BY-LAWS

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SECTION I: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS

 

I.1 President:

1. Shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Hindu Society and, in that capacity, be responsible for the proper functioning of the Hindu Society and ensuring that the Constitution and the By-Laws are adhered to.

2. Shall preside over all HSGC membership and Executive Council meetings.

3. Shall lead and guide the Hindu Society towards its stated objectives and, in that capacity, shall have the power to delegate responsibilities to any or all members of the Executive Council.

 

I.2 Vice President:

1. Shall perform all the duties of the President in case of absence or disability of the latter.

2. Shall accept any other responsibility assigned by the Executive Council or the President.

 

I.3 Secretary:

1. Shall keep minutes of all meetings, events, and activities of the Hindu Society and make them available as per Articles VI & VII of the Constitution.

2. Shall maintain a current membership register complete with address and telephone numbers.

3. Shall be responsible for calling the HSGC membership and the Executive Council meetings and shall present an agenda for all such meetings.

4. Shall be responsible for the renewal and updating of the Record of Incorporation and miscellaneous filing with the Secretary of State of Ohio and similar filings with Federal Government agencies, if necessary.

5. Shall act as president pro tempore in case both President and Vice President are not available to perform their duties.

6. Shall accept any other responsibility assigned by the Executive Council.

 

I.4 Treasurer:

1. Shall receive and be in charge of all the money and the securities belonging to the Hindu Society and shall disburse or otherwise deal with the same as may be authorized by the Executive Council.

2. Shall have the authority to disburse funds for all the recurring expenses. These will include utility payments, authorized salary, taxes, insurances, newsletter publishing, etc. In addition, it shall also include payments requested by the Chairpersons having the authority to do so by the Constitution.

3. Shall keep an accurate written account of all the money received and disbursed. Upon expiration of the term of office, shall turn over all financial documents, including real estate, insurance, etc., to the successor.

4. Shall prepare a budget forecast for the following year before the term of office expires. This forecast will be based on the expenses for the current year and is to be handed over to the incoming President.

5. Shall prepare a monthly balance sheet for the Executive Council meetings.

6. Shall perform all other duties described in Article IX of the Constitution.

7. Shall assume the responsibility of Secretary in the absence of the latter.

8. Shall accept any other responsibility assigned by the Executive Council.

 

I.5 The common duties, responsibilities, and authority of all chairpersons are as follows:

1. Shall nominate HSGC members in good standing, as needed, for membership in the committees. These nominations must then be submitted to the Executive Council for review.

2. Shall preside over the committee meetings and assign responsibilities to the committee members so that the committee's function as defined in Section III of the By-Laws is carried out.

3. Shall serve as a liaison between this committee and the Executive Council in order to get the Committee's programs/decisions approved.

4. Shall accept any other responsibility assigned by the Executive Council.

 

I.6 The specific duties, responsibilities, and authority of the chairpersons are as follows:

 

I.6.1 Religious Education and Youth Activities Committee Chairperson:

1. Shall coordinate classes for Sanskrit and regional languages of India and all youth activities to be conducted on the temple premises.

2. Shall coordinate the usage of the temple classroom(s) to avoid any conflict in the schedules.

3. Shall have the authority to approve payment for guest speakers, field trips, camps, prizes, etc. The total amount shall not exceed $50.00 per event. All amounts exceeding $50.00 have to be approved by the Executive Council.

 

I.6.2 Puja and Religious Activities Committee Chairperson:

1. Shall be responsible for the conductance of regular Puja and observance of the religious functions specified in Section III.2 of the By-Laws.

2. Shall have the authority to approve expenses of up to $50.00 for guest speakers. All amounts exceeding $50.00 have to be approved by the Executive Council.

 

I.6.3 Communication Committee Chairperson:

1. Shall be responsible for publishing the HSGC monthly newsletter, which shall be made available to all members and other interested persons. The newsletter shall be mailed by the last week of the month for the following month.

2. Shall serve as a liaison between the Hindu Society and other local Hindu organizations to solicit their participation in the HSGC activities.

 

I.6.4 Property Management and Maintenance Committee Chairperson:

1. Shall be responsible for making sure that all property taxes, assessments, and insurances are kept up to date.

2. Shall be responsible for making sure the insurance claims, if any, are filed properly and in a timely manner.

3. Shall have the authority to approve payments of up to $200.00 per occurrence for repairs of equipment and building. Any amount exceeding $200.00 must be approved by the Executive Council. All repair bills must be in writing.

