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STANDING RULES
OF
FLOTILLA __________________
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
ARTICLE 1 NAME
1.1The name of this organization shall be Flotilla ____, Division _________,
_________________District/Region, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary herein referred to as the "Flotilla".
ARTICLE II LIMITATIONS OF STANDING RULES
2.1Any provision in these Standing Rules which is in conflict with the current edition of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Manual, COMDTINST M16790.1 (series), and all amendments and additions thereto, hereinafter referred to as the "Manual", Commandant or District Instructions and Notices, the District Standing Rules, and the Division Standing Rules shall be null and void.
2.2These Standing Rules are supplementary to the policies and procedures established for the formation, operation, membership, election or appointment of officers and disestablishment of the Flotilla by the Manual or other appropriate Auxiliary requirements.
2.3Nothing in these rules shall authorize the Flotilla to take any action inconsistent with, or not authorized by, the Manual or other policies of the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
ARTICLE III ORGANIZATION
3.1The composition and purpose of the Flotilla shall be as set forth in the Manual.
3.2The duties of the elected officers and appointed staff officers shall be as designated in the Manual and in any District Instruction insofar as said instruction is consistent with the Manual.
ARTICLE IV MEETINGS
4.1The frequency, day, time and location of the regular Flotilla meetings shall be established in the Appendix to these Rules and shall remain fixed in ensuing years unless duly changed.
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4.2Special meetings may be called by the Flotilla Commander by notifying all members at least seven (7) days in advance of such meeting, specifying the date, time, location and purpose of the meeting.
4.3Unless otherwise provided in the Manual, all business shall be conducted at meetings in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, as last revised.
ARTICLE V VOTING
5.1___________per cent (_____ %) of the eligible voting members of the Flotilla shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or special meeting of the Flotilla. One of the voting members must be the Flotilla Commander, Vice Flotilla Commander, or Immediate Past Flotilla Commander. If none of these individuals is present, Flotilla business cannot be conducted.
5.2Unless a greater number than a majority for specific action is required by these Standing Rules or by the Manual, a majority of the votes actually cast by members present and voting can carry a motion, provided a quorum is present. Blank votes and abstentions do not count in the total for determining the number of votes cast.
5.3Each eligible member of the Flotilla, if present, shall have one vote.
5.4Proxy voting is not authorized. Absentee voting, as specified by the Manual may be allowed.
5.5Voting on routine matters shall normally be by voice vote unless a written ballot is requested by a member or as provided in these Standing Rules or by the Manual.
5.6A written ballot may be requested by any voting member of the Flotilla and the request shall be honored without discussion.
ARTICLE VI ELECTION OF OFFICERS
6.1The Flotilla shall hold an annual election of Flotilla Officers for the ensuing year, usually at the November meeting, but prior to 15 December and after the Division Elections.
6.2The Flotilla Commander shall appoint a screening committee comprised of at least three members of the Flotilla not less than ninety (90) days before the date of any Flotilla regular election. Each member selected to serve on this committee shall agree that the member relinquishes any right to be nominated and shall not run for election to any Flotilla office at such regular election. Not less than sixty (60) days before the date of any regular Flotilla election, each individual seeking election to a Flotilla
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elected office shall submit a letter of their intent to be a candidate to the Flotilla Commander. The Flotilla Commander shall immediately refer the names of all such members to the Flotilla Screening Committee. Not less than thirty (30) days prior to the election, the Screening Committee shall report to the Flotilla the names of the eligible members who have submitted letters of intent and shall state specifically, with reference to the relevant provisions of the Manual, the reason(s) why any member submitting a letter of intent has been deemed ineligible for the intended office. On the day of the election the Screening Committee shall again verify the eligibility for the desired office of all members submitted to them for screening. At the election meeting, the Presiding Officer shall nominate all candidates determined to be eligible by the screening committee and such a candidate need not be present to be elected.
6.3The Presiding Officer of all Flotilla elections shall be the Flotilla Commander unless the Flotilla Commander is running for office or is unable to so act, in which case the Immediate Past Flotilla Commander will be the Presiding Officer.
