Bylaws of Kennebec County
These are the bylaws of the County Committee
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Kennebec County Republican Committee Bylaws
ARTICLE I – Name
The Name of this Committee shall be the Kennebec County Republican Committee.
ARTICLE II – Purpose
The purpose of the Kennebec County Republican Committee shall be:
1. To promote and maintain good government based upon the principles and ideals of the Republican Party;
2. To maintain liaison with the Republican Party of Maine, local Republican Committees, Republican members of the State Legislature who represent this County, and other Republican office holders at the County, State and National levels of government;
3. To recruit Republican candidates;
4. To assist in electing and re-electing Republican candidates;
5. To promote sound organization of the Republican Party at municipal levels within the County;
6. To encourage eligible citizens to enroll in the Republican Party;
7. To encourage voting in all elections;
8. To inform and educate the public on issues; and
9. To fulfill obligations imposed by law and the Rules of the Maine Republican Party upon County Committees, included but not limited to the coordination of selecting candidates for publican office in certain circumstances where vacancies are declared.
ARTICLE III – Members
Section 1. Qualifications. Members of the County Committee shall be Republican voters who are residents of this County.
Section 2. Election Procedure. Voting members of the County Committee shall be elected at the County Caucus at the biennial Republican State Convention and shall be chosen from persons nominated at municipal caucuses held within the County as required by State Law (21A MRSA 361-402). Should vacancies still remain, or occur during the period following the biennial caucus, they may be filled by the membership of the County Committee or future nominations received from the specific municipal committee.
Section 3. Elected Membership. The municipal allotment to the County Committee shall be determined based on Republican enrollment as of the date used by the Maine Republican Committee when determining the number of Delegates and Alternates to the Republican State Convention. Each municipality shall be entitled to two (2) members based on the first 1 to 100 Republicans with one (1) additional member for every 100 Republicans or portion thereof in excess of the first 100.
Section 4. All enrolled registered Republicans in Kennebec County are eligible to become a voting member at the county meetings, in accordance with current County Committee by-laws. Proposed members must be nominated by another voting member and receive a majority vote of those in attendance. Newly eligible members will be allowed voting privileges at the next meeting and continue forthwith once status as a registered Republican living in Kennebec County has been established by committee secretary.
Section 5. Other Members. Residents of this County who are Republican Members of the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate, elected County officials, members of the State Committee and the Chair of the municipal Republican Committees shall be full voting members of the County Committee. It is the expectation of the Kennebec County Republican Committee that our elected officials will be active members.
ARTICLE IV – Finances
Section 1. To fulfill the responsibilities described in Article II, members are expected to participate in the activities of the Committee, including but not limited to fundraisers, written requests and contributions made at meetings.
ARTICLE V – Officers and Duties.
Section 1. Officers. The Officers of the County Committee shall be a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Each shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, by the applicable State and Federal Statutes, and by Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised.
Section 2. Duties. The Chair shall set the agenda for all meetings, communicate with the Executive Committee should issues arise, oversee all events organized by the Committee and confirm expenditures to be made on behalf of the Committee. The Chair has the discretion to appoint a Communications Director and legal counsel.
Treasurer. The Treasurer is authorized to disburse funds necessary to conduct County Committee business in accordance with the budget and approval of the Chair. The Treasurer shall submit monthly itemized reports of income and expenditures to the County Committee.
The books shall be closed on December 31st of the General Election year and audited within 180 days.
The books may be audited at any time based on a two-thirds vote of the members present at a County Committee meeting pursuant to the resolution process as described in Article 9, Section 1.
Section 3. Election. Officers shall be elected biennially by the members of the County Committee at the January meeting of the County Committee following the biennial November General Election, shall take office at the close of that meeting and shall serve until their successors are duly elected.
Section 4. Vacancies. A vacancy in any office shall be filled by election at a meeting called for that purpose within thirty (30) days of the date of the call for the election. The Vice Chair shall immediately succeed, for the interim period, to the vacancy in the office of Chair or treasurer. The position of Secretary, upon vacancy, will be filled on an interim basis by a rotating pool of County Committee members, unless or until a vote is called.
