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Constitution and
Bylaws
THE COLUMBIA SOCIETY OF REAL ESTATE
APPRAISERS, INC.
Amended May
15, 2006
ARTICLE I
Name
Section 1.
The name of the Corporation shall
be The Columbia Society of Real Estate Appraisers, Inc., hereinafter referred
to as the Society.
Section 2.
The Corporate Seal of the Society
shall have inscribed thereon "The Columbia Society of Real Estate Appraisers,
Inc., Incorporated 1952".
ARTICLE II
Objectives
Section 1.
The objectives of the Society shall
be:
(a) To unite in a co-operative
organization those interested in the advancement of the art of real estate
appraising.
(b) To develop and maintain ethical
standards for the guidance of its members in their relation to one another and
with the public.
(c) To promote educational and
professional welfare of its members.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1.
(a) Membership in the Society shall
be open to any individual who has an interest in the real estate appraisal
profession.
(b) There shall be four (4)
classifications of membership in the Society, "Senior General Member", "Senior
Residential Member", "Candidate Member" and "Affiliate Member". The
terminology "Member" as used in these By-Laws shall include all of the
above-mentioned classifications of membership.
Section 2.
(a) AFFILIATE MEMBER - Applicants
for membership as Affiliate shall be of good character and be interested in
the real estate appraisal profession.
(b) Affiliate members are
non-designated participating members. They shall have all obligations of
membership and the following specific rights:
1. To attend all meetings and
functions; and
2. To receive all publications.
Section 3.
(a) CANDIDATE MEMBER - Applicants
for membership as Candidate shall be of good character and be interested in
the real estate appraisal profession, committed to seek professional
designation.
(b) Candidate members are
non-designated participating members. They shall have all obligations of
membership and the following specific rights:
1. To attend all meetings and
functions;
2. To receive all publications; and
3. To vote on all matters before
the general membership.
Section 4.
(a) SENIOR RESIDENTIAL MEMBER - The
requirements for admission to the Society and/or upgrading as Senior
Residential Member shall be:
1.
Submission of a valid New York State or equivalent Certified Residential Real
Estate Appraiser certification which will be deemed to be the educational
requirements, including USPAP, and experience credits for this classification.
2.
Without a valid New York State or equivalent Certified Residential Real Estate
Appraiser certification, persons submitting evidence of satisfactory
completion of the educational requirements, including USPAP, and experience credits to qualify for this
classification shall also be considered.
(b) Senior Residential Members are
designated participating members. They shall have all obligations of
membership and are entitled to the full benefits of membership in the Society
including, but not limited to:
1. To attend all meetings and
functions;
2. To receive all publications;
3. To vote on all matters before
the general membership; and
4. To hold office.
(c) Only Senior Residential Members
shall have the authority to use the designation of "CSA-R".
(d) All Senior Residential Members
have the professional endorsement of the Society within the limitations of the
designation.
Section 5.
(a) SENIOR GENERAL MEMBER - The
requirements for admission to the Society and/or upgrading as Senior General
Member shall be:
1.
Submission of a valid New York State or equivalent Certified General Real
Estate Appraiser certification which will be deemed to be the educational
requirements, including USPAP, and experience credits for this classification.
2.
Without a valid New York State or equivalent Certified General Real Estate
Appraiser certification, persons submitting evidence of satisfactory
completion of the educational requirements, including USPAP, and experience credits to qualify for this
classification shall also be considered.
b) Senior General Members are
designated participating members. They shall have all obligations of
membership and are entitled to the full benefits of membership in the Society
including, but not limited to:
1. To attend all meetings and
functions;
2. To receive all publications;
3. To vote on all matters before
the general membership; and
4. To hold office.
(c) Only Senior General Members
shall have the authority to use the designation of "CSA-G".
(d) All Senior General Members have
the professional endorsement of the Society.
Section 6.
(a) All applications for membership
and change in status must be:
1. Made in writing;
2. Addressed to the Executive
Secretary;
3. On the application forms
provided by the Society; and
4. Signed by three (3) or more designated
members.
(b) Each application for membership
and/or change in status shall, upon receipt, be referred to the Admissions
Committee for review.
(c) The
Admissions Committee shall consist of the Second Vice President, who will serve
as Chairperson of the Committee, plus at least two other designated members of the Society.
