BY-LAWS
OF
TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATORS OF ARIZONA, INC.

The official name of this corporation shall be “Transportation Administrators of Arizona, Inc.”

Section 1:  The objective of this corporation shall be:

1. To provide opportunity for members to exchange ideas, techniques, and share in solutions to common problems and concerns.
2. To gain knowledge, through presentation and demonstration, about the latest products and services available to assist in their various responsibilities.
3. To provide, through the organization’s membership list, an availability for ready assistance and consultation among members when unique problems arise.

Section 1:  Membership in the Corporation shall consist of active, auxiliary and vendor members.

1. An active membership shall consist of persons actively engaged in an administrative, supervisory responsibility for pupil transportation in the state of Arizona, determined by local transportation department.  An active member upon filing an application and full payment of dues shall have voting privileges.
2. A vendor membership shall consist of any one representative of a vendor who deals with pupil transportation departments.  A vendor membership is subject to approval by the Board of Directors.  Vendor members are not entitled to vote or hold office.
3. An honorary membership shall consist of anyone who has distinguished him or herself in public or professional service and who is elected as honorary members by the Board of Directors.  Honorary members are not entitled to vote or hold office.
4. A lifetime membership shall consist of anyone having served as president of the Association and those retired from the field of student transportation if they were active members for 15 years, or were members for 10 years and served as an officer of Transportation Administrators of Arizona, Inc.  The Board of Directors will review lifetime members annually.

Section 2:  Each person meeting the qualifications as stated in section 1 of Article III to become a member and having paid the annual dues for the current year shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership.

Section 3:  The dues of this organization shall be set by the Board of Directors from year to year according to the program desired by the Corporation.  Dues are payable at the time of application of membership and are for the period of the fiscal year.

Section 4:  The dues collected will be placed in a checking account under the name “Transportation Administrators of Arizona, Inc.” The President, President Elect’s and Treasurer’s name will be on the bank’s signature card.

Section 1:  The elected officers of the organization shall be President, President Elect, Vice President, and Immediate Past President. The President shall appoint the Secretary, & Treasurer. There shall also be six (6) Region Reps consisting of a delegate from each of the six (6) regions of the state.
(See appendix A)

Section 2:  Board Members shall serve for a term of two years.  President, President Elect, and the Region Representative shall serve two years in each office as well as members of the board of directors.

Section 3:  The duties of the officers shall be:

1. The President shall be the executive officer of this organization and shall preside over all meetings of the organization and shall preside over all meetings of the corporation and meetings of the Board of Directors.  He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all standing and special committees.  He/she shall appoint the secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Vendor Liaison, Legislative Liaison, Newsletter Editor, and Audit Chair, enforce observance of these By Laws, and perform all other customary duties pertaining to the office of President. He/she shall maintain the right to vote.
2. The President Elect shall in the absence of the president, preside over all meetings of the corporation and the Board of Directors.  He/she shall assist the President whenever necessary in the interest of the organization.  He/she shall also perform such other duties as usually pertained to that office, or as assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.
3. The Immediate Past President and Vice-President shall act as advisors to the President.
4. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Board of Directors and appointed by the President for a two (2) years term at the annual meeting.  The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of all monies of the Association, deposit monies in the name of the Association at such banks or other depositories as shall be selected by the Board of Directors, review and approve warrants and orders for the payment of expenditures in accordance with Board policy, make financial reports when called upon to do so at all regular and special meetings of the Association.
5. The Secretary shall be a member of the Board of Directors and shall be appointed for by the President for a two (2) year term at the annual meeting.  The Secretary shall be a member of the Executive Committee and shall keep a record of the order of business at all regular and special meetings of the Association and, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of secretary and such other duties as may be assigned by the President from time to time.  A vacancy in the office of Secretary shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors for the un-expired term.
6. Six (6) elected Region Representatives shall serve with the officers on the Board of Directors.  He/she shall have a minimum of one (1) regional meeting annually.

ARTICLE V – DISASSOCIATION FROM MEMBERSHIP

Section 1:  Any member, active, or vendor may resign from the corporation provided that all indebtedness has been paid.  The resignation shall be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors. There shall be no refund of dues.