Section 5. Removal of Officers. The officers of the County Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Kennebec County republican Committee and, upon a motion presented by ten (10) County Committee members representing at least four (4) different municipalities, may be removed from office for malfeasance or violation of these rules by a vote of 2/3 of the members present and voting. The vote on the motion for recall must be preceded by at least thirty (30) days written notice to the County Committee members.
ARTICLE VI – Meetings
Section 1. Notice. Notice of regularly scheduled meetings shall be given in writing or email and mailed at least one (1) week before the meeting is to be held. Notice shall contain the time and place of the meeting and major agenda items. In an effort to reduce costs, all members are urged to use email. Those not wishing to give their email addresses for the purpose of notifications and other pertinent information will be expected to cover the costs of all such mailings. It is the responsibility of every Kennebec County Republican Committee member to maintain with the Secretary current contact information including email address, mailing address and telephone number. Members failing to do so will automatically be removed from membership after notifications are returned as undeliverable following three (3) consecutive meetings.
Email addresses will be released to candidates, upon request. County Committee members will be given an opportunity to opt out of the release of their addresses for thirty (30) days following the Republican State Convention.
Section 2. Meetings. The Kennebec County Republican Chair, in consultation with the Kennebec County Executive Committee, shall propose an annual schedule for regular monthly county meetings. These shall be submitted each year by the February meeting. The meeting schedule of the Committee shall be distributed to the full membership with the February meeting notice. The Kennebec County Republican Committee shall hold a minimum of six (6) meetings in a non-election year and eight (8) meetings in an election year.
Section 3. Special Meetings. Other meetings may be held at any time upon the call of the Chair, or in their absence or inability to act, by the Vice Chair. Upon written petition of at least ten (10) members representing at least four (4) municipalities of said County Committee filed with any member of the Executive Committee, such member of said Executive Committee shall instruct the Secretary to call such meeting, and if the Secretary fails to do so, such member of the Executive Committee shall be empowered to call such a meeting. Notice must be distributed a minimum of three (3) business days before the date of the meeting.
Section 4. Roll Call and Quorum. It is the responsibility of the individual members and proxies to sign in before the start of the meeting. A quorum of the County Committee shall be thirteen (13) voting members representing five (5) municipalities. The Secretary shall confirm that a quorum is in attendance before any action is taken at a meeting.
Section 5. Voting and Proxies. Each member of the County Committee shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each question if present in person or if represented by a proxy duly appointed in writing or email sent from the address on file with the Secretary. Proxies must be presented to the Secretary before the beginning of the meeting.
A member may also vote only one (1) proxy per meeting. A person carrying a proxy who is not a member of the Committee may carry only one proxy.
Said proxy must be a Republican in the municipality of the member whom he or she represents. In the case of an officer or State Committee member, the proxy must be a Republican in Kennebec County.
ARTICLE VII - Executive Committee
Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the officers from the County Committee, the State Committee Members from this County and one (1) at-large member from each County Commissioner District.
Section 2. Duties. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to approve the County Committee’s Budget, taking into consideration the recommendation of the Budget and Finance Committee.
Disbursements for specific political purposes in regard to the election of Republican candidates shall be made upon a general discussion with County Committee members at a regular meeting and an affirmative vote of the County Committee members at a regular meeting. It is understood that any member directly or indirectly involved with any State Election campaign will leave the meeting during such a discussion.
The Executive Committee shall have discretion to act in furtherance of the objectives of the County Committee as set forth in Article II, but the Executive Committee shall be bound to follow any instructions given it by the County Committee.
Section 3. Meetings. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the Chair, or in their absence or inability to act, by the Vice Chair. Notice of meetings may be given personally or by written notice mailed at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting. Such notice may be signed by the Chair, Vice Chair or Secretary.
Section 4. Quorum. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be five (5) of the members defined in Section 1. The Secretary shall confirm that a quorum is in attendance before any action is taken at a meeting. Any voting member who is unable to attend a scheduled meeting shall notify the Secretary as soon as possible prior to the meeting date. Executive Committee members shall have the opportunity to participate by conference call if they cannot attend in person. All votes require a roll call. If a quorum does not exist, topics may be discussed with no vote taken. In the event of an emergency situation, the Chair has the authorization to make direct contact with each member to ascertain approval.
