KANSAS SOCIETY OF LAND SURVEYORS

BYLAWS

The Kansas Society of Land Surveyors, hereinafter called the Society, shall function in accordance with the following Bylaws:

There shall be Bylaws which shall govern the procedures conducting the affairs of the Society. Such Bylaws shall not be inconsistent with the laws of the United States of America, the laws of Kansas, or with the provisions of these Articles.

SECTION 1 - Officers; Duties

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Membership or of the Board, except that such office may appoint a temporary chairperson for any such meeting or part of meeting.

The President shall be the principal officer of the Society and shall guide its functions. The President shall provide the Secretary-Treasurer or Executive Director with a copy of all official correspondence which may be conducted at the direction of the Board, for the permanent record of the Society and shall cast the deciding vote in case of a tie. (See Procedure Manual for explanation of action requiring 2/3 majority vote for passing a motion.)

The Vice-President shall assist the President and act in the President's absence, or by the President's direction.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall be the custodian of the records, books and accounts of the Society. That person shall conduct the official correspondence of the Society under the direction of the Board of Directors, maintain files of all such correspondence, prepare reports of meetings of the Society and its Board and perform such other duties as the Board may direct, and shall be custodian of the funds. Such officer shall keep books and accounts of receipts and expenditures of the funds and render financial statements from time to time, as directed by the Board. Some of these duties, as specified by the Board, may be delegated to an Executive Director. The books and records of the Society shall be subject to an annual audit by a firm appointed by the Board.

An Executive Committee of the KSLS Board shall be comprised of the current President, the Vice-President and the Past-President and Secretary/Treasurer. The ExCom Committee shall convene by phone or e-mail in any instance when a decision must be made within strict time limits or to bring an item of importance to the attention of the full Board membership. Any recommendations made by the ExCom will then be sent to the Board and require a 2/3 majority approval if any action is needed.

Any officer of the Society must be a member in good standing.

SECTION 2 - Board of Directors; Duties; Rules

The Board shall have vested in them the government of the Society, control of its property and the direction of its activities. The Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, past President and at least six directors elected from the membership at large. The president of a local chapter shall have director (voting) status on the Board as follows. There shall be no more than six (6) chapter presidents with director status. If there exists more than six (6) chapters then director status is bestowed upon the presidents of the chapters with the most active members.

If a local chapter president is not a licensed land surveyor in the State of Kansas then such local chapter president shall appoint or the chapter shall elect a representative who is duly licensed as a land surveyor in the State of Kansas to sit on the KSLS Board of Directors as the chapter’s representative for the entirety of said president’s term. (Adopted 10/16/08)

At the expiration of the President's term, the outgoing President shall automatically become a voting Member of the Board until replaced by the next outgoing President. The Board shall adopt rules for the conduct of their business and the activities of the Society and shall have the power to fill a vacancy on the Board, within the guidelines established herein. The Board shall annually establish the salary of the Executive Director. Board Members shall remain in office until their replacement is properly installed in office, or until they officially resign from office by written notice to the Board unless such board member has been removed from the Board by action of the Board.

Any director of the Society must be a member in good standing.

SECTION 3 - Committees

The President shall appoint all committees and instruct them in their duties. Appointed committees shall function and make their report to the Board from time to time as directed. Meetings of committees may be called at any time by the President of the Board or Chairman of the Committee.

The following standing committees shall be appointed by the President: Legislative, Finance, Ethics and Practice, Public Relations, Education, Membership, and Bylaws. Ad Hoc Committees include: Nominating, Awards, Teller, and Annual Meetings. Other committees may be appointed by the President.

Any committee chairperson of the Society must be a member in good standing.

SECTION 4 - Meetings

The Board shall arrange for regular or special meetings of the Membership and of the Board. The quorum for any Board meeting shall be a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the current Board Members of the Society. The quorum for any meeting of the Membership shall consist of those present at such meeting. In the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer, an acting Secretary shall be appointed. Any action taken by the Board shall require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in favor of such action.

A regular meeting, to be known as the Annual Meeting, shall be held for the purpose of assembling the entire Membership. Other meetings of the Society may be held as decided by the Board. The Secretary-Treasurer or Executive Director shall send notices to each Member at least 30 days prior to the date of any Membership meeting. The notice shall contain the time, place and purpose of the meeting. The notice of the Annual Meeting shall also include the names of the candidates for office as submitted by the nominating committee. The election results shall be announced at the Annual Meeting. A report from the President shall be presented at the Annual Meeting.

