Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Association

Constitution and Bylaws

ARTICLE I - Name of the organization

The name of this organization shall be the Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Association, hereinafter called the Association.

ARTICLE II – Purposes

The business of the Association shall not be conducted for profit and its objectives shall be:

  1. The restoration, preservation and operation of transit vehicles, which have operated in revenue service in the Seattle-King County region.

  2. The fostering and encouragement of a broader knowledge and awareness among the general public of the history of public transit in the Seattle-King County region.

  3. The preservation of memorabilia related to the operation of public transit service in the Seattle-King County region.

ARTICLE III – Membership

  1. Any current or retired employee of King County Metro Transit or its predecessor transit systems and companies is eligible for an Employee Membership or Retired Employee Membership.

  2. Employee Membership expires with termination of employment other than retirement.

  3. Only Employee Members and/or Retired Employee members shall hold office.

  4. Employee Members and/or Retired Employee Members shall have the responsibility to a.) Elect the members of the Board of Directors, b.) Approve the annual budget of the Association presented to the members by the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting, and c.) Recommend such policies and programs to the Board of Directors as may seem prudent to further the purposes of the Association.

  5. Any interested party (individual, group, or company) not eligible for membership under ARTICLE III; Section 1 of the Association Constitution and Bylaws shall be eligible for membership as an Associate Member, hereinafter called Associates. Associates may attend Association meetings and functions but are not eligible to vote or hold office within the Association.

ARTICLE IV – Board of Directors

  1. The government of the Association shall be vested in the Board of Directors, which shall consist of seven members.  The Board of Directors shall consist of the following positions: Director, Deputy Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Operations Coordinator, Historic Fleet Maintenance Coordinator, and Promotions Coordinator.

  2. Members of the Board of Directors shall be nominated to each position at a General Membership meeting to be held in the fourth quarter of each year.  An election by mail will be held within thirty days after the nominations.

  3. The Board of Directors shall serve in a voluntary capacity.

  4. Vacancies on the Board of Directors may be filled for the unexpired term by majority vote of the membership at its next meeting. Or, the Board of Directors may appoint a successor for the unexpired term, provided that such appointment shall be confirmed by the membership at its next meeting.

  5. Members of the Board of Directors shall serve a term of one year or until their successors are installed.

ARTICLE V – Duties of the Board of Directors

  1. The Board of Directors shall exercise all corporate powers of the Association except as otherwise expressly provided by law, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws.

  2. The Board of Directors shall develop and execute poli­cies and programs of the Association. It shall interpret and implement decisions of the membership and the Board of Directors.

  3. The Board of Directors shall recommend the Association budget to the membership for approval and shall desig­nate an audit committee to review the Associations ~ financial records annually.

  4. It shall establish all fees for the Association, including membership.

  5. The Director shall be the principal executive officer. The Director shall preside over all meetings of the Association and is an ex—officio member of all committees and shall provide for the discharge pro tempore of necessary functions in the event of the absence or incapacity of a member.

  6. The Deputy Director shall assist the Director in the administration of the Association; should the Director not be able to perform the duties and functions of the office, the Deputy Director will act in that capacity.

  7. The Secretary shall publish all formal meetings of the Association and distribute such proceedings to the membership and act as Secretary for the Board of Directors; shall cause all notices required to be given by the Association to be duly given and served and cause the reports, statements and other documents required by law to be properly kept and filed, and in general shall perform all the duties incident to the office of the Secretary.

  8. The Treasurer shall collect and keep account of all monies received and expended for the use of the Association; deposit sums received by the Association to the name of the corporation in such depositories as shall be authorized by the Board of Directors; co-sign checks or drafts on the funds of the Associa­tion with the Director; prepare an annual budget with the consultation and consent of the Board of Directors; prepare appropriate financial reports for review by the Board of Directors and present them to the membership at the Annual Meeting. Expend­itures in excess of $250.00 (two hundred and fifty dollars) must be approved by a majority of the Board of Directors.

  9. The Operations Coordinator shall oversee and direct the arrangements for MEHVA member volunteers to operate the Historic Fleet coaches on excursions, fan trips, rentals, displays and other movements as well as MEHVA work parties; track all volunteer hours by category on a quarterly report; maintain a record of all members who have volunteered for MEHVA activities each shake-up.

  10. The Historic Fleet Maintenance Coordinator shall oversee the ongoing maintenance of the vehicles in the Historic Fleet to ensure their safe and reliable condition for operation; administer an annual inspection of all operational Historic Fleet vehicles; track all maintenance for each vehicle in the Historic Fleet.

  11. The Promotions Coordinator shall oversee and direct the promotional activities for MEHVA membership, the MEHVA public excursion schedule and fundraising activities.

ARTICLE VI – Parliamenty authority

“Roberts Rules of Order, Revised” shall prevail except that where they conflict with these bylaws, the bylaws shall govern.

ARTICLE VII – Amendments to the bylaws

  1. Any proposed amendment shall be in writing, signed by at least twenty—five percent of the members of the Association, and filed with the Secretary.

  2. Amendments to the bylaws may also be proposed by action of the Board of Directors and filed with the Secretary.

  3. Such proposed amendments shall be read and voted upon at the next membership meeting, provided that the written text of the amendment was distributed to the members at least 21 days prior to the meeting.

  4. At least two—thirds approval of those members present and voting shall be required to ratify such proposed amendments.

ARTICLE VIII – Dissolution

  1. The Association may be dissolved in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington.

  2. All liabilities and obligations of the corporation shall be paid, satisfied and discharged or adequate provisions shall be made therefore.

  3. The remaining assets of the Association shall be dis­tributed as agreed upon by the Board of Directors.