ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1.1 - The name of this organization shall be the Greater Fort Worth Section of the Texas District (TexITE) of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Section 1.2 - The purpose of the Greater Fort Worth Section shall be to enable engineers and other professionals with knowledge and competence in transportation and traffic engineering to contribute individually and collectively toward meeting human needs for personal mobility, goods movement and safety, and to promote professional development, public awareness, exchange of professional information, and maintenance of a central point of reference and action.

Section 1.3 - The Section shall:

• Advance the objectives of the Institute.
• Foster closer association of Institute Members.
• Encourage Members to prepare or discuss papers.
• Prepare suggestions on matters of policy to the Institute Board of Direction.
• Consider local transportation and traffic engineering problems.
• Cooperate with other local engineering and other professional groups on matters of common interest.
• Present the transportation and traffic engineering point of view consistent with established Institute policies.
• Encourage the introduction of transportation and traffic engineering courses in colleges, universities and technical schools in the Section.

ARTICLE II- MEMBERSHIP

Section 2.1 - Membership of the Section shall consist of those Institute Members as specified in the Charter of the Section.

Section 2.2 - Persons who fall into one of the following classifications may be affiliated with the Section as Section Affiliates:

(a) Professional/Technical Section Affiliate

• Engineers in the transportation and traffic profession who lack sufficient experience for Institute membership or who have yet to apply for such member ship; or,
• Persons engaged in transportation and traffic engineering support work.
• Professionals in related fields who by virtue of stature or official position are in a position to contribute to the work of transportation and traffic engineers.

(b) Commercial Section Affiliate

• Persons engaged in commerce or industry who come into frequent contact with transportation and traffic engineers and who thus have an interest in the profession and are in a position to work with and assist transportation and traffic engineers; provided, however, that the total number of Section Affiliates of this classification shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of Institute Members in the Section.

(c) Life Section Affiliate

• Retired Section Affiliates of all classifications meeting the following requirements:
• 65 years or older and 25 years of services as a dues paying Affiliate of the Section; or,
• 55 years or older and retired from previous full-time employment and have not more than $10,000 annual income from transportation engineering relating service and/or product sale.

Section 2.3 - An applicant for the grade of Section Affiliate shall submit an online application on a form approved by the Officers. This form shall contain a statement of the applicant's professional training and experience. An applicant would agree to be governed by the Constitution and bylaws of the Greater Fort Worth Section of TexITE.

Section 2.4 - Section Courtesy Member. Institute Members who are members of other Sections may apply for courtesy membership in this Section. The remaining sections of this article pertaining to Section Affiliates shall also apply to Section Courtesy Members regarding their association with this Section.

Section 2.5 - The Section Officers shall process the applications for any type of Section Affiliate.

Section 2.6 - Election of Section Affiliates shall be by a majority vote of the Officers of the Section.

Section 2.7 - Any Institute Member or any Section Affiliate may resign from the Section. An affirmative vote by a majority shall be required for election.

Section 2.8 - Any Institute member whose Institute membership has been forfeited shall automatically forfeit membership in the Section. Said person may make a request for Section Affiliate status along with supporting justification or reason to the Section Officers. Such downgrading from Member to Section Affiliate will require a majority vote of the Officers. Any Member of the Institute who is placed on inactive status by the Institute Board of Direction may also be placed on inactive status at the Section level at the discretion of the Section Officers.

Section 2.9 - Any Section Affiliate who, by reason of any change in occupation or profession, shall cease to be in contact regularly and frequently with transportation and traffic engineers or the transportation and traffic engineering profession shall forfeit affiliation with the Section without prejudice.

Section 2.10 - The Section officers shall have a periodic review made of the qualifications of Section Affiliates. Any Section Affiliate meeting minimum qualifications for Institute membership shall be encouraged to apply for such membership.

Section 2.11 - Any Section Affiliate who advertises, uses or attempts to use identification with the Section in any manner whatsoever with intent to derive personal gain therefrom shall forfeit affiliation with the Section.

Section 2.12 - The Officers of the Section shall consider the expulsion of any Section Affiliate (a) upon information coming to their notice, or (b) upon the written request of five or more members, and for the cause set forth, a person identified as Section Affiliate may be expelled. The Section officers shall thereupon follow the procedure set forth in the Institute Constitution. In the event such a charge is brought against a Member or Affiliate of the Institute, the Section Officers shall immediately refer the matter to the Institute board of Direction for handling as provided in the Institute Constitution.

ARTICLE III - FEES, DUES, AND ASSESSMENTS

Section 3.1 - There shall be no initiation or entrance fee.

Section 3.2 - Annual Section dues shall be established by the Officers. Such dues shall be payable at the beginning of the fiscal year. Dues of new Members, Section Affiliates, and Courtesy Members shall be payable prior to election. Retired Life Members of the Institute and Life Section Affiliates are exempt from payment of Section dues.

