Section 1 Name/Purpose 2

SUBJECT PAGE

SECTION 1 NAME/PURPOSE 2

SECTION 2 ETHICS 2

SECTION 3 GOVERNING BODY 2

SECTION 4 OFFICERS AND DUTIES 3,4

SECTION 5 OTHER COMMITTEES AND POSITIONS 4

SECTION 6 ELECTION OF OFFICERS 4,5

SECTION 7 MEMBERSHIP 5,6

SECTION 8 MEMBERSHIP DUES 6

SECTION 9 MEETINGS 6

SECTION 10 DONATIONS/FLOWERS 7

SECTION 11 AMMENDMENTS 7

SECTION 12 GRIEVANCE PROCESS 7,8

SECTION 13 APPROVED AMMENDMENTS 8

SECTION 1 NAME / PURPOSE

Article 1 This organization shall be known as the Northern Ohio Officials Association (NOOA).

Article 2 The purpose of the NOOA shall be to:

(A) Elevate the standards of officiating of its members

(B) Provide accurate interpretation of rules

(D) Ensure the highest level of standards for its members.

(E) Encourage growth and development of all members.

SECTION 2 ETHICS.

Article 1 NOOA members will conduct themselves in a professional manner when inAttendance at sporting events, whether they are there to work or observe. NoMember shall in any way downgrade or challenge the performance of anOfficial assigned to and working a contest.

Article 2 NOOA members will project a positive image for the NOOA by:

(A) Arriving on time.

(B) Being appropriately dressed

Article 3 NOOA members shall be in good standing, both locally and statewide.

SECTION 3 GOVERNING BODY

Article 1 The Executive Committee, having a minimum of six meetings, shall governthe NOOA. This Executive Committee shall consist of the followingelected officers:

(A) President

(B) Vice President

(D) Past President (in the event the immediate past presidentis unable to fulfill his/her obligation, the most recent past president shallfulfill this position).

(E) 4 Directors

Article 2 The only voting members of the Executive Committee are:

(A) Vice President

(B) Past President (or replacement)

Article 3 In case of a tie, the President shall have the deciding vote.

SECTION 4 OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Article 1 The President shall preside at all meetings of the NOOA. He/sheshall, with the recommendation of the Executive Committee,appoint members to the position of rules interpreter, assistant rulesinterpreter, mechanics chief, and assistant mechanics chief.

Article 2 In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform allof the duties of the President. He/she shall also receive all committeereports, and keep the Executive Committee informed .

Article 3 The Past President shall chair the Grievance Committee.

Article 4 The 4 Directors shall attend all Executive Committee meetings. OneDirector shall be appointed to every committee, excluding the GrievanceCommittee.

Article 5 The Secretary- Treasurer position shall be a 4 year term.. He/she will receivean annual salary as determined by the Executive Committee, and approvedby the General membership at the Banquet meeting. He/she shall serve as amember of this committee as a non-voting member. The Secretary-Treasurer will perform the duties upon which have been directed by theExecutive Committee to include the following:

(A) Keep records of all proceedings.

This is to include general, Executive,and special committees appointed by the Executive Committee. Minutesof all meetings are to be made available upon request and posted onthe web site within 24 hours of the next scheduled General meeting.2 copies of minutes shall be available to the general membership.

(B) Maintain a list of the OHSAA and NOOA rules interpretation meetingsproviding time/date/location.

(C) Disseminate all scheduled OHSAA and NOOA promotionalexaminations in advance of said testing. The Secretary- Treasurer, orhis/her appointed representative, shall administer, grade, and report theresults of those teststo those who participated or any required entity.

(D) Perform any other duties as directed by the Executive Committee,OHSAA, or NOOA.

(E) Additional or surplus fees must be approved by the Executive Committeeprior to payment.

Article 6 The Secretary- Treasurer shall keep on record all business transactionsof the NOOA. He/she shall prepare the financial report and present thisreport at each association meetings. The Secretary- Treasurer shall also:

(A) Receive and process all fees and dues. Such monies will be depositedinto a fund utilized for the payment of any NOOA expenses ofexpenditures authorized by the Executive Committee.

(B) A financial report shall be kept on record and presented at the annualbanquet. This report shall be made available on the web site and uponrequest by the Executive Committee.

