ARTICLE 1 – NAME

This Association shall be known as "The New Hampshire Building Officials Association".

ARTICLE 2 – PURPOSE

The purpose of this Association shall be to promote the acquaintance of the membership; to gather and disseminate all matters of interest; establish, foster and maintain a professional spirit; promote good fellowship among its members; offer its expertise as needed to its membership or to any New Hampshire town or city, or other code enforcement agencies interested in the protection of public safety, health, and welfare from the hazards of fire or other dangers resulting from unsound construction or code violations.

ARTICLE 3 – CHARTER  (May 1965)

The Association shall be registered in the State of New Hampshire as a non‑profit organization and its charter shall be filed with the Secretary of State.

ARTICLE 4 – MEMBERSHIP

The Association shall have membership as herein defined:

Active Member: All active code officials in the State of New Hampshire or its political subdivisions, charged with specific duties related to the purpose of the Association, shall be eligible for active membership, and all active members in good standing shall have a vote in the affairs of the Association.

Inactive Member: Any active member in good standing shall, upon retirement from official duty, become eligible for membership as an inactive member, provided however, that an inactive member shall not have a vote.

Subscribing Member: Only such persons or firms as approved by the Membership
Committee or Governing Board shall be eligible for subscribing membership, provided however, that a said member shall not have a vote.

Honorary Member: Any person meriting the gratitude or recognition of the Association may be eligible for honorary membership, provided however, that an honorary member shall not have a vote.  Eligibility for honorary membership shall be voted on by the membership.

Interim Member: Anyactive member in good standing, who shall become temporarily an inactive official may apply in writing to the Governing Board for "Interim Membership" for the duration of the fiscal year, provided however, that an interim member shall not have a vote. No dues shall be assessed against interim members for that period. The Governing Board may accept or reject the request and shall have the power to extend the time period beyond the fiscal year and may waive or assess any dues.

Associate Member: Allactive code officials outside the State of New Hampshire, charged with specific duties related to the purpose of the Association, shall be eligible for associate membership and all associate members in good standing shall have a vote in the affairs of the Association. Associate members shall not be eligible for election to any position on the Association’s Governing Board.

ARTICLE 5 – APPLICATION

Every application for membership shall be submitted on such forms as provided by the Secretary and shall be accompanied by the recommendation of at least one member. 

Such application shall be referred to the Membership Committee or Governing Board for review. The Chairman shall within a reasonable time submit a report to the Association. Should one member in good standing object to the acceptance of an applicant, such objection shall be referred to the Membership Committee for investigation and report.

The objector shall not be required or allowed to give reason for such objection in open meeting but may be required to appear before the Committee and give testimony relative thereto. The membership shall then vote to accept or reject each application.

It shall be incumbent upon all members to thus protect the Association against all undesirable membership, provided that the grounds for such objections shall be for other than personal enmity.

ARTICLE 6 – GOVERNING BOARD

The Association shall have a governing board which shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, an Immediate Past-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, and four directors as elected by the Active Membership at the annual meeting. The Governing Board may include an ex-offio (non-voting) director position for any affiliate grpup recognized by the NHBOA Board of Directors. The members of the Board shall serve such terms as herein specified, provided that no more than two members from the same jurisdiction may serve the Board at any time. The Secretary and Treasurer positions may be filled by the same individual. All terms shall be for two years. The above officers shall continue to hold office until their successors are duly qualified.

It shall be a requirement of this Association that only Active Members be allowed to serve as a member of the Governing Board.

ARTICLE 7 – DUTIES OF THE GOVERNING BOARD

Any member of the Governing Board (hereafter "Board") shall be considered to have abandoned his/her position if absent from two or more consecutive Board meetings. Any Board member absent from three or more Board meetings may be removed from the Board by a majority vote of the remaining Board members after notice by mail to the affected Board member, as to the date, time, and place such vote shall be taken. Any member may be excused from any meeting by contacting another Board member, prior to the meeting to be held, and requesting the reason for absence be communicated to the remaining Board members at the meeting in question. The excused member's request shall be entered into the minutes of that Board meeting.

The President shall set the date, time, and place for any such meeting and the Secretary shall make all such notifications. Should either of these officers be the subject of the meeting, the next presiding officer shall assume the responsibilities of setting the meeting date, time, and place and sending the required notice.

President: The President shall preside at all meetings; enforce due observance of the By-Laws; require all officers to properly discharge their respective duties; appoint all committees not otherwise provided for; place all nominations and appeals before the membership for its consideration; cast a vote only in case of a tie, and perform all duties as usually relate to the office in like associations.

The President shall make every effort to become involved on a national level. This effort shall be made in order to bring information to the Association members on changes and benefits in the ICC organization. The President or his/her designee shall be reimbursed up to $600 to attend the ICC’s spring meeting and $600 to attend ICC’s annual conference, for a maximum of $1,200 per annum. The President shall report to the membership on information he has received upon his return. The President shall receive a $200 stipend annually.

