KENTUCKY ARBORIST’S ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS

SECTION I.       Dues and Privileges of Membership

A.  Active members shall pay dues of $35.00 per year and have direct voting power on all matters coming before the Association.

B.   Student and Senior members shall pay dues of $5.00 per year and shall have all privileges of active members.

C.   Honorary members shall hold such membership without payment of Association dues, and shall have all the privileges of active members except that of the vote.

D.   All members will be entitled to receive without charge a copy of the Association Newsletter.

E.   The fiscal year of the Association shall extend from January 1 to December 31 of the same year.  An Annual Meeting shall be held in November unless otherwise designated by the Board of Directors.  Members whose dues are in arrears at any business session will be denied voting privileges for that session.

SECTION II.   Election of Officers and Members of the Board of Directors

A.   Officers

1.   The President-Elect shall be elected by ballot at the Annual Meeting of the Association by a majority vote of the members present and voting.   Officers shall be elected annually or biannually from the membership of the Association and shall not serve more than two consecutive 1-2 year terms.  The Secretary, Treasurer, Editor and Chapter Administrator are appointed and may succeed themselves in office.

2.   The President-Elect shall succeed to the office of President at the conclusion of the outgoing President’s term of office at the Annual Meeting.

3.   The Secretary, Treasurer, Editor and Chapter Administrator shall be appointed by the President and shall hold office subject to approval of the Board of Directors.  They shall receive such remuneration as designated by the Board.  The Treasurer shall be bonded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

B.   Board of Directors

1.   Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting or by ballot by mail, whichever method is approved by the Executive Committee.

2.       The members of the Board, Certification and TREE Fund Liaisons shall be elected for a term of four years, and shall not serve more than four consecutive terms.

3.       The ISA Representative shall be elected by ballot at every third Annual Meeting of the Association by a majority vote of the members present and voting.  The term of this office shall be three years with a limit of two consecutive terms.

4.       In the event of death, illness, resignation or failure to attend at least fifty percent of the scheduled Board meetings by incumbent, the President shall, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, appoint a Kentucky Chapter member in good standing to fill the vacancy created by the incapacitated board member, and who will serve in that capacity until the next regularly scheduled annual election.

C.      Nominating Committee

1.       No later than sixty days prior to the annual elections, the President shall appoint one member of the Board of Directors and two members in good standing of the chapter to serve as a nominating committee.  The Board member shall serve as chairman of the committee.  It will be the duty of this nominating committee to present a list of names to be considered for election to fill vacancies on the Board.

SECTION III:   Standing Committees and Their Duties

The Association shall have the following Standing Committees and such others as deemed advisable by the Executive Committee.

A.   Awards Committee

The Awards Committee shall consist of at least two members of the Association, appointed by the President.  The Committee shall be responsible for the selection of candidates for the following awards:

1.  Gold Leaf or Similar Awards
2.  Tree Commemoration Awards

The Committee shall have sole responsibility for the selection of the candidates for these awards.  The Committee’s selections and their qualifications shall be presented to the Executive Committee at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting for approval.  These awards may be given annually; however, if the Committee feels that there has not been outstanding work, or qualified candidates, it may recommend that no awards be made for that year.

B.   Education and Research Committee

The Education and Research Committee shall consist of at least three members of which at least one shall be an appropriate member of the staff of the University of Kentucky or other Kentucky Colleges and Universities, appointed by the President.  The TREE Fund Liaison shall be a member of this committee.  The Secretary and Editor shall be members ex-officio of the Committee.

The Committee shall seek out potential research projects of special concern to the membership and solicit potential researchers in Kentucky, and shall consider the needs for education in the field of Arboriculture and/or allied and supporting disciplines.  The Committee shall submit a report of its activities at the Annual Meeting.

At least one member of this Committee shall represent the KAA at Kentucky Urban Forestry Council meetings.

C.   Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall consist of at least three members with the President-elect serving as Chairman.  Members of the Committee shall represent various regions of the State, and shall be appointed by the President.

The Membership Committee shall recruit eligible members for the Association and the International Society of Arboriculture.  They shall be diligent in directing the attention of qualified non-members to the benefits and privileges of membership.  They shall direct the Chapter Administrator to contact members whose dues are delinquent, and present a report of their activities at each Annual Meeting.

D.   Program Committee

The Program Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Association and any others so designated by the President.  The Secretary shall act as Chairman of the Committee.

The Program Committee will be responsible for the organization of the official program for the Annual Meeting, and such other meetings as designated by the President.  It shall be the responsibility of this Committee to see that written copies of all presentations made at the Annual Meeting are turned over to the Editor of the Association.

E.   Arborists Certification Committee

The Arborists Certification Committee shall consist of at least three members, including at least one educator in Arboriculture or related fields. The Certification Liaison shall serve as Chair of the Committee.

The Certification Committee shall meet annually to review Certification policies and procedures and to establish an exam schedule for the following year.

SECTION IV.   Publications

A.  Following each Annual Meeting of the Association, the Secretary may transmit to the Editor of the International Society of Arboriculture copies of the papers presented at the Annual Meeting.

B.   A Newsletter - The Kentucky Arborist - shall be prepared by the Editor and mailed to association members at least four times a year.

SECTION V.   Exhibits

The Association may arrange for commercial and/or educational exhibits at the Annual Meeting where members may witness the latest equipment and methods of Arboricultural practice.

SECTION VI.   Amendments

These By-Laws may be amended at any Annual Meeting of the Association by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the members present and voting or with a forty (40) day return mail ballot.  The return mail ballot is to be returned to the Secretary by the counting date identified on the ballot.  Voting by mail or authorized proxy will be permitted.

SECTION VII.   Quorum

Twenty percent of the Association members shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting.