Bylaws and Policies » Panther Vale Bylaws

Governing Policies and Procedures

The following policies and procedures are supplemental to the governing documents of the Society of Creative Anachronism and the East Kingdom Laws and Policies.

Section I: Shire Voting Procedure

  1. Voting is open to all Shire members with a valid, SCA membership number age 14 years and older.
  2. Notice of officer vacancies or expiration of term shall be declared at the Panther Vale Second Quarter Business meeting and notice of said positions shall be posted on the Panther Vale website within 10 days.
  3. Voting shall be conducted during Panther Vale’s Third Quarter Business meeting by all eligible members present.
  4. Voting shall be conducted by paper ballot for the election of officers where more than one candidate runs for a single officer position. All other votes will be conducted by voice vote unless and until two members present request that the vote be conducted by paper ballot. Paper ballots shall be collected by and counted by the Seneschal, Chancellor of the Exchequer and at least one of the Herald or Knight Marshal or Minister of Arts and Sciences. In the event the position up for election includes one of the above-named Shire major officers, one of the other six officers may count in their place.
  5. If multiple open positions are being filled for which only a single candidate is nominated, the Shire membership may elect those officers as a slate of candidates. Any contested office must be voted on in accordance with the practices outlined in subsection 4 above.
  6. The results of any voting shall be reported by the Shire Chronicler in the meeting minutes and the results of same posted to the Shire of Panther Vale website within 14 days of the election.
  7. The Shire Webminister, upon direction from the Shire Seneschal, will be responsible for all postings to the Panther Vale website. In the absence of a Webminister, all postings shall be completed by the Shire Seneschal or the Seneschal’s appointed agent.

Section II: Shire Officer Selection Procedure

  1. The Shire of Panther Vale shall follow all established Branch Officer Requirements as stated in East Kingdom law Section VII, Subsection B.
  2. The Shire of Panther Vale will adhere to all Society and East Kingdom laws regarding incompatible offices.
  3. A candidate for office for the Shire of Panther Vale shall be considered qualified and eligible for office provided they:
    1. have reached the age of majority in the State of Vermont
    2. hold a valid SCA membership number
    3. meet any residency requirements identified in the Bylaws of the Shire of Panther Vale.
  4. The Shire membership may elect to any office, except for the offices of Seneschal and Chancellor of the Exchequer, any eligible, willing and qualified member who resides outside of the established boundaries of the Shire provided there is no substantial opposition to the candidate from the Shire members present on election day. Additionally, any such candidate must express their intent to seek office no fewer than thirty (30) days in advance of the posted election day to the Shire Seneschal and such notice posted to the Shire of Panther Vale website. Shire members unable to attend the election must be allowed to submit, in writing, objections to the candidacy of the non-resident candidate, such objections to be received by the Seneschal no later than five (5) business days prior to the election.
  5. Eligible resident members may, but are not required to, submit notice of interest for any open positions to the Shire Seneschal. Resident members may declare their candidacy for any open office from the floor.
  6. Resident candidates may not be considered as eligible candidates unless physically present, whether in person or via telecommunications, or by submitting interest in a position in writing to the Seneschal at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the election.
  7. Officers vacating their positions prior to the expiration of their term of office must notify the Shire Seneschal and notice of this vacancy shall be posted on the Shire of Panther Vale website.
  8. The Shire Seneschal may appoint a member to serve out the remainder of the term of the vacated position. The Shire Seneschal may appoint a member to serve until the next schedule Panther Vale Quarterly Business meeting at which time an election will be held to fill the vacated position.
  9. A member elected to fill a vacated seat may not serve beyond the expiration date of the original term of office. They may seek re-election to that office upon its expiration.
  10. Newly elected officers will take office on January 1 of the year following the Panther Vale Third Quarter Business Meeting in which they were elected.

Section III: Shire Terms of Office

  1. The following officers shall serve for a term not to exceed four years: Seneschal and Chancellor of the Exchequer. The elections of the Seneschal and of the Chancellor of the Exchequer must only occur in concurrent years barring resignation or other vacancy. The election of the Seneschal will take place in even numbered years. The election of the Chancellor of the Exchequer will take place in odd numbered years.
  2. All other Shire officers shall serve for a term not to exceed two years. 
  3. The following officers will be elected in even numbered years: Chatelaine, Herald, Knight Marshal, Social Media Officer.
  4. The following officers will be elected in odd-numbered years: Chronicler, Minister of Arts and Sciences, Minister of the Lists, Webminister
  5. Unless specifically prohibited by Society or East Kingdom law, there shall be no maximum limit to the number of terms an officer may serve in an elected position.
  6. Any officer who intends to vacate their position upon expiration of their term must notify the Seneschal of their intent to do so no later than the Panther Vale Second Quarterly Business Meeting. If the position being vacated is that of the Seneschal, notice of intent to vacate must be communicated to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. All notices of intent to vacate must be published on the Shire of Panther Vale website.

