Constitution of the Western Pennsylvania Repeater Council


Preamble
         We, having mutual interests in the media of amateur repeater communications, do hereby associate
         ourselves to form a Council for our stated purposes.

Article I Name
  The name of this organization shall be: Western Pennsylvania Repeater Council. Herein also know as the WPRC
  or the Council.

Article II Purposes
            This Council has been formed for the following purposes:
            a.    To foster interest in Amateur Repeater Communications and to improve the state of the art
            b.    To collect and disseminate technical and operational information among the member
                    organizations and the amateur community.
            c.    To achieve solutions to our problems through the collective talents within the Council.
            d.    To determine and recommend technical and operational standards, policies, and coordination
                   through the facilities of a technical committee.
            e.    To establish a representative voice in the determination of rules, regulations, and legislation
                   affecting Amateur Repeater operations.
            f.     To operate in the public interest by encouraging participation and cooperation with public
                   service agencies of any community, town, or village; and the United States Government and
                   its agencies.
            g.    To provide other assistance and services as may be within the scope of the Council.

Article III Membership
             Application for membership in the Council shall be open to all organizations or individuals
             (hereafter referred to as member organizations) who operate a licensed repeater installation or
             who have in interest in the same, and are in accord with the purpose of the organization as set forth in
             ARTICLE II of this constitution.

            Section 1 Categories
            a.          Regular membership: Any individual or organization having a coordinated and operating
                         repeater qualifies for regular membership.
            b.          Associate membership: Any individual or organization displaying an interest in amateur
                         repeater operation.

            Section 2 Application
            a.          Application for membership shall be made through the Secretary of the Council. Such
                         shall be accompanied by remittance of one year's dues.
            b.          Application for membership shall be presented to the Council at the next regular meeting
                         following receipt of application and shall be approved by a simple majority of the Council.
                         Upon Council approval the new member shall be seated on the Council as a member in
                         good standing. Applications rejected by the Council shall be so notified and dues returned.

            Section 3 Rights of Membership
            a.          An amateur radio club, association, society, individual, or group applying for membership
                         shall first have adopted a resolution of affiliation with the Council. Such resolution shall
                         include an agreement to abide by the Constitution of the Council.
            b.          Regular membership entitles the member organization to a voice in the structure, policies,
                         actions, and recommendations of the Council and to vote on such actions that may come
                         before the Council through delegated representation appointed by the member organization.
            c.          Associate membership shall be limited only by deletion of voting privileges and ineligibility
                         to hold an elected office in the Council.

            Section 4 Council Structure
            a.          Each member organization may appoint two (2) representatives or delegates to attend
                         meetings of the Council to act on behalf of the member organization.
            b.          One representative shall carry the voice and vote of the member organization to the
                         Council and shall be responsible for the communications between the Council and the
                         member organization.
            c.          One alternate representative shall carry all the privileges of the representative with the
                         exception of a vote in the Council, shall assist the representative with his duties and shall
                         act on behalf of the representative in his absence.
           d.           Any organization or individual operating more than one licensed repeater may, at their
                         option, apply for the seating and recognition of representative and alternate representative
                         with full voting privileges for each licensed repeater. Determination of eligibility shall be
                         made by a written majority vote of the membership.
           e.           Guest representatives from member organizations may attend Council meetings and be
                         recognized by the Chairman upon request of the representative of the member organization.
           f.           Member organizations are responsible for the proper instruction of their representatives on
                        issues coming before the Council, and shall assure themselves that the actions of their
                        representatives fulfill the opinions and desires of their membership. Any voice or vote by
                        the representatives to the Council shall be construed as a reflection of the desires of the
                        member organization.
           g.          The member organization shall forward to the Secretary the names and addresses of the
                        representative and alternate representative for the purpose of precluding any
                        unauthorized representation and to establish addresses for the purpose of communication.
           h.          Representatives may be recalled by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members
                        present if in their opinion the actions of the representative are detrimental to the best
                        interest of the Council of the member organization. In such cases the Council shall
                        request that the representative be replaced by another representative of the member
                        organization.
           i .          Should the representative or the alternate be unable to attend a meeting of the Council, the
                        member organization may elect to send a temporary representative who shall, upon the
                        presentation of letter or authorization to the Secretary, be recognized by the Chairman and
                        seated as a representative of the member organization.
           j.           Each representative or alternate representative can represent one and only one
                        membership when voting.
           k.          Should no representative be able to attend a meeting of the Council, the member
                        organization may elect to send a proxy vote to the Council reflecting their desire on the
                        issues on the agenda of the meeting. Such proxies shall be presented to the Secretary of
                        the Council.
           l.           A member organization may be unseated by a three-fourths (3/4) majority
                        vote of all regular members.
          m.          Should any representative find himself to be in a conflict of interest on an issue before
                        the Council, he shall so state and abstain from voting.

