ByLaws

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BYLAWS of the ADIRONDACK WHITE LAKE ASSOCIATION
June 25, 2005
Clarifications 6/09
Revised 03/2022

ARTICLE 1. DESCRIPTION

Section One. The ADIRONDACK WHITE LAKE ASSOCIATION is a not for profit corporation under section 402 of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law in the State of New York. 

Section Two. The Association is primarily made up of lake front property owners on White Lake located in Woodgate, N.Y. 13494. 

Section Three. The Association will be organized, and conduct its business, in accordance with these bylaws. 

ARTICLE 2. OBJECTIVE

Section One: To promote and encourage-. a) interest in the community pertaining to the concerns of lake front property owners , b) the establishment of sound policies designed to conserve, restore, protect, monitor and safely regulate the natural resources , c) and the safe use and enjoyment of the waters of White Lake. 

Section Two. To provide a program of social and recreational activity for members of the association and their guests. 

Section Three. To promote the propagation and protection of fish and game in the New York Adirondack Park, specifically on White Lake. 

Section Four. To promote, advance, encourage and stimulate cooperation, understanding, fellowship and friendly exchange among members of the association. 

ARTICLE 3. MEMBERS

Section One. There will be two classes of membership; Resident Members and Associate Members.

Section Two:  A Resident Member shall be an owner, or their designee, of lake front property at White Lake who has paid the annual dues of the Association.  A designee must be registered with the Secretary of the Association.  Each property may have one or more paid Resident Members who are to be furnished with the combination to the boat ramp lock, and will receive publications of the Association.

Section Three:  An Associate Member shall be any person, not owning lake front property, but who is interested in the goals of the Association.  They may attend meetings and social functions of the Association and will receive minutes, newsletters, and other publications.  They will not receive the combination to the boat ramp and they shall not be allowed to vote on any Association matter or for any Officer or Director.  Associate Members may be members of the Committees of the Association. 

Section Four:  In order to become Resident Members, or Associate Members, the dues set by the Board of Directors must be paid for the Year. 

ARTICLE 4. VOTING

Section One: Each lakefront property, where there is at least one dues paying Resident Member for the year shall be entitled to one vote with no Resident Member having more than one vote.   In addition to their one vote, a Resident Member may carry and vote one, and only one, proxy of another voting eligible Member.  At Association meetings, where votes are to take place, one voting card will be issued for each eligible property.  A show of cards will be counted for each vote. 

Section Two: At Meetings of the Association, 15% of the eligible voting Resident Members shall constitute a quorum.  If a quorum is not present, no business of the Association may be conducted.  Without a quorum a majority of the members present may adjourn the meeting until a future date. 

Section Three:  Votes which require at least a majority of the voting membership, and other issues as directed by the Board of Directors, shall be by a ballot issued by the Secretary of the Association and returned in person or by mail or by electronic polling. One ballot will be issued for each property where a resident membership is active.  A Resident Member may return one, and only one, ballot. 

Section Four.   At any meeting of the members, a member entitled to vote, may do so by proxy executed in writing by the member or his duly authorized attorney in fact.  Proxies must be registered with the Secretary of the Association at or before any meeting where they are to be used for casting the members vote.  A Resident Member may carry and vote one, and only one, proxy of another member.  Each proxy shall be valid only for the specified meeting or any adjourned date of that meeting.   The AWLA proxy form is attached in Appendix A.

ARTICLE 5. OFFICERS

Section One:  Officers of the Association must be Resident Members (not Associate Members) of the Association and will be elected by a vote of the majority of the ballots of the eligible voters at the Annual Meeting of the Association.

Section Two. The officers of the Association and their duties are as follows: 

PRESIDENT: The President shall serve for a term of one year. The President will preside at all meetings of the Association, and will co-sign, with the Treasurer, all checks to meet obligations of the organization. 

VICE PRESIDENT:  The Vice President will serve for a term of one year. The Vice President will assume the duties of the President in the event that the president is not available or is unable to serve.

