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Official By Laws for the Western Public Service System amended 18 December 2007 by the membership
BY-LAWS OF THE WESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEM, INC.

ARTICLE I NAME
The name of this organization shall be the WESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEM, INC.

ARTICLE II PURPOSE
The Western Public Service System, Inc. is a nonprofit organization of dedicated Amateur Radio Operators who monitor daily during the evening hours on or about 3952 KHz in an effort to serve the public and fellow amateurs by assisting in emergencies, traffic handling, and the facilitation of contacts.

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: REGULAR MEMBERSHIP
All persons, properly licensed to operate on the designated frequency, interested in the purposes set forth in Article II, and with the willingness to contribute their efforts to the fulfillment of these aims, shall be eligible for membership. Application shall be made through the organization's current President or his/her designated representative via official application forms.

Section 2: ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIPS
Associate memberships may be awarded to regular member’s family residing at the same address or being in the military service having the same mailing address, providing they hold a valid Amateur Radio License. General mailings will be to the regular member only. An associate member must be properly licensed to operate on the designated frequency in order to vote or run for and/or hold an office.

Section 3: LIFE MEMBERSHIP
To attain Life Membership, the member must have been a member of WPSS for ten years without interruption and must be nominated for Life Membership by another member of the net. Nominations must be received by the President no later than September 15. The person nominated must have contributed to the net or amateur radio above and beyond service to WPSS as an officer, Director, or net control. The award will be made by the Executive Committee. Voting will be accomplished privately by postal mail, e-mail, or fax. It is not necessary to award Life Memberships every year; however, not more than two members may be elected to Life Membership in any given year. Announcement of Life Membership award(s) will be made in December of the same year.

Section 4: HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS
Honorary Life Membership may be conferred if nominated by one Executive Committee member, seconded by another, and passed with a two thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Committee. An Honorary member shall have none of the obligations of membership, but shall be entitled to all the privileges (including general mailings), except those of making motions, voting, and holding an office.

ARTICLE IV DUES
Section 1: The Executive Committee shall evaluate the financial needs of the organization annually and make proposals in view of their findings, for the purpose of providing funds for net expenditures. Annual membership dues, including any increases, are set forth by the Executive Committee and voted upon by the membership. Dues must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the voting membership.

Section 2: Current Members: Dues shall be set at one figure for all members with the exception of associate members' dues, which are outlined in Section 3. The Treasurer will publish notification of membership renewal in the November and/or December issues of the newsletter. Dues are due and payable by January 1. Annual membership will be discontinued for members whose dues are not received by January 10th. New members may be eligible for prorated dues depending on the date that the membership is initiated (see New Members below). Discontinued Members: Discontinued memberships may be reinstated throughout the current calendar year with the payment of an initiation fee and the full annual dues. New Members: Dues for new members shall be payable as listed below. An initiation fee of two dollars ($2.00) shall be charged each new member upon joining the organization.

Section 4: Life members and Honorary members are not required to pay dues.

Section 5: There will be no refunding of dues.

ARTICLE V OFFICERS
Elected officers of this organization shall be: President, Vice President/ Net Manager, Secretary, Treasurer and eight (8) Directors. These officers shall be elected by a plurality of the voting membership. The President, Vice President / Net Manager shall serve for a period of one (1) year. The Secretary and the Treasurer will serve a period of two (2) years with the Secretary taking office in the even numbered years and the Treasurer taking office in the odd numbered years. These officers shall not serve in the same office for more than two (2) consecutive terms. The following exception shall apply: In the event that no one is willing to run for one of these offices, (1) the current office holder may continue to serve until the next election, or (2) the election for the office may be held in abeyance, until a person or persons willing to run are nominated. Note: If the outgoing President is not willing to serve pursuant to item (1) above, the office of the President shall be assumed by the Vice President until such time a special election can be called pursuant to item (2) above. Four Directors shall be elected each year to serve a term of two (2) years. No Director shall succeed himself/herself in office for more than one (1) term. A vacancy in the office of Director shall be filled by the candidate receiving the next higher number of votes during the last regular election to that office until such time as the slate of candidates to that office has been depleted, at which time appointments may be made by the President with approval by vote of the Executive Committee.

