Constitution and Bylaws

ARTICLE I

Section 1. Name: The name of the association shall be Missouri State Assessors Association.

Section 2. Objectives: The objectives of the organization are:

  1. To improve the relationship between assessing officers.
  2. To provide a common ground for the discussion of assessment practices, provide a forum for the interchange of ideas among county assessment officials and to foster inter-county cooperation.
  3. To provide the medium for development and improvements of assessment practices and cadastral mapping.
  4. To collect, study and disseminate information and materials, which will encourage improved assessment and cadastral mapping practices.
  5. To provide training and education to assessment officials.
  6. To elevate the standards and professionalism of the assessment of all real and personal property.
  7. To promote justice and equity in the distribution of the tax burden.
  8. To join assessing officers in advancing legislation and ideas for the betterment of their offices.

Section 3. Regional Associations: Regional associations shall be formed with approximately twelve (12) County Assessors belonging to each regional group. Two representatives chosen by the members of each region at the annual meeting shall be the representatives on the legislative committee. Two representatives chosen by the members of each region at the annual meeting shall be their representatives on the personal property committee.

Section 4. Fiscal Year: The fiscal year shall be July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Regular Members:

  1. All duly elected or appointed County and City assessors in the State of Missouri, presently serving in the capacity as Assessor.
  2. Annual dues shall be $100.00, due and payable on or before January 1 of each year.

Section 2. Associate Membership:

  1. Any person, firm or corporation manufacturing, selling or distributing materials, equipment or supplies purchased or used by assessor’s offices in carrying on its duties and responsibilities may become an Associate member upon payment of annual membership dues. Such members may participate in the aims and purposes of the Association and speak at annual or special meetings but shall not be eligible to serve on committee, hold office or vote.
  2. Associate members shall be required to pay the same annual membership service fee set for Regular Members. Such fee is due and payable on or before January 1 of each year.
  3. By a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board, the membership of any associate member may be revoked and rescinded at any time. No service fee, or portion thereof, shall be refunded because of such Board action.

Section 3. Honorary Members: The Executive Board may nominate for Honorary Membership any former Assessor, who in their opinion has made a distinctive contribution to the advancement of the Association’s aims and principals. Approval is voted at a regular Association meeting by a majority of members present. No dues shall be attached to Honorary Membership.

Section 4. Voting Rights: Only regular members in good standing and having paid current dues shall be eligible to vote on matters presented to the Association body.

Section 5. Transfer of Membership:

  1. When an Assessor’s position is vacated by election, resignation, or otherwise, the current paid membership shall be transferred to the successor.

Section 6. Leave of Absence: Regular members in good standing who temporarily leave their positions to join the United States Armed Forces shall be retained on the membership list until service ceases without further payment of dues.

ARTICLE III: EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. Executive Board: The Executive Board shall be the governing body of the Association.

The Executive Board shall have the power to propose or advance to the Association any resolution or by-law it may deem necessary to accomplish the aims and purposes of the Association. The Executive Board shall authorize disbursement of association funds through the elected Treasurer for bona fide Association expenses.

Section 2. Executive Board Members:

  1. The Executive Board shall consist of the duly elected officers of the association; President, President Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate Past President (providing the latter continues regular membership). In the event there is not a voting member on the Executive Board representing each Regional County Assessors group, then the Chairperson of each non-represented region will serve as a voting member of the MSAA Executive Board. The Personal Property Committee Chairperson and Legislative Chairperson, Conference Committee Chairperson and Education Committee Chairperson shall be non-voting members of the Executive Board. Other Committee chairpersons, as appointed by the president, may be non-voting members with the consent of the Executive Committee.
  2. If any duly elected officer of the Association or the Immediate Past president are ineligible to serve, the President may appoint former officers to the Executive Board until successors are duly elected.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

Section 1. Eligibility: Any regular member, as defined in Article II, Section 1, shall be eligible to stand for election and serve on the Executive Board, if and only if the member is in good standing, including dues paid in full to the regional group and dues paid in full for the Missouri State Assessors Association.

Section 2. Officers Defined: The officers of the Association shall be the President, President Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and the Treasurer. The officers and immediate past president shall serve on the executive board.

Section 3. Officers and Terms: At the annual meeting of the Association and each year thereafter the following officers shall be elected for one (1) year terms: President Elect, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The terms of these officers shall commence on January 1 of the year following their election and they shall serve until December 31 of that year. Beginning in the year 2006 and each year thereafter the President Elect of the Association for the year immediately preceding shall automatically become President of the Association, with such term to commence on January 1 of the year immediately following the completion of the one (1) year term as President Elect of the Association.

