ROTARY DISTRICT 5690

ARTICLE ONE

Membership and Purpose

Section 1.  The membership consists of Rotary Clubs assigned by Rotary International to District 5690.

Section 2.  The purpose of the District is for the administration of Rotary International policies and all organization and activities shall exist solely to help individual clubs advance the Object of Rotary.  None of these Bylaws can alter in any way the Bylaws of Rotary International.

ARTICLE TWO

Officers

Section 1.  DISTRICT GOVERNOR.  The District Governor is an officer of Rotary International, functioning under the general control and supervision of the Rotary International Board of Directors.  The Governor is charged with the duty of furthering the Object of Rotary by providing leadership to and supervision of the clubs in the District.  The Governor should work with district and club leaders to encourage participation in a district leadership plan.  The Governor shall provide inspiration and motivation to the clubs in the District.  The Governor shall also ensure continuity within the District by working with past, current and incoming district leaders in fostering effective clubs.  In addition to the detailed description of the Governor’s responsibilities detailed in Duties of a Governor, in Section 15.090 of the Rotary International Bylaws, the Governor shall produce a printed District Directory by July 1 of the Rotary year.

The Governor is authorized to execute contracts for and on behalf of the District.  In the event of a vacancy in the office of District Governor, the Board of Directors of Rotary International are responsible for a replacement.

Section  2.  DISTRICT GOVERNOR-ELECT.   The District Governor-Elect shall be

nominated following the procedure in Section 13.020 of the Rotary International Bylaws.  The District Governor-Elect is elected by the annual Convention of Rotary International one year prior to his/her year of service as District Governor and shall take office as District Governor-Elect on July 1 of the year following that RI Convention.  He/She shall work with the District Governor, and is responsible for:

a.     attending the International Assembly of Rotary International;

b.     attending the Zone Institute/GETS (Governor-Elect Training Session);

c.     planning, developing and presiding at PETS/SETS and the District Assembly or Assemblies;

d.     performing all other duties as inherent in his/her responsibility as District Governor-Elect; and

e.     attending the Rotary International Convention when possible.

Section 3.  DISTRICT GOVERNOR-NOMINEE.  The District Governor-Nominee(s) shall be nominated following the procedure in Section 13.010 of the Rotary International Bylaws and shall assume office as District Governor-Nominee on July 1 of the year he/she is nominated.  He/She shall work with the District Governor, the District Governor-Elect and other district leaders assisting as necessary and preparing for his/her year of service.

Section 4.  DISTRICT TREASURER.  The District Treasurer shall be appointed by the District Governor for a term of one year, and is responsible for:

a.     overseeing the collection of all dues and assessments and payment of all District obligations under the direction of the District Governor;

b.     filing all required financial and tax forms;

c.     compiling and maintaining financial reporting and records; and

d.     serving as member of the Finance Committee. 

The District Treasurer may be re-appointed and serve successive terms. 

Section 5.  DISTRICT SECRETARY.  The District Governor shall appoint a District Secretary to serve for one year to compile minutes and records of all District meetings.

Section 6.  DISTRICT HISTORIAN.  The District Governor shall appoint the District Historian to serve for one year. 

Section 7.  REPRESENTATIVE TO THE COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION.  The Representative and an Alternate to the Council on Legislation shall be elected at the District Conference two years preceding the year in which the Council on Legislation is to meet.  The election shall be held in accordance with Section 8.050 of the Rotary International Bylaws.

ARTICLE THREE

Nominations and Elections

Section 1.  NOMINATING COMMITTEE.  The Nominating Committee for District Governor shall be composed of the following members:  the immediate four Past District Governors and three members, each representing one of three different size categories of the clubs in the District (one member representing clubs with memberships of under 35 in number; one member representing clubs with memberships of 35-74 in number and one member representing clubs with memberships of 75 or more in number).  The District Governor shall name the chairman.  The District Governor is an ex officio member of the committee without vote.

