By-Laws

Of
Brown County Community Music, Inc.
Revised April 30, 2015

Article 1: Location
The place of business of this organization shall be in the town of Nashville, Brown
County, Indiana, and in such other places or place for the transaction of business or
for the holding of meetings and conventions as may, within the discretion of the
Board of Directors, be necessary and essential to the furtherance of this
organization.

Article 2: Musical Groups in the Corporation

The Corporation shall consist of musical groups meeting criteria established by the
Board of Directors. These groups shall operate in a manner consistent with the
Corporations Articles of Incorporation, Constitution, and By-Laws.
The Board of Directors shall decide on the eligibility and acceptability on member
groups to the corporation. Admission to the Corporation shall be granted by a twothirds majority vote of the Board to accept any new group petitioning for
membership to the Corporation.

Article 3: Board of Directors

Article 3.01: Composition. The Board of Directors shall consist of a
President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Member-at-large
directors.
Article 3.02: Elections and Terms of Office
A. Elections shall be held at the annual meeting of the membership as set
forth in the Constitution.
B. The following officers will be elected at the annual election on the even
numbered years: President-Elect, Secretary, Member-at-large I.
C. The following officers will be elected at the annual election on the odd
numbered years: President-Elect, Treasurer, Member-at-large II, and
Member-at-large III.
D. Each Board member shall hold office for a two-year term and until a
successor has been elected and qualified to hold office with the
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E.

F.

exception of the President and President-Elect who serve a one-year

term in offices. Terms of offices shall begin January 1 of each year.
The corporate members in good standing at the annual meeting shall
elect the Board. Election is by simple majority of those present
provided that a quorum is present. Fifty percent of the active, nonsuspended members in good standing constitute a quorum
Board members may be elected to two successive terms in any office.
After completion of two terms in one office, they are eligible to be reelected to a different office.

Article 3.03: Ex Officio Board Members: Ex officio members of the Board

shall include
The music director(s)
The Immediate past President
An ex officio member may attend any board meeting and be heard on any
matter, but may not vote, move, or second a motion.
Article 3.04: Board Vacancy: A vacancy occurring before expiration of the
elected term may be filled by the following methods:
Unanimous vote of the Board, or
Majority vote of the corporate membership at a membership meeting
A board member elected to fill a vacancy shall be elected for the unexpired
portion of the term of office and may serve consecutive terms if reelected.

Article 3.05: Removal of a Board Member:

When the best interests of the Corporation would be served by removal, any
Board officer may be removed by in the following manner:
A motion to consider removal of a Board member must be made, seconded
and passed by majority vote of a quorum of the Board.
Before removing an officer, the Board must conduct a hearing at which the
officer will be invited, but not required, to attend and be heard.
After the hearing, the officer may be removed by a majority vote of a quorum
of the board. The officer in question is ineligible to vote.

Article 4: Corporate Members

Music Participants
Any person who qualifies under one of the classes of participation set out below,
who has fulfilled the performance and attendance requirements of a member in
good standing is eligible for one of the classes of participation listed herein:
a.

Member in Good Standing

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May be a person from any musical group operating under the auspices of
the Corporation.
A person who has met the performance criteria established by the Music
Director and
Who has fulfilled the rehearsal commitments.
A member in good standing is entitled to one vote in all organizational elections.
Membership shall be held by a member individually and is not transferable or
assignable to another person.
b.

Sustaining Member
A person who does not have participatory roles in the musical endeavors
in the Corporation efforts, but wish to assist either physically or financially.

c.

Performance Guest
A Performance Guest is an individual the music director or the Board has
invited to participate in a specific performance.

d.

Rehearsal Guest
Any other person who wishes to participate in the practice sessions may
attend rehearsals as a Rehearsal Guest. No Rehearsal Guest shall be
permitted to participate in either of the two rehearsals immediately before
a concert.

Sustaining Members, Performance Guests and Rehearsal Guests do not have

voting privileges.

Article 5: Termination of Corporate Membership

a.

b.

c.

Termination by Board Vote

By affirmative vote of majority of the directors, the Board may expel a
Member from corporate membership if the Board finds good cause to do
so after a hearing before the Board.
Resignation
Any member may voluntarily resign at any time by filing a written
resignation with the secretary.
Leave of Absence/Inactive Status
A member may suspend their member in good standing status by
requesting a leave of absence for good cause. The Board of Directors
shall determine terms and conditions of such leaves. Suspended
members do not have voting privileges.

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Article 6: Duties of the Board of Directors and Ex Officio Board

Members
a.

