BY LAWS OF THE KREWE OF DOMINIQUE YOUX
ARTICLE I
MEMBERSHIP AND GUESTS
(A)
The membership of the Krewe shall be limited to 50 charter
members and such additional members as are approved by the Board of
Directors. The current maximum is 185 active members.
(B)
Active membership is predicated on payment of 100% of the annual
assessment.
(C)
Honorary membership may be designated by unanimous vote of the
Board of Directors at two consecutive duly called Board meetings.
Honorary members shall not pay annual assessments and shall not vote nor
hold office, but shall pay customary fees for any Krewe events in which
they participate. Honorary membership shall be considered only for
those that meet two or more of the following criteria:
i.
active Krewe member in good standing for ten or more years,
ii.
exemplary service to the Krewe as evidenced by extensive
involvement on committees, election to the Board of Directors, and other
outstanding service, or
iii.
having been a charter member of the Krewe or having been elected
King.
(D)
Honorary members would be expected to have limited involvement in Krewe
functions and events, and as such would not count toward any membership
cap.
(E)
New active members may be accepted by the society, provided
unanimous approval by the Membership Committee has been obtained.
(F)
Only active and honorary members in good standing shall be
entitled to parade.
(G)
Widows of members who die while in good standing with the Krewe
may attend functions of the Krewe to which they would have been invited
for the remainder of the Krewe year in which the member died. Widows of
deceased former kings may attend the Fall Ball and Mardi Gras Ball as
guests of the Board of Directors. A widow of a member may invite
guests to the events provided she pays the appropriate fee for each
guest.
(H)
Guests to the balls shall be required to be formally attired.
(I)
The Board of Directors shall determine the amount of the
assessment for guest tickets at all Krewe functions.
ARTICLE II
NOMINATION, ELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE
FOR OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
(A)
The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and three
elected Directors shall be elected for a term of one year at the regular
annual meeting of the society.
(B)
No member shall be elected to the office of President of the
Krewe unless he has served a minimum of one year on the Board of
Directors of the Krewe.
(C) A nominating Committee shall be
appointed by the President not later than ten
days after the Mardi Gras ball.
The committee shall, at the annual meeting,
present names of suitable nominees
for the elected officers of the society. After
said presentation, additional
nominations for officers will be accepted from the floor.
ARTICLE III
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
(A)
PRESIDENT:
The President shall be the
presiding officer at all meetings of the society and of the Board of
Directors. He shall call meetings and with approval of the Board of
Directors, fill vacancies occurring in office, appoint standing and
special committees, uphold and enforce the constitution and by-laws. He
shall, at the annual meeting, present a concise report concerning the
society’s work of the year. He shall be ex-officio member of all
committees and, as Chairman of the Board of Directors, present all
matters recommended by the Board to the society.
(B)
REPLACEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT:
Upon the resignation, removal,
incapacity, or death of the President, the immediate past president, if
still an active member, shall serve as the acting President. If the
President’s incapacity is temporary, he shall again resume the role of
President as soon as the incapacity ends. Otherwise, the immediate past
president shall be subject to confirmation by the board of directors at
their next regular or special meeting. If the immediate past president
is unwilling or otherwise unqualified to serve, the members of the Board
shall elect from among themselves a President by majority vote as soon
as is practical.
(C)
VICE PRESIDENT:
The Vice President shall serve as
Chairman of the Asset Care committee and shall serve on the membership
committee. He shall also assist the President in his duties pertaining
to the society. He shall be the presumptive nominee for President the
following year, subject to the judgment of the nominating committee.
There shall be no automatic succession to the office of President.
(D)
SECRETARY:
The Secretary shall keep permanent
minutes of the society and the Board of Directors; conduct
correspondence; notify members of the time and place of annual and
special meetings; and notify members of the election of officers and all
committees of their appointments. The Secretary shall also maintain the
society roster of members including addresses, telephone numbers and
other data necessary. He shall perform such other duties as may be
required by the President.
