Article I - Organization Name

Section 1.

The name of the organization shall be the Arizona Archaeological Council, hereafter designated simply as the Council.

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Article II - Purpose

Section 1.

The Council is a nonprofit voluntary association that exists for the purpose of maintaining and promoting the goals of professional archaeology in the State of Arizona.

Section 2.

These goals shall include but not be limited to the following:

• To promote and coordinate communication and cooperation within the archaeological community.
• To encourage the development and implementation of professional quality in archaeological research and reports.
• To work for the preservation and conservation of the prehistoric and historic heritage of the State.
• To uphold State, Federal, County and Municipal laws, rules, and regulations that protect cultural resources.
• To advocate and publicize these objectives in the State of Arizona.
• To educate the public about the goals and methods of archaeology.
• To promote greater understanding between archaeological organizations and Native American communities.

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Article III - Offices

Section 1.

The principal office of the Council in the State of Arizona shall be located in Maricopa County unless otherwise established by a vote of a majority of the board of directors in office.

Section 2.

The Council also may have offices at other places within or without the State of Arizona.

Article IV - Board of Directors and Officers

Section 1.

The Council shall have a board of directors consisting of nine voting officers: President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Information Officer, and four at-large members. The Immediate-past-president shall serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. The Editor of the Journal of Arizona Archaeology shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Directors.

Section 2.

The President or the President's designee shall serve as the Council's representative in all its official affairs and transactions. The President will preside at all meetings.

Section 3.

The President-elect shall act with the powers of the President in the event that the President is unable to perform appointed duties.

Section 4.

The Secretary shall announce all meetings to the membership of the Council, shall maintain minutes of such meetings and shall manage correspondence (mail and e-mail) for the Council.

Section 5.

The Treasurer shall be the Council's financial officer and shall keep membership rolls and maintain records of financial transactions of the Council in accord with standard bookkeeping practices.

Section 6.

The Information Officer shall solicit, manage, and edit content for the website and, when authorized by the Board of Directors develop other official media and publications.

Section 7.

Among other activities, the Board of Directors functions as the policy-making body of the Council.

Section 8.

In the event that a member of the Board of Directors, except for the President and President-elect, is unable to fulfill a term of office, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to appoint a member in good standing to the remainder of the term so as to satisfy the conditions of Section 1. In the event that the President cannot complete a term of office, the President-elect shall assume the office of President for the remainder of the term, and continue as President the following year. The Board of Directors may appoint a President-elect who shall not continue as President of the Council.

Section 9.

Any Director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed, with or without cause, at a special meeting of members called for the purpose of removing Directors, by a vote of the majority of the members. In case the Board or any one or more Directors is so removed, new Directors may be elected at the same meeting.

Section 10.

A simple majority of the directors present at a meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, which shall constitute the acts of the board of directors. In absence of a quorum, no formal action shall be taken except to adjourn the meeting to a subsequent date.

Section 11.

No contract or other transaction between the Council and one or more of its directors or any other Council, firm, association, or entity in which one or more of its directors are directors or officers or are financially interested, shall be made unless approved unanimously by the board of directors.

Section 12.

The Editor of the Journal of Arizona Archaeology shall compile and review requests for publication in the journal, manage the editorial board, and coordinate with the copy/managing editor and publisher.

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Article V - Elections

Section 1.

All members of the Board of Directors shall hold office for two years. President-elect should be elected every year. Secretary, Treasurer, Information Officer, and two Board of Directors members-at-large shall be elected in odd number years. Two Board of Directors members-at-large shall be elected in even years

Section 2.

The Board of Directors (except the President) shall be elected according to the following procedures:

• The President shall appoint a chairperson to convene a Nominations Committee.
  
• The chairperson will submit a slate of nominees and position statements to the Information Officer at least 60 days prior to the Fall Meeting.
  
• Voting shall be by web ballot on the Council website at least 30 days prior to the Fall Meeting. Results will be tallied by the Nominations Committee Chairperson at least one week prior to the Fall Meeting and announced to the membership at the Fall Meeting.
  
• Candidates will be elected by a simple majority vote. In the case of a tie vote, a runoff election will be held at the Fall Meeting.
• The President-Elect becomes President the following calendar year.
  

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Article VI - Committees

Section 1.

As necessary, committee chairpersons may be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 2.

Chairpersons will consult with and report to the President on a timely basis.

Section 3.

Committees may be dissolved at the President's discretion, with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 4.

The President shall ensure committee activities are reported to the membership annually.

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Article VII - Membership

Section 1.

Any person who holds to the purpose and goals of the Council may become a member without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or national origin

Section 2.
Application for membership shall include written subscription to the purpose and goals of the Council as stated in Article II. Applications may be filed via the Council website and submission of personal information and remission of payment shall constitute subscription to the purpose and goals of the Council.

Section 3.

Membership in the Council may be revoked from any person who:

• Misused their Council membership,
• Violates State, Federal, County and Municipal laws, rules, or regulations regarding cultural resources,
• Violates accepted standards of archaeological conduct by misusing archaeological materials or sites, or by failing to behave in a responsible manner to the archaeological record or to the archaeological community,
• Or who acts in a way that contributes to a hostile, intimidating, or unwelcoming environment for other members of the Council of the public.

Section 4.

Removal from membership shall involve the following procedures:

• A written and signed complaint must be made to the President about any members(s) whose acts are contrary to the goals and purposes of the Council as set forth in Article II.
  
• The President will notify the member(s) involved and the Board of Directors of the charges within 2 weeks of receipt of a complaint.
  
