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Scholarships
Roster Policy
LARC Bylaws
LARC Coaches and Parents Code of Ethics

Lynnhurst Area Recreation Council
Bylaws
Adopted: Sent Around week of Oct 3, 2006

Preface

            The Bylaws of the Lynnhurst Area Recreation Council, hereinafter referred to as LARC, describe the function of LARC by defining its composition, operating parameters, responsibilities, and decision-making process.  Unless otherwise stated, LARC refers to the total body and situations where LARC and Lynnhurst Park Recreation Center (Lynnhurst Park) overlap will be clearly stated.  The Bylaws also set forth the relationship between the LARC and the larger community as we work together to meet our goal of providing quality athletic programs for the Lynnhurst Community. The LARC Board encourages participation by all interested persons in accomplishing its objective of providing quality athletic programs for the Lynnhurst Community.  

These Bylaws, adopted on October, 2006, by the current Lynnhurst Area Recreation Council (LARC) Board will supersede, void, and replace any and all previous Bylaws for the Lynnhurst Area Recreation Council (LARC).

Membership

1. Representation

1. The LARC Board membership will reflect the makeup of the Lynnhurst community.  It will be composed of up to 11 members holding the following positions:

President
Vice President
Treasurer
Park Director
Baseball Coordinator
Soccer Coordinator
Basketball Coordinator
Hockey Coordinator
Wrestling Coordinator
Registrar
Equipment Manager

1. Selection

1. Board Members: the members of the LARC Board will be selected by vote of Lynnhurst Community in the following manner:

1. The current LARC Board will serve as a nominating committee and will be assigned to develop a slate of candidates to run for election.
2. The election shall be held before the June LARC Board meeting.
3. The election process will be conducted online and by paper ballot. The slate of candidates will be presented via the LARC website; www.larcsports.org along with biographies of each candidate. This same information will be available in hard copy form at the front desk of the Lynnhurst Park. Once voting is open, the paper ballots will be available at this same desk. Paper ballots, in order to be valid must be returned to the front desk and be dated by a Lynnhurst Park employee working at the desk.
4. If there are not enough interested Lynnnhurst Community members to require an election for Board Members (the same number, or less, of candidates as open positions), the then sitting LARC Board may appoint interested parents to serve as Board Members for the upcoming term.
5. The Lynnhurst community will be informed of the successful candidates at the soonest practical time through the LARC website and by an announcement posted in the Lynnhurst Park office.
6. Some existing Board members may accept or hold more than one position on the Board. The exception is with the Treasurer position. The Treasurer may not perform more than the duties of that office.

1. The Park Director position on the Board will be a standing position, not subject to annual election.

1. Tenure

1. Terms
   1. The term of each member, except for the Park Director will be 3 years.  The Park Director will be a permanent member of the LARC Board.   
   2. A member may serve two consecutive terms and then be eligible to serve again after approval of the board.

1. Any member who misses an excessive number of Board meetings will be terminated for failure to perform the responsibilities of the position.
2. A Board member’s term may also be terminated for failure to perform the responsibilities of the position; reference section 3 below, “Responsibilities”.

This type of termination must be approved by 2/3 of the LARC Board and the vote can be conducted either by email or in person. Before such vote is conducted however, a LARC Board meeting will be called and the affected person must be notified in writing of said meeting and its intent; to discuss the person’s ongoing holding of their office. At the meeting, the affected person will have the opportunity to express their opinion as to why they should remain in office. Minutes of this meeting will be taken and circulated to all LARC Board members prior to the vote. If the affected person fails to attend the meeting without an acceptable excuse or fails to respond to the meeting request their term in their position will be terminated automatically.  

1. Should a vacancy occur the LARC Board will accept nominations for a person to fill the vacancy via email, a letter left at the Lynnhurst Park front desk, or in person at the next LARC Board meeting. The LARC Board will move to fill the vacancy at the next LARC Board meeting after the vacancy occurs. If no nominations are put forward, the LARC Board shall name a replacement to complete the term.

Operation

1. Meetings

1. The LARC Board will meet monthly September through June, and at other times as needed.  These additional meetings will be called by the LARC Board President. 