 

I.7 Youth Member:

1. Shall represent the interests of the Hindu youth in the Executive Council meetings.

2. Shall promote youth activities and seek their active participation.

3. Shall serve on the Religious Education and Youth Activities Committee.

4. Shall accept any other responsibility assigned by the Executive Council and the Chairperson of the Religious Education and Youth Activities Committee.

 

SECTION II: PUNDITJI

 

II.1 Role:

1. Shall be the religious leader of the Hindu community in the Greater Cincinnati area with the Hindu temple being the focal point of his activities.

2. Shall personify religious, cultural, and philosophical codes and teachings of the Hindu religion. Shall practice and communicate these teachings through words and actions in a knowledgeable and traditional manner.

3. Shall organize the observance of all religious functions in the temple with the help of the Puja and Religious Activities Committee.

4. Shall perform Puja on a regular basis in the temple and outside the temple as requested by the members of the community. The regular Puja must be performed at the temple at least once a day at the time specified by the Executive Council.

5. Shall be available to teach classes organized by the Religious Education and Youth Activities Committee.

6. Shall manage the daily affairs of the temple and communicate the same to the appropriate Executive Council member.

7. Shall be available at the temple for religious counseling and service at reasonable hours for individuals and groups. These hours shall be specified by the Executive Council.

8. Shall be the goodwill ambassador of HSGC both inside and outside of the temple.

9. Shall accept any other responsibility assigned by the Executive Council and Puja and Religious Activities Committee Chairperson.

 

II.2 Religious (Puja and related) Activities:

1. Shall be a member of the Puja and Religious Activities Committee.

2. Shall inform the Puja Committee Chairperson of the upcoming religious functions at least four weeks in advance.

3. Shall outline the plan for celebration of the religious functions, including the special needs of the festival to the Puja and Religious Activities Committee.

4. Shall ensure that the special customs are observed, in case the function has special significance for people of certain regions of India.

5. Shall observe the timeliness, presentability, and dress codes of a Hindu priest in all Puja ceremonies.

6. Shall present discourses in English or translate their essence into English.

7. Shall be present throughout the Puja ceremony irrespective of any other activity unless pre-authorized by the Chairperson of the Puja and Religious Activities Committee.

8. Prior to performing any outside Puja or other religious activities, shall coordinate the same with the chairperson of the Puja and Religious Activities Committee.

 

II.3 Communication:

1. Shall announce the upcoming religious observances in the temple and provide the same information to the Chairperson of the Communication Committee for publication in the HSGC newsletter at least a month in advance.

2. Shall write religious articles for publication in the HSGC newsletter.

3. Shall encourage the devotees to share and obtain blessings on their special occasions during Puja in the temple.

4. Shall welcome the new devotees and make them feel at home in the temple.

5. Shall seek the approval of the Chairperson of the Puja and Religious Activities Committee for absence of one to three days. Any absence over three days must be pre-authorized by the Executive Council.

 

II.4 Organization:

1. Shall keep the mandap (altar) and its surroundings in a presentable form at all times.

2. Shall manage and coordinate with the Puja and Religious Activities Committee the procurement of the Puja samagri (material).

3. Shall maintain a logbook of all Pujas and other religious activities performed outside the temple, including the funds received.

4. Shall report any facility problem in the temple to the Property Management and Maintenance Committee.

 

II.5 Compensation and Benefits:

1. Salary, vacation, sick leave, and other benefits shall be defined in the employment agreement.

 

SECTION III: STANDING COMMITTEES

 

III.1 Religious Education and Youth Activities Committee:

1. Shall be responsible for conducting Sunday religious classes every week. The purpose of these classes will be to teach youth the Hindu Religion. This will include Arti, mantras, names of Hindu Gods & Goddesses and their importance, proper pronunciation of Sanskrit words, teachings from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Puranas, and other Hindu scriptures.

2. The Youth Member of the Executive Council shall be a member of this Committee.

3. Shall encourage youth participation in religious programs and activities such as summer camp, field trips, etc.

4. Shall coordinate with the Puja and Religious Activities Committee if Puja is to be performed during youth activities or if youth participation is planned during religious activities.

5. Shall encourage youth participation in the cultural programs conducted by the Hindu Society. Shall prepare the youth and coordinate their participation with the Cultural Committee.

