NHG

New Hope Gardens Cemetery, Inc.
P. O. Box 8635
Mobile, Al. 36608
 
 


 

New Hope Gardens Cemetery Constitution

 

Article 1 – Name

The name of the organization is New Hope Gardens.

 

Article 2 – Purpose

The purpose for which the organization exists is to preserve and maintain the New Hope Gardens Cemetery in ways acceptable to the membership while meeting the lease requirements of the lessor (University of South Alabama).

 

Article 3 – Membership

Eligibility for membership:
    1. anyone with relatives buried in the cemetery;
    2. anyone having plots allotted in the cemetery for future burials;
    3. anyone interested in the preservation of the cemetery.
 

Article 4 – Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the organization shall begin on the 1st day of January and end on the 31st day of December each year.

 

Article 5 – Membership Dues

Section 1 – Annual Dues. The Board of Directors may determine from time to time the amount of annual membership dues payable to the organization by members for upkeep of the cemetery.

 

Section 2 – Payment of Dues. Dues shall be payable during the month of January in each fiscal year.

 

Article 6 – Meetings

Section 1 – Annual Membership Meetings. There shall be an annual membership meeting in April of each year for election of members of the Board of Directors and for receiving the annual reports of officers, directores, and committees, and the transaction of other bussiness. Notice of the meeting shall be mailed, except herein or by statute otherwise provided, to the last recorded address of each member at least fifteen days and not more than fifty days before the time appointed for the meeting. All notices of meeting shall set forth the place, date, time, and purpose of the meeting.

 

 Section 2 – Special Membership Meetings. Special membership meetings may be called by the board or the Executive Committee at their discretion. Upon the written request of fifteen members at large, the Board of Directors shall call a special meeting to consider a specific subject. Notice for any special meeting is to be given in the same manner as for the annual meeting. No bussiness other than that specified in the notice shall be transacted at any special meeting of the members of the organization. Only members whose dues are current will be eligible to vote.

 

Section 3 – Order of Bussiness. The order of bussiness shall be as follows at all the meetings of the organization, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee:
    1. call to order
    2. reading of the minutes
    3. receiving communications and announcements
    4. election of officers and new members
    5. reports of officers
    6. reports of committees
    7. unfinished bussiness
    8. new bussiness
    9. adjourn
Any question as to priority of bussiness shall be decided by the Chair without debate.

This order of bussiness may be altered or suspended at any meeting by a majority vote of the members present.

 

Article 7 – Directors

Section 1 – Number. The number varies. The property, affairs, activities, and concerns of the organization shall be vested in a Board of Directors. Consisting of Trustees and officers of the organization. The members of the Board shall, upon election, immediately enter upon the performance of their duties and shall continue until they tender a resignation in writing or until the next annual meeting.

 

Section 2 – Election of Directors. At each annual meeting, directors shall be elected.

 

Section 3 – Duties of Directors. The Board of Directors may:
    1. hold meetings at such times and places as it thinks proper;
    2. admit Board members and suspend or expel them by ballot;
    3. appoint committees on particular subjects from the members of the Board, or from other members of the organization.
    4. Audit bills and disburse the funds of the organization;
    5. Print and circulate documents and publish articles;
    6. Carry on correspondence and communicate with each other associations interested in the preservation of cemeteries;
    7. Employ agents; and
    8. Devise and carry into execution such other measures as it deems proper and expedient to promote the objects of the organization and to best protect the interest and welfare of the members.
  Section 4 – Meeting of Board. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held quarterly. Notice of the meeting shall be mailed to the last recorded address of each Board member at least ten days before the time appointed for the meeting. The president may, when deemed necessary, or the Secretary shall, at the request in writing of five members of the Board, issue a call for a special meeting of the Board, and only five days’ notice shall be required for such special meetings.

 

Section 5 – Quorum. Two thirds (2/3) of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. In the absence of the President and Vice President, the quorum present may choose a Chairman for the meeting. If a quorum is not present, a lessor number may adjourn the meeting to a latter day, not more than ten days later. The Corresponding Secretary shall give a written notice of the adjourned date to all members of the Board of Diretors.

 

Section 6 – Absence. Should any member of the Board of Directors be absent from three consecutive meetings of the Board without sending a communication to the President of Corresponding Secretary stating their reason for being absent, and if such reason is not accepted by the members of the board, their seat on the Board mat be declared vacant. The seat will then be filled as set forth in Section 7.

 

Section 7 – Vacancies. Whenever any vacancy occurs in the Board of Directors by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be filled without undue delay by a majority vote by ballot of the remaining members of the Board at the scheduled meeting. The person so chosen shall hold office until the nest annual membership meeting.

 

Section 8 – Removal of Directors. Any one or more of the directors may be removed either with or without cause, at any time, by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors present at any special meeting called for that purpose.