(E)
TREASURER:
The Treasurer shall collect the dues and
receive all monies pertaining to the society; pay all bills and disburse
funds as directed by the Board of Directors; and present financial
statements to the Board of Directors. He shall also serve as an advisor
on the Financial Audit Committee.
The Treasurer, with assistance of the President, will prepare an annual
budget for the following year’s operations of the society. This proposed
budget shall be approved by the Board of Directors and presented to the
membership at large at the annual meeting for approval by the Krewe.
ARTICLE IV
FINANCES
(A)
The annual assessment of the members of this society shall be
contingent upon the financial condition of the society and the proposed
annual budget adopted for the year.
(B)
100% of the assessments become due at the time of the annual
meeting. The annual assessment shall include cost of all activities of
the society not otherwise provided for.
ARTICLE V
EXPULSION FROM THE SOCIETY
(A)
A member may be expelled by notice in writing by the Board of
Directors. The expelled member may request, within 30 days after
issuance of notice of expulsion by certified mail, a meeting with the
Board of Directors for the purpose of learning the reason for expulsion.
(B)
Any member expelled from membership in the Krewe for any reason
shall not be allowed to attend any function of the society without
express approval of the Board of Directors. It shall be the
responsibility of each member of the society to uphold the provisions of
this article by ascertaining, prior to inviting a guest, whether or not
that guest has been a member of the society and why he is no longer a
member.
(C)
Only the Board of Directors may expel a member from membership.
ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES
(A)
It shall be the duty of all members to serve on the committee or
committees to which the President may appoint them.
(B)
The President shall appoint the following committees and may
appoint such other committees as is deemed necessary:
1.
SECRET COMMITTEE. The Secret Committee shall consist of three
active members and shall act on all charges or complaints made against
any member of the society and report their findings to the Board of
Directors for appropriate action.
This committee shall function at all such places as may be necessary,
and shall report any misconduct or violation of society rules to the
President who shall report such findings to those concerned.
2.
FINANCIAL AUDIT COMMITTEE. The Financial Audit Committee shall
consist of at least three active members and shall conduct a complete
financial audit of the society within 30 days following the Mardi Gras
ball. The results of the audit will be presented to the membership at
the annual meeting.
3. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE. The President
shall appoint a Membership Committee consisting of three to five members
of the society and shall designate a Chairman. The Chairman shall
report to the Board of Directors the names of those persons proposed for
membership in the society along with a recommendation from the
membership committee for acceptance or rejection. The Board shall
further deliberate and vote to either accept or reject each proposed new
member. Upon acceptance by the Board, the president will notify new
members of their selection and will provide them with a copy of the
constitution and by-laws of the society along with any other facts
deemed appropriate by the president.
4.
DIGNITARY COMMITTEE. The President shall appoint a committee of 5
Krewe members, 3 or more of which are to be Past Presidents of the Krewe
who are still active members. The President shall appoint one of the
Past Presidents to be committee chairman. This committee shall secretly
select candidates for the following positions:
A.
Dominique Youx ------------------2 candidates
B.
Queen of the Krewe ----------------2 candidates
C.
Pirates of the Court -----------------8 candidates
D.
Princesses of the Court -------------8 candidates
E.
Baratarian Cup Award -------------2 candidates
The Board, in a secret meeting, shall consider the above candidates and
shall elect the following dignitaries:
A. Dominique Youx ------------------ 1 pirate
B. Queen of the Krewe --------------- 1 lady
C. Pirates of the Court ---------------- 6
pirates
D. Princesses of the Court ------------6
ladies
E.
Baratarian Cup Award ------------1 person
If the second Dominique Youx candidate has not previously served as a
court pirate, he shall be added to the slate of candidates for the
court. If the second candidate for Queen has not previously served as
princess, she shall be added to that slate of candidates.
After the Board has made its selection, the President of the Krewe shall
secretly notify the designees (in order in which elected). If any
designates shall choose not to serve, the next person on the list shall
be considered elected and shall be properly notified.
