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RMLA Constitution (rev 1993)

 

Purpose:  A nonprofit organization to bring together those persons interested in the advancement of the locksmith profession.

 

Article 1 -
The name of the organization shall be the Rocky Mountain Locksmiths Association and may be referred to as the R.M.L.A.

 

Article 2 

​A.    Section 1 - Emblem
The Emblem of the Association shall be a replica of the below emblem inscribed "Established 1963". The colors are black and white. The membership may choose other color schemes when deemed appropriate.

 

B.    Section 2 - Code of Ethics
"It is the duty of each R.M.L.A. member to perpetuate and advance the dignity of locksmiths and the locksmith trade through the fairest possible dealings with all persons, be they fellow locksmiths, clients or other persons."

 

C.    Section 3 - Motto
The motto of the Association shall be "Securing your future through education".

 

Article 3 -
Membership shall consist of persons engaged in Locksmithing, or manufacturers or their representatives who are engaged in the sales or services of the locks and locksmith supplies.

 

Article 4 ·Classes of membership shall be:

1)    Regular Member: Those individuals who are or have been engaged in locksmithing and shall have full voting rights.
2)    Associate Members: representatives or employees of manufacturing distributors, suppliers, or any service to the locksmith trade.
3)    Honorary Members: This is a non-voting membership conferred to non-members for outstanding service to the R.M.L.A. or for making outstanding contributions to the locksmithing profession. Recommendations for honorary membership are to be presented to the board for consideration and approval then presented to the membership for vote.

 

Article 5 - Government of R.M.L.A. shall be by the board of officers, as provided by the constitution and by-laws.

1)    ROBERT'S RULE OF ORDER will be the parliamentary authority when it does not conflict with the constitution or by-laws.
2)    All business, unless otherwise noted in the by-Jaws, shall be approved by a majority vote of the members present at any meeting.
3)    Members must be notified 30 days in advance of any meeting to change the constitution, special meetings or dissolution of the organization.
4)    Business at any special meeting will be limited to the purpose for which the meeting was called.
5)    Membership meetings will be held monthly. Special meetings may be called by the president when necessary.
6)    No business may be conducted at any regular meeting unless at least 3 officers and 6 other members are present.
7)    The last regular meeting of the year (February) will be the annual meeting.
8)    Officers will be elected at the annual meeting as provided in the constitution and installed at or before the next regular meeting.
9)    Directors are to be elected following the Officer's election at the annual meeting.

 

Article 6 – Elected Officials:  The elected officers will be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms and two directors at large who will assume office at the next regular meeting after being elected.

1)    In the event of a vacancy in an elected office the president shall appoint a member to fill the office for the remainder of the term.
2)    Election will be by a majority vote of those present at the annual meeting in February.
3)    The two directors shall be the nominating committee for the next officer election.
4)    The nominating committee will nominate at least one candidate for each vacant office and make a report to the membership at the January meeting.

 

Nominations from the floor may be made at this meeting after the report of the nominating committee.

 

Article 7 • Constitution and by-laws: May be amended or revised subject to the following conditions.

1)    The constitution may be changed only at the annual meeting.
2)    The constitution may be changed by 3/4 of the voting ballots cast.
3)    Changes in the constitution must be approved by the executive board and presented to the membership in writing 30 days before it can be voted on.
4)    An amendment to the by-laws may be approved by majority present.

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Article 8 - The procedure for expelling a member:

1)    A grievance in writing shall be presented to the directors at large.
2)    The directors at large shall investigate and bring a recommendation to the Board officers within 45 days.
3)    The board of officers shall request the individual's presence who is in question the board meeting and discuss the charges with the member.
4)    The board of officers shall, after due investigation and consideration, bring a recommendation before the membership at the next meeting.
5)    The membership shall then vote for expulsion or retention by secret ballot after due consideration. Simple majority shall prevail.

 

Article 9 -Dissolution of Association:

1)    Dissolution of this Association will be by 3/4 affirmative vote of the members present at the announced meeting. Vote shall be by secret ballot.
2)    Dissolution will be effective only after all obligations are paid. Dissolution will take affect thirty days after the voting and all remaining assets will be distributed equally to all regular and life members paid up for the previous six months. A special notice by mail shall be sent to all the members 30 days before voting on the dissolution.
 

RMLA BY-LAWS (rev 2005)
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THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCKSMITHS ASSOCIATION 
BYLAWS AS REVISED/1993
PREAMBLE:  REALIZING THE MUTUAL BENEFITS TO BE DERIVED FROM A POLICY OF COOPERATIVE ACTION, AND KNOWING THE ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATIONAL CHARACTER TO BE GAINED BY FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND INFORMATION, WE, THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCKSMITHS DO HEREBY ASSOCIATE OURSELVES TOGETHER AND PLEDGE OURSELVES TO FULL COOPERATION, ONE WITH THE OTHER, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL MEMBERS.

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Section 1 - Membership

  1. Application must be submitted on an approved R.M.LA. application form to the membership committee for recommendation.

  2. Application will be submitted to membership for approval at the next regular meeting after it is received.

  3. New members will be sworn in at a regular meeting.

  4. Delinquent membership may be reinstated upon payment of an application fee and one year’s dues, subject to membership approval.

  5. Grievances and dismissals must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board, who will investigate the allegations and take such action as is deemed necessary for the good of the Association.

  6. Members may be dropped from the roll or applicant may be rejected upon conviction of a felony and/or for falsification of the application or other records.

  7. New applicants' names must be printed in the Rockey Press then voted on by membership at a regular meeting. A secret ballot may be requested by any member.

