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Code Enforcement League of Arizona
Committed to the Advancement of the Code Enforcement Profession
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BYLAWS CODE ENFORCEMENT LEAGUE OF ARIZONA (CELA)

ARTICLE I. NAME, TERRITORY AND PURPOSE

Section 1.

  1. Name

The name of this organization is the Code Enforcement League of Arizona (CELA). In this document the Code Enforcement League of Arizona (CELA) is referred to as CELA or the Association. CELA shall be a non-profit, self-supporting organization.     

    B.     Territory

The geographical areas that CELA represents shall be all participating municipal, county and state agencies within the boundaries of the State of Arizona.

    C.     The purpose of CELA shall be to study and advance the science and practice of code enforcement through training and education leading to certification, further the interests of the profession, and to promote fellowship and understanding among its members.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Active Members

A person involved in the regulation of health and safety in the environment, both natural and man-made, or is otherwise responsible for enforcement of municipal, county, state or federal codes and who resides or is employed in the State of Arizona shall be eligible for regular membership and, upon payment of established dues, shall be known as an Active Member.

Section 2. Associate Members

Any student, non-resident or individual interested in code enforcement but not employed in the profession.

Section 3. Charter Agency

A participating governmental agency, with twenty (20) or more employees classified as code compliance/enforcement officers, may apply for membership in CELA as a charter Agency. Charter Agency status allows the participation of the agency’s name employees in CELA activities without individually enrolling each employee as Active members. At the time of payment of established dues, the Charter Agency shall provide the Treasurer with a list of the employees participating in CELA. The Charter Agency is entitled to one vote only and in total on ballot matters of election of officers, adoption of Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation amendments and proclamation and items for which a voice vote proves inconclusive.

Section 4. Participating Agency

Any governmental agency in which there is one or more active CELA members.

Section 5. Termination of Membership

  1. Any member leaving the code enforcement profession for a period in excess of six months will cease to be an Active member and will be considered an Associate member.

  2. Any member may be suspended and/or removed from the roll of CELA upon finding by the Board of Directors (Executive Committee) and with a concurring vote by a majority of the membership taken by secret ballot.

  3. Any member in default of his/her financial responsibilities to CELA for a period of six months or more shall no longer be entitled to the benefits of membership in CELA. This section does not precluded reinstatement upon payment of dues.

ARTICLE III FISCAL ADMINISTRATION

Section1. Fiscal Year

The CELA fiscal year shall be from January 1 through December 31 of each successive year.

Section 2. Annual Budget

The annual budget shall be prepared and presented by a Budget and Finance Committee appointed by the Board of Directors (Executive Committee)

Section 3. Dues

Membership dues in the several classes of membership shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors, based upon need for the financial health of the Association. Payment of dues will provide membership for a one-year period beginning the first day of the calendar year (January 1 through December 31).

Section 4. Vouchers

All approved claims owed for payment by CELA shall be submitted to the Treasurer in the form of a written and signed statement. All expenditures from CELA funds shall be subject to review by the Board of Directors (Executive Committee). All checks over $500.00 must be signed by the Treasurer and President or one other designated member of the Board of Directors (Executive Committee).

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

Section 1. Number and Type of Officers

The officers of CELA shall be seven (7) in number and shall be President, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Vice Presidents; Secretary, Treasurer; and Immediate Past President.

Section 2. Eligibility of Office

Any Active Member of CELA in good standing shall be eligible for any office. A member in good standing is defined as a member meeting all requirements for membership as defined.

Section 3. Terms of Office

The normal term of office shall be one (1) year coincidental with the CELA fiscal year for 1st,  2nd and 3rd Vice Presidents, and Secretary.  The Treasurer serves a two (2) year term.

Section 4. Duties of Officers

President- The President shall be directly responsible for the supervision and guidance of the affairs of the Association and shall preside over all meetings of CELA. The President shall enforce the Bylaws of this Association and perform other duties that would be recognized as being part of the office.

1st Vice President-The 1st Vice President shall be President-elect and shall accede to the Presidency and will preside over all meetings in the absence of the President. The primary duties of the 1st Vice President shall be to chair the Steering Committee and to keep the President informed of the current progress and future plans of the Committee.

2nd Vice President-The 2nd Vice President shall preside in the absence of the 1st Vice president and in the absence of the President at all CELA functions. The primary duty of the 2nd Vice President shall be to chair the Certification Committee and to keep the President informed of the current and future plans of the Committee.

