By Laws

TELLICO VILLAGE PICKLEBALL CLUB BYLAWS

Amended and Approved by Membership August 5, 2024

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Tellico Village Pickleball Club (TVPBC). The Club’s registration with the IRS is “New TVPBC,” and the Club  may do business under that name, as well.

Article II – Purpose

The TVPBC is a social organization formed to provide a fun, friendly and healthy recreational activity for all TVPBC members. The Club shall provide for player development, social and competitive play opportunities for members.

Article III – Membership

Section 1: Members must meet guidelines stated in TVPBC’s Policies and Procedures. Members must abide by TVPBC’s Bylaws and Policies and Procedures to have the opportunity to actively support and participate in TVPBC functions. Membership entitles each member a vote for TVPBC Officers and Directors and for Bylaw changes as further defined in Article VII and Article IX of these Bylaws.

Section 2: Annual dues established by the Board of Directors (BoD) from the first day of January through the last day of December shall be required for full participation as a member of the TVPBC.

Section 3: Membership in the TVPBC shall be terminated by voluntary withdrawal, nonpayment of dues or Tellico Village Property Owners Association (TVPOA) assessments, violation of the provisions of these Bylaws, or violation of Policies and Procedures promulgated by the TVPBC, TVPOA and the Recreation Department.

Article IV – Board of Directors

Section 1: The BoD shall consist of four elected Officers and three elected Directors of the TVPBC, namely, President, Vice-President, Secretary-Communications Director, Treasurer, Director of Social Activities, Director of Training and Director of Evaluations. All seven may vote.

Section 2: The BoD shall have the overall governing authority consistent with the TVPBC Bylaws and shall appoint committee chairpersons deemed necessary to carry out the functions and objectives of the TVPBC. The BoD shall also be responsible for providing a description of the duties of each appointed chairperson.

While the BoD may appoint committee members, appointments will generally be left to the appointed committee chairperson to select the members of that committee.

Section 3: The terms of the elected Officers and Directors shall be for two years and terminate at the end of the fiscal year of their tenures. The terms will commence the first day of January and terminate the last day of December. Terms for the President, Treasurer and Director of Training shall be staggered with those of the Vice-President, Secretary-Communications Director, Social Director and Director of Evaluations for continuity of the Board.

Appointments to any Board of Director vacancies will be made by a majority vote of the BoD at the next regularly scheduled meeting. Said appointment will remain in place until the next election as described in Article VII–Election Procedures. The appointee shall meet the requirements of Article IV, Section 1.

Article V – Duties of Officers

President:

Shall assume club leadership, preside at all meetings, and may call special meetings as needed. The President shall be responsible for issuing Policies and Procedures for TVPBC activities to be approved by the BoD. The President shall also be responsible for providing visibility of the Club within the Tellico Village Community and will generally be a spokesperson for the TVPBC.

The President shall appoint a committee of three to audit financial documents at the end of the fiscal year. The results of the audit shall be presented to the membership at the second meeting of the BoD in the new fiscal year.

The President may appoint, with Board approval, nonvoting associate directors for special tasks or objectives. The President shall publish duties, responsibilities, and length of service for each director on the TVPBC website’s BoD page. Non-voting directors shall be tasked with status reports given at BoD meetings.

Vice-President:

Shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence and generally assist the Club in all functions as necessary. The Vice President will head the Competition Committee. The Competition Committee will oversee the organization and direction of tournaments, leagues and competitive pickleball activities within the Club and with other organizations. The Vice-President will also oversee the Orientation Program.

Treasurer:

Shall collect dues and other funds, disburse funds as approved by the BoD, and provide both an oral and written financial report at each BoD meeting. The Treasurer shall also provide a written year-end financial report at the second meeting of the BoD in the new fiscal year. The Treasurer will maintain membership rolls of the Club.

The Treasurer shall hold office for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

As the President has bank authority, the President shall assume duties of the Treasurer in the Treasurer’s absence.

Secretary-Communications Director:

Shall take minutes of the BoD meetings and shall distribute copies as soon as possible to the BoD for review, to be approved at the next scheduled meeting. Approved minutes for all public BoD meetings shall be posted on the Club’s website for access by members.