Club representatives shall serve 3 year terms, staggered as published in the District 5690 Directory.  One representative shall be chosen each year at the District Conference by vote of the clubs which he/she will represent.

Section 2.  A quorum is established at four. 

Section 3.  Clubs may submit qualified candidates for District Governor-Nominee and Council on Legislation representative to the Chair of the Nominating Committee on or before the dates established by the Committee.

Section 4.  The Nominating Committee shall not be limited in making its selection to those names submitted by the clubs.

Section 5.  QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOVERNOR-NOMINEE.  The Rotarian selected must be qualified as described in Section 15.070 of the Rotary International Bylaws.  The nominating committee will select the Governor-Nominee in accordance with Section 13.020 of the Rotary International Bylaws.

Section 6.  SELECTION OF A GOVERNOR-NOMINEE.  The District shall select a nominee for Governor not more than 36 months, but not less than 24 months prior to the day of taking office.  The nominee will be elected at the RI convention held immediately preceding the year in which such nominee is to be trained at the international assembly.  Nominees so elected shall serve a one-year term as Governor-elect and assume office on 1 July in the calendar year following election.  (RI Bylaws 13.010)

ARTICLE FOUR

Leadership Team

Section 1.  DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM.  This team is composed of the Governor’s Advisory Council, the District Executive Committee, all Assistant Governors and all committee chairs.  The District Governor shall serve as coordinator for the team and will arrange such meetings of the team as the Governor deems appropriate. 

Section 2.  GOVERNOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL.  This Council shall be composed of all Past District Governors resident in the District who are still Rotarians in good standing, and shall act in an advisory capacity to the District Governor during his/her administration.  The sole purpose of this committee is to advise and counsel on District organization and programs.  This Council shall meet at the request of the Governor. 

Section 3.  DISTRICT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.  The Executive Committee is composed of the District Governor, the immediate three Past District Governors who are still Rotarians in good standing, the District Governor-Elect, the District Governor-Nominee and one additional Rotarian who is not a Past District Governor, to be appointed by the District Governor.  This committee will provide program continuity to the District, will be the decision-making body for the District between District Conferences, and will give support and assistance to the District Governor.  Meetings will be held at least quarterly during each Rotary year.

Section 4.  ASSISTANT GOVERNORS.  The District Governor, with recommendations from the District Governor-Elect and the District Governor-Nominee, and in accordance with the 2007 Manual of Procedure, pg. 37-38) shall appoint Assistant Governors, one for each of the Divisions of Clubs in the District.  The Assistant Governors are to function following the District Leadership Plan and the Manual of Procedure.

Section 5.  DISTRICT TRAINER.  The Governor, based on the recommendation of the Governor-Elect, shall appoint pursuant to the Manual of Procedure and the Rotary Code of Policies 17.030.3, a District Trainer to chair the District Training Committee.  Duties include assisting the Governor and Governor-Elect with training at PETS/SETS, the District Assembly, and the team training seminar, which includes training for Assistant Governors.

ARTICLE FIVE

Finances

Section 1.  FINANCE COMMITTEE.  The Finance Committee shall be composed of the current District Governor; the immediate Past District Governor; the District Governor-Elect; the District Governor-Nominee and the District Treasurer.  The immediate Past District Governor shall serve as chair.

Section 2.  DUTIES.  The Finance Committee shall prepare a Budget for the Rotary year, and a copy shall be furnished to each club in the District at least four weeks prior to the District Assembly.  Adoption of the Budget by three-fourths of the incoming Presidents present at the District Assembly shall authorize payment up to, but not exceeding the total budgeted expenditures.  The Finance Committee will review all expense requests that would cause budget line item overages and approve or disapprove payment by the District Treasurer. The Finance Committee shall have authority to approve expenditures from the reserves of the District. 