The Committee will interview each applicant as part of its review process.
(d)
Applicants applying for designations shall be required to provide copies of at least five (5)
samples of their
recent appraisal reports during the interview phase. Said samples shall conform to the Society's standards
and to current USPAP guidelines.
(e) When interviewing an applicant seeking Senior
General designation, at least one member of the Committee must be a
Senior General member of the Society and must hold a New York State Certified
General appraiser certification or the equivalent.
(f) The Committee shall determine if the applicant meets the
criteria of the classification being applied for, and shall report its
findings to the Board of Governors in writing. Thereafter, the Board of
Governors can grant membership to any applicant by a majority vote of the
members present at any Board of Governors meeting.
(g) The
Committee Chairperson shall make reasonable attempts to notify persons
with incomplete applications, and shall schedule interviews with applicants
in a timely manner. Incomplete applications will be held by the Admissions
Committee for a period of twelve months.
Incomplete applications older than twelve months will be closed.
Application fees are non-refundable.
Section 7.
The Board of Governors may also
confer "Honorary Membership" upon any individual in recognition of outstanding
service to the Society or to the public.
Section 8.
All members of the Society shall
adhere to the Society's Code of Ethics.
Section 9.
The Society
recognizes reciprocal membership between the Society and the
American Society of Appraisers, based on equal and current membership requirements of each
organization.
ARTICLE IV
Dues and Fees
Section 1.
The initiation fees as annually
determined by the Board of Governors shall be payable upon acceptance of
application for membership. Initiation fees may be waived or reduced by the
Board of Governors for all new members during any stated period. All
initiation fees are to accrue to the Endowment Fund maintained by the Society.
Section 2.
(a) The annual dues shall be such
sum as designated by the Board of Governors, payable in advance on the second
business Friday of each year.
(b) The dues of the members who are
55 years of age or older and who are deemed to be in a retirement status by
the Board of Governors shall be such sum as designated by the Board of
Governors. A member may qualify for retirement status by giving written notice
of such status to the Secretary, which notice shall be presented to the Board
of Governors by the Secretary at the first meeting after its receipt.
Section 3.
Members who fail to pay their dues,
subscriptions and assessments within thirty (30) days from the time same
becomes due, shall be notified by the Secretary, and if payment is not made
within the next succeeding thirty (30) days shall not be considered in good
standing and shall be reported to the Board of Governors as in arrears, and if
so ordered by the Board of Governors shall be dropped from the rolls and
thereupon forfeit all rights and privileges of membership. Only members in
good standing shall have the right to vote.
Section 4.
Members whose dues are one year in
arrears will automatically have their membership terminated.
Section 5.
No assessment shall be levied
unless so decided by majority vote of the members present in person at the
annual meeting or at a duly constituted special meeting called for that
purpose.
ARTICLE V
Resignations,
Suspensions and Reinstatements
Section 1.
Any member may withdraw from the
Society after fulfilling all obligations to it, including payment of dues,
fees and assessment, by giving written notice of such intention to the
Secretary, which notice shall be presented to the Board of Governors by the
Secretary at the first meeting after its receipt.
Section 2.
A member may be suspended for a
period or expelled for cause. Such suspension or expulsion shall be by a
three-fourths of the entire membership of the Board of Governors, provided a
statement of the said charge shall have been mailed by regular post to the
member under charges at his last recorded address, at least fifteen (15) days
before final action is taken thereon, and provided this statement shall be
accompanied by a notice of the time and place where the Board of Governors is
to take action, and provided that said member shall have been given an
opportunity to present a defense at the time and place mentioned in such
notice.
Section 3.
Any member whose membership has
been terminated may be reinstated in good standing only by two-thirds vote of
the Board of Governors. In all cases of reinstatement, written application
must be made by the applicant in the manner provided for in Article III,
Section 6, accompanied by the appropriate fee.
ARTICLE VI
Meetings
Section 1.
All notices of meetings shall set
forth the place, date, time and purpose of the meeting.
Section 2.
The Annual Meeting of the Society
shall be held at such time and place as shall be designated by the Board of
Governors. Notice of such meeting, signed by the Secretary, shall be mailed to
the last recorded address of each member at least two weeks in advance of this
meeting. The notice of the Annual Meeting shall include a list of nominees to
the office of Governor. Those members present at this meeting shall constitute
a quorum of any Annual Meeting.