Section 3.3 - Any eligible voter whose Section dues are more than six months in arrears (dating from the beginning of the fiscal year) shall lose the right to vote. Should the dues of any Institute Member or Section Affiliate become one year in arrears, that person's connection with the Section shall be forfeited. The Section Officers, however, may for a cause deemed by them sufficient, extend the time for payment and for the application of these penalties. Unpaid dues shall become an obligation to be paid before the delinquent can be restored to good standing in the Section.

Section 3.4 - Special assessments may be made by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the eligible voters present at any regular meeting or two-thirds of the eligible voters voting on a mail or electronic ballot.

ARTICLE IV - NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
AND SECTION REPRESENTATIVE(S)

Section 4.1 - The Officers of the Greater Fort Worth Section shall consist of a President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer. Additionally, the office of Vice President shall be designated as President-Elect to automatically succeed the President at the Expiration of the President's term of office. Officers shall be elected annually to assume office on January 1st for a term of one year or until a successor takes office. Officers shall be members of the Institute or the Section.

Section 4.2 - There shall be one or more Section Representative(s) to represent the Section on the District Board in accordance with the District Charter and Bylaws. The Section Representative(s) shall be elected in the same manner as Section Officers. Each Section Representative shall serve a two year term with the terms staggered so that approximately one-half are elected each year. Newly elected Section Representatives shall take office at the beginning of the year following election. The Section Representative(s) shall be (a) member(s) of the Institute.

Section 4.3 - The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Section Representative(s), the living Past President whose term has most recently expired and still resides with the Section.

Section 4.4 - No Member shall occupy the same elective office for more than two consecutive terms.

Section 4.5 - In the event of a vacancy occurring in the office of President, the unexpired term shall be filled by the Vice President. In the event of a vacancy occurring in any other elective office, the Section Executive Board may appoint a Member to fill the unexpired term.

Section 4.6 - The President shall preside over Section meetings and shall appoint committees and chairpersons. The Vice-President shall be responsible for the technical portions of Section meetings and shall preside over such meetings in the absence of the President. The Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain the records and bank account of the Section and shall preside over Section meetings in the absence of both the President and Vice-President.

Section 4.7 - By August 1st of each year, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three voting members. The Nominating Committee shall select two or more candidates for Secretary/Treasurer and one or more for Vice President and each Section Representative position to be filled. The chairman of the Nominating Committee shall report its list of nominees to the Secretary/Treasurer before September 1st. The written consent to hold office must be received for each person nominated.

Section 4.8 - Not later than September 15th of each year, the Secretary/Treasurer shall send to the eligible voters of the Section a list of the candidates nominated by the nominating Committee. Additional nominations for any office may be made by petition, signed by not less than five members. Each such petition shall be accompanied by the written consent of the nominee and must be received by the Secretary/Treasurer not later than October 1st. If a member is nominated for more than one office, the Member shall be considered a candidate only for the one office preferred.

Section 4.9 - Not later than November 15th the Secretary/Treasurer shall send to each eligible voter a final ballot, listing the candidates nominated for Officers. Final ballots returned by eligible voters shall be canvassed at the Annual Meeting by a tellers committee consisting of three Section Members appointed by the presiding Officer. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. In case of a tie vote, the voting members attending the Section Annual Meeting shall chose between the candidates by means of a secret ballot and the candidate receiving the majority of votes will be elected.

Section 4.10 - The membership, by petition to the Executive Board, may initiate a vote of the eligible voters to determine the removal of any elected officer from current office. The petition must contain the legible signatures of no less than twenty percent (20%) of the eligible voters. The Executive Board shall cause the petition to be validated or invalidated within 30 days and, if validated, shall submit a secret ballot to eligible voters the question: "Shall (name) be removed from the office of (office)?" Should the affirmative carry a majority of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the eligible votes cast, the office shall be declared vacant and the vacancy filled in the manner prescribed in Section 4.5 of these Bylaws.

ARTICLE V- MEETINGS

Section 5.1 - An Annual Meeting shall be held in December of each year and the proposed date of such meeting shall be established and announced to the membership at least two months in advance. Special meetings may be called by the Section Officers. No action affecting the Section shall be taken at any special meeting, however, unless at least 14 days notice concerning the matter has been transmitted to all Members. Such notice may be sent by regular mail, facsimile, or electronic mail.

Section 5.2 - Meeting places and times shall be determined by the Section Officers.

Section 5.3 - A report of the financial condition of the Section shall be made by the Secretary/Treasurer at each meeting. Committee reports and reports by the President may be made at any meeting.

Section 5.4 - Section Meetings may be held at any time not in conflict with District Meetings.

ARTICLE VI - GOVERNMENT

Section 6.1 - The Section Executive Board shall manage the affairs of the Section in conformity with the provisions of the District Charter, District Bylaws, Section Charter and Section Bylaws, and the policies of the Institute.