 

III.2 Puja and Religious Activities Committee:

1. Shall establish proper Puja procedures in consultation with Punditji and organize at least the following religious functions:

2. Makar Sankranti

3. Basant Panchami/Sarasvati Puja

4. Shivaratri

5. Holi

6. Ram Navmi

7. Durga Ashtami/Vijaya Dashami

8. Gudi Padwa/Ugadi/Vishu/Bohag Bihu

9. Hanuman Jayanti

10. Mahavir Jayanti

11. Janmashtami

12. Deepawali

13. Chitragupta Puja

14. Guru Nanak Jayanti

15. Ganesh Chaturthi

16. Navaratri-Kalash Sthapana on every Purnima

17. Satyanarayan Katha

18. Buddha Jayanti

19. Punditji shall be a member of this Committee.

20. Shall be responsible for arranging religious discourses by inviting knowledgeable speakers on Hindu religion.

21. Shall be responsible for arranging classes and discussions on Hindu religion, meditation, Yoga, etc.

22. Shall be responsible for maintaining a stock of Bhajan & Kirtan books, Gita, and Ramayana for temple use.

23. Shall arrange for Puja and Prasad materials for each Puja without soliciting the same from the HSGC membership.

24. Shall maintain a schedule of temple’s activities and Punditji’s schedule.

 

III.3 Communication Committee:

1. Shall be responsible for publishing the HSGC newsletter, Aradhana, as a first-class newsletter by including:

2. Timely information regarding HSGC activities and other Hindu religious activities organized by local societies.

3. Articles on Hindu religion.

4. This Committee shall have at least two members in addition to the chairperson.

5. Shall solicit financial support for the publication of the newsletter through advertisement and sponsorships of mailing and printing costs.

6. Shall be responsible for publishing milestone community news in the newsletter.

7. Shall be responsible for providing information to local newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, etc., for promoting the Hindu community with the approval of the Executive Council.

 

III.4 Membership and Fund Raising Committee:

1. Shall actively solicit and enroll new members to help the Hindu Society grow.

2. Shall make every effort so that new members feel welcome and help their assimilation into the temple society.

3. Shall actively solicit donations from members for day-to-day operations and any special projects.

4. Shall use the HSGC newsletter and other media and resources, including Punditji and the New Temple Construction Committee Chairperson, effectively for fundraising activities.

5. Shall find new ways of raising funds for the Hindu Society.

 

III.5 Property Management and Maintenance Committee:

1. Shall be responsible for keeping the temple premises in good working order, i.e., heating, air conditioning, plumbing, inside and outside of the building, etc.

2. Shall be responsible for keeping the equipment in working order, i.e., TV, VCR, PA system, range, refrigerator, etc.

3. Shall make sure that no equipment belonging to the Hindu Society is taken out of the temple premises for any activity other than the Hindu Society’s.

 

III.6 Cultural Committee:

1. Shall be responsible for arranging cultural programs in conformance with the objectives of the Hindu Society. As a minimum, it shall arrange cultural programs in cooperation with the Puja and Religious Activities Committee for Holi and Deepawali celebrations.

2. Shall prepare programs for participation on TV, radio stations, etc.

3. Shall work with the Religious Education and Youth Activities Committee to seek children’s participation.

4. If participation by local artists is planned, such an announcement shall be made in the HSGC newsletter at least six weeks in advance. The announcement shall include guidelines for the program’s contents and its duration.

5. Two programs by one artist shall be permitted only if there are too few participants. No participant shall be left out unless the program is contrary to the Hindu beliefs.

6. Any conflict and complaints shall be resolved through the Executive Council.

 

III.7 Long Range Planning and Special Projects Committee:

1. Shall envision HSGC needs two to five years in the future and perform feasibility studies thereof. The feasibility report shall be submitted to the Executive Council for approval of the project. Projects requiring expenditure over $10,000 must also be approved by the HSGC membership in accordance with Article V, Section 7.0 of the Constitution.

2. All approved projects requiring a total expenditure of $10,000 or less shall be executed by this Committee, and those requiring more than $10,000 shall be executed by a Special Committee in accordance with Section IV below.

 

SECTION IV: SPECIAL COMMITTEES

IV.1 A Special Committee(s) shall be formed if needed as per the requirements of Section III.7 of the By-Laws. It shall automatically cease to exist upon completion of its assigned task.

 

IV.2 Chairperson(s) of the Special Committee(s) shall be elected by the HSGC membership at the time funding for the project is approved by them. Upon election, the chairperson shall become a member of the Executive Council. The chairperson shall nominate HSGC members in good standing, as needed, for membership in the committees. These nominations must then be submitted to the Executive Council for review.

