[Phpug] IPUG constitution and other formalities.

[Ken Guest]

ok, this is the latest version; in which we have Rory's "30 mile exclusion
zone". also if I remember correctly, Rory was wondering last night at the
meeting whether it would be possible to have an "I agree" checkbox on the
subscription page in mailman? This would allow us to require somebody to
agree to be bound to the constitution before signing on to the list.


  Constitution of the Irish PHP Users Group

    1. Name of Society.
         1. The name of the Society shall be the Irish PHP Users Group
(IPUG).

    2. Aims and Objectives.
       The aims and objectives of the Society shall be as follows:
         1. To increase and promote awareness of the PHP programming
language
            within both the home and corporate sectors of the Irish - and
            international, where appropriate -  Computing industry.
         2. To provide a forum to discuss and gain experience of the PHP
            programming language.
         3. To help educate people in the usage of PHP and related software.
         4. To promote and encourage Irish contributions to PHP-based
projects.
         5. To promote Ireland as a PHP development/programming location.
         6. To encourage the adoption and use of PHP in software/web
projects.

    3. Members.
         1. Full Membership of the Society shall be open to anyone who
agrees to
            support the Aims and Objectives of the Society as defined in
Section 2
            and has a permanent address within the confines of the island of
            Ireland.
         2. Associate membership shall be open to anyone who is not eligible
            for full membership but agrees to support the Aims and
Objectives of
            the Society as defined in Section 2.
         3. Membership shall be obtained by either:
              i. Subscribing to the IPUG Mailing List or
             ii. Registering with the Secretary of the Society.
            There is currently no membership fee.
         4. All members shall be bound by this constitution.

    4. Committee.
         1. The Society shall have a governing committee, elected from the
            body of full members.
         2. The committee shall run the Society on behalf of the members
            and in accordance with the aims and objectives.
         3. Committee decisions shall be decided by majority voting.
         4. A quorum shall be shall be four committee members.
         5. The committee shall consist of
               o Chairperson, chairperson at php.ie
               o Secretary, secretary at php.ie
               o Treasurer, treasurer at php.ie
               o Public Relations Officer, pro at php.ie
               o 2 ordinary committee members
         6. The term of office of these elected officers shall be one year.
         7. A person should not hold the same office for more than three
            successive years.
         8. The Committee, after formation and consultation between its
            members, must decide goals for each year at the AGM.
              i. These will be announced by the Chairperson at the AGM.
             ii. Those goals should be specific, measurable, attainable,
            realistic and timely (SMART).

    5. Election of Committee.
         1. The committee members shall be democratically elected at an
            Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.
         2. To seek election to the committee each candidate must have 2
            nominations by current members of the Society.
         3. Members are only eligible to vote if they have been full
            members of the Society for more than three months at the date
            of the election.

    6. Duties of Committee.
         1. The Chairperson shall be the chief officer of the Society
            whose functions include chairing all meetings of the
            committee and officiating at meetings of the Society. They
            shall preserve order and decorum, and shall construe and
            enforce the Constitution.
         2. The Secretary's function shall be to deal with all
            correspondence and records of the Society and to notify all
            members of meeting times. They shall duly record the minutes
            of both committee and general assembly meetings. They shall
            also maintain an up to date list of Society members.
         3. The Treasurer's function shall be to administer the funds of
            the Society and to maintain accounts and budgets. They shall
            act as liaison with related industries and co-ordinate
            obtaining sponsorship for the Society with the office of PRO.
         4. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) shall be responsible for
            the advertising of all functions of the Society through all
            appropriate means, aided where necessary by the other members
            of the committee.
         5. The ordinary committee members shall assist the Officers in
            their roles, and shall attend all committee meetings.
         6. The committee shall endeavour to meet at least once a month.
            No remuneration shall be offered to cover the cost of
            attending meetings.

    7. Dismissal & Resignation of Committee Members.
         1. No member of the committee shall be dismissed from the office
            unless:
              1. Written notice of a resolution to seek such dismissal,
                 signed by at least 10% of the members of the Society, or
                 20 members (whichever is the lower amount), is received
                 ten working days prior to a meeting at which such
                 resolution shall be debated.
              2. The resolution is passed by at least a two thirds voting
                 majority at the meeting.
         2. A committee member wishing to resign must submit a letter in
            writing declaring that intention to the secretary, who will
            immediately inform the committee as a whole. An EGM will be held
            to elect a replacement. In cases where an EGM cannot be held by
            said date the committee may co-opt a member to fill the vacant
role.

    8. Meetings.
         1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held each year.
         2. No AGM may be held within 30 miles of a venue where it was held
            within the past three years.
         3. A quorum of a meeting shall be three committee members and
            the lower of 5% of the Full Membership or 15 people.
         4. In order to cast a vote, presence at that meeting is required.