 

 

Article 8 – Officers

Section 1 – Number and Duration of Office. The officers of this organization shall be a President, one Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and a Treasurer.

 

Section 2 – Method of Election. The mebership shall elect all officers for a term of one year, the President and Vice President being elected from the Board of Directors. A majority of a quorum present shall be necessary to constitute an election.

 

Section 3 – Duties of Officers. The duties and powers of the officers of the organization shall be as follows:

President

The President shall preside at the meetings of the organization and of the Board of Directors and shall be a member ex officio, with right to vote, of all committees except the Nominating Committtee. He shall also, at the annual meeeting of the organization and such other times as he deems proper, communicate to the organization or to the Board of directors such matters and make such suggestions as may in his opinion tend to promote the prosperity and welfare and increse the usefulness of the organization and shall perform such other duties as are necessary incident to the office of President. Presidents should devote their best efforts to forwarding the bussiness and advancing the interest of the organization.

 

Vice President

In case of the death or absence of the President, or of his inability from any cause to act, the Vice President shall perform the duties of his office. The Vice President performs other duties and special assignments at the request of the President.

 

Recording Secretary

It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretart:
    1. to attend all meetings of the organization and all committees and keep a record of their doings;
    2. to review the minutes of all organization meetings before they are distributed and to report on them at all meetings;
    3. to prepare, under the direction of the Board of Directors, an annual report of the transaction and condition of the organization.
In case of absence or disability of the Recording Secretary, the Executive Committee may appoint a Recording Secretary pro term. The Recording Secretary shall be the keeper of the organization’s seal.

 

Corresponding Secretary
    1. to give notice of and attend all meetings of the organization;
    2. to keep a list of the members of the organization;
    3. to notify the officers and members of the organization of their election;
    4. to notify members of their appointment on committees;
    5. to furnish the Chairman of each committee with a copy of the vote under which the committee is appointed, and at his request give notice of the meeting of the committee.
The Corresponding Secretary conducts all correspondence and carries into execution all orders, votes, and resolutions of the Board of Directors. In case of the absence or disability of the Corresponding Secretary, the Executive Committee may appoint a Corresponding Secretary pro term.

 

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep an account of all monies received and expended for the use of the organization, and shall make disbursements only upon vouchers approved in writing by any member of the Executive Committee. They shall deposit all sums received in a bank, or banks, or trust company approved by the Executive Committee, and make a report at each quarterly meeting and at the annual membership meeting of when called upon by the President. Funds may be drawn only upon the signatures of the Treasurer and another designated board member.

The funds, books, and vouchers in hand shall at times be under the supervision of the Executive Committee and subject to its inspection and control. At the expiration of the term of office, the Treasurer shall deliver over to the successor all books, monies, and other property, or, in the absence of a treasurer-elect, to the President.

In case of the absence or disability of the Treasurer, the Executive Committee may appoint a Treasurer pro term.

 

Article 9 – Committees

Section 1 – Executive Committee. There shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors three members thereof who, with the President and the Vice President , shall constitute an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall conduct the unscheduled business of the organization; they may act on behalf of the organization in any emergency matter requiring immediate attention when the Board of Directors is not in session, reporting to the Board of Directors for its ratification of their actions at each regular or special meeting called for the purpose. Three members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The Executive Committee shall have the Treasurer’s accounts audited as required by a certified public accountant and report theron to the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2 – Committee on Nominations. During the month of December in each year, the Board of Directors shall appoint a Nominating Committee of five members, whose duty shall be to nominate candidates for directors to be elected at the nest annual election.

They shall notify the Corresponding Secretary in writing, at least twenty days before the date of the annual meeting, of the names of such candidates.

 

Section 3 – Independent Nominations. Nominations for directors may also be made by members of the organization, if forwarded to the Corresponding Secretary in writing at least five days prior to the annual membership meeting of the organization.

 

Section 4 – Other Committes. At the first meeting of the Board of Directors after their election, or as soon thereafter as practical, the President shall, to its approval, appoint the following committees to consist of as many members as seems advisable:
    1. Committee on Membership
    2. Committee on Ground-keeping
    3. Committee on Fund-Raising and Special Events
    4. Committee on Publicity
The members of such committees shall hold office until the appointment of their successors.

 

Section 5 – Special Committees. The President may, at any time, appoint other committees on any subject for which there are no committees.

 

Section 6 – Committee Quorum. A majority of any committee of the organization shall constitue a quorum for the transaction of business, unless any committee shall, by a majority of its total membership, decide otherwise.

 

Section 7 – Committee Vacancies. The various committees shall have the power to fill vacancies in their membership.

 

Article 10 – Amendments

These ByLaws may be amended, repealed, or altered in whole or in any part by a majority vote at any duly organized meeting of the organization.

 

 

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