Article III - Members and Obligations

1.  By accepting membership in this society, the member agrees to be bound by these bylaws in his/her relations with the society and with other members in the society.

2.  Membership in the society shall be open to all those interested in genealogy and family history.  To be in good standing, a member must have paid his/her dues.

3.  Any change in dues shall be determined by vote of the members in good standing attending the September meeting of the society, based on the recommendation of the Directors.

4.  Information obtained from publications of the society shall neither be copyrighted nor used for any commercial purpose without the written consent of the Directors, the author(s), and/or the members concerned.  Furthermore, the membership list or logo or any other symbol or property of the society shall not be used for commercial purposes unless by consent of the membership or the Directors.

5.  A person must be in good standing before voting on society business or serving as an officer or member of a committee of the society.

Article IV - Officers and Directors

1.  The officers of the society shall consist of: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Programs Chairman, and Board of Directors.  The President and Vice-President shall serve one-year terms.  At the end of the President's term, the Vice-President shall automatically succeed to the office of President.  The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve three-year terms.  The Programs Chairman shall serve a one-year term.  The Board of Directors shall consist of the immediate past president and two elected members.  Directors shall serve staggered four year terms.  Should a member of the Board of Directors be elected to some other society office, election shall be held to fill out the remainder of that person's term.

2.  The President shall, whenever possible, preside over all meetings of the society and of the Board of Directors but shall not vote in meetings except to break a tie.

3.  The Vice-President shall, during the absence or disability of the President, serve in his/her place.  If the President cannot continue his/her duties, the Vice-President shall become President and serve until the expiration of the term as President he/she would have succeeded to automatically.  The Vice-President shall from time to time carry out such duties as the President shall direct.

4.  The Secretary shall, according to the laws of the State of Maine, make and keep accurate records of the proceedings of the society including minutes of meetings of the society and the Board of Directors. 

5.  The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the society and shall deposit same into the accounts of the society, shall pay all bills submitted for payment in a timely manner, and shall keep careful records of all financial transactions of the society.  He/she shall give an annual financial report at the September meeting of the society.

The Treasurer shall receive and record all dues/payments from members and shall deposit all payments.  He/She shall keep current membership records, arrange for collection of dues at Chapter meetings, send overdue notices when required, and make regular reports on the status of membership.  The Treasurer shall provide all officers and the newsletter editor with current listings of membership and update those listings as necessary.

6.  The Programs Chairman shall arrange programs to follow the business portion of the society meetings.

7.  The Directors shall carry out such duties as delineated in these bylaws and/or shall be referred to them by the society, shall advise the President, and shall take care that the purposes of the society are properly pursued.  Actions taken by the Board of Directors shall be reported to the membership at the next meeting of the society.

Article V - Elections

Election of officers and directors shall be held at the September meeting each year when vacancies will occur.  Elections will be conducted by paper ballot unless otherwise decided by the membership present.  Ballots, if used, will be tallied by the Secretary and Treasurer and one teller chosen from the membership present.  The terms of officers and directors shall run from September through August of the following year except as established in these bylaws.  The outgoing President shall open the September meeting and after elections are completed will hand over the presidency of the society to the new President.

Article VI - Meetings

1.  Regular meetings of the society shall be held on the second Thursday of every other month beginning in September.  The agenda of regular meetings shall include, but not be limited to, the following items:  the minutes of the previous meeting, minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors, reports of the Secretary and Treasurer, committee reports, old business, new business, and programs.

2.  Other meetings of the society may be held at any time by pre-arrangement, or by order of the Board of Directors, or by written request to the Secretary from five or more members in good standing.

3.  Notice of all meetings shall be sent in timely fashion by e-mail or the post to the membership and shall by sent in timely fashion to area newspapers by the Secretary.

4.  A quorum for the transaction of business shall be ten members in good standing.

5.  Where applicable, and not inconsistent with these bylaws, meetings will be conducted according to the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

Article VII - Donations, Bequests and Income

All sums received by the society as donations, bequests, dues, and interest on accounts may be applied to current expenses of the society at the discretion of the Board of Directors.  Extraordinary outlays shall be proposed by the Board of Directors and approved by vote of the members present at the meeting where the proposal shall be on the agenda.

Article VIII - Organization

The society is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code of 1954.  No part of the monies of the society shall inure to the benefit of any member, officer or other private person except for such gratuities given to speakers or program presenters, the amount of which shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Article IX - Dissolution

In the event of dissolution, the assets of the society will be distributed to a non-profit genealogical or historical organization within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code of 1954.  No portion of the assets shall inure to any member, officer, or other private person upon dissolution of the society.

Article X - Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any lawful meeting of the society by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting, providing that the text and intentions of the amendment has been included in the notice of the meeting.

Article XI - Adoption

These bylaws shall become effective at the next meeting following that at which they are adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members present.  Election of officers to fill positions created by these bylaws shall take place at that next meeting, the terms of officers so elected shall terminate at the next September meeting, except as otherwise provided in these bylaws.

Adopted:  September 14, 2006