Constitution and By-laws
Article I - Name
The name of the organization, a non-profit, shall be known as the Massachusetts Independent Football Officials Association, hereafter MIFOA.
Article II - Purpose
The purpose of the MIFOA is to promote the preparedness of its members as football officials, both on and off the field, to recruit and educate new members, and to support the groups and organizations it serves in a professional and ethical fashion.
Article III - Membership
Section 1
New candidates must be at least 18, participate in preparatory classes and pass a written examination, to be administered once a year by the MIFOA, if a class is held.
A non-refundable fee, determined yearly by the Governing Board, will be required from all candidates to participate in the classes and take the test.
Section 2
Member Requirements:
1. Attendance at 60% of scheduled meetings is required.
2. Must attend a mandatory interpretation meeting each year; either presented by the MIFOA or another recognized association. An exemption may be administered by the Governing Board if these requirements can’t be met.
3. Members of 3 years or less or of 20 varsity games of experience or less shall attend a “mechanics” meeting as prescribed by the president, be it an on-field instruction or a meeting format. Anyone unable to attend this meeting may be required to complete a make-up requirement determined by the Governing Board. Transfer members, with the approval of the Governing Board, may be exempted from this requirement.
4. All members will be members of the MIAA.
5. All members shall be required to complete an annual “refresher” exam.
6. All members, unless exempted by the by-laws or the Governing Board, must pay dues on or before the Mandatory meeting.
7. Any member may petition the Governing Board to become an “inactive” member, for any reason, yearly, for up to 2 years. Inactive means no on-field officiating or clock operating due to an injury or a personal reason and would be in effect for only one year at a time for up to 2 years. Subsequent requests may be submitted. Request must be submitted in writing or via email to the Secretary.
EXEMPTIONS:
The following members will be exempt from payment of dues:
The Interpreter if he is a member of the College Board.
Any other member recommended by the President and approved by the Governing Board for each fiscal year.
The following members may be exempted from the attendance requirement:
Any member recommended by the President and approved by the Governing Board for each fiscal year.
Section 3
Transfers
Transfers will be subject to the approval of the Governing Board and shall present a letter from the Secretary of their previous board verifying their previous active and good standing membership.
Section 4
Members not in good standing:
Any member who has not paid their dues by the Mandatory Meeting of the current year will lose their good standing and will be subject to the following fine schedule to retain their membership: 1- 30 days late, 1/3 the current dues. 31- 60 days late 2/3 the current dues. 61 or more days late 3/3 the current dues.
Any member who does not meet the attendance requirement or has not submitted a letter to the Executive Board explaining their lack of attendance will lose their good standing and will be subject to a fine of one year’s dues to retain their membership. Letters are subject to review and acceptance by the Executive Board.
Section 5
Honorary Members
Honorary Membership may be offered to any member who has been an active member with the MIFOA and/or another board with distinction. This membership will be offered at the discretion of the Governing Board with service to the board a criteria of consideration, but not the only consideration. Honorary Members will be entitled to attend the yearly banquet at no charge and to attend any meetings during the season. An honorary member cannot be an active or inactive member. Any member in good standing may submit name(s) to the Governing Board for consideration.
Article IV – Governing Board
Section 1
The Governing Board shall consist of the following in order of succession.
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Interpreter, Director.
Section 2
Duties of the Governing Board:
President—shall preside at all meetings and oversee the preparation of an agenda for each meeting as well as the year’s schedule. The yearly schedule shall be posted before the first meeting on the MIFOA web site. Individual meeting agendas will be posted on the website or communicated via email to the membership in advance of each meeting. President shall administer and be responsible for the overall management of the MIFOA. The outgoing President shall automatically become a Director upon completion of his term.
Vice President—shall replace the President in his absence and replace him permanently if he is unable to fulfill his term. Shall perform any duties assigned by the President. The Vice President shall automatically become President upon completion of his term.
Secretary—shall record minutes of each meeting and make them available to the membership. Be responsible for all correspondence to members and others, responsible for overseeing the maintenance and content, of www.mifoa.org, or designating another to maintain the website. Secretary will be responsible for all correspondence to any overseeing bodies, such as the Secretary of State’s Office, IRS.
