Rochester MN Senior Softball Bylaws

 

Article 1: Name

The name of the Association shall be Rochester MN Senior Softball (RMSS).

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Article 2: Objective 

The objective of RMSS shall be to organize a summer softball league and a winter dome softball league for seniors. RMSS  shall promote good sportsmanship, physical exercise, fellowship and fun in league play through its board of directors, team  managers, and individual team members, with player safety as a primary concern. Senior Dome Softball players do not have  to be RMSS summer ball members, and vice versa. 

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A secondary objective shall be to encourage participation in tournament play for those RMSS players who are interested in  such activity. Tournament activity (player selection, entry fee and travel expenses, and all associated communication) shall  be outside the scope of RMSS. Tournament players do not have to be RMSS members. 

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Article 3: Membership

Section 1:  Membership is open to men 50 years of age and older, and women 40 years of age and older, who turn that minimum age during the calendar year of play.

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Section 2:  RMSS is open to all races, creeds, and religions, as long as the person meets the age requirement in section 1, pays the membership entry fee, and signs the waiver agreement.

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Section 3:  New members (after a player draft) will be added as pool players to be assigned to a team as needed on the day of play, according to the documented procedure on the RMSS website. The intent will be to keep the teams balanced in playing ability.

New members will be allowed one free trial game if they aren't sure about playing.

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Section 4: All Board members will have their league fees/dues set at 50% of the normal rate for any season in which they are serving.   This includes elected board members and appointed board members such as Managers and the Special Assistant to the Coordinator.

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Section 5: All 80+ year old players (birthday in calendar year) will have their league fees/dues set at 50% of the normal fees/dues. 

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Article 4: Officers 

Section 1: The officers of the Board of Directors will include the League Coordinator, two Assistant Coordinators, Secretary, Treasure, two Publicity Directors, Rules/Safety Committee Director, Web Director, Team Managers, Special Assistant to the Coordinator, Previous League Coordinator, Previous Treasurer and Previous Publicity Director. The Previous Treasurer and Previous Publicity Director will serve one calendar year only. The Previous League Coordinator will continue until there is an election of a new Coordinator.  The elected Board of Directors positions are: League Coordinator, two Assistant Coordinators, Secretary, Treasure, two Publicity Directors, Rules/Safety Committee Director and Web Director. These positions shall be elected and announced for the next calendar year by the last game date of the current year. (See the Rochester Minnesota Senior Softball Election Procedure on the Rules and Procedures Web page.) A nominating committee, appointed by the current League Coordinator, representative of the diverse membership of RMSS, shall screen and discuss applicants for positions for the elected Board positions, secure their pledges to serve, and present its recommended slate of elected Board Members at the October Board of Directors meeting. These elected Board member will begin their terms in January of the following year.   One person may hold multiple positions on the Board.

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Subsection A: The Executive Board shall consist of the League Coordinator, two Assistant Coordinators, Secretary, Treasurer, two Publicity Directors, Rules/Safety Committee Director and Web Director, Previous League Coordinator, Previous Treasurer and Previous Publicity Director. and a non-elected "Special Assistant" to the Coordinator with voting rights only in the absence of the Coordinator. The Previous Treasurer and Previous Publicity Director will serve one calendar year only. The Executive Board shall rule on all issues concerning Team Managers.

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Subsection B: All members of the Board of Directors (including Team Managers) shall pledge to enforce, and abide by, the Bylaws, the Rules and Regulations, the Code of Conduct (fair play and good sportsmanship), and all procedures approved by RMSS.

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Subsection C: On matters to be voted on by the Board only, each Board member shall have one vote.  Board votes may occur in person or via electronic means, and the issue must be reported and recorded at the next RMSS meeting (see Article 8, Section 1). The Secretary shall keep a hard copy of the resulting vote.

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Subsection D: A majority vote by the Board shall be needed to determine the outcome of a protest, or to replace a Board member who resigns or is unable to serve.

