BY-LAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE
KANSAS ASSOCIATION OF COURT SERVICES OFFICERS

ARTICLE I.  Fiscal Year:
The fiscal year of this Association shall be from January 1 through December 31.

ARTICLE II.  Membership:
Membership in this Association shall be available to all interested individuals in the following classifications:

Section I Professional Membership:
Membership shall be available to all persons employed currently as Court Services Officers by the District Courts of the State of Kansas.  Recommendations for membership may be made by the appropriate District Court Judge, or the membership committee and submitted to the membership chairperson.  A person shall be declared a professional member in good standing upon receipt of dues paid in full and completed membership form.

Section II      Associate Membership:
Any individual, agency, organization or corporation may become an Associate Member of the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers upon the payment of the annual Associate Membership dues, if accepted into such Associate Membership upon recommendation of the Executive Board and upon approval of the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers Professional Membership at the next regular meeting.  Associate Members shall have the privilege of attending all activities of the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers, but shall not be entitled to voting privileges, nor shall Associate Members, as such, be elected to any office of the Association.

Section III Honorary Membership:
Any person, in recognition of their outstanding services and contributions to the furtherance of the objectives of the Association, may be elected Honorary Members of the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers upon recommendation of the Executive Board (it being understood that any member of the Association may make recommendations to the Executive Board) and upon approval of the Association Professional Membership at its next annual meeting.  Past members that have retired and were in good standing with the organization are considered Honorary Members.  Honorary Members shall not be required to pay dues or registration fees and shall not have voting privileges, nor shall Honorary Members, as such, be elected to any office of the Association.  Honorary members may be actively involved on any standing committees or special committee, in an advisory capacity, with the exception of the Nominating - Membership Committee.

Section IV     Termination of Membership:
Membership in the Association shall be terminated by nonpayment of dues or by recommendation of the Executive Board and/or Nominating - Membership Committee and two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those present at regular business meetings.

ARTICLE III.  Dues and Donations:

Section I General:
The dues shall become payable to the Treasurer at the beginning of the Association’s fiscal year.  The Treasurer shall notify the Nominating/Membership Chairperson of all members whose memberships shall be terminated.  Donations of any amount, in excess of dues, may be accepted by the Executive Board for deposit.  The amount of dues shall be determined by the membership at the general meeting for each following fiscal year.

Section II Professional Membership Dues:
Dues shall be required of all Professional Members each fiscal year allowing said members full voting power.  Professional Membership may be transferred from one individual to another if dues are paid by the respective district.  The Professional Membership may be transferred upon notification to the Nominating-Membership Chairperson that said member is terminating his Association membership.  Professional Membership is nontransferable if dues are paid by the individual.  No refund of Professional Membership dues will be allowed.

Section III Associate Membership Dues:
Dues shall be required of all Associate Members each fiscal year and shall not be
less than the Professional Membership dues.  Associate Membership may be transferred from one individual to another if dues are paid by the respective district.  The Associate Membership may be transferred upon notification to the Nominating -Membership Chairperson that said member is terminating his Associate membership.  Associate Membership is nontransferable if dues are paid by the individual.  No refund of Associate Membership dues will be allowed.

Section IV Honorary Membership Dues:
Honorary Members shall not be required to pay dues.

Section V Donations:
Donations may be made to and accepted by the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers by being made payable to the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers and sent to the Treasurer of the Association for deposit.

ARTICLE IV.  Nominations, Absentee Ballots and Voting:

Section I Nominations:
The Nominating Chairperson maintains a list of the names and mailing addresses on record of all persons legally entitled to vote, which the Nominating Chairperson will certify as correct to the date as of which the ballots are to be issued sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting.Nominations shall be accepted from the membership at the general meeting.  The Nominating Committee shall prepare the ballot of proposed nominations for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chairperson of the Public Relations Committee, Chairperson of the Training Committee, Chairperson of the Legislative Committee, Chairperson of the Nominating - Membership Committee and Parliamentarian as their respective elections are due, according to Article V, Section I.  The Nominating Committee shall mail the ballot to those members entitled to vote, sixty days before the annual meeting.  All candidates nominated for office shall be required to present a brief verbal or written resume of themselves and their position on issues to the membership prior to the election at the annual meeting.

