Club By-Laws

By-Laws of the

Osceola Valley SnoGoers Snowmobile Club

Adopted: 1984, Amended: May 2022

Definitions

  • Wherever the term “Club” appears in these Bylaws, it means “Osceola Valley SnoGoers Snowmobile Club”
  • Whenever the term “Board” appears in these Bylaws, it means “Board of Directors.”
  • Whenever the acronym “AWSC” appears in these Bylaws, it means “Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs”

Article I – Name

This organization shall be known as the Osceola Valley SnoGoers Snowmobile Club. The Club shall be a non-profit corporation and shall be registered with the State of Wisconsin.

Article II – Mission

Our mission is to further the recreation of snowmobiling in the Osceola Valley area by maintaining the local trails, preserving relationships with trail landowners and promoting snowmobiling as a safe activity for all winter enthusiasts.  We will do this by providing a fun and all-inclusive club that encourages involvement from all club members, promote snowmobile safety, show appreciation to our landowners and conduct fund raising activities that support our goal to have the best snowmobile club in Western Wisconsin, which includes community support and being good neighbors.

Article III – Membership

  • There are two types of memberships:
    • Regular Members – Must be at least 12 years in age and has passed a snowmobile safety training course as required by Wisconsin law.  Memberships may include an individual or a family.  A family is defined as a legally married couple.  Annual membership fees are required.
    • Participating Members – Anyone that does not snowmobile but wants to participate in the Club’s activities such as trail maintenance, grooming, club activities, etc.  No annual membership fees are required.
  • No member or applicant shall be discriminated against for any reason.
  • Only members will be entitled to vote at Club meetings, hold Club Offices, and/or serve on committees.
  • The annual membership period shall be from July 1st through June 30th.

Article IV – Board of Directors

  • The Club shall be governed by a Board of Directors. The Board shall consist of the Clubs’ Officers, and four (4) members-at-large. 
  • The duties of the Board shall be to:
    • Ensure the club operates within the By-Laws as written
    • Develop strategies to advance the club’s mission 
    • Review and approve the annual budget proposal which will be presented to the club membership for approval at the regular meeting in October
    • Complete an annual audit of the financial books at the end of each fiscal year.
    • Act on issues of Club membership, including, but not limited to:
      • Recommendation of annual membership dues
      • Revocation of membership in instances of disruptive, abusive, or violent behavior at Club meetings or functions.
      • Resolve membership issues.

Article V – Officers

  • The Club shall be managed by duly elected officers. Officer positions shall include: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Trail Boss, Vice-Trail Boss and a Groomer Boss. 
  • Officers are expected to attend to the duties of their office and to attend Club meetings. If an officer is unable to attend a meeting or official duty, an alternate officer may be asked to take their place in a temporary capacity.
  • If an officer is unable to fulfill the obligations of their office for any reason, the Board shall be authorized to appoint a temporary replacement until such time as a permanent replacement may be nominated and voted on.
  • The officers shall have the duties as outlined below:
    • The President shall:
      • conduct monthly meetings
      • call special meetings when necessary
      • be the personal face of the club at all donations and special activities (i.e. landowner’s dinner).  If the president cannot attend an event, he/she shall designate a substitute
      • be the mediator when there is an issue involving landowner, business, county or other party that has an effect on the Club’s Mission
      • be the main contact with the Trail Bosses and Polk County representatives to ensure smooth operation of the Club’s responsibilities
      • be aware of other activities/actions and provide updates at monthly meeting if Trail Bosses or County representative members are not available 
      • other duties as assigned or accepted
    • The Vice-President shall:
      • act in the place of the President in his/her absence.  
      • be viewed as the heir apparent to the President.
      • be responsible to insure there is club representation at the County level
      • be responsible to assist the Social and Fair Committee to ensure full staffing for activities and be aware of progress/actions to provide updates at monthly meeting if Committee members are not available
      • other duties as assigned or accepted
    • The Secretary shall:
      • take minutes at the monthly meetings
      • disseminate those minutes out to all club members
      • send out reminder notices of meetings and other activities as identified in minutes
      • identify club member(s) on minutes that sit on various committees as chosen
      • identify club members on minutes assigned to maintain/update website, Facebook pages and other social media platforms
      • other duties as assigned or accepted
    • The Treasurer shall:
      • provide monthly budget reports
      • prepare yearly budget for approval
      • be the authorized signature on all financial accounts
      • ensure filing of all Federal and State tax forms
      • ensure that general liability insurance is secured each year
      • keep up membership list and collect membership dues
      • be the membership contact with AWSC for membership activities
      • provide needed budgeted funding support for club activities including but not limited to:  landowner appreciation, trail maintenance, social events and fund-raising events
      • maintain the rainy-day fund and make re-investment recommendations when needed
    • The Trail Boss shall:
      • be responsible for the layout and maintenance of all trails throughout the year
      • maintain the labor & equipment log for submission to the county for reimbursement from the state
      • maintain an accurate list of Landowners and ensure said list is readily available for communications about trail opening/closing and landowner activities
    • The Vice-Trail Boss shall:
      • assist the Trail Boss with the above duties, and shall act in the place of the Trail Boss in his/her absence.
      • be viewed as the heir apparent to the Trail Boss
    • The Groomer Boss shall:
      • be responsible for establishing a grooming schedule. 
      • be responsible for the maintenance, repair and use of all club equipment. 

