Current bylaws as voted on and approved 7/15/2018
Bylaws of the Shire of Roxbury Mill
Society for Creative Anachronism
Montgomery County, MD
Article 1: Name
The name of the organization is the Shire of Roxbury Mill (“Shire”).
Article 2: Object and Purpose
The Shire is a group within the Society for Creative Anachronism (“Society” or “SCA”), a public benefit corporation organized under the laws of the State of California. The Shire resides within the Kingdom of Atlantia (“Kingdom”), one of twenty kingdoms within the Society.
The Shire is a non-profit organization exclusively organized for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes and dedicated to the promotion of research and recreation in the field of pre-Seventeenth Century culture. The boundaries of the Shire, as determined by the SCA, encompass most of Montgomery County, Maryland.
Article 3: Membership in the Shire
1. All paid members of the SCA who reside within the borders of the Shire of Roxbury Mill will be considered to be “Members” of the Shire. Membership in Roxbury Mill is open to any interested individual residing within said borders without restriction of race, citizenship, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status, national origin, ancestry, or disability.
2. All Members of the Shire may:
a. Make and vote on proposals at Shire business meetings.
b. Stand for election to Shire Officer positions.
3. Paid members of the SCA who are not Members of the Shire may:
a. Attend Shire business meetings but may not make or vote on proposals made therein, excepting if they are an Officer.
b. Stand for election as an Officer, but only as specified in Subsection 4.7.3 below.
4. Non-members of the SCA are welcome to attend business meetings, weekly practice, and other Shire events, but shall have no official standing within the Shire and may not stand for election as an Officer.
Article 4: Shire Officer Positions, Election and Removal.
1. Those holding officer positions within the Shire (“Officer(s)”) are tasked with various duties—to the Shire, to the Kingdom, and to the Society. It is the responsibility of the Officer to ensure that they are familiar with and able to complete all duties assigned to that position.
2. The Society requires that the Shire maintain at all times the offices of Seneschal, Exchequer, and at least one of the following: Herald, Marshal, or Minister of Arts and Sciences (“Required Offices”). The Shire shall maintain Required Offices at all times, but shall also allow for additional offices as specified in Section 4.6 below, as the Members deem necessary.
3. All Officers are elected to a term of two years. The Shire sets no limit on number of terms an individual may serve in office, however there is a limit of two consecutive terms per office.
4. The Seneschal may hold no other office. Other Officers may hold no more than two concurrent offices.
5. All Officers must maintain membership in the SCA for the duration of their term. A one-month grace period will be given between expiration and renewal, after which said Officer will be considered to have resigned.
6. A brief description of the Officer positions (collectively the “Offices” or individually each “Office”) follows:
a. Seneschal – Acts as administrative head of the Shire
b. Exchequer – Supervises Shire financial matters
c. Herald – Supervises heraldic activities
d. Knight Marshal – Supervises martial activities
e. Rapier Marshal – Supervises rapier activities
f. Archery Marshal – Supervises archery activities
g. Chronicler – Records business meetings and produces the Shire newsletter, if any
h. Chatelaine – Organizes recruiting and newcomer activities
i. Minister of Arts and Sciences – Organizes arts and sciences activities
j. Web Minister – Organizes and maintains the Shire’s presence online, including maintenance and periodic updates of the Shire Web site
7. Election of Officers.
7.1. When an Officer position becomes available it shall be announced by the Seneschal on the Shire e-mail list. At the discretion of the Seneschal, announcements may also be made at any other public gathering or via other electronic means, including, but not limited to, business meetings, weekly martial practice and/or A&S gatherings, on the Shire Web site, on the Shire Facebook group, or via any other social media venue normally visited by members of the Shire.
7.2. Any Member of the Shire may be nominated or self-nominate.
7.3. If no Members of the Shire wish to hold said open Office, any member of the Society from outside the Shire may be nominated or self-nominate. Any member of the Society who is not also a Member of the Shire may be required to demonstrate reasonable previous participation in the Shire before being nominated or self-nominating. Any dispute as to whether said individual may stand for any open Office shall be resolved by a majority vote of any then-existing Officers. Notwithstanding the foregoing, only a member of the Shire may hold the position of Seneschal.
7.4 Any individual seeking an Office for which the Society mandates certification and/or the completion of certain educational requirements must meet said certification and/or educational requirements before such time as the vote for such Office shall take place.
