Member dues bylaws

[Guest Bwteal]

Unfortunately I have a situation where people are trying to take advantage of verbiage of the following article in our bylaws regarding membership dues payment for eligibility to vote.  

1) the secretary has never sent out written notifications of suspension

2) does not define reinstated and active members privileges

3) the last sentence regarding former members reinstated as new members with application approval. Is questioning due to the membership chair has been approving members for 6+ yrs. so even though the written bylaw is not being followed can this be now considered as custom?  

We also have verbiage stating new members shall not have voting privileges for 1 yr  from the date of the approved membership. 

Thanks for any clarification this is a lot! 

Any member obligated to pay dues annually and failing to do so shall be designated as delinquent and 
suspended from all membership privileges pending written notification of suspension by the secretary.  Payment of 
back dues after suspension shall immediately reinstate delinquent members to activate membership.  Membership dues shall be payable January 1st each year.  Membership remaining unpaid by March 1steach year shall be designated as delinquent and removed from membership rolls.  Former members will retain the option of establishing eligibility by submitting an application for new membership 

[Atul Kapur]

Your organization will have to interpret its own bylaws. That can be done by a Point of Order (presumably about whether a person is a member and eligible to vote). The Presiding Officer would rule on the point of order and this ruling can be appealed.

I will agree that your bylaws are unclear in many areas and could benefit from amendment.

Re question 3: Once it is pointed out that the custom contravenes the bylaws, the custom "falls to the ground". No matter how long the custom has been practiced, the bylaws rule.