Bylaws Update

As your Board of Directors, we’ve been carefully reviewing the club’s governing documents to ensure they best support our mission and serve all members effectively. After thoughtful discussion, we are proposing two related changes:

• Removal of the club’s Constitution
• Updates to the Bylaws

The new bylaws and the removal of the constitution will be voted on during the March 18, 2026 meeting. You can view the updated by laws by clicking on the “Updated By-Laws” button on the top of the page.

Why these changes?

Removal of the Constitution

A separate constitution is not needed or typical for incorporated organizations like DARC. Because we are a Utah nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status, our Articles of Incorporation serve as the foundational governing document—performing the role that a constitution would for an unincorporated group. Most modern nonprofits operate successfully with only Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

Our current Constitution largely repeats content already covered in the Bylaws. Maintaining consistency between the two documents has proven difficult, and there are currently areas where they conflict.

By-Laws Update

Some provisions in the current Bylaws conflict with Utah state law, which takes precedence in any discrepancy. These need to be updated to ensure full legal compliance.

The Bylaws are overly specific in areas that limit the Board’s ability to respond nimbly to the needs of our members. For example, they:

• Set fixed yearly dues amounts
• Require mandatory committees that no longer exist (placing us unintentionally out of compliance)
• Create special officer positions, such as “Public Information Officer,” that are not currently filled
• Dictate exact dates and formats for certain meetings
• Restrict the use of modern technology for meetings, voting, and communications

Also, the Bylaws are being updated so ALL members have a chance to vote on future bylaw changes – not just those that show up at a meeting.

Importantly, these updates will not change how DARC operates or is organized in any significant way. They simply make the club more agile and better equipped to adapt to change, serve our members effectively, remain fully compliant with the Bylaws and Utah law, and focus more of our energy on the fun and educational aspects of amateur radio.

These steps reflect standard best practices for nonprofit corporations like ours. The goal is to streamline our governance so the club can be more responsive, compliant, and focused on what matters most—promoting amateur radio, fellowship, education, and public service in our community.

Your support and engagement help keep DARC strong. If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us as dixieham@dixieham.org .

73,

The DARC Board of Directors

Dixie Amateur Radio Club