If a special election is needed, an official announcement shall be published in the next newsletter issue, whose deadline can be met, and shall be accompanied by a ballot to close within thirty (30) days of publication. If functional failure should delay the newsletter, a special mailing shall be employed to announce the special election and the ballot will close within thirty (30) days of posting of the special mailing.
No officer shall receive monetary compensation for services rendered the Western Public Service System, Inc.

ARTICLE VI DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
The President: Shall be the chief executive of the organization and shall conduct his/her office in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order except where they might conflict with these by-laws, decide all questions of order and procedure in all circumstances, sign all official documents of the organization, perform all customary duties pertaining to the office of President, and have power to appoint and dismiss committees. The President shall serve as ex-officio member of all committees of the organization with the exception of the Nominating Committee. He/She shall, at the expiration of his/her term of office, turn over to his/her successor everything in his/her possession belonging to the organization.

The Vice President/Net Manager: Shall assist the President and act for the President in his/her absence. The Vice President shall be the Net Manager and may appoint assistants as deemed necessary to assure proper functioning of the net. He/She shall, at the expiration of his/her term of office, turn over to his/her successor everything in his/her possession belonging to the organization.

The Secretary: Shall keep the records of the organization and carry on all correspondence as directed by the President. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the by-laws of the organization and cause all amendments, changes, additions, and deletions to be duly noted thereon. He/She shall keep the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings and send to the President and the Editor/ Publisher of the newsletter a copy of the minutes. He/She shall, at the expiration of his/her term of office, turn over to his/her successor everything in his/her possession belonging to the organization.

The Treasurer: Shall maintain documentation for all moneys received and expended, shall provide receipts for all moneys received, shall pay only those bills authorized by the President and shall have published in the newsletter at least twice per year (or upon demand of the Executive Committee) an itemized statement of disbursements and receipts. One statement shall be prepared upon availability of all bank end-of-year statements. He/She shall maintain a roll of current members, show due diligence in placing new members on the membership roll as soon as practical, and inform the President and Vice President/ Net Manager of all new members joining the net. He/She shall keep a card file of members up to date with addresses and other pertinent information. He/She shall remain in office until the transition from outgoing to incoming treasurer can occur at a reasonable time during the 1st quarter of the term of his successor at which time he/she shall prepare and submit an outgoing statement of itemized disbursements and receipts. He/She shall, at the expiration of his/her term of office, turn over to his/her successor everything in his/her possession belonging to the organization.

The Directors: Shall serve as members of the Executive Committee. They shall advise officers and members regarding procedures and policies of the WESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEM, INC. Each Director shall, at the expiration of his/her term of office, turn over to his/her successor everything in his/her possession belonging to the organization.

ARTICLE VII EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee shall consist of the following: President, Vice President/ Net Manager, Secretary, Treasurer, the immediate past President, and all eight (8) Directors. Each member of the Executive Committee shall have one (1) vote on each action. Seven (7) members of the committee shall constitute a quorum empowered to act on any matters before it. A majority, (51% or more) of the committee present, shall decide all matters before it. The Executive Committee shall be the governing body and there shall be no equal or conflicting committee. The President shall be chairman of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VIII NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The nominating committee consists of a chairman and four (4) members appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Committee. The nominating committee shall meet by September 1st of each year to consider eligible members of WPSS, INC. as candidates in those offices as outlined in ARTICLE V. The basic eligibility for candidates shall be determined from the Treasurer's membership records. Minimum age of eighteen (18), at the time of taking office, shall be mandatory. Nominated candidates must provide consent for their name to be placed on the ballot.

Members that desire to seek an elected office may do so by written notification (postal mail, e-mail or fax) to the nominating committee chairman no later than October 1st each year. By October 15th the chairman of the nominating committee shall submit to the President the ballot of candidates to be considered for election by the voting membership.

