Mount Kemble Lake Association, Inc.
Board Secretary
Article XII, Section 4. Secretary - The Secretary shall keep the
minutes and other official reports of the Association and shall perform such
duties as the Board may assign.
Essential Duties:
By-Laws: read and become familiar with the By-Laws. They are the legal basis for the operations
of the Association and the Board of Trustees.
Monthly
Meetings of the Board:
1. At organizational
meeting after Annual Meeting:
·
Establish
schedule of monthly meetings for upcoming year (By-Laws require a minimum of
10). Type and distribute to Board
members.
·
Obtain
email addresses, street addresses & phone numbers (including work numbers)
for all Board members. Also include
Committee members (see #3 below). Type
and distribute to Board.
2. Prepare Minutes of all meetings. See Secretary's records for
format.
·
Include
date, time and place of next meeting as reminder.
·
The
minutes of the meetings of the Board are to be distributed to Board members
within one week following the meeting by email or via hard copies in mailboxes.
·
The
minutes of Board meetings also are to be distributed to the Board members and Secretaries of
Lakeshore Company and Country Club within one week of the meeting by email or
via hard copies in mailboxes (names are in newsletter).
3.
Committees required by By-Laws:
ask Board Members responsible to obtain and identify their Committee
members (add to Board member list described in #1 above).
Records
of the Board:
The
official records of the Association maintained by the Secretary include: Board meeting minutes, Annual Meeting
minutes, insurance records (for all 3 MKL
organizations), certificate of incorporation and annual corporate registration
records, copies of By-Laws, copies of Rules & Regulations, miscellaneous
correspondence, copies of new letters, absentee Members' addresses.
The last
two years' records should be kept in a fireproof lock box.
The
Secretary shall be responsible for the Record Room in the Clubhouse or shall
designate that responsibility to another Member of the Association (reporting
to the Secretary).
Corporate
Registration of the Association:
·
In
May or June, the "Annual Report Filing Form" will be received from
the N.J. Dept. of State, Division of Commercial Recording. Instructions are given on the form. The form must be completed each year and sent
in with the $15 registration fee (obtain check from Treasurer). Copy of prior completed form found in
Secretary's records as model.
·
The
Board Secretary is identified as the Association's "agent". When there is a new Secretary, the
"Agent Certificate of Change" portion of the form must also be
completed. A separate fee is
charged. See form for amount (obtain separate
check).
Checking
Account Signatory: The
Secretary (along with the President and the Treasurer) is a designated
signatory for the Association's checking account. The Treasurer will obtain the bank forms
necessary to designate a new Secretary as a signatory. The By-Laws require that all Association
checks be signed by two officers.
Insurance
Policies: The
Secretary of the Association (by agreement with Lakeshore and Country Club):
·
Shall either act as insurance liaison between the
·
Maintains
files of all insurance policies, requests premium checks from the Treasurer,
sends in all payments, supplies copies of statements to the Treasurer (after
check is received), maintains a checklist of policies received and payments
made, organizes and submits the Worker's Compensation annual audit.
·
Annually
updates descriptive list of insurance policies and distributes to all members
of all 3 Boards (update following last premium payment of the year)
Annual Meeting (in March):
Prior to the meeting (see By-Laws for requirements):
·
In
January, the Board should appoint a Nominating Committee to arrange for a slate
of candidates to be presented for election (although the By-Laws specify
"one month prior to the annual meeting", that is not enough time). Request the Chair of the Nominating Committee
to notify you of the slate as soon as possible.
·
Update
the address list for Absentee Members.
Get updates from the Chair of Community Affairs and the Secretaries and
Treasurers of Lakeshore and Country Club.
The By-Laws require that all Members receive the slate at least 10 days
before the Annual Meeting. That means
that notices, proxies and ballots must be mailed to Absentee Members about 15
days before the meeting.
·
Prepare
and distribute notice of Annual Meeting, proxy forms and ballots. In notice, include Agenda and Candidates for
election. Any proposed dues increases or
amendments to the By-Laws must be specifically noted. See Secretary's records for format used in
the past. Absentee notices are
mailed. Others are left in mailboxes.
·
The
By-Laws stipulate that the Annual Meeting be held the 2nd Saturday in
March. The fiscal year ends with the
last day of February. The intervening
days allow the Treasurer enough time to pay final bills and prepare an accurate
financial report for the meeting.
·
If
the meeting date needs be on a different date, written notice must be given to
the membership 30 days in advance of the 2nd Saturday in March.
·
Prepare
Roll Call list: See By-Laws definition
of "Member" (property owners and spouses). Get updated list of property owners
(Stockholders) from Lakeshore to create a roll-call list. Add spouse names (if not also property
owners) to list. Renting tenants and
significant others are not Members and cannot attend/vote at the Annual Meeting
or submit proxies or absentee ballots.
Count the number of Members (it will vary slightly from year to year as
new residents move in). Quorum is half
of the Membership plus one (or more).
Note the required number at the top of the Roll Call list.
·
Ask
all Trustees and Committee Chairs to provide you with either a written copy of
their report or a summary to be included in the Minutes. You will not have time at the meeting to take
adequate notes!!!
·
Materials
to take to meeting:
1)
Roll call list
2) Absentee ballots and proxies already submitted
3) Minutes of prior
Annual Meeting (to be read)
4)
40-50 blank ballots (more if controversial subjects are being discussed;
attendance will be heavier)
5)
Proxy identification slips (slips of colored paper with the word PROXY
printed on them). Give one to each
designee named on a proxy form to verify their right to vote issues such as the
Proposed Budget in the place of an absentee Member. If no completed ballot was submitted by the
absentee Member, also give the designee a ballot.
6) Extra pens and pencils
7) Signs instructing attendees
holding proxies/ballots to give them immediately to you. Post one on clubhouse door and others
inside. Proxy designees may pick up
Proxy Identification Slips from you.
·
Mark
all proxies and absentee ballots received on the Roll Call list before the
meeting. Proxies and absentee ballots
should be delivered to you no later than one hour before the meeting
At the meeting:
·
Some
people will have a neighbor hand-carry their absentee proxies and ballots to
the meeting. Try to get the recording of
these done before the meeting starts. It
will speed up Roll Call!
·
Call
the Roll when prompted by the President.
Count attendees and absentee proxies.
Determine if the quorum has been met.
·
Read
the Minutes of the last Annual Meeting.
·
Record
the meeting, especially Old and New Business and the results of any votes.
After the meeting:
·
Prepare,
distribute to Board Members (and Secretaries of the other 2 organizations) and
file a copy of the Minutes of the Annual Meeting. File a copy of the Treasurer's Financial
Report.
Clubhouse
Rental Application Forms: Update Clubhouse Rental Application Forms as indicated by the
Board. File a master copy. Provide a master copy to the Treasurer. The Treasurer maintains files of both blank
and completed forms and handles the application process (since 1998).
Budget: Budgets are prepared for the
following year beginning in December, reviewed in January and February, and
presented at the annual meeting in March.
Revised
February 2006