SECRETARY: The Secretary will serve for a term of one year. The Secretary will keep the minutes of all Association and Board meetings, and will publish and distribute copies of such minutes to the membership by regular mail or email as requested by each member.  The Secretary will also prepare and distribute notices, newsletters, membership cards and other publications of the Association. The Secretary will maintain the Corporate Seal, the Association voting cards and the Association ballots.

TREASURER: The Treasurer will serve for a period of one year. The Treasurer will receive all incoming monies coming to the Association and will initiate payment of all expenses of the Association. 

The Treasurer will maintain funds and accounts in a recognized bank or credit union as approved by the Board of Directors. 

The Treasurer will prepare a report of income and expenses, and account balances, for each fiscal year (calendar year) and will report financial status at all meetings of the Association membership. 

The Treasurer will provide a list of members eligible to vote at association meetings and assist in the numbering and distribution of voting cards. 

The Treasurer will submit to an audit by an audit committee at the discretion of the Board of Directors, or whenever a new treasurer is elected. 

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE: A Director-At-Large will serve for one year and become the 11th member of the Board of Directors. This member will perform such duties as may be assigned by the President and/or the Board of Directors.  (amended, August, 2007) 

Section Four:  Officers who miss meetings of the Board with no valid reason may be replaced by the President with the consent of the majority of the Board.  The President may, with the approval of the Board, select the replacement for the unexpired term.

ARTICLE 6. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section One.  The Board of Directors will consist of all of the above officers plus six additional Resident Members (not Associate Members) that are elected by a vote of the majority of the ballots of the eligible voters at the Annual Meeting of the Association. 

Section Two.  Board members, not Officers, will be elected for three year rotation terms, with two Board members elected each year. 

Section Three.  The President, with consent of the Board of Directors, may appoint a Resident Member to replace any board member who is unable or unwilling to serve the full term, or who misses meetings of the Board with no valid reason.  At the next Annual Meeting the position will be filled by election, for the remainder of the term.   

Section Four.  Votes of the Board of Directors will be a vote of the majority of the Board, in person or by other verifiable communication.

Section Five.  The Board of Directors may authorize the President or another Member to enter into contracts for the benefit of the Association.  The Board will also set the Association dues, late pay penalty, and will set the cost of the Association functions.

ARTICLE 7. DUES 

Section One.  Dues for the year are due from January 1 to May 1 of each year.  The amount will be established by the Board of Directors.  A late payment penalty and/or a special business dues may be set by the Board of Directors, and will remain in effect until changed.

ARTICLE 8. MEETINGS

Section One. The Annual Meeting of the Association will be held in August each year, and the date published in the association newsletter at least 4 weeks prior to the meeting.

Section Two.  A general Association meeting will be held each year in the spring, about Memorial Day.  This date will also be published in a newsletter.  The purpose of this meeting is to inform the membership of the activities planned for the year, advise on current financial status and receive comments and suggestions from the membership.

Section Three.  Special meetings may be called by the President with the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors, by a majority of the Board of Directors, or by not less than 15% of the eligible voting Resident Members.  All meetings must be announced with at least 10 days notice to the membership. 

Section Four.  Meetings, balloting and elections will be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order. 

Section Five.  Meetings of the Board of Directors will be held as needed to conduct business of the Association. Board Meetings will be scheduled by the President. 

ARTICLE 9. MONETARY FUNDS

Section One.  The funds necessary for the general operation of the Association will be maintained by the treasurer in checking and/or savings accounts to meet the needs of the Association. 

Section Two:  THE FUND.  A special fund, known within the Association as THE FUND, has been established for special use and shall be maintained in such depositories as designated by the Board.  The expenditure of monies from The Fund will first require the approval of nine (9) members of the Board of Directors and then by an affirmative vote by 60% of the eligible voting Resident Members of the Association.

Section Three.   THE FUND INTEREST ACCOUNT -- Earnings by the Fund may from time to time be transferred to this account, as directed by the Board of Directors. Expending funds from this account require the approval of nine (9) members of the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE 10. COMMITTEES

Section One:  Committees will be set up by the President and serve until their stated function is complete.  Each Committee should consist of at least three members either Resident or Associate, including the chairman who must be a Resident Member.  Committee chairman will present a report on committee activities and status at meetings of the Association.

