Bylaws

ARTICLE I

NAME

The club is chartered by the State of Michigan as a corporation not for profit. It shall be

known as Michigan Hot Boats (hereinafter referred to as the MHB or the Club in these Bylaws).

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE

To encourage and promote the sport of classic and vintage hot boating, to promote wider knowledge, safe operation, and restoration of these special vessels, to provide opportunities for members to have vital input on club proceedings, to promote good fellowship between lake associations and others interested in hot boating, to defend all boat owners against discriminatory legislation and laws that effect recreational waters, to stimulate greater interest in hot boating among citizens in the areas served by the Club, and to do all things incident hereto. 

ARTICLE III

MEETINGS

Section 1. Annual Meeting

The Annual MHB Winter Party shall be held during the month of December at a time

and place designated by the Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the Board or

Directors in these Bylaws). 

The Annual Meeting shall be presided over by the President or, in his/her absence, by the Vice President. If all are absent, the meeting shall be called to order by the Secretary or Treasurer, who will serve as chairman. The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings.

Section 2. Special Meetings

Special meetings may be held at any time at the call of the President, a majority of

the Board, or upon request of ten (10) members. Such a request shall be made in

writing or electronically delivered by email to the Secretary, electronically approved by the members

requesting such meeting and shall set forth the matters to be taken up at the meeting.

The Secretary shall post a copy of such request or email same, and shall inform the

President or other officers authorized to act in his absence on the request. Such

officers shall call a meeting at a convenient place and at a reasonable hour not less

than four (4) nor more than twenty (20) days from the date of filing the request with the

Secretary. Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams or other online meeting service is acceptable.

Section 3. Notice of Meetings

Written notice of Annual Meetings shall be electronically delivered by email or mailed at

least fourteen (14) days before such meetings. Written notice of special meetings shall

be issued at least five (5) days before such meetings. A written notice can be either

electronically emailed or mailed to the last known address of members. A notice shall

also be considered as having been issued if it is included in a MHB publication. Notices

shall state the time and place of the meeting in question, and, in the case of special

meetings, the notice shall state the purpose thereof.

Section 4. Quorum

The eligible voting members present at any Directors Meeting, Annual Meeting, or

Special Meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Section 5. Conduct of Meetings

Business shall be conducted at all meetings of MHB according to parliamentary

procedures, and the order of business so far as the character and nature of the meeting

will permit shall be as follows:

 1. Roll call of officers and members

 2. Reading of minutes of previous meeting

 3. Report of Board of Directors

 4. Report of Officers

 5. Report of committees

 6. Election of Directors, if in order

 7. General business

ARTICLE IV

DIRECTORS

Section 1. Powers

The corporate powers, property and affairs of MHB except as otherwise provided by

law, the Articles of Incorporation, or these Bylaws shall be exercised, conducted, and controlled by a Board of Directors.

Section 2. Eligibility

Only members of MHB shall be eligible to be Directors. Any Director who ceases to

be a member of the Club shall automatically cease to be a Director.

Section 3. Nomination, Election and Term

The Board shall be composed of less than 10 elected Directors, all officers, and the

immediate past President. Each elected Director shall serve their defined term,

beginning January 1, following election, subject to any provision of law, the Articles of

Incorporation or these Bylaws. All officers shall be members of the Board for their term

in office. 

The terms of the Directors will be 2 years. After the 2 year term has lapsed, half the board will be turned over to newly elected members to keep an overlap in knowledge transfer. 

The Board may elect one additional Director to serve for a one year term if it is deemed

appropriate. This Director position shall be considered temporary and only used on an if

needed basis. 

Nominations should be submitted to the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Winter Party and will be voted on by the attending members. Voting will be conducted anonymously. A Director may be re-elected.

Section 4. Removal and Vacancies

The entire Board or any individual Director may be removed from office without assigning

cause by the vote of a majority of all members present at a meeting called for such

purpose with a quorum present. In case the entire Board or any one or more of the

Directors are so removed, new Directors shall be elected at the same meeting for the

unexpired term of the Director or Directors so removed. Failure to elect a Director to fill the

unexpired term of a Director so removed shall be deemed to create a vacancy in such

position.

