ACVO 2020 Bylaws Change Vote - Announcement For June 3rd
Dear ACVO Members,
Thank you for standing with the ACVO as we all deal with business in these trying times. I hope that you are weathering this storm okay. As the ACVO works through many different challenges that have arisen due to the COVID-19, it has become apparent that we must have contingencies in place in case we cannot hold this year’s Annual Meeting of the Voting Members (AMVM) in person, in Boston. We understand that even if ACVO does hold an on-site conference, many of our members may be unable to travel to Boston and thus we must plan ahead. In addition, it has become apparent that there was a surprising lack of quorum at the 2019 AMVM in Maui, Hawaii (more on this lack of quorum is forthcoming). The ACVO highly values ALL of your opinions in governance matters and for this reason we have found that we need to modernize our Bylaws to allow for some flexibility in important matters and all members’ voices to be heard.
The Board of Regents (BOR) is proposing several Bylaws changes be voted on in June to allow us the structure for members to legally vote in a digital format on matters presented for the fall AMVM. We have sought the guidance of our legal counsel who has assured us that our Bylaws need to be updated to allow for structured and verifiable electronic voting formats. The ACVO will use the same company that the ABVO already uses for online board votes. This is a certified voting system that only allows one vote per person and only the person directly invited. They provide certified results at the end of the voting window.
Below is a summary of proposed changes with brief explanation which you will be able to vote on individually in June via a digital ballot. We are assured that this vote can be legitimized through a ratification of the vote results at the next in-person meeting where a quorum, as defined by the 2018 Bylaws, is present. Until that time, the result of this vote is legal according to emergency measures of the State of Illinois, and will guide the ACVO and its election(s).
Proposals & Bylaws section(s), BOLD denotes the primary policy change per action:
4.17, 4.13, 4.16, 5.03, 5.06, 11.01
Electronic voting. The proposed verbiage will update our outdated Bylaws on electronic voting. The text is proposed by our legal counsel and complies with Illinois State Law where ACVO is incorporated. The BOR is clear that electronic voting would be not preferred to in-person voting, but the Bylaws need to allow for emergency situations such as the one we face today with COVID-19.
4.05, 4.01, 4.03, 8.01, 9.04
Add a new Transitional Membership category. To better meet the needs of all of our current members, this temporary category would be added to cater to those experiencing life changes and uncertainty due to such things as unemployment, family leave, illness, or working outside of industry, etc. The benefits would be the same as the Retired Member category and will be clearly defined in the policies and procedures document if approved. This category would be very similar to Retired in that dues would also be ½ of the current full member rate and provide full benefits, but the Transitional Member must apply for this category annually and receive a majority approval of the BOR.
4.16
Update membership quorum requirements to Illinois standards. We have been advised to change the quorum to a 10% participation of voting members, as accepted by Illinois state law. We need to update this requirement to allow ACVO to do business.
9.05
Update the name of the “Public Relations Committee” to the “Membership Promotion & Outreach Committee”. The Committee has been charged by the BOR to expand its reach to include internal marketing and member services development. The BOR agrees with the Committee that this proposed name better represents the work of the group.
We realize that digital voting is not optimal in these circumstances but it is apparent that at least for the 2020 AMVM we will need to allow for digital voting to either replace or supplement in-person voting. It is vital that ACVO is able to elect board members in order to support business continuity.
I and the other board members, support all of these proposed changes and ask that you strongly consider voting in favor of each Bylaws modification. A digital ballot will be sent out on Wednesday, June 3rd and will close on July 3rd. Please contact me if you have any concerns about these initiatives.
Thank you very much for your vote!
With best wishes,
András M. Komáromy, DrMedVet, PhD, DACVO, DECVO
ACVO President