3rd Vice President-the 3rd Vice President shall be responsible in the absence of the 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President and President to reside over many CELA functions. The primary duty of the 3rd Vice President shall be to chair the Membership Committee. The 3rd Vice President is charged to provide a continuous effort and drive throughout the year in order to accomplish a larger capacity of active and associate members, as qualified in Article II. Sections 1, 2 and 3.

Secretary-The Secretary shall keep and maintain an accurate record of the proceedings of all official meetings and the names of all appointed committees and their functions.

Treasurer-The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all financial matters of this Association and chair the Finance/Budge committee. He/she will be responsible to receive and record the dues payment of all members and report same to the President. Records of all collections and expenditures from CELA shall be received and signed by the Treasurer. The Treasurer’s books and records shall be audited each year by the Board of Directors prior to the annual conference. A report of all revenues and expenditures shall be made available to all members of the Association. At the annual meeting of CELA, the Treasurer shall present a financial statement for all members to view if desired. The Treasurer shall sign all membership cards and shall keep an up-to-date roster of all members. The Treasurer shall investigate all tax laws and keep CELA advised of any laws that directly affect the Association may be in compliance with all such laws and procedures and investigate the Association in its rightful and correct position, as so stated in Article I, Section 1.A.

Immediate Past President-The Immediate Past President shall maintain order during all meeting and functions of the Association. The Immediate Past President shall be responsible for ensuring that all voters are in accordance with the provisions of Article II. The Immediate Past President will be the Chairman of the Legislative and Judicial Review Committee and will keep the President informed of all actions and progress which the Committee makes.

Section 5. Board of Directors

  1. There shall be a Board of Directors comprised of the President, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Vice Presidents; Secretary; Treasurer; and Immediate Past President.

  2. Except as otherwise provided by CELA Bylaws, the Board of Directors may transact Association business in the interim between annual meetings; shall determine when committee reports are to be issued; shall effectuate motions voted by the Association; and may adopt rules for the regulation of its proceedings.

  3. Official findings and recommendations of the Board of Directors shall be determined by a majority vote. All members of the Board of Directors shall have one vote.

  4. The Board of Directors may be empowered to authorize the existence of chapter organizations.

ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS AND VOTING

Section 1. Nomination of Officers

  1. At least forty-five (45) days prior to the annual meeting, the Board of Directors shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of three or more persons who are active members in good standing of the Association.

  2. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for the offices of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

  3. The Nominating Committee may select and recommend more than one person for all offices, not to exceed three (3) persons per office.

  4. In the event there is only one nominee for any particular office, the membership assembled may instruct the Secretary by proper motion to cast a ballot for the full number of qualified voters at the meeting for the said nominee whereupon the President shall declare him/her elected by acclamation.

  5. The president shall announce the results of all balloting and shall declare all elections.

  6. Formal notification of the election results shall be prepared by the secretary or designee and shall be provided to each CELA member.

Section 2. Vacancies

  1. In the event a vacancy is created in the office of the President, the 1st Vice President shall immediately vacate his/her office and assume the office of the President and at which time the Board of Directors shall have the power to fill any vacated office until a regular election is held with an interim appointee and the President will succeed himself. In the event a vacancy is created by any other officer in the Board of Directors, the Board shall have the authority to fill the vacancy until a regular election can be held.

Section 3. Voting

  1. For the normal transaction of business, all members present shall have one vote, with charter agency members having one vote per charter agency.

  2. The Immediate Past President shall determine the eligibility for voting on specific business matters and the secretary shall maintain a current listing voting eligibility.

  3. A quorum for valid vote shall be a majority of those eligible members casting ballots. Proxy ballots will not be counted and are expressly prohibited.

  4. Election of officers and voting procedures: No less than sixty (60) days prior to the annual business meeting, a voting method for casting ballots will be provided to each eligible voting member containing the names of the eligible candidates for the offices of 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer in accordance with ARTICLE IV, Section 3 – Terms of Office.

  5. Information pertaining to each candidate will be available in an electronic format no less than sixty (60) days before the annual business meeting. Candidate information will also be printed in the CELA Newsletter prior to the annual business meeting.

