CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I: Name

ARTICLE II: Objectives

ARTICLE III: Membership

ARTICLE IV: Duties of the Membership

ARTICLE V: Officers

ARTICLE VI: Duties of Officers

ARTICLE VII: The Executive Board and Its Duties

ARTICLE VIII: Meetings

ARTICLE IX: Election of Officers

ARTICLE X: Amendments to the Constitution

ARTICLE XI: Dues and Compensation

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ARTICLE I: Name

This organization shall have as its official name, "The Southern Association of Basketball Officials" hereinafter referred to as "SABO."

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ARTICLE II: Objectives

The objectives of SABO shall be to:

Provide the area served by SABO with the highest quality of basketball officiating.
Foster and enforce the highest standard of ethics among the members of SABO.
Achieve uniformity and excellence in the interpretation and administration of basketball rules.
Promote and enforce the highest principles of honesty, sportsmanship and fair play in the game of basketball.
Cooperate with the Florida High School Activities Association, hereinafter refereed to as "FHSAA," in all endeavors that will best serve the interests of basketball at all levels supervised by the FHSAA.
Cooperate with other legitimate organizations and/or persons serving the best interests of basketball, providing such cooperation does not contravene the rules and regulations of the FHSAA.

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ARTICLE III: Membership

Prospective new members of SABO may qualify for admission to the organization upon the following conditions:

The individual shall pay an initiation fee and annual dues as set forth elsewhere in the Constitution.

The individual must be duly registered as a basketball official with FHSAA. Any FHSAA registered official, in good standing, is entitled to membership in SABO. The SABO and all of its members shall comply with all of the registration, clinic, test and all other procedures required by FHSAA.

Once the conditions set forth in Section A of this Article have been met, the individual will be admitted to active membership in SABO with the same duties and prerogatives as other members.
Inactive membership in SABO may be maintained by a member who, due to legitimate causes such as temporary physical incapacity or change of residence, petitions for and is granted by the Executive Board a leave of absence for a period of one (1) year. Such leave of absence may be renewed annually, in the discretion of the Board. An individual who has been granted a leave of absence will be reinstated to active membership upon payment of the annual dues and with the approval of the Executive Board.
Any individual who has made outstanding contributions to basketball may be granted classification as an honorary member of SABO upon motion duly made and a majority vote of the members present at a meeting of SABO. Such honorary member shall not be required to pay dues and shall not have voting privileges.
Membership in SABO shall be based on qualifications previously stated herein and in no way shall factors of race, creed, color, national origin, or sex be considered in such qualifications.

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ARTICLE IV: Duties of the Membership

All members of SABO are expected to become familiar with and observe this Constitution, and to keep the Constitution, and all amendments thereto, as part of their personal records.
Every member of SABO is expected to adhere to the cardinal principles of officiating. Including, but not limited to the following;

Know the rules and administer them impartially, without fear or favor to anyone.

Be on time for game assignments.

Wear the proper game uniform and accessories. Maintain a neat appearance.

Be in good physical and mental condition for a game assignment and refrain from consuming any alcoholic beverage or illegal drug prior to or during a game to which assigned.

Do not solicit games from coaches or other school officials in position to influence the assignment of games or scratch lists.

Do not fraternize with coaches, players, or spectators prior to or during the game. Officials may converse with coaches to impart necessary information within the context of the rules.

Do not give information which a team may use against