York Baseball Association-Constitution

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Article 1. NAME

1.1 The name of the organization shall be The York Baseball Association Incorporated. It may also be referred to as Y.B.A. and/or Association.

Article 2. PURPOSE

2.1 The purpose of the York Baseball Association is to provide organized recreational baseball and opportunities to advance to select baseball for youth living within the former City of York.

Article 3. AIMS

3.1 The Aim of YBA is to develop the “FAIR PLAY” philosophy as stated in the National Coaching Certification Program, which emphasizes the following:
i) Respecting the rules of the game,
ii) Respecting officials and accepting their decisions,
iii) Respecting the opponents,
iv) Providing all participants with equal opportunities,
v) Maintaining dignity under all circumstances.

Article 4. OBJECTIVES

4.1 The objectives of the York Baseball Association are:
i) To create a safe, supportive and fun environment for all of the participants.
ii) To put the primary focus on the players and the development of their skills.
iii) To promote values that foster self-respect and respect for others.
iv) To promote and encourage participation in baseball throughout the community.
v) To institute and regulate competition in the various age categories.
vi) To encourage sportsmanship and participation for the greatest numbers.
vii) To protect the mutual interest of the Association’s Aims and Objectives.

Article 5. MEMBERS

5.1 Members of York Baseball Association must meet one or more of the following criteria:
i) A parent/guardian of a child registered with York Baseball Association;
ii) A player of Bantam age;
iii) A member of the York Baseball Association Executive;
iv) A recognized umpire, coach or manager of a member team;
v) A sponsor of a member team(s);
vi) A registered volunteer of the Association;
vii) Any resident living within the boundary of the former City of York.

Article 6. MEMBER TEAMS

6.1 Member teams of this Association shall be those teams acceptable to the Executive and shall agree to abide by and comply with the; Aims, Objectives, By-Laws, Code of Conduct, and Rules of the Association.
6.2 Member teams of the YBA are as follows:
i) Smythe Park – Rookie Ball, T-Ball Mosquito, PeeWee, Bantam House League and Rep Teams or Select Teams
ii) Keelesdale Park North – Bantam, Midget and Junior House League and Rep Teams or Select Teams
iii) All above series include major and minor divisions (Revised 01-10)

Article 7. OFFICERS

7.1 The York Baseball Association is a registered Not for Profit Corporation overseen by a Board of Directors as follows:

Officers: President
Registrar
Treasurer
Secretary
Life Member (1)

Directors: 1st Vice-President
2nd Vice-President
3rd Vice President
T-Ball/Rookie Ball Convener
Mosquito Convener
PeeWee Convener
Bantam Convener
Concession Stand Chair
Concession Stand Coordinator Smythe
Concession Stand Coordinator Keelesdale
Life Member (2)

The Executive voting members are comprised of both Officers and Directors.

The above positions, with the exception of Life Member, are to be elected annually.

The YBA Executive also includes the following annually appointed positions:

Scheduler
Public Relations Chair
Equipment Manager(s)
Sponsorship Chairperson
Fundraising Chairperson
Assistant Directors

7.2 One Vice-President shall be assigned to oversee Keelesdale through a majority vote of the Officers.
7.3 No Executive officer shall hold more than one elected and one appointed position in any given term.
7.4 The Executive has the right to appoint up to a maximum 20 Assistant Directors, to serve as advisors or assistants for the sitting Executive’s term of office.
7.5 The total number of Life Members that the YBA may have at any one time shall not exceed 3 and only one Life Member shall act as an Officer of York Baseball Association at any given time.

Article 8. APPOINTMENTS

8.1 All appointed Director positions shall be filled through a majority vote of the elected Executive members. All Assistant Director positions shall be filled through a majority vote of all Officers and Directors.
8.2 The Executive shall also appoint qualified volunteers to the positions of (with honorarium) Statistician, and Groundskeepers.
8.3 Any member may put their name forward to the Executive to serve in an appointed position. All nominations will receive equal consideration.
8.4 Appointed positions must be filled no later than November 30th during any given term.

