RULES & REGULATIONS 2015
1. NAME
The Club shall be called “Bracco Italiano Club”, hereinafter referred to as “the Club”.
2. MISSION STATEMENT
The Bracco Italiano Club is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the breed type, temperament and working ability of this ancient breed.
3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The Club’s aims and objectives shall be:
a) To strengthen members knowledge of the breed.
b) To support diversity of activities, to promote and maintain the working ability of the Bracco Italiano.
c) To unite those interested in the Breed into a friendly group.
d) To maintain the Breed as closely as possible to the country of origins Breed Standard.
e) The Club shall not join any federation of Societies or Clubs.
3. OFFICERS, COMMITTEE AND MEMBERS
The Club shall consist of:
a) A Patron who shall be appointed at an AGM and shall remain in office for 5 years. They shall not have any voting rights except those of an ordinary member of the BIC.
b)A President who shall be appointed at an AGM and shall remain in office for 7 years. The President will be able to take part in committee meetings in an advisory capacity but have no voting rights except those of an ordinary member of the BIC
c) A Chairman who shall be elected for a period of 2 years by postal ballot of fully paid up members.
d) A Vice Chairman elected by the committee after the AGM who shall oversee the Chairman’s role in the event of absence.
e) A Secretary who shall be elected for a term of two years by postal ballot of fully paid-up Members.
f) A Treasurer who shall be elected for a term of two years by postal ballot of fully paid-up Members.
g) A Field Trial Secretary who shall be elected for a term of two years by postal ballot of fully paid-up Members.
h) A Committee of seven, excluding officers to be elected for a term of three years by a show of hands by members present at the Annual General Meeting. In the event of there being an uncontested election Committee members appointment(s) must be ratified by the approval of one third of the members present; any person who does not gain this approval at the Annual General Meeting shall be deemed to have not been elected. Two committee members shall retire annually and shall be eligible for re-election. Candidates for nomination must be fully paid-up members for three full years. Associate members (members who have never owned a Bracco) are ineligible for committee.
i) An unlimited number of Members.
j) The club will maintain an up to date list of members, and their addresses, and if so requested, make the list available for inspection by the Kennel Club and members of the Club
4. MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB
a) The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the Committee.
b) Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary; however there shall be at least two per annum.
c)60% shall form a quorum for the transaction of business, including two officers, and require a majority approval to pass any decisions.
d) In the event of a Committee Member failing to attend two consecutive meetings, except in extreme circumstances, the other members of the Committee shall have the power to exclude that Committee Member and replace him/her with another co-opted member who shall remain in Office until the next Annual General Meeting.
e) The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members onto the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between Annual General Meetings and these co-opted members shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. If insufficient postal nominations for the committee are received then nominations may be taken from those present at the AGM.
5. SUB COMMITTEES
a) The chair is to be an officer of the main committee.
b) Minutes of all subcommittee meetings must be forwarded to the Secretary and all financial information is to be forwarded to the Treasurer before the next main committee meeting.
c) Details of all subcommittee meetings are to be discussed at main committees and the main committee may veto decisions made regarding issues raised at Subcommittee meetings.
d) Any main committee member has the right to attend Sub Committee meetings as an observer.
5i) Aims of Sub Committees
a) To aid the main committee, and to use the members of the club who have significant knowledge expertise and interest in particular aspects of the club.
b) All sub committees, must meet at least once a year.
c) A subcommittee must not have more than 6 members (excluding the Chair), and a quorum will consist of 60%.
d) The main committee must ratify nominations for subcommittee members, and they shall stand for a period of 2 years before seeking resubmission. (They must have been a member of the club for 3 years before seeking a place on a subcommittee).
e) In the event of a subcommittee member failing to attend 2 consecutive subcommittee meetings, except in extreme circumstances, the main committee shall have the power to exclude that person and nominate a replacement.
6. ELECTION OF MEMBERS
a) Candidates for Membership of the Club shall be proposed by two fully paid-up members and shall be elected by an agreement of 60% of the committee.
b) Any applicant who has been refused membership of another breed club due to breaches of the KC or the or Club’s own Code of Ethics may be refused membership.
c) Associate Members, for Members who have never owned a Bracco Italiano (will be entitled to participate in Bracco Italiano Club activities and will receive one copy of all publications but ineligible for voting and Committees apart from Branch/Group Committees).
