NORTHPORT BASS CLUB
Minutes of June 2, 2007 meeting

The club met at Carroll's Creek Baptist Church at 7 PM; there were approximately a dozen members present.  President Bob Findlay conducted the meeting.

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM

Discussion of Board of Directors' recommendations published in the Vol. 1, Issue 1 of the Club's newsletter:

The Board of Directors' (BOD) recommendation that the postponed Lay Lake tournament be rescheduled for October 27, 2007 was discussed.  The motion was unanimously accepted.  It was noted that the host (Ian Shields), time (first safe light) and launch site (Beeswax) remain the same.

The BOD's recommendation to amend the bylaws so that they clearly state the time of any weather-postponed tournaments was discussed.  The discussion revealed a potential problem concerning acquisition of permits and a friendly amendment was offered to account for this contingency.  The amended motion was unanimously accepted.  The following article will be added to "ARTICLE VII ? Official Tournaments, SECTION 1: Hosts, Subsection B: Responsibilities of the Hosts: 2 Rules Variations, b. Tournament Time:" of the bylaws.

"Any tournament postponed due to severe weather will be scheduled for the following Saturday, unless that weekend is a holiday weekend or a permit cannot be arranged.  In cases involving holiday weekends, the tournament will be rescheduled for the Saturday of the first non-holiday weekend following the original tournament date.  In cases involving an inability to obtain necessary permits, the tournament will be held on the first non-holiday and Northport Bass Club non-tournament weekend for which a permit can be obtained."

The BOD's recommendation to amend the bylaws so that they clearly state the time of the organizational meeting was discussed.  The motion was unanimously accepted.  It was noted that new members would need to be accepted during the fall of the year because of this change.  "ARTICLE VI ? Meetings Section 1: Annual Organizational Meetings" will be changed to read:

"The club president, in cooperation with the Board, will conduct an organizational meeting for the upcoming season concurrent with the annual awards meeting/pre-Classic meeting.  This meeting will be held the Saturday prior to the classic.  All current members and all members accepted for membership in the Club for the upcoming season are encouraged to attend."

The BOD's recommendation to amend the bylaws so that they clearly state how the site of the Classic is to be determined was discussed.  Two friendly amendments had been offered prior to the meeting (in response to the proposals being published in the recent newsletter).  The Board's recommendation and the two friendly amendments were discussed.  There was discussion of how members fishing the tournament that could not be at the unsealing would be notified but it was decided that this would not be difficult as at most ten members would need notification.  The two friendly amendments and the amended proposal were each accepted in turn by unanimous vote.  As a result a Point 5 will be added to "ARTICLE IX ? End of Season "Classic", Section 2: Format".  It will read:

"5.  The site of classic will be determined by random draw from lakes fished during the regular tournament season except that our one or two distant lakes per tournament season will not be included in the drawing.  Each lake name will be entered once.  The drawing will be conducted during the annual awards meeting, which is to be held the Saturday evening prior to the Classic.  The secretary will seal the drawn name, without determining or announcing the name of the lake, in an envelop which will remain sealed until 5 PM of the Friday before the Classic at which time the secretary or their designate will open the envelop and announce the classic site to all members."

These approved changes will be made at the earliest convenience of the Club secretary and webmaster.

Other discussions:

We had an informal discussion of the treasury and the need for all members to pickup and pay for hats and tee shirts.  If you have an outstanding order, please make arrangements to pay and pickup at as soon as possible.

The secretary raised the possibility of an email newsletter (due to postage costs ? the first newsletter cost about $25) and the consensus was that was a good idea on a volunteer basis.  A notice will be posted on the website for members to signup for email versions of the newsletter.

The meeting was opened for general discussion.  Members asked about the possibility of AOY points for meeting attendance ? this has been discussed many times by the BOD and a day and time when all members have a reasonable chance of attending has been the obstacle to instituting this policy.  The possibility of regular monthly meetings was also discussed; in particular holding a regular meeting the Saturday after each tournament and providing tournament payouts at that time.  Several members said they would enjoy such meetings or saw a value in it ? having members have a reasonable chance of attending (several members work second shift and weekends) and a suitable meeting location were noted as current problems that would need to be overcome.  It was also recommended that the BOD be authorized to call emergency meetings to discuss club policy.  Several members indicated that they would have liked to see such a meeting in the week following the postponement of the Lay Lake tournament.  The recommendation will be added to the agenda of the BOD meeting at which the 2008 revisions of the Bylaws will be discussed.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.  Members remained and chatted.

Respectfully submitted,
Bob Findlay, Secretary
Northport Bass Club

Yep we should do it more often.   I hope it doesn't bother yall if I pick at ya.  Especially Jay with the good lures in his ears

Thanks for the input - I wish there was a way to do it on a regular basis.  If we keep working toward it, we might be able to make it happen.  It usually takes one dedicated individual to make it happen.  In the orchid club world, it is the vice-president who does all the leg work for meetings - gets the room, books the speakers and then coordinates with the secratary to get a newsletter out in the hands of the members 2 weeks before the meeting reminding everyone of the meeting and advertising what is going to happen.

RHF

PS - I was happy to see the two of you with a good sack last weekend.

wow, i forgot to pay for my hat and shirt......again.  can i send some one a check because i obviously can't remember to pay for them on tournament day?