Article IV Officers

            Section 1 Elected Officers

            a.           The officers of the Council shall be:
                          CHAIRMAN
                          VICE CHAIRMAN
                          SECRETARY
                          TREASURER
           b.            The officers of the Council shall be elected from within the regular membership and shall
                           be responsible to the membership for the faithful performance of the duties of the office.
           c.             The Western Pennsylvania Frequency Coordinator shall be an appointment of the Board of
                           Directors and recommended to the ARRL.
           d.            The election of officers will follow this schedule. The Chairman and Treasurer on the odd
                           numbered years. The Vice Chairman and Secretary on the even numbered years.

           Section 2 Election of Officers
           a.            Nominations for officers of the Council shall be presented to the Secretary in writing prior
                          to the annual meeting or may be made from the floor at the annual meeting.
           b.            Election of officers shall be by secret ballot with one (1) vote being allowed each member
                          organization. Proxy votes are not valid for selection of officers.
           c.            Nominating of the CHAIRMAN shall be first and no nominations and balloting shall have
                          been completed and announced before nomination for the next office are in order.

           Section 3 Eligibility
        a.           The nominee must be a representative or alternate representative of a regular member
                         organization and must be the holder of a valid amateur license, technician class or higher.
           b.           The nominee must be a member in good standing for a year or longer.

           Section 4 Term of Office
                        The term of the office of elected officials of the Council shall be two (2) years.

           Section 5 Duties of the Chairman
           a.          The Chairman of the Council shall administer the affairs of the Council and shall be
                        responsible to the Council for the execution of its actions.
           b.          He shall appoint all committees of the Council, subject to the review of the Board of
                        Directors, and shall be responsible for maintaining the activity and function of the
                        committees toward their goals.
           c.          He shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
           d.          He shall preside at all meetings of the Council.
           e.          He shall be responsible to the Council for the adherence to the Constitution and Bylaws by
                        the member organizations and activities of the Council.
            f .         It the elected Chairman is a representative, the vote of his member organization shall be
                        carried by the alternate representative.

           Section 6 Duties of the Vice-Chairman
           a.           The Vice-Chairman of the Council shall assist the Chairman in the discharge of his duties,
                         and shall assume the duties of the Chairman in his absence.
           b.           He shall be the Chairman of the Public Relation Committee.
         
          Section 7.1 Duties of the Secretary

          a.          The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Council, including the minutes of the
                       Council meetings.
          b.          He shall maintain a file of all official correspondence of the Council, including all
                       committee reports.
          c.          He shall prepare the necessary notices of membership meetings in accordance with
                       the Bylaws.
 
         Section 7.2 Duties of the Treasurer
          a.          He shall maintain the financial and real property records of the Council and surrender
                       financial and real property to the Council upon request.
          b.          He shall collect all initiation fees, dues and assessments of the Council.
          c.          He shall have his signature and that of the Chairman registered in banks or other
                       institutions which are depositories of the Council's funds.
          d.         The Treasurer notifies and mails out dues reminders at the beginning of the calendar year.
 
       Section 8 Duties of the Frequency Coordinator
         a.           All requests for repeater frequency coordination or control link coordination shall be made
                       in writing to the current Council address. Frequency Coordinator. The Frequency
                       Coordinator will coordinate all frequencies based on the information supplied by the
                       applicant, current activity in a given area and consistent with current or future techniques.
                        
       Section 9 Vacancies
                      Vacancies occurring between elections must be filled by special election at the first regular
                      meeting following the vacancy.

          Section 10 Board of Directors
          a.           A Board of Directors for the Council shall consist of the four elected officers, frequency
                        coordinator, and standing committee chairpersons.
          b.           The Board of Directors shall act in emergencies for the Council.

Article V Committees

            a.    Committees necessary to the administration of the affairs of the organization shall be
                   appointed by the Chairman, subject to the approval by the Board of Directors and shall be
                   directly responsible to the Chairman.
            b.    Term of activity of committees shall expire with the term of the office of the Chairman.