7. VOTING RIGHTS
a) Each Single Subscription Member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership.
b) In the case of Joint Subscription Members, each party shall be entitled to an individual vote immediately upon acceptance of membership.
c) In the case of Junior Membership (6-18 years inclusive), they will not be entitled to vote.
d) Family Membership to include two Adult Members and Juniors resident at the same address; maximum of two votes eligible per family membership with no voting rights for the Junior Members
e) Associate members (members who have never owned a Bracco Italiano) are ineligible to vote.
f) All postal ballot papers to be numbered and returned to an independent scrutineer for counting.
g) Members accepted during the period of a postal ballot are not eligible to participate in that ballot.
8. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
Any member who shall be disqualified under the Kennel Club Rule A11.i.(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11. 9 shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club.” If the conduct of any Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interest of the Club, the Committee of the Club may, at a meeting the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Club shall be called for a purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her. Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused Member, giving particulars of the complaint and advising the place, date and hour of the Meeting that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at the meeting a resolution to expel is passed by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of Members, and he/she shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a Member of the Club, except that he/she may within two calendar months from the date of such Meeting appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.
9. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
a) The Annual Subscriptions shall be in such an amount as deemed necessary by the Committee and agreed by members in a General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club.
b) The Annual Subscriptions shall be payable to the Treasurer on the 1st June each year.
c) If any Member shall fail to pay his/her subscriptions by 30th June they will forfeit their voting rights for the current years AGM. The Committee shall have the power to erase his/her name from the list of Members. However, if the Committee shall subsequently receive satisfactory explanation the Member may, at the discretion of the Committee and on payment of the arrears, be re-admitted to Membership.
e) Members renewing during the period of a postal ballot are not eligible to participate in that ballot.
10. CLUB PROPERTY
The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee and in the event of the Club ceasing to exist, any funds realised will be used in the interest of the breed. A General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the assets to this end, and the outcome notified to the Kennel Club. In the event of this not being possible, the Committee shall be empowered to deal with the matter at their discretion and the outcome shall be notified to the Kennel Club. In either case, any assets realised will be used in the interest of the Breed.
11. FINANCIAL YEAR
The financial year of the Club shall be 1st June to 31st May each year.
12. CLUB ACCOUNTS
a) A Banking Account shall be held in the name of the Club into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signatures of two from the Offices of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
b) The Treasurer may use internet banking to pay invoices, subject to the prior written agreement of Chairman and Secretary for each transaction.
c) The accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer and Auditors shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting who shall audit the Club’s accounts for the ensuing year before the Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer will in turn produce a working Profit & Loss statement for each committee meeting.
13. THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting shall be held before 30th September for the following purposes:
a) To receive the report of the Committee, and the Balance Sheet.
b) To elect Officers and Committee; nominations for whom shall be in writing and received by the Secretary not less than six weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting; all nominations shall be proposed by one fully paid-up Member and seconded by another fully paid-up Member. Nominations must be fully paid-up Members of at least three years standing.
c) To discuss any resolutions duly placed on the Agenda of which prior notice has been given to the Secretary not less than six weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.
d) No business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda with the exception of routine matters or those, which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are urgent.
e) Not less than fourteen days notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given in writing to Members. All information pertaining to the AGM shall be sent direct to members as a separate mailing.
f)The balance sheets to be made available on request to members 14 days prior to the AGM. Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepared the accounts.”
14. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary if twenty Members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting to do so. Not less than fourteen days notice of a Special General Meeting shall be given in writing to Members.
15. ANNUAL RETURNS
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, the Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary, for the continuance of registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns as stipulated in the Kennel Club regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the course of the year.
16. FINAL COURT OF APPEAL
The Kennel Club shall be the final Court of Appeal in all matters of dispute.
17. AMENDMENT TO RULES AND REGULATIONS
The Rules and Regulations of the Club shall not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting, the Notice for which contains specific proposals to amend the rules. Amendments shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and given approval.
18. CODE OF ETHICS
Membership is conditional upon compliance with The Club’s Code of Ethics. Any member disregarding this Club’s Code of Ethics without good reason risks expulsion under rule 8.
19. No person whilst undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee or hold office or appointment within a Kennel Club Society.