Article 9. TERM OF OFFICE

9.1 The Executive will be in office for a period of one year, from November 1 to October 31 of the following year.
9.2 If an elected Executive position becomes vacant during the term of office, names shall be put forward and the position filled after a majority vote from no less than two thirds of the elected Executive. The Executive must fill the position within one month of the position becoming vacant.
9.3 If at any time a member of the Executive is found to have seriously or repeatedly contravened the Aims, Objectives, By-laws, Code of Conduct, and/or Rules of the Association, he/she may be relieved of his/her position by a majority vote from no less than two thirds of the elected Executive. No delegates, proxies, or e-mail votes will be allowed when voting to remove a member of the Executive.
9.4 Following the annual election, the outgoing Executive shall conduct no new business, without prior written approval of the incoming Executive.

Article 10. EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

10.1 The Executive shall have full control of the affairs of the Association.
10.2 The Executive shall have the right to pass regulations and by-laws respecting the affairs of the Association.
10.3 The Executive is obliged to consider the best interests of the YBA as a whole and member distribution when making financial decisions.
10.4 The Executive has final determination over schedules and rule changes.
10.5 The Executive has final determination regarding filling appointed positions and in the selection of coaches, umpires, volunteers, players, member teams, and affiliates.
10.6 The Executive has the right and responsibility to deal with any disagreements or protests that may arise as hereinafter provided and any other matters pertaining to the welfare of the Association or the interpretation of any rule or rules in connection therewith.
10.7 The Executive has the responsibility to meet on a regular basis; meet with and report to the members at least three times per year; and attend to the affairs of the Association in a timely manner.
10.8 The Executive has the responsibility of being accountable to the membership.
10.9 The Executive shall endeavor at all times to be fair and impartial in conflict situations and responsive to the members at large.
10.10 The Executive is required at all times to uphold the Aims and Objectives of the YBA and behave in a manner in keeping with the Code of Conduct.

Article 11. NOMINATIONS

11.1 Nominations for all elected Executive positions and for the positions of Head Umpire will be accepted for the upcoming election, either in person or by Letter of Intent, delivered to the Snack Bar (to be forwarded to the Secretary) no later than August 31. Nominees are to submit in writing a brief summary of how their skills and experience relate to the position being sought.
11.2 Any person nominated for an elected position on the Executive must be a member in good standing.
11.3 Any person nominated for the position of President, must have demonstrated their commitment to the organization and developed the necessary knowledge of the organization’s culture by holding an elected or appointed positions on the Executive for a period of no less than two years.

Article 12. ELECTIONS

12.1 Elections for all Executive positions will take place during the Annual Meeting each year, to be held before October 31.
12.2 In addition to the Executive positions, the positions with honorarium of Head Umpire and Head Scorekeeper shall be elected annually during the Annual Meeting.
12.3 Any Officer who is absent from three consecutive meetings without sufficient cause shall automatically relinquish their position on the Executive.
12.4 All positions shall be elected by secret ballot.
12.5 Every member of the York Baseball Association over the age of fourteen, as outlined in Article 5, has the right to vote during the Annual Meeting.
12.6 There will be no voting by proxy. All members intending to vote will be required to sign in prior to receiving their ballots.
12.7 The election process shall be overseen by one or more members of the sitting Executive, who have not put forward their name for the current election.
12.8 Ballots shall be counted by no less than three adult observers, to be selected by the overseers.
12.9 Positions shall be filled by a majority vote of the members in attendance.
12.10 In the case of a tie, each nominee will be provided 5 minutes to speak and a second vote held following the speeches.
12.11 Ballots and count sheets will be kept on file for a period of one week after the election in case of dispute, after which they will be shredded by the Secretary.
12.12 If there is only one person nominated for any elected position, that person shall receive the position through acclamation.
12.13 No member shall hold more than one elected position for any given term.

Article 13. LIFE MEMBERS

13.1 The voting position of Life Member can be conferred on an individual upon the recommendation of the YBA Executive, following an Executive vote, only after 10 years or more of continuous faithful service by the individual to the YBA and where a definite desire exists to retain the active service of the individual with an official status.