The remaining Director or Directors may, by a vote of the majority of their number, fill any

vacancy on the Board for the unexpired term.

Section 5. Meetings

The Board shall meet as needed to transact the business of MHB or to protect its

interests. Such meetings shall be called by the President or, in his/her absence, by

the Vice President. A meeting of the Directors may also be called by any two of its members. Notice of such a meeting must be given to all the Directors. Boating members can suggest topics for discussion to Director(s) to call a special meeting. 

The Board must meet once a year to provide the Secretary with nominations for

Directors to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting. The President shall call such a

meeting in time to meet this requirement.

Section 6. Committees

The Board may create such committees from among the members of the MHB as it may

deem necessary to accomplish the activities of the Club. Members of such committees

may be removed without assigning cause by a simple majority of the Board in any

meeting at which a quorum exists.

The Directors may create an Executive Committee with powers to carry on the operation

of the MHB. The makeup and authority of such an Executive Committee shall be strictly

within the province of the Board. It ordinarily would include the President. When an

Executive Committee exists it must report its activities to the Directors periodically or

upon demand.

Any committee appointed by the Directors shall serve only so long as it suits the needs

of the occasion which they shall indicate at the time of the appointment, reserving the

right of the Board to change the length of tenure at any time without assigning cause.

A financial review person or committee shall be appointed from the membership each

year in sufficient time to review the Treasurer’s books and report the finding at the June

meeting of the following year.

ARTICLE V

OFFICERS

Section 1. Selection and Term

The President, Vice President, Membership Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer of the MHB shall be selected by the Directors from among the members of MHB. A majority vote of the Directors at a meeting at which there is a quorum is sufficient to elect officers.

The officers’ positions may be combined if such a combination is judged by the Board to be in the best interest of the Club.

Within two weeks after the election of Directors, the Directors shall select the officers who

will take office on January 1, of the following year, and the Secretary shall cause notice

of such selection.

The term of office for officers shall be two years, beginning JANUARY 1, following

election, and continuing until a successor is duly elected and takes office.

Section 2. Removal and Vacancies

Any officer may be removed from office with or without cause by a two-thirds vote of the

Board meeting with a quorum. 

The Board may fill any vacancies in any office occurring for whatever causes.

Section 3. Officers and Their Duties

The President shall manage the proceedings of MHB, enforce all rules and regulations,

preside at all meetings of the MHB, and shall be Chairman of the Board of Directors.

He/she, or, in his/her absence, another officer shall sign contracts and written

instruments of MHB as authorized by the Board. Depository accounts shall require

one signature of either the President, Secretary, or Treasurer.

The Vice President shall assist the President and officiate in his/her absence.

The Membership Officer shall maintain all membership records, distribute and receive

applications, prepare and send annual invoices, collect membership fees, and remit same to Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall receive monies due the MHB, deposit same in a bank selected by

the Board, disburse monies of the Club only upon order of the Directors, and keep a regular account thereof under a system approved by the Board. The Treasurer shall submit a complete report of his accounts at the Annual Meeting and at other times

called for by the Directors. His/her accounts shall be open to inspection by any Director and he may, upon order of the Directors, be required to give a surety bond for the honest performance of his/her duties in such amount as the Board may prescribe at MHB’s expense. The Treasurer shall sign checks in the absence of the President as approved by the Directors.

The Secretary shall maintain minutes and records of MHB and of the Directors.

He/she shall conduct all official correspondence and shall countersign contracts and

other written instruments of MHB.

An emeritus officer/Director may be selected by the Directors because the MHB wishes to

honor him/her for service to the Club. He/she has full member privileges and is not

required to pay membership fees or assessments. In addition, the emeritus officer/Director has

voting privileges at Director meetings as if he/she were a regular Director.

