Chicago
Area Unitarian Universalist Council
Bylaws
Article 1. Mission Statement
The mission of Chicago Area Unitarian Universalist Council, hereinafter
known as
CAUUC, is to support Chicago area Unitarian Universalist
congregations by:
a. Encouraging a unified, interdependent
network;
b. Maintaining a clearinghouse of Unitarian
Universalist information and
procedures;
c. Performing liaison tasks among
denominational levels;
d. Communicating effective programming,
religious and ethical philosophies,
leadership development, and
operational practices.
e. Promoting growth in the visibility and
influence of Unitarian Universalism
and its values in the
Chicago area
Article II. Governance
A. The assembled delegates of CAUUC shall elect directors,
hereinafter called the
Board, empowered to act in behalf of CAUUC to execute policies adopted
by the
CAUUC membership, implement the mission statement and govern all the
affairs
of CAUUC during all adjournments, consistent with the policy directives.
B. The Board shall consist of eight to twelve (8-12)
members who shall represent no fewer than eight (8)
Unitarian Universalist congregations. Not more than three (3)
members may be ministers. One member shall represent
Meadville-Lombard Theological School. The Meadville-Lombard
community may
select one of its members to represent the school and may fill the seat
whenever it becomes vacant. The immediate past-president is an
additional voting Board member.
C. The Board shall elect officers from among the Board
members. The officers shall be: president, vice-president,
secretary, and treasurer. The Board shall appoint three to five (3-5)
persons
to the nominating committee, for presentation to the constituency at
the annual meeting. Not more than two (2) members of the
board may serve on the nominating committee. At least one member,
but not more than two members,of the nominating committee must be a
minister of a CAUUC member congregation. The president
shall
convene the initial meeting of the nominating committee and present
their charge; the committee shall then elect a chair and pursue its
business independent of the Board.
D. To fulfill its duties, the Board may, at its discretion,
contract for services; employ personnel and determine their functions
and remuneration; adjust line item budget allocations to stay within
the overall approved budget; appoint committees to carry out CAUUC's
mission; and declare a vacancy in its membership should any Board
member fail to attend three (3) consecutive meetings, and appoint a
successor to serve until the next annual meeting.
E. The Board
of Directors shall provide for the appropriate maintenance of the
website and the electronic announcement board.
F. The
Board shall provide for a standing nominating committee. The
president shall appoint members and arrange for meetings pursuant
to Article IV.A.; the president shall replace members as needed in the
course of a fiscal year. Nominating Committee members shall serve
for one year, renewable for up to four years, The president
shall present a slate of committee members at the annual meeting,
to serve the Board in the coming year. The Nominating Committee
shall formulate an orderly process for selecting candidates for
Directorships.
G. The Directors shall represent the interests of the
constituency by maintaining liaison relationships with the
congregations. Directors shall set and act on the agenda of the
Board meetings to reflect the perceived needs of the
congregations.
Article III. Terms of Office
for Directors and Officers
A. Directors shall be elected for a term of two (2) years.
A director may not serve more that three (3) consecutive terms, unless
the candidate for director, having served for three (3) consecutive
terms, is nominated again by the Board nominating committee for a
two-year term in accord with Article II, Section C, and the delegates
present and voting at the annual meeting are informed by the nominating
committee of the term of the candidate's prior service. The
nominating committee shall so act for every candidate who has served
continuously for more than six (6) years.
B. Officers shall serve a term of two (2) years and may be
elected for two (2) consecutive terms, except the Board may re-elect
officers who have served for more than two consecutive terms; however
such an election requires the affirmative vote of at least
three-quarters (3/4) of the members of the Board. In the case of
the Treasurer, such re-election may be exercised by the Board except
that re-election of the Treasurer for more than four (4) consecutive
terms (a total of 8 years) will require that the Board implement a
formal or informal audit of the CAUUC accounts and financial books and
report the results of such an audit to the delegates at the next annual
meeting. The president and secretary shall be elected on
even-numbered years. The vice-president and treasurer shall be
elected on odd-numbered years. The immediate past president's term is
one year.
Article IV. Duties and
Responsibilities of Officers and Directors
A. President: The president is the chief executive officer
of the Board. The president presides at all meetings of the CAUUC
assembled delegates and of the CAUUC Board.
The President provides for the functioning of the CAUUC Nominating
Committee by supervising the election of members, convening the
committee for its initial meeting, and monitoring the progress of their
work. The President, in consultation with the board,
provides a candidate for the Nomianting Committee of the Board of
Trustees of the Central Midwest District.
