Table of Contents
Article I
Name
Article II
Objectives
Article III
Membership Dues
Article IV
Meetings
Article V
Officers-Nominations-Elections
Article VI
BOARDS-Committees-Appointments
Article VII
Finances
Article VIII
Duties of Officers
Article IX
Audit-Surrender of Records
Article X
Death Benefits/Bereavement Assistance
Article XI
Provisions of By-Laws
Article XII
Government
Article XIII
Changing the By-Laws
Article XIV
Special Membership
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BALTIMORE RETIRED POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION, INC
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I -Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be "Baltimore Retired Police Benevolent Association, Inc."
Section 2: The principal office of this Association is to be in Baltimore City or at such location as the Executive Board may from time to time direct.
Section 3: The mailing address of the Association shall be "P.O. Box 6217, Baltimore, Maryland 21206."
ARTICLE II -Objectives
Section 1: Its objectives shall be to foster friendly relations, promote the mutual benefits and welfare of its members, to voluntarily assist members and their families in time of need and distress, and pay final tribute to its departed members.
Section 2: To strive for fair and equitable benefits for all retired law enforcement officers of the Baltimore Police Department.
Section 3: To participate on the Executive and Legislative levels of the City and State by providing input to any commission, committee, etc., that may produce benefits to retired Police Officers.
ARTICLE III- Membership Dues
Section 1: Eligibility - All law enforcement officers retired from the Baltimore Police Department are eligible for membership in this Association provided they have not been convicted of a felony or have any criminal charges pending.
Section 2: Application - Application for membership shall be made on a standard application form and such form shall include a valid authorization for payroll deduction of dues.
Section 3: Dues - The membership dues of the Association shall be in the amount as voted by the general membership.
Section 4: Payment of Dues - Payment of dues of the Association shall be made through the regular payroll deduction or by annual payments in advance.
Section 5: Only those members whose dues are current will be entitled to all privileges and benefits of the Association.
Section 6: Admission and Expulsion - The Executive Board is empowered to admit and expel members. However, no member may be expelled except for good cause and after an opportunity to be heard, if the member so requests. A board will be convened consisting of two (2) members of the Executive Board and one (1) member of the Association picked by the member. If the member does not wish to pick a member, a third member of the Executive Board will be appointed to the board so that there may be an odd number. The President will assign the Board Members to sit on the hearing board. The vote of any hearing shall be by secret ballot.
Section 7: Withdrawal of membership - Must be made in writing and directed to the Deputy Executive Director for the F&P Retirement Systems, 7 E. Redwood Street, 19th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. Those withdrawing receive no refund of dues or any other benefit, including, but not limited to, the right to display BRPBA tags.
Section 8: Re-admission - Persons that withdraw and re-apply for membership may be re-admitted upon approval of the Executive Board. Their entry date of membership will be the date of re-admittance and any and all benefits will be based on the new entry date.
Section 9: Delinquent Dues - Any member whose dues are not paid shall automatically be dropped from membership. Those paying annually will be billed prior to the anniversary of their join date.
The Treasurer will submit to the Executive Board at its August meeting a list of such lapsed members.
ARTICLE IV - Meetings
Section 1: Association Meetings - Shall be held at a time and place approved by the general membership.
Section 2: Special Meetings - May be called by the President, majority of the Executive Board members, or by petition filed with the President and signed by ten percent (10%) of the members of the Association.
Section 3: A Quorum to Conduct the Business of the Association - Shall consist of members present.
Section 4: Cancellation of Meetings - Membership meetings may be cancelled when:
A. Baltimore County Schools are closed because of snow or inclement weather; or
B. There is a snowfall after schools are dismissed and the Baltimore County snow emergency plan is placed in operation.
Section 5: Rules of Procedure - Roberts Rules of Order (Revised) shall govern all meetings of the membership, the Board and all committees where practicable and as interpreted by the Parliamentarian who will be appointed by the President.
Section 6: The Executive Board may adopt By-Laws for their own government and prescribe the order of business at meetings of the Association.
The Executive Board may provide for the payment of expense monies incurred by such committees, themselves and Officers while in the performance of their duties.
