Proposed By-laws of the Shire of Greyhope
These by-laws do not conflict with or delineate from SCA, Inc. Corporate policy or Middle Kingdom law. If any conflict arises, the Corporate policy and Kingdom laws prevail and the by-laws will be revised to comply.
The Shire of Greyhope shall use this document as procedures for managing the official business of the Shire. It is based with the belief that all participants are honorable and courteous and will act in good faith. This document will provide guidelines to help reduce any misunderstandings.
These By-laws are a separate entity from the Financial Policy. For any fiscal matters the Financial Policy will be in effect.
Defined Arms
The defined arms of the Shire of Greyhope, as registered with the College of Arms February 15, 2006, is the following: Per bend sinister azure and argent, a comet bend sinister wise and a laurel wreath counterchanged
Membership
Shire of Greyhope membership is self determined by declaration, except when Society or Kingdom law requires a determination by zip code.
Membership shall be self-declined if a person accepts an office in a different group which shall last for the duration of their time in office.
Shire of Greyhope membership does not require any sort of fee or that a person be a paid member of the SCA, Inc. In accordance with Corpora and Kingdom law a person must be a paid member to hold an office.
Officers
To hold an office in the Shire of Greyhope, a person must be at least 18 years of age. This can be waived if agreed upon by the respective Regional and Kingdom officers. ALL officers MUST be able to provide proof of SCA, Inc. membership.
There is no set time limit for holding a Shire office.
Major Officers shall be the same as the Kingdom Great Officers of State and shall consist of Seneschal, Exchequer, Pursuivant, Knight’s Marshal, MoAS, Chirurgeon and Chronicler. (if/when office is filled)
Minor Officers are those designated by the Major Officers and members of the Shire, as needed for maintaining the business of the Shire, including special deputies to the Seneschal.
Expectations of Officers
Officers are required to report to their Regional and Kingdom superiors, providing a copy to the Seneschal.
All officers are required to attempt to attend Shire meetings.
All officers are required to report to the populace at every meeting. Reports can be in person, in writing, or via a phone call to the Seneschal or respective deputy. If any officer fails to report at three consecutive Shire meetings that shall be determined an automatic resignation of office.
All officers shall read Kingdom law and Corpora that apply to their office, plus any handbook pertaining to that office.
Officers can choose their own deputies and are allowed as many deputies as they require. All Required Officers (Seneschal, Exchequer and Pursuivant) must have a drop-dead deputy.
All officers will be responsible and accountable for records associated with their office. These records shall be maintained and available for examination, with cause, by any member of the Shire. The records shall be turned over to the successor of that office.
All Shire property is considered inventory and shall be kept and maintained by the Exchequer, who is ultimately responsible.
The Exchequer shall be responsible for yearly inventory of all shire property.
All inventory lists shall be available for inspection upon request.
The Pursuivant shall maintain a Shire Order of Precedence, to be posted on the Website.
It is the duty of all officers to provide the Webminister with proper contact and other pertinent information.
A vote of confidence for all Shire Officers shall be done once per year by the attending Shire members at the May meeting. The voting will be anonymous. If any officer receives a failed vote, (less than 50% - simple majority) it shall be reviewed again in six months time. If any officer receives a no-vote (0%) the Seneschal is authorized to take further action, if necessary. Further action consists of notifying the Regional and Kingdom Officers.
When a vote of confidence is taken the Seneschal will count the votes for each individual officer. One of the other Major Officers will count the votes for the Seneschal.
Officer Resignation
Any officer that cannot meet their expectations will be expected to step down.
As stated under Officer Expectations: If an officer fails to report at three consecutive Shire meetings that shall be considered an automatic resignation of office.
If an officer resigns without selecting a successor, the drop-dead deputy will do the duties of that office until a replacement can be found, if they do not wish to hold the office on a permanent basis.
Officer Succession
An officer will announce their intent to step down, giving all interested parties a chance to voice their interest. The outgoing officer will recommend who they feel would be the best candidate for the job. The candidate shall be approved by the remaining Shire Major Officers.
If any person has an objection to the successor they should voice their concerns to the outgoing officer and the Seneschal.
Voting
Matters brought before the Shire shall be discussed and possibly voted on by all shire members who are attending the business meeting in which the matter was put forward. Except for financial matters (see Financial Policy) a person does not have to be a paid member of the SCA to vote. Most matters will be determined by a consensus. The Seneschal can override the consensus if they feel it is in the best interest of the Shire.
Issues that arise in-between business meetings and need a determination before the next business meeting can be put out on the Shire e-mail list.
Special Meetings
A special meeting of the officers may be called by the Seneschal or any two of the Major Officers, at any time for any reason. Notice of special meetings must be announced and the minutes published. As noted in Kingdom Law, the Seneschal or duly appointed representative must be present for any meeting to be official.
Meeting Minutes
The Shire meeting minutes shall be posted to the Shire e-mail list and on the web-site.
The person responsible for the minutes should make every attempt to get them posted before the end of the week of the business meeting.
Events
With the exception of Chaos Caravan and Youth Fighting Symposium:
An event bid should be in writing with at least the following information:
Proposed date, location (site possibilities), event and feast stewards, proposed staff for the major positions, rough budget estimate, feast ideas/possible costs.
If accepted, monthly reports are required from the Event Steward at every business meeting. A final report shall be made at the business meeting following the event.
The Event Steward should be an experienced steward, or have an experienced deputy.
All fiscal matters concerning the event will adhere to the Shire’s Financial Policy.
Shire Website
The website shall meet the requirements of the Kingdom Webminister and shall also include the Shire Order of Precedence.
The event steward shall determine what information is listed on the website concerning the event.
Any Shire member may make suggestions or bring any outdated or incorrect information to the attention of the Webminister.
Officers and other individuals are responsible for providing the Webminister with the correct information.
Shire E-mail List
The e-mail list is to be used for official shire business and information.
All individuals are expected to act in a courteous and chivalrous manner.
Anyone on the list who does not act accordingly shall be subject to monitoring or possible removal at the discretion of the Seneschal. Anyone may be brought to the Seneschal’s attention by any member of the Shire.
Change or Amendments to By-laws
Changes or amendments may be proposed by any shire member. Suggestions will be discussed at a business meeting. A 2/3 majority vote is required for the change/amendment to pass. The Seneschal override does not apply in this case. All changes and/or amendments must be approved by the Kingdom Seneschal and Charter Compliance Deputy for final approval.