1. Meetings will be open to all members of the Lynnhurst community.

1. A quorum of will consist of 2/3 of the standing voting membership, i.e. current standing LARC Board officers.  A quorum as defined here, is required to conduct a meeting.

1. Organization

1. The LARC Board President will conduct all meetings and the LARC Board voting members will be those newly elected to serve for the upcoming year.  Should a vacancy in the President position occur, the vacancy will be filled via an election at the next regularly scheduled LARC Board meeting.

1. The September meeting will be considered to be the first meeting of the New Year.  At this meeting, the LARC Board will establish organizational procedures as to how the agenda will be set and how meetings will be conducted.

1. Agenda items may be submitted to the President by anyone from the Lynnhurst community.

1. The agenda will be made available to LARC Board members prior to the LARC Board meeting.

1. The LARC President will appoint a Board member to be secretary at each meeting.  The secretary will record the minutes of each meeting and it will be their responsibility to distribute these minutes to the other Board members within two weeks after the meeting.  Copies of the minutes will be made available to the Lynnhurst community upon request and will also be posted to the LARC website.

Responsibilities

1. The LARC Board will deal with and give input on issues relating to the operation of all LARC-sponsored athletic programs.

1. LARC Board members are responsible for representing the interests of all program participants and the Lynnhurst community at-large.

1. The LARC Board will serve as a communication link between members of the Lynnhurst community by gathering/sharing information, identifying and helping to solve problems, and by serving as part of Lynnhurst Park’s decision-making process.

1. The LARC Board will serve as a resource base for innovation and change as it identifies issues/needs through its interaction with Lynnhurst community members and other Minneapolis Park and recreation athletic councils.

1. LARC Board members agree that non-profit buying accounts are for council activity only.  Personal items purchased at the same time must be on a separate receipt and paid for by the Board member.

1. Duties of LARC Board Officers:

1. President:
   1. Shall preside at all meetings of the LARC Board;
   2. Perform such duties as may be prescribed in these bylaws or assigned by the LARC Board;
   3. Be an ex officio members of any and all committees established by the LARC Board;
   4. Coordinate the work of the LARC Board officers and committees so that the Responsibilities of the LARC Board will be carried out;
   5. Have a current copy of the bylaws;
   6. Have the LARC non-profit number and know the date of expiration.
2. Vice President:
   1. Act as aide to the President;
   2. Perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability of that officer to serve;
   3. Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the LARC Board;
   4. Have a current copy of the bylaws;
   5. Have the LARC non-profit number and know the date of expiration.

1. Secretary:
   1. Will be appointed by the LARC President at each LARC Board meeting;
   2. Will record the minutes of all meetings of the LARC Board;
   3. Will see that the minutes are then made available to the LARC Community via posting on the LARC website and a hard copy being made available in the Lynnhurst Park office.

1. Registrar:
   1. Lead processes to keep registration database current;
   2. Assumes responsibility for or assists in keeping the website updated;
   3. Coordinates the distribution of email broadcasts and mailing of paper newsletters to the registration database.

1. Treasurer:
   1. Provide monthly financial statement to the LARC Board at regularly scheduled LARC Board meetings;
   2. Provide detailed financial information broken down by sport so as to track income and expenses per individual sport;
   3. Provide bills payable aging information as requested and deemed reasonable by the LARC Board;
   4. Write and pay bills twice a month; on the 15th and the 30th of each month;
   5. Two signatures are required for expenditures over $500.  Co signers cannot live in the same household.
   6. The Treasurer and at least one additional LARC Board member will be signatories on the financial account(s) at the bank(s). The second required signature must be from another LARC Board member who doesn’t live at the same address as the Treasurer. Any other signature over and above the required on other LARC Board member must be approved by the LARC Board. Individuals listed as signatories on the account but are there without LARC Board approval will have those privileges revoked using recommended bank and non-profit supervisory agency recommendations. The revocation must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the LARC Board via email or in person at the next LARC Board meeting.
   7. Annually, the Treasurer will lead the process of funding an outside firm to prepare annual tax documents and provide a copy of that for board review.
   8. At the last meeting of the year in June, provide the LARC Board with an audited financial statement for that year’s operations; September 1 of the previous year through May 31 of that year;
   9. Have the LARC non-profit number and know the date of expiration.