Section Two:  Committees may include: Fish stocking, Lake level, Social, Membership, Safety, Bylaws, Water Quality/Pollution, Nominating and any others as required. 

Section Three:  Committee chairman must coordinate committee activities with the President and the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE 11. AMENDMENTS & POLICY

Section One.  These by-laws may be amended from time to time by either written approval or electronic polling from 51 % of the eligible voting Resident Members. 

Section Two. Various policies may be written and approved by 8 members of the Board of Directors. When approved, they will be part of the operational procedures of the Association.  The policies will be appended to these bylaws for reference.  As of June 26, 2005, the following policies are active:

  1. White Lake Fish Stocking Policy dated August 28, 1993 (rev 09/08) 

    This policy was approved by the Board of Directors of the Adirondack White Lake Association on August 28, 1993, and shall remain in effect until rescinded or amended by that Board. 

    PRINCIPLE - In an effort to maintain the aquatic balance of the lake, it is necessary to establish a fish stocking program. The lake quality cannot be sustained without providing a proper balance of various species of fish. The normal species of Lake Trout, Perch, Bullhead, Sunfish and Bass can and do reproduce naturally. However, Rainbow Trout do not reproduce primarily because there is no free flowing water into the lake. It is, therefore, important to restock the lake for both lake quality and the sport of fishing. 

    QUANTITY  The desired minimum is to stock 1,000 Rainbow Trout that are 10 inches long or longer annually. The type and size are recommended as determined in previous studies by the Conservation Department and Cornell University research department. The original study indicated that stocking 7000 fish 7@ to 9@ was desired. The larger fish will have a higher survival rate. 

    FISH COMMITTEE  The president of the Association shall appoint a fish committee, and appoint the chairperson of that committee. The purpose of the fish committee is to make recommendations to the Board, and the Association relative to the fish and fishing in White Lake, and to raise funds to support the stocking of fish in the lake each year. The committee should consider means to raise funds from people who fish the lake, but are not members of the association, in addition to association members. Funds raised by the fish committee will be turned over to the Association treasurer, who will also pay approved expenditures, by the committee. 

    STOCKING OF FISH  The Fish Committee will determine when and where to stock the fish, and will advise the membership of its plan each meeting. 

    ASSOCIATION SUPPORT At the September 13, 2008 Board Meeting the Board revised the policy for Association support to read as follows: The Board will budget money per year for the purpose of stocking White Lake with fish. This amount can be adjusted from year to year during the budget process based on the balance of the fish fund, the cost of the fish and the financial state of the AWLA. All Fish Stocking fundraising monies from the Pancake Breakfast profits, individual donations and special Fish Stocking fundraising events will be used for the purpose of stocking the lake and do not offset the Association’s fish budget line. Any additional funds must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

  2. Regular Dues and Business Dues

  3. The Fund Policy  

Adirondack White Lake Association Bylaws

Revised 2009

Appendix A: Proxy Form

The undersigned Resident Member of the Adirondack White Lake Association designates and authorizes the individual named below to act for him or her by proxy, with full power of substitution as directed herein. The undersigned extends full, valid, and formal designee status to the person named on this proxy and grants authority for them to act upon such business as may properly come before the specified meeting of the Association as limited herein.

This proxy shall be valid for the meeting scheduled for __________________________.   The undersigned reserves the right to revoke this proxy at any time for any reason or to attend meetings in person, if circumstances allow.

Person designated as proxy:  _____________________________

AWLA Member designating proxy:  ___________________________

Actions to be taken:  All (initial)_______, or   limitations as follows: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of AWLA member designating proxy:  _______________________________

Print Name: __________________________ Date signed:  ______________________________

AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE:  Upon completion of his/her term(s) as President, the Immediate Past-President will serve as the Director-At-Large and become the 11th member of the Board of Directors for a period of one year.  This member will perform such duties as may be assigned by the President and/or the Board of Directors.  This position shall be automatic and not subject to the vote of the members of the Association.  If the Immediate Past-President is unable or unwilling to fill this position, or the current President is re-elected, the President, with the consent of the Board, may select a replacement for the open position.  (approved 8/4/07)