B. Vice-president: The vice-president presides at all
meetings in the absence of the president. The vice president
maintains a calendar of
committee meetings and inter-congregational functions.
C. Secretary: The secretary records the minutes of all
meetings of assembled delegates and of the Board and is the custodian
of the records and files pertinent to the history of CAUUC. The
secretary sends timely notices of all meetings.
D. Treasurer: The treasurer keeps all of the CAUUC
financial records. The treasurer calculates dues for each member
congregation and sends timely invoices. The treasurer provides current
financial information at each meeting. The treasurer shall
receive budget data from all activity chairs and draft a budget
estimate for the Board. The treasurer recommends and maintains
the banking relationship of
CAUUC and pays promptly all approved bills and appropriations.
E.
Directors: The directors maintain liaison with member
congregations and provide representations of the congregations'
interests. . Each Director shall take responsibility for
communicating with several congregations. Communication shall
include, but not be limited to, (1) conveying the activities of CAUUC
to a congregational representative (sometimes the Denominational
Affairs person) and to a newsletter/communications person in that
congregation; (2) soliciting applications for the several CAUUC grants;
(3) soliciting news of the congregation’s activities appropriate to be
conveyed to the Board or to other congregations. The Director may
also attend functions of the liaison congregation as a representative
of CAUUC and is encouraged to attend the annual meeting of the liaison
congregation. The directors act as ex officio members of
assigned CAUUC committees and/or sponsored projects. The
Directors represent CAUUC at UU-affiliated functions, including
celebratory events at their liaison congregations.
F. Immediate Past-president: The immediate past president
serves as advisor and consultant to the officers and directors.
Article V. Meetings
A. The annual meeting of CAUUC member congregations shall be held once during a fiscal year
(July 1-June 30) at a time
and place determined by the Board on a date deemed appropriate by the
Board and announced to the constituency 90 days in advance of the
meeting. To allow time for adequate consideration, requests for budget
allocations and proposals for bylaw or constitutional changes must be
submitted to the Board 60 days befor the annual meeting, for
preliminary deliberation. Notice of the meeting shall be sent to
each member congregation not
less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior to
the meeting date. The notice shall include the proposed budget,
the report of the Nominating Committee, reports of requested budget
allocations, bylaws or constitution proposals that have been submitted
along with the Board's decisions regarding them, and announcements of
any special events in addition to the business meeting. The
business meeting shall include reports on CAUUC activities and
functions, a financial report, provisions for election of
Directors, plans for the coming year, and adoption of a budget for
the coming year. Substantial amendments to the proposed
budget (amounting to 10% or more of the budget total) may be made
from the floor if the Board has been notified of the amendment 60 days
prior to the meeting, as stipulated above.
B. Other meetings of the assembled delegates will be held at such
times and places and for such purposes as are determined by the Board
or upon petition by seven (7) member congregations. Notice of
such meetings and their purpose must be given to all member
congregations thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled meeting.
C. Assembled delegates: All individuals
presenting themselves at a meeting of the council as members of a
member congregation in good standing may be seated as voting delegates,
up to the maximum entitled by their congregation. Congregations
are "in good standing" if they have paid their assessed CAUUC dues for
the prior fiscal year. Individuals may not be seated as
voting delegates if prior written notice indicating that they do not
represent the member congregation has been received by the CAUUC Board
from the president or board secretary of this member congregation
or if such a determination is made by the CAUUC Board. Any individual
rejected by the CAUUC Board shall be extended privilege of the floor to
petition the seated quorum of delegates to be seated.
D. Quorum for meetings of assembled delegates: Delegates representing not
less than eight
(8) member congregations constitute a quorum for transaction of
business at any Council meeting. Privileges of the floor may
be extended to non-delegates in attendance at the discretion of the
presiding officer.
E. Meetings of Directors: The Board of Directors shall meet
at least four (4) times annually at such time and place as may be
determined by the Board. The meetings are for the purpose of
reporting on each Board member's portfolio of responsibilities, voting
upon proposals from the officers or any director, and reviewing any
activity that is on-going or proposed, as stipulated by the
constitution, bylaws, mission statement, council policy, and budget
directives. Meetings may be held more frequently as called by the
president, or special meetings may be called by majority vote of a
quorum of the Board voting. At the request of any Board member, a
telephone poll by the secretary shall be accepted as notice for any
otherwise unscheduled meeting.
