ASSOCIATION OF
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTANTS
DES MOINES CHAPTER
BYLAWS
Adopted April 4, 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Article I
Name........ 1
Article II Association Purpose
and Objectives................... 1
SECTION 1. MISSION AND PURPOSE.............. 1
SECTION 2. OBJECTIVES.......... 1
Article III Code of Ethics...... 2
SECTION 1. PURPOSE.............. 2
Article IV Membership................. 2
SECTION 1. MEMBERS............ 2
SECTION 2. FULL GOVERNMENT
MEMBERS............ 2
SECTION 3. PRIVATE SECTOR
MEMBERS............ 2
SECTION 4. EARLY CAREER MEMBERS............ 2
SECTION 5. STUDENT MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 6. RETIRED MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 7. LIFETIME MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 8. HONORARY MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 9. CORPORATE MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 10. DUTIES OF MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 11. RESIGNATION OF
MEMBERS............ 3
SECTION 12. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS............ 4
SECTION 13. REINSTATEMENT 4
Article V Meetings of Members. 4
SECTION 1. CALLS TO MEETING.............. 4
SECTION 2. NOTICE OF MEETINGS............ 4
SECTION 3. QUORUM.............. 4
SECTION 4. VOTING RIGHTS 4
SECTION 5. VOTING ACTIONS.............. 5
Article VI Chapter Governance.............. 5
SECTION 1. CHAPTER EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE (CEC).............. 5
Article VII Chapter Officers
and Directors 6
SECTION 1. CHAPTER OFFICERS.............. 6
SECTION 2. CHAPTER DIRECTORS......... 6
Article VIII Nomination,
Election and Filling Vacancies................... 7
SECTION 1. NOMINATIONS.. 7
SECTION 2. CAMPAIGNING.. 7
SECTION 3. BALLOTING......... 7
SECTION 4. ELECTION RESULTS.............. 8
SECTION 5. FILLING OF VACANCIES.......... 8
Article IX Committees,
Sub-Committees and Task Forces.... 8
SECTION 1. FORMATION........ 8
SECTION 2. MEMBERSHIP..... 8
SECTION 3. TERMS OF OFFICE 9
SECTION 4. RESPONSIBILITIES 9
Article X Fiscal, Membership,
and Program Years....... 9
SECTION 1. FISCAL YEAR... 9
SECTION 2. MEMBERSHIP AND
RECOGNITION YEAR... 9
SECTION 3. PROGRAM YEAR 9
Article XI Financial
Responsibilities...... 10
SECTION 1. AUTHORITY....... 10
SECTION 2. BUDGET............ 10
Article XII Dues....... 10
SECTION 1. DUES............ 10
SECTION 2. WAIVER OF DUES -
MILITARY DUES 10
Article XIII Dissolution.............. 10
Article XIV Parliamentary
Authority................. 11
Article XV Amendments............. 11
SECTION 1. GENERAL............ 11
SECTION 2. ORIGINATION OF BYLAWS
AND POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AMENDMENTS 11
SECTION 3. PROCESSING PROCEDURES..... 11
Article XVI Liability of
Officers and Indemnification..... 12
SECTION 1. LIMITATION ON
LIABILITY.......... 12
SECTION 2. INDEMNIFICATION......... 12
Association of Government Accountants
Des Moines Chapter
BYLAWS
The name of this
organization is the Association of Government Accountants – Des Moines Chapter
(hereinafter referred to as "the Chapter”). This Chapter is a part of the Association of Government
Accountants (hereinafter referred to as "the Association” or “AGA”).
AGA serves
professionals in the government financial management community by providing
quality education, fostering professional development and certification, and
supporting standards and research to advance government accountability.
The purpose of
the Association and Chapter is to be a professional organization dedicated to
the advancement of government financial management. The Association shall serve
its members by providing or sponsoring appropriate educational programs,
encouraging professional development, influencing governmental financial
management policies and practices and serving as an advocate for the
profession. The Association shall serve
government officials and the public by sponsoring efforts to ensure full and
fair accountability for all public monies and by providing a variety of pro
bono services throughout the United States and its territories that support
that end.
The Association
and Chapter shall have the following objectives with regard to government
financial managers including others associated with government accounting:
(a) Primarily to instruct, train and inform
government financial managers in the fields of accounting, auditing, budgeting,
systems, and financial management. This continuing education process will
provide for the professional development of government financial managers so
that they may better serve the public.
(b) To
encourage and provide educational events for the interchange of ideas among
financial managers in government service and among government and
non-government financial managers.
(c) To
contribute to the advancement of financial management principles and standards
and through educational events promote appropriate utilization of financial
management methods and techniques to improve management control and
accountability to the public.
(d) To
bring together professional financial managers in the government and the
community for educational and other constructive endeavors.
(e) To
promote the observance of professional standards and ethics in the
accomplishment of government financial management activities.
(f) To
recognize the unique skills and knowledge required of professionals who
specialize in government financial management by sponsoring a professional
certification program.