ARTICLE VIII – Standing Committees
Section 1. Budget and Finance. The budget and Finance Committee shall be Co-Chaired by the Vice Chair and Treasurer. The fiscal calendar for the Kennebec County Republican Committee runs for a two-year period, beginning on July 1 of the odd-numbered year. The proposed budget for the two-year period shall be presented to the Executive Committee for approval no later than April 30th. It shall be the duty of this Committee to oversee the raising of all funds.
Section 2. Other Committees. Such other Subcommittees shall be organized by the Chair or the Executive Committee from time to time as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the County Committee. The County Committee Chair or their designee shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except a nominating committee.
Section 3. Standing Committee Chairs or Co-Chairs shall be appointed at the discretion of the Chair of the Kennebec County Committee in consultation with the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX – Parliamentary and Legal Authority
Section 1. Resolutions. Upon written petition of at least four (4) members representing at least two (2) municipalities in Kennebec County, any member of the Kennebec County Republican Committee may place a resolution before the membership. Any proposed Resolution must be given to the Chair of the Kennebec County Republican Committee no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the scheduled meeting where it will be presented. Any proposed resolution must be included on the meeting Agenda and distributed in the same manner as the notification given for County Committee Meetings. If the resolution is sent electronically, each member supporting the proposal must sign a printed copy of the resolution and scan the document to the appropriate party. Typed names shall not constitute electronic signatures.
Section 2. The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the County Committee in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the County Committee may adopt. The County Committee shall further be bound by applicable provisions of State and Federal law.
Section 3. A majority vote of those present is needed for suspension of the rules.
ARTICLE X – Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the County Committee by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided a notice of the proposed amendment is included in the written notice of the meeting and provided there is a quorum present.
In the event of a conflict with these Bylaws, the Chair shall be authorized to make a temporary decision regarding any matter bringing the issue before the full Committee at the next scheduled meeting.
Kennebec County Republican Committee Bylaws as Revised on June 22, 2021
ARTICLE I – Name
The Name of this Committee shall be the Kennebec County Republican Committee.
ARTICLE II – Purpose
The purpose of the Kennebec County Republican Committee shall be:
1. To promote and maintain good government based upon the principles and ideals of the Republican Party;
2. To maintain liaison with the Republican Party of Maine, local Republican Committees, Republican members of the State Legislature who represent this County, and other Republican office holders at the County, State and National levels of government;
3. To recruit Republican candidates;
4. To assist in electing and re-electing Republican candidates;
5. To promote sound organization of the Republican Party at municipal levels within the County;
6. To encourage eligible citizens to enroll in the Republican Party;
7. To encourage voting in all elections;
8. To inform and educate the public on issues; and
9. To fulfill obligations imposed by law and the Rules of the Maine Republican Party upon County Committees, included but not limited to the coordination of selecting candidates for publican office in certain circumstances where vacancies are declared.
ARTICLE III – Members
Section 1. Qualifications. Members of the County Committee shall be Republican voters who are residents of this County.
Section 2. Election Procedure. Voting members of the County Committee shall be elected at the County Caucus at the biennial Republican State Convention and shall be chosen from persons nominated at municipal caucuses held within the County as required by State Law (21A MRSA 361-402). Should vacancies still remain, or occur during the period following the biennial caucus, they may be filled by the membership of the County Committee or future nominations received from the specific municipal committee.
Section 3. Elected Membership. The municipal allotment to the County Committee shall be determined based on Republican enrollment as of the date used by the Maine Republican Committee when determining the number of Delegates and Alternates to the Republican State Convention. Each municipality shall be entitled to two (2) members based on the first 1 to 100 Republicans with one (1) additional member for every 100 Republicans or portion thereof in excess of the first 100.
Section 4. All enrolled registered Republicans in Kennebec County are eligible to become a voting member at the county meetings, in accordance with current County Committee by-laws. Proposed members must be nominated by another voting member and receive a majority vote of those in attendance. Newly eligible members will be allowed voting privileges at the next meeting and continue forthwith once status as a registered Republican living in Kennebec County has been established by committee secretary.