Section 3.
The order of business at the Annual
Meeting shall be:
(a) Reading of Minutes of previous
General Meeting;
(b) Reports of Officers;
(c) Unfinished Business;
(d) Election of Governors; and
(e) New Business
Section 4.
Any question as to priority of
business shall be decided by the Chair without debate. This order of business
may be altered or suspended at any meeting by a majority vote of the members
present.
Section 5.
Special meetings may be held upon
call of the President or upon the written request, addressed to the Board of
Governors, by twenty-five (25) members of the Society. Notice for any Special
Meeting is to be given in the same manner as for the Annual Meeting. No
business other than that specified in the notice of meeting shall be
transacted at any Special Meeting. A quorum for any Special Meeting shall
consist of those members in good standing who are present in person.
Section 6.
Two Inspectors of Election shall be
chosen by vote of the members at the Annual Meeting. It shall be their duty to
act as Inspectors of Election and at all Special Meetings until the next
Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE VII
Board of Governors
Section 1.
The property, affairs, business and
concerns of this Society shall be vested in a Board of Governors which shall
consist of nine members elected by the general membership, in addition to the President;
First, Second and Third Vice Presidents; Secretary; Treasurer; the five
immediate Past Presidents; the Director of Education; the Assistant Director
of Education; the Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee; and Counsel constituting
the ex-officio members of the Board of Governors. All shall be equal in
conducting the affairs of the Society, except that only the nine elected
Governors shall have the right of vote in electing the officers. The members
of the said Board of Governors shall, upon election, immediately enter upon
the performance of their duties and shall continue in office until their
successors shall be elected.
Section 2.
At each Annual Meeting there shall
be an election, by ballot, of Governors of the Society for the term of two (2)
years. There shall be no prohibition against the re-election of Governors.
Four Governors shall be elected every even year and five Governors shall be
elected every odd year, all for two year terms. Any vacancies filled by the
Board of Governors pursuant to Section 5 of this Article resulting in an
unexpired term shall also be filled by vote at the Annual Meeting.
Section 3.
The Board of Governors shall have
the power to hold meeting at such time and places as they may think proper; to
admit members and suspend or expel them by ballot; to audit bills and disburse
funds of the Society; to print and circulate documents and publish articles;
to carry on correspondence and to advise and carry into execution other such
measures as they may deem proper and expedient to promote the objects of the
Society and to best protect the interests and welfare of the members.
Section 4.
Five (5) members of the Board of
governors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. In the
absence of the President and Vice President the quorum present may choose a
Chairman for the meeting. If a quorum be not present, a less number may
adjourn the meeting to a later day.
Section 5.
Whenever any vacancy shall occur in
the Board of Governors by death, resignation or otherwise, the vacancy shall
be filled by the President appointing from the ranks of the members in good
standing subject to the approval of a majority of Governors in attendance at a
duly noticed meeting of the Board of Governors. The person so chosen shall
hold office until the next Annual Meeting.
Section 6.
Past Presidents shall be members of
the Board of Governors ex-officio for a term of five (5) years immediately
following their presidency.
Section 7.
Any elected member of the Board of
Governors who is absent from two consecutive meetings of the Board without
good cause or without obtaining prior excuse from the President may be removed
from the office at the next meeting of the Board of Governors following such
absences. Procedure to remove an elected member of the Board of Governors must
be initiated by a duly made and seconded motion for such removal. Debate on
the motion shall be limited to the validity and reasonableness of the absences
of the accused, and no member may speak more than five minutes on the motion.
If the accused is present, he shall be allowed five minutes to speak in his
own defense immediately after the motion to remove is seconded. After all
members wishing to speak on the motion have been heard, the accused, if
present, may speak again for not more than five (5) minutes in his defense.
The Board members present including elected and ex-officio members present
must be polled by paper ballots which may be marked "Yes" or "No" or left
blank. "Yes" votes by a majority of Board members present shall constitute
removal. The Secretary or acting Secretary shall notify the removed Governor
by letter mailed to the last known address of the accused.
ARTICLE VIII
Officers
Section 1.
The officers of this Society shall
be a President, First, Second and Third Vice President, a Secretary and a
Treasurer, all of whom shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Governors.
Section 2.
