Constitution and By-Laws

1. NAME AND OBJECTIVES
   
   This organization shall be known as the Hub Lakes League. Its purpose shall be to promote closer relations and good sportsmanship between its member communities through competition in organized athletic activities.
   
   
2. MEMBERSHIP
   
   Membership in the League shall be open to any organization or club which has a desire to participate in its activities, and carry out the objectives of the League.
   
   Application for organizational membership shall be submitted to the Board of Directors in writing, including a map showing proposed territorial boundaries. Membership shall be decided by a majority vote of the Directors.
   
   
3. DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
   
   Any membership dues shall be determined at the annual meeting held in September, and expenditures in any year shall not exceed the income for that year unless approved by a majority of the Directors, in which event the excess shall be apportioned among the organizational members.
   
   The dues of the League shall be for the fiscal year beginning October 1, and shall be payable not later than July 31 of each year. January shall be designated budget month to prepare the proposed budget for the coming year.
   
   At the discretion of the Board of Directors, an organizational member delinquent in its dues may be barred from participating in league activities. A notice shall be sent to the member, and the delinquency must be cleared up no later than August 31. If not, and at the discretion of the board, the delinquent organization's membership may be declared forfeit, in which case a formal application for reinstatement would have to be made.
   
   
4. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
   
   The management of the League shall rest with a Board of Directors.
   
   Each member organization shall appoint one Director to the League.
   
   Only the Director shall have the voting privilege, but in his/her absence a designated alternate may assume the right to represent and vote for the organization.
   
   Each Director will provide the Recording Secretary their full name, address, email address, and telephone number(s).
   
   All appointments, sports schedules, rule changes, and boundary changes must be approved by the Board of Directors. Boundary changes must be presented at one meeting and voted on at the next meeting.
   
   The Board of Directors will resolve any disputes regarding competitor eligibility.
   
   
5. OFFICERS
   
   The officers of the League shall be a President, Vice President of Administration, Vice President of Operations, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary. They shall be elected by the Board of Directors and shall serve from each annual meeting to the next, or until their successors have been selected. They shall not vote on league matters unless they are designated to stand in for their organization's absent director, and as noted below.
   
   The President shall preside at all meetings of the League, shall appoint all committees and their chairperson, and serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall appoint a Trophy Chairman to work in conjunction with the Vice President of Operations.
   
   The President shall not vote in any League matter except in the event of a tie.
   
   The Vice President of Administration shall be the Chairman of Administration and Publicity. He/she shall keep a time-table of form due dates and distribution dates when appropriate. He/she shall coordinate the collection of any advertisements for the Hub Lakes book and/or website. The Vice President of Administration shall also perform the duties of the President in the absence or incapacity of the latter.
   
   The Vice President of Operations shall be the Overall Sports Chairperson. He/she shall keep all sports standings and notify the League and the Trophy Chairperson of each sport's winner. He/she shall turn over all sports records of the preceding season to the Recording Secretary at the October meeting. The Vice-President of Operations shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President in the absence or incapacity of the President and the Vice-President of Administration.
   
   The duties of the Vice President of Operations shall include obtaining individual chairpersons for each sport. He/she shall review all sports schedules before submittal to the Hub Lakes book and/or website. He/she shall obtain orders for all necessary sports equipment for the coming year from each member organization. He/she shall preside over any filed protests. Disputes, unsportsmanlike conduct, or rule challenges proceed as follows:
   1. Protest must be initially reported to the sport's Chairperson within 24 hours, followed by a written report within 72 hours.
   2. The Chairperson must inform the challenged team coach and allow 48 hours for a written rebuttal.
   3. The Chairperson must inform the Vice President of Operations that a protest has been filed. If negotiations fail to reach a compromise or decision, the Chairperson will present the dispute to the full Board of Directors.
   4. Discipline may result in loss of points or suspension for the past, current, or following season for the offender.
   
   The Treasurer shall receive all monies paid into the treasury, shall issue receipts therefore, shall pay all bills approved by the directors, shall keep an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements, and shall provide a comprehensive report on the financial position of the league at each regular meeting. He/she shall prepare a proposed budget to be submitted in January for the following year. Upon completion of his/her term of office, the Treasurer shall transfer all League funds and financial records to his/her successor.
   
   The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Board of Directors and prepare the minutes of said meetings, and be custodian of all records of the League. At the end of his/her term of office, all records will be transferred to the new Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall give proper notice of all regular and special meetings of the Directors. Said notice shall be in writing or via email, at least one week prior to the meeting.
   
   
6. QUORUM
   
   One more than half of the membership of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for transacting business, and all decisions of the Directors made at said meetings shall be binding on the entire membership.
   
   Should any member of the Board absent himself/herself from two successive regular meetings without excuse, and without designating an alternate to represent his/her organization, the Board may declare his/her seat to be vacant and may petition the sponsoring organization to appoint a successor.
   
   
7. MEETINGS
   
   Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held on the fourth Wednesday of January, March, April, May, June, August, and September, and the second Wednesday of November. Fall/Winter sports chairpersons are invited to the May meeting of the Directors. Spring/Summer sports chairpersons are invited to the November meeting.
   
   Meeting dates may be adjusted as necessary by a vote of the Board of Directors, or due to hazardous weather conditions.
   
