New Mexico Water & Wastewater Association By-Laws
Revised 06/20/08

1. MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS:

1.1 Active Membership

1.11 Qualifications: Active membership is open to anyone with personal or professional interest in the purposes of the Association, as stated in the Constitution. Each active member must be a member of a regional Section.

1.12 Privileges: Active members shall have all the rights and privileges granted by the Association. Including, but not limited to, voting rights, rights to hold office and serve on committees, receipt of materials and publications distributed by the Association, and registration of training credits achieved.

1.2 Associate Membership:

1.21 Qualifications: Associate membership is open to persons who are interested in the stated purposes of the Association, and who are not able to actively participate in Section or State Association activities, due to remote location or other factors. Associate members are not required to hold membership in a Section.

1.22 Privileges: Associate members may not hold elected office or vote. In all other respects, their privileges are similar to those of Active members.

1.3 Student Membership:

1.31 Qualifications: Student membership is open to persons enrolled in college level courses for the equivalent of six (6) or more semester hours while pursuing a course of study pertinent to the water and wastewater field. Student members are required to be a member of a regional Section.

1.32 Privileges: Student members shall have voting rights and shall receive Association publications.

1.4 Life Membership:

1.41 Qualifications: The Executive Board may confer lifetime membership upon anyone who has been an Active member of the Association for twenty (20) or more years. Nomination may be made by any member to the Executive Board in accordance with the criteria of Executive Board Policy #4. The Board secretary/treasurer shall confirm appropriate longevity of membership. The affirmative vote of eight (8) Executive Board members is required to grant Life Membership. Privileges: Life members shall have all the rights and privileges of Active members while no dues will be assessed by the Association for membership in the Association.

1.5 Corporate Group Membership:

1.51 Qualifications: Group membership is open to any business or incorporated municipality employing two (2) or more individuals in the design, construction, operation, maintenance, performance evaluation, or management of water and wastewater facilities, or in the training for such occupations.

1.52 Privileges: Individuals enrolled through Corporate Group Membership have all the rights and privileges of Active Membership.

2. DUES

2.1: Annual state dues will be assessed to members according to the following schedules:

2.11: Active Members - $45

2.11.1 State - $40

2.11.2 Section - $5

2.12: Associate Members - $40

2.13: Student Members - $35

2.13.1 State - $30

2.13.2 Section - $5

2.14: Corporate Members - $43 per individual (min. 2 required)

2.14.1 State - $38

2.14.2 Section - $5

2.2: Payment of dues:

2.21: All renewable membership dues will be payable to the Secretary/Treasurer of the Association by January 3l of each year.

2.22: Section dues will be dispersed, by the Secretary/Treasurer,

to the appropriate Section by August 1.

2.23: Corporate Group Membership must be paid by corporation check.

2.24: The Executive Manager will mail notices to members in arrears for annual dues payments in early March. The names of members, not having paid dues within two (2) weeks of such notice, shall be removed from the membership rolls until dues are paid.

2.25: Dues payments received after November 1st will be considered as payment for the following year.

3. ASSOCIATION SHORT SCHOOLS

3.1 The Association will conduct one (1) or more "Short Schools" each year.

3.2 The Annual Short School will host the Annual Business Meeting of active members and the Annual Awards Banquet.

4. ANNUAL ASSOCIATION BUSINESS MEETING

An Annual Business Meeting of the Association's active membership will be called early in the year at the Annual Association Short School. Announcement of

the exact time and location shall be listed in the Short School program.

5. BUSINESS YEAR

The Association's business year and the terms for elected officers will begin with the passing of the gavel from the outgoing President, now Past-President, to the incoming president, previously President Elect.

6. FISCAL YEAR

The Association's fiscal year shall begin January l st and end December 31.

7. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS

7.1: The Annual Executive Board Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Annual Short School. The Executive Board will meet not fewer than three (3) regular meetings each year following the Annual Board meeting.