Section 6.2 - A quorum of the Section Executive Board shall be a majority of the board members.

Section 6.3 - The fiscal year of the Section shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.

Section 6.4 - The President shall preside at Section meetings and at meetings of the Section Executive Board. However, if the President is unable to do so, the Vice President shall preside at such meetings and discharge the duties of the President. In the event that both the President and Vice President are unable to preside, the duties of the President shall be discharged by the Secretary-Treasurer, the Immediate Past President, the (or one of the) Section Representative(s), in that order.

Section 6.5 - The President shall be an ex officio Member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.

Section 6.6 - The President shall annually appoint -- no later than August 1st -- a Nominating Committee composed of three or more voting Members of the Sectionwho are not Officers of the Section.

Section 6.7 - The President shall appoint the Chairperson and Members of Standing Committees and such special committees as may be desirable. Standing Committees shall include, but not be limited to: Membership and Technical.

Section 6.7.1 – The purpose of the Membership Committee is to promote Section membership and assist the Secretary-Treasurer in maintaining an accurate and current roster of Section membership. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member of the Membership Committee.

Section 6.7.2 – The purpose of the Technical Committee is to assist the Vice-President in selecting programs for the Section meetings. The Vice-President shall be an ex-officio member of the Technical Committee.

Section 6.8 - The President should appoint an Audit Committee consisting of three Section members to review the financial records as maintained by the Secretary-Treasurer. The members of the Audit Committee shall be appointed no later than December 1st and shall report their findings to the Section at the first scheduled meeting after January 1st.

Section 6.9 - The President may appoint an Advisory Council as deemed necessary for the purpose of advising Section Officers on general programs, direction and policies of the Section.

Section 6.10 - The Secretary/Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget for Section operations. Subject to review and concurrence by the Executive Board, the budget shall be presented to the membership for approval at the annual meeting.

Section 6.11 - The Section Representative shall prepare a written annual report and shall submit the report to the District Board no later than December 31st. The report shall include a summary of the Section's activities for the previous year and a roster of the Section's active membership showing grade and type of each member.

Section 6.12 - The following functions and activities may be undertaken by the Section: (1) Technical meetings, exhibits, tours, research and projects; (2) Training programs; (3) Social events; (4) Community service projects; and (5) District newsletter input.

Section 6.13 - The following activities are not permitted: (1) Any activity or function that would be in violation of Section or District charter, District or Section bylaws, District or Section policy, or Institute Constitution or policy; or (2) Any activity which might compromise the existing or potential tax-exempt status of the Institute, District, or Section.

ARTICLE VII - VOTING AND VOTING ELIGIBILITY

Section 7.1 - Voting for Section Officers, for Section Representative(s) and for amendments to these Bylaws, and for other matters which affect the relationship of the Section to the Institute shall be by secret ballot.

Section 7.2 - When such a secret ballot is required, ballots shall be sent to all eligible voters, accompanied by a blank envelope and a pre-addressed return envelope. The name of eligible voter shall be printed or written on the back side of the pre-addressed return envelope. Those qualified to vote shall indicate their selection on the ballot, seal it in the blank envelope, and insert that envelope in the return envelope. Alternately, eligible voters may be given the option of voting electronically provided that all of the following safeguards are in place: (a) each eligible voter shall be allowed to vote only once, either electronically or by means of paper ballot; and (b) the report of electronic voting shall list the names of those who voted electronically and shall show the total number of votes received by each candidate and for or against each proposition; however (c) to preserve the secrecy of the ballot, the report of electronic voting shall not disclose the candidates or propositions for which any individual voter has voted. Three tellers appointed by the Section President shall canvass the paper ballots and add to their totals to the report of electronic voting to determine the final result.

Section 7.3 - Any Member of the Institute in good standing, including those classified at the grade of Institute Affiliate but excluding Student Member and Courtesy Member, shall have voting privileges in the Section.

Section 7.4 - Section Affiliates will be afforded all rights and benefits of the Section.

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS

Section 8.1 - Proposals to amend these Bylaws or to petition amendments to the Charter may be made by resolution of the Officers of the Section or by written petitions signed by at least five (5) voting Members.

Section 8.2 - Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted by letter to the membership qualified to vote and shall be on the order of business of the next regular meeting occurring not less than 30 days subsequently. Such amendments may be amended by majority vote of the meeting in any manner pertinent to the original amendment. The amendments, as originally proposed or as amended at this meeting, shall be submitted as prescribed in Article VII, Section 7.2 of these Bylaws within 30 days of the meeting and canvassed not less than 30 nor more than 45 days following such submission by three tellers appointed by the President.

Section 8.3 - An affirmative vote of two-thirds of all ballots cast shall be necessary to the adoption of any amendments to the Bylaws.

Section 8.4 - Amendments to the Bylaws so adopted shall take effect when approved by the District Board, as provided in the Charter.