1. Sports Coordinators:
   1. Establish and communicate sign-up date for their respective sports;
   2. Lead the registration process for their respective sports, i.e. enlisting volunteers to assist on the sign-up dates;
   3. Lead the process to put teams together and appoint or select coaches;
   4. Handle parent and coaches’ training;
   5. Address parent and coaches complaints/issues;
   6. Assess by-sport financial and qualitative performance at the end of each season;
   7. Work with the equipment manager to ensure that all equipment needs are met;
   8. Work with the LARC Board to ensure that LARC funds will be spent for the betterment of their respective athletic programs.
   9. As approved by the Board, Coordinator’s children in that sport play free.  Board approved that in concept, this volunteer dedicates at least 20 hours during the sport, and should be given the extended benefit of free family participation in that sport.

1. Equipment Manager:
   1. Work with each Sports Coordinator to ensure equipment needs are met before and during the season
   2. Work with each Sports Coordinator to order uniforms and equipment
   3. Work with Sports Coordinators to distribute equipment before the season and collect the equipment after the season
   4. See that all equipment is organized, cleaned, and returned to storage areas at Lynnhurst Park after the respective season is complete

1. Decision-Making

1. Process

1. When an issue is presented to the Board, the Board will discuss it and attempt to resolve it at that time.

1. If the issue needs further in-depth study, the Board may direct other groups to study the specific issue(s), present recommendations to Board, and/or assume the decision-making responsibility for the issue.  These groups may include but not be limited to Board members as well as members from the Lynnhurst community.

1. The Board will make decisions by attempting to reach a consensus twice.  If a consensus can’t be reached, a vote of members will be taken.

1. A 2/3 majority of members present will be needed to carry a vote.
2. Absentee votes are not encouraged, but will be permitted subject to approval by the LARC Board President or in their stead the LARC Board Vice President.
3. E-mail voting:  The LARC Board may also vote on any issue via e-mail, as needed, if timing does not allow for the vote to be conducted at a meeting of the LARC Board.  An issue presented for vote via e-mail must be first communicated via an e-mail jointly addressed to all members of the LARC Board and must receive at least 2/3 of the votes of the total LARC Board in order to become effective.  All e-mail votes shall be recorded in the Minutes for the next meeting of the LARC Board.

1. Members of the Lynnhurst community who wish to voice concerns may do so by raising an issue with the LARC Board.

1. This issue, in order to be resolved, will then flow through the process mentioned above.

1. An appeal of a LARC Board may be presented to the Board by contacting the LARC Board President and requesting placement on the meeting agenda.  The initial presentation of an appeal will be limited to a ten-minute oral or written statement.

1. If the issue is not resolved through the appeal process, a formal complaint may be filed with the Lynnhurst Park Director and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The LARC Board President or another designated LARC Board member will follow the complaint through the MPRB appeal process.

1. Lynnhurst Community Involvement and Support

1. The LARC Board may establish working groups/task forces as needed to address specific issues.

1. Membership on any committee, working group, or task force may include any member of the Lynnhurst Community.

1. Bylaw Amendment

1. The LARC Board will review the Bylaws annually.

1. Written notice to the Lynnhurst community, posted in either the Lynnhurst Park office (LARC binder at desk) or on the LARC website, of a proposed amendment to the Bylaws is required prior to the meeting at which it will be considered.  Bylaws must always be accessible to the public.

1. The LARC Board will decide on an amendment by consensus or vote at a meeting subsequent to the introduction of the amendment.

Coaches/Parents Code of Ethics

I will encourage good sportsmanship by demonstrating positive support for all players, coaches, and officials at every game and practice.

I will place the emotional and physical well being of children ahead of my personal desire to win.

I will insist that the children play in a safe and healthy environment.

I will require that coaches/parents support this code of ethics.

I will support coaches and officials working with children, in order to encourage a positive and enjoyable experience for all.

I will demand a sports environment for children that is free from drugs, tobacco and alcohol and will refrain from their use at all youth sports events.

I will remember that the game is for youth, not adults.

I will do my very best to make youth sports fun for each child.

I will ask each child to treat other players, coaches, fans and officials with respect regardless of race, sex, creed or ability.

I will help children enjoy the youth sports experience by doing whatever I can, such as being a respectful fan, assisting with coaching, or providing transportation.