 

Section 2 -Officers' Duties

  1. President: The President shall preside over all meetings -regular, special and Executive Board of R.M.L.A. He (she) shall also perform any other usual duties incidental to the office of President.

  2. Vice President: The Vice President shall assist the President and shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President.

  3. Secretary: The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all R.M.L.A. meetings - regular, special and Executive Board, and shall report these minutes at the next scheduled meeting. He (she) shall ensure that all members in good standing are notified of all regular and special meetings of the R.M.L.A. He (she) shall be responsible for the handling of all correspondence to or from the Association.

  4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the business records and financial transactions of the R.M.L.A.  This will include: receiving the dues money, disbursement of funds, preparation and reporting of quarterly financial statements.  The Treasurer shall maintain a ledger of R.M.L.A. members in good standing and shall have this ledger at all R.M.L.A. meetings for reference.

  5. Sergeant at Arms: The Sergeant at Arm shall assist the President in maintaining order at all R.M.L.A. meetings, shall check membership cards as necessary, and certify any voting and balloting at the meetings.

  6. Delegates at Large: The two Delegates at Large shall be members of the Executive Board, Audit and Nominating Committees and act as directors of the Association. They shall perform other duties as directed by the President.

  7. Past President: The Past President shall be a member of the Executive Board for a term of 2 years with full voting privileges. The Past Vice President may serve in the event the Past President is unable to serve.

 

Section 3 - The length of terms of office shall be as follows:

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No officer shall be eligible for re-election to the same office for more than two consecutive terms.

 

Section 4 - Meetings

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There shall be a regular meeting each month at a time and place designated by the Executive Board.

  1. The President may request the approval of the membership to suspend the regular order of business at any time in order to dispose of any matter of an urgent nature.

  2. No person shall speak at a meeting unless recognized; the person should stand to address the membership.

  3. The President may limit debate on any matter.

  4. The President is not obligated to recognize or hear the opinion of a non-member.

  5. The resolution of any other questions or points of order shall be guided by reason and the principles of "Robert's Rules of Order" and the discretion of the Chairperson.

  6. Business meetings shall be closed meetings ·open to members only.

  7. Education meetings will be closed meetings • open to members and invited guests only.

 

Section 5 - Executive Board

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The Executive Board shall be composed of: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms, two Delegates at Large (Directors), and the Past President.

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  1. The Executive Board is the governing body of the R.M.L.A. and has the power to act on behalf of and for the good of the Association in the event that a situation develops that requires timely action which prevents the matter from being presented to the  membership for consideration.

  2. The Executive Board meetings shall be called at the discretion of the President.

  • A quorum shall consist of four (4) or more· officers.

  1. The executive Board shall also have the responsibility of carrying out other duties as specifically designated in these By-Laws.

 

Section 6 - Committees

  1. The President shall appoint a Chairperson for the following standing committees:

    • Public Relations

    • Education

    • Membership

    • Finance

    • Parliamentary

    • Audit

  2. The Chairperson of each Committee may select additional members to serve on the committee whom he feels will be beneficial to its function.

  3. The Public Relations committee is responsible for communications within and from the Association in order to advance the image and awareness of our Association and trade. One committee member should accept responsibility for representing the wishes of ·the Association in situations where the Association should offer aid in or comfort to a member or his family.

  4. The Education committee is responsible for the program at each educational meeting and shall also aid in other endeavors involving education such as conventions or trade shows.

  5. The Membership committee is responsible for receiving membership applications and checking the applicant’s qualifications prior to presenting the applicant to the Association for consideration as a member.

  6. The Finance committee is responsible for preparing budgets and an annual audit of the R.M.L.A. books.

  7. The Parliamentary committee shall be the custodian of the By-Laws and shall receive suggested By-Law changes and shall properly present them to the membership. The chairperson as parliamentarian can assist the President in deciding points of order should the need arise.

  8. The Audit committee shall audit the R.M.L.A. books and records every 12 months or as required by the President, or whenever the Treasurer's office is vacated.

  9. The President may appoint additional committees deemed advisable to fulfill a need not yet covered by the standing committees. These committees will be a temporary nature and will function only for the time set forth by the President.

 

Section 7 - Dues and Finances

  • R.M.L.A. dues are due and payable by the January meeting of each year.

  • Any member failing to pay their dues by the February meeting is considered to not be "in good standing" and they forfeit their rights and privileges as a member of the R.M.L.A. (See Section 1, item 4).

  • The application fee and annual membership dues for each class of membership shall be designated by the Executive Board and shall be submitted to the membership for approval at a regular meeting

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  • All expenditures not within the annual budget provided by the Finance Committee must be authorized by the Executive Board.

  • All expenditures of the Association shall be made by check, co-signed by the President and Treasurer.

 

Section 8: RMLA Building Fund

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  1. The "Building Fund" shall be protected and the decision to move funds from the Building Fund into another account or withdraw funds from the Building Fund shall require a 2/3 majority approval by the membership in attendance at a regular meeting of the membership. Members are to be notified in writing of proposed changes at least 30 days prior to said meeting.

  2. The executive board shall have the power to change the composition of the investments in the Building Fund portfolio as they see fit with consideration of the following guidelines: ·

    1. The portfolio as a whole should at least keep up with inflation (market conditions permitting).

    2. The portfolio shall be diversified to protect against fluctuations in individual markets.

    3. The investments shall be liquid enough to allow adjustments in a timely fashion.

  3. Investments in the Building fund shall be reviewed quarterly by the Executive Board.

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