KACM Bylaws

Bylaws of The Kansas Association of City/County Management as of December 3, 2020

 

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ARTICLE I

SECTION 1. NAME. The name of the organization shall be the Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM).                   

SECTION 2. PRINCIPAL OFFICE. The principal office shall be the League of Kansas Municipalities or other designated provider of administrative services. A permanent file of all records of the association shall be placed in the Principal Office.

ARTICLE II

SECTION 1. PURPOSE. The purpose of this association is to promote and improve the proficiency of its members and public administration in Kansas. The association will obtain its objectives by study, research, mutual counsel, and adoption of goals and techniques for the betterment of our profession.

ARTICLE III

SECTION 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The association shall be governed by a board of directors and officers. The board of directors shall consist of nine (9) members: two (2) elected from each of three population categories and three (3) positions from an open population category to better represent women, minorities, county managers and assistants. The most recent past president shall be an ex-officio member of the board without voting privileges. When a KACM member is serving on the ICMA Executive Board and not a member of KACM’s Board of Directors, they shall also be an ex-officio member of the board without voting privileges.

The board shall elect the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Officers may continue to serve in the officer progression even if they assume a new position in a different city or county. Officers shall vote on all matters before the board but shall not occupy one of the nine (9) board positions.

For purposes of selecting officers and members of the board, population categories for cities and counties shall be as follows: small—0 to 4,000; medium—4,001 to 20,000; large—over 20,000. Each population category shall consist of an equal, or as nearly equal as possible, number of members. The board shall certify the number of members in each category at the fall board meeting each year.

SECTION 2. TERM OF OFFICE. Members of the board shall be elected by the membership for a two (2) year term of office. Members may serve for two consecutive terms and later may be eligible to serve again if so elected.

SECTION 3. QUALIFICATIONS AND VACANCIES. Members of the board of directors shall have at least two (2) years of experience in Kansas municipalities and be full members in good standing in the Kansas Association of City/County Management. Their term in office shall be two (2) years or until their successors are elected and have qualified.

Upon resignation from the board or upon retirement or resignation of a board member from active service as a chief administrative officer in the state of Kansas, the resulting vacancy is to be filled for the remainder of the current term by a majority vote of the board. A member so appointed continues to be eligible to serve two full terms.  The president and vice president shall not be eligible to succeed themselves in office. All terms of office shall begin on January 1 following their election.

SECTION 4. DUTIES. The duties of the board of directors of this association shall be such as by general usage are indicated by the title of the office. The board shall have authority to contract with the League of Kansas Municipalities or other qualified provider for those services deemed necessary. The board shall prepare and present for approval by the membership an annual budget for the following fiscal year. The budget shall be presented for consideration and approval at the annual fall meeting.

SECTION 5. MEETINGS. The board of directors shall meet quarterly and as needed. Quorum shall be 7, which is a majority of the 13 board members eligible to vote.                                                                            

ARTICLE IV

SECTION 1. STANDING COMMITTEES. The president shall appoint, with the approval of the board of directors, such standing committees as are desirable and necessary to carry out the business of the association.

ARTICLE V

SECTION 1. NOMINATION AND ELECTIONS. At the annual conference, members shall elect the board of directors of the association. Candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected. The president shall appoint a nominating committee comprised of four (4) current members of the board, one from each population category, including the open classification, who shall nominate a full slate of directors with consideration to representing the various regions of the state. There may also be open nominations from the floor.

SECTION 2. VOTING BY PROXY. Voting by proxy shall not be allowed.

ARTICLE VI

SECTION 1. MEMBERSHIP. The members of this association shall be full, affiliate, business affiliate, student, retired and life.

1. FULL.  Full members shall have the privilege of voting and holding office.  Chief administrative officers (CAO), assistant CAOs, and senior-level staff members may qualify for full voting membership based upon the following criteria. A CAO qualifies for full voting membership if the individual:
   
   1. Occupies a position appointed by and directly responsible to an elected representative or representatives;
   2. Has significant responsibility in development and analysis of public policy alternatives and implementation of policy once adopted;
   3. Has major responsibility for preparation and administration of operating and capital improvement budgets;
   4. Exercises significant influence appointing key management personnel (especially administrative and financial staff) of the local government;
   5. Is recognized within the local government organization as the principal general management professional and has a continuing direct relationship with the operating department heads on implementation and administration of programs; and
   6. Is appointed to the position based on education, experience and qualifications to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position as defined by ICMA’s Practices for Effective Local Government Management.