7.2: Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Association President if the need is indicated. The Association President must call a meeting if a written request for such a meeting is made by four (4) or more Board members.

7.3: The Association President must establish the time and place of each Board meeting, and must direct the Secretary/Treasurer to mail notices of such meetings at least two (2) weeks in advance of the meeting date.

7.4: If, for any reason, the Association President fails to complete the duties as outlined in the Constitution, the Vice President is charged with fulfilling them instead.

8. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

8.1: Nominations

Nominations for Association officers shall be submitted, in writing, to the President and/or Executive Manager by any active member. A maximum of one (1) nominee per office from each Section is allowed but, Sections shall not be required to submit a nominee for every office. All nominations must be submitted before November 1 of each year. The Executive Manager shall draw up a list of nominees and shall submit a written report on each nominee to the Executive Board. Upon approval of the ballot by the Executive Board and confirmation by the Secretary/Treasurer that nominees are valid, the ballot will become official. A drawing by lot will be held at the Executive Board meeting to establish the order of candidates on the ballot.

8.2: Qualifications

Qualifications for Association officers shall be as defined in 5.1 of the Constitution.

8.3: Balloting

The official Ballot shall be mailed to the Association members by December 1, in accordance with Article 13 of the By-Laws. Ballots postmarked after December 30 will not be counted.

8.4: Job Descriptions

The nominee shall be provided with a job description at the time of selection by the section involved.

9. EXECUTIVE BOARD DUTIES & POWERS

9.1: The Executive Board shall establish policies and initiate programs pursuant to the Association's purposes as stated in Article 2 of the Constitution. The Board shall interpret and enforce the provisions of the Association's Constitution and By-Laws.

9.2: The Board shall hear reports of all committees.

9.3: The Board shall authorize disbursements of Association funds.

9.4: The Executive Board may remove any elected Association officer from office by extraordinary vote (Article 14 of the By-Laws). Such proposed action must meet voting agenda criteria. Officers may be removed from office for failure to comply with the Association Constitution and By-Laws, or for failure to comply with Board policy or directives.

9.5: The Board shall retain paid staff according to the needs of the Board and as authorized in the Constitution.

10. PAID STAFF OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

10.1 Executive Manager of the Board:

10.11: The Executive Manager shall perform the routine functions and financial accounting of the Association, as described in Exhibit A, Executive Manager's Job description. The Executive Manager shall be a co-signer on Association checks disbursed by Board approval.

10.12: The Executive Manager shall be responsible to the Association President. He or she shall be bonded at the expense of the Association.

10.13: The Executive Manager shall be responsible for the daily supervision of all additional paid staff.

10.2: The Executive Board shall review the job performance and salary of all paid staff during the last Board meeting of the fiscal year.

10.3: The Executive Board shall be responsible for all disciplinary action of paid staff.

10.4: The Executive Manager and other paid staff positions shall be a competitive hiring process in which the Executive Board shall fill vacated positions with a qualified candidate.

11. FILLING OF VACATED OFFICIAL POSTS

11.1: If, for any reason, the President, Vice-President, or Secretary/Treasurer, should be unable to complete their term of office, the Board must fill the office by one of two (2) ways: By special general election, or by confirmed succession of another officer. Succession must be confirmed by extraordinary Board vote. This order of succession is prescribed as follows:

11.11: To succeed the President:

Vice-President, President-Elect (his/her term of office will be continued through the full term as elected), the Director whose term ends that year, and finally, the remaining Director.

11.12: To succeed the Vice-President: The Director whose term ends that year, the remaining Director.

11.13: To succeed the Secretary/Treasurer:

The Director whose term ends concurrently with the Secretary/Treasurer's, the remaining Director.

11.2: If, for any reason, the office of President-Elect is vacated, the unfilled term must be filled by special general election, unless the Board chooses due to the lateness of the vacancy in the year, to include the position of Association President on the normal official ballot.

11.3: A vacated Director's position may be filled by special election or left vacant according to the Board's decision.

11.4: A vacated Past President position will be left vacant.

