Rules of Tracon ry

These rules have been approved in the spring meeting on 16 March 2006 and in an extraordinary meeting on 30 March 2006.

Chapter 1
Name, domicile, language and purpose

1§
The name of the association is Tracon. In these rules the term “association” refers to it.

2§
The domicile of the association is Tampere.

3§
The official language of the association is Finnish.

4§
The purpose of the association is to promote, advance and publicize roleplaying, card games, board games, miniatures, animation, film and graphic novels and the subcultures related to these hobbies.

5§
To reach its purpose the association can:

• organize events, competitions and exhibitions,
• inform of its purpose and its activities,
• support the hobbies mentioned in section four, but not the members of the association,
• organize field trips, gatherings and other such events for its members,
• publish,
• participate in exhibitions,
• participate in various cultural events in co-operation with national or international communities.

6§
To support its activities the association can collect membership fees from its members and organize parties and entertainment events. The association can own equipment and immovable property necessary for its activities and be recipient of donations and last wills. The association can organize lotteries and fund raisers with the licences in question.

Chapter 2
Members and fees

7§
The members of the association consist of actual members, support and honorary members as well as honorary chairs.

8§
The membership applications are approved by the board, which has the right to decline an application, if there are clear reasons to do so.

However, honorary members and honorary chairs are invited by a meeting of the association.

9§
The actual members of the association can be private individuals or associations with legal capacity who approve the purpose and the rules of the association and participate in its activities.

10§
The support members of the association can be private individuals or associations with legal capacity that support the activities of the association.

11§
The association can invite persons to become honorary members or honorary chairs with the majority of three fourths (3/4) of the votes cast in the meeting. The honorary members are persons who have distinguished themselves favourably in the activities of the association or otherwise facilitated its aims significantly. However, a person can only be invited as an honorary chair if they have served as the chair of the board.

The proposal of an honorary membership can be made by the board or by a member group with at least six (6) members in a written request addressed to the board.

12§
The joining and membership fee for the actual members of the association is decided in the autumn meeting.

The support membership fee is decided annually by the board. However, the minimum amount of the support membership fee is decided in the autumn meeting every year.

The honorary members and honorary chairs are exempt from membership fees.

13§
A member has the to resign by giving a written request to the board or its chair or by reporting it for entry into the minutes of a meeting of the association.

14§
A member is deemed resigned from the association if the member has not paid their membership fee within three (3) months of the due date.

The board can expel a member if the member has not otherwise fulfilled the obligations he has committed himself to in the association, or has with his actions considerably damaged the association internally or externally, or does not anymore fill the terms of the membership mentioned in the law or the rules of the association.

Chapter 3
The meetings of the association

15§
The association holds two regular meetings annually. The spring meetings is held between January-May and the autumn meeting between September-December on a date determined by the board.

The association will assemble for an extraordinary meeting if the meeting of the association decides so, or when the board considers it necessary, or when at least one tenth (1/10) of the members of the association entitled to vote so demand for the handling of a matter notified by them in a written request addressed to the board. The meeting must be held within thirty (30) days after the claim has been left to the board.

16§
Each member of 15 years or over has the right to vote in a meeting of the association, and each member entitled to vote has one (1) vote. An association that is an actual member is entitled to one (1) vote.

An actual member, whether a private individual or an association, may nominate a person of 15 years or over as their proxy to exercise their right to vote. One person may represent maximum two other people in a meeting in addition to themselves.

Support members, honorary members and honorary chairs have a right to attend and speak in the meetings of the association..

17§
If not provided otherwise in these rules, the resolution passed is the one that is supported by more than half of the votes cast. When the vote is tied, the opinion of the chair of the meeting decides the vote. In an election, however, if the vote is tied, the resolution is achieved by drawing lots.

18§
The meetings of the association are convened by the board. The members must be informed at least seven (7) days before the meeting via letters or via e-mail to those who have provided their e-mail address to the association.

19§
The meeting of the association is competent if it has convened according to the rules.

If at least half (1/2) of the actual members demand it, the meeting of the association can discuss an issue that is not exclusively within the authority of the board according to the law and the rules of the association. The board may decide to subject such an issue to the meeting of the association.