President
The President is the principal executive officer of the Corporation and shall
supervise and control all of the business affairs of the Corporation. The
President shall:
1. Serve a one-year term of office immediately after serving one year as
President-Elect.
2. Preside at all corporate membership and board meetings.
3. Serve as ceremonial head of the Corporation.
4. With the secretary or any other proper officer of the Corporation
authorized by the Board, sign any deed, mortgage, bond, contract, or
other instrument which the Board has authorized to be executed, unless
the signing and execution has been delegated by the Board, by these bylaws, or by statute to some other officer or agent of the Corporation.
5. Make all appointments of standing and special committees, subject to the
approval of the Board of Directors including, but not limited to, the
appointment of a librarian, publicity director as needed and ad hoc
committees as needed for special functions.
After serving a term as President, the President shall serve a term as
Immediate Past President.

b. President-Elect
In the absence of the President or in the event of the inability or refusal of the
President to act, the President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President.
The President-Elect shall chair the annual planning meeting.
After serving a one-year term in office, the President-Elect shall serve one
year as President
c. Immediate Past President (ex officio board member)
In the absence of the President and the President-Elect, or in the event or
refusal of both of these officers to act, the Immediate Past-President shall
perform the duties of the President. The Immediate Past President shall serve
a one-year term as an ex officio board member. After completion of this term,
the Immediate Past President shall retire from the Board unless re-elected to
the Board.
This person should liaison with the President and other community contacts
such as schools, organizations, visit organization meetings, promote the band
and identify appropriate charities for contributions.

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d. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall
1. Maintain all bank accounts of the Corporation
2. Handle the financial affairs of the Corporation, such as:
a) Depositing funds received for the corporation
b) Collecting contributions and acknowledging contribution by written
receipt
c) Paying of debts or bills due
d) Signing of Corporation checks
e) Maintain all financial records of the corporation in a format and
location where they are available for public inspection upon request.
f) Consult with an accountant or other financial advisors, after consent of
the Board, as needed to maintain and protect the 501(3) status.
g) File required financial documents for tax purposes and tax exempt
purposed with federal and state agencies.
3. Provide written reports to the Corporation at each Board meeting on the
financial status of the Corporation including but not limited to, all receipts,
disbursements since last report, contributions, acquisitions of property,
balance of every account.
4. As determined by the Board during the annual planning meeting, the
Treasurer will prepare and present to the Board an Annual Budget at its
December meeting. The Board shall approve the budget.
5. Provide an annual written report to members of all accounts, transactions,
balances, contribution, earnings, and contributions.
6. Shall be bonded out of the corporate treasury.
The Treasurer and President shall sign any check in excess of $500.
e. Secretary
The duties of the secretary shall include the following:
1. Record, maintain and distribute minutes of all Board and membership
meetings at each Board meeting. Minutes should be distributed five days
in advance of any Board meeting.
2. Distribute any documents, which will be discussed at Board meetings to
Board members five days in advance of the Board meeting.
3. Consult with the President to prepare and distribute the agenda for the
Board meeting.
4. Provide Board meeting agenda to corporate members by posting at
rehearsal so those members can provide input to Board members on
issues of concern.
5. Maintain an accurate and up-to-date roster of members; such roster to
include the name, musical specialty, address, telephone number(s) and
email addresses if available of each member. The Secretary shall acquire
from new members such information necessary to maintain the
membership roster and shall distribute copies of the roster to new
members.
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6. Shall send greeting cards to hospitalized members and shall send

flowers/plant in the event of a funeral.
7. Initiate, coordinate and retain relevant Corporation correspondence.
8. Provide the corporate members with a schedule of events, rehearsals,
concerts and musical events of interest in the community on a monthly
basis or more frequently as needed.
9. Maintain a scrapbook history of the Corporation -- performances,
programs, photographs, recordings, and the like.
f.

Members-at-Large
The duties of the Members-at-Large shall include the following:
1. Shall chair (whenever possible) committees for corporate events. Those
committees may include but will not be limited to public relations,
facilities, program, advertising, and fund raising.
2. Prepare, present, and submit the written committee reports to the Board.
Reports may also be made to the general corporate members upon
request.

g. Music Director(s) (Ex-officio Board Member(s))

The duties of the Music Director(s) shall include the following:
1. Conduct rehearsals of the ensemble(s) each week or as needed.
2. Conduct all musical concerts.
3. Select compositions to be rehearsed and programmed (suggestions from
the membership will be accepted subject to the Directors approval).
4. Obtain Performance Guest(s) as needed.
5. Establish the criteria for performance and attendance.
6. Director(s) shall liaison with the President and other community contacts
such as schools, organizations, visit organization meetings, promote the
band and identify appropriate charities for contributions.

Article 7: Duties of Corporate Members

The duties of the Corporate Members shall include the following:
1. Attend all rehearsals to the extent possible.
2. Notify a Board member when unable to attend any rehearsal or
performance.
3. Attend and participate in each concert or performance to the extent
possible.
4. Make any arrangements necessary to assure that music folders are at
each rehearsal.
5. Promote recognition for the Corporation in the community and seek out
new members.
6. Participate in planning concerts and other sponsored events.