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Subsection E: If the Executive Board determines that a Team Manager is not in the best interests of his/her team and RMSS in general, it may vote to force the resignation of that Team Manager.  To remove a Team Manager, the Executive Board must cast a majority vote with no abstentions.  That Board must then vote to elect a new Team Manager, again by majority vote.

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Section 2: The League Coordinator of RMSS shall be the chief executive officer, and he/she must be a member of RMSS in good standing, with the necessary leadership qualities as deemed by the voting members.

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Subsection A: The League Coordinator shall run the activities of RMSS, oversee and approve any recruitment of players, and supervise the player draft. Players not drafted will become pool players to be assigned to a team as needed on the day of play according to the documented procedure found on the RMSS web site. He/she shall resolve any dispute concerning player team assignment.

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Subsection B: The League Coordinator shall appoint members to serve as Committee Chairpersons for events/tasks deemed necessary by RMSS, such as for equipment handling.   He/she shall also appoint members to the committees as necessary, making sure that all significant points of view are represented by those committee members.

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Subsection C: The League Coordinator shall preside over all RMSS meetings, or appoint a replacement if he/she will be absent.

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Section 3: The Secretary of RMSS shall take the minutes of the RMSS meetings and keep a record of the business that is conducted. Early in each meeting, the Secretary shall verify that there is a quorum (see Article 8, Section 2) for conducting business, and identify the person voting for each team or Board position.

 

Section 4: The Treasurer of RMSS shall keep and record the financial records of RMSS, deposit the monies in a bank account approved by the Board, and pay its approved bills.

 

Subsection A: The Treasurer shall ensure that all players have paid their seasonal player fee and have completed an information/waiver form before playing in any RMSS seasonal league games.  One free game will be allowed for those players who are not sure that they want to sign up.

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Subsection B: The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget to be approved at the first January board meeting. He/she shall manage this budget throughout the year.

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Subsection C: The Treasurer shall prepare the financial records for a financial audit review to be conducted at the end of the fiscal year (Dec), and when completed, the audit results shall be presented at the first (Jan) Board meeting of the new year.  The audit will be available for review by interested members in good standing.

 

Subsection D: The Treasurer shall retain all financial records for a period of 5 years, after which they should be destroyed.

 

Subsection E: The Treasurer shall maintain a file containing the following player information:  Name, mailing address, primary and secondary phone numbers, birth date, age, player position, playing days, e-mail address, emergency contact, emergency phone number, and dollar amount paid. Other pieces of information may be added at the Treasurer's discretion.

 

Subsection F: The Treasurer receiving any Cash for Charity Organizations will fill out a receipt to the individual who is coordinating the charity donation. One receipt for the total amount.  The cash will be recorded in the Designated Fund.

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Subsection G:  The Treasurer shall be responsible for sending a condolence card on behalf of the RMSS League and a $50.00 check, in memory of any active RMSS player who should die or to any active player who loses a spouse or parent.  The memorial check can be provided to the family or
donated to a charity indicated by the family.  Exceptions for memorials to non-active players or other family members or changes to the dollar amount of the memorial can only be made with Board approval.

 

Section 5: The Assistant Directors shall be responsible for all game day field activities, such as pool player assignments, game postponements, player disputes, etc.  They will maintain a daily count of participating players.  They will work with the League Coordinator concerning all issues at the fields.  Additionally, they will be responsible for the Equipment Committee listed in Article 5 Section 1.

 

Section 6: The Publicity Directors shall be the contact for all media involvement for RMSS.  He/she shall coordinate all RMSS picnics, special occasions, awards, and ceremonies.

 

Section 7: The Rules/Safety Director shall be responsible for directing all activities of the Rules/Safety Committee, which is responsible for identifying and recording those rules and safety directives to be used by RMSS that differ from the current official SSUSA documentation. This information shall be documented in the RMSS web site. If not so documented, then RMSS will follow the SSUSA documentation.  The Rules/Safety Director shall annually review the latest SSUSA documentation, and recommend the RMSS differences prior to the start of each season.  The League Coordinator or Rules/Safety Director may call for a committee meeting at anytime during the year if needed.  

 

Section 8: The Web Director shall be responsible for all RMSS web site activity. 