Voting by proxy will not be allowed at any Annual Meeting, Board Meeting or Committee Meeting. Two unexcused absences from Board Meetings annually may be grounds for removal from office by the Board. Three excused absences from Board Meetings annually may be grounds for removal from office by the Board.

Every Member shall be entitled to speak on any subject or question coming before a meeting. The presiding officer may limit debate. Roberts' Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable.

Meetings of the Board may be called by the President, the Vice-President, 20 percent of the Board (rounded to the next highest number) or 10 percent of the Membership of the Society.

SECTION 5 - Elections; Terms of Office

Nominations for all offices shall be made from the voting Membership by the Nominating Committee appointed by the President. At least two candidates must be nominated for each elective office, except the President. Other nominations may be made on the mailed ballot in the write-in space provided. The ballots shall be mailed with the Annual Meeting notice including pre-addressed envelopes marked “Ballot” to all voting Members at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. The ballots shall be returned to the Secretary-Treasurer in the supplied envelopes in advance of the Annual Meeting, for counting by the President-appointed Teller's Committee at the Annual Meeting. Results of the tally will be given to the Executive Director for inclusion in the minutes to be published in Section Lines.

No two elective offices within the organization may be held by one person at the same time.

The term of office of the President and Vice-President shall be one year. No more than two successive terms may be sought and served if voted for by the Membership. The term of office of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be one year, but the incumbent may be reelected for any number of successive terms.

The term of office for each elected Director shall be three years, with two being elected each year.

SECTION 6 - Dues

Annual dues for all Memberships in the Society shall be determined by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board. Each Member of the Board shall respond to the vote. (Adopted 10/16/08)

Annual dues are payable in advance of January 1 of each year. See Procedure Manual for previously approved changes in practice including the levy of a late charge.

Any Member who has not paid the dues by April 1 shall be dropped from Membership. A Member who has been dropped from Membership for nonpayment of dues shall be reinstated upon submission of one year's past dues and dues for the current year. The Board may, at their discretion, waive the "dropping and reinstatement" clause.

Dues will not be refunded to any Member leaving the Society either voluntarily or involuntarily.

SECTION 7 - Affiliation

The Society may become affiliated with organizations having a similar purpose or objective upon affirmative vote of a majority of the Membership present at an annual meeting of the Society.

SECTION 8 - Local Chapters

Any group of seven or more Members of the Society may organize a new Chapter of this Society. The founding Members of any such group may meet, draft bylaws, elect officers and otherwise provide for the functioning of such Chapter. Establishment of the Chapter shall be under the guidance and direction of the Society as an organizing agent.

The local Chapter, thus formed, will then submit to the Board of the Society a roster of its Membership, the names of its officers, a copy of its Bylaws and a report of its organization meeting. If their Bylaws, functioning principles, aims and activities are consistent with the functioning of the Society, then the Board shall approve such local Chapters as a subsidiary organization thereto, subject to annual review.

Membership in the Society or similar society from another state shall be requisite to and concurrent with Membership in a local Chapter.

The name and designation of the local Chapter shall be such as to be readily identified as a local organization of the Society or indicate affiliation with the Society.

Any Member of the Society who may be suspended for nonpayment of dues, or for other reasons, shall be automatically suspended from Membership in the local Chapter when properly notified of such action by the Society. Any Member who shall be suspended for reasons other than nonpayment of dues shall not again be extended Membership in either the local Chapter or the Society without two-thirds majority approval of the Board. Any Member who shall desire to withdraw their Membership from a local Chapter, if they otherwise are in good standing, may retain their Membership in the Society.

Each local Chapter shall annually submit to the Society an annual budget/financial report, a Membership roster and a Officer/Board of Directors roster.

SECTION 9 - American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)

An official Society Member of the Board of Governors to the NSPS meeting, at the ACSM conventions, shall be appointed by the President and approved by the KSLS Board of Directors. The initial term shall be for four years. Such person may be reappointed for one additional term of one to four years at the discretion of the Board.

