IRC By-Laws

IRC by-laws: as revised, March 2004

Bylaws:
I. The purpose of the Interreligious Council of San Diego shall be to promote mutual understanding and respect among the member faiths; to deal with issues which affect the total religious community; to share the members’ concerns for the problems of the community, the nation, and the world; to voice those concerns when unanimously agreed upon by the voting members of the council, as provided for in Article III, Section 5 of the Bylaws.

II. The office of the current president will be considered as the principal office of the Interreligious Council of San Diego. The board of delegates may at any time, or from time to time, change the location of the principal office from one location to another in the County.

III. Section 1. Members
There shall be three classes of members of the Council. The first class of members shall be know as voting members; the second class of members shall be known as associate members; the third class of members shall be known as liaison organizations.
Section 2. Qualifications of voting members
a. The voting members of this council shall be comprised of organizations officially representing historic religious groupings, including as founding organizations, the Islamic Center of San Diego, the San Diego Rabbinical Association, The San Diego Buddhist Temple, the Baha’i Faith, the Vedanta Society of Southern California, and the San Diego Ecumenical Conference, and the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints which joined subsequent to the founding. Organizations shall be admitted to voting membership by a unanimous vote of the voting members as provided in Article III, Section 5 of these Bylaws, and shall agree with the founding purpose, goals and values of the council.
b. Where a constituent body of the Interreligious Council is, in turn, the collective of several religious organizations, the delegate(s) of that constituent body shall be representative of those organizations and shall be appointed in consultation with/or by the appropriate judiciaries.

Section 3. Qualifications of Associate Members
Associate members may be admitted and shall be comprised of organizations accepted by a unanimous vote of the voting members to provide ongoing, volunteer staff services to this council.

Section 4. Qualifications of Liaison Organizations
The liaison organizations of this council shall be comprised of ecumenical-interreligious organizations or religious service organizations in San Diego whose purposes and inclusive nature are accepted by this council as being consistent with the stated purposes of this council, and who are given the status of liaison organizations by the unanimous decision of the voting members.

Section 5. Voting rights of Member Organizations
Each voting member of this council shall be entitled to one vote. Associate members and liaison organizations of this council shall not be entitled to vote. Decisions of the council shall be made by a unanimous vote of those voting members present at a duly called meeting, except all actions taken on the council’s Bylaws, amendment of Bylaws, or membership, must be referred to each member organization and shall be declared approved within a 30-day period following notification provided there have been no negative votes received.

Section 6. Liabilities of Members
No organization which is now, or which later becomes, a member of this council, nor any person who is now, or later becomes, a delegate of this council, shall be personally liable to its creditors for any indebtedness or liability, and any and all creditors of this council shall look only to the assets of this council for payment.

IV. Numbers of Delegates and Quorums
Section 1. Number of Delegates
Each voting member shall be entitled to appoint up to two delegates (whenever possible, the head of the organization shall be one of the delegates). Each associate member shall be entitled to appoint one delegate. The term of office for each delegate shall be within the sole discretion of the voting members. Each delegate may succeed himself or herself in office. Each past president, at his or her sole option, serve from time to time, or perpetually, as a non-voting member.

Section 2. Quorum; Majority Rule; Conduct of Meeting
One-third of the total voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A quorum shall be conclusively presumed unless questioned prior to the termination of the meeting. Decisions of the council shall be by unanimous decision of the voting members present at meetings at which a quorum exists, excepting as provided in Article III, Section 5. Meetings shall be conducted according to “Robert’s Rules of Order”, unless otherwise provided in the bylaws.

Section 3. Powers of the Delegates
Subject to limitations of the Council’s Bylaws, and especially Article III, Section 5, hereof, all powers of the council shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the business and affairs of the council shall be controlled by, the voting members acting through their delegates. Without limiting the general powers, the delegates shall have the following powers:
a). To select and remove the officers, agents and employees of the council, prescribe such powers and duties for them as may not be inconsistent with law or with the Bylaws, fix their compensation (if applicable), and require from them security for faithful service.
b). To conduct, manage and control the affairs and business of the council, and to make rules and regulations not inconsistent with the law, or the Bylaws.

