Association rules

Updated version of rules with changes as per February 2019 AGM

Name
Asociación U3A Internacional Costa Brava (Costa Brava U3A)

Association rules
(Authorised by Article 9(g) of the Constitution)

The name ‘Association U3A International Costa Brava’ has been shortened in these Rules to ‘Costa Brava U3A’

Objects and powers

Objects
The objects of the Costa Brava U3A are:

• To advance the cultural and educational interests of the English speaking public in the Costa Brava, especially of those who are retired;
• To provide leisure and recreational activities in order to improve conditions of life and social welfare of the above.

Powers
To further the above objectives, the Costa Brava U3A may:

• Receive subscriptions donations, sponsorship fees, endowments and legacies from persons who support the Costa Brava U3A.
• Acquire or dispose of property, rights and privileges.
• Organise lectures, seminars, conferences and courses.
• Publish reports, pamphlets, journals, films, videos etc.

Membership
Anyone who supports the Objects may become a member on approval by the Committee and payment of the annual subscription fee.

Any member who has been in continuous membership of the association for at least 10 full years and has reached at least 80 years of age will from the following subscription year onwards be entitled to Lifetime Honorary membership without further payment of the annual subscription fee.

The Committee may terminate membership of anyone who:

• Has not paid their Annual Membership subscription within two months of it being due, or
• Acts in a manner that is inconsistent with these rules, or
• Does anything which brings the Association into disrepute
• PROVIDED that the member concerned is offered the chance to be heard by the Committee before its final decision is made.

Management
A Committee of members controls the affairs of the Costa Brava U3A.

The Committee consists of at least eight members (not counting any co-opted members) including a President, Secretary and Treasurer (collectively the Officers). A different person must exercise each Officer role.

All Committee members are elected annually to serve until the next AGM.

No Committee member shall serve for more than nine consecutive years

Retiring Officers (President, Secretary and Treasurer) may be re-elected to their current offices provided that none holds the same office for more than three consecutive years.

Officers and Committee members are elected by secret ballot at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), or appointed, as follows:

• Written nominations for the Committee, showing proposer and seconder, must be sent to the Secretary by the date specified in the notice of the meeting.
• A Returning Officer, appointed by the members at the start of each AGM, and not a member of the outgoing Committee, will be responsible for the election process.
• The newly elected Committee takes office immediately after the AGM.
• The Committee may co-opt up to 2 further members with full voting rights, their term of office expiring at the following AGM.
• Committee members may resign by giving written notice to the President and the Committee may appoint replacements. All such replacements must stand down at the next AGM but may offer themselves for election to the Committee at that AGM.

Committee procedure

• The Committee must meet are least four times a year.
• A Committee quorum will be one half of the Committee, plus one, including one Officer of the Committee
• All Committee decisions will be decided by a simple majority of votes of Committee members present. The President has a casting vote.

The President will chair all Meetings of the Association and the Committee. When he/she is not available, the Vice President, an officer or a nominated member of the Committee must preside.

The Secretary must keep minutes of all Committee and Annual General meetings, sign them and have them countersigned by the President. All Subcommittees should also keep minutes.

Special Committee meetings may be called by the President or by any three of its members giving seven days’ notice of all issues to be raised to all committee members.

The Committee may appoint sub-committees, delegate tasks to them and nominate chairpersons. Sub-committees must report back to the Committee when asked.

Meetings
No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum is present. A quorum is 10% of the members. A member counts towards the quorum if they are present in person or by proxy. The meeting shall be adjourned to such time and place as the Committee shall determine if:

• a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting; or
• during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present.

If a meeting is adjourned, the Committee must reconvene the meeting and must give at least seven clear days’ notice of the reconvened meeting stating the date, time and place of the meeting. If no quorum is present at the reconvened meeting within fifteen minutes of the time specified for the start of the meeting, the members present in person or by proxy at that time shall constitute the quorum for that meeting.

Annual General Meetings (AGM):
The AGM must be held once every year. At least 21 days’ notice will be given in writing to all members.

The purpose of the AGM will be to:

Approve

• The Annual Report
• Audited accounts
• Proposed subscription fee for the following and subsequent years

Elect

• President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Committee

Consider

• Proposals to alter the Constitution and these Rules
• Any other business as noted on the agenda circulated with the notice of the meeting

All matters under b) above will be decided by a majority vote taken among the members present and those voting by proxy.

Additional items may be added to the agenda at the start of the meeting if the majority of those present agree but decisions taken on such items must be agreed by three quarters of those present.

The chairperson has a casting vote.

Extra-ordinary General Meetings (EGM)

An EGM may be called by the Committee or by a request signed by 10 per cent of all members and stating the object of the meeting. The Secretary will give 30 days’ notice of such a meeting.

Association Meetings (AM)

An Association Meeting must be held regularly to provide all members with an opportunity to meet each other, exchange information about the work of their groups, and take part in a whole association activity.

Finance
All money raised must be used at the discretion of the Committee.

The funds belonging to the U3A shall be applied in furthering the objects of the Association, which is a non-profit-making association.

Financial accounts must be kept for the calendar year ending 31st December.

The Treasurer must keep full accounts of all moneys received and spent and publish audited accounts at the AGM.

The President, Secretary and Treasurer must be signatories for all bank accounts. The Treasurer and at least one other person must sign bank transactions.

The Committee has the power to recommend ordinary and extra ordinary subscriptions and quotas for approval at the AGM.

No Committee member will be responsible for losses caused by their own actions taken in good faith or those of properly appointed agents, provided that such agents are appropriately supervised.

Committee members may receive out of pocket expenses incurred in work for the Costa

Brava U3A, subject to the ‘Rules for Reimbursement of Expenses’.

Property
All property must be applied solely towards the Objects of the Costa Brava U3A and will be held jointly by all members.

Powers of the committee
Matters not provided for in these Rules and not involving an amendment to the Constitution, must be dealt with by the Committee.

Alteration of the rules
These Rules (other than paragraphs 2, 9 and 10) may be amended with the agreement of two thirds of members voting at an Annual General Meeting. Twenty-one clear days’ notice must be given to all members stating the intention to put forward such a resolution.

No amendment can be made that would cause the Costa Brava U3A to cease to be a nonprofit making organisation.

Dissolution
The Costa Brava U3A may be dissolved by a resolution of a three quarters majority of those voting at a General Meeting PROVIDED that at lease twenty-one clear days’ notice has been sent to all members stating the intention to put forward such a resolution. Any assets remaining after payment of all debts and liabilities must be transferred to a non-profit making institution with similar objectives to the Costa Brava U3A.