BY-LAWS
Table of Contents
A. Voting membership in this organization shall be
voluntary and shall be limited to the following:
1. Active Duty Member: All Naval E-7, E-8, or E-9
personnel who desire to maintain membership in this
organization.
2. Associate Member: All duly initiated E-7, E-8, or
E-9 naval or other service, Fleet Reserve, medically
retired, or reserve (with less than 30 years
combined active and inactive duty) personnel.
3. Honorary Member:
a. All duly initiated naval and other service E-7,
E-8, or E-9 personnel who have retired after 30
or more years of active duty.
b. Any other service member, or retired service
member, recommended by a member of the
Association and approved by a majority of the
members present at a general membership meeting.
B. Membership in this Association shall be terminated:
1. When an active duty member departs this or one of
the other local commands unless he or she chooses to
continue paying dues as stated in Article X of the
Bylaws.
2. When a member is in arrears in dues as stated in
Article X of the Bylaws.
C. The CPOA will not discriminate in membership on the basis
of color, sex, national origin, or religion.
D. Each member is morally bound to attend the general
membership meetings whenever possible.
E. Members are responsible for payment of their dues to the
Treasurer.
F. Members should bring to the attention of the Board of
Governors any news concerning the hospitalization or
death of a member.
A. The President:
1. The President is charged with the responsibility of
conducting orderly meetings of the Association and
the Board of Governors. He will serve as the master
of ceremonies at Association functions or will
designate a member to act in that capacity.
2. The President shall ensure that, in the absence of
the Secretary and/or Treasurer from a general
membership meeting, the duties of those offices are
carried out by either the Vice-President or another
member present.
3. The President shall vote only to break a voting
deadlock caused by a tie vote on any board or at any
Board of Governors or general membership meeting.
4. The President is empowered to act in the best
interests of the Association in all matters where
time or emergency nature of the situation will not
permit calling a general membership or Board of
Governors meeting. This authority includes, with
concurrence of at least one other member of the
Board of Governors, the expenditure of funds, not to
exceed $100.00 per incident.
5. The President shall ensure that audits are conducted
as required by the Manual of Messes Ashore.
6. The President shall ensure the proper functioning of
all committees and the compliance of the membership
with the provisions of the CPOA Constitution and
Bylaws. The President shall establish special
committees as necessary.
B. The Vice-President:
1. The Vice-President shall assist the President in the
performance of all administrative duties concerned
with the Association. During the absence of the
President, the Vice-President shall act in the
President's stead.
2. The Vice-President shall ensure that each command
shall have CPOA representatives (as warranted).
3. The Vice-President shall ensure that a review of the
CPOA Constitution and Bylaws is conducted upon
assumption of duties as Vice-President.
4. The Vice-President shall ensure that facilities are
reserved for general membership meetings.
C. The Secretary:
1. The Secretary shall keep a formal record of the
minutes of all meetings, handle all Association
correspondence, notify the membership of any
meetings and read the minutes of the previous
meeting. Provide copies to the CPOA representatives
and to the Commanding Officers/Officers-in-Charge of
each command represented by the membership.
2. The Secretary will maintain a roster of all
committees, their chairmen, and members.
3. The Secretary shall advise the President regarding
the assignment or reassignment of members to
committees as required by their location or duty
assignment.
4. The Secretary will ensure that a copy of meeting
minutes is submitted to the Fort Meade Garrison
Commander.
D. The Treasurer:
1. The Treasurer shall maintain appropriate accounting
records concerning receipts and dues collected and
all expenditures of Association assets. These
accounting records shall be held ready to submit to
an audit board upon request.
2. The Treasurer shall keep the President advised, as
necessary, of the names of members in good standing
and shall, at least quarterly, publish a current
roster of Association members.
3. The Treasurer shall submit a written report at least
quarterly of current Association finances to the
Board of Governors and will report current finances
at each Association meeting.
4. The Treasurer shall submit a financial statement,
annually, to the Fort Meade Garrison Commander.