5. NOMINATING COMMITTEE. (See Article
II, Paragraph C)
6. ASSET CARE COMMITTEE.
The President shall appoint a committee charged with the care of society
assets, to include floats, buildings, costumes, and other items of
value. The committee shall consist of the Vice President, who shall
serve as chairman, Quartermaster, Parade Director, and other members as
appointed by the President. The committee shall be sure assets are in
good repair at all times and will plan for maintenance, improvement and
replacement as needed. The committee will provide appropriate data to
the Treasurer and the Board of Directors in order to facilitate proper
budgeting for such items. This committee is to focus on long-term
planning for asset development in addition to the short-term needs of
asset protection.
ARTICLE VII
RULES OF ORDER
(A)
Business shall not be transacted at a social meeting.
(B)
The President is the ruler of the society and a member who
creates a disturbance or refuses to be governed by the rules of order
prescribed by the President shall be subject to a fine not to exceed
$50.00 or expulsion or both.
ARTICLE VIII
QUORUM AT MEETINGS
(A)
Twenty Percent (20%) of the active members shall constitute a
quorum for annual and special meetings of the society.
(B)
Five voting members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the
Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX
ORDER OF BUSINESS
The
following order shall govern any regular or special meeting of the
society of the Krewe of Dominique Youx:
A.
Call to order by the President,
B.
Roll call by the Secretary,
C.
Reading and approval of the minutes,
D.
Report of officers,
E.
Report of Board of Directors and Committees,
F.
Report of Budget Committee and approval of the budget by the
membership (annual meeting),
G.
Unfinished business
H.
New business
I.
Adjournment
ARTICLE X
RULES OF CONDUCT
(A)
Only approved costumes shall be worn by the membership at any
Krewe function.
(B)
Except for the reigning King, there shall be no unmasking on
floats while in the parade. Any violation may be subject to a fine of
$25.00 for the first offense and $50.00 for each ensuing offense.
(C)
Drinking of intoxicating beverages on floats or boats during the
parade is absolutely prohibited.
(D)
Other acts of misconduct, whether or not enumerated herein, which
are unbefitting a member of the society may be subject to a fine of not
less than $25.00 nor more than $50.00 and / or expulsion.
(E)
A member who fails to pay an assessed penalty within 30 days of
notice may be expelled from the Krewe.
(F)
In addition to the foregoing penalties, the Secret Committee may
recommend a penalty of expulsion.
(G)
Smoking on the floats and boats and leaving floats and boats
during the parade, without prior approval, is absolutely prohibited.
ARTICLE XI
COSTUMES
(A)
The Quartermaster shall be responsible for obtaining, issuing and
approving costumes for the Krewe. Records will be maintained of the date
of issue and costume type (Krewe or Court). Replacement costumes will be
issued as required, however, a member who requires a replacement costume
will be required to pay a replacement costume fee, the amount of which
will be determined by the Board.
(B)
Dominique Youx and members of his court will share the cost of
court costumes. The Board will determine the amount to be charged for
the court costumes.
(C)
Costumes are to remain the property of the society and each
member is personally liable for his costume.
A member failing or refusing to return a costume shall be charged with
the value of the same. Upon resignation or other separation from
membership with the society, all costumes will be returned except that
Dominique Youxs may retain their costumes if they desire.
(D)
As stated above in Article X, Paragraph (A), only approved
costumes shall be worn by the membership at any function of the society.
There are three types or styles of costumes for wear by society members:
·
KREWE—Pirate-type, colorful
costume with skullcap.
·
COURT---Elaborate costume
with two-cornered or tri-cornered hat with feather and without brim. All
members of each court will wear the same color and style of costume and
hat.
·
DOMINIQUE YOUX—An Ornate
costume of basic white satin trimmed in the same colors as the court. A
cape and “cavalier” style hat with a feather plume are a part of this
costume.
(E)
The incoming Dominique Youx will have the privilege of selecting
the trim and ornament colors for his costume and the color for the
pirates of his court costumes. Dominique Youx may also exercise his
preference for costume style and cape design. However, Dominique Youx
shall be guided by paragraph (E) above and by attention to the costumes
of past Dominique Youxs and courts so that Krewe tradition is observed.
ARTICLE XII
AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
Amendments to the by-laws of the society
require a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of
Directors.
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