 

IV.3 New Temple Construction Committee

 

IV.3.1 Purpose:

This Special Committee shall be solely responsible for the construction of the new temple.

 

IV.3.2 Organization: The committee shall have the following members:

• Chairperson

• Project Manager

• Secretary

• At-Large Members (Minimum three)

Every effort shall be made to get representation from different regions of India on this committee.

The term of the Chairperson and the Committee members shall be one year. It can be renewed on a yearly basis until the new temple construction is complete.

If necessary, outside experts in such areas as real estate, finance, construction, etc., may be hired as consultants. Punditji shall be the religious consultant for this committee. The consultants shall not be members of this committee.

 

IV.3.3 Operations Guidelines: The Executive Council shall review and approve all plans, schedules, contracts, funding requirements, etc., before any commitment can be made by this Committee.

The committee shall meet at least once a month. All decisions of this committee shall require approval of at least two-thirds of the committee members. Voting shall be by secret ballot. The Executive Council shall resolve any conflicts caused by the Committee’s decisions.

Written records shall be kept of all committee deliberations, discussions with third parties such as government agencies, architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, consultants, etc., and any other activities, incidents, discussions, findings, etc., not described above. These records shall be handed over to the next year’s Committee Chairperson. Written progress reports shall be submitted to the regular Executive Council and HSGC membership meetings.

Contract(s) shall be awarded in accordance with Section X of the By-Laws.

 

IV.3.4 Duties and Responsibilities of Committee Members:

 

Chairperson: Duties and responsibilities include:

1. Managing the activities of this Committee, including the selection of the Committee members.

2. Providing the needed support to the Membership and Fund Raising Committees for raising the funds for the new temple.

3. Ensuring that the temple plans are in conformance with the directives of the Executive Council and HSGC membership, and

4. If necessary, assigning some of the duties and responsibilities of the Project Manager and the Secretary to other members of the Committee.

 

Project Manager: Duties and responsibilities include:

1. Working with the architects, engineers, regulatory authorities, contractors, etc.,

2. Ensuring that the design and construction are in conformance with all the applicable codes and standards,

3. Preparing project schedules and cost estimates and updating them on a regular basis,

4. Communicating any potential problems and difficulties to the Committee,

5. Working with the Treasurer to ensure bills are paid in a timely manner, and

6. Keeping written records of all meetings with outside persons and agencies.

 

Secretary: Duties and responsibilities include:

1. Keeping written records as required by Section IV.3.3 above,

2. Preparing the agenda for all committee meetings and giving advance notice to the Committee members,

3. Sending a copy of the minutes of the meeting to the Committee members and the HSGC Secretary within two weeks of the meeting, and

4. Maintaining a central file for all project documents.

 

At-Large Members: Duties and responsibilities include

1. Performing the tasks assigned by the Chairperson and the Project Manager,

2. Attending the regular monthly committee meetings,

3. Giving input in a timely manner, and

4. Working as goodwill ambassadors for the HSGC.

 

IV.3.5 Temple Construction:

1. The architecture shall be a typical Hindu temple. It will have deities from all parts of India arranged such that there is no apparent regional preference and all Hindus of different persuasions feel welcome.

2. Construction of the new temple shall be undertaken in phases so that the facility at the end of each phase is fully usable by the Hindu Society.

 

SECTION V: SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS

 

V.1 Historian:

A historian shall be appointed by the Executive Council from among the HSGC membership. The historian shall have the responsibility of managing the temple library. The other duties and responsibilities of the historian shall include the compilation of important and interesting facts about the Hindu Society, the HSGC newsletter, current and all previous Constitutions and By-Laws, and available minutes of past meetings. These records will be kept in the temple library.

 

V.2 Legal Counsel:

Shall provide legal assistance to HSGC as needed.

 

V.3 Accountant:

Shall file appropriate taxes as needed and shall audit HSGC accounts annually.

 

SECTION VI: PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

 

VI.1 The Executive Council shall appraise the performance of all individuals and organizations being paid to do work for the Hindu Society.

The performance appraisal shall be done as follows:

• Punditji – yearly

• Printer – every six months

• Contractors – at the end of the contract

• Others – yearly

 

VI.2 The Executive Council shall prepare a performance appraisal form for each position consistent with the job description.

 

VI.3 All performance appraisals shall be in writing. The results of the performance appraisal shall be confidential and shall be handed over to the successive Executive Council presidents.