Treasurer--Shall be responsible for the collection of all dues, administer all meeting raffles or designate someone to administer said raffles, administer all disbursements to cover all expenses the MIFOA may incur. Treasurer will prepare a treasurer’s report to be presented to the membership at each year’s first meeting. Physical copies of the report may be available upon request.
Interpreter—shall interpret all rules within the guidelines of the NFHS rulebook as well as the MIAA modifications. The interpreter shall make any materials he considers worthwhile available to the membership, either through meeting presentation, or the web site or both. Interpreter will be given an opportunity to present such materials and information at any and all meetings and the refresher exam.
Parliamentarian—shall assist the President in the application of the by-laws and constitution of the MIFOA. Shall also assist the Secretary and Treasurer in any duties they may request help with. The Parliamentarian shall be the facilitator of a Nomination Committee in years when any elections are held. Parliamentarian will be the arbiter of Roberts Rules.
Director—shall assist the President with any special projects or as requested. Position is reserved for the last President upon completion of his term as President. Shall be an ambassador for the sport and representing this Board.
Section 3
Election of the Governing Board shall be at the last scheduled meeting bi-annually for a term of two years. Term begins on August 1 and ends on July 31 of appropriate years. Nominations will be presented to the membership by the Parliamentarian at the second to last meeting and additional nominations may be heard from the membership any time prior to the election. Any member in good standing may be considered for nomination to the governing board at any time.
Section 4
In the event a member of the Governing Board except the President is not able to complete their elected term or no longer available to perform their duties, the Executive Board will appoint a replacement to complete the term if necessary or the position may remain vacant until the next election. If the President is not able to complete the term or is no longer available to perform the duties of office, the Vice President will automatically become President.
Section 5
In the event that the Interpreter or Secretary or Treasurer are elected as Vice-President, the Governing Board will appoint an Assistant to assist in any way needed. The Assistant shall retain voting privileges on the Governing Board for the officer that is being assisted.
Article V – Dues & Stipends
Dues will be established each year by the Governing Board to defray the costs incurred by the MIFOA. The current dues will be set by the Governing Board.
Note: Fiscal year runs from August 1 to July 31.
Article VI- Discipline Provision
Any member may be subject to censure, suspension, or expulsion from the MIFOA by a majority vote of the Governing Board for violating any of the By Laws engaging in any conduct that is considered detrimental to the MIFOA, its members, or the sport of football.
Article VII- Dissolution
If the MIFOA is dissolved the governing board shall decide in a majority vote how any remaining assets will be allocated prior to dissolution and according to Massachusetts law for non-profit corporations.
Article VIII – Parliamentary Authority
1. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall the parliamentary authority for all matters not covered by the By-Laws of the MIFOA.
Article IX – Amendments
1. By-laws may be amended with a 30-day notice to the Membership prior to a scheduled meeting or special meeting but must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members in good standing in attendance. E-mail shall be the accepted form of communication. A copy of any amendments may be obtained by mail if a written request is mailed to the Secretary.
2. By-laws shall be posted on website, www.mifoa.org and updated as amended.
3. By-laws shall be periodically reviewed by the Governing Board as needed.
Article X –Meetings
1. The MIFOA mandatory meeting (generally the first meeting of the season) will include a “business” meeting following the rules review, which will include, but not be limited to, a treasurer’s report, reports from other governing board officers, voting on by-law changes, and entertain questions and motions from the membership.
Article XI– Communications
Email shall be an accepted form of communication between the membership and the Governing Board, as well as written correspondence for all MIFOA business and activities.
Article XII-MIFOA Banking
Bank/Checking account shall be maintained for MIFOA and have two signatories, the
Current Secretary and Treasurer. Bank of record is Rockland Trust, any bank change
must be approved by the majority of the Governing Board, unless closed by Rockland
Trust or unreasonable banking fees are instituted by Rockland Trust.
Adopted – August 20, 2003
1st Revision – June 30, 2004
2nd Revision – June 29, 2005
3rd Revision – August 9, 2006
4th Revision – June 27, 2007
5th Revision – November 12, 2008
6th Revision – August 26, 2009
7th Revision – September 17, 2014
8th Revision – August 16, 2017
9th Revision --August 16, 2022
10th Revision --August 23, 2023