Section II Absentee Ballots:
Absentee ballots will be used only for the election of Officers.  Members must be present to vote on all changes in By-Laws, Constitution, or other issues.  Absentee ballots may be cast by returning the marked ballot.  The absentee voter will insert the ballot into the envelope provided and place his signature on the face of the sealed envelope to the Nominating - Membership Chairperson five (5) days prior to the general meeting.  Absentee ballots will remain in their outer envelopes until all votes are to be counted.

Section III Voting:
Voting shall be by written ballot.  No proxy voting will be allowed.  After votes are cast by the membership, the Nominating Committee shall open the absentee ballots.  The signature on the envelope is checked against the list of qualified voters, the voters name is checked off, the envelope opened, and the folded ballot placed with the other ballots.  After all envelopes are opened and checked, all ballots will be counted.Should any member submit an absentee ballot and then attend the annual meeting, the absentee ballot shall be considered null and void and the person shall vote at the meeting.  The Nominating Chairperson must be able to certify the results from both standpoints.

ARTICLE V.  Terms and Duties of Officers:

Section I Term of Office:
Terms of Office for all elected officers shall be two (2) years.  The positions of President, Treasurer, Public Relations Chairperson, Training Chairperson, and Parliamentarian shall be elected in even numbered years.  The position of Vice-President, Secretary, Legislative Chairperson, and Nominating - Membership Chairperson shall be elected in odd numbered years.  The elected officers shall be installed and take office at the close of the annual meeting.  Elections shall be held at the annual meeting.  The newly elected Officers will be sworn in by a Judge.
 
Section II Officers:
The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chairperson of the Standing Committees, Parliamentarian, and immediate past President and these shall comprise the Executive Board.  Each officer shall serve a term of two (2) years following his installation or until a successor is elected or installed.  In the absence or incapacity of the President, all authority, rights and duties of his office shall develop successfully upon the other officers in the following order: Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer.  Any questions regarding the absence or incapacity of an officer or committee chairperson shall be resolved by the Executive Board.If an absence or incapacity on the office of President is in question, any member of the Executive Board may direct the Secretary to set a meeting of the Executive Board no less than one (1) week, and no more than three (3) weeks after such demand.  In such meetings, the question of the absence of the office of President must be resolved affirmatively by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the board members present before any other business may be transacted.

Section III Duties of Officers:

A. The President shall preside at all sessions of the Association and the Executive Board Meetings. The President shall coordinate all activities of the Association and be an ex-officio member of all committees. Additional duties of the President include setting the budget for each year to be approved by the Executive Board, finalize all bills for conferences, schedule all Executive Board Meetings, set the agenda for such meetings and serve as the spokesperson for KACSO at legislative hearings.

B. The Vice-President shall assist the President in the performance of the presidential duties as stated above and shall officiate and preside for the president in his/her absence.  The Vice-President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and report to the Executive Board on the progress of all committees.

C. The Secretary shall be the official record keeper of the minutes from all meetings of the Executive Board and the Association, and shall submit approved copies of the minutes to the Chief Court Services Officers, thereby keeping the members informed of the action of the Executive Board.  The Secretary also carries on all correspondence, subject to the approval of the President; maintains an accurate mailing list of the Chief Court Services Officers, and attends to all duties as may be imposed upon that office by the Association, which are inherent in and pertain to the duties of the office.
           
D.  The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the Association and shall deposit them as directed by the Executive Board.  The Treasurer shall keep accurate records of all financial transactions of the Association, and such records shall be open to inspection of the Executive Board on demand.  The Treasurer shall keep a complete and accurate membership list of the Professional and Associate members of the Association and shall notify the Nominating-Membership Chairperson of current membership.  The Treasurer shall submit the Kansas Association of Court Services Officers book to a full audit every odd-numbered year.  The Treasurer shall also attend to duties that may be imposed upon that office by the Association which are inherent in and pertain to the duties of the office.   

E. The Chairperson of the Legislative, Public Relations, Training and Nominating- Membership Committees shall be elected and serve on the Executive Board.  Their duties are specified in Article VI, Section II.

F. The Parliamentarian shall be versed in the rules of parliamentary procedures and insure that these rules are adhered to during all meetings of the Association and Executive Board, as prescribed in “Roberts Rules of Order.”  The Parliamentarian shall assist the President with any questions pertaining to the rules of order during business meetings.

G. The Past President/Site Selection Chairperson is responsible for assisting the new President in their role, schedules future KACSO Conferences by contacting hotels and signing contracts, schedules pre-conference meetings with the hotel staff and members of the KACSO Executive Board, contacts the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) in the city in which the conference is held, is responsible for ordering the conference giveaways and organizes the evening activities at the conference. 
 