Article 7 The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep and maintain the NOOA membership,Which will be made available through the NOOA website. He/shall also:

(A) Compile meeting attendance records and adhere to the Ohio HighSchool Athletic Association (OHSAA) reporting requirements.

(B) Prepare NOOA stationery, which will be distributed accordingly,or made available through the NOOA website. Such stationery willinclude the NOOA logo and any information deemed appropriate bythe Executive Committee.

(D) Facilitate the necessary printing, reproduction, or internet access(website) of any NOOA publications.

(E) Shall ensure that the budget is set by April 1st of each year.

SECTION 5 OTHER COMMITTEES AND POSITIONS

Article 1 The Executive Committee will fill positions on committees as deemednecessary. Examples of positions filled by the Executive Committee are:

(A) Rules Interpreter. This person will provide the means for the correctinterpretations of the rules. He/she will be required to attend OHSAArules meetings for updating interpretations, revisions of rules, and all newrules changes for the upcoming season. The rules interpreter’s

responsibility at NOOA meetings shall be to lead rules discussion,render opinions on game situations, and to obtain OHSAA rulings onissues that cannot be resolved locally.

(B) Mechanics Chief. This person will be responsible for ensuring uniformmechanics throughout the membership. He/she will address themembership at NOOA meetings and demonstrate, clarify, or resolve anyquestions or issues dealing with proper mechanics.

(C) Grievance Committee. This committee will consist of 3 members inGood standing, and will be chaired by the Past President or his/herreplacement. The Grievance Committee will hear all grievances filed,which is detailed in SECTION 12.

SECTION 6 ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Article 1 Annually, an election of officers will be held at NOOA’s banquet meeting, tobe held in the first quarter of the year. A nominating committee will beappointed by the President. This committee will consist of 3 members ingood standing and will:

(A) Report at least 1 nominee for each position to be voted on at the annualbanquet. Additional nominations will be accepted from the floor, withthe approval of the nominee.

Article 2 The voting will be done by written ballot at the annual banquet meeting.Terms of the elected officers will be as follows:

(A) President will serve a 1 year term, then assume the office of the PastPresident for 1 year.

(B) Vice President shall serve a 1 year term, then assume the office ofPresident. He/she shall serve in this capacity for a term of 1 year, thenassume the office of Past President for a term of 1 year.

(D) The Directors shall serve a term of 2 years or a term of 1 year. In theelection of 2008, the top 2 vote getters will serve a term of 2 years. Thenext 2 top vote getters will serve a term of 1 year. In all subsequentelections, the elected Directors will serve a term of 2 years. In case ofa tie, the nominees with the most seniority will be declared the winners.

Article 3 The Executive Committee shall fill a vacancy occurring in any office.

Article 4 Six (6) votes are required to remove an officer from any position.

SECTION 7 MEMBERSHIP

Article 1 The NOOA membership will consist of active and honorary members.

Article 2 For membership to the NOOA, the applicant shall:

… Obtain an OHSAA officiating license.

… Complete and submit and official application form.

… Pay current dues.

… Be recommended for acceptance by the Executive Committee.

Article 3 Honorary membership may be awarded to retired members whose names aresubmitted to the Executive Committee, based upon previous membership inThe NOOA, or by virtue of officiating experience. These honorary membersmay attend any NOOA function, including the annual banquet. No dues willassessed to these members.

Article 4 To maintain current membership in the NOOA, members must:

(A) Be prompt in payment of dues.

(B) Attend the required number of OHSAA and local association rulesinterpretation meetings.

Article 5 Any member in good standing that withdraws from the NOOA of her/herown free will, may be reinstated upon the recommendation of the ExecutiveCommittee. Applicable dues must be paid upon reinstatement.

Article 6 Any member suspended from the NOOA for non payment of dues or anyAdministrative action by the OHSAA or NOOA may be reinstated upon:

(A) Completion of written application to the Secretary-Treasurer.

(B) Approval of the Executive Committee.

(D) Completion of any other actions deemed necessary by the ExecutiveCommittee.

Article 7 Any official relocating to the area may transfer to the NOOA by:

(A) Completing application to the Secretary- Treasurer.

(B) Receiving recommendation from previous Secretary-Treasurer.

(D) Receiving approval of the Executive Committee.

SECTION 8 MEMBERSHIP DUES

Article 1 Annual dues will be determined each year by the Executive Committee.