ARTICLE V - Officers - Nominations - Elections
Section 1: Officers of the Association and chain of authority:
1. President
2. 1st Vice President
3. 2nd Vice President
4. Secretary
5. Treasurer
6. Trustees (3)
7. Board of Governors (3)
8. Sergeant-at-Arms
9. The immediate Past President
Section 2: Terms of Office – The Officers shall be elected for a term of TWO (2) years, or until their successor is elected. Trustees shall be elected for terms of three (3) years, two (2) years and one (1) year. Thereafter, one (1) trustee shall be elected for a term of three (3) years. The Trustee who has one (1) year remaining to serve shall be the Chairperson of the Trustees. Three (3), two (2), and one (1) year terms will also apply to the Board of Governors. There will not be a Chairperson of the Board of Governors. Thereafter, one Trustee and one Board of Governors will run for election each November. The immediate Past President will hold office until a new President is elected. Should the immediate Past President get elected into another elective office, the office of Past President will be vacant, and the Executive Board will then be composed of twelve (12) members.
Section 3: Annual Election of Officers - Shall be by secret ballot, cast in person at the November meeting, or the next scheduled meeting should the November meeting be canceled. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes cast by those present shall be declared elected.
Section 4: Nominating Committee - The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee Chairman at the September meeting each year, or the next scheduled meeting should the September meeting be cancelled, and all active members shall be informed of such appointment. Any active member of the Association is eligible to act as a member of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall record the names of all candidates nominated from the floor in October.
If a candidate is not present, he/she must submit his/her intention to accept the nomination by the October meeting to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee in writing.
The Chairman shall announce the positions open in sequence starting with President and those nominated and then ask for any floor nominations.
Section 5: To be Eligible for Office - A member must be in good standing and have attended at least FIVE (5) general membership meetings in the past twelve months. A candidate for office will be given credit for any canceled meetings. Eligibility is verified by the Nominating Committee.
Section 6: Nominated - unopposed - If a member who is nominated for an office is unopposed for that office, a ballot is to be cast by the Secretary.
Section 7: Ballot Counting – Those seeking an office on the Executive Board of this organization, if they desire, may designate another member who is in good standing to monitor the counting so long as that member is not seeking an office or who is already a member of the Executive Board.
Section 8: Vacancies After Elections In the event of a vacancy in any of the elected offices within the first six months after an election, that office will be declared vacant and a special election will be held to fill the remainder of the term. In the event an office becomes vacant after the expiration of six months from the last election, the President may appoint a qualified member to fill the vacancy until the next election, subject to the approval of the Executive Board in session and voting.
Section 9: Tenure. The newly elected officers will take office immediately upon confirmation of the ballot count.
ARTICLE VI – BOARDS - Committees - Appointments
Section 1: Executive Board
1. President
2. 1st Vice President
3. 2nd Vice President
4. Secretary
5. Treasurer
6. Trustees
7. Board of Governors
8. Sergeant-at-Arms
9. Immediate Past President
The Executive Board shall manage and conduct the affairs of the Association between regular membership meetings. They shall meet monthly, one week before the regular membership meeting, at a place and time agreed upon by said Executive Board.
Section 2: STANDING COMMITTEES - The President, with approval of the Board, shall prescribe the duties and powers of such committees. Standing committees are those constituted to perform a continuing function and shall remain in existence permanently or dissolved by amendment to these By-Laws.
The standing committees of this association shall be:
A. Budget and Finance committee
B. Membership Committee
C. Distress Committee
D. By-Laws Committee
E. Health and Welfare Committee
F. Legislative Committee
Section 3: Other Appointments - The President, again with the approval of the Board, shall appoint such other committees, agents, representatives and all delegations as he/she deems advisable to represent the Association at any convention, meeting or assembly as may be necessary. Such delegations or committees shall exercise only those powers specifically vested in them by the Board.
ARTICLE VII - Finances
Section 1: The Treasurer, at the discretion of the Executive Board, shall be bonded in such amount as determined by this body, the said cost to be borne by the Association. A bond will also be obtained for committees holding funds.