Article 14. EXECUTIVE DECISIONS

14.1 No binding decisions shall be made by the Executive without proper notification of officers; full and informed debate of all issues; and, quorum present.
14.2 The Executive will attempt to reach consensus on all YBA matters. If after full, informed debate of an issue, consensus cannot be reached; the matter will be put to a vote.
14.3 If unable to attend an open meeting due to extenuating circumstances, and provided neither member has a conflict of interest related to the matter, an elected officer of the Executive may designate another member to vote on their behalf, by providing the Secretary with notice in writing or by e-mail, indicating the name of their designate and the date of the meeting for which the proxy is in effect.
14.4 No member may hold more than one proxy for any given meeting.
14.5 Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution, when a vote of the Executive is required, each elected officer, designate, and life member in attendance shall be entitled to and required to vote on all matters, unless excused by the Chair due to a conflict of interest or extenuating circumstances.
14.6 If at any time an elected officer is deemed to have a conflict of interest regarding the issue before the Executive, that officer shall be deemed ineligible and shall be excused by the chair from voting on that particular issue.
14.7 Unless indicated otherwise in the Constitution, the Executive can make no binding decisions without the presence of at least ½ of the elected filled positions. Quorum for any vote is equal to no less than ½ of all elected officers eligible to vote on a given issue. A result of no less than 50% + 1 is required for any vote to be binding.
14.8 Due to the difficulty in arranging meetings during the season, once the season starts voting may be done through ballots. Each ballot shall clearly state the item(s) to be voted on and the date. All voting Executive members will be notified by telephone or e-mail that a vote is pending at least three days in advance. Voting Executive members may at that time choose to pick up their ballots at Smythe Park Concession Stand or have them e-mailed. Upon obtaining their ballot voting Executive members must sign a sheet or reply by e-mail, stating that they have received their ballot. These statements of receipt will be used to determine if quorum of no less than ½ of all elected voting Executive members eligible to vote on the issue has been achieved. No proxies will be accepted for balloted votes. All votes must be received by the date specified on the ballot.
14.9 If a single position is shared by two or more persons, only one person shall vote for the position.

Article 15. MINUTES OF MEETINGS

15.1 Minutes shall be recorded (mechanically or by hand) at all General, Executive, and Rep Committee Meetings, and filed with the Secretary within three weeks of the meeting.
15.2 A copy of the Minutes of any meeting, with the exception of Meetings of the Executive designated closed for reasons of individuals right to privacy, may be requested by any member and must be forwarded to the member within two weeks of the request.

Article 16. AMENDMENTS

16.1 Changes or amendments to the Constitution may be made once annually at the first General Meeting held during the new calendar year and must pass by two-thirds majority vote of all members present.
16.2 Notice of Motions to amend the Constitution, clearly outlining details of the proposed amendments, must be sent in writing to the Association’s Secretary, to be received at least ten days prior to the General Meeting, to be forwarded to the Executive members at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Article 17. OFFICERS DUTIES (Appendix I)

17.1 The Executive may amend the Officer’s Duties at any Executive Meeting provided a quorum is present.
17.2 Notice of Motions to amend the Officer’s Duties must be in writing and received by the Association’s Secretary 10 days prior to the Executive Meeting, to be forwarded to all Executive members at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Article 18. BY-LAWS (Appendix II)

18.1 The Executive may amend the By-laws at any Executive Meeting provided a quorum is present .
18.2 Notice of Motions to amend the By-Laws must be in writing and received by the Association’s Secretary 10 days prior to the Executive Meeting, to be forwarded to all Executive members at least seven days prior to the meeting.
18.3 Members shall be advised of amendments in a timely fashion.

Article 19. CODE OF CONDUCT (Appendix III)

19.1 The Executive may amend the Code of Conduct at any Executive Meeting provided a quorum is present.
19.2 Notice of Motions to amend the Code of Conduct must be in writing and received by the Association’s Secretary 10 days prior to the Executive Meeting, to be forwarded to all Executive members at least seven days prior to the meeting.
19.3 Members shall be advised of amendments in a timely fashion.

Article 20. RULES (Appendix IV)

20.1 Rules may only be changed or amended by a vote of the voting Executive members.
20.2 The Executive may amend the Rules at any Executive Meeting held prior to the start of the season, provided a quorum is present.
20.3 Notice of Motions to amend the Rules must be in writing and received by the Association’s Secretary 10 days prior to the Executive Meeting to be forwarded to all Executive members at least seven days prior to the meeting.
20.4 During the season, in cases whereby player safety may be compromised, an emergency meeting of the Executive must be called and the Rules amended to maintain player safety. A quorum is required for amendments to pass. Members shall be advised of amendments as soon as possible.