Section 5. Other Members. Residents of this County who are Republican Members of the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate, elected County officials, members of the State Committee and the Chair of the municipal Republican Committees shall be full voting members of the County Committee. It is the expectation of the Kennebec County Republican Committee that our elected officials will be active members.
ARTICLE IV – Finances
Section 1. To fulfill the responsibilities described in Article II, members are expected to participate in the activities of the Committee, including but not limited to fundraisers, written requests and contributions made at meetings.
ARTICLE V – Officers and Duties.
Section 1. Officers. The Officers of the County Committee shall be a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Each shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, by the applicable State and Federal Statutes, and by Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised.
Section 2. Duties. The Chair shall set the agenda for all meetings, communicate with the Executive Committee should issues arise, oversee all events organized by the Committee and confirm expenditures to be made on behalf of the Committee. The Chair has the discretion to appoint a Communications Director and legal counsel.
Treasurer. The Treasurer is authorized to disburse funds necessary to conduct County Committee business in accordance with the budget and approval of the Chair. The Treasurer shall submit monthly itemized reports of income and expenditures to the County Committee.
The books shall be closed on December 31st of the General Election year and audited within 180 days.
The books may be audited at any time based on a two-thirds vote of the members present at a County Committee meeting pursuant to the resolution process as described in Article 9, Section 1.
Section 3. Election. Officers shall be elected biennially by the members of the County Committee at the January meeting of the County Committee following the biennial November General Election, shall take office at the close of that meeting and shall serve until their successors are duly elected.
Section 4. Vacancies. A vacancy in any office shall be filled by election at a meeting called for that purpose within thirty (30) days of the date of the call for the election. The Vice Chair shall immediately succeed, for the interim period, to the vacancy in the office of Chair or treasurer. The position of Secretary, upon vacancy, will be filled on an interim basis by a rotating pool of County Committee members, unless or until a vote is called.
Section 5. Removal of Officers. The officers of the County Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Kennebec County republican Committee and, upon a motion presented by ten (10) County Committee members representing at least four (4) different municipalities, may be removed from office for malfeasance or violation of these rules by a vote of 2/3 of the members present and voting. The vote on the motion for recall must be preceded by at least thirty (30) days written notice to the County Committee members.
ARTICLE VI – Meetings
Section 1. Notice. Notice of regularly scheduled meetings shall be given in writing or email and mailed at least one (1) week before the meeting is to be held. Notice shall contain the time and place of the meeting and major agenda items. In an effort to reduce costs, all members are urged to use email. Those not wishing to give their email addresses for the purpose of notifications and other pertinent information will be expected to cover the costs of all such mailings. It is the responsibility of every Kennebec County Republican Committee member to maintain with the Secretary current contact information including email address, mailing address and telephone number. Members failing to do so will automatically be removed from membership after notifications are returned as undeliverable following three (3) consecutive meetings.
Email addresses will be released to candidates, upon request. County Committee members will be given an opportunity to opt out of the release of their addresses for thirty (30) days following the Republican State Convention.
Section 2. Meetings. The Kennebec County Republican Chair, in consultation with the Kennebec County Executive Committee, shall propose an annual schedule for regular monthly county meetings. These shall be submitted each year by the February meeting. The meeting schedule of the Committee shall be distributed to the full membership with the February meeting notice. The Kennebec County Republican Committee shall hold a minimum of six (6) meetings in a non-election year and eight (8) meetings in an election year.
Section 3. Special Meetings. Other meetings may be held at any time upon the call of the Chair, or in their absence or inability to act, by the Vice Chair. Upon written petition of at least ten (10) members representing at least four (4) municipalities of said County Committee filed with any member of the Executive Committee, such member of said Executive Committee shall instruct the Secretary to call such meeting, and if the Secretary fails to do so, such member of the Executive Committee shall be empowered to call such a meeting. Notice must be distributed a minimum of three (3) business days before the date of the meeting.
