Our By-Laws

Article I. Name of the Organization

The name of the organization for the purpose of its non-profit corporation certified by the State of Texas shall be known as the Urban Management Assistants of South Texas (UMAST). The organization in all other instances shall do business as Urban Management Association of South Texas (UMAST).

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of UMAST shall be to provide educational leadership development opportunities to assist individuals in the pursuit of their career goals and interests. UMAST is an organization dedicated to improve the lives of our communities through professional excellence.

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Article III. Membership

Section 1: Membership shall be classified into one of the following classifications:

a. Full Membership shall be given to any person employed in a professional capacity in a local government including regional councils of governments, public utilities and other urban management agencies, which provide services to local communities.

b. Associate Membership shall be open to any person interested in professional self-development and the advancement of urban public management and are not otherwise eligible for full membership. Associate members cannot hold office or serve as committee chairpersons, not vote in general or special elections. Associate members, however, can serve on committees and will be entitled to those benefits and services granted to full members. This category will also include students enrolled in programs related to public administration and have demonstrated an interest in a public management career.

c. Corporate Membership shall be available to an organization wishing to sponsor up to four individual UMAST memberships for persons selected by the Corporate Membership sponsor. A person obtaining a membership under a Corporate Membership shall otherwise have all the rights and privileges as a Full or an Associate member according to the person’s qualifications as defined in Sections 1 and 2 in this article, respectively.

Section 2: Geographic Limitations- To be eligible for any of the membership categories, the person must be employed or live within the Greater San Antonio Metropolitan Area defined as the following counties: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina or Wilson.

Section 3: Change in Status- If a member’s employment, position, or geographical location changes, their membership category should be revised with the change. A full member permanently leaving the Greater San Antonio Metropolitan Area shall have the option of terminating membership or becoming a dues paying Associate Member.

Article IV. Dues

Section 1: Membership is granted upon completion of an application form and payment of dues.

Section 2: Dues shall be for the amount prescribed by the organization and charged to full, associate, and corporate members for the full amount. Dues are payable by the end of February of the calendar year which membership is desired.

Article V. Officers and Duties

Section 1: All officers shall be Full Members as defined in Article III, Section 1a of these By-Laws. The officers of the organization shall be:

a. President - shall be the executive head and shall preside all meetings of the organization and of the Executive Council; shall appoint all committees with the advice and consent of the Executive Council and shall have the general supervision of the work of the organization. President shall serve as representing officer on official TCMA boards, commissions, task forces, or any other formal operating capacity.

b. President-elect - shall assist the President in the performance of the duties of the office of President; shall supervise all elections and report to the membership the outcome of all referenda held by mail ballot; and shall assume the office of the President for a full term upon the expiration of the incumbent President’s term of office.

c. Secretary - shall be the chairperson of the Publications and University Liaison Committee. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the business meetings and a record of the activities of the organization. The Secretary shall preserve and retain all papers, letters and transactions of the organization.

d. Treasurer - shall be the chairperson of the Membership and Audit Standing committees; shall keep financial records, receive and disburse organizational funds; shall report on the status of the organization’s treasury at each business meeting; shall keep an accurate record of the organization’s accounts and shall make these accounts available to members during the year.

Section 2: Officer duties are subject to change at the discretion of the Executive Council.

Article VI. Executive Council and Standing Committees

Section 1: The Executive Council of the organization shall consist of the elected officers.

Section 2: The Executive Council shall formulate policies and goals for the direction of the organization; shall prepare the agenda for the general meetings; shall authorize expenditures for necessary items in the normal course of business. The Executive Council shall establish its own rules of conduct and shall meet as necessary to conduct organizational business.

Section 3: The UMAST Immediate Past-President may serve at his/her discretion as a non-voting Ex-Officio member of the Executive Council. Such participation shall not factor into tabulation of a meeting quorum.

Section 4: The President of UMAST has the option to offer an “ex-officio” membership to a full member of Region 8 of TCMA the Texas City Management Association (TCMA) Region 8 shall appoint a full member from TCMA Region 8 to serve as “ex-officio” on the UMAST Executive Council; and serve a length of term concurrent to the UMAST Executive Officers; and shall have no voting power; and serve as a resource for guidance and direction for the organization.