 

VI.4 Procedure:

The performance appraisal shall be done by the Executive Council member directly responsible for supervising the work. For example, Punditji’s performance appraisal shall be done by the chairperson of the Puja and Religious Activities Committee, and the printer’s appraisal shall be done by the chairperson of the Communication Committee. The appraisal shall be submitted to the Executive Council for review and approval. The concerned Executive Council member shall discuss the approved performance appraisal with the employee. For non-employee service providers such as contractors, printers, etc., the approved performance appraisal will be kept on file for future use.

 

SECTION VII: MEMBERSHIP

VII.1 Dues for the various categories of membership shall be as follows:

• Annual, Family: $51/year payable in one lump sum

• Annual, Individual: $21/year payable in one lump sum

• Life, Family: $501

• Life, Individual: $251

• Patron, Family: $5,000

• Honorary, Individual: $0

• Full-time Student, Individual: $0

All memberships are for the life of the member except for the Annual and Full-time Student membership, which must be renewed every year by March 31st for the membership rights and privileges to continue uninterrupted. If renewed after March 31st, the membership rights and privileges will be restored one month after the renewal date.

All members except Honorary and Full-time Student are dues-paying members.

Donations to obtain Life and Patron membership can be paid in installments as follows:

a. First payment must be a minimum of $51.00 for family and $21.00 for individuals.

b. Donation for the Life membership must be paid within one fiscal year.

c. Donation for the Patron membership may be paid within three consecutive fiscal years with a minimum donation of $1,000 paid in each of the first two fiscal years.

 

VII.2 All donations, including those made for special purposes, but excluding those made for various services provided by the temple, such as Punditji’s services, various classes, books, tapes, etc., shall be counted towards the membership dues.

 

VII.3 Enactment of this Constitution and the By-Laws and any future amendments thereto will not affect the status of current membership.

 

VII.4 Honorary Membership:

The Executive Council can confer Honorary membership on any person for outstanding contributions towards the furtherance of the objectives of the Hindu Society. The decision to confer an Honorary membership must be approved by at least a three-fourths majority of the entire Executive Council membership.

 

VII.5 Rights and Privileges:

All members shall have the following rights and privileges except as noted:

1. Use of temple facilities as allowed under the provisions of this Constitution and By-Laws for religious and Hindu religion-related educational purposes.

2. Free subscription to HSGC newsletter.

3. Reduced charges for Punditji's services.

4. Membership in the temple library.

5. Voting rights as defined in Article IV of the Constitution.

6. Committee membership.

7. Executive Council membership except for Honorary members who shall not be eligible. Full-time Student members cannot be elected to the Executive Council but can be nominated as the Youth Member of the Executive Council.

8. Names shall be displayed in the temple (Patrons only, both spouses).

 

SECTION VIII: ELECTION PROCEDURE

VIII.1 Election Commission

VIII.1.1 Responsibilities:

1. Conduct the elections for the Executive Council in accordance with the Constitution and the By-Laws.

2. Announce the date and time of the election in the next issue of the HSGC newsletter and subsequent issues thereafter.

3. Seek nominations for the Executive Council positions through advertisement in the HSGC newsletter.

4. Inform the nominees of the election procedures.

5. Verify the eligibility of the nominees as defined in Section 4.0, Article V of the Constitution. Also, verify the nominee's willingness.

6. Publicize the names of the nominees after verification of their eligibility within seven days of the receipt of the nomination by putting it on the temple bulletin boards.

7. If a month before the election date, there is no nomination for a position(s), shall actively seek nominee(s) for the same through personal contacts.

8. Perform the activities required by Section VIII.5 of the By-Laws, including mailing of the notices and compilation of the responses.

 

VIII.1.2 Operations Guidelines:

1. The commission members shall elect a commission chairperson.

2. Written records of the deliberations shall be kept and made available for inspection during the election meeting.

3. The chairperson shall preside over the election meeting.

 

VIII.2 Notice:

The Executive Council shall inform the HSGC membership of the formation of the Election Commission and its members by publishing the same in the next issue of the HSGC newsletter.

 

VIII.3 Nominations:

1. All nominations must be received by the Election Commission prior to the election date.

2. Further nominations will be invited from the floor during the meeting called for elections only for the positions for which there are no candidates.

3. All nominations must be seconded at the time of nomination.

4. Barring extraneous circumstances, all the nominees must be physically present at the election meeting.

 

VIII.4 Lack of Nominations:

If a majority of the new Executive Council, including President, Secretary, and Treasurer, cannot be elected in the election meeting, the existing Executive Council shall continue on an ad hoc basis. The new Executive Council must be elected within sixty days, failing which the ad hoc Executive Council shall initiate the dissolution proceedings.