An assistant CAO or senior-level staff member is eligible for full voting membership if the individual:

a. Is appointed by the CAO;

b. Reports to the CAO;

c. Has significant general administrative responsibilities; and

d. Has the approval of the CAO.

            B.  AFFILIATE.  Affiliate members shall have the privilege of voting but shall not be eligible to hold office. To qualify for affiliate membership, the individual may be any person who does not otherwise meet the qualifications for full membership and who is currently, or was formerly, employed by a city, county, or university.

            C.  BUSINESS AFFILIATE. Business affiliates shall not have the privilege of voting or holding office. To qualify as a business affiliate, the individual must complete the application and pay the appropriate fees as established by the board.

            D.  STUDENT. Any person registered as a student in a university public administration program qualifies to join as a student. Students do not have the privilege of voting or holding office.

            E.  RETIRED. A former KACM or ICMA member retired under KPERS or other applicable retirement system qualifies to join as a retired member. Retirees do not have the privilege of voting or holding office.

            F.  LIFE. The board of directors may grant life memberships. To be eligible, the individual must have been a full or affiliate member and currently retired from or no longer employed in the profession. Life members shall pay no dues, hold no office, or vote. Upon retiring from active service with a local government, any Full Member who has completed twenty-five years of membership and, for those same twenty-five years, has been eligible to be an officer of the Association may become a Life Member. Also, any Full Member who has been eligible to be an officer of the Association for at least fifteen years and retires from active service with a local government at age sixty-five or older may become a Life Member. In addition, any Full Member who has retired from active service with a local government and who, in the opinion of the Board Officers, has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the profession may be granted a Life Membership by vote of the Board Officers.

SECTION 2. APPLICATION. Application for membership in the association shall be made to the board of directors. Proper forms for application shall be prepared and made available to applicants by the board of directors.

SECTION 3. APPROVAL OF APPLICATION. Upon submission of the application and payment of appropriate dues, such applicant shall be considered a provisional member. For applicants moving to Kansas, their membership in good standing of another state’s professional association shall be verified.  

1. NOTICE TO MEMBERS. Notice of such application shall be sent to the membership on the organization’s listserv. During the 10 days following notification on the listserv, any member in good standing may file a protest regarding the applicant’s membership. The identity of members who file protests shall not be revealed. If there is no protest filed during the 10 days following notification on the listserv, the application shall be considered complete, and the membership status shall no longer be provisional.
2. ADJUDICATION OF A PROTEST. At the end of the protest period, if a protest is filed, the designated board member or committee receiving applications and protests shall forward such protest to the officers of the board of directors who shall serve as the adjudicating committee for such protests. The officers or their designee shall notify the applicant that a protest has been filed and the procedure for consideration of such protest. The officers of the board of directors may call a special meeting of the officers to consider said protest. Within 15 days of the end of the protest period, the officers or their designee shall notify the applicant of the basic protest reasoning and give notice that the applicant may, within 10 days, present a written response to be considered by the officers when considering the membership application. Within 60 days from the date of the protest period, the officers shall make the determination of whether to approve the membership application. If a split decision of the officers shall occur, the Past President shall hold authority to cast a tie-breaking vote. If the officers fail to act within 60 days from the date of the protest period, the application shall be considered complete, and the membership status shall no longer be provisional.

ARTICLE VII

SECTION 1. DUES. Dues for full, affiliate, business affiliate, and student members shall be set for the upcoming year by the full board of directors at the annual conference. Life members shall be exempt from dues. Effective January 1, 2013 and subject to a protest filed pursuant to Article VI, Section 3, an individual who accepts a chief administrative officer position for the first time with a Kansas city or county and was not previously a full member of KACM shall be granted a complimentary full membership for their first year of KACM membership.

SECTION 2. MEMBERSHIP. Membership shall reside with the individual, regardless of who pays the membership dues.