6.4Prior to opening the balloting for election of each Flotilla officer the Presiding Officer shall invite nominations by any voting member from the floor. No second shall be required for a nomination from the floor. The nominator, prior to making the nomination from the floor, is responsible for ascertaining the eligibility and willingness of the nominee to accept the office and fulfill its duties if ultimately elected. Self nomination is not allowed from the floor. Candidates so nominated from the floor must be present for the election and must affirmatively state that they accept the nomination and will serve if elected. The Presiding Officer shall accept all eligible nominations from the floor and the name of each such nominee from the floor shall be added to the balloting for such elected office. For purposes of all election provisions in these Rules, the term "floor" shall include only voting members of the Flotilla.
6.5Election of Flotilla officers shall be by secret written ballot, even if there is only one candidate for a particular Flotilla office.
6.6If there is more than one nominee for any Flotilla office(s), the Presiding Officer shall appoint a teller committee of three persons, naming one of them the head teller of such committee. None of the committee persons may be members running as a candidate for the particular Flotilla office(s) for which the election is being held. Written secret ballots shall be collected and counted by the teller committee after each ballot. After counting by the committee, the ballots shall be presented to the Presiding Officer in a sealed envelope. The head teller shall certify in writing the result of the balloting to the Presiding Officer by writing the order of finish in the balloting on the outside of the envelope. If a candidate received a majority of the vote for the Flotilla office, the Presiding Officer will then
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announce the result of that ballot.
6.7If a majority of eligible Flotilla members vote for a candidate, that majority vote is sufficient to elect the candidate to the office. If more than two candidates are nominated for any one Flotilla office, and no candidate receives a majority of votes on the first ballot:
6.7.1The candidate receiving the least number of votes on the first ballot will be dropped out of the voting on the second ballot. Elimination of the "low vote" candidate will continue on the next and subsequent ballots until one candidate receives a majority of the votes cast.
6.7.2If there is a tie for low votes received on any ballot, the next ballot for that office will be a runoff between the candidates tied for low vote on the preceding ballot. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes on the runoff between the two tied for the low vote will be included in the next succeeding ballot along with all other candidates who received a higher number of votes on the ballot preceding the tie for low ballot.
6.7.3In the event of three successive tie votes for any Flotilla office, the Presiding Officer shall, in open session, place all of the ballots cast on such third tie vote into a container and blindly select one ballot from the container. The teller committee then shall tally the remaining ballots, present the ballots to the Presiding Officer in a sealed envelope, and certify the result of the balloting to the Presiding Officer by writing the ballot results on the outside of the envelope. The Presiding Officer shall announce the result of that ballot and, if it is the last ballot between two candidates for any office, the final election result.
6.8There will be no announcement of the number of votes received by any candidate on any ballot. At the conclusion of an election for an office, all of the ballots shall be resealed and shall be held by the head teller for a period of twenty-four (24) hours after the election is over. Any unsuccessful candidate for an office who wishes to examine the ballots for that office shall so notify the Presiding Officer in writing within such twenty- four (24) hours and such candidate shall then be afforded an opportunity, within a reasonable period of time thereafter, to examine the ballots for that office in a meeting with the head teller and the Presiding Officer of the election. If no request for examination is made within such 24 hour period, the head teller shall immediately destroy the ballots and all envelopes in which any ballots were sealed. If a request for examination is made in a timely manner, the head teller shall deliver the ballots and envelopes to the Director immediately after the unsuccessful candidate has examined the ballots and the Director shall examine the ballots, certify the results of the election and destroy the ballots and envelopes.
6.9In the event any question or controversy concerning any substantive or
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procedural matter(s) is raised by a flotilla voting member during the course
of any election, and such question or controversy is not clearly resolved under provisions of the Manual, these Rules, and Robert’s Rules of Order,
the Presiding Officer, after consultation with the Division Commander, and, if necessary, the District Staff Officer-Legal, shall decide and announce the resolution to the question or controversy. Such decision, so
long as it is |
not in conflict with the Manual or these Rules, shall be final |
and binding |
and the election(s) then shall continue to a conclusion. |
6.10Before assuming office, the election of any Flotilla officer must be approved and confirmed by the Director.
6.11If a vacancy occurs in any Flotilla elective office, an interim election shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the Manual, subject to the applicable election procedures of these Rules.
6.12The results of all Flotilla elections will be provided to the Division Commander within five (5) days after the election.
ARTICLE VII REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
7.1Any elected flotilla officer may be recommended for removal from the office to which elected in accordance with the Manual.
7.2 Recommendations for removal may only be based on incapacity or for cause which brings discredit upon the Coast Guard or the Coast Guard Auxiliary and is addressed to the District Commander through the Division Commander, District Commodore and Director of Auxiliary.