These dues must be paid by February 28 of any given year or a late fee of$20.00 will be assessed.

Article 2 Any member who fails to pay his/her annual dues on time will have theirname removed from the membership rosters and will be suspended from theNOOA.

SECTION 9 MEETINGS

Article 1 The OHSAA rules interpretation meeting dates and locations will beDisseminated to all members through the website.

Article 2 The Executive Committee will determine the times, dates, and locations ofall NOOA general membership meetings This information will be availableto all members through the NOOA website.

Article 3 Members must be attendance at the start of the meeting and remain until theEnd of the meeting to get credit for attending. A 10 minutes grace period atThe beginning of each meeting will be allowed before the member isConsidered to be in a non-attendance status.

Article 4 The Executive Committee shall have full responsibility to grant credit for ameeting that was missed because of an excused absence. The ExecutiveCommitteemust receive a written request from the member with 5 days ofthe missed meeting in order for the Executive Committee to take any action.

Article 5 The order of business for general membership meetings shall be as follows:

(A) Reading and approval of minutes from previous general meeting and anyExecutive Committee meetings.

(B) Reading of the Treasurer’s report

(D) Announcements

(E) Reports

(F) Old Business

(G) New Business

(H) Rules Discussions

(I) Comments from the Floor

(J) Adjournment.

SECTION 10 DONATIONS/FLOWERS/CONTRIBUTIONS

Article 1 The Secretary-Treasurer shall be authorized to send flowers, or honor theRequest of the family, upon notification of the death of any member in goodstanding, his/her spouse, or any of his/her children. The Executivecommittee shall decide the expense limit of the donation or flower purchase.

Article 2 Any donation made to a worthy cause must be announced to the membership

and be approved by the Executive Committee within 30 days of theannouncement to the membership.

SECTION 11 AMENDMENTS

Article 1 These by-laws may be amended at any regular NOOA meeting. The Articlemust be announced to the General Membership, a discussion held, and a votetaken on the proposed change. The Article will be amended and adoptedafter a two-thirds affirmative vote. This change will take effect immediately.

SECTION 12 GRIEVANCE PROCESS

Article 1 All NOOA members in good standing will have a right to file a grievance. The

grievance process will allow the member to voice concerns about the behavioror actions of another NOOA member at an event sanctioned by the NOOA orOHSAA. The following guidelines apply to the filing of a grievance:

(A) Must be filed in writing anddelivered to the 3 members of the GrievanceCommittee. This must be done within seven (7) days of the incident(s) inquestion.

(B) At least one (1) person involved in the grievance must be in attendanceat the event, sponsored by the NOOA or OHSAA.

(1) Name, address, and phone number of the grievant.

(2) Date, time, and location of the incident in question.

(3) Name(s) of the person(s) involved in the incident.

(4) Full description of the incident, giving rise to the grievance,Including quotes or specific actions.

(5) Names of any witnesses with first hand knowledge of theIncident.

Article 2 The Grievance Committee will evaluate the information provided to them.

They will take appropriate steps, either singularly or as a whole, to gatherneeded information or evidence before rendering a decision. The committeewill then formulate a decision on the grievance and submit the finding to theExecutive Committee for review. This report must be completed within thirty(30) days of the filing date, unless there is an extension granted by the

Executive Committee. This extension may be requested verbally, but theExtension must be in writing and included in the final report.

Article 3 The Executive Committee will rule on recommendation of the GrievanceCommittee, and render a decision at the next available Executive Committeemeeting, or a special session, as to any sanctions placed upon those involvedin the grievance. Sanctions will be issued to those involved within thirty days(30) of the Grievance Committee’s findings, and will be documented in theminutes of the meeting, as well as, retained permanently by the Secretary-Treasurer.

Article 4 The involved member(s) that receive sanctions may appeal the ExecutiveCommittee’s decision. That appeal must be filed in writing to a member ofExecutive Committee within seven (7) days of the issuance of any sanction orruling. The Executive Committee will meet and discuss the appeal and willissue a ruling/decision within seven (7) days after that meeting. That decisionwill be in writing to the member(s) involved and cannot be appealed.

Article 5 Any sanctions imposed will be documented and recorded, but will be privateand not for dissemination. The grievant will be informed that the grievancehas been adjudicated, but will no be told of the outcome or any possiblesanctions.

SECTION 13 AMMENDED ARTICLES