ARTICLE IX REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
An officer may be removed from office on a motion in writing to the Secretary signed by 10% of the current membership and carried by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members voting for removal.

ARTICLE X FORMAL ROLL CALL
The organization shall hold a formal roll call on 3952 KHz nightly at 0230 GMT. This time can be temporarily changed by two thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Committee, when conditions warrant such a change. Permanent changes shall be made only in accordance with ARTICLE XIII. Check in requirements shall be established by the Vice President/Net Manager, with the approval of the Executive Committee. These requirements shall be made known to each membership applicant. All changes shall be published in the newsletter prior to taking effect.

ARTICLE XI WESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEM, INC. NEWSLETTER
The organization shall publish an official bulletin to be called the "WESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEM NEWSLETTER". The newsletter shall be published a minimum of three (3) times per year beginning with the January issue. The subscription fee shall be included in each member's dues. The Editor/Publisher shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. More than one (1) person may be necessary to fulfill this position, depending upon special talents available and the individuals' time. The publication may accept personal advertising from WPSS, INC. members at printing costs. A nominal extra charge shall be made to non-members for this privilege. Printing costs and extra charges shall be determined by the Editor/Publisher, through the Treasurer. All moneys received from this advertising shall be forwarded to the Treasurer. All general interest contributions and advertisements must be received no later than the 15th of each month by the Editor/Publisher, to appear in the succeeding newsletter.

ARTICLE XII MEETINGS
There shall be no fixed general membership meetings of the WESTERN PUBLIC SERVICE SYSTEM, INC. due to the spread of the membership over a large area. However, informal gatherings shall be attempted at all of the major hamfests where the membership is likely to be well represented. The purpose for such gatherings is to be general discussion, with any significant recommendations and contributions presented to the membership via the newsletter.

ARTICLE XIII. AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended on a motion presented by a By-Laws Committee, (appointed by the President-refer to ARTICLE VI, duties of the President), or a group of 10% of the membership in good standing. This motion then being sent to all members where it shall be carried by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members voting, provided the membership has been duly notified at least thirty (30) days in advance of the balloting. Ballots shall be circulated at least 20 days before the vote is counted.

ARTICLE XIV FORMAL GRIEVANCES
This article is included in the by laws to provide special recourse for any member whose problem (or grievance) cannot be resolved without official assistance. The procedure shall be as follows:

1. The member shall by written notification (postal mail, e-mail or fax) contact the President, and provide a copy of the notification to the Secretary. The notification shall be headed "Formal Grievance" and shall include the member's name, address, phone number, date, a concise statement of the problem (or grievance) followed by signature and call sign.

2. Acknowledgment of receipt of the notification will be returned by the Secretary when the President has informed him/her of three (3) members selected for an on-the-air hearing committee. This notification will include the time and date and the names of the hearing committee. The member may include such others as may be deemed necessary to support the facts. The President or Vice President shall preside over the meeting.

3. If the member is not satisfied with the results of the conference, he/she may appeal for an on-the-air hearing before the Executive Committee, whose decision on the matter shall be final.

4. All official action shall be at the earliest convenience of the Executive Committee.

ADOPTED BY VOTE OF THE WPSS, INC. MEMBERSHIP ON 18 September 1972
Claude L. Owens, WB6MDN
These by-laws were last amended (Article III sections 2,4; Article IV sections 1,2,3) on 18 December 2007
Previous revisions-Article III sections 1,3; Article IV sections 1,2; Article V, VI, VIII, XIV on 11 December 2006
ARTICLE V and VII on July 1979; ARTICLE III and V on July 1982; ARTICLE IV, VI, XI and XII on November 1983;
ARTICLE IV Section 2 on December 1987; ARTICLE VII on December 10, 1992; ARTICLE III Section 3 on April 15, 1994;
ARTICLE III Section 4 on December 1995; ARTICLE III Sections 2,3 and ARTICLE IV Sections 2,4,5 and ARTICLE X and
ARTICLE XIV no.2 on November 30, 1996; ARTICLE IV Section 2 and ARTICLE XI on December 10, 1997