Section 2: Checks - Funds of the Association shall be withdrawn from the banks where they are on deposit by the signature of two of the following: President, 1st Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary.
Section 3: The financial business of the Association shall be conducted based on a budget approved by an Executive Board chaired by the Treasurer.
Section 4: All bills for expenses that have been approved for payment shall be paid by check and receipts forwarded to the Treasurer as soon as practical.
Section 5: No contracts, purchases, professional fees, Lawyer's fees, actuarial fees or any other disbursements in excess of $1000.00 shall be made without the approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII - Duties of Officers
Section 1: President - The President shall be the executive head of this Association. He/she shall preside at all meetings. He/she shall be a member ex-officio of all committees. He/she shall have those committees formed that he/she deems necessary to conduct the business of the Association.
Section 2: Vice Presidents - It shall be the duty of the Vice Presidents, in order of their respective ranks of office, to perform all duties pertaining to the office of President in the absence of the President. They shall also perform such duties as may be assigned to them by the President.
Section 3: Secretary - The Secretary shall maintain and keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association. He/she shall give a report at each regular meeting of the membership covering the proceedings of the previous membership meeting, unless dispensed with by a vote of the members present.
He/she shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.
Section 4: Treasurer - The Treasurer shall receive and maintain receipts for all monies of the Association. The Treasurer shall deposit all money so received in the name of the Association in a bank or banks selected by the Executive Board and the money so deposited shall be withdrawn only by authorized Officers (two [2] per check) signing checks. The Treasurer shall prepare and sign checks for such purposes as are required by the Charter and/or Board. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of receipts and disbursements and shall submit to the membership a monthly operating statement of financial transactions of the Association for the previous month.
The Treasurer shall make a full report at the December meeting for the period of the preceding twelve (12) months which shall contain an account of the monies received and expended for all purposes. All monthly and yearly reports are subject to the review and approval of the Board of Trustees. The Treasurer will adhere to the Investment written Policy of the Organization.
Section 5: Trustees - The Trustees shall make or cause to be made twice yearly an overview of the Association's finances and all properties at their discretion and shall report to the membership as to the results of each.
Trustees will also be on the Budget Committee.
The Trustees shall make or cause to be made every fifth year, an audit of the Association’s finances unless an audit is ordered for extenuating circumstances.
Section 6: Board of Governors - The Board of Governors shall be responsible for the following committees:
1. Health and Welfare
2. Legislative
The 2nd Vice President Ex-officio will oversee the above committees.
Section 7: Executive Board - The Executive Board shall be the governing body of the Association except when meetings of the Association are in session. All matters affecting the policies, aims and means of accomplishing the purposes of the Association not specifically provided for in the Charter and By-laws or by action of the membership at a regular or special meeting shall be decided by the Executive Board. The Board shall meet at the call of the President or of a majority of the members of the Board. A report on all actions taken by the Executive Board shall be made to the membership at the next meeting of the general membership. A majority of the members of the Executive Board shall be required for a quorum.
Section 8: Sergeant-at-Arms - The Sergeant-at-Arms shall assist the President in maintaining order and shall perform all other duties pertaining to this office at meetings, to see that no one enters the meeting unless authorized to do so. He/she is to keep a ledger signed by all members and guests present at the meetings and report the number present to the Secretary. No one shall be allowed to enter or leave the meeting during the balloting for Officers without permission from the President.
ARTICLE IX - Audit-Surrender of Records
Section 1: The Books and Papers of the Treasurer and the Association shall be audited by a Certified Public Accountant once every five years or upon order of the President or the Executive Board and the result of the examination shall be made known to the membership. The cost of auditing the books, as aforesaid, shall be borne by the Association.
Section 2: Surrender of records - Upon majority vote of the Board, ALL OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION must surrender all books, records, papers, monies and properties of and relating to the Association to the President or to a member of the Board selected to receive same.
ARTICLE X - DEATH BENEFITS/BEREAVEMENT ASSISTANCE
Section 1: Death Benefit - In order for the beneficiary of a member to be eligible to receive the Full death benefit of Fifteen Hundred Dollars as set by the Executive Board and the General membership of the Association, the following will apply.