Section 3.  DISTRICT DUES AND ASSESSMENTS.  Each club in the District shall pay to the District Treasurer annual dues as determined by action at the District Conference, PETS or the District Assembly (RI Bylaws 15.060.2).  The annual dues of each club shall be based on the number of members in that club.  The annual dues shall remain the same as the prior year unless changed at a District Conference, PETS or District Assembly. 

a.        District Dues.  Payment of District Dues shall be made in October and April based on membership as of July 1 and January 1 respectively.  Clubs shall be notified of any proposal to change the dues at least thirty (30) days prior to PETS, the District Assembly or the District Conference.

b.       District Conference Assessment.  Payment of the District Conference Assessment shall be made in October based on membership as of July 1 at the rate of ten dollars ($10.00) per member.  Five dollars ($5.00) is available to fund the annual district conference; and, five dollars ($5.00) shall be placed in a Conference Endowment account.  Clubs shall be notified of any proposal to change district conference assessment at least thirty (30) days prior to PETS, the District Assembly or the District Conference.

c.        President-Elect Training Seminar.  Payment for the President-Elect registration fee to the annual Presidents-elect Training Seminar (PETS) shall be made in October of each year.

Section 4.  EXPENDITURES.  The annual Budget shall include funds for the operation of the district as set forth in said budget.  Such expenses will include the following expenditures:

a.        The District Governor shall be reimbursed for documented and budgeted expenses, which shall be in addition to expenses funded by Rotary International.

b.       The District Governor-Elect shall be reimbursed for documented and budgeted expenses.

c.        The District Governor-Nominee shall be reimbursed for documented and budgeted expenses. 

d.       The Assistant District Governors shall be reimbursed for documented and budgeted expenses.

e.        The Representative to the Council on Legislation shall be reimbursed for documented and budgeted expenses, which shall be in addition to expenses funded by Rotary International.

Section 5.  ANNUAL STATEMENT AND REPORT OF DISTRICT FINANCES.  The Governor must provide an annual statement of the District finances to each club in the District within three months of the completion of the Governor's year in office.  The District Auditor shall review the records and accounting procedures of the district and give a reasonable level of assurance to the finance committee that the annual statement of the District finances are fairly presented, the accounting procedures appear to be adequate, and that there were no material exceptions or irregularities found. In the event that material exceptions or irregularities are found, the District Auditor shall give a report of these findings to the finance committee and the finance committee shall determine the additional procedures necessary to review and correct these findings.

This annual statement shall also be presented, discussed (if need be) and formally adopted at the next District meeting to which all clubs are entitled to send a representative and for which 30 days notice has been given that the statement of District finances will be presented for adoption or if no such meeting is held by the following District Conference.  This annual statement and report shall include but not be limited to details of:

a.        all sources of the District's funds (RI, The Rotary Foundation, District and club);

b.       all funds received by or on behalf of the District from fundraising activities;

c.        grants received from the Rotary Foundation or funds of The Rotary Foundation designated by the District for use;

d.       all financial transactions of District committees;

e.        all financial transactions of the Governor by or on behalf of the District;

f.         all expenditures of the District's funds; and

g.       all funds received by the Governor from RI. 

ARTICLE SIX

Committees

Section 1.  COMMITTEES.  District committees are charged with carrying out the goals of the District as formulated by the Governor with the advice of the assistant governors and district leadership team.  Committees shall be appointed to address ongoing administrative functions, as follows:  Membership Development; Extension; Finance; District level programs that are ongoing, i.e. Youth Exchange, Interact, etc.; Public Relations; District Conference; The Rotary Foundation; RI Convention Promotion; and Training. 

Information regarding the specific purpose, duties and responsibilities, additional qualifications, and additional training requirements for these committees can be found in section 17.030.3 of the Rotary Code of Policies and in the District Directory. 

Section 2.  SPECIAL COMMITTEES.  The District Governor may appoint additional special committees as recommended or required by Rotary International or the needs of the District.

Additional District committees are appointed only when they serve a specific function as identified by the Governor and the District Leadership Team.

Section 3.  BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES COMMITTEE.  The District Governor will appoint a committee of no more than 3 members to approve the minutes of any business meeting of the District.  Members of the committee must have attended the meeting.