20§
The spring meeting of the association follows the procedure:

1. opening the meeting
2. electing a chair, secretary, two (2) scrutiners of the minutes and two (2) vote counters for the meeting
3. stating the legality and competence of the meeting
4. accepting the procedure of the meeting
5. presenting the financial statement, the auditor's statement and the annual report of the previous term
6. deciding on the approval of the financial statement and discharging the board and other officials from liability
7. discussing the other issues mentioned in the invitation

The autumn meeting of the association follows the procedure:

1. opening the meeting
2. electing a chair, a secretary, two (2) scrutiners of the minutes and two (2) vote counters for the meeting
3. stating the legality and competence of the meeting
4. accepting the procedure of the meeting
5. electing the chair of the board
6. electing the other actual members of the board and possible deputy members
7. electing one or two (1-2) auditors and deputy auditors for them
8. ratifying the plan of action and the budget
9. ratifying the size of the membership and joining fee, and the minimum amount of the support membership fee for the next calendar year
10. discussing the other issues mentioned in the invitation

If a member of the association wants to subject an issue to the spring or autumn meeting, they must notify the board in written form well beforehand so it can be included in the invitation.

Chapter 4
The board and officials

21§
The operation of the association is handled by the executive committee, referred to in these rules as “the board”, elected for the calendar year (one term at a time). The board comprises of the chair together with two to five (2-5) other members plus zero to two deputy (0-2) members. The members and deputy members of the board have to be actual members of the association.

The board chooses among itself a vice-chair and a treasurer and determines the roles of the other members.

The deputy members of the board have the right to attend and speak in the board meetings. The right to vote is reserved only for when an actual member of the board is unavailable.

22§
The board meetings are convened by the chair of the board, or when he is unavailable by the vice-chair. The board makes the decision on what way the meetings are convened.

The board is competent when it has been convened in the way decided by the board, and when at least half of the members of the board including the chair or the vice-chair, are present at the meeting.

23§
The tasks of the board are as follows:

• to operate the association and manage its finances and property,
• to prepare the matters which emerge at the meetings of the association and to carry out the resolutions that have been made in them,
• to draw up the propositions for the annual report, the financial statement, the plan of action and the budget,
• to convene the meetings of the association,
• to pass resolution on other matters which have not been defined to be decided in a meeting of the association,
• to decide on the funding of the committees within the limits of the Association Act and the budget approved by a meeting of the association.

24§
For special tasks a meeting of the association can appoint temporary committees or officials, however for a maximum term of twenty-four (24) months. The board of the association can also appoint committees or officials, but only for the period of its own term.

If necessary it is possible to appoint a person from outside the association to these positions. The board or a meeting of the association can give out rules and regulations governing the operation of committees and officials. The board can not overrule the rules and regulations governing the operation of committees and officials set by a meeting of the association.

25§
For a justifiable reason a meeting of the association can relieve an official, a committee or a member of the board of their duties in the middle of the term, in which case the matter must be mentioned in the invitation of the meeting. If necessary, a new person or a committee can be chosen to replace the person or the committee who have been relieved of the duty for the remaining term.

For a justifiable reason the board of the association can relieve an official or a committee of their duties in the middle of the term, in which case the matter must be mentioned in the invitation of the meeting of the board. If necessary, a new person or a committee can be chosen to replace the person or the committee who have been relieved of their duty for the remaining term. The board cannot relieve of their duty an official or a committee appointed by a meeting of the association.

Chapter 5
Administration and finances

26§
The term of office and accounting period of the association is the calendar year.

27§
The name of the association is signed by the chair of the board, the vice-chair or the treasurer, each on their own. The board of the association may grant the right to sign the name of the association to an actual member of the association.

28§
The administration and finances of the association are audited by one to two (1-2) auditors or, when they are unavailable, one to two (1-2) deputy auditors. The term of office for auditors is the calendar year.

29§
The accounting documents of the association must be delivered to the auditors for revision at the latest four (4) weeks before the spring meeting, and at any other time if the auditors ask for them. The auditors must deliver the documents and the auditor's report to the board at the latest two (2) weeks before the spring meeting.

Chapter 6
Special regulations

30§
The board of the association passes resolutions on the symbols and signs of the association.

31§
Changes to these rules can be made if the amendment has been accepted with the majority of at least three fourths (3/4) of the votes at two (2) consecutive meetings of the association with an interval of at least two (2) weeks. The amendment or dissolution of the association must be mentioned in the invitation of the meeting.

The amendment can be proposed by the board or ten (10) actual members of the association in written form addressed to the board. The proposal made by the actual members must be processed in the subsequent meeting of the association.

When the association dissolves, the assets of the association will be used to promote the purpose of the association in the way decided by the meeting in which the dissolving was decided. When the association is terminated, the assets will be used for the same purpose.