Article VI – Election of Officers

  • The Board is responsible to create a slate of candidates for each open position and present the slate during the regular meeting in April. 
  • Candidate nominations shall remain open to accept additional nominations from the floor during the May meeting.
  • Club officers and at-large Board members shall be elected by majority vote of members present at the regular Club meeting in May.
  • The term of office shall run from July 1st through June 30th.
  • All elected positions have a term of two (2) years.

Article VII – Quorum

  • There shall be at least six (6) members in good standing and four (4) Board members present at meetings of the Club in order to conduct business and render a decision on matters at hand.
  • There shall be at least six (6) members of the Board present at Board meetings in order to transact business and render decisions on matters at hand. 
    • Note: It shall be permissible for a member of the Board to attend a meeting via “teleconferencing.” Teleconferencing may be accomplished by any means (telephone, video conferencing, or other means) that allows a member not physically present to participate in a conference of matters under discussion and/or a vote on such matters.
  • All voting shall be by simple majority except as required by the By-Laws.

Article VIII – Dues

The annual dues for membership shall be set by a recommendation from the Board and final approval by the club members. 

Article IX – Meetings

  • Regular meetings shall be held at a date and time established by the Board.
  • Meetings will be held on a regular schedule and will be communicated to the members at the beginning of each season (fiscal year).  
  • Special meetings may be called for at any time by the President, or by the Board and must be communicated to the invited members via email.
  • The Rules of Parliamentary procedure shall prevail in conducting business during meetings unless in conflict with the By-Laws.

Article X – Conduct of Club Business

  • All members and officers of the Club shall be considered volunteers and shall not receive payment for their services as members, officers, or as members of any committees.
  • No officer or member of the Club shall contract any debts for or against the Club without first being authorized to do so by the Board or a majority vote of the assembly at a regular meeting.
  • Any capital improvements (i.e. purchase of equipment) shall be approved by majority vote of the assembly at a regular meeting. In the case of equipment breakdown or trail maintenance emergencies, the Board shall be authorized to vote to expend such monies as necessary to remedy the situation.
  • Club equipment may only be operated by trained members in good standing when authorized by the Groomer Boss.
  • There shall be a written notice of any major change in the Club’s structure, equipment, operating procedure, or proposed change in the By-Laws. This notice shall be presented at a regular meeting of the club and voted on at the next regular meeting of the club.
  • The fiscal year of the Club shall run from July 1st through June 30th of each calendar year.

Article XI – Dissolution

Upon dissolution of the organization,

  • The Club’s assets shall be sold, or auctioned to the highest bidder, and all monies raised thereby shall be used to settle the debts and obligations of the Club. Any monies remaining shall be divided equally and donated to abutting snowmobile clubs in good standing. The Board shall determine those snowmobile clubs considered to be “abutting” the Club’s trail system.
  • The Club’s trails system shall be turned over to surrounding clubs as determined by the State of Wisconsin AWSC.
  • The Club may only be voluntarily terminated or merged with another club following a two-thirds majority favorable vote of members present at a regular meeting, with the nature of the vote having been brought up at a prior meeting not less than one month, nor greater than three months prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be taken.

These By-Laws have been amended & adopted this 3rd day of May, 2022