7.4. The election of any open Office(s) will occur at the next business meeting after the official announcement of said position on the Shire e-mail list. All individuals who wish to be considered for the open Office(s) must attend the designated business meeting and provide proof of SCA membership. All Members present at the business meeting may cast a single vote, including the nominee(s). In a tie vote, the decision will pass to a majority vote of the Shire Officers then present. If this also results in a second tie, the Seneschal will cast the deciding vote.
7.5. If there are no nominees for any open Office, other than the Required Offices, or if no individual is elected to fill the open Office(s), the Office shall remain unfilled. The Seneschal may, in his or her discretion, elect to leave the Office unfilled and/or call for additional nominees at a later date.
8. Each Office may have up to two deputies to serve as assistants to the Officer and to share the work (“Deputies” or “Deputy”). Deputies may be elected at the discretion of the Officer. Deputies are not Officers and shall not have the rights and obligations of Officers, except as otherwise described herein. As Deputies are actively training to succeed the Officer and provide for the transfer of institutional knowledge. No Officer shall be required to have any Deputies.
8.1. Though individuals interested in acting as Deputies may express interest in a Deputy position, any candidates for a Deputy position must be nominated by the Officer to whom they will be deputized. Any Deputy must be confirmed by a majority vote at a business meeting. These nominations and confirmations may take place during the same business meeting.
8.2. Deputies are elected to a term of two years. The Shire sets no limit on number of terms an individual may serve as a Deputy, however there is a limit of two consecutive terms per Office. An individual may be deputized to more than Office. An Officer may be a Deputy, but may not be his or her own Deputy.
8.3. All Deputies must maintain membership in the Society for the duration of their term. A one-month grace period will be given between expiration and renewal, after which said Deputy will be considered to have resigned.
8.4. Preference for Deputies is given to individuals who are Members of the Shire. Any member of the Society who is not also a Member of the Shire may be asked to provide reasonable assurance of his or her commitment to the Shire during the pendency of the Deputy position and must secure the approval of the Seneschal in advance of his or her nomination as a Deputy.
9. Resignation.
9.1. Any Officer who wishes to resign must give sufficient notice to the Seneschal to allow for announcement and election of his or her replacement, as such process is set forth in Section 4.7 above. Once notice has been given and acknowledged by the Seneschal, said Officer will present his or her resignation to the other Officers and to the Shire. Any resigning Officer is expected to either complete outstanding duties or brief a selected replacement of all important factors. Any resigning Officer shall also arrange to transfer all documents, papers, or other tangible property of the Office to the Seneschal or the Officer’s replacement.
9.2. Any Deputy who wishes to resign must give sufficient notice to the Officer to whom he or she is deputized. Once notice has been given and acknowledged by said Officer, the Deputy will present his or her resignation to the Shire. Any resigning Deputy is expected to complete outstanding duties and arrange for the transfer of papers or other Shire property to the Seneschal or any such Member as the Seneschal may designate or approve.
9.3. Moving outside the boundaries of the Shire shall require resignation, unless the Officer is moving to a Society group with a boundary adjacent to the Shire, in which case, the Officer shall be permitted to serve out the remainder of his or her term so long as the Officer can continue to actively fulfill the duties of his or her Office. Any disputes or questions as regards this qualification shall be resolved by the Seneschal.
10. Officers and Members are encouraged to resolve disputes in an amicable, direct manner. However, if any Member believes that any Officer is incapable of fulfilling his or her duties, that Member may report the facts giving rise to this belief with the Seneschal. The Seneschal will discuss the situation with the Officer in question and attempt to resolve the situation. If a situation is perceived to be ongoing and of sufficient severity, the matter will be brought before the other Officers, at which time they will decide whether it is necessary to consider removing said Officer.
10.1. To remove an Officer, the Seneschal shall call a meeting attended by all Officers, excepting that an Officer (other than the Officer at issue) may send a Deputy as a proxy, if needed. Both the Officer at issue and the Seneschal must be present at this meeting. The Officer at issue will be given a chance to defend his or her actions, after which the Officers (and any Deputies sent as proxies) will vote on the Officer’s removal. Removal of an Officer requires a 2/3rd vote of all then-current Officers (including proxies), but excluding the Officer at issue.