 

VIII.5 Voting:

All voting shall be by secret ballot, and the results will be announced during the election meeting. All decisions of the Election Commission shall be final.

 

VIII.6 Lack of Quorum:

If quorum is not achieved at the election meeting, the election will still be held, but the results will be provisional and will be confirmed in accordance with the following procedures:

1. The provisional election results will be mailed to the HSGC voting membership for approval within seven days of this meeting.

2. Unless disapproval is received from a simple majority of the entire voting membership within 14 days after the mailing of the notice, the provisional results of the election shall be declared final.

In case of disapproval of any nominee(s), a new election will be held within thirty days for the disapproved position(s) only. For this special election meeting, no quorum shall be required.

VIII.7 Election Procedure

1. Announcement of nominations by the Election Commission Chairperson

2. Nominations from the floor, if needed

3. Withdrawals, if needed

4. Election

5. Announcement of results

6. Steps required due to lack of quorum as defined in Section VIII.6 above, if needed.

 

SECTION IX: MEETING PROCEDURE

 

IX.1 Notice:

1. All HSGC membership meetings, including Special Meetings, will require written notice three weeks in advance.

2. The Executive Council and Committee meetings will require seven days' notice in writing or by telephone.

3. Emergency meetings of the Executive Council and Committees can be called at shorter notice as necessary.

 

IX.2 Agenda:

There will be an agenda for all meetings.

 

IX.3 Quorum:

1. Quorum for all HSGC membership meetings which require voting shall be twenty percent of the voting membership, except as noted in Section VIII.6. Absentee ballots shall not be included in satisfying the quorum requirement.

Per Article IV of the Constitution, husband and wife have individual votes; hence they shall be counted as individual members for the purpose of determining and satisfying the quorum requirement. Members whose mailing address is not known shall not be counted towards determining or satisfying the quorum requirement.

1. Quorum for the Executive Council and all the committee meetings shall be the simple majority of the membership.

2. Written records shall be maintained of the members present in the meetings to verify quorum.

 

IX.4 Decision Process:

All decisions in the HSGC membership, Executive Council, and committee meetings shall be by a simple majority except when noted otherwise.

 

IX.5 Absentee Ballots:

Absentee voting shall be permitted for HSGC membership meetings except where prohibited but shall not be permitted for the Executive Council and Committee meetings.

 

SECTION X: DELEGATION OF WORK TO OUTSIDERS

 

X.1 The Executive Council shall approve in writing all work to be given to contractors and paid service providers.

 

X.2 Such work may be given to any member of the Hindu Society in preference to outsiders if it can be done at a competitive rate. The Executive Council shall obtain a minimum of three written sealed bids for all work exceeding $2,000. All Executive Council and committee members are ineligible for bidding on such work. A written contract will be issued for such work.

 

X.3 The sealed bids shall be received by the person in charge of the project. After the closing date, all sealed bids will be opened at the same time in an Executive Council meeting. The Executive Council shall establish the criteria for evaluating the bids before opening the bids. A formal written bid analysis will be prepared, and the best bid will be selected on the basis of this analysis.

 

X.4 All contracts must be reviewed by the HSGC legal counsel before the award and must be signed by the chairperson of the respective committee and one of the following persons:

• President

• Secretary

• Vice President

A copy of the contract will be sent to the HSGC Treasurer within one week of the final signature.

 

SECTION XI: AMENDMENTS

 

XI.1 Amendments to the By-Laws may be proposed by any voting member of the Hindu Society with written endorsement of at least one-fourth of the voting membership. Upon receipt of the amendment(s) and the required written endorsement, the Secretary shall send the text of the proposed amendment(s) and the notice for the Special Membership Meeting to the HSGC membership.

 

XI.2 The amendment(s) will require a simple majority vote of the members present and voting at the Special Membership Meeting.

 

XI.3 The latest By-Laws and amendments may be filed with the State of Ohio and Internal Revenue Service.

 

SECTION XII: ENACTMENT

 

XII.1 These By-Laws shall become effective immediately upon their acceptance in accordance with the requirements of the existing Constitution. Upon their enactment, any previously existing By-Laws shall become null and void.

 

XII.2 These By-Laws were approved by the HSGC membership on the 11th Day of November 1990 at Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, as attested by the following current governing bodies and the Constitution Committee members present at the meeting.