Section 4.  SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE.  This committee shall be comprised of seven members:  three Past District Governors and three responsible Rotarians (one from each club-size category) with each member serving for three years; and a Scholarship Committee chair appointed by the District Governor for a term of one year who may be re-appointed and serve successive terms.  Two persons (one Past District Governor and one responsible Rotarian) will be appointed annually by the District Governor and confirmed by the Executive Committee.  This committee will process applications for both Rotary Foundation Scholarships and District Scholarships within the time constraints required by each program.  The Chair of the District Rotary Foundation Committee and District Governor will be non-voting ex-officio members of the committee.

Section 5.  QUORUM.  The presence in person of a majority of the voting members at any committee meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  The members present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to do business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough members to leave less than a quorum.

Section 6.  NOTICE OF MEETINGS.  Notice of all committee meetings shall be provided to each committee member not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days before each committee meeting and shall specify the place, day, and hour of such meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted.  Notice may be furnished by mail, facsimile or e-mail.

ARTICLE SEVEN

Voting

Section 1.  ELECTORS.  Electors are to be determined in accordance with Section 15.050.1 of the Bylaws of Rotary International.  Each club may select, certify, and send to the District Conference at least one elector.  Any club with a membership of more than 25 shall be entitled to one (1) additional elector for each additional twenty-five (25) or major fraction, (i.e., 13 or more) thereof, of its members, based on the membership as of the date of the most recent semiannual payment preceding the date on which the vote is held.

Section 2.  VOTING PROCEDURES.  Only electors may vote on the election of a member and alternate member of the nominating committee for RI director, composition and terms of reference of the nominating committee for governor, and the decision as to the amount of the district’s per-capita levy.  In all other matters brought before the conference, every member in good standing of a club present at the district conference may vote.

Section 3.  PROXIES.  Voting by proxy is not permitted.

Section 4.  ELECTRONIC MEETINGS.  The Executive District Committee, standing committees, and special committees are authorized to meet by telephone conference or through other electronic communications media.  If dialogue is expected, all members should be able to participate and to hear or otherwise interact with one another.

ARTICLE EIGHT

Insurance and Indemnification

When a person is sued or prosecuted in a criminal action, either alone or with others, because such person is or was an officer of the District or an agent acting for or on behalf of the District, in any proceeding arising out of alleged misfeasance or nonfeasance in the performance of such person's duties or out of any alleged wrongful act against the District or by the District, such person shall be indemnified for all reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees incurred in the defense of the proceedings, if both the following conditions exist:

a.        The person sued is successful in whole or in part, or the proceeding against him is settled with the approval of the court. 

b.       The court finds that such person's conduct fairly and equitably merits such indemnity. 

The amount of such indemnity which may be assessed against the District by the court in the same or in a separate proceeding shall be so much of the expenses, including attorneys' fees incurred in the defense of the proceedings, as the court determines and finds to be reasonable.  Application for such indemnity may be made either by the person sued or by the attorney or other person rendering services to such person in connection with the defense, and the court may order the fees and expenses to be paid directly to the attorney or other person, although not a party to the proceeding.  Notice of the application for such indemnity shall be served upon the District, and upon the plaintiff and other parties to the proceeding. 

The District may purchase and maintain such Directors and Officers coverage and liability coverage as the District Executive Committee deems appropriate. 

ARTICLE NINE

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the District shall be July 1 through June 30. 

ARTICLE TEN

Parliamentary Authority

The most current revision of “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern District 5690 in all cases to which it is applicable and in which it is not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International. 

ARTICLE ELEVEN

Amendments

The Bylaws of District 5690 may be amended by two-thirds vote of those present and voting at the District Conference or at any District meeting to which all clubs are entitled to send a representative, provided the proposed amendments have been sent to the clubs 30 days prior to the District Conference or any other District meeting as described above. 

Bylaws adopted in Salina, Kansas at PETS/SETS District 5690 Business Meeting – 9 April 2010