E. The Board of Governors is responsible for all
arrangements for the general membership meetings. The
Board of Governors shall meet as necessary at the call
of the President to conduct all routine Association
business not requiring a vote of the general membership
and to perform the functions required by the
Constitution and Bylaws. In the absence of the
President, two members of the Board of Governors may
authorize disbursement of funds not to exceed $100.00
per incident.
F. The term of office for an elected official shall be six
months.
G. Any elected official not carrying out assigned duties,
or missing three consecutive general membership
meetings, may be removed from office by a two-thirds
majority vote of the members present at a general
membership meeting.
A. There shall be seven standing committees as follows:
1. Initiation
2. Retirement
3. Social
4. Fund Raising
5. Sports
6. Fleet Reserve
7. Scholarship
8. Investment
B. All committee members and chairmen must be members in
good standing as defined by Article X, Paragraph F of
the Bylaws.
C. Initiation Committee: The Initiation Committee will
plan and organize all CPO initiations. The Initiation
Committee shall ensure that duly initiated Chief Petty
Officers, active or retired, are extended an invitation
to attend CPO initiations.
D. Retirement Committee: The Retirement Committee shall
ensure that a suitable retirement gift is presented in
the name of the Association to each member in good
standing upon retirement at this command. The
Retirement Committee will be guided by Article X,
Paragraph F of the Association Bylaws.
E. Social Committee:
1. The Social Committee shall be responsible for all
arrangements for Association social functions, less
general membership meetings.
2. The Social Committee may call upon other members to
provide assistance for social functions.
3. The Social Committee will coordinate the Khaki Ball,
Command Picnic, Dining In, Christmas Party, Navy Day
Ball, Quarterly Hail and Farewell and all other
social events.
4. The Social Committee will be responsible for
allocation of $250.00 every six months for the
support of the Baltimore VA Hospital.
F. Fund Raising Committee:
1. The Fund Raising Committee shall determine methods
to raise funds to defray association expenses.
Association funds may be utilized to provide or
subsidize association social functions upon approval
of a majority vote of the members present at a
regularly scheduled meeting of the general
membership.
2. The Fund Raising Committee will chair and sponsor
all fund raising events.
3. The Fund Raising Committee will work closely with
the Treasurer, ensuring all receipts, bills and
monies are turned in, so bookkeeping is up to date.
4. The Fund Raising Committee will maintain an annual
budget for fund raising planning. The budget will
be prepared annually by the BOG and submitted for
approval by the CPOA NLT 01 October. The budget
will state the fund raising goal for the year, the
anticipated expenses and income from dues,
fundraisers and initiation.
5. The budget will be separated into subheads for
accounting purposes; subheads are:
- Initiation;
- Retirement;
- Social;
- Fund Raising;
- Sports;
- Navy Day Ball;
- Scholarship;
- Community Support; and
- General Account.
6. Unplanned (budgeted) Community Support Projects. To
ensure fair consideration of community support
requests, requests will be submitted in writing or
person to the BOG and placed on the agenda for the
next monthly CPOA meeting. If the request doesn't
warrant CPOA consideration, a written explanation
will be returned to the requester/sponsor explaining
the reason for disapproval. The requester will be
given the opportunity to brief the CPOA on the
merits of the donation. Additionally, if the
requester fails to attend the meeting, the request
will be removed from the agenda and not discussed.
Once discussion has ended, a vote will be taken for
or against. Simple majority rules.
7. Tasked to establish and publish an annual fund
raising plan (calendar) to include the kinds of fund
raisers the association will engage in, the dates
when they will be held (when known), POCs, the sub-
committee sponsoring the event, etc.
G. Sports Committee: The Sports Committee shall be
composed of the primary and alternate CPOA
representatives of NSGA Fort Meade's Recreation
Committee, as well as any voluntary or appointed members.
The Committee shall ensure either the primary or
alternate representative is present at each NSGA Fort
Meade recreation committee meeting, and provide
sufficient notification of all Captain's Cup events.
H. Fleet Reserve Committee: The Fleet Reserve Committee
will represent reserve issues to the active duty
community, both legislative and BUPERS driven.