ARTICLE VIII FINANCE
8.1The annual Flotilla dues shall be such sum of money as may be fixed by a majority vote at a regular or special meeting of the Flotilla, for which seven
(7)days prior written notice of the meeting and intent were given, and shall remain fixed at such sum in ensuing years until otherwise duly changed by the Flotilla.
8.2The annual dues, including Flotilla, Division, District, and National, shall be levied on each member on a calendar-year basis and shall be payable during the month of ________________ for the following calendar year. First year dues for new members shall be prorated as determined by District policy and shall be submitted with the enrollment application.
8.3No member who is separated from the Auxiliary by reason of resignation, or otherwise, shall be entitled to refund of dues paid.
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8.4The Flotilla Finance Officer shall be the custodian of all Flotilla funds. With the consent of the Flotilla Commander, the Finance Officer shall establish an account with a federally insured banking institution or federal credit union in a location convenient to the Finance Officer.
8.5All flotilla funds, other than small cash sums in the process of collection, shall be deposited in this account which shall be known as "U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla ______." All withdrawals from the account shall be by check only.
8.6The Flotilla Commander, or the Vice Flotilla Commander when acting in absence of the Flotilla Commander, is authorized to approve payment of all routine obligations as set forth in a flotilla budget approved by the Flotilla.
8.7Routine obligations include those incurred by the Flotilla in connection with carrying out officially adopted policy of the Flotilla and payments within the limits of the budget. This includes, but is not limited to the following:
OPurchases and engraving of authorized awards
OPublishing costs of a newsletter and/or notices
OPurchasing of public education and training materials
OPurchases of flags, pennants and Auxiliary uniform accessories
OBills for all Flotilla functions and Division, District and
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national dues |
8.8 The Flotilla |
Commander, or if the Flotilla Commander is unavailable, the |
Vice Flotilla Commander, may authorize emergency expenditures not |
exceeding a |
total of $ ______.____ in any one calendar month and |
direct the Finance Officer to pay for such. A full report of such |
emergency |
expenditures shall be made to the Flotilla at its next |
regular or special meeting.
8.9The Flotilla may, upon motion duly made and carried, set aside separate funds from the general funds to enable committee chairpersons of Flotilla functions to carry out the committee's responsibilities. The Flotilla Commander may authorize payment of bills from these funds. When the fund is depleted, no further bill may be authorized for payment without prior approval from the Flotilla.
8.10All other obligations, regardless of amount, will be considered as special obligations. Authorization to incur special obligations and requests for the appropriation of Flotilla funds must be submitted to the Flotilla for approval by duly filed and considered motions, except as otherwise provided in this Article.
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8.11All disbursements of Flotilla funds shall be by check, signed by the Finance Officer, Flotilla Commander or Vice Flotilla Commander. Only one signature is required unless an additional signature is required as set forth in the Appendix to these Rules.
8.12The Finance Officer shall render a financial report at each regular meeting of the Flotilla, which shall include all receipts and expenditures since the last rendering of a financial report and the balance in funds remaining as of the day preceding the day of the meeting. Any emergency expenditure authorized by the Flotilla Commander included in the reported expenditures shall be so designated in the report.
8.13The chairperson of any duly appointed committee where Flotilla funds are involved will furnish the Flotilla Finance Officer with a monthly statement of the financial transactions of the committee. The chairperson will transfer to the Flotilla Finance Officer within thirty (30) days after completion of the committee activities, the balance of all monies received with a completed financial statement.
8.14The Flotilla may require by a duly enacted motion that the Finance Officer post a bond in an amount as the Flotilla may determine. All costs for such bond shall be paid by the Flotilla.
8.15Upon the appointment of a succeeding Finance Officer, the retiring Finance Officer shall promptly deliver all Flotilla funds, books and records to the succeeding Finance Officer. Whenever a new Flotilla Commander or Vice Flotilla Commander is elected, or a new Finance Officer is appointed, a new signature card reflecting the change will immediately be delivered to the banking institution or federal credit union.
8.16The funds, books and records of the Flotilla shall be examined by the Audit Committee yearly and upon the appointment of a new Finance Officer. For each expenditure, the Audit Committee will ensure that it was authorized and that there is a receipt signed by a person other than the Finance Officer or the person who authorized the expenditure.
8.17Flotilla general funds may be used only for the duly authorized purposes of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. They are permanently dedicated to the purpose of the Auxiliary and they may not inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to, individual members of the Auxiliary.