Immediate Past-President: The Immediate Past-President shall assist the newly elected President and Governing Board in making an orderly and cohesive transition for the good of the Association. The Immediate Past-President shall transfer all Association documents as soon as possible after the election of the new Association President. The Immediate Past-President shall not be a voting member of the Board, but shall act to guide the new President and Board. This position shall have a term limit of one year. The Immediate Past-President shall receive a $100 stipend annually.

Vice-President: The Vice-President shall assist the President in the performance of his duties and in the absence of the President shall preside. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President shall succeed to such office until the next regular meeting or until an election as herein before provided for shall be held and a new President installed in the office. The Vice-President shall receive a $150 stipend annually.

Secretary: The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings and a record of all transactions of the Association; keep a roll of the members with their addresses and place of business as well as their date of admission; notify all members when appointed to committees; notify all committees of meetings; notify the membership of general meetings; and perform such other duties as may be required by the office of the Secretary. The Secretary shall submit a report of his/her duties at the annual meeting. The Secretary shall receive a $100 stipend annually.

Treasurer: The Treasurer's books shall at all times be open to inspection by the President, Vice-President or any audit committee appointed by the President or by resolution of the Active Membership.

The Secretary and Treasurer at the expiration of their term shall deliver up to his/her successor all books, records, papers, and other properties of the Association in their possession.

The Treasurer shall be bonded, in the amount of $10,000.00, for faithful performance of the office’s duties, provided however, that the expense of such bond shall be borne by the Association.  The Treasurer shall receive all monies, keep a true account of all monies received and disbursed, and pay all bills after the same have been approved by the President. At each meeting, the Treasurer shall render a statement of the financial condition of the Association as well as of all monies received and expended. At the termination of this office, the Treasurer shall forthwith render an account and deliver up to the successor all monies, books, papers, and other properties of the Association in his/her possession. At the termination of this office, an audit of the Association's account(s) is required. The Treasurer shall receive a $100 stipend annually.

Assistant Treasurer: The assistant treasurer will assist the treasurer in all aspects of his job. The treasurer and assistant treasurer shall work cooperatively to produce all reports and statements. The assistant treasurer shall assume all duties of the treasurer when the treasurer is not available.

The assistant treasurer shall receive a $100.00 stipend annually.

Directors: The Directors shall assist the President in the performance of the office’s duties, and assume such other duties as may be deemed necessary by the President. Directors shall receive a $50 each stipend annually.

Governing Board: The Board shall have general charge of all affairs of the Association and, during the time intervening between the adjournment of one annual meeting and the opening of the next, it shall in conjunction with the President, have the entire control of such affairs. It shall at such time authorize and direct the contracting of all debts and provide means of their payment, not to exceed the funds on deposit with the Treasurer. No contract, debt, other obligation or agreement shall be entered into on behalf of the Association by an officer or committee without the signature of the President and Treasurer or others as authorized by the Board; excepting such cases as are otherwise provided for in the By-Laws.

The Board shall perform all such other duties as are required of it by these By-Laws. The Governing Board shall vote on proposals brought before it and shall carry out such proposals after a two‑thirds vote by the members present. Five (5) members shall be considered a quorum.

ARTICLE 8 – COMMITTEES

Membership Committee: The President shall appoint a membership committee of three active members whose duty it shall be to consider membership applications, suspensions, reinstatements, and assignment of membership category. The Governing Board may act as a permanent membership committee.

Education Committee: The President shall appoint an education committee of five active members. The education committee shall be responsible for developing, approving and coordinating a program intended to train and educate association members in keeping with the purpose of the association as outlined in these bylaws.  The Chairperson of the committee shall be chosen by the committee members and may be requested to attend Board of Directors meetings.  The chair of the education committee shall receive an annual stipend of $100 for their work. (added April 2011)

Scholarship Committee: The scholarship committee shall be appointed by the President of the Association. The scholarship committee shall be responsible for the selection of the candidate to receive the scholarship per the scholarship fund application. The scholarship committee shall consist of a minimum of three members and no member shall be related in any way to a scholarship applicant. The scholarship committee shall adopt written procedural rules for the purpose of selecting recipients and these rules shall be approved by the board of directors.

Other Committees: Other committees shall be those as appointed by the President and for such terms as he/she may deem necessary. The President shall designate all committee chairs.  The President and the Secretary shall be ex-officio members of all committees.

ARTICLE 9 – DUES

Active Membership: The dues for active membership shall be $50per annum. Communities having more than four (4) active or subscribing members shall be assessed a membership fee at a rate of $40 per annum, per member.

Inactive Membership: The dues for inactive membership shall be $5 per annum.

Honorary Membership: Nodues shall be assessed against honorary members.

