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Bylaws of the Phoenix Sonoran Section
of The American Society of Highway Engineers

NOMENCLATURE

The nomenclature and phraseology used in these Bylaws shall be interpreted as follows:

ASHE shall refer to the American Society of Highway Engineers.

“National”, “National Society” or “Society” shall mean the American Society of Highway Engineers” encompassing all Regions and Sections chartered therein.

"Section" shall mean the Phoenix Sonoran Section.

“Constitution” shall refer to the American Society of Highway Engineers Constitution – 1958, with Revisions and Amendments

ARTICLES OF CONTENT

1 – Name, Organization and Administration
2 – Membership, Admission and Separation
3 – Initiation Fees, Dues and Finances
4 – Management
5 – Board of Directors
6 – Officers
7 – Election and Ascension
8 – Meetings
9 – Order of Business
10 – Committees
11 – Official Publication
12 – Amendments
13 – Dissolution
14 – Section Policies

1.0   NAME, ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

1.1 The Phoenix Sonoran Section of the American Society of Highway Engineers is established in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the American Society of Highway Engineers by the issuance of Charter No. 47 dated July 23, 2009.

1.2 The regulation and administration of the affairs of the Phoenix Sonoran Section shall be in accordance with the Constitution of the American Society of Highway Engineers and the Phoenix Sonoran Section Bylaws as hereby set forth.

2.0  MEMBERSHIP, ADMISSION AND SEPARATION

2.1 The election to membership set forth in the National Constitution shall be entrusted to the Phoenix Sonoran Section.

2.2 Any person desiring to become a member of the Phoenix Sonoran Section shall make written application to the Section Secretary. Such application shall be of such form, and contain such data as may be prescribed by the National Board of Directors. The applicant shall provide the name of a sponsoring member in good standing. The Secretary shall request action on each application by the Membership Committee and the Board of Directors. On receipt of recommendation for acceptance, the application shall be forwarded to the National Secretary for inclusion in the National Roster.

2.3 Each applicant shall be notified by the Section Secretary of his election to the Section. The Section Secretary shall bill each elected applicant for Section dues. 

2.4 A member whose dues become six months in arrears shall lose the right to vote and to receive publications normally furnished without special charge to members in good standing. Any member whose dues become twelve (12) months in arrears by June 1 shall forfeit membership with ASHE, subject to investigation by the Phoenix Sonoran Board of Directors, and recommendation to National.

2.5 An individual with a forfeited membership may not be reinstated, except upon submittal of the written application, with associated dues and fees, as described in Section 2.2.

2.6 Members may request exemption from paying further dues, if they meet the following criteria and petition the Board of Directors for approval. These non-paying dues members shall be known as Life Members, but this term shall not be used as a separate grade of membership.

They shall have reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or shall have retired, and have paid dues as such for not less than twenty (20) years; or
They shall have paid dues for twenty-five (25) years, even though they may not have reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or have retired.
All Life Member national assessments will be paid by the Section.

3.0  INITIATION FEES, DUES AND FINANCES

3.1 An initiation fee in the amount set annually by the National Board of Directors shall accompany each application for membership. The full initiation fee shall be submitted with the application when it is transmitted to the National Board of Directors for acceptance. Such fees shall be retained by the National Society on approval of the application, and the National Board of Directors will forward the approved member's application with a membership pin and a certificate of membership to the respective Section Secretary. In the case that the applicant is not accepted for admittance by the Phoenix Sonoran Section, the full initiation fee shall be returned to the applicant.

3.2 Prior to April 15th of each year, the Section Secretary shall mail or e-mail to each member at his latest known address, a statement of the amount of his dues for the ensuing year.

3.3 Dues shall be payable annually in advance of June 1 in the amount prescribed by the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Sonoran Section.  A 10% late fee shall be assessed for dues of continuing members received after July 1.

3.4 The Section fiscal year shall be from June 1 through May 31.

3.5 A person admitted to membership between June 1 and November 30 shall pay the full year's dues; a person admitted to membership between December 1 and March 31 shall pay one half the year's dues, plus the full initiation fee. Dues for individuals admitted to membership between April 1 and May 31 shall be at the full annual dues rate plus the initiation fee.  The one year amount will include the time from April 1 through May 31 of the following year. 

3.6 National dues for the current fiscal year shall be forwarded to National before October 1.

4.0  MANAGEMENT

4.1 The Phoenix Sonoran Section shall be governed by the Board of Directors.   The Board of Directors shall consist of five (5) directors, the elected officers, and the immediate past president, in accordance with Article 7.1 of these Bylaws. The Directors to be elected by the Section shall desirably represent all elements of the highway industry.