Section 5: The City Manager of the public entity with the highest percentage of UMAST membership the previous year may be asked by the UMAST Executive Council to appoint a representative from that entity’s Executive Team to serve as “ex-officio” on the UMAST Executive Council; and serve a length of term concurrent to the UMAST Executive Officers; and shall have no voting power; and serve as a resource for guidance and direction for the organization.

Section 6: The President shall have the authority to appoint and dissolve standing committees and taskforces as he/she may deem advisable with the consent of the Executive Council to include but not limited to Program Development, Membership, and Strategic Partnership. Special committees shall establish their own rules of conduct and report to general membership as required. Standing Committee Chairperson(s) and Taskforce members must be from the membership.

Article VII. Nominations and Elections

Section 1: By November 30th of each year, the President and/or President-Elect shall complete the election process to include solicitation for nominations, issue ballots and tally votes. If no candidate receives at least greater than 50 percent majority of votes for a given office, a run-off election will take place including the top two vote recipients for the given office. The results of the election shall be announced by the President-Elect at the President’s Reception in December of the same year.

Section 2: The President-Elect shall assume the office of President on January 1 for a term which shall expire on December 31 of the same year. The newly elected President-Elect, Vice President*, Secretary, and Treasurer shall assume their offices on January 1 for terms which shall expire on December 31 of the same year.

Section 3: Removal of any officer for disciplinary cause or incompetence must be initiated by a petition stating just cause, signed by a simple majority of the membership, and submitted to the Executive Council for review. Upon its review, the Executive Council will allow membership to vote on removal requiring two-thirds of the membership present for removal.

Section 4: When by reason of expiration of term of office of an incumbent President at a time when there exists a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, or vacancies exist in both the office of the President and President-Elect, there shall be elected a President in addition to those officers named in Section 1 of this article. If this section is invoked, the Immediate Past President, or full member designated by the Executive Council, shall perform the election duties which otherwise would be performed by the President- Elect.

Section 5: Vacancies - A vacancy shall be deemed to occur because any of the following: (1) an expired term of office, (2) resignation, or (3) an extended or unexplained absence from official duties without a scheduled date of return. The Executive Council will determine if a vacancy exists.

a. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the President-Elect shall become President, and shall serve in this office until December 31 of the year in which the office of President became vacant; on January 1 of the next year, he/she shall commence to serve the full term as President to which he/she would have automatically succeeded as provided in Section 2 of this article. A vacancy which occurs in the office of President-Elect as a result of the President-Elect vacating such office in order to serve the remainder of the unexpired term of the President shall remain vacant until the next succeeding mail ballot when an election for the office of President-Elect shall be held in accordance with Section 2 of this article; in this event the Immediate Past President, or full member designated by the Executive Council, shall perform the election duties which otherwise would be performed by the President-Elect.

b. In the event a vacancy in both the offices of President and President-Elect shall exist at the same time, the Vice President* or Treasurer shall become the President and shall serve in this capacity until the next mail ballot, when an election for both the offices of President and President-Elect shall be held in accordance with Section 4 of this article.

c. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President-Elect and when such vacancy does not occur as a result of the President-Elect vacating the office in order to serve the remainder of the unexpired term of the President, a special election shall be held in which the organization shall elect a President-Elect by mail ballot under the same guidelines specified in Section 1 of this article; in this event the Immediate Past President, or full member designated by the Executive Council, shall perform the election duties which otherwise would be performed by the President-Elect.

d. In the event of vacancies in the offices of Secretary and/or Treasurer, the Executive Council shall appoint a properly qualified member to fill the unexpired term of the vacated office(s) until the next succeeding mail ballot, when an election for the offices(s) shall be held in accordance with Section 1 of this article.

Article VIII. Meetings

Section 1: Regular meetings shall be held as needed but no less than two (2) times a year to discuss general business.

Section 2: A majority of the membership who are present shall constitute a quorum for voting purposes when required.

Section 3: The most recently revised edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall be the final authority as to the parliamentary procedures, and to conduct member meetings, insofar as they do not conflict with any provisions of these By-Laws.

Article IX. Amendments and Additions

Section 1: These By-Laws may be amended by a simple majority of votes at members meetings or by ballot.

Section 2: These By-Laws shall be in full force following adoption by a majority of the members effective January 1 of the preceding year.

Revised this 31st Day of October 2012.