Section 4. Electronic Voting

The Board of Directors shall have the authority to choose and/or change the method or platform used for electronic voting, in order to ensure the integrity of elections and allow for any technical difficulties of the election process. The Board of Directors shall ensure that any method or platform used for voting shall only allow an eligible member to vote once for each available office. If an event occurs that prohibits or negatively affects electronic voting, or the integrity of the electronic voting method or platform has been compromised, the Board of Directors shall implement an alternate method of voting as soon as practical, which could include a paper or electronic ballot method, the parameters of which shall be set by the Board of Directors as a policy for the affected election. All votes legally cast will be tallied and the results will be announced during the Annual Business Meeting.

ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS

Section 1. Annual Meetings

  1. There shall be an annual meeting held during the month of November of each year.

  2. The primary purpose of the annual meeting shall be:

    1. To receive the annual report from the retiring Association officers.
    2. To adopt a budget for the next year of the Association operation, said year to commence January 1 of each successive year.

Section 2. Special Meetings

  1. The Board of Directors and/or President may call a special meeting at such time, date and place as they may consider appropriate.

  2. At the written request of a minimum of 10% of the organization, the President shall call a special meeting.

Section 3. Programs

  1. It shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors to appoint a program coordinator to ensure that each program provided for the membership shall be of the highest quality and consistent with the established purpose and goals of this Association.

Section 4. Minutes of Business Meetings

  1. Complete minutes shall be recorded of each business meeting by either the Secretary or some other qualified member of CELA designed by the Secretary to serve his/or absence.

  2. All minutes, once recorded and approved by the appropriate body as to accuracy, shall become part of the permanent recorded of which the permanent record of which the Secretary is the custodian.

  3. The minutes of the annual meeting shall be recorded by the retiring Secretary.

ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES

Section 1. Appointment

  1. The president shall whenever necessary and appropriate appoint special committees to perform specific and limited duties and he/she shall appoint members not otherwise designated herein to the following standing committees; Finance and Budget, Certification, Legislative and Judicial Review, Steering and Membership. The Chairman of each of these standing committees is listed in the duties of each Board of Directors member.

Section 2. Tenure

  1. The tenure of each special committee shall be for the duration of the specific duty assigned to it, but shall not exceed beyond the end of the CELA fiscal year in which the particular special committee was appointed, except that any special committee may be continued the following year by the succeeding President. Standing committees have a specific job description and are appointed at the pleasure of the President to serve until the end of the CELA fiscal year unless the succeeding President continues their services for another year.

  2. The Steering Committee shall meet as necessary and shall be responsible to the Board of Directors for the development and presentation of programs to the Board of Directors for the upcoming year.

  3. The Membership Committee shall meet as necessary and is responsible for the active recruitment of new members and the retention of present members.

  4. The Certification Committee is hereby empowered to fix those regulations it feels necessary to cause the members of CELA to be duly certified in the best interests of the public and the Association. The Committee shall meet as often as necessary to attain those goals and shall make a report to the Board of Directors of its progress and methods.

  5. The Legislative and Judicial Review Committee will meet as necessary and is responsible for the review of ordinances through the State of Arizona, which pertain to code enforcement. Their ultimate responsibility lies in finding the most efficient and effective laws in place and working toward the establishment to find these laws on a statewide basis. This Committee shall be chaired by the Immediate Past President. In making appointments to this Committee, the President shall consider for appointment lay members and all practicing attorneys who are active members and available to service as well as any other member who is interested.

ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Proposal

  1. Upon written petition of at least 25% of the Active Members, upon the request of the Bylaws Committee, or upon the initiative of the Board of Directors, any proposed amendment to the bylaws, shall, after discussion and approval by the Board of Directors, be submitted to a membership vote.

Section 2. Adoption

  1. Any proposed amendment shall require a majority vote for adoption. The vote shall be by secret ballot with those voting delegates so qualified as eligible to vote at the time of balloting being allowed to vote on the proposed amendment.

ARTICLE IX. ORDER OF BUSINESS

Section 1.

Parliamentary procedures shall be defined in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

  1. Roll Call of Officers

  2. Announcements

  3. Reports of officers and minutes

  4. Program

  5. Unfinished business

  6. New business

  7. Election of officers and seating same

  8. Adjournment

ARTICLE X. SEVERABILITY

That if any part of these bylaws shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force.         



Code Enforcement League of AZ
P.O. Box 1173
Avondale, AZ 85323