By-Laws
BY LAWS
EUNICE LODGE No. 830
Free & Accepted Masons
CALEDONIA, NEW YORK
Presented April 5, 2012
Approved June 7, 2012
BY LAWS of
EUNICE LODGE No. 830
Article 1 –- TITLE
Sec. 1. This lodge shall be known as Eunice Lodge No. 830, Free and Accepted Masons, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York.
Article 2 –- COMMUNICATIONS
Sec. 1. The Stated Communications of this Lodge shall be held on the first Thursday evening in each month during the year) except when the first Thursday of January falls on January 1st, in which case the first Stated Communication of the year shall be the third Thursday of January. Special Communications may be called by the Master whenever he may deem it necessary, provided due and timely notice be given, but no business shall be transacted at such special communications except that for which it was called. The hour of meeting shall be 7:30 P.M.
Sec. 2. This Lodge may, by vote, or at the discretion of the Master, take a recess and suspend the regular communications during the summer months; but the prerogative of the Master (or other presiding officer) to call a stated or special communication when he may deem it necessary, shall not in any way be affected by said vote.
Sec. 3 The annual communication for the election of officers shall be held on the first stated, or summoned, communication after the Grand Lodge communication in May.
Sec. 4 The annual communication for the presentation of the budget, Secretary’s annual report, Treasurer’s annual report and any other fiscal business shall be held on the last stated communication in the month of December.
Article 3 –- OFFICERS
Sec. 1. The elective officers of this lodge shall consist of:
1. Master
2. Senior Warden
3. Junior Warden
4. Treasurer
5. Secretary
6. Three Trustees
These officers shall be elected by ballot and a majority of the whole number of votes cast shall be necessary for a choice.
The Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Treasurer, and Secretary shall hold office for one year next succeeding their election and until their successors are elected and installed. One Trustee shall be elected each year to hold office for the term of three years.
Sec. 2. The Master shall, on the evening of his election, or at the next Stated Communication, appoint the following officers, who shall hold office during his pleasure:
7. Chaplain
8. Senior Deacon
9. Junior Deacon
10. Senior Master of Ceremony
11. Junior Master of Ceremony
12. Stewards (2)
13. Marshal
14. Musician
15. Tiler
Sec. 3. The officers of the Lodge shall be installed at the first regular communication following the Annual Election Communication.
Sec. 4. No members of this Lodge shall be deemed eligible to any office, or entitled to vote for officers at the annual election, whose dues for the current year are unpaid, if objection be made; unless his dues be remitted by the Lodge.
Article 4 –- DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Sec. 1. Master —
It shall be the duty of the Master to:
1. Preside over and govern the Lodge in accordance with the ancient Landmarks and Usages
2. See that these By-Laws are duly observed as well as the Statutes, Rules and Regulations of the Grand Lodge
3. See that accurate records are kept and just accounts rendered
4. See that regular returns are made to the Grand Lodge, that the annual dues are promptly paid
5. Appoint all committees unless otherwise ordered by vote of the Lodge
6. Discharge all the executive functions of the Lodge
7. Appoint, or remove, appointive officers
Sec. 2. Treasurer —
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:
1. Receive all moneys collected by the Secretary and give the Secretary receipts for the same
2. Payout moneys on orders duly pass ed by the Lodge and orders drawn at a Stated Communication of the same and attested by the Secretary and the Master and only on such orders
3. Keep a just and accurate record of the same
4. At the Annual Communication for the review of fiscal business , and oftener if required, the Treasurer shall present to the Lodge a just, true and accurate account of all his receipts and expenditures during the year in detail, and at the expiration of his term of office shall, within ten days, deliver to his successor in office all books, papers, money and property of the Lodge in his possession.