ARTICLE VI.   Committees

Section I      The Executive Board:
The elected officers and immediate past President of the Association shall constitute the Executive Board of the Association and is authorized to act on behalf of the Association.  The Executive Board shall govern the overall policy and administration of the Association consistent with the expressed intent of the Professional Membership of the Association, the Constitution and the By-Laws of the Association.

Section II  Standing Committees
There shall be four (4) Standing Committees.  The Legislative Committee, the Public Relations Committee, the Training Committee, and the Nominating-Membership Committee.  The Chairperson of each committee shall select his committee from the Association membership in good standing.  Committees comprised of four (4) or more members shall have a minimum of 50% representation from counties other than Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte inclusive.  The President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, shall be empowered to appoint such Ad Hoc Committees as is deemed necessary and helpful.

A. Legislative Committee:  It shall be the duty of the Legislative Committee to prepare and present to the Association all matters of interest and benefit to the Association which may be enacted or repealed by action of the Kansas State Legislature.  It shall further be the duty of the Legislative Committee to represent the Association’s interest to the Kansas State Legislature. The chairperson schedules and chairs monthly meetings of the committee when the legislature is in session.

B. Public Relations Committee:  The Public Relations Chairperson is responsible for maintaining and developing the KACSO web page, as well as enhancing involvement between KACSO and corporations on which Court Services has come to rely on for products and services.  The Chairperson also solicits, identifies and publishes appropriate articles for publication in Suspended Sentences and is responsible for distributing this newsletter to all members. In addition, the chairperson raises funds for bi-annual training social events.

C. Nominating-Membership Committee: The KACSO Membership and Nomination Chairperson is responsible for all duties related to members and awards.  This includes sending invoices on a yearly basis to all CSOs, keeping a current list of members, making labels for all mailings going to KACSO members and making changes on memberships as needed.  In addition, the chairperson is responsible for the recruitment of positions to the KACSO Executive Board and is then responsible for the election process as outlined in the KACSO by-laws.  The chairperson receives nominations for the awards that are presented at each spring conference.  A committee appointed by the chairperson selects the award winners who are then submitted to the Executive Board for final approval.

D. Training Committee : It shall be the duty of the Training Chairperson to assess the current training needs of the membership. The chairperson shall plan and prepare training programs commensurate with those needs to be delivered at the Annual Meeting and the called General Meeting. The chairperson schedules and chairs meetings of the training committee. The chairperson also supports training with other organizations.

ARTICLE VII.         Meetings:

Section I Annual Meetings:
The Kansas Association of Court Services Officers shall hold an annual meeting during the Fall season of each year.  The annual meeting shall be considered a general meeting of the Association for the election of officers and to carry on such other business necessary to accomplish the objectives of this organization.  The annual meetings shall be held at a time and place designated by the Executive Board and notice of such meetings shall be issued not less than four (4) weeks from the designated date of the meetings.

Section II General Meetings:
There shall be at least one general meeting of the Association in addition to the annual meeting which shall be held at a time and place designated by the membership at the annual meeting and notice of such meetings shall be issued not less than four (4) weeks from the designated date of the meetings.  The general meetings shall be held at a time and place designated by the Executive Board with the advice and consent of the Association membership.

Section III Executive Board Meetings:
The Executive Board shall meet no less than four (4) times each year, with one of the meetings scheduled between the annual meeting and the current fiscal year.  Board members may be eligible for mileage and per diem consistent with State standards, if the following conditions apply:

A.  Reimbursement is not made by their districts.
B.  Mileage and per diem voucher is submitted to the Board.
C.  The amount of payment is approved by vote of the Board.

ARTICLE VIII. Quorums:

A quorum shall consist of nineteen (19) professional members in good standing, two of whom must be elected officers.  An Executive Board quorum shall consist of five (5) elected officers.

ARTICLE IX.  Rules Of Order:

Section I The Association shall be guided in its deliberations and business by Robert’s Rules of Order (latest edition).

Section II Interpretation of the rules of order shall be made by the Parliamentarian.

ARTICLE X.  Amendments:

Amendments to these By-Laws may be made by two or more professional members in good standing.  Amendments must be written and signed by the members, and presented to the Executive Board.  The Parliamentarian shall notify the membership of the proposed amendment in writing thirty (30) days prior to the voting.  These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership present in good standing.