The Society will, upon request, provide or reimburse the amount of round-trip coach air fare (for official Governor only or his alternate) plus a per diem for two NSPS functions per year. Reimbursement for additional functions shall be at the discretion of the Board. Travel expenses shall be set aside each year in the annual budget.

SECTION 10 - Vacancies

Any vacancy of an elected office, due to resignation or other reason, shall be filled as follows: President, by the Vice-President; Vice-President or Secretary-Treasurer to be selected from the seated Members of the Board and approved by a majority vote of the Board; Board to be selected from nominees receiving the most votes from the most recent election who are willing to serve out the remaining portion of the vacated term and who are approved by a majority vote of the Board. In the event that no previous candidate may be found willing to serve, the Board shall appoint from the general Membership a person who shall serve until the next regular election. At such time, a candidate shall be placed on the ballot for the unexpired term or terms.

SECTION 11 - Executive Director

The Board may employ a salaried Executive Director, whose terms and conditions of employment shall be specified by the Board.

The Executive Director shall be responsible for administrative functions. The Executive Director shall manage and direct activities of the Society as prescribed by the Board and shall be responsible to the Board.

The Executive Director may employ and terminate the employment of any staff necessary to carry on the work of the Society and fix their compensation within the approved budget. The Executive Director shall define the duties of the staff, supervise their performance, establish their titles and delegate those responsibilities of management as shall be in the best interest of the Society.

SECTION 12 - Recommended Standards of Practices

The Society may adopt Recommended Standards of Practices on any matter concerning Land Surveying and Land Surveyors, which shall be the official policy and stance of the Society. These Recommended Standards of Practices shall be adopted by the following procedure:

The President shall appoint a committee, of at least five voting Members, to study and draft a proposed Recommended Standard of Practice on a specific matter of importance to the Society. The committee shall submit the proposed Recommended Standard of Practice to the Board and, as modified by the Board, it shall be published in the Official Publication of the Society for comments from the Members. The proposed Recommended Standard of Practice shall then be open for discussion and revisions at the Annual Meeting. Upon approval by a simple majority of the Members present, the proposed Recommended Standard of Practice shall be balloted on in the following manner. The vote on the ballot shall be by mail in sealed ballots, with the cut-off for ballots being 30 calendar days after the date of mailing. Between the 30th and 45th day after the ballot is mailed, on a date chosen by the Board, the ballots received by the Secretary-Treasurer shall be counted by a committee consisting of the President, Secretary-Treasurer and one Member of the original committee, as selected by the Board. If two-thirds of the received votes are affirmative, the amendment shall be adopted. The Secretary-Treasurer should notify the Members, by mail or by publication in the next issue of Section Lines, of the outcome.

The recommended Standard of Practice as approved shall then be forwarded to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions to be adopted into the appropriate section of the KAR. Any change in or addition to the Recommended Standard of Practice, which has previously been adopted by the Society, shall be made in the manner delineated above.

Should the KSBOTP make suggested changes in wording consistent with the intent of the Standards or that may reflect changes in technology (I.e., electronic signatures) and inform the KSLS Board of said changes, the KSLS Board of Directors shall vote on the changes suggested and, if approved by a 2/3 majority, ratify those changes and notify all Members of the changes adopted from KSBOTP recommendations in the next issue of Section Lines.

SECTION 13 - Changes to Bylaws

Changes in or additions to these Bylaws may be made in any one of the following ways after at least 30 days written notice to the Members:

1. At the Annual Meeting by a motion properly made and seconded and then approved by two-thirds of the Members present.

2. At any Board meeting by a unanimous affirmative vote of the entire Board.

SECTION 14 - Budget; Expenditure of funds

The fiscal year of the Society runs January 1 through December 31.

An annual budget for the administration of the Society shall be prepared by the Executive Director and the Finance Committee Chair to be presented and approved by the Board at the final Board meeting of the year. The annual budget shall be published in the next published official newsletter after approval.

The President, Secretary-Treasurer or the Executive Director shall have authority to expend funds if contained within the approved annual budget.

Committee chairpersons shall have authority to expend funds if authorized by the Board.

SECTION 15 - Revocation of Membership; Office; Duties

Membership, office and duties within the Society may be individually revoked or temporarily suspended by a two-thirds majority of the Board for cause.