Sec. 3. Secretary —
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:
1. Record the proceedings of the Lodge under the direction of the presiding officer
2. Receive all money due the Lodge, pay the same to the Treasurer and take his receipt therefor
3. Keep a register of the members of the Lodge, with a permanent number affixed to each name, corresponding with the return for registry required by the Grand Lodge
4. Register alphabetically in a suitable book all expulsions, suspensions, rejections and restorations
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6. Make a full and correct return to the Grand Lodge annually of those who have been initiated, passed and raised during the year for which the return is rendered, with the Lodge number, age, occupation, nativity, residence and dates of receiving such degrees, also of all· affiliates during the year, with the Lodge number, age, occupation, nativity, residence, date Of affiliation and name, number and jurisdiction of the Lodge from which demitted, together with full information as to all changes that occurred in the membership of the Lodge during the year, which return shall be made upon blanks furnished by the Grand Lodge, be certified by the Secretary, approved by the Master and transmitted to the Grand Secretary before the 15th day of January in each year
7. Transmit immediately after every election a certificate of the names and residence of the officers elected to the Grand Secretary and to the District Deputy Grand Master of the Livingston Masonic District
8. Make a full and correct return annually to the District Deputy Grand Master of the condition of the Lodge on the 31st day of December in the form prescribed by the Grand Lodge, to be transmitted on or before the 5th day of May
9. Report immediately to the Grand Secretary the expulsions or suspensions of a member by the Lodge, stating the cause of such expulsion or suspension
10. Certify and affix the seal of the Lodge to all returns and certificates of Election made to the Grand Lodge and to the District Deputy Grand Master
11. Attest the official signature of the Master to all other Masonic documents, when necessary
12. Issue all necessary and proper summonses and notices
13. Notify committees of their appointments and furnish them with copies of all resolutions and papers which may be deemed necessary for the proper discharge of their duties
14. Keep a just and true account between the members and the Lodge
15. Furnish the committee on finance with all papers, books, and assistance necessary for the proper discharge of their duty
16. At the expiration or sooner termination of his office deliver all papers, books, vouchers and property in his possession belonging to the Lodge, to his successor in office within ten days after the installation of his successor in office
b. The Secretary shall, on or before the first day of November, summon all members who are in arrears for their current year’s dues, to pay the same and their next year’s dues, before the first day of the following January. He shall report, at the first stated communication in January’, the names of the members who neglected or refused to obey the summons.
c. At the annual Communication for the review of fiscal business , and oftener if required by the Lodge, the Secretary shall present to the Lodge a just, true and accurate account of all moneys received by him and paid to the Treasurer, the membership of the Lodge, the changes in the membership during the year, with the causes of such changes, and such other facts as he shall deem proper and of interest and benefit to the Lodge, and he shall receive as compensation such sum as the Lodge may from time to time by vote direct.
Sec. 4. Trustees —
a. It shall be the duties of the Trustees to hold in trust for the Lodge all stocks, securities, investments and funds on deposit or at interest, and all other physical property belonging to the Lodge, and shall transfer, exchange, or deposit the same whenever required by a vote of the Lodge, deposits to be made in such institutions, or invested as may be directed by the Lodge, and no amount shall be drawn from such deposit, or change to be made in any investment without the order of the Lodge. They shall report at the Annual Communication for the review of fiscal business in each year, and oftener if required by the Lodge, the condition of the finances and property of the Lodge under their control.
b. The Board of Trustees shall be composed of three Trustees, the Lodge Secretary and Lodge Treasurer. The Trustee with one year of office remaining shall be President; the Trustee with two years of office remaining shall be Vice-President. The Secretary and Treasurer of the board shall be the Secretary and Treasurer of the Lodge, ex-officio.
Sec. 5. Committee on Finance —
A Committee on Finance shall be appointed by the Master at the first stated communication in January. This committee shall consist of three members of the Lodge. It shall be the duty of this committee to:
1. Audit all accounts referred to them
2. Examine and balance the books of the Treasurer and Secretary
3. Make full and correct reports of the funds and condition of the Lodge at the Annual Communication for election of officers, or as required.
Article 5 – Membership
Sec. 1. All petitions for initiation must be either written or printed or partly written and partly printed and signed by the petitioner, stating the age, nativity, occupation and residence of the petitioner and to be recommended by a member of Eunice Lodge. Petitions shall be read in open Lodge and referred to an investigating committee of no less than three members of the Lodge who shall report upon the same at the next Stated Communication of the Lodge, whereupon the petitioner must be balloted on, and, if elected and thereafter no objection is raised, shall be entitled to receive the degrees. If he shall be declared rejected, the money accompanying this petition shall be returned to him, and he shall not be permitted to present his petition to the Lodge until the expiration of one year.
Sec. 2. Any person desiring to become a member of this Lodge by affiliation must submit a petition of Affiliation. In case the affiliating member shall in his petition indicate that he desires to retain his membership in another Lodge than that to which he petitions for affiliation, upon his acceptance by the Lodge, he shall become a member thereof on signing the By-Laws; and certificate of his discharge from membership in another Lodge is dispensed with.