 

Article 5: Special Committees

Section 1:  The Equipment Committee, working under the responsibility of the Assistant Directors, shall be in charge of all softball equipment at the playing fields, allocating such equipment equally to all fields, and assuring that all equipment is returned and secured in the equipment area. They shall work with the team managers to properly allocate team jerseys and collect them again at the end of the season. They shall work with the Treasurer for ordering new/replacement equipment,  team jerseys, and caps.

 

Section 2: The Senior Dome Softball Committee, operating as a subsidiary to RMSS, shall conduct all activities associated  with the Senior Dome Softball league including, but not limited to, player waiver agreements, player drafts, facilities  coordination, equipment, games and schedule management. The committee shall maintain all funds and finances for the  dome softball league. These funds shall be kept in a separate bank account from that of the summer softball league. Funds  from one league shall not be used to subsidize the other league. If there are additional costs to the summer softball league  insurance policy due to the addition of dome softball, those additional costs shall be paid by the Senior Dome Softball  league. The committee shall consist of a Senior Dome Softball Director, two Game Coordinators, Financial Manager, Field  Coordinators, Liaison to the RCTC Dome Director and Senior Dome Softball Web Coordinator.

 

Article 6: Team Managers

Section 1:  Team Managers shall be the designated leaders of their teams and be approved by majority vote of the RMSS Executive Board annually by not later than the start of the season.  Designated (elected or appointed) Assistant Team Managers may be utilized by the teams, and such persons may cast the Team Manager votes at RMSS meetings in his/her absence.

 

Article 7: Voting

Section 1:  Changes to the bylaws, rules & regulations, and/or all documented procedures shall be determined by a majority of votes cast at a duly convened RMSS meeting.  Major changes to these documents shall be conducted by a committee whose recommendations shall be proposed, amended, and voted upon at an RMSS meeting.  Individual changes to these documents may be made under Old Business during any RMSS meeting.

 

Section 2:  At RMSS meetings, each Board member shall have one vote. 

 

Non-Board member attendees (any duly registered RMSS player) shall have no vote.

 

In the event that an officer of the Board is absent, no one will be eligible to vote for him/her; however, a designated Assistant Team Manager may cast a vote for an absent Team Manager.  Although Board members may represent more than one position on the Board, no member may cast more than one (1) vote on any particular decision.

 

Article 8: Meetings

Section 1:  The League Coordinator shall set RMSS meetings at a convenient time and place by notifying Board members in writing or e-mail at least one week in advance.  There shall be a minimum of two meetings before league play begins and one meeting after league play concludes.  As a guideline it is recommended that RMSS meetings be held monthly.  Any duly registered RMSS player may attend these meetings.

 

Section 2:  In order for RMSS to conduct business, a quorum must be in attendance.  Such quorum is defined as the majority of Board members.  Designated Assistant Team Managers shall count as Board members when replacing the Team Manager at an RMSS meeting.

 

Section 3: RMSS meetings shall be run by Parliamentary Procedure as enforced by the League Coordinator or his/her designated replacement.

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Article 9:  RMSS Bank Accounts
The RMSS Business account is funded via player fees, team sponsorships, donations and miscellaneous sales of RMSS items. The RMSS monies go directly to fund items required by the league to safely conduct our league games. Items such as balls, bats, pitching screens, chalk, AEDs, first aid supplies, picnic items and player recruitment activities are purchased and maintained by funding from the business account.

The RMSS Designated Fund is a separate account from the RMSS Business account. The money deposited in the Designated Fund generally comes from RMSS approved fundraising events coordinated and led by an RMSS member that are voluntarily staffed by RMSS members and family. 100% of the money raised from these events such as the DNR Pool tournament and Pizza Ranch nights, go into the Designated Fund, as well as RMSS board approved donations. Any RMSS league member can suggest how to use designated fund money. The RMSS Board will make the final decision on how to use funds from the Designated Fund. Any RMSS money given to charities must come from the Designated Fund and not from the RMSS Business account.

The RMSS treasurer reports the balances of the Business Account and the Designated Fund at RMSS Board meetings.

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