Bylaws of the Hill Country Community Orchestra

The name of the organization shall be the Hill Country Community Orchestra. For the purposes of these bylaws, the organization shall be referred to as HCCO.

The HCCO is organized to be a non-profit, educational corporation. The purpose of the organization is to perform the following functions:

To provide an opportunity for amateur musicians to play their instruments in a quality orchestral environment,
To teach both the technical and historical aspects of music performance to such participants and their audiences,
To perform orchestral repertoire for the benefit of audiences in surrounding communities,
To also provide such performances for local schools to enhance their curriculum, and
To accomplish these functions in a nurturing, Christian environment.

Membership in HCCO shall be considered on an annual basis of a period September 1 through August 31. HCCO shall have two classes of membership: Participatory and Auxiliary.

Participatory Members of HCCO are individuals who participate in the musical practices and performances of the HCCO. To be a Participatory Member, an individual shall:

Auxiliary Members of HCCO are individuals who make a donation of $25.00 or more to the HCCO. To be an Auxiliary Member, an individual shall:

The Director of Music shall utilize his power to approve Participatory Membership to maintain the quality of the musical performance of HCCO. Amateur musicians shall be given priority consideration for Participatory Membership in the HCCO based on the purpose of the organization, provided that the quality of performance is not overly affected. Professional musicians shall participate in HCCO as Participatory Members of the organization.

There may be circumstances in which the Director of Music will hire a professional musician for special occasions only. Such participation by a paid professional musician would occur only to help create a quality musical performance on a specific piece of music. Any pay for a professional musician performing with the HCCO must be approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Voting in business and bylaws amendment meetings of the HCCO is restricted to certain Participatory Members. The Participatory Members who shall be eligible to vote are those over the age of 18 and who are in good standing in their participation with the HCCO. Good standing means that the musician has participated in at least five of the last eight practices/performances. The President of the Board of Directors may grant an excused absence in advance, where deemed appropriate, and the Secretary for attendance credit shall count such excused absence. Prior to any business meeting of the HCCO, the Secretary will publish a list of those eligible to vote in such meeting.

Director of Music, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, President of the HCCO Auxiliary, Director of Finances, Director of Media Relations & Newsletter Editor, and Director of Concert Activities. With the exception of the Director of Music, no Board member shall serve in the same office for more than three years consecutively nor serve on the Board in any office for more than four consecutive years. To be eligible to serve on the Board (with the exception of the Director of Music) an individual must be a Participatory or Auxiliary member of the HCCO.

The Board of Directors shall conduct the business of the HCCO in a professional manner to accomplish the Organization’s purpose as stated in Article II. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for maintaining HCCO’s incorporation under the laws of the State of Texas and for maintaining HCCO’s Recognition of Exemption under Section 501 c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Board of Directors will hold monthly meetings to review the finances and activities of the HCCO and to receive a report from the Director of Music on the direction and musical plans of the HCCO. On occasion, an emergency meeting of the HCCO Board of Directors may be called. A quorum for the Board of Directors for regularly scheduled monthly meetings and for emergency meetings shall be five (5) members.

The term of office of a Board of Director shall be for one (1) year starting on September 1 and ending on August 31. The Participatory Members, at an annual meeting of the HCCO in August at a date and time set by the Board of Directors, shall elect the first five officers listed above. The Auxiliary Members, at an annual meeting of the HCCO in August at a date and time set by the Board of Directors, shall elect the last four officers listed above. The President shall appoint a three-person Nominations Committee in July to seek out volunteers to serve on the Board of Directors for the next year. The Nominations Committee will present their proposed slate of Directors at the annual August meeting of the HCCO. Members eligible to vote are those who are currently qualified (prior to August 31) as voting members and those who have become qualified for membership for the next year starting on September 1.

At the discretion of the Board of Directors and by six (6) votes in the affirmative from the other eight (8) Board members, a member of the Board may be removed from office for serious misconduct or missing three straight Board of Directors meetings. Upon resignation or removal from the Board of a member, the remaining members of the Board will, by majority vote, fill the vacant office for the remainder of the year.

Director of Music – The Director of Music (DM) is responsible for selecting any and all assistants who perform duties directly related to the playing of music. The DM determines who participates in rehearsals and performances, selects members, chooses repertoire for rehearsal and performances, decides rehearsal and sectional times, and schedules which events the HCCO will participate in. The DM will insure that the musical activities are in compliance with the Organization’s purpose as stated in Article II.

President – The President sets the date and agenda for regularly scheduled monthly Board of Directors meetings and presides over all Board meetings. In conjunction with the Treasurer and Director of Finances, the President prepares an annual budget for approval by the Board. The President has signature authority on the HCCO’s financial accounts. The President will recommend persons for an audit committee (membership in HCCO not required). Three of these people will serve on the audit committee based on majority vote of the Board in January in order to audit the financial activities of the HCCO and to assist the Treasurer in preparing required Federal tax forms. The President shall be the official spokesman for the HCCO but will defer to the Director of Music on issues associated with music.

Vice President – The Vice President (VP) shall perform the duties in the absence of the President. In the event of the resignation or removal of the President, the VP shall become the President and the Board shall elect a new VP.

Secretary – The Secretary shall maintain the record of attendance of participants at all HCCO activities. The Secretary shall maintain the minutes of all Board of Directors meetings and HCCO meetings. The Secretary shall present the minutes for approval at the next following Board meeting. The Secretary shall handle correspondence for the HCCO and shall maintain the corporate records making sure that a duplicate set of records is stored in a secure, accessible location. The Secretary may appoint assistants to help in the performance of duties.

Treasurer – The Treasurer shall receive and record all dues paid to and contributions made to the HCCO. The Treasurer may write checks up to $25.00 without specific approval of the Board and shall report such checks at the next Board meeting. Checks in amounts over $25.00 but less than $100.00, which are for expenditures called for in the currently approved budget, may be written without Board approval. The Board of Directors must approve checks written for over $100.00 in advance. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the current status of the budget including income and expenditures and presenting a financial report at each Board meeting.

President of the HCCO Auxiliary – The President of the HCCO Auxiliary (AP) shall conduct meetings of the HCCO Auxiliary. The HCCO Auxiliary shall consist of those who are Auxiliary Members. The AP shall be charged with the task of promoting membership in the HCCO Auxiliary. The AP shall assign Auxiliary Members to tasks to assist the Board of Directors in accomplishing the goals of the HCCO.

Director of Finances – The Director of Finances (DF) shall be responsible for overseeing fund raising activities for the HCCO. Such fund raising activities may include procuring government grants, soliciting private donations, and coordinating fund raising activities. The DF may establish committees to assist in these activities and members on those committees may come from individuals outside of the HCCO. The President shall be an ex officio member of any committee established by the DF. The DF must first receive Board approval prior to undertaking any fund raising or solicitation activity.

Director of Media Relations & Newsletter Editor – The Director of Media Relations & Newsletter Editor (DMR) shall be responsible for preparing news releases about HCCO activities. The DMR shall submit such releases for review to the Board prior to distribution. The DMR will develop a list of contacts with the local newspapers, radio, and television stations and will assist the President and Director of Music in any contacts with the media including setting up public announcements and interviews. The DMR shall also develop contacts with other organizations as directed by the Board. The DMR will publish a quarterly newsletter. The DMR will be responsible for maintaining the HCCO web site.

Director of Concert Activities – The Director of Concert Activities (DCA) shall be responsible for all activities associated with concert performances including such activities as: