"Peeksting" - The Place of Springs or Standing Water



 

 

PAXTANG HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY-LAWS

Article I
(Name and Location)

The name of the Society shall be the Paxtang Historical Society, hereafter referred to as PHS.  The address for the Paxtang Historical Society is located at the Paxtang Borough Municipal Building, 3423 Derry Street, Harrisburg, PA 17111.

Article II
(Purpose)

The purpose of the Society is to conduct research, record, publish, and preserve the history of Paxtang using professional standards, procedures, and methods.  The Society hopes to educate and foster an interest in the history of Paxtang and surrounding areas.

Article III
(Membership)

To qualify as a member of PHS an individual must have an interest in Paxtang and pay the annual fee or lifetime fee.  The membership fee schedule shall be $5.00 annually for an adult individual (no fee for children members under the age of 16), and a onetime fee of $50.00 for a lifetime membership.  Children under 16 years of age may join on their own for free.  Only qualified adult members (16 years of age or older) will have voting rights.  Other than voting rights, children members will receive same benefits and all Society publications as adult members.

Article IV
(Officers and Duties of Office)

Officers will be elected to two-year terms by a majority of members (in good standing) present at the Annual Meeting.  The same person may hold no more than two offices simultaneously.

Officers shall have the right of succession.  The Officers of the Society will be:  

President:  chief executive officer of the Society.  This person will preside at all meetings of the Directors and the general membership.  The President will see that all orders of the board are carried into effect.  Upon one weeks prior notice, the President may call a meeting of the Board of Directors at anytime.  The President will have the authority to sign checks and documents.  The President has the authority to appoint and/or dissolve committees as necessary.

Vice President:  the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President.

Secretary:  shall attend all meetings of the Board and general membership, and act as clerk thereof.  The Secretary will record all votes and minutes, which shall be kept in a book that is the property of the Society.  The minutes of the previous Board meeting will be distributed to all members of the Board at the following meeting.

Treasurer:  shall have custody of the funds of the Society and shall keep full and accurate accounts in books belonging to the Society.  The Treasurer shall collect and disburse the funds as directed by the PHS Officers or the PHS Board and shall render an account of the financial condition of the organization at all general membership meetings or as ordered by the PHS Officers or the PHS Board.  The treasurer will have the authority to sign checks and make bank deposits.  In September the Treasurer will be responsible for an annual outside audit of the books.  The Treasurer shall be responsible, as necessary, for communication with the federal Internal Revenue Service or Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

Article V
(Board of Directors)

A minimum of seven (7) Directors, chosen by appointment of the President, shall manage the business and affairs of the Society.  Members of the Board are expected to perform his or her duties as a member of any committee of the Board upon which he or she may serve, in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interest of the Society, and with such care, including reasonable inquiry, skill and diligence, as a person of ordinary prudence would use under similar circumstances.

 

A Director shall not be personally liable for monetary damages for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, on behalf of the Paxtang Historical Society or its Board of Directors unless (a) the Director has breached or failed to perform the duties of his office as defined above, and (b) the breach or failure to perform those duties constitutes self-dealing, willful misconduct, or recklessness.  The Society agrees to indemnify and save harmless the Officers and Directors from any and all liabilities that they may incur as a result of carrying out their duties and obligations to the Society, except for willful and malicious injuries to persons or property.  The private property of the Officers and Directors shall be wholly exempt from liability for any and all debts, obligations, and liabilities of the Society.

 

Directors will be appointed for three-year terms.  A Director may have the right of succession.  The minimum number of Directors may be changed, as necessary, by a 2/3 vote of the members present at the Annual Meeting or by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, and in each case may then require revision to the PHS By-Laws.

Article VI
(Vacancies)

Any Officer or Director may resign at any time upon written notice to the President or Vice President of the PHS.  The Board of Directors may declare vacant an Officer or a Director who has been judicially declared of unsound mind or who has been convicted of an offense punishable by imprisonment, or if, within 60 days after notice of his or her selection, the Director does not accept the office either in writing or by attending a meeting of the Board of Directors.

Vacancies in the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment of the President.  Under normal circumstances, if a Director is absent from three (3) consecutive Board of Director Meetings, that Director will be deemed inactive and a new Director will be appointed to fulfill the position.

If the Office of President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer is vacant, the Board, by a quorum vote (3), may elect an individual to complete the unexpired term of the vacant office.

Article VII
(Fiscal year/Annual Meeting)

Meetings for the general membership of the PHS will be scheduled, as needed, on the first Monday of the month, and special meetings and PHS sponsored events may be called for specific purposes and may occur at any time.  The fiscal year will extend from September 1 to August 31.  The annual meeting will be held on the first Monday in October.

Article VIII
(Amendments)

The By-Laws of the Paxtang Historical Society may be amended or revised by a two-thirds vote of the members present at a general membership meeting.  At least ten (10) days prior to the meeting when the vote will take place, written notice containing the proposed changes to the PHS By-Laws must be distributed to all members in good standing.  A change in the fee structure of the PHS membership requires revision of the PHS By-Laws.

Article IX
(Political Activities)

At no time will the PHS organization engage in any lobbying or political activities of any kind.

Article X
(Dissolution)

In the event of the dissolution of the Society, its assets shall be distributed to such other nonprofit or tax-exempt organizations as may be determined by the Board in place at that time.

Completed: June 17, 2002
Adopted: October 7, 2002
Amended October 4, 2004; October 6, 2008; April 1, 2019