Section 4. Place of Meeting
a). Regular meetings of the council shall be held at any place, within or without the state, that has been designated from time to time by the executive committee. In the absence of this designation, regular meetings shall be held at the principle office of the council. Special meetings may be held either at a place designated or at the principle office.
b). Meeting dates will be set at the September meeting of the Interreligious Council of San Diego.

Section 5. Regular Meetings
Unless otherwise decided by the council or the executive committee, regular meetings of the council shall be held monthly, September through June, with written notice, i.e., post, e-mail or FAX, to the delegates.

Section 6. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the council for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time by the president or by two or more voting member organizations requesting such a meeting.
Written notice of the time and place of special meetings shall be delivered personally to each delegate or sent to each delegate by mail or by other form of written communication, charges pre-paid, addressed to him or her at his or her address as it is shown in the records of the council. The notice shall be mailed at least 5 days before the time of the holding of the meeting. The transactions of any meeting of the council however called and noticed and wherever held, shall be as valid as though made at a meeting held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present and if either before or after the meeting each of the delegates not present signs a written waiver or a consent to hold the meeting or an approval of the minutes. All such waivers, consents, or approvals shall be filed with the council records or made part of the minutes of the meeting.

Section 7. Action without a Meeting
Any action by this council may be taken without a meeting if all voting members unanimously consent in writing to this action. Such written consent or consents shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the board.

Section 8. Compensation
The delegates shall receive no compensation for their services as delegates or as officers.

V. Officers
Section 1. Officers
The officers of this council shall be a president, vice-president, secretary and a treasurer, and such other officers as the voting members may appoint. One person, other than the president, may hold more than one of these offices. The officers shall be comprised of delegates of voting member organizations. The term of office is one year.

Section 2. Election
The presidency shall be assumed by the primary representative of each member organization in rotation. A minimum of six months of service on the San Diego Interreligious Council is required to serve as President. The order of rotation shall be: 1) Baha’i Faith, 2) Islamic Center of San Diego, 3) Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints of San Diego, 4) Vedanta Society of San Diego, 5) San Diego Rabbinical Association, 6) San Diego Ecumenical Conference, 7) San Diego Buddhist Temple. Any organization which becomes a member of the council subsequent to May 2004 shall be placed last in rotation.
The voting members of the council shall elect all other officers of the council for terms of one year, or until their successors are elected and qualified. The annual election of officers and succession of presidency shall be held at the regular meeting of the delegates in June of each year. New officers confirmed in June will assume their responsibilities as of July 1.

Section 3. Vacancies
A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or otherwise, shall be filed by the board of delegates as follows:
A vacancy in the office of president shall be assumed by the other delegate from the same organization which holds the presidency for that year. If no other delegate is assigned at the time of the announcement of impending vacancy, the presidency shall be filled by board of delegates from among the voting members eligible which include all except the organization which held the presidency last year or which will succeed next year.
A vacancy in an office other than the presidency shall be filed by the board of delegates.

Section 4. President
Subject to control of the voting members of the council, the president shall have general supervision, direction, and control of the business and affairs of the council. The President shall prepare the agenda for and shall preside at all meetings of the board of delegates, and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the board of delegates. The president shall be the official spokesperson of the council either personally or through a representative from the council.

Section 5. Vice President
In the temporary absence or disability of the president, the vice president shall perform all the duties of the president and in acting shall have all the powers of the president. The vice president shall have such other powers and perform other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the board of delegates.

Section 6. Secretary
The secretary shall keep a full and complete record of the proceedings of the council, including a roster of delegates and the attendance thereof; shall make service of such notices and records as may be necessary and proper, including the sending to each delegate in advance of meetings the proposed agenda therefore and providing each delegate with minutes of the previous meeting; and shall supervise the keeping of records of the council.

Section 7. Treasurer
The treasurer shall receive and safely keep all funds of the council and shall report on the financial status of the council on a quarterly basis.

VI. Committees
The president, with the consent of the board of delegates, shall establish such committees and task forces as necessary, and appoint their members and chairpersons.

VII. Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws may be amended or repealed or new bylaws adopted by a unanimous vote of the voting members present at a meeting in which a quorum exists, subject to the unanimous ratification of all of the voting members of the council, in accordance with the provisions of Article III, Section 5 and Article IV, Section 2, hereof.