   Written recommendations for changes in any Fall / Winter sport's format, rules, and/or schedule for the upcoming season must be submitted in person at the May meeting, or before the meeting via email or regular mail to the Vice President of Operations, for consideration by the Board of Directors. Written recommendations for changes in any Spring / Summer sport's format, rules, and/or schedule for the upcoming season must be submitted in person at the November meeting, or before the meeting via email or regular mail to the Vice President of Operations, for consideration by the Board of Directors. Any recommendations for these changes must be agreed upon by a majority of that sport's coaches (more than half of the sport's participating teams).
   
   The September meeting will be considered the League's annual meeting, at which time officers shall be elected. Newly elected officers shall take office October 1.
   
   Special meetings may be called by the President, when in his/her judgment, there is sufficient reason.
   
   
8. CHAIRPERSONS AND COMMITTEES
   
   The Trophy Chairperson shall be charged with the responsibility of providing suitable trophies, medals, prizes, or rewards for all competitive sports, and coordinating the distribution of these awards to the winners. Awards may be purchased from League funds or may be privately contributed.
   
   Lists of award requirements shall be submitted annually by the chairpersons of the respective sports to the Vice President of Operations no later than the January meeting of the Directors. The Trophy Chairperson shall promptly make arrangements to acquire the awards approved by the Board of Directors. Bills for the awards shall be submitted to the Treasurer for payment. The Trophy Chairperson shall exercise care that all awards are ordered before the summer competitions begin.
   
   Each Sports Chairperson shall be responsible for arranging the physical requirements for the proper conduct of their sport. They shall provide competent judges and other officials as necessary, and ensure that the sport is conducted efficiently and in a sportsmanlike manner. They may require that team rosters be submitted, which may include each competitor's name, address, and age (if the league is age restricted). Certain sports shall have specified equipment or supplies which must be purchased through the Hub Lakes League.
   
   The President shall have the power to appoint such special committees as shall be deemed necessary and proper. Membership on all committees shall be drawn from the Board of Directors, designated alternates, or any "bona fide resident" appointed by the President.
   
   
9. VOTING
   
   Each member club or organization shall have one vote, to be cast by their official representative or designated alternate. There shall be no voting by proxy.
   
   Voting rules for new sports and status of on-going sports:
   1. A sport may be introduced into the League by a majority vote of the Directors and this sport will be on probation for one year with no points allocated.
   2. After this one year probation period, the sport must be voted a permanent sport by a majority or dropped automatically.
   3. A sport may be dropped from the League by a two-thirds majority vote of the Directors.
   
   
   
10. ELIGIBILITY OF COMPETITORS
    
    Age group participation is governed by the age of participants as of June 1.
    
    Except as indicated in the eligibility amendments below, no individual living at one lake can participate on a team of another lake.
    
    Competitors on the teams representing member organizations in Hub Lakes competition shall be bona fide residents of the communities in which the club or organization is located.
    
    "Bona-fide resident" refers to a person who is a year-round or a summer resident within the community's territorial limits. A "summer resident" means one whose family owns or rents a home in the community and who lives there at least during the months of July and August of the year in which he/she competes in League activities. Dependent children in the care and custody of a "bona-fide" resident of a member organization shall be eligible to participate in all sports.
    
    Recognizing that there may be borderline cases, the Board of Directors shall consider any special case and decide on its merits. No exceptions shall be considered a precedent for any other case. However, once a special case has been approved by the Board, that person shall be a full member of Hub Lakes unless his or her status in the lake community changes. This person's status may be reconsidered in any following year, if requested by a two-thirds vote of the full Board.
    
    In the event that the eligibility of a competitor is challenged, either by a Director of the League or by the Manager/Coach of another team, the challenge shall be communicated to the Vice President of Administration by the Manager/Coach of the challenging team, or by the Director from that organization. The challenge must be made within 48 hours of the end of the match or event.
    
    The Board of Directors shall consider the challenge and may require the team or sponsoring organization in question to submit proof of its competitor's ability to meet the residence requirements. Failure to do so shall result in disqualification of the player. At the discretion of the Board, use of an ineligible competitor may cause a team to forfeit all points earned by that player, or forfeit all games, matches or similar events in which the player took part.
    
    - By motion made January 2, 1982 and passed by roll call vote on February 24, 1982 the By-Laws were amended to accept Estling Lake and their membership as they consider it to be, as an exception to the residency requirements.
    
    - By motion made November 3, 2010 and passed by roll call vote on January 26, 2011, the By-Laws were amended to open the League to all members of the Lake Valhalla Club as of June 1, 2011 not residing within the boundaries of another lake club. Members joining Valhalla after that date must reside within Montville Township in order to compete in the Hub Lakes League.
    
    - By motion made electronically January 12, 2015, passed by roll call vote January 28, 2015, and modified on May 27, 2015, the By-Laws were amended to allow families that reside within the Lake Arrowhead section of Mountain Lakes to choose which community, Arrowhead or Mountain, the family will participate with in the Hub Lakes League.
    
    
11. AMENDMENTS
    
    This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at a regular or special meeting, provided that fifteen days prior notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given to each member
    
    

THESE BY-LAWS WERE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT THE MEE'TING HELD APRIL 4, 1984.

THESE BY-LAWS WERE AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT THE MEETING HELD SEPTEMBER 20, 1995.

THESE BY-LAWS WERE AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT THE MEETING HELD JUNE 24, 2015.

THESE BY-LAWS WERE AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT THE MEETING HELD JULY 10, 2019.