ST. JOHN THE BELOVED COUNCIL NO. 11796
SHERWOOD PARK, DE
Adopted November 2, 2022 (pdf)
ARTICLE I
Section 1. This Council shall be known as ST. JOHN THE BELOVED COUNCIL NO. 11796 of the Knights of Columbus.
Section 2. Except as noted, members shall pay annual dues as determined by the council. The dues shall be payable when billed. Honorary members’ dues shall be at a discounted rate as determined by the council as they are 65 years of age with 25 years of membership with the Knights of Columbus. Honorary life members’ dues shall be zero as they are 70 years of age with 25 years of membership with the council or have a total membership of 50 years with Knights.
Section 3. The Financial Secretary shall receive annual compensation of $360.00 paid at the end of the council’s fiscal year. Should the Financial Secretary serve less than a full year, the compensation shall be pro-rated for the time served. The Financial Secretary may choose to waive compensation by notifying the Grand Knight before the end of the fiscal year.
ARTICLE II- Elections
Section 1. The annual election of officers shall take place at the last regular meeting of each Columbian Year (July 1st through June 30th). At least three meetings before the annual election, the Grand Knight shall open nominations to be made from the floor and nominations may not be closed until the election has convened and the members are ready to ballot.
Section 2. The election of officers shall be by ballot and a majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to elect. When only one candidate is proposed for a particular office and no further nominations have been received from the floor, the presiding Grand Knight shall call for a motion to accept the slate of officers as nominated. After the motion is called and voted by the council to accept, the slate of officers running unopposed are elected.
Section 3. The Grand Knight shall appoint two members to act as Tellers. After all who are entitled to do so have voted, the ballot shall be declared closed and the Tellers shall then proceed to count the physical votes in full view of the Council. One of the Tellers shall examine each ballot singly and pass the same to his associate, who shall read aloud the name or names written or printed on the ballot. For votes done electronically, the Tellers will confirm the count of votes sent to them live through the digital meeting space. The Recorder shall tally the same and the result shall then be announced by the Grand Knight.
Section 4. Each officer elected must qualify and fill the office to which he is chosen, with or without installation, at the first regular meeting of the month of July succeeding the election, unless excused by a vote of the Council, and are asked to present himself for installation, at the time specified in the notice issued by or through the State Deputy or District Deputy, unless excused by the Council’s Grand Knight if unable to attend. Otherwise such office shall be considered vacant.
Section 5. Vacancies in elective offices shall be filled, after notice to the members, by election at the regular meeting next succeeding the regular meeting at which the vacancy was created.
ARTICLE III- Officers
Section 1. Only members who are in good standing shall be eligible to hold office in this Council. Only members who have completed the Exemplification of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity shall be eligible to hold office except that this requirement may be waived for individual members by majority vote of the council at a regularly scheduled meeting. No member shall hold more than one elective office at the same time.
Section 2. The elective offices shall be as follows: Grand Knight, Deputy Grand Knight, Chancellor, Recorder, Treasurer, Advocate, Warden, Inside Guard, Outside Guard and Trustee(s). The term for all elective offices except for the Trustees shall be one year. The term for a Trustee shall be three years.
Section 3. The appointive officers shall be as follows: Financial Secretary, Chaplain and Lecturer. The Financial Secretary shall be appointed by the Supreme Knight. The Chaplain shall be selected by the Grand Knight. The Grand Knight shall appoint the Lecturer. The term for Financial Secretary shall be three years. The Chaplain shall advise the Grand Knight for the length of his term that he would like to serve. The term for Lecturer shall be one year.
Section 4. At the last regular meeting of each Columbian Year, the Council shall determine the amount of bond to be provided for the Treasurer and Financial Secretary in addition to the bond furnished by the Supreme Council. The Treasurer and Financial Secretary shall not take office or be installed, or receive any money or property of the Council until they have furnished such bond and the same has been approved by the Board of Trustees. The premium on any bonds required by the Council shall be paid by the Council.
Section 5. The Council Officers shall perform the duties required of them by the Laws and Rules of the Order, and by these By-Laws and such other duties as the Council may direct.
Section 6. It shall be the duty of the Grand Knight to file with the Recorder a list of candidates to be voted upon at such meeting.
Section 7. At the end of each semiannual period, the Board of Trustees, Financial Secretary and Treasurer shall meet and audit the several books of the Council. In each January and August, the Board of Trustees shall make a full report of their findings, including the receipts and disbursements of the moneys of the Council for the previous semiannual period, the balance on hand to the credit of each of the various funds at the end of each semiannual period, and the assets and liabilities of the Council. The Grand Knight shall issue the call for such meetings of the Board of Trustees.
Section 8. The Recorder shall file all reports in a filing book to be provided for that purpose and the filing book shall be preserved as a part of the records of this Council.
ARTICLE IV- Meetings
Section 1. The Council shall hold a business meeting on the first Wednesday of each month September through June. An additional meeting, generally social in nature, shall be held on the third Wednesday of each month of the year. Meetings shall be held at such times and places as the Council may designate. Ten members, of which at least 3 must be officers, shall constitute a quorum at meetings where Council business is conducted.
Section 2. All Council meetings shall be presided over by the Grand Knight who will ascertain from the Warden if all present are in possession of a current membership card. If the Grand Knight is unable to attend, the Deputy Grand Knight or the Grand Knight’s designee shall preside over the meeting.