Within thirty (30) days after their
election, the Board of Governors shall elect all officers for a term of one
(1) year. A majority of the elected members of the Board shall be necessary to
constitute an election.
Section 3.
The duties and powers of the
Officers of the Society shall be as follows:
(a) PRESIDENT: The President shall
preside at the meetings of the Society and of the Board of Governors and of
the Executive Committee, and shall be a member ex-officio, with the right to
vote, of all committees except the Nominating Committee. He shall also, at the
Annual Meeting of the Society, and at such other times as he shall deem
proper, communicate to the Society or to the Board of Governors such matters
and make such suggestions as may, in his opinion, tend to promote the
prosperity and welfare and increase the usefulness of the Society, and shall
perform such other duties necessarily incident to the office of President of
the Society. The President shall appoint Counsel or Co-counsels to serve
concurrent with the President's term of office. Counsel shall be ex-officio
member of the Board of Governors.
The President shall appoint such committees as in his
judgment he shall deem fit for the good and welfare of the Society.
(b) VICE PRESIDENT: In case of
death or absence of the President, or his inability from any cause to act, a
Vice President shall perform the duties of his office, preference being in
order of First, Second and Third Vice Presidents.
In addition to the duties as listed herein, the First Vice President shall act
as the chairperson of the Programs/Seminars Committee, the Second Vice
President shall act as the chairperson of the Admissions Committee, and the
Third Vice President shall act as the chairperson of the Publications
Committee. Vice Presidents
shall
follow the guidelines as outlined in the Manual of Responsibilities and
Procedures - Officers, Chairpersons, and Executive Secretary in performing
the duties of their offices.
(c) SECRETARY: It shall be the duty
of the Secretary to give notice of and attend all meetings of the Society and
all Committee meetings as requested and to keep a record of their doings; to conduct all
correspondence and to carry into execution all orders, votes, and resolutions
not otherwise committed; to keep a list of the members of the Society; to
collect the fees, annual dues and subscriptions and pay them to the Treasurer;
to notify the officers and members of the Society of their election; to notify
members of their appointments on Committees; to furnish the Chairman of each
Committee with a copy of the vote under which the Committee is appointed, and
at his request give notice of the meetings of the Committee; to prepare, under
the directions of the Board of Governors, an annual report of the transaction
and condition of the Society and generally to devote his best efforts to
forwarding the business and advancing the interests of the Society. In case of
absence or disability of the Secretary, the Executive Committee may appoint a
Secretary pro tem. The Secretary shall be the keeper of the Seal of the
Society.
(d) TREASURER: The Treasurer shall
keep an account of all moneys received and expended for the use of the Society
and shall make disbursements. He shall deposit all sums received in a bank or
trust company approved by the Executive Committee and make a report at the
Annual Meeting or when called upon by the President. Funds may be drawn only
upon the signature of two of the following: the Treasurer, the President, and
the Executive Secretary. In the event of inability of the Treasurer to act,
the Treasurer's duties shall devolve upon the President. The funds, books and
vouchers in his hands shall at all times be under the supervision of the
Executive Committee and subject to its inspection and control; and at the
expiration of his term of office he shall deliver over to his successor all
books, moneys and other property, or, in the absence of the Treasurer-elect,
to the President.
Section 4.
The Treasurer may be bonded, and
the premium for such bond shall be paid by the Society.
Section 5.
All vacancies in any office shall
be filled by the elected members of the Board of Governors without undue
delay, at its regular meeting, or at a meeting specially called for that
purpose.
Section 6.
The officers shall receive such
salary or compensation as may be determined by the Board of Governors.
Section 7.
Any officer of the Society may
be removed from office by elected members of the Board of Governors for
misfeasance or nonfeasance of his official duties or for acts in his private
or business function which may bring discredit to the Society.
The procedure for removal is as
follows: Any elected Board member may initiate the action by calling a special
meeting of elected members of the Board and giving notice to the accused
officer by registered or certified mail addressed to the accused at his last
known address ten or more days before the date set for the special meeting.