ARTICLE VI

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Eligibility

Application for membership shall be made to the Membership Officer and shall be

limited to members who are interested in or own hot boats under 25’ possessing an inboard or outboard motor and generally modeled in the traditional nature of a performance hot boat. A hot boat or watercraft is any vessel that may or may not require a state registration number and decal. Special exceptions are at the discretion of the Board of Directors. All applications are reviewed by the Membership Committee and/or Board of Directors.  

Membership expires on December 31st, of each year.

Applications for membership must list boat year, make and model. An optional picture of the boat may be provided electronically to be displayed on the club Website and any merchandise.

Membership fees shall be used by the Club for expense money such as correspondence, meetings, and other expenses.  No elected officer of this Club shall draw a salary of any kind, except the Secretary-Treasurer who may be compensated as the board sees fit.

Section 2. Terms of Membership

The MHB member of record is the person in the family who joins as a boating member.

Membership privileges extend to the immediate family living in the member’s residence.

Each paying member is allowed one vote. If a family has a member serving on the Board of Directors then the individual on the Board also gets a vote as an Officer. Upon the death of a member of record, see Section 2. “Widows/Widowers”.

All members are responsible for their property and guests to events. Any and all actions of a guest are a representation of the Members conduct and are subject to the terms of Membership and Termination of Membership subject to the Board.

Membership

A MHB member is a member who is in good standing with dues for the given year. This member has privileges and voting rights as detailed above (Family Membership).

Widows/Widowers

Upon notification to the Board, a widow/widower of a member may assume the

membership of the deceased spouse. The membership being transferred must be

current (not lapsed) when transferred.

Honorary Members

An honorary member shall have full privileges, except voting rights, and shall not be

required to pay any membership fees or assessments. He /she shall be selected because the MHB

wishes to honor him/her. Others may be chosen by the membership in meetings or by the Directors. The roster of honorary members shall be reviewed and approved annually by the Board.

Life Members

A life member shall have full privileges, including voting rights, and shall not pay an annual membership fee, or assessments. He/she shall be selected by the Directors as a result of extraordinary service to the MHB. A life membership is not transferable to family members without the approval of the Directors.

Termination of Membership

Any member that conducts themselves in a nature that is not in line with the goals of the Club may have their membership terminated in the sole discretion of the Board. 

Section 3. Dues, Fees and Assessments

The annual dues for Membership will be $100/year, subject to the bylaws shared above. The dues, initiation fee, incidental fees, and assessments shall be fixed by the Board and cannot be made retroactive or changed after annual invoices have been mailed. 

No later than JANUARY 15, an invoice of membership fee payable to the Michigan Hot Boats shall be posted by the Secretary and electronic membership forms will be available on the MHB website. To assure continuity of membership, annual fee is payable by FEBRUARY 1, with a grace period that will extend until FEBRUARY 15. Any member who has not paid his/her membership fee by MARCH 1, shall have his/her membership canceled and deactivated. After a member’s account has been canceled, an updated application for membership as a new member shall be required.

A member who allows his/her membership to be terminated and wishes to be reinstated

is subject to the rules of Sections 1 and 3, but may appeal the requirements of said

sections by stating all of the facts in writing to the Membership Officer. The appeal shall

be reviewed and decided upon at the next regular meeting of the Directors.

The Board can assess each member an amount not to exceed two year’s membership fees for

special projects. Assessments cannot be made in anticipation of increased costs but

can be made to cover unexpected extraordinary operating expenses.

MHB members are required to pay membership fees. All membership functions shall be available online. Information and payments may be submitted electronically. E-forms shall be found at the top of the Home Page on the MHB website. All membership fees, and assessment payments may be paid by cash, check, or online (Paypal), or by credit card (MasterCard, Visa). Each credit card payment shall include a small convenience processing fee. Any changes to a member’s information must be made on the membership form in the year these have occurred.

Members without email will receive annual membership forms through regular mail.

No adjustments in membership fees or assessments shall be made as a result of death or

resignation of a member.