The name shall be, Sun City Center Pickleball Club (PBC), an unincorporated special interest group within the Sun City Center Community Association Inc., (CA), a Florida not-for-profit corporation. The purpose shall be to promote and encourage the sport of pickleball by: (a) establishing regulations and procedures for the use of the CA pickleball courts, (b) establishing liaison with the CA to insure proper maintenance and improvement of pickleball facilities, (c) sponsoring such activities as recreational pickleball play, tournaments, social activities and instruction.
PBC membership is open to all current Sun City Center residents who are CA members in good standing upon payment of all PBC Member Fees in accordance with ARTICLE VII SECTION 8.
Memberships expire December 31 of each year, but are automatically renewed upon payment of fees for the following year.
Any member may be removed from membership in the Club for causes which a majority of the members consider sufficient. The following process must be pursued to accomplish the removal of a member.
The Executive Board (EB) shall have seven members; namely a president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and three directors, each of whom shall chair a standing committee. If there is an immediate past president, that person shall serve as a non-voting member of the EB. Four members of the EB shall constitute a quorum for its meetings. There shall be a minimum of three meetings of the executive board per year. The President may also call special meetings when it is deemed necessary.
The EB shall have authority over all affairs of the PBC except as otherwise provided in these by-laws or by majority vote (unless otherwise specified herein) of the members at a PBC general meeting. The authority of the PBC shall include, but not be limited to, establishing rules and procedures for the reservation and use of courts by both members and guests of the PBC.
A nominating committee of at least three PBC members shall be appointed by the president at least one month prior to the annual PBC meeting in November. The committee shall nominate at least one person for each opening on the EB. Nominations may also be made from the floor by PBC members, provided that such nominees have agreed to serve if elected. The nominating committee shall not have more than two EB officers or directors as members.
Election to the EB shall be by majority vote of members present and eligible to vote, and shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast.
Elections shall be held at the general meeting in November. The new EB shall meet in executive session prior to January 1st to assign committee responsibilities among the EB members. Officers will perform their duties as outlined in the By-Laws.
Vacancies on the EB during the year shall be filled by the vote of a majority of the remaining members of the EB and shall be for the balance of the vacant term.
To provide for continuity in the membership of the EB, all members shall be elected for terms of two years except for the initial start-up in 2001, wherein three board members will be elected for only one year and the rest of the board for two years, thereby creating staggered terms. Terms of office will begin on January 1 following the November election. Effective with the January 1, 2005 board, members will serve one (1) year terms.
The officers shall perform those duties enumerated below and any others which are provided for or implied by other provisions of these by-laws.
The president shall be the chief executive, preside at all meetings, and represent the PBC at public and private meetings.
The vice-president shall assist the president and shall perform the duties of the president at any time the president is temporarily absent or unable to serve.
The treasurer shall collect and safeguard the funds of the PBC, deposit such funds in an institution designated by the EB, disburse such funds in accordance with ARTICLE VII. SECTION 5; and maintain records of all financial transactions and the status of dues for each member. The treasurer’s records shall be audited annually by a qualified CA member designated by the president and not a member of the EB.
The secretary shall keep the records of the PBC, except those of the treasurer, including a record of actions taken at PBC and EB meetings, and the name, address, phone number and e-mail address of each member. In the absence of the secretary, the president shall appoint an acting secretary. Records are available upon request by any PBC member.
The EB shall have the authority to enter into agreements or contracts with the CA as representatives of the PBC membership. Should such agreements or contracts require the expenditure of PBC funds not in the annual budget, a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present at a duly constituted meeting will be required for approval.
At least two PBC general meetings shall be held annually: one in March and one in November. The EB shall set the dates of these meetings and may call special meetings.
A special PBC meeting shall be called by the president if such a meeting is requested in a petition signed by at least fifteen percent (15%) of the PBC members and delivered to any member of the EB. The petition must state the purpose of the meeting. The meeting must be held within four (4) weeks of receipt of the petition by the EB.
Each member shall be notified by the president, or the president's representative, of each scheduled or special PBC general meeting date. Notification shall be accomplished if written notice is posted on the PBC bulletin board at least 10 days prior to the meeting, and phoned, written or an e-mail notice made to the member's Sun City Center address at least 5 days prior to the meeting.
A quorum for any PBC general meeting is defined as twenty percent (20%) of the current PBC membership and is required to conduct business.
All decisions shall be determined by vote according to Robert's Rules of Order.
The president shall cause appropriate committees to be created, subject to EB approval, and shall appoint an EB member to be the Director of, or a liaison with each committee. Standing committees shall include, but are not limited to: (1) Long Range Planning, (2) Court Maintenance, (3) Court Rules & Reservations, (4) Social Activities, (5) Pickleball Activities, and (6) Membership.
The president shall appoint a nominating committee, in accordance with ARTICLE III, SECTION 4: to propose candidates for openings on the EB.
There will be an annual membership fee and a social membership fee. The fees shall be recommended by the EB each year and submitted to the membership during the November business meeting.
Each calendar year the EB shall prepare a budget based on anticipated income, which shall be based upon:
The EB shall also prepare a financial statement listing assets, liabilities, and the asset-liability difference. Copies of the budget and financial statement shall be made available and shall be posted on the PBC Bulletin Boards at least five days prior to the PBC November general meeting. The budget shall be submitted by the EB at the PBC November meeting for approval or amendment by the majority of members voting.
The EB may authorize expenditures during the calendar year which do not cause the total budgeted expenses to be exceeded.
Request for reimbursement for expenses incurred by any member and authorized by the EB shall be submitted to the treasurer for payment. Any checks in excess of $500.00 must be signed by two EB members.
The treasurer shall draft, sign, and forward PBC checks to the payees for expenditures authorized by the EB. In the treasurer's absence, the president, or vice-president, may draft, sign and forward such checks.
Failure to adopt a new annual budget shall result in the continuance of the current budget for the following year.
The budget may be amended at any PBC meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of members present at a duly called PBC meeting. The proposed amended budget will be posted on the PBC bulletin board at least 5 days prior to the meeting. A current financial statement will be available 5 days in advance at the PBC meeting.
Board members will determine how new member's fee will be collected. Fees will not be refunded for any reason except as provided in Article II, Section 3.
Amendments may be considered at any PBC general meeting providing the amendments have been endorsed by any twenty (20) members of the PBC and submitted in writing to the EB, or have been endorsed by a majority vote of the EB at least four weeks in advance of such a meeting. When these conditions have been met, the president shall cause copies of the amendments to be available at the meeting and have a copy posted on the PBC Bulletin Boards at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
An amendment to the by-laws requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at a duly constituted PBC meeting.
After changes have been accepted by the membership, a copy of the updated by-laws will be provided to the community association board liaison for their file.
Upon dissolution of the Pickleball Club, all assets, including any remaining cash, will be turned over to the Sun City Center Community Association. Dissolution can be accomplished only in a manner prescribed for amending the by-laws.