Section 4. Nominations and Elections: Nominations for officers may be made from the floor during the business meeting. All vacancies occurring at the annual meeting shall be voted on by the membership at-large. Vacancy in the office of President shall be assumed by the President Elect for the remainder of the term and assume the Presidency as scheduled.

The nominee for each office receiving the highest number of votes by secret ballot shall be declared elected to the respective office. In the event there are more than two nominees for a particular office and the vote for the nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be tied, successive votes shall be taken among these nominees until one nominee has received the highest number of votes.

Section 5. Vacancies: In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the President Elect shall assume the duties of the President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President Elect the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President Elect and the office of Vice President will remain vacant until the next annual meeting. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer, the President of the Association, upon approval of the Executive Board, shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of the President of the Association, two Executive Board members, and two members from the membership at large. The nominating committee shall make a nomination or nominations to the Executive Board at a meeting called for this purpose to fill the vacancy of the office of Secretary or Treasurer. In the event there is a vacancy in the position of Immediate Past President of the Association, then the most recent past president who is a duly elected assessment official shall serve in that position as a member of the Executive Board. In the event no such individual is eligible to serve, then the position shall remain vacant until the next term of office for the officers of the Association.

Section 6. President, Duties: The President is the chief officer of the Association and shall serve as presiding officer of meetings of the Executive Board and Association. The President may designate others to substitute for him or her in the absence of President Elect or Vice President at any meeting of the Association. The President shall appoint all committee chairs as established by the Board, subject to confirmation by the Board. The President shall be the chairman of the budget and finance committee.

Section 7. President Elect: In the absence of the President, the President Elect shall act as President.

Section 8. Vice President: In the absence of the President Elect, the Vice President shall act as President elect.

Section 9. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be bonded with bond fee paid by the Association. The Treasurer shall submit to the Executive Board periodical financial statements indicating sources of income and amounts of expenditures and to the membership at large at the annual meeting. The Treasurer shall be responsible for signing checks and shall be responsible for an audit of the accounts of the Association as required by the Executive Board. The treasurer shall act as the financial agent of the Association and shall have custody of all Association Funds, shall be responsible for the collection of all dues and special assessments voted and approved by the Executive Board, shall disperse funds for bona fide Association expenses upon approval of the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall by December 31, or 30 days after election of the new Treasurer, whichever is greater, pay all bills, transfer funds to the new Treasurer, balance the checking accounts and close existing accounts. The Treasurer shall have all financial reports and records ready for Financial Review Committee by August 15.

Current elected Assessors with the recommendation of the Treasurer and approval by Executive board may be added to accounts for special reasons.

Section 10. Secretary: The Secretary shall record minutes of all regular and special Association meetings and shall carry on such correspondence as directed by the Executive Board for the good and welfare of the Association.

Section 11. Secretary/Treasurer: The Secretary and Treasurer shall each be paid at the rate of $300.00 annually in consideration for duties performed. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected separately, but one individual may hold both positions if the Association so desires at an annual amount of $600.00.

ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES

Section 1. Authority to Create Committees: The Executive Board shall have the authority to create such committees, task forces or study groups as it determines to be necessary to carry out the aims and purposes of the Association. The President shall designate the chair of each committee. The committee shall elect its own Vice Chairman. The President shall assign an Executive Committee member to each committee where it is deemed necessary for communication. Committee and committee assignments shall be from January 1 to December 31. The President Elect shall assign the committee chairs for the term of his or her presidency.

Section 2. Standing Committees: The finance and budget committee shall consist of the members of the Executive Board. The committee shall prepare the annual budget based upon a fiscal year of July 1 through June 30 and submit the same to the membership at the annual conference.

The legislative committee shall be composed of two members selected by each Regional Organization at the annual meeting and such additional persons as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board.

The bylaws committee shall be composed of members as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board.

The personal property committee shall be composed of two members selected by each Regional Organization at the annual meeting and such additional persons as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board.

The livestock committee shall be composed of members as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board.

The annual conference committee shall be composed of members as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board. The education committee shall be composed of members as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board.

The conference book committee shall be composed of members as may be appointed by the President Elect and approved by the Executive Board.

There shall be a financial review committee, consisting of three members. Each committee member shall serve a 3-year staggered term. The senior member shall serve as the committee chairman. A new member shall be appointed prior to August 15 by the Board President and approved by the Executive Board. The review committee shall meet as required to complete and prepare report.

The CERF Board Representative shall be an active Assessor. The CERF Board Representative be appointed by the MSAA Executive Board to a four-year term, with the current term expiring on 12/31/2020. If the MSAA CERF Board Representative resigns or retires from office while their term as CERF Board Representative is still in effect, the MSAA Executive Board shall withdraw the appointment to CERF and replace them with an active Assessor for the successor to complete the CERF Board Member term.