Shall maintain historical records of the TVPBC, such as BoD minutes, Bylaws and revisions, Policies and Procedures, and other formal documents of the TVPBC necessary for historical purposes.

In the event of the Secretary-Communications Director’s absence, the Treasurer or any member designated by the President or Vice-President shall perform this function.

Director of Social Activities:

Shall be responsible for the organization of social events in order to encourage social interaction among all TVPBC members. The Social Director will establish a calendar of events for BoD approval each year. This will include potential new member activities as well as special social events for members.

Director of Training:

Shall be responsible for establishing and conducting viable training programs for all the members of the TVPBC. The BoD must approve all programs.

Shall organize a group of instructors to assist with various training programs. May appoint an assistant to conduct training classes for novice players.

Shall establish training clinics for all TVPBC members interested in improving their pickleball skills and assign qualified instructors to assist in the training program.

Director of Evaluation:

Shall establish criteria for review of the playing skills for placement and advancement of TVPBC members, including an evaluation process and a calendar for said evaluations. These criteria will be reviewed and approved by the BoD.

Article VI – Meetings

Section 1: The BoD shall meet on a quarterly basis, at a minimum, for public Board meetings. A majority of voting members of the BoD must be in attendance to constitute a quorum for voting purposes. Dates and times for BoD public meetings shall be announced by email messaging and posted on the TVPBC’s website. A good-faith effort shall be made to notify the membership 30 days in advance of meetings.

Section 2: TVPBC members will be encouraged to attend all public meetings for the purpose of understanding the actions that the BoD is taking on behalf of the members and for the members to present to the BoD any items of concern that may help improve the operation of the TVPBC.

Section 3: An Annual Meeting of the Membership shall be held in November of each fiscal year for the primary purpose of electing officers and outlining general plans for the coming year. This important meeting can be combined with a social activity. The date, location, and time will be announced by the President at least four weeks prior to the actual meeting. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the BoD and 10% of the TVPBC Membership including proxy votes unless the members running for open positions are uncontested.

Article VII – Election Procedures

Section 1: A Nominating Committee of at least three TVPBC members shall be appointed by the President 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting of the Membership in November of the fiscal year. The committee will be charged with soliciting, receiving, and announcing all the nominations for each office no later than thirty days prior to the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee will also administer the election at this general meeting, tally the votes for each office, and present the election results to the President.

Section 2: All members of the TVPBC are eligible for election to any of the seven elective positions described in Article IV, Section 1.

Section 3: Upon receiving the tally of votes, the President will announce the results of the election at the Annual Meeting of the Membership.

If an office remains or later becomes unfilled, the BoD shall appoint a TVPBC member of the Club to the vacant position. (Article IV Section 1 applies).

Article VIII – Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the TVPBC shall start the first day of January and shall terminate the last day of December.

Article IX – Amendments

Section 1: Any member of the TVPBC as described in Policies and Procedures may propose an amendment to these Bylaws. The proposed amendment shall be delivered to the President in writing with supporting documentation, as needed.

Section 2: Within two months, the BoD must vote on the proposed amendment. If approved, the proposed amendment shall then be presented to the TVPBC membership for approval at a special meeting called for such a purpose.

Notice of said meeting must be posted in writing at least 30 days in advance specifying the nature of the proposed amendment to be voted upon.

Section 3: A two-thirds majority vote of the membership present, including proxy votes, shall be required to adopt any amendment to the Bylaws.

Article X – Conflict of Documents

In the case of any conflict between any part of these Bylaws and the Bylaws of the TVPOA or the Tellico Village Recreation Department, that part of these Bylaws shall be inoperative and must be amended to bring that part into compliance.

Article XI – Dissolution

On dissolution of the Club, all funds remaining in the treasury and any equipment purchased by or donated to the club shall be given to the Recreation Department for use as they deem necessary.

This version of the Tellico Village Pickleball Club Bylaws, as amended, has been ratified by the Board of Directors on July 11, 2024.

Signed by:
Gary Sawicki, President; Bruce LaCour, Vice-President; Katherine Parr, Secretary; Don MacLeod, Treasurer; Steve McCormick, Director of Evaluations; Kelly Bryan, Social Director; Matt Frederick, Director of Training.