            Section 1
            a.    The Chairman of the Council shall assign all committees and appoint a Chairman of such
                   committees from the members, and may, if he so desires, appoint the members of the
                   committees; otherwise, such committee members shall be chosen by the committee
                   Chairman.

            Section 2 Committees
            a.    The Standing Committees shall be:
                        1. Technical Committee
                        2. Public Relations Committee
            b.    The Chairman may appoint additional committees subject to the approval of the Board of
                    Directors
 
           Section 3 Technical Committee
            a.    The Technical Committee shall be responsible for studies, surveys, research, and findings
                   on the technical and engineering aspects of proposed and existing repeater operations.
                   Such subjects shall include equipment design, antenna studies, control functions., deviation
                   levels and related repeater system design.
            b.   The committee Chairman of the technical committee may appoint SUB-COMMITTEES
                   on specific subjects as deemed necessary or as directed by the Chairman of the Council.
                   The sub-committee Chairman and members may be drawn from any available sources.
            c.    The committee Chairman shall be responsible for the guidance and activities of his
                   committee and sub-committee action an recommendations to the Council.

            Section 4 Public Relations Committee
            a.    The Chairman of the public relations committee shall be the Vice-Chairman of the
                   Council.
            b.    This committee shall be responsible for studies, surveys, and findings on the aspects of
                   repeater operation which affect the amateur radio public image or the relationship with the
                   amateur radio community.
            c.    The public relations committee shall be responsible for the review of the content of all
                   informational releases external to and in the name of the Council.

            Section 5 Other Special Committees
                         Other special committees may be appointed by the Council Chairman as are necessary in the
                         performance of the activities of the Council.

Article VI Meetings

             a.   Annual Meeting
                   One annual meeting of the Council shall be held during each fiscal year for the purpose of
                   Election of Officers and the presentation of fiscal audits to the Council. Such annual
                   meetings may include the activities of a regular meeting. The meeting shall be held the
                   third Sunday in October.
             b.   Regular Meetings
                   At least three (3) regular meetings not less than three (3) months apart shall be held by the
                   Council; meetings will be held on the third Sunday of January, April, and July. A site will
                   be chosen and related to the membership.
            c.    Special Meetings
                   1. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Chairman to conduct special
                       business that cannot be deferred until a regular meeting.
                   2. Special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors.
                   3. Special meetings may be called by one-third (1/3) of the member organizations.

            Section 1 Agenda
            a.          Regular meetings of the Council shall contain on the agenda those subjects which are the
                         normal business of the Council.
            b.         The annual meeting of the Council, in addition to normal business, shall include the
                        Election of Officers and presentation of the treasurer's statement and budget.
            c.         Special meetings must be limited to a specific subject (or subjects) for which the special
                        meeting was called.

            Section 2 Notification of Meetings
            a.        All member organizations and their representatives shall be notified of the regular
                       meetings and special meetings of the Council.
            b.        For special meetings, all member organizations and their representatives shall be notified
                       at least one (1) week in advance of the meeting's date. Representative of member
                       organizations should make every effort to determine the desires of their membership
                       concerning the subject to be considered and if they cannot attend the meeting should
                       prepare a proxy stating these desires to be presented at the special Council meeting
           c.         Notification of meeting forwarded to member organizations shall contain a minimum of
                       the following information:
                                 Location of Meeting
                                 Date and Time
                                 Type of Meeting
                                 Major Subjects on the Agenda
           d.        Location. In the determination of the location of the meetings by the association every
                      effort should be made to rotate the location so as to equalize the travel distance and
                      convenience of the Representatives of member organizations.

           Section 3 Rules of Order
           a.          The following shall be the order of business at regular and annual meetings of the Council:
                           1. Call to Order
                           2. Roll Call of Member Organizations
                           3. Welcome Visitors
                           4. Approval of New Members
                           5. Seating of New Members
                           6. Reading of the Minutes
                           7. Treasurer's Report
                           8. Council Approval of Treasurer's Report and Proposed Budget
                           9. Correspondence
                          10. Committee Reports
                          11. Old Business
                          12. New Business
                          13. Good of the Council
                          14. Nomination and Election of Officers (Annual)
                          15. Installation of Officers (Annual)
                          16. Establishment of Location and Time of Next Meeting
                          17. Adjournment
                  b. All meetings of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with the Constitution of the
                       Council and unless otherwise specified shall be conducted under "Robert's Rules of
                       Order."
                  c. Special meetings may follow any agenda deemed proper by the Chairman.
 
