ARTICLE I.  NAME

This organization shall be known as “Association of Clerks of Circuit Courts of Indiana”.

ARTICLE II.  OBJECT

The object of the Association shall be:

Section 1. To promote interest in standardizing procedures used in the separate Circuit Court Clerk’s Offices by collaborating with the Southern Indiana Districts Clerks Association and the Northern Districts Clerks Association.  The bylaws of the Southern and Northern Associations are attached.

Section 2. To maintain a Legislative Committee for the purpose of cooperating with members of the General Assembly of Indiana in preparing and passing laws that clarify and benefit the offices of the Circuit Court Clerks.

Section 3. To hold meetings when necessary for the purpose of discussing problems pertaining to the several Clerk’s offices.

Section 4. To disseminate information to the members concerning new laws and options handed down by the Attorney General and regulations issued by various state departments.

ARTICLE III.  MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Active membership in the Association shall be limited to the duly elected and qualified Clerks of Circuit Courts of the State of Indiana who have paid their annual dues.

Section 2. Associate membership in the Association shall be offered to the duly appointed deputies of active members, any person, corporation, or organization interested in furthering the purposes of the Association of Clerks of the Circuit Courts of Indiana.

Past active members may become associate members upon payment of dues.

Section 3. The dues of active members shall be one percent (1%) of their annual salary up to a maximum of $450.00. Effective date is January 1, 2016.

Section 4. The dues of associate members shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00) annually.

Section 5. A voluntary dues of $100.00 per county may be paid to the association for legal or legislative expenses. The voluntary dues shall be receipted separately and shall be used solely for the association’s legal or legislative purpose.

ARTICLE IV.  OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of the Association shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. These officers shall perform their duties as prescribed by these by-laws.

Section 2. At the annual meeting held in conjunction with the State Board of Accounts Conference, the new President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of five members. The Committee shall nominate officers of the Association and make their report at the next annual meeting held in conjunction with the State Board of Accounts Conference. Nominees shall represent the northern and southern districts and be, as nearly as possible, equal in political party affiliation. Before the election at the annual meeting, nominations may be made from the floor.

Section 3. The officers shall be elected by acclamation to serve for one (1) year beginning January 1 of the ensuing year.

Section 4. The officers, once elected by the Association, shall automatically advance in rank each year, unless an officer resigns to the Association and Nominating Committee. Advancement may be waived by majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 5. In the event a vacancy occurs in an office, the remaining officers shall advance in rank to fill that vacancy and the nominating committee shall nominate a person of the same political party, if possible, to fill the entry office. Majority vote of the executive board will officially appoint the person.

ARTICLE V.  DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

Section 1. The President shall have general supervision of the work of the Association and shall preside at all meetings of the Association and all meetings of the Executive Board. The President shall serve as the affiliate’s representative on the AIC Legislative Committee or appoint a member of the Association’s Legislative Committee to represent the affiliation of Clerks of Circuit Courts.

Section 2. The Vice President shall in the absence of the President assume his duties. Vice President shall accept committee chairmanships as designated by the President.

Section 3. The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of each meeting. The Secretary shall also keep an accurate list of the members of the Association and their respective addresses. The Secretary shall also conduct the correspondence of the Association.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall have charge of all funds of the Association and shall collect and keep an accurate book account of all money received and disbursed. The Treasurer shall make a report at the annual meeting of the Association held in conjunction with the State Board of Accounts Conference of all money received and disbursed by the Treasurer during the year. The Treasurer shall report the financial condition of the Treasury as of the date of the annual conference. The Treasurer and Secretary shall conduct registration of persons attending the State Board of Accounts annual conference for Clerks and the business meeting held in conjunction with the AIC conference.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall be bonded in an amount determined by the Executive Board and the bond shall be approved by the Executive Board. The cost of the bond shall be paid by the Association.

Section 6. The immediate past President will act as an advising member of the board.

ARTICLE VI.  MEETINGS

Section 1. There shall be an annual meeting of the Association held each year during the State Board of Accounts Conference.

Section 2. The President, or Executive Board, may call special meetings any time during the year as the need arises.

Section 3. At the annual meeting of the Association held in conjunction with the State Board of Accounts Conference, annual reports shall be given by the officers and committee chairmen. A copy of all reports shall be filed with the Secretary and made a part of the minutes.

Section 4. A business meeting shall be held during the annual AIC Conference.