I. Scholarship Committee:
1. A Scholarship Committee is formed to conduct a
search for a high school senior for the purpose of
awarding at least one (1) five hundred dollar
($500.00) scholarship for education beyond high
school.
a. The committee shall consist of four (4) members
in good standing from the CPOA of which two (2)
members must represent recognized minority
qualifications (Hispanic, Black, Female, etc.).
b. The committee will appoint its own chairperson.
c. The search for a qualified candidate shall
consist of nominations from the following high
schools:
(1) Laurel High School
(2) Arundel High School
(3) Fort Meade High School
d. The committee will develop its own interview
questions for the nominees.
2. The nominating criteria shall consist of the
following:
a. The nominated student must have a minimum GPA of
2.0.
b. Nominations must be made by a counselor and a
teacher who will attest the student is working
up to the student's capabilities.
c. Nominees must interview with the scholarship
committee as the final determining factor for
the award.
d. Nominations must be received no later than March
1st of the year the nominee graduates.
3. The CPOA Scholarship award shall be announced and
awarded at the awards ceremony of the recipient's
high school.
J. Investment Committee
1. Background. In April 1998, the Chief Petty Officers'
Association of Fort George G. Meade approved a plan
for the distribution of funds earned from the sale
of real property. The amount set aside for
investment by the CPOA is $75,000. The plan included
provisions for the establishment of an investment
committee with full authorization and empowerment to
act on behalf of the General Assembly in
researching, selecting and implementing an long term
investment strategy
2. Purpose. This establishes the policy and procedures
that the investment committee will operate within.
3. Objective. The investment committee, chartered by
the Fort George G. Meade Chief Petty Officer's
Association (CPOA), will work and act in the best
interest of the Association in all matters relating
to the strategy, methods, and procedures whereby the
CPOA receives an annual income on the money
allocated for investment. Dividend income from
investment will be transferred to the CPOA regular
account on the anniversary of the investment.
Principal investment funds shall not be withdrawn.
4. Scope. The investment committee modus operandi is to:
a. To maintain impartiality, avoid conflicts of
interest or the perception of a conflict of
interest, and to eliminate the appearance of
favoritism, the investment committee shall
operate independently of the CPOA, but give
progress reports to the CPOA Board of Governors.
Any untoward pressure, influence, direction,
order or tasking directed towards the committee
or committee membership shall be reported by the
chairman of the investment committee to the
General Assembly by way of the President of the
CPOA.
b. The investment committee will follow the
guidelines of the constitution and by-laws of
the CPOA and shall recommend to the General
Assembly any changes needed to the Association's
constitution or by-laws to allow the investment
committee to operate smoothly and efficiently.
c. The Investment Committee is given the full
authorization and empowerment to act on behalf
of the General Assembly in researching,
selecting and implementing the investment
strategy for the CPOA.
5. Responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of
the investment committee are:
a. The CPOA board of governors shall approve/remove
members of the Investment Committee as deemed
appropriate. For appointment approval of a CPOA
member to the Investment Committee, a simple
majority vote is needed, however to remove a
member 2/3 of the board of governors must vote
for removal. The term of a committee member is
for one-year and the member must be in good
standing with the CPOA.
b. To avoid conflict of interest or the perception
of a conflict of interest the following applies
to committee appointments: the committee
chairman can not be a chairman of another CPOA
committee or an elected member of the CPOA Board
of Governors (i.e. President, Vice President,
Secretary, or Treasurer).
c. Minimum members of the investment committee
include: Charity Committee Chairman, Treasurer,
Fundraising Chairman, and the Scholarship
Chairman.
6. Procedures. The Investment Committee will:
a. Maintain minutes of meetings and forward a copy
to the CPOA secretary for inclusion into the
General Assembly minutes as needed, desired,
or required.
b. The chairman of the investment committee shall
brief the General Assembly monthly on the status
of investments, significant actions and upcoming
events (i.e. bond rollover dates, tax law
changes, etc.)
c. Determine appropriate investment decisions for
the CPOA and act upon these decisions in the
best interest of the CPOA.
d. Coordinate investments with the approved
Financial Planner.
e. Provide documentation as soon as possible to the
Board of Governors of any transactions that
occur with the CPOA investments and include
investment status in the monthly CPOA
Treasurer's report.