· New Retirees must join the association within one year after their retirement date to automatically receive the full death benefit.
· Dues Payments must be up to date.
· If a retiree joins after one year since retirement, the following benefit will apply:
• 1-year anniversary $250
• 2-year anniversary $500
• 3-year anniversary $750
• 4-year anniversary $1,000
• 5-year anniversary $1,250
• 6-year anniversary $1, 500
Section 1 A: No Payable Death Benefit
There will be no death benefit payable if a deceased member has no beneficiary form on file with the BRPBA.
Section 2: Bereavement Assistance - Members of the organization are entitled to a one-time sum of $250.00 upon the death of the member’s qualifying spouse, hereafter known as BEREAVEMENT ASSISTANCE.
To be Eligible, the members must be able to meet the following requirements:
A. The deceased spouse must be listed as the member’s beneficiary.
B. Must be legally married prior to becoming a member or be a member in good standing with five (5) years of marriage after becoming member.
C. Has not previously received this benefit for another spouse
ARTICLE XI - Provisions of By-Laws
Section 1: This Association shall at all times be subject to the provisions of the Charter and By-Laws of the Association.
Section 2: Officers' power will be limited to the extent specified by Charter or By-Laws; no Officer of the Association shall have the power to act as Agent for or otherwise bind the Association in any way whatsoever without approval of the Executive Board or the membership. No member or group of members or other person or persons shall have the power to ad on behalf of or otherwise bind the Association except to the extent specifically authorized by the Executive Board and general membership. No person or persons will use the Association's name or Logo for any reason without the prior approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE XII - GOVERNMENT
Section 1: The Executive Board - Government of the Association, subject to the will of the membership, is vested in a thirteen (13) member board, composed of twelve (12) Officers and the immediate past-president. A vote of a majority of the Board members present at any Board meeting constitutes official Board action, unless the Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws specifically call for a different number. The Board may issue, suspend or revoke a charter to any auxiliary organization affiliated with the Baltimore Retired Police Benevolent Association.
ARTICLE XIII - Changing the By-Laws
Section 1: The membership may amend or revise the By-Laws only after such amendment or revision is submitted in writing and is reviewed by the Executive Board and subsequently read to the membership of the association at the next meeting. Upon approval by two-thirds of those members present, amendment and/or revisions will take effect immediately
Section 2: All amendments or changes in the By-Laws shall take effect at the time they are adopted.
ARTICLE XIV - Special Membership
Section 1: Eligibility/Definition
This type of membership will extend to spouses of the following:
A. Deceased member of the association.
B. Any Baltimore Police Officer killed in the Line of Duty.
C. Any spouse of Baltimore Police Officers who passed while still working for “The Department” whether on the job or away.
Section 2: Application
A. Spouses of deceased members will automatically be given status as a Special Member if listed as the deceased member’s beneficiary.
B. Spouses of any Baltimore Police Officer killed in the Line of Duty or a spouse of a Baltimore Police Officer who died while still employed by the “Department” whether on the job or away from it, will automatically be extended status as a Special Member if listed as the deceased spouse and can be verified by the Chairman of the Personnel Service Board for the Baltimore Police Department.
C. If a spouse of either a deceased member of this organization or an officer killed in the line of duty, or if a Police Officer dies while still employed by the Police Department does not meet the criteria of A & B above, then they may submit a written request to the Executive Board of this organization for Special Membership under this Article.
Section 3: Entitlements/Restrictions
A. Special Members are not required to pay any dues/or assessments.
B. Special Members will be entitled to participate in the MVA Tag program according to the By-Laws of this Association, MVA requirements, and laws of Maryland pertaining to the registration of Motors.
C. Special Members are invited and urged to attend the General Membership Meeting.
D. Special Members will be entitled to receive the Newsletter of the Association.
E. Special Members are not eligible to vote in any matter of this Association.
F. Special Members cannot hold any elected office in this Association.
G. Persons classified as Special Members cannot participate in the Association’s Death Benefit/Bereavement Assistance Program under Article X of these By-Laws.
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