ARTICLE VIII

SECTION 1. CODE OF ETHICS: SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION OF MEMBERS. All members shall, as a condition of membership, agree to be voluntarily governed by a professional code of ethics approved by the membership. The board of directors shall establish a policy and procedures for handling complaints against members and for investigation and elimination thereof. A violation of such code will be considered reason for appropriate disciplinary action as herein provided.

SECTION 2. ETHICS COMMITTEE. The board of directors shall constitute a standing committee of professional standards and shall adopt rules of procedure for the committee’s operation.

SECTION 3. DISCIPLINARY ACTION. Using its ethics policy and procedures, the board of directors may censure, suspend or expel a member for any violation of the code of ethics of the association and shall notify the member promptly of its action. The member may, if so desired, present a written and/or oral defense to be considered by the board which may rescind or modify its earlier decision. If the board’s action is for public censure, suspension or expulsion, notice shall be given to all members of KACM, the legislative body and/or supervisor for whom the member works or worked at the time, the executive director and appropriate regional vice president of ICMA and appropriate news media.

SECTION 4. JURISDICTION. The code of ethics and procedures relating thereto are applicable to members who voluntarily agree to accept the KACM code as a condition of membership.

ARTICLE IX

SECTION 1. REGULAR MEETINGS. The association usually holds regular meetings three times a year, at the annual conference and in conjunction with the KCCM Conference at the University of Kansas and the WSU Winter Seminar. Meetings may be held virtually or by teleconference as circumstances dictate.

SECTION 2. SPECIAL MEETINGS. The board may call a special meeting of the association by a majority vote of the board. Written notification of a special meeting shall be sent to members using the listserv at least ten (10) days prior to the date established by the board for the meeting.

SECTION 3. AGENDA. The board shall be responsible for preparation of agendas for all meetings of the association. The order of business shall be as follows: (1) report on the minutes of the previous meeting; (2) review of financial statements; (3) reports of committees; (4) unfinished business; (5) election of officers; (6) new business; (7) adjournment. This order of business may be altered or suspended by a majority of members eligible to vote.

ARTICLE X

SECTION 1. OFFICERS. The board of directors shall elect a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Persons so elected shall ascend to the next higher office the following year unless the board takes action to so otherwise elect persons to said offices. The president and vice president shall not be eligible to succeed themselves in office.

1. PRESIDENT. The president shall set the agenda and lead the meetings of the board of directors and of the association. The president shall designate committees as determined to be in the best interest of the association and appoint committee chairs.
2. VICE PRESIDENT. In the absence, disability, refusal or inability to act of the president, the vice president shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the president and shall perform such other duties as the board may from time to time prescribe. The vice president shall chair the Conference Planning Committee.
3. SECRETARY. The secretary shall ensure the minutes of all meetings of the association and the board of directors are kept in a permanent manner and are made available to members at meetings and as requested by the membership. The secretary shall chair the Awards Committee.
4. TREASURER. The treasurer shall transact necessary financial business of the association, ensuring a complete record of all transactions which shall be submitted at the annual conference of the association. The treasurer shall be responsible for collection and accounting of dues from members and serve as a trustee of the Foundation Fund.
5. PAST PRESIDENT. The past president shall be an ex-officio member of the board without voting privileges and shall serve as liaison to Senior Advisors.

ARTICLE XI

SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS. These bylaws may be amended or repealed by two-thirds vote of the full and affiliate members present at a meeting of the association. A motion to amend or repeal may be presented either by the Board of Directors or by five full members who have initiated an amendment and presented it to the President in advance of the meeting.

 

Notes:

The ICMA Code of Ethics and Guidelines for professional conduct were adopted as KACM’s code and guidelines at the May 6, 1977 KACM business meeting.

The KACCM name change was adopted at the May 7, 1992 business meeting.

The prior Constitution and Bylaws were merged into one document at the KACM Annual Fall Conference in Garden City, November 12, 2010.

Bylaws were amended at the KACM Annual Conference in Dodge City, December 7, 2012; KACM Annual Conference in Manhattan, December 5, 2014; KACM meeting in Lawrence, April 28, 2016; KACM Membership Meeting in Lawrence, April 27, 2017; and KACM Membership Meeting online on December 3, 2020.