10.2. If a conflict of interest exists that may unduly influence the decision of an Officer in a vote to remove another Officer, the influenced Officer shall either abstain from the vote, in which case that vote shall not count towards the total number of votes, or the Officer may ask his or her Deputy to serve as a proxy so long as the Deputy does not also have an conflict of interest. By way of example, a conflict of interest could include such things as a marital or other romantic relationship or a long history of animosity.
Article 5: Acts of the Shire; Regular Meetings.
1. For the purposes of these Bylaws, an act of the Shire (“Act”) is defined as any event, meeting, action, statement, gift, etc. that is done publically in the name of, or intimately concerns, the Shire of Roxbury Mill.
2. Acts.
2.1. Any Officer or Member may be authorized as specified in Subsection 2.3 to undertake an Act. All such Acts must be approved by a majority vote at a Shire business meeting, including unanimous approval from all Shire Officers present; provided, however, that where the required timeline for an Act does not permit presentation at a business meeting, the proposal may be approved by the Seneschal and presented to the Shire Officers for a majority vote. Such Acts shall be subsequently announced on the e-mail list and/or the next business meeting.
2.3. Events and meetings hosted by the Shire are deemed to be Acts and shall be conducted in accordance with Society rules and, as applicable, the Shire Financial Policy.
2.4. Contracts and agreements with other organizations and groups shall be conducted in accordance with Society rules, and, as applicable, the Shire Financial Policy. All Shire contracts and agreements with other organizations and groups must have the full agreement, and if applicable, signature, of the Seneschal.
3. Non-Acts.
3.1. Regular reports made by Shire Officers to the Kingdom of Atlantia are not considered Acts, even if made on behalf of the Shire. Officers are encouraged to share pertinent information at Shire Officer meetings and monthly business meetings.
3.2. Routine statements made by Officers or Members of the Shire are not considered Acts.
4. Regular Meetings.
4.1. A rotating Member of the Shire may host a monthly business meeting in which the business of the Shire may take place, including such activities as are outlined herein, and for any other purposes as are desired by the Members.
4.1.1. Business meetings will generally happen once a month, on the third Sunday of the month; provided, however, that the Seneschal may reschedule and/or cancel a business meeting to serve the needs of the Shire. Business meetings shall be run by the Seneschal or a designee.
4.1.2. The Seneschal shall announce the date, time, and location of the business meeting on the e-mail list, and may also make announcements on such other platforms as she or he deems appropriate. The Seneschal shall endeavor to post announcements of the business meetings at least one week in advance, but no business meeting shall be deemed ineffective or invalid if the announcement is not timely made. The following month’s business meeting may also be announced in the meeting minutes of the current business meeting.
4.1.3. In order for a business meeting to have quorum, it must be attended by at least five (5) Members, two of whom are current Officers. If the Seneschal is unable to attend a business meeting, he or she may designate a Deputy or Officer as proxy.
4.2. The Shire will generally hold weekly martial practice(s) and/or Arts and Science gatherings at such dates, times, and locations posted on the Shire Web site (“Weekly Meetings”). Weekly meetings may be cancelled, rescheduled, and/or relocated as needed. The Seneschal or his/her designee shall provide notice of any cancellation, rescheduling, and/or relocation at the time and in the manner of his or her choosing.
4.3. The Shire may hold irregular meetings of the Officers. Officer meetings may take place during business meetings.
4.4 The Shire may hold irregular meetings of the members of the Finance Committee. Finance Committee meetings may take place during business meetings.
4.5 The Shire may hold such other meetings as the Seneschal determines to be warranted.
Article 6: Precedence and Amendments
1. If any provision herein conflicts with any rule, regulation, or requirement of the Society, the Society rule, regulation, or requirement shall govern and control.
2. If any provision herein conflicts with any provision of the Shire Financial Policy, the Shire Financial Policy shall govern and control.
3. Amendment.
3.1. All proposed amendments to these Bylaw shall be announced at a business meeting, with copies distributed therein and shall be subsequently published to the Shire e-mail list (which two events shall collective be known as “Publication”). The Seneschal may also publish, or request any other Officer to publish, the proposed amendment in any other manner.
3.2. A vote on the proposed amendments may occur at the next business meeting after Publication.
3.3. The proposed amendment will be deemed accepted if it is approved by a vote of at least sixty percent (60%) of those Members present at the business meeting in which the voting takes place.
4. Any ambiguity or incompleteness in the Bylaws herein established shall be resolved on a case-by-case basis by the Seneschal, in consultation with the Officers as needed.