The Secretary shall notify the other Lodge of which the brother is a member. If the affiliating member in his petition indicates that he does not desire to retain his membership in another Lodge he must produce a demit from the Lodge to which he last belonged along with the petition of Affiliation.
Article 6 –- Fees and Dues
Sec. 1. The Lodge shall not make a Mason for a sum less than $75.00. Petitioners from other jurisdictions must pay the initiation fee applicable to their home Lodge’s jurisdiction or $75.00, whichever is greater. $25.00 must accompany the petition, the balance due shall be paid prior to conferring of the first degree. The second and third degrees shall be conferred without fee.
Sec. 2. The fee for affiliation in Eunice Lodge shall be five dollars ($5.00) which must accompany the petition for affiliation.
Sec. 3. The annual dues of the members of this Lodge shall be $50.00, this includes any Grand Lodge dues and assessments. Dues shall be payable in advance before the first day of January of each year. Members raised or affiliated during any year shall pay the full Lodge dues assessment.
Sec. 4. The Secretary shall be presented with an annual stipend, the amount of this stipend is to be equivalent to one years dues.
Sec. 5. The Treasurer shall be presented with an annual stipend, the amount of this stipend is to be equivalent to one half of one years dues.
ARTICLE 7 — UNAFFILIATION, RESTORATION, DEMISSION and WITHDRAWAL
Sec. 1. Any member of this Lodge who neglects to pay his current year’s dues, shall be duly summoned on or before the first day of November to pay both the current year’s dues and the following year’s dues (Article 6, Sec. 3) and shall be notified of the provisions of this section of the By-Laws. At the annual meeting, for the review of fiscal business, the Secretary shall read the names of members in arrears and liable to suspension. The Lodge by majority vote may act to remit the dues of any member in distress. Any member neglecting or refusing to obey the summons before the first of January of the following year shall be unaffiliated as of January first of that year. At the first meeting in January of each year the Secretary shall read the names of those members thus unaffiliated.
Sec. 2. Any such unaffiliated brother may be restored to membership by a majority vote, taken by show of hands, of the members of the Lodge present and voting at a Stated Communication, providing he shall have paid that amount due at the time of such unaffiliation, except that such unaffiliated brother, who shall have been unaffiliated for five (5) years or more, shall not again become a member of this Lodge except by two thirds (2/3) majority of a regular ballot.
Sec. 3. Any member of the Lodge against whom charges are not pending, and whose dues and indebtedness to the Lodge are paid, may withdraw from membership by presenting a written application therefor at a Stated Communication. The Lodge shall grant the request of the brother by dropping his name from the rolls, and his membership shall thereby be terminated. A brother thus dropped from the roll of the Lodge shall be entitled to a demit setting forth the fact.
Article 8 –- CHARGES and TRIALS
Sec. 1. All proceedings in relation to charges preferred against a brother shall be in strict conformity with the Statutes and the Code of Procedure of the Grand Lodge.
Article 9 –- REPEAL and AMENDMENTS
Sec. 1. The Constitution of the Grand Lodge shall be construed as part of these By-Laws and any action of the Grand Lodge which may affect or alter these By-Laws in any respect shall be considered as an amendment to them.
Sec. 2. These By-Laws may be altered, modified or amended only by a vote of two thirds pf the members of the Lodge present and voting at a Stated Communication provided however that the proposed alterations, modifications or amendments shall have been presented in writing to the Lodge at a Stated Communication, read in open Lodge and entered upon the minutes at least one Stated Communication prior to the one at which a vote thereon shall be taken.
Sec. 3. All former By-Laws of this Lodge, are, by the adoption of these, declared null and void.
ORDER OF BUSINESS
RULES OF ORDER
1. Each member who desires to speak on any subject must rise and address himself to the Master, confine himself to the subject matter under discussion, and avoid all personality and unbecoming levity. He shall not be interrupted while speaking unless for a breach of order
2. During the progress of any work, all present shall observe the strictest decorum
3. No member shall leave the Lodge before the close of the meeting without permission of the Master
4. Every resolution shall be reduced to writing if the Master or Secretary desires it
5. The Master shall discountenance tedious debate as a hindrance to the regular work of the Lodge, and put a stop to it
6. The Master shall be the judge of order and debate
7. When a question is put, every member shall vote thereon, unless for special reasons he shall be excused
8. No person shall speak twice on the same subject without permission of the Master