The Secretary/Treasurer shall conduct all the membership correspondence of the Chapter, shall mail out notices of meetings and record the minutes, shall maintain the membership list and collect dues, and shall keep an accurate account of the Chapter’s income and expenditures.
As Secretary:
As Treasurer:
A. Immediately following the annual meeting: Write up minutes of Business Meeting (Outgoing or Continuing Secretary/Treasurer). Send results of annual elections or Newsletter Editor appointments, with addresses, to the MLA Chapter Liaison and the MLA Publicity Officer. Send copies of the Chapter Officers’ Handbook to new Chapter officers, committee chairs, and appointees.
B. Following the annual meeting and before the end of the calendar year: If any Constitutional amendments have been successfully adopted, incorporate them into the Constitution, and produce an updated version.
C. Within two months following the annual meeting: Compile a budget report on the annual meeting, listing income and expenditures; send copies to Board. Send out dues reminders to any Chapter members who have not paid dues for the current membership year.
D. Two months after distribution of dues reminders: Delete names from mailing list of members who have not paid dues.
E. For the Fall Newsletter: Provide the Newsletter Editor with a copy of the minutes of the Business Meeting of the previous annual meeting, an up-to-date financial report, a complete membership roster, and two sets of membership mailing labels.
F. After Newsletter distribution: Send extra copies of the Newsletter, with cover letter, to new national MLA members in the PNW region who are not yet Chapter members, as identified in mailing labels provided the Chapter Chair by national MLA, and invite them to join PNW Chapter.
G. By January 31: Notify the MLA Treasurer of the name and address of the current chair of the Chapter. Provide him/her with a statement describing any change in the Chapter’s Constitution, accompanied by a copy of the revised Constitution, if appropriate.
H. Two months prior to annual meeting: Compile and distribute the following to the membership:
I. Prior to annual meeting: As registration materials are returned, keep the Local Arrangements Committee Chair up-to-date on number of meeting attendees and number of persons expected for Friday dinner.
J. After election deadline: Appoint an assistant ballot-counter (another Chapter officer if possible) and tabulate election results. Notify Chapter Chair of results.
K. At the annual meeting:
Tax-Exempt Status: MLA Chapters are all now tax-exempt, so banks should be willing to waive fees on checking accounts (saving accounts never have fees). The Secretary/Treasurer’s files include a folder entitled “Tax Exempt Status” which contains an official letter including MLA’s group exemption number (3338) and the PNW Chapter’s Employer Identification Number (91-1323276). A copy of this letter must be used to obtain a bank waiver on fees. Fees for new check printing will still be charged.
Dues: According to the Constitution, the membership year officially corresponds with the Chapter’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. As a practical matter, the membership has decided to collect dues for the upcoming membership year along with registration fees for the annual meeting. Although the form in the Fall Newsletter is intended for NEW members only, if renewing members in good standing also pay at that time credit should be given for the upcoming membership year. Dues reminders to members who do not return the form sent out with annual meeting registration materials should be sent out within a month or two following the annual meeting--if members do not respond to this second notice, their names should be removed from the membership database.
Ballots: The ballot should be in the form of a separate sheet in the same mailing as the annual meeting materials. For each candidate supply name, institution, and position. The ballot should contain the following: space to indicate the candidate(s) of choice, deadline for submission (two weeks before annual meeting), name and address of the Secretary/Treasurer as the return designation, and the special voting instruction “Vote for only one candidate for each office.” To ensure privacy, members should be instructed to fold and either tape or staple their completed ballot closed before returning it. Ballots should not be opened until the official count is taken. Ballots sent to the wrong address should be considered invalid and should be discarded by the person who receives them. Ballots which are postmarked after the deadline for submission should be discarded.
Passing on the office: The transition between holders of this office is smoother if done over a period of time. The new Secretary/Treasurer needs to choose a bank, establish accounts, and order checks before he/she can effectively assume the financial affairs of the Chapter. If the old Secretary/Treasurer is willing and able, a convenient time for the transfer of responsibilities is after all the expenses of the annual meeting have been submitted and reimbursed and the meeting budget report has been prepared and distributed.
When a new Treasurer is elected for the chapter, the PNW MLA Chapter bank account will be transferred to a local branch of the bank used for the account. Signers on the account will be the current President and Treasurer for the Chapter.