Subscribing Membership: Dues shall be set as established for active members.

Associate Membership: Dues shall be set as established for active members.

Per annum shall mean January 1 through December 31.

ARTICLE 10 – FUNDS

All receipts of the Association shall be kept in an account in the name of the Association and shall be known as the General Fund. Said fund shall be raised and maintained in the manner specified in these By-Laws. All receipts from dues, social events, entertainment, and the net profits from all committees, and all other receipts of the Association shall be received and be paid into the General Fund. The General Fund shall be used to pay all necessary expenses for the general maintenance of the Association. All monies belonging to the General Fund shall be deposited in the bank or banks designated by the Treasurer.

ARTICLE 11 – SUSPENSIONS

The Association may suspend any member for just cause. 

Any member who is in arrears for non-payment of dues for more than one year shall not be entitled to a vote. The Secretary shall notify such member, and if payment is not received, such matter shall be referred to the Membership Committee.

ARTICLE 12 – REINSTATEMENTS

Any membership which has been severed for any reason may be reinstated when application is made in the regular form. Such application shall then be referred to the Membership Committee for consideration. If severance was for non-payment of dues, all dues then in arrears shall need to accompany the application.

ARTICLE 13 – MEETINGS

Annual Meeting: The Association shall meet in conference at least once each year at such time and place as the Board shall designate.

Regular Meeting: The Association may meet at regular intervals as it deems necessary.

Governing Board Meetings: The Board shall meet for the transaction of business at such time and place as indicated by the President.

Special Meetings: The President may call a Special Meeting if deemed to be in the best interest of the Association. The Board shall have the power to instruct the President to call a Special Meeting of the Association or of the Board. Ten active members in good standing may call a Special Meeting if in their judgement it is deemed necessary, provided the call be in writing to the President.

Quorum: Ameeting shall be deemed official when a quorum of the Board exists.

Notice Of Meeting: The call to any meeting shall be issued at least five (5) days before such meeting, and the time and place for same shall be named in such notice.

Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Board in case of an extra‑ordinary emergency, from changing the time and place of meeting provided due notice is given.

ARTICLE 14 – ORDER OF BUSINESS

The Order of Business for any meeting shall be as follows:

1. Call to order

2. Calling of the roll of officers and determination of a quorum

3. Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting

4. Reception of applications for membership

5. Communications and bills

6. Report of officers

7. Report of committees

8. Election of directors and other officers at annual meetings, the President first naming the tellers

9. Unfinished business

10. New business

11. The good and welfare of the Association, and

12. Adjournment

ARTICLE 15 – PROCEDURE

In the conduct of meetings or any other transaction of business, the proper procedure shall be as delineated in “Roberts Rules of Order”.

ARTICLE 16 – AMENDMENTS

The By-Laws herein or any part thereof may be amended, provided that any proposed amendment shall be submitted in the following manner:

The proposed amendment shall be in writing and be presented to the Governing Board at any duly noticed meeting where it shall be read into the record, but not considered or acted upon at that time. The Governing Board shall serve meeting notice on the membership,, with at least five (5) days notice prior to the next meeting that a By-law change shall be acted upon.  Service of said notice may be wither by hard copy or by electronic delivery and shall include the actual proposed amendment. It shall require a favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present at the noticed meeting to adopt the change. (amended April 2011)

ARTICLE 17 – SCHOLARSHIP

The Association shall create and maintain a scholastic scholarship fund. The fund shall provide tuition assistance to a son/daughter, grandson/granddaughter, nephew/niece, or spouse of an active or retired memberof the Association. The scholarship shall be a minimum of $500, be issued annually, and awarded to the individual selected by the Scholarship Committee (see Article 8 - Committees). The scholarship recipient shall be announced at a regular Association meeting.

The Scholastic Scholarship Fund shall be principally funded by the proceeds from an annual charity event.  The principal organizer of the event shall receive pro-bono any event associated participant fee(s).

The Association shall create and maintain an ICC conference grant. The grant shall provide financial reimbursement in the amount of $1,000, to an active member of the Association who would like to attend the ICC fall conference. This scholarship recipient shall be selected annually by the board of directors. (amended April 2011)

ARTICLE 18 – DISSOLUTION STATEMENT

Upon the dissolution or termination of this Association, no officer, director, or member shall receive any profit from or share in any of the assets of the Association.  All property, assets, or surplus of the Association shall be delivered to an existing Association or corporation organized for purposes as nearly similar to this Association’s as possible, and containing in its charter provisions with the same effects as the provisions of Article 2 of these bylaws.

In the case of all the assets of this Association being expended or distributed in accordance with its purposes, then the existence of the Association may be terminated by two-thirds majority vote of the general membership present at the meeting.  In such an event, all Association officials and committee members shall be relieved of all further responsibility hereunder. (amended December 2011)