee to carry out the committee
charge as stipulated above. The role of the Commodore
is to lead the Executive Committee and conduct those
activities deemed necessary to realize the mission
of SENTOA, as well as endeavor to realize any specific
goals agreed upon at the annual business meeting.
The role of the Vice Commodore is to perform duties
assigned to him/her by the Commodore and to act
as the Commodore in the event the Commodore is not
available or is incapacitated. The Commodore conducts
the annual business meeting and together with the
Vice Commodore serve as an ex-officio members of
all three standing committees. The Commodore may
create ad-hoc committees as deemed necessary. Such
committees are not considered part of the SENTOA
governance.
Figure 1
Meetings
SENTOA shall conduct at least one Rendezvous annually,
during which time the annual business meeting will be
held. Other activities may be held throughout the year
based on the desires of the members. The selection of
the Rendezvous site shall be guided by the goal to have
as many members participate as possible. The final decision
on the Rendezvous site location and dates shall be at
the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Rules of Order
The annual meeting shall be conducted following the
simplified Roberts Rules of Order. Any member may voice
a motion, followed by open discussion and a decision
taken based on a majority vote by those members present.
Election of Officers
The Commodore and Vice Commodore shall serve for 12
months and be elected by a majority vote of the members
present at each annual business meeting. The Commodore
shall in turn appoint the Chairpersons of the three
standing committees. There is no limit as to the
number of terms an officer may serve. The term of
office for all officers shall commence on May 1st
each year.
Changes to the By-Laws
In order to modify these By-Laws approval by 75 % of
the members present at the annual business meeting is
required.
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