• Member(s) will have 4 weeks from the date of notification to respond to any and all charges. The charges and any response shall be considered at the next Board of Directors meeting. If the Board of Directors determines that action is warranted, the grievance procedures listed in Article IX shall be followed.
  
• A majority vote of the Board of Directors is required for removal from membership.
  
• An individual so removed shall be permitted to reapply for membership after five years.
  
• The Board of Directors will consider the request for readmission. A majority vote of Board of Directors members is required for readmission to the Council.

Section 5.

Only members in good standing may vote in determining the business and policy matters of the Council. Members in good standing are those whose annual dues are not in arrears.

Section 6.

Organizations may obtain membership status for the purpose of subscribing to the Council's publications. This status will not include voting privileges

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Article VIII - Meetings

Section 1.

The Council shall meet at least twice a year in regular sessions in the fall and spring and on other occasions as the membership shall deem necessary. Ten members may request that the Secretary call a special meeting. At least four weeks prior notice to the membership must be given for all meetings, regular or special.

Section 2.

Passage of a motion will require a simple majority of the members present and voting. Voting can also take place through the Council webpage in the secure member log-in.

Section 3.

Attendance at meetings is encouraged but is not required to sustain membership and nonmembers may attend any meeting.

Section 4.

The Board of Directors shall meet at least twice a year.

Section 5.

Written notice stating the place, day, and hour of Council meetings and, in case of a special Council meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the Council meeting is called, shall be delivered to the Council membership not less than ten days before the date of the meeting via e-mail, by the Secretary or other director.

Section 6.

Written notice stating the place, day, and hour of Council Board meetings shall be delivered to the Council membership not less than ten days before the date of the meeting via e-mail, by the Secretary or other director.

Section 7.

At all meetings of the Council, whether regular or special, a majority of the voting members certified by the Secretary, present in person or by proxy at the meeting, may constitute a quorum. Business may be conducted once a quorum is present and may continue until adjournment of the meeting, notwithstanding the withdrawal or temporary absence of sufficient members to reduce the number present to less than a quorum.

Section 8.

Meetings of the Council members shall be presided over by the President, or if the President is not present, by the President-elect or the highest ranking office present as designated by the board of directors, or if no officer is present, by a chairman to be chosen by the majority of the members at the meeting who are present in person or by proxy. The Secretary of the Council shall act as secretary for every meeting, but if the secretary is absent, the presiding officer shall choose any person present to act as secretary of the meeting.

Section 9.

Every member entitled to vote at a meeting of members or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for him by proxy. Every proxy shall be executed in writing by the member and shall be filed with the secretary of the Council when taking vote on the issue as to which the proxy intends to act.

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Article IX - Grievance Procedures

Section 1.

Any individual (member or nonmember) or organization that believes the archaeological record is not being treated in a responsible manner or that the written guidelines of the Council have been violated may bring the matter to the attention of the Council by writing to the President. The disposition of the case will be handled according to the following procedures:

• The Board of Directors will consider the case and may ask the party or parties involved to attend a meeting and discuss the case.
• The Board of Directors will agree either to look into the matter or decline. In the latter, a written explanation will be provided.
• If a decision is made to participate in the case, the President will appoint an ad hoc committee to gather information. The President will also notify all concerned parties that the Council has decided to participate and will provide them an opportunity to present their views to the Board of Directors and the ad hoc committee.
• Within a designated span of time, the ad hoc committee will present a written report to the President which contains summaries of available information and recommendations for future action. These recommendations can include publication of the report in the Newsletter.
• The Board of Directors will act on the basis of recommendations of the ad hoc committee.

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Article X - Finances

Section 1.

The Board of Directors shall establish membership dues for the purpose of financing Council business.

Section 2.

Only the Board of Directors may authorize the expenditure and investment of Council funds. The President can authorize expenditures of up to $1,000 per year without Board of Directors approval if the expenditure(s) is (are) consistent with the mission and Bylaws of the Council.

Section 3.

Annual dues shall be forfeited by any member who resigns or is removed.

Section 4.

The Board of Directors shall present at an annual meeting of members a report of the financial condition of the Council as of the closing date of the preceding fiscal year.

Section 5.

All funds of the Council shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the Council in such banks or other depositories as the Board of Directors may approve or designate, and all such funds shall be withdrawn only upon checks signed by the Treasurer or President.

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Article XI - Operations

Section 1.

The place of business for the Council will be PO Box 27566, Tempe, AZ 85285-7566.

Section 2.

Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the procedures at each meeting.

Section 3.

Originals of Council records shall be maintained by individual Council Board officers and duplicates shall be archived at the Archives of the Arizona State Museum. Council records include, but are not limited to, proceedings of the members and of the directors, the bylaws including all amendments or alterations thereto to date, member register, and financial records. The records of the Council are public domain and should be made available to anyone who requests access to them.

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Article XII - Publications

Section 1.

The Council shall publish the Journal of Arizona Archaeology and a website. The Board of Directors may authorize the publication of other single or serial items.

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Article XIII - Amendments

Section 1.

Proposed amendments to the Council's bylaws must be submitted in writing to the Secretary and dispersed to the membership at least 30 days prior to a vote. A vote on proposed amendments by the membership may take place at a regular meeting or using web ballot via the Council webpage in the secure member log-in.

Section 2.

Proposed amendments will be ratified or rejected by a simple majority vote of the membership.

Section 3.

Upon ratification of a proposed amendment, the Secretary will revise the Council's bylaws accordingly. Ratified bylaw amendments will be published on the website. Members may obtain current bylaws from Council website.

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Article XIV - Disposal of Assets

Section 1.

In the event of dissolution, the Council shall dispose of all its assets to an educational or scientific institution which is exempt from taxation under the then current code of the Internal Revenue Service.

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