4.2 The officers shall consist of a President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and an Assistant to the Treasurer and Secretary.

5.0  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

5.1 The Board of Directors shall be the judge of the qualifications of its members and shall have authority to fill vacancies arising in its own number.

5.2 The Board of Directors shall have charge of the technical and social interests and activities of the Section. It shall act in all matters concerning the business and financial interests of the Section, and in the discharge of its duties shall have power, within the limitations of the Constitution and these Bylaws, to execute any measure whatsoever which seem necessary to further the interests of the Section.

5.3 The Board of Directors shall meet, at minimum, bi-monthly, or for a minimum of six (6) meetings annually, but no business shall be transacted unless a majority of the current Board are present. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or any two (2) members of the Board of Directors.

5.4 Within 30 days or at its first meeting after the annual meeting of the Section, the Board of Directors shall announce and form Standing and/or Special Committees for the current fiscal year.

5.5  The Directors shall serve as chairpersons or members of the Section operating committees.

6.0  OFFICERS

6.1 The President, subject to the Board of Directors, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Section. He/She shall preside at meetings of the Section and of the Board of Directors at which he/she may be present, and shall be ex-officio member of all committees. He/She shall be chairman of the Board of Directors, and in that capacity, shall have the power to call a meeting of the Board whenever, in his/her discretion, it will further the interests of the Section.

6.2 The First Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.  The First Vice President shall assume other duties of the President in the event of disability or unavailability.

6.3 The Second Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President and the First Vice President, and assume other duties as may be necessary in cases of disability or absence.

6.4 The Secretary shall, under the direction of the President and the Board of Directors, act as executive officer of the Section.

  • He/She shall attend all meetings of the Section and the Board of Directors, and record the proceedings thereof.
  • He/She shall have custody of all official papers and records.
  • He/She shall conduct the correspondence of the Section and keep full records of same.
  • At the Annual Meeting, he/she shall submit a report in writing covering the duties and activities of his/her office, including a statement of the status of the membership of the Section.
  • He/She shall see that all monies due the Section are collected and transferred to the custody of the Treasurer.
  • At the expiration of his/her term of office, he/she shall transfer to his/her qualified successor all relevant documents, material and equipment for which he/she shall receive a receipt of compliance.
  • In cases of his/her absence or disability, the Assistant to the Secretary and Treasurer shall assume the above duties.

6.5 The Treasurer shall receive all monies and deposit the same in the name of the Section in a depository approved by the Board of Directors.

  • He/She shall keep full records of the accounts of the Section.
  • He/She shall pay all bills when certified and audited as provided in these By-Laws and as prescribed by the Board of Directors.
  • At the expiration of his/her term of office, he/she shall transfer to his/her qualified successor all relevant documents, material and equipment for which he/she shall receive a receipt of compliance.
  •  At the expiration of his/her term of office, he/she shall turn over to his/her successor all books, papers, and monies belonging to the Section taking a receipt therefore.
  •  He/She shall submit a cost form for receipts and expenditures for his/her term, for tax purposes.
  • In cases of his/her absence or disability, the Assistant to the Secretary and Treasurer shall assume the above duties.

7.0  ELECTION AND ASCENSION

7.1 Election to upcoming vacancies of Directors and Officers shall take place at the Annual Meeting held in May.  The vacancies shall be for 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant to the Secretary and Treasurer, one or more Director(s) to serve for a 3-year term, and any unplanned vacancies in unfilled positions among the Officers or Board of Directors. 

7.2 Ninety (90) days before the Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for the elective offices. The nominee so named shall be the official nominee for the respective office. After acceptance of the nomination by official nominees, the Secretary shall mail, or email, a list of nominees to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the Annual Meeting at which the election of the above nominations will be held. Only Members in good standing shall be eligible for nomination to elected offices.

7.3 Nominations by petition as provided for in Article VI, Section 5, of the Constitution shall contain the signatures of at least ten (10) percent of the membership and shall be accompanied by a letter from the nominee in acceptance of the nomination. Nomination by petition shall be filed with the Secretary not less than thirty (30) days prior to the annual date set for closing the balloting for the election of officers. Nominee by petition shall be so designated in the ballot for electing officers.

7.4 All Members shall be entitled to vote as long as they maintain their membership in good standing.

7.5 Immediately following the verification of the final ballots the outgoing Secretary shall notify the officers who have been elected and shall secure from each person so elected, his/her acceptance of the election.