F. Quorum for meetings of the Board of Directors: A
quorum for a Board
meeting shall be a simple majority of the current elected Board members.
Article VI. Fiscal Provisions
A. The annual budget shall be supported by regular contributions
from CAUUC member congregations and from the income of funds held by
the Chicago Area UU Council (CAUUC). The CAUUC Board of
Directors shall solicit annual dues from member churches of the Central
Midwest District (CMwD) located in the greater Chicago area. Such
dues
shall be determined on a per-member schedule and the rate shall be
ratified by the delegates of congregations present at an annual
CAUUC meeting. A change in the dues rate may be
suggested by the CAUUC Board and communicated to the constituent
congregations at least 30-60 days in advance of presentation for
ratification at the CAUUC annual meeting.
B. The CAUUC Board of Directors may receive and accept grants,
gifts and bequests for the work and activities of CAUUC,
but no such receipts shall be accepted by the Board unless
its purpose and restrictions, if any, are approved by the Board.
C. The Board may disburse funds as grants from the treasury of
CAUUC to individuals or organizations whose activities are in concert
with and foster the principles of the Unitarian Universalist
Association and the mission of CAUUC. Proposed disbursement of
funds shall be presented to the CAUUC member
congregations in the form of an annual budget presented for approval at
the CAUUC annual meeting.
D. All requests for grants by the CAUUC Board must be made in
writing 90 days prior to the CAUUC annual meeting, for
consideration of inclusion in the annual budget, to be published to the
membership 30-60 days prior to the annual meeting and to be
approved by the constituency at the annual meeting..
E. The Board shall require the recipient(s) to regularly report
to the CAUUC Board on the activities of the
individual/organization that relate to the purpose for which the
funds were granted. The period for reporting shall be determined
by the Board; a written report is conventionally presented to the
constituency at the annual meeting.
F. Executing a grant shall not obligate the Board to additional
grants for the same purpose or to the same recipient.
G. The Board shall direct the treasurer in the distribution and
disbursement of all CAUUC funds.
Article VII. Affiliate
relationships
A. The CAUUC Board may establish a supporting relationship with
organizations in the greater Chicago area whose purpose is (1) to
promote the values and principles inherent in Unitarian Universalism
and (2) to promote collaboration among UU congregations or with other
organizations in effecting those values in the greater Chicago
area. This relationship shall be fostered by the designation of a
member of the organization to be liaison to CAUUC or the designation of
a CAUUC Board member to serve as liaison to the organization. It
may be further promoted by a monetary grant to the organization,
secured pursuant to the process described in Article VI, Sections C and
D.
B. General support to the liaison organization shall be in the
form of (1) publicizing the activities of the organization to the CAUUC
constituency through the CAUUC newsletter (2) remaining informed
of activities through regular reporting to the CAUUC Board at its
meetings, and (3) assisting the organization to identify
resources beneficial to them in carrying out their
activities.
C. Identification of organizations to be established as liaison
organizations shall be at the discretion of the Board in consensus and
in consultation with the CAUUC congregations.
D. The
activities of affiliate organizations shall be reviewed annually at a
Board meeting to determine if the activities are in accord with the
criteria and targets previously agreed to. Such activity criteria
and targets, devised by the affiliate when establishing an affiliation
with CAUUC, shall be in accord with the goals and mission of CAUUC and
the UUA and shall define ways to measure such accord. Renewal of
affiliation will be determined by the Board on the basis of the annual
review of activities and the affiliate’s goals for the coming year.
Article VIII. Amendments to the
Bylaws
A. These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of a quorum of the
assembled member delegates by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those
delegates present, provided the proposed amendment
(editorial changes not affecting the sense of the amendment excepted)
shall have been transmitted in writing to the elected leadership of the
member congregations at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.
B. Amendments to these bylaws shall become effective immediately
upon affirmative vote by the assembled delegates meeting for that
purpose or at such future time as is determined by the
resolution for adoption.
Revisions and Amendment Log:
1. Revision approved at a special meeting of CAUUC, October 24,
1992.
2. Article V, section A, was amended at the May 16, 1997, annual
meeting.
3. Revision by addition of Articles VI and VII was
approved at annual meeting, May 11, 2001.
4. Revision of Article III, sections A and B, was approved at
annual meeting, May 22,
2003.
5. Revision
of Articles I, II, IV, V, and VII approved at annual meeting, May
19, 2007