11.5: If the Board chooses to fill a vacated position by special election, the nomination and balloting must proceed according to Article 8 and 13 of the By-Laws.

12. COMMITTEES

12.1: Standing Committees

The following committees' tasks are continuing and, therefore, the committees are to be standing. The committees report to the Association President and the Executive Board, who shall be responsible for providing guidance:

12.11: Annual Short Schools and Program Committee:

This committee is charged with the entire scope of planning and program of the Annual Association Short Schools that are sponsored by the State Association. In this respect, it shall cooperate with local sections, representatives of the Water Utilities Training and Assistance Program of the Dona Ana Community College of New Mexico State University, and the Executive Manager of the Association. The committee shall consist of the Past President, the President-Elect, and the two Directors. It may also include special committees on Registration, Displayers, Technical Sessions & Workshops, etc.

12.12: Awards Committee:

This committee shall be charged with the review and selection of recipients for all Annual Awards in compliance with award guidelines, and may include such special committees as needed. The awards committee will be responsible for recommending revisions to specific award criteria to the Executive Board. Any applicable Board Policy shall be followed.

12.13: Scholarship Committee:

This committee shall submit the name(s) of recommended scholarship recipient(s) to the Executive Board under the guidelines of Executive Board Policy #5 on Granting of Educational Scholarship.

12.14: Special Study Committee:

The scope of work by this committee is to handle special problems within the State Association and the Sections by making recommendations to the Executive Board. This will include proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws and aims for the future direction of the Association.

12.2: Special Committees:

The President may establish special committees as necessary to fulfill the needs of the Board.

13. BALLOTING

13.1: By Mail.

13.2: Balloting shall be conducted by mail for voting on amendments to the Constitution, for election of Administrative Officers, and other special actions as determined by the Executive Board.

13.3: Procedure:

13.31: The Association President shall instruct the Executive Manager to mail ballots enclosed with "return addressed" envelopes to all members in time for them to be marked and returned by mail. The returned envelope shall be marked "BALLOT" in upper left hand corner with no sender's return address and shall be addressed to the Association.

13.32: Ballots shall be received by the Association Executive Manager and stored in a secured area. Any ballot received after the prescribed dead-line date shall be identified with the vote received and be kept separate from the valid ballots. Within twenty-one (21) calendar days, a ballot counting committee shall meet, receive the unopened ballots from the Secretary/Treasurer, and tally all valid ballots. This committee shall consist of the Executive Manager, President, Secretary/Treasurer, and the outgoing Director. The committee shall submit a written report to the Executive Board within seven (7) calendar days of the tabulation.

14. EXTRAORDINARY VOTE

Any action requiring adoption by extraordinary vote of the Executive Board must receive 2/3 affirmative vote of the Board Members present. In no case, shall adoption be made by less than eight (8) affirmative votes.

15. AMENDMENTS

15.1: Initiation

15.11: The Executive Board may amend the By-Laws in any manner consistent with the Constitution at any meeting of the Executive Board.

15.12: Proposed amendments shall be considered provided that copies of such proposed amendments have been mailed by the Executive Board President to each member of the Board and to the Secretary of each Regional Section or designated representative at least thirty (30) days prior to such meetings.

15.2: Adoption

15.21: Amendments to these By-Laws shall be made only by a favorable Extraordinary Vote of the Executive Board.

15.22: The Executive Board President shall promptly advise the members of the Board, the Secretaries of the Regional Sections or designated representative, and the members of the Special Study Committee, of the Board's action in regards to proposed amendments voted upon.

15.23: When amendments to the By-Laws have been approved by the Board, they shall take effect immediately and the revision(s) shall be made available to the membership.

16. ASSOCIATION SECTIONS

16.1: Regional sections of the Association may be organized as defined in Article 13 of the Constitution.

16.2: Boundaries: The boundaries of each regional section of the Association are defined in Appendices A of the By-Laws.

17. (Reserved – Code of Ethics)

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