Section 2:  The Board of Directors may cancel membership for non-payment of dues or other just cause.

Section 1:  The Board of Directors shall be comprised of twelve (12) people:  President, President Elect, Vice-President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  There shall also be six (6) Region Reps consisting of a delegate from each of six (6) regions of the state.  The President shall act as Chairman of the Board.

Section 2:  Seven (7) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for conducting official business.

Section 3:  The Board of Directors shall be vested with the power to call regular and special meetings of the corporation and to designate the date, time and place of any such meetings, together with the reason for calling such meetings as deemed necessary.

Section 4:  The Board of Directors shall meet at least twice a year at the call of the President.  For any other meetings, three (3) members on the Board of Directors may request the convening of the Board.

Section 5:  The Board of Directors shall act as intermediary concerning any matters of transportation and the State Board of Education, Arizona Department of Transportation, deemed necessary to make recommendations on their solutions.

Section 6:  Attendance at Board of Director meetings is mandatory.  Members missing more than two Board meetings without prior approval through the President will be disqualified from holding a board seat.

Section 7:  A board member must have been an active member for two years before election to the board.

Section 1:  The following standing committees shall be appointed by the President or designee and shall be their duty to make a report to the corporation at the annual meeting.  The following committees shall be appointed each year:  Legislative, Audit, Nomination, and Program.

Each of these committees shall function as follows:

1. The Legislative Committee shall receive and consider all resolutions which may be referred to member of the corporation or Board of Directors.  They may hold meetings to hear the proponents and opponents of such resolutions.
2. The Audit Committee shall examine the accounts and papers of the Treasurer and shall report its findings and comments to the organization at the annual meeting.
3. The Program Committee/Conference Chair shall be responsible for arranging the programs for the regular meetings and making the necessary provisions for a meeting place, luncheon and comparable matters.
4. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates to the membership at the annual meeting and conduct the elections in accordance with designated rules.  Nominations may also be made from the floor at the annual meeting.  Each nomination shall be seconded and elections shall be by secret ballot.  The duly nominated and seconded candidate for each office shall receive a simple majority vote of the active members present to be declared elected.

ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS

Section 1:  General meetings shall be held a minimum of two (2) times a year

Section 2:  There shall be an annual meeting of the General to be held in the month of June.  The Program Committee shall determine the place of the annual meeting.

Section 3:  The right to vote, hold office, or to have a voice in the discussion on the floor of the convention shall be limited to members whose dues are paid.  The privilege of the floor may be extended to any other person who is not an official member at the discretion of the President.

Section 4:  It shall be the duty of the Secretary to make written reports to the corporation at each annual meeting and to maintain such records for seven (7) years.

Section 5:  Meetings shall be conducted formally using Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 1:  The officers and Board of Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the corporation, except as otherwise stated in Article VI.

Section 2:  The Nominations Committee shall receive nominations and shall submit at least one name for each vacancy to be filled by election.

Section 3:  In case of a vacancy in the office of President, the President Elect will succeed automatically to the office of the President of the corporation.  In case of vacancy in the other offices, or directorships, the un-expired term shall be filled by appointment from among the active members by the Board of Directors, with the exception of the Secretary and Treasurer.  The Secretary and Treasurer shall be appointed by each current President.

Section 4:  Active members of that region of the state shall vote on Region Representatives.  In case of vacancy in the other offices or directorships, the un-expired term shall be filled by appointment from among the active members by the Board of Directors.

Section 5:  All members of the Board of Directors, including the officers, must be Active members of the corporation.

Section 1:  Dues will be payable at any time during the fiscal year.  The fiscal year will run from July 1 to June 30.  The amount of dues of members shall be set by the Board of Directors.

Section 1:  The By-Laws may be amended in the following manner:

• An amendment to the By-Laws must be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval.
• Upon approval by the Board of Directors, the amendment is to be presented to the general membership.
• The membership shall be notified fourteen (14) days in advance through either, the association newsletter, association with web site, or by special mailing of the time, date and location of the meeting.
• This notification shall include a copy of the proposed changes of the By-Laws.
• The By-Laws may be ratified by the general membership by a simple majority of those present.