A. General membership meetings shall be held monthly, at a
date, time, and place set by the Board of Governors.
B. Additional meetings may be held at such times as deemed
necessary by the President.
C. The smoking lamp is out during the business portion of
the Association meetings.
A. Regular meetings will be held on the second Friday of
each month at 1300 at Perry's on Route 175 in Odenton
unless the membership is notified of a change.
B. Special meetings will be held at a time and place of the
President's choosing, and will be announced far enough
in advance to ensure the membership can attend.
A. Voting shall be limited to all members in good standing
present at any meeting where a vote is required.
Membership in good standing is defined in Article X,
Paragraph F of the Bylaws.
B. The officers, President, Vice-President, Secretary, and
Treasurer, will be elected by a majority of the members
present at the March and September general membership
meetings and will assume office in April and October.
All officials will be elected by written ballot. The
elections will be the first order of new business in the
March and September general membership meetings.
C. Only members present at the general membership meeting
while elections are being held will be eligible to
vote. Nominations for elected officials will be opened
one month prior to the elections and must be accepted or
declined by the nominee prior to the elections.
D. Special elections will be held at the discretion of the
Board of Governors.
The fiscal year of the CPOA will run from 01 October to 30 September.
Meetings will be conducted in accordance with parliamentary procedureas established by Robert�s Rules of order.
1. Official Guests: Those individuals invited by the
elected officials to attend an Association gathering.
Official guests are not assessed an attendance fee.
2. Unofficial Guests: Those individuals who are not
entitled to membership and are invited to any social
gathering by a member of the Association. Unofficial
guests will be assessed the same attendance fee as
members.
3. Other Non-Members: Those individuals who are eligible
for membership but have declined to join the
Association. Non-members may attend any Association
function by paying the fee charged by the Association
plus a 25% surcharge.
A. Active duty members shall be assessed dues of $30 per
year, in advance.
1. Dues will be pro-rated at $3 per month for those
with less than one year remaining onboard.
2. Newly initiated CPOs will be granted six months free
Association dues.
3. Members are not required to pay dues for their first
or last month at the command.
B. Associate members shall be assessed dues of $15 per
year, in advance.
C. Honorary members shall not be assessed dues.
D. Members TAD from the command for 15 or more days in any
month will not be assessed dues for that month.
E. All dues will be paid to the Treasurer.
F. A member in good standing is a member whose dues are
current through the end of the month as indicated by
record. Members whose dues are three or more months
in arrears, unless justifiable by reason of TAD,
hospitalization, or the like, will have their
membership terminated. Membership may be reinstated by
payment of all delinquent dues.
G. Association funds may be utilized to provide or
subsidize social functions upon approval of a majority
vote of the membes present at a general membership
meeting.
H. Funds from the Association treasury will be used to pay
the attendance fee for each departing member in good
standing and one guest at an Association hail and
Farewell function.
I. The Association shall provide a choice of either a
weather station or a CPOA plaque to each member in good
standing departing from the command on permanent change
of station (PCS) orders. Each item will be suitably
engraved.
J. The Board of Governors may recognize exceptional service
to the Association by any member in good standing with a
suitable gift. The cost of the gift will not exceed
$50.K. The Association shall provide a one-year Fleet
Reserve Association membership to each commmand Sailor
of the Quarter and Sailor of the year.
The CPOA may purchase, own, rent, lease, and/or sell real
property.
Recommended changes or amendments to the CPOA Bylaws should
originate at the member level, in writing, for presentation to
the Board of Governors by the member. The proposed change or
amendment will be discussed by the Board of Governors and then
presented to the general membership at the next Association
meeting along with thier findings and/or recommendations. The
proposed change or amendment will be voted upon at this
meeting. A simple majority vote of the membership in good
standing present at this meeting is required for adoption of
the recommended change or amendment. Changes or amendments
adopted by the membership will be numbered as standing rules
until such time as the Bylaws are revised.
None at this time.
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