               Section 4 Balloting
                             All balloting at meetings of the Council, unless otherwise specified, shall be by roll call
                             ballot. The Chairman of the Council may elect, on non-controversial subjects, to call for any
                             "nay" votes and "abstentions" in lieu of a roll call ballot and may assume all other votes to be
                             "aye".

Article VII Initiation Fees and Dues
             Initiation fees and dues for membership in the organization shall be as established by the
             Council.

            Section 1 Dues
            a.           The dues for membership in the Council shall be set at the annual meeting and shall be due
                          and payable upon application for membership or at the beginning of the calendar year.
            b.           Member organizations who fail to remit dues within thirty (30) days after the expiration
                          date shall be notified that they are no longer members in good standing in the Council.
                          Failure to remit dues within thirty (30) days after the expiration date shall result in the
                          member organization being dropped from the roll of the Council.

Article VIII Assessments
            a.      An assessment, upon approval by two-thirds (2/3) majority of votes cast by the total
                     membership in good standing shall constitute a lawful charge against each member of the
                     organization.
           b.       Assessments which have been approved by the Council are due and payable within thirty
                     (30) days after the assessment action by the Council. Failure to remit such assessments
                     shall jeopardize the standing of the member organization as may be determined by the
                     Council.

Article IX Disbursements
            The Treasurer of the organization is authorized to disburse funds of the Council as follows:
                    a. Regular disbursement of funds to defray the expenses of the Council which are in accord
                        with the current budget of the Council may be made without special authorization.
                    b. Special disbursement of funds to defray the expenses of the Council which exceed or are
                        not included in the current budget shall require approval by a simple majority at a Council
                        meeting.

Article X Financial Statements
             An annual treasurer's report of all receipts and expenditures shall be presented to the
             membership at the annual meeting.

Article XI Real Property
            The Council may NOT acquire real property by purchase or donation without the approval of
            a simple majority at the Council meeting. Real property thus acquired must be listed and an
            accountability maintained. A listing of such property shall be incorporated into the annual
            treasurer's report. Disposition of such real property shall be by the approval of a simple
            majority at a Council meeting.

Article XII Communications

           Section 1
                          Communication from the Council, such as notice of meetings, minutes of meetings, and
                          bulletins shall be mailed as follows, one copy to each:
                          1. Regular Representatives
                          2. Section Communications Manager
                          3. Eastern Pennsylvania Coordinator
                          4. Western New York Coordinator
                          5. Ohio Coordinator
                          6. West Virginia Coordinator
                          7. Western Pennsylvania Coordinator
                          8. WPRC Chairman
                          9. WPRC Vice-Chairman
                        10. WPRC Secretary
                        11. WPRC Treasurer
                        12. Associate Members
            Section 2
                         Correspondence or information considered confidential by member organizations may be
                         withheld or indicated as such and handled accordingly by the Council.

Article XIII Amendments to the Constitution
 
           a.       Amendments to the Constitution shall require the approval of two-thirds (2/3) majority of
                      votes, cast by the total membership in good standing at a Council meeting.
            b.       Each member organization must be notified that a specific Article and paragraph of the
                      Constitution is under consideration before such actions may become an order of business
                      at a Council meeting.
            c.       All changes must be made in writing and mailed to all members before the constitution can
                      be changed. First mailing to be read at first meeting, second mailing,  read at second meeting
                      and then voted upon.

Article XIV Autonomy
            Any action or recommendations made by the Council shall be considered binding on the
            member organizations and shall be considered as being representative of repeater operations
           within the scope of the Council.

Article XV Quorum
             For conducting business associated with the Council, three (3) officers and six (6) members
             shall constitute a quorum.



* Foot Notes *
Printed:   June, 1992.
Revised: September 19, 1993.
Revised: January 15, 1995.
Revised: July 20, 1997
Revised: April 27, 2003
Revised: July 17, 2005
Revised: April 17, 2011 (removed Article IV-Section 6c)-"He shall work directly with the Frequency Coordinator on all frequency recommendations."
Revised April 17, 2011 (removed last line of Article IV-Section 8a)-"The Frequency Coordinator will make recommendations on frequency requests to the

                       Board of Directors of the WPR.C"