Notice to the accused shall briefly state the charges, shall invite the
accused to be present at the special meeting and advise the accused of his
right to have counsel present. The Board may also have counsel present. The
Board shall elect one of its members as Ad Hoc Chairman who shall conduct the
hearing. The meeting shall proceed whether or not the accused is present. Vote
on that action shall be by paper ballot by all members of the Board including
the Ad Hoc Chairman. Two-thirds of the entire elected Board must vote in favor
of the action to effect removal. If the accused is not present, the Ad Hoc
Chairman shall notify the accused of the action taken by the Board. If the
accused is removed by the Board, a successor may be elected at the same
meeting.
ARTICLE IX
Committees
Section 1.
There shall be appointed annually
by the President, certain members of the Society who, with the President and
First Vice President, shall constitute an Executive Committee. It may act on
behalf of the Society in any manner, reporting to the Board of Governors for
its ratification of their action at each regular or special meeting called for
the purpose. Two members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business. Meetings may be called by the Chairman or by two members. The
Executive Committee shall have the Treasurer's accounts audited at least once
each year and report thereon to the Board of Governors.
Section 2.
At least 60 days prior to the month
of October the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of five (5)
Senior members of the Society in good standing; two (2) of whom shall be
elected members of the Board of Governors; two (2) of whom shall be of the
general membership (but not members of the Board of Governors); the fifth
member shall be the immediate Past President of the Society who shall serve as
Chairman of the Nominating Committee. In the event that the immediate Past
President is unable or unwilling to serve, then the President will appoint the
Chairman of the Nominating Committee. The duty of the Nominating Committee is
to nominate candidates (other than members presently serving on the Nominating
Committee) for Governors to be elected at the next election. The Nominating
Committee shall notify the Secretary in writing at least twenty (20) days
before the date of the election, of the names of such candidates, and the
Secretary shall mail a copy thereof to the last recorded address of each
member simultaneously with the notice of the election meeting.
Section 3.
Nominations for Governors may also
be made, endorsed with the names of not less than twenty (20) members of the
Society if forwarded to the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the
election meeting of the Society for transmittal by him to the members as
provided in Section 2 of the herein Article IX.
Section 4.
The Society
shall have the following standing committees: Executive,
Programs/Seminars, Admissions, Publications, Education, Career Development,
Scholarship, Ethics, and Nominating. The President may, at any time
appoint special committees on any subject for which there are no standing
committees of the Society.
Section 5.
A majority of any committee of the
Society shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, unless any
committee shall by majority vote of its entire membership decide otherwise.
Section 6.
The President shall fill vacancies
in the membership of any committee.
Section 7.
Except as otherwise provided, the
President shall appoint all Committee Chairpersons and the Chairpersons will
select the members of the Committee subject to the approval of the President.
ARTICLE X
Finances
Section 1.
The fiscal year of the Society
shall begin on the first day of January of each year and end on the
thirty-first day of December of the same year.
Section 2.
Nothing contained in any article of
this Constitution shall be construed as prohibiting the acceptance and use of
any money or other contribution, from any individual or any other donor,
whether or not the donor is a member of the Society.
Section 3.
If the Society becomes inactive as
evidenced either by failure to hold Annual Meetings for two successive years
or failure to hold an annual election of officers for two successive years or
by failure to offer its regular elementary appraisal course for two successive
years or by reduction of its dues-paid membership to less than 100 members,
then the Treasurer or in the absence of treasurer, the last duly elected
President shall pay from Society funds all outstanding debts of the Society
and pay over to the Society's Endowment Fund all money and/or other
property then held by the Society. Such money and/or other property is to be
designated for use in the University's Endowment Fund to be used first for
scholarships for students taking real estate courses, but if none then for
general scholarships.
Section 4.
Financial expenditures in excess of $3,000 require approval of 75% of the attendees at a meeting of the Board of
Governors, notice of such a meeting having been sent to the Governors at least
10 days in advance of the meeting by mail.
ARTICLE XI
Nomenclature
Section 1.
All designated members in good
standing may use the appropriate designation immediately following their
signature in signing letters, appraisal reports or in articles for
publication. Such use shall always be in a manner satisfactory to the Board of
Governors and in accordance with such rules as the Board may issue.
ARTICLE XII
Amendments
Section 1.
These By-Laws may be amended,
repealed or changed in whole or in part by a majority vote at any duly
organized meeting of the Society, provided the proposed change is submitted by
mail to the last recorded address of each member at least ten (10) days before
the time of the meeting which is to consider the change.
End of Bylaws
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