Section 5. In the event that an issue must be decided and it is not practical to call a physical meeting of the Board of Directors or a physical meeting of the entire Association membership, voting may take place via electronic mail using the following procedures:

1. A motion’s author must send an email to the Executive Committee including the proposed motion, the reason(s) for proposing it, and the rationale for conducting an email vote.
2. With the approval of a majority of the Executive Committee, the Secretary will email the motion to the Board or the entire Association membership asking for 48 hours of discussion by the Board or entire Association membership, followed by 24 hours of email voting. These time limits may be adjusted, as appropriate, by the Executive Committee. All email correspondence during an email vote should be in a “Reply to All” mode. Should revisions to the motion be proposed and agreed to by the motion’s author, the Secretary will notify the Board of the change(s) and refer the new language to the Executive Committee for instructions on how to proceed.
3. The email motion is considered as passed if it receives unanimous approval of all Board members or the entire Association membership dependent upon original or revised electoral participation. Each Board, Committee, or Association member must electronically sign the proposed motion either on the circulated electronic document or by a physical document attached to the email identifying the proposed motion and the assent of the member.
4. The Secretary will promptly report vote results to the Executive Committee, the Board, and entire Association membership dependent upon original or revised electoral participation. Final vote totals will be emailed and included in executive minutes as issued for the next officially called meeting.

Section 6. In the event the Northern District Clerks Association and Southern District Clerks Association have a scheduling conflict with their respective district meetings, the President of the overall state-wide Association shall consult with the officers of each association to resolve the issue and, if necessary, shall exercise the final decision to remedy the issue.

ARTICLE VII.  EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The duly elected officers of the Association, Immediate Past President, Committee Chairman and Presidents of the Northern and Southern Districts shall constitute the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII.  COMMITTEES

Section 1. The Legislative Committee shall be comprised of five (5) or more members selected by the President plus the elected officers. The President and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern and Northern District Clerks Associations shall also serve on this state-wide committee in accordance with their respective by-laws.  They shall make suggestions to the Association relative to legislation in which the Association may be interested.

The Legislative Committee shall keep in contact with members of the General Assembly, when it is in session, and shall secure accurate, up to the minute information regarding all legislation affecting the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

This committee shall be charged with the responsibility of attendance, when needed, of Association members at meetings of the General Assembly.

Section 2. The Auditing Committee shall be comprised of three (3) members appointed by the President. They shall make an audit of the records of the Treasurer of the Association and shall make a report to the Association at the annual meeting held during the State Board of Accounts Conference.

Section 3. The President shall appoint an Awards Committee comprised of at least three (3) members. This committee shall be responsible for the selection of two plaques: one (1) for the outgoing President of the Association and one (1) for the Clerk who has given outstanding service to the Association.

Section 4. A Membership Committee shall be comprised of four (4) members geographically located whose responsibility it will be to contact the Clerks in their assigned districts to encourage their participation and membership in the Association.

Section 5. A Nominating Committee shall be comprised of five (5) members geographically located who responsibility it will be to nominate officers for the Association.

Section  6. The President shall appoint a Records Management Committee. The appointees shall be the same as those Clerks appointed to the Supreme Court Records Management Committee whose responsibility it will be to represent the Association in Supreme Court called meetings and report activities to the Association. Additional members shall be appointed at the President’s discretion.

Section  7. The President may appoint other committees as the need arises.

ARTICLE IX.  AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS

These By-Laws can be amended, at the meeting of the Association held during the State Board of Accounts Annual State-Called Conference, by a two-thirds vote, or by a vote determined by Article VI, Section 5, provided the amendments have been submitted in writing to the Executive Committee, the Executive Board, or entire Association membership, depending on the original or revised electoral participation.

These By-Laws were approved, as amended, by a two-thirds majority vote at the Indiana State Board of Accounts Conference on June 15, 2022.

Shelley Septer, Clerk of the Huntington County Circuit Court, President

Jessica Bailey, Clerk of the Porter County Circuit Court, Vice President

Christopher Nancarrow, Clerk of the Allen County Circuit Court, Secretary

Tabatha Eblen, Clerk of the Jefferson County Circuit Court, Treasurer

2022 AMENDMENTS

Article II, Section 1:               Language was added to reference the Southern and Northern Districts and the attachments of their respective by-laws to this overall document.

Article IV, Section 1:              The words “First” and “Second Vice President” were omitted.  No reference to the office of Second Vice President was described in Article V, Duties of the Officers. Therefore, no additional omission was necessary within Article V.

Article V, Section 2:               The word “First” was omitted.

Article VI, Section 6:              New section added to the President of the state-wide Association to resolve and scheduling conflicts between the Northern and Southern District Clerks Associations.

Article VIII, Section 1:           The composition of the Clerk’s Legislative Committee is to also include the officers of the Southern and Northern District Clerks Association, as specified in their respective by-laws.