7.6 A general announcement of the officers elected shall be posted on the Section website and newsletter.

7.7 The election and ascension of the Officers and Directors shall be as follows:

7.7.1 Officers 
President – 1-year term
1st Vice President – 1-year term, ascends to President at end of term
2nd Vice President – 1-year term, ascends to 1st Vice President at end of term
Treasurer – 1-year term, but may serve in multiple, consecutive terms
Secretary – 1-year term, but may serve in multiple, consecutive terms
Assistant to the Treasurer and Secretary – 1-year term, but may serve in multiple, consecutive terms

7.7.2 Directors
1st year Director – 1 year term, ascends to 2nd vice president at end of term.
2nd year Director – 1 year term, ascends to 1st year Director at end of term.
3 year Directors – Three, 3 year Directors shall serve in any given year.  Annually, one of these individuals shall ascend to 2nd year Director. 
Election of at least one 3 year Director shall be held annually, with the other 3 year Directors being elected as corresponding terms expire.

8.0  MEETINGS

8.1 The Annual Meeting for the election of officers and Directors and for the transaction of other business of the Section shall be held during the month of May at such place and time as the Board of Directors may designate.

8.2 Regular monthly meetings of the Section shall be held at such place and time as the Board of Directors may designate.

8.3 The President shall present, or cause to be presented, a brief report of the activities of the Section at regular monthly meetings.

9.0  ORDER OF BUSINESS

9.1 The order of business for regular monthly meetings of the Board of Directors shall be:

Call to order
Reading of minutes of previous meeting
Treasurer's report
Reading of communications and presentation of bills
Report of Officers
Report of committees
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment

10.0  COMMITTEES

10.1 The President shall within thirty (30) days after the Annual Meeting of the Section appoint the following standing committees from the active membership:

Media and Public Relations
Membership
Program
By-Laws
Nominating
Auditing
Budget and Finance
Scholarship
Special Events
Sponsorship

The Officers and Directors for the new year will chair the standing committees as follows:

President - Ex officio member of all committees

Officer Chair Person:

  • 1st Vice President - Program  Committee
  • 2nd Vice President - Scholarship Committee
  • Past President- Nominating Committee & Budget Committee

Director Chair Persons:

  • Membership Committee
  • Bylaws Committee
  • Media and Public Relations Committee

10.2 Special committees may be appointed at the discretion of the President

10.3 All membership shall be eligible to committee appointments.

11.0  OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

11.1 The Section shall publish notices, announcements, calendars, special events and news relating to Society affairs on the website of the Phoenix Sonoran Section and in the quarterly newsletter, The Sonoran Bypass.

12.0  AMENDMENTS

12.1 At any meeting of the Board of Directors, a quorum being present, the Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote, may amend the By-Laws in conformity with the Constitution, provided that a written notice of such proposed amendment shall have been given at a previous meeting of the Board of Directors, and provided further that the Secretary shall have mailed, or emailed, a copy of such proposed amendment to each member of the Board of Directors at least fifteen (15) days in advance of the meeting at which action thereon is to be taken.

12.2 Also a proposed amendment to these By-Laws may be petitioned to the Board of Directors by at least twenty-five (25) members of the Section.

13.0  Dissolution

13.1 The Phoenix Sonoran Section may be dissolved by the National Board of Directors, either by petition from this section, or for cause. In the event of dissolution of the section, the charter of the Phoenix Sonoran Section shall be revoked by the National Board of Directors.

13.2 Any remaining funds or other assets together with official records and documents of the Phoenix Sonoran Section, after payment of all indebtedness, will be turned over to the National Board of Directors to be held in trust, for use in the event of reorganization of the section, for a period of three (3) years after which they will become the property of the National Society, as provided in Article V, Section 2, of the Constitution and in Article XV, Sections 2, 3 and 4, of the National By-Laws. No responsibility for liabilities of the Phoenix Sonoran Section will accrue to the National Society. Section Members in good standing of the Phoenix Sonoran Section will be assigned, by the National Board of Directors, to an active Section.

14.0  SECTION POLICIES

14.1 Convention Expenses –
The incoming President shall have his expenses paid for while attending the National Convention.

14.2 Dinner/Breakfast Meal Charges –
Any member who makes a reservation for himself or for a guest(s) and does not cancel the reservations prior to the dinner/breakfast shall be responsible for paying all of the charges incurred by the Section.  An exception will be only if the venue holding the dinner/breakfast charges only for the actual number attending, then there will be no charges passed on to the member.

14.3 Meeting Speaker Reimbursement –
It shall be the policy of the Phoenix Sonoran Section not to provide reimbursement for speakers other than providing meals and this action shall be encouraged in the future.  Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Directors a minimum of eight (8) weeks prior to the engagement of the speaker.  A token gift may be approved for select speakers, but not as a reimbursement or in lieu of the speaker’s standard fee.

14.4 Past President Recognition –
The Phoenix Sonoran Section shall present each past President with a plaque at the completion of their tenure as gesture of appreciation for their service.