Section IV: Deputy Officers

  1. The offices of Seneschal and Chancellor of the Exchequer must select an eligible, qualified individual to serve as their Deputy by the following Panther Vale Second Quarter Business Meeting of the year in which they were elected.
  2. All other officers may appoint an eligible, qualified individual to serve as their deputy.
  3. The role of the Deputy is to serve in an advisory and support role to the elected officer. Only if the elected Superior Officer is unable or unwilling to perform the functions of their office may the Deputy be authorized to act in their stead. Any actions taken by the deputy must be pre-approved by the Seneschal and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
  4. A Deputy officer’s term will expire upon the expiration of their Superior Officer’s term.
  5. A Superior Officer may terminate their Deputy at any time. A Superior officer who is Seneschal or Chancellor of the Exchequer must fill the vacancy within the time limits imposed by Society or East Kingdom law.

Section V: Amendments to Adopted Bylaws

  1. Amendments to the Bylaws of the Shire of Panther Vale may be made by submitting them in writing to the Seneschal no fewer than thirty (30) days in advance of the next quarterly Shire Business meeting. Proposed amendments are to be published on the Shire website no fewer than ten (10) days prior to the next quarterly Business Meeting for review by the populace.
  2. An amendment may be adopted by a majority of eligible voters present at the quarterly Shire Business meeting. An amendment will be considered adopted at the quarterly Business Meeting following the meeting at which it was adopted.
  3. Those opposed to an amendment may petition the Seneschal for reconsideration of the amendment provided such opposition is submitted in writing no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to the next quarterly Shire Business meeting. If such objection is submitted in accordance to the Bylaws of the Shire of Panther Vale the amendment will again come before the eligible voters of the Shire. A contested amendment that is voted in the affirmative in two consecutive quarterly Shire Business meetings will be considered to have been officially adopted.
  4. The Bylaws of the Shire of Panther Vale shall be reviewed annually by the Officers of the Shire and the populace at the First Quarter Business meeting for continued suitability and adherence to mundane and Society laws, rules and regulations.

Section VI: Events and Activities

  1. Proposals for an event will be presented in writing by email or form to the Seneschal with the following information:
    1. Event name
    2. Autocrat
      • Mundane name
      • SCA Name
      • Membership # and Expiration date
    3. Date(s)
    4. Location
    5. Theme
    6. Proposed event budget
    7. Proposed activities
    8. Proposed staffing needs
    9. Additional information
  2. Per East Kingdom law, all autocrats must be paid SCA members.
  3. The Seneschal will present all complete proposals to the populace for vote at the following Quarterly Business meeting.
  4. All other meetings, practices, and official activities must be submitted to the seneschal for approval and have the appropriate documentation required as necessary for the activity.

Section VII: Additional Martial Officers

  1. Additional Martial Shire Officers can be created as need arises.
  2. For a new marshal officer position to be added, there must be a regular sustaining practice for a season, for an outdoor only activity, or six months, for flexible activities that can be held both indoors and outdoors.
  3. If a Shire member wishes to call for the addition of a martial officer position, they must provide the appropriate information as called for here to the Seneschal via email at least 30 days prior to the next business meeting. The position will be announced with the agenda of said business meeting, including a call for any eligible members to put their names forward to fill the position.
  4. To be considered eligible for the position, one must meet East Kingdom officer requirements and be a warranted marshal of the desired activity. The position will be made official at that business meeting and a vote will be taken.
  5. The officer position shall follow all protocol as outlined in the Shire Bylaws, with the only exception being that the newly elected position will begin immediately after the new officer is voted in rather than waiting until the start of the next calendar year.
  6. Possible positions include but are not limited to: Marshal of Fence, Captain of Archers, Marshal of Equestrian Activities, Captain of Combat Archers, Siege Marshal.
  7. If the practice is inactive for the same amount of time as mentioned previously, the Office will be removed by the Seneschal at the following business meeting until the activity is revitalized and the position is again requested.

Section VIII: Business Meeting Quorum

  1. To be considered a quorum in a business meeting, there must be at least three officers present, one of which must be the Seneschal or Exchequer.