8.18Upon disestablishment of a Flotilla, all general funds, financial records and property of the Flotilla must be turned over promptly to the division having jurisdiction over the disestablished Flotilla.
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8.19An annual financial report for the preceding year must be prepared no later than 31January, and one must also be prepared upon the election of a new Flotilla Commander or appointment of a new Finance Officer. The Finance Officer must submit the financial report on Form ANSC #7025, "Financial Report of an Auxiliary Unit", to the Director of Auxiliary with copy to the District Commodore and Division Commander.
ARTICLE IX CONTRACTS
9.1All licenses and agreements for the use of real property as well as contracts for the expenditure of Flotilla funds as may be authorized by a vote of the Flotilla, shall be first approved by the District Staff Office-Legal and then shall be signed by the Flotilla Commander. Copies of all signed contracts shall be retained by the District Staff Officer-Legal.
ARTICLE X COMMITTEES
10.1Standing committees and special committees consisting of any number of members may be appointed by the Flotilla Commander. The Flotilla Commander shall designate the chairperson of each such committee appointed and outline the objectives to be accomplished unless otherwise prescribed. Individuals may be appointed as a one-person committee if desired.
10.2The Flotilla Commander shall appoint an Audit Committee at or before the regular meeting of the Flotilla in the month of _________________each year. The committee shall examine and audit the financial books and records of the Flotilla Finance Officer and the Materials Officer for the preceding year and shall report their findings at the next regular meeting of the Flotilla.
10.3The Flotilla Commander shall appoint a Budget Committee at or before the regular meeting of the Flotilla in the month of January of each year. This committee shall prepare a budget with the assistance of the Flotilla Finance Officer and the Flotilla Materials Officer and submit said budget to the Flotilla for approval within 3 months.
10.4The Flotilla Commander is empowered to appoint an Awards Committee to review and make recommendations to the Flotilla for the recognition of individuals and groups for special recognition by the Flotilla, Division, District or the United States Coast Guard.
10.5The Flotilla Commander is empowered to appoint a Past Commanders Committee composed of all past Flotilla Commanders and past Vice Flotilla Commanders who are active. The chairperson shall be the Immediate Past Flotilla Commander if active and available. If unavailable or unwilling to serve, the Flotilla Commander shall appoint any other past
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Flotilla Commander as chairperson. The primary duty of this committee shall be to consider all auxiliary matters that are referred to it by the Flotilla Commander and all matters that are of interest to the Flotilla. The committee shall make written recommendations concerning such matters directly to the Flotilla Commander.
10.6The Flotilla Commander shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
ARTICLE XI PROCEDURE FOR RELIEF OF OFFICERS
11.1It will be the duty of each elected and appointed officer, at the end of the term of office, to deliver to the successor, all current materials, supplies and records pertaining to the office. The officer being relieved shall assist in ensuring an orderly transfer of the administrative function of the office, including but not limited to the briefing of the successor on the procedures to be followed and the forms to be completed and submitted.
ARTICLE XII AWARDS
12.1It is the policy of the Flotilla to give or pursue recognition of members who through contributions of valuable time and special effort further the purpose and spirit of Auxiliary missions and programs. Recommendations for awards for these special efforts can be made by any member to the Flotilla Commander or such higher level at any time as prescribed by the Manual.
ARTICLE XIII AMENDMENTS
13.1These Standing Rules may not be amended except to conform verbatim to changes directed by the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard or the National Board, provided however, optional and elective provisions may be amended in conformity with the Manual.
ARTICLE XIV APPENDICES
14.1Appendices to these Standing Rules may be adopted by a 2/3 of the voting members present and are effective upon signature of the Flotilla Commander. The appendices should include matters local in nature including, but not limited to dates, times and location of meetings, amounts and due dates for collection of membership dues, information regarding local awards, number, title and composition of committees not otherwise designated and similar events.
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ARTICLE XV APPROVAL
These Standing Rules were adopted on the ______ day of______________,
20_____ by two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members present and become effective
upon approval by the Director of Auxiliary.
Signed: ______________________ Date _________________
Flotilla Commander
Approved: ____________________ Date _________________
Division Commander
Approved: ____________________ Date _________________
District Staff Officer-Legal
Approved: ____________________ Date _________________
District Commodore
Approved:____________________ Date__________________
Director of Auxiliary
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