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Article 8: Committees
The President as directed by the Board of Directors shall appoint such committees
as are necessary and which are not in conflict with other provisions of these bylaws. The duties of any such committee shall be prescribed upon their
appointment. The term of appointment shall be as needed to complete the
purpose, or not more than one year without additional approval of the Board. In
making committee appointments, the president shall give due consideration to
maintaining the continuity of the committees operation.

Article 9: Annual Planning

The BCCB Board of Directors will conduct a meeting each year to develop the
annual budget and plan for the next year.
1. To facilitate this planning process the following milestones will met annually:
a. August: When the bands resumes practice after its break, the
Director, or other designated person, will coordinate with the Brown
County High School for auditorium availability and recommend the
concert schedule for the year.
b. September: The board will accept nominations for the BCCB Board of
Directors.
c. October:
i. The President will hold the annual membership meeting and hold
elections for the Board of Directors.
ii. The BCCB will conduct its annual fundraising concert, which
provides the bulk of the upcoming years annual budget.
d. November: The board will conduct the annual planning meeting.
e. December: The treasurer will submit the annual budget for the
upcoming year to the board at its December meeting.
f. January: The new slate of officers will take office.
2. Guidelines for Annual Planning Meeting:
a. The President-elect will chair the meeting.
b. The agenda should at a minimum include:
i. Annual Budget Plan
ii. Band Calendar

Article 10: Budget

1. The budget plan will be developed during the annual planning meeting of the
board. The board will approve the budget during its December meeting.
2. Funds will be allocated to various accounts and/or sub-accounts as decided
by the board at the annual planning meeting. At a minimum the following
accounts shall be included in the budget:
a. Petty Cash: To provide funds for small expenses in support of the board
and or band.
b. Directors Discretionary Account: The director will submit a proposal for
board approval at the annual planning meeting. This account will
support projects and purchases of the director.
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c. Advertising & communication

d. Band administration: Fixed expenses of the band.
e. Support and operations: Maintenance of instruments, equipment and
any non-advertising costs associated with concerts or band operations.
f. Contingency: Funds not allocated to other accounts and available for
use with approval of the board.
g. Reserve: The amount allocated to the reserve account will be
determined by the board at the annual planning meeting but shall
never be less than $300.00. This account is the emergency reserve
fund for the band. There will no planned use of this account and all
funds from all other accounts must be expended prior to use.
3. The board must approve all purchases and expenses before funds can be
expended or committed with only the following exceptions:
a. The director may expend/commit funds from the Directors
Discretionary account without prior notification to the board up to the
amount budgeted. Funds/expenses over the budgeted amount must be
first be approved by the board.
b. The treasurer may expend/commit funds from the petty cash and band
administration sub-account for authorized purchases/expenses without
prior notification to the board up to the amount budgeted.
Funds/expenses over the budgeted amount must be first be approved
by the board.
c. Upon request by the treasurer, the president may authorize the use of
funds up to $200 without board approval if a situation requires the use
of funds before the board can meet. In such an instance, the
expenditure, and the circumstances requiring the expense, will be
entered into the next board meeting minutes.
4. Changes and re-allocation of funds between budget accounts may be made
by approval of the board.

Article 11: Amendment of By-Laws

By an affirmative vote of the majority of directors at any annual, monthly, or special
Board meeting, these by-laws may be altered, amended, or repealed and a new bylaw may be adopted, if at least seven days written notice is given to each Director
and Ex-officio Board member of an intention to alter, amend, or repeal an existing
by-law or adopt a new by-law at the meeting.

Article 12: Corporation Internet Site

The corporation has subscribed to an Internet hosting service which is intended to
place content available to the public in the furtherance of the corporations
objectives. The site obtained by such an arrangement, or by other means, all
content placed upon it with deference to existing copyrights and trademarks, all
copyright and trademark rights created by the work of corporation members
(musical groups), and all rights regarding the conduct of monetary transactions via
said site, are the property of the corporation.
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The President may appoint, with the advice and consultation of the Board, an
individual, or team of individuals, to serve as administrators of the website. Said
appointments serve at the pleasure of the President.
The Treasurer will maintain account access and customer service contact
information with the Internet hosting service company. The Treasurer and the
President will at all times be kept advised of passwords or other information needed
for full administrative access to the site.
Currently the location of the corporation's site is via urls
http://www.browncountycommunityband.com and
http://www.browncountycommunityband.org. Acquisition of another domain name,
or changes to the site domain require approval of a majority
of the board of director.
The music director shall have primary direction on site content related to musical
endeavors and is encouraged to explore ways in which the site may be helpful in
promoting our purposes. Accommodations should be made to facilitate use of the
site by the secretary for posting board meeting minutes and other communications
as appropriate. The librarian may also find a practical function with the site and
should likewise be accommodated.

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