Section 3. Other Committees: Task Forces and Study Groups: These shall be composed of not less than one (1) members of the Executive Board plus such additional persons from member counties as may be appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Executive Board.

Section 4. Committee Reports: Each committee shall keep full, complete, and accurate reports of its proceedings and file these with Secretary. In addition, each committee shall make a summary report of its studies, work, activities and recommendations to the Association at its annual meeting. Any legislation proposed by a committee shall be transmitted to the legislative committee for review and referral to the Executive Board.

Section 5. Committee Consultation: Each committee, in the course of its work and study, shall consult with appropriate affiliated organizations and appropriate individuals and county, state and federal officials and agencies.

Section 6. Limitation of Committee Powers: No committee shall be deemed to have the power, without express consent of these By-laws or the Executive Board, to authorize expenditures of Association funds, endorse legislation or proposals in the name of the Association or in the name of the committee.

Section 7. Quorum: A majority of the members of any committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of committee business; provided, however that no committee empowered to take action on behalf of the Association shall take such action without a majority vote of the committee.

Section 8. Achievement Awards Committee: In addition to the other committees provided for in these By-laws, the President shall annually appoint a special achievement awards committee to review and select individuals to receive special recognition awards at the annual conference. The president shall appoint the committee.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

Section 1. Annual Meeting: The Association shall hold an annual meeting each year at a time and place to be fixed by the Executive Board. Purposes of the annual meeting shall include but not be limited to, election of officers and directors, adoption of legislative proposals and policies, and programs for the education and enlightenment of county assessment officials.

Section 2. Special Call Meetings: These meetings may be held from time to time upon the call of any member of the Executive Board. If a vote is required the Executive Board shall determine the means of casting ballots.

Section 3. Notice of Meetings: The Secretary of the executive board shall give at least thirty (30) days written notice to each regular member of the date and time of the annual meeting.

Section 4. Change of Time or Place of Annual Meeting or Annual Legislative Conference: If circumstances arise which make it necessary to change the time or place of an annual meeting, such may be done at the call of the President upon approval of a majority of the members of the Executive Board polled by the President at a special Board meeting or by mail, fax, electronic mail, telephone, or in person. If such changes in time and place are made within thirty (30) days of the originally scheduled date and time, the Secretary shall notify by mail within forty-eight (48) hours after such change has been approved.

Section 5. Voting:

  1. Each regular member shall have the right to participate, speak at the annual meetings, serve on committees, and hold office and vote.
  2. No regular member or other person shall be permitted to cast a proxy vote for another member. Each regular member shall be eligible to cast only a single vote. The vote must be cast in person and cannot vote if not present.
  3. Voting at general Association meetings shall be by voice vote except secret ballot shall be used in election of officers unless this rule is waived by voice vote.
  4. A majority vote on any issue shall be sufficient for passage of any issue.
  5. In case of special election, the executive board shall determine the means of casting ballots.

Section 6. Quorum. A majority of the current Regular Members shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VII: PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES

Section 1. Parliamentarian: The Secretary to the Association shall serve as parliamentarian. In the absence of the Secretary, the Treasurer shall serve.

Section 2. Robert’s Rules of Order: The most recently revised Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern parliamentary procedures at any general meeting of this Association, except in such instances as these may conflict with the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws.

ARTICLE VIII: CONTRACTS, DEBTS, AND ASSETS

Section 1. Contracts. The Executive Board may authorize any officer or agent to execute and deliver appropriate contracts and other instruments, in the name of and on behalf of the Association. Such authorization may be terminated by the Executive Board at any time, and may be general or may be limited to specific documents. No loans shall be contracted on behalf of the Association and no evidence of indebtedness shall be issued in its name unless authorized by a resolution approved.

Section 2. Handling of Assets. The funds of the Association shall be deposited in such bank, banks or other financial institutions as the Executive Board shall indicate. Such funds shall be expended in accordance with the annual budget or as specifically authorized by the Executive Board. The President and Treasurer shall be authorized to make disbursements on account of expenses provided for in the budget.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Amendments: These By-laws may be amended at any annual meeting by a majority vote of the members in good standing, present and voting, or at any special meeting called for that purpose, by a majority vote of the members in good standing, present and voting, provided that notice of the meeting has been sent to all regular members not less than ten (10) days prior to such meeting.

Section 2. Amendments: Amendments to these By-laws be proposed either by petition signed by not less than ten (10) regular members or by resolution of the Executive Board. All must be read in an open business meeting and posted at least 24 hours before the vote is taken. Those amendments proposed by petition of at least 10 members, the signatures shall also be posted. All proposed amendments must include an effective date.