Section 3. The following shall be the order of business and procedures at regular business meetings:
1. Call to Order
2. Warden’s Report on Membership Cards
3. Opening Prayer
4. Pledge of Allegiance
5. Father McGivney Prayer
6. Roll Call of Officers
7. Chaplain’s Message
8. Approve Minutes of Prior Meeting
9. Grand Knight’s Report
10. Treasurer’s Report (Omitted for Social Meetings)
11. Membership Report
- Balloting of Candidates for Admission or Transfer
12. Lecturer’s Reflection (Omitted for Social Meetings)
13. Other Reports
- Programs
- Committees
- Patriotic Degree (May be Omitted)
- Insurance Agent (May be Omitted)
- District Deputy (May be Omitted)
14. Old Business
15. New Business
16. Good of the Order
17. Closing Prayer
18. Adjournment
Section 4. It shall be the duty of all officers to attend each business meeting of the Council. In case of inability of any officer to attend a meeting, due notice shall be given to the Grand Knight and arrangements made to have all necessary books and papers in the possession of such officer at the meeting. If a Chair Officer is absent from a meeting, the presiding officer shall designate a member to act for him. If an elected officer, without reasonable excuse approved by the Grand Knight, is absent from three consecutive regular business meetings, the Grand Knight may report the absences to the District Deputy for such action under Section 92(b) of the Laws and Rules of the Order as the District Deputy deems appropriate.
Section 5. In the absence or inability of the Grand Knight, the Deputy Grand Knight shall preside and execute all of the duties of the Grand Knight. In the absence of the Grand Knight and the Deputy Grand Knight, the duty of presiding shall devolve on the other officers of the Council in the order in which they are named in Section 126 of the Laws and Rules of the Order.
Section 6. If any business meeting shall fall on a legal holiday, that meeting shall be held on another date within the same month as determined by the Council at the preceding business meeting.
ARTICLE V- Balloting for Candidates
Section 1. The Grand Knight, having; (1) received a completed application from a candidate for membership in the Order; (2) verified the information on the application; and (3) verified that the candidate meets the eligibility requirements of the Order shall present the application to the Council at a regularly scheduled meeting. A motion for approval of the application and a second shall then be obtained from the floor. If either is not obtained, the application shall be rejected.
Section 2. Upon approval of the motion to accept the application, a vote to elect the candidate shall immediately be held. Election of the candidate shall be by majority vote. Where there is more than one candidate, each candidate shall be voted on separately.
ARTICLE VI- Committees
Section 1. In addition to the committees provided for in the Laws and Rules of the Order and those necessary for STAR Council, Service Program Directors and their relevant committees shall be established by the Council or its Grand Knight on a as needed basis.
Section 2. Except as herein provided, all Committees shall be appointed by the Grand Knight.
ARTICLE VII- Funds
Section 1. All moneys obtained from any source, by or through any person or persons, acting for or in the name of the Council or under its direction or authority, shall be considered Council Funds and shall be forthwith delivered to the Financial Secretary. The Financial Secretary shall: (1) provide a receipt for all such funds; (2) report the amount of and reason for such funds at the next business meeting; and (3) deliver such funds to the council Treasurer at that meeting. The Treasurer shall provide the Financial Secretary with a receipt for any such funds received.
Section 2. The Treasurer shall deposit all moneys received from the Financial Secretary in a bank to the credit of the council. Disbursements from this fund shall be made only by check signed by the Grand Knight and Treasurer. The Deputy Grand Knight shall have the authority to sign council drafts only in the event of the Grand Knight’s absence or incapacity. The depository bank shall be furnished with a copy of this section.
Section 3. No money shall be paid or transferred from the Council Treasury except as follows:
(a) For current expenses the Council pays on a regular basis as provided by the laws of the
Order or for purposes approved by the Supreme Council or Board of Directors;
(b) For expenditures by the Grand Knight of $100.00 or less for council related activities;
(c) By a vote of the Council.
Section 4. All bills shall be presented to the Grand Knight or Recorder and read by him to the Council before being referred to the Financial Secretary. Any bill approved by the Grand Knight and Financial Secretary shall be read and fully explained to the Council at its regular meeting whereupon a two-thirds affirmative vote of the members in attendance and voting shall be required to authorize payment of the bill. In case a bill is not approved by the Grand Knight and the Financial Secretary, the bill shall be referred to the Council for action.
ARTICLE VIII- Funerals, Etc.
Section 1. Upon the death of a member in good standing, the Memorial Committee or Grand Knight shall give notice to the members and, if time permits, shall request them to assemble and pay their respects to the memory of the deceased at a time and place to be indicated in such notice.
Section 2. When notice of the death of a member in good standing is received, the Grand Knight or Memorial Committee shall forward to the family of the deceased a message of condolence on behalf of the Council.
ARTICLE IX- Miscellaneous
Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at a regular business meeting held subsequent to a regular meeting at which a resolution in writing providing for such amendment shall have been read and notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given to the members through electronic communications at least five days prior to the second meeting.
Section 2. Procedure and debate shall be in accordance with the Laws and Rules of the Supreme Council, the Supreme Board of Directors, these By-Laws and the Rules of Parliamentary Law known as “Robert’s Rules of Order.”
These By-Laws adopted by vote of the Council November 2, 2022.
David Gilefski, Grand Knight
Luke Raymond, Advocate
Date of Institution: June 22, 1996