In order to foster the
highest professional standards and behavior, and exemplary service to all
levels of government, the AGA Code of Ethics has been developed as guidance for
the members of the Association, certified government financial managers
(CGFMs), and for the information of their employers. AGA members and/or CGFMs are expected to abide by the
Association’s Code of Ethics and the Chapter has adopted the AGA Code of
Ethics.
As established in the
Bylaws of the Association, the members of the Chapter shall consist of Full
Government Members, Private Sector Members, Early Career Members, Student
Members, Retired Members, Lifetime Members, Honorary Members and Corporate
Members.
This class of
membership requires three or more years of government experience acceptable to
the Membership Committee, involving the professional performance of financial
management activities in an operational, administrative and/or supervisory
capacity. This class is also available
to individuals with similar experience outside the government who are engaged
in educational activities having the same objectives as the Association, or who
have made a contribution toward the improvement of government financial
management.
This class of membership is available to
individuals working for commercial activities/ventures (e.g., see Section 9
below) that are actively engaged in and support AGA’s purpose and objectives.
This class of
membership is available to government employees with less than three years
experience.
This
class of membership is available to college/university students. This class of membership is not available to
individuals who have been employed in the financial management field for one
(1) year or more.
This
class of membership is available to individuals who have retired from and are
no longer substantially working in the government financial management
community.
This class of
membership is to be designated at the discretion of the National Executive
Committee to recognize a member's distinguished service to the Association over
a sustained period of time.
This class of
membership is to be designated at the discretion of the National Executive
Committee to recognize distinguished service to the Association and/or
exemplary contributions to governmental financial management. Only highly noteworthy nationally recognized
individuals who cannot meet the requirements for a full or retired member will
be considered.
This class of
membership is available to commercial activities/ventures (e.g., company,
corporation, partnership, and sole-proprietor) that are actively engaged in and
support AGA's purpose and objectives.
It is the duty
and responsibility of members to:
(a) Endorse
the purpose and objectives of the Chapter and the Association;
(b) Uphold
and be guided in their professional conduct by the Association's Code of
Ethics; and
(c) Cooperate
with AGA’s Professional Ethics Board in any investigations of violations of the
Code of Ethics.
Members may
resign at any time, except that no member shall be permitted to resign while
under investigation for a violation of the Association's Code of Ethics.
(a)
Disciplining of members is performed by the Association under the terms
of the AGA Bylaws and as provided in the Association's Policies and Procedures.
(b)
A member who has been appropriately invoiced and who fails to pay his or
her membership dues for a period of two months after the due date shall be
suspended automatically as a member of the Association. Suspended members who continue to fail to
pay their membership dues shall be removed automatically from the rolls of the
Association four months after the suspension date.
(c)
The National
Executive Committee as provided in the Association's Policies and Procedures
may suspend membership in the Association.
The Association's
National Executive Committee may prescribe the conditions, policies and
procedures under which members may be reinstated.
General membership
meetings to advance the objectives of the Chapter may be called on such dates
and at such times and places as may be designated by the Chapter
President. Special membership meetings
may be called by members having at least 20% of the members or 15 members
whichever is less of the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting.
Notice of each
general membership meeting of the Chapter must be provided to each member of
the Chapter at least ten days prior to the meeting. Notice of a special membership meeting must be provided to each
member of the Chapter at least ten days before the date of the meeting.
Twenty percent of
the members or 15 members, whichever is less, shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of official business presented at any Chapter meeting of the
membership.
All members shall
have the right to vote on Association and Chapter matters. The usual occurrence will be the voting for
National Officers and Chapter Officers and Directors. Each chapter member, through the member's right to vote on
chapter matters, elects the representatives to the Associations National Board
of Director's.
Matters requiring a vote
by the Chapter members shall be approved by a plurality (i.e., most votes) of
the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Exceptions to the plurality rule are:
changes in the Chapter’s Bylaws, and the reversal of action of the Chapter
Executive Committee (CEC) in regard to formal policies and procedures of the
Chapter, which require approval of two-thirds (2/3) of those Chapter members.
(See Article XV, Sections 1. and 3.).
(a)
The governing body of the Chapter shall be the CEC consisting of the
following:
Chapter President (Chair of the CEC)
Chapter President-elect (Vice-Chair of the CEC)
Immediate Past Chapter President
Chapter Secretary
Chapter Treasurer
Chapter Directors
Chapter Chairs
(b)
CEC Meetings
and Quorum:
The CEC shall meet preferably monthly at the call of the Chapter President or
any three of the members of the CEC. A
quorum for the CEC meetings is six persons.
(c)
CEC Voting
Action: Matters requiring a vote by the CEC shall be approved by a majority of
those present and voting.
(d)
The President
shall preside at all meetings. In the
absence of the President, the officer to preside shall be determined in the following
succession: President-elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and
Treasurer.
(e)
In lieu of a
meeting, the Chapter President may call for a poll vote (via mail, email or
phone) on matters requiring a CEC vote.
For poll votes, a majority of the CEC members is required to approve a
matter presented.