Section 4. Roll Call and Quorum. It is the responsibility of the individual members and proxies to sign in before the start of the meeting. A quorum of the County Committee shall be thirteen (13) voting members representing five (5) municipalities. The Secretary shall confirm that a quorum is in attendance before any action is taken at a meeting.
Section 5. Voting and Proxies. Each member of the County Committee shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each question if present in person or if represented by a proxy duly appointed in writing or email sent from the address on file with the Secretary. Proxies must be presented to the Secretary before the beginning of the meeting.
A member may also vote only one (1) proxy per meeting. A person carrying a proxy who is not a member of the Committee may carry only one proxy.
Said proxy must be a Republican in the municipality of the member whom he or she represents. In the case of an officer or State Committee member, the proxy must be a Republican in Kennebec County.
ARTICLE VII - Executive Committee
Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the officers from the County Committee, the State Committee Members from this County and one (1) at-large member from each County Commissioner District.
Section 2. Duties. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to approve the County Committee’s Budget, taking into consideration the recommendation of the Budget and Finance Committee.
Disbursements for specific political purposes in regard to the election of Republican candidates shall be made upon a general discussion with County Committee members at a regular meeting and an affirmative vote of the County Committee members at a regular meeting. It is understood that any member directly or indirectly involved with any State Election campaign will leave the meeting during such a discussion.
The Executive Committee shall have discretion to act in furtherance of the objectives of the County Committee as set forth in Article II, but the Executive Committee shall be bound to follow any instructions given it by the County Committee.
Section 3. Meetings. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the Chair, or in their absence or inability to act, by the Vice Chair. Notice of meetings may be given personally or by written notice mailed at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting. Such notice may be signed by the Chair, Vice Chair or Secretary.
Section 4. Quorum. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be five (5) of the members defined in Section 1. The Secretary shall confirm that a quorum is in attendance before any action is taken at a meeting. Any voting member who is unable to attend a scheduled meeting shall notify the Secretary as soon as possible prior to the meeting date. Executive Committee members shall have the opportunity to participate by conference call if they cannot attend in person. All votes require a roll call. If a quorum does not exist, topics may be discussed with no vote taken. In the event of an emergency situation, the Chair has the authorization to make direct contact with each member to ascertain approval.
ARTICLE VIII – Standing Committees
Section 1. Budget and Finance. The budget and Finance Committee shall be Co-Chaired by the Vice Chair and Treasurer. The fiscal calendar for the Kennebec County Republican Committee runs for a two-year period, beginning on July 1 of the odd-numbered year. The proposed budget for the two-year period shall be presented to the Executive Committee for approval no later than April 30th. It shall be the duty of this Committee to oversee the raising of all funds.
Section 2. Other Committees. Such other Subcommittees shall be organized by the Chair or the Executive Committee from time to time as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the County Committee. The County Committee Chair or their designee shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except a nominating committee.
Section 3. Standing Committee Chairs or Co-Chairs shall be appointed at the discretion of the Chair of the Kennebec County Committee in consultation with the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX – Parliamentary and Legal Authority
Section 1. Resolutions. Upon written petition of at least four (4) members representing at least two (2) municipalities in Kennebec County, any member of the Kennebec County Republican Committee may place a resolution before the membership. Any proposed Resolution must be given to the Chair of the Kennebec County Republican Committee no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the scheduled meeting where it will be presented. Any proposed resolution must be included on the meeting Agenda and distributed in the same manner as the notification given for County Committee Meetings. If the resolution is sent electronically, each member supporting the proposal must sign a printed copy of the resolution and scan the document to the appropriate party. Typed names shall not constitute electronic signatures.
Section 2. The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the County Committee in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the County Committee may adopt. The County Committee shall further be bound by applicable provisions of State and Federal law.
Section 3. A majority vote of those present is needed for suspension of the rules.
ARTICLE X – Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the County Committee by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided a notice of the proposed amendment is included in the written notice of the meeting and provided there is a quorum present.
In the event of a conflict with these Bylaws, the Chair shall be authorized to make a temporary decision regarding any matter bringing the issue before the full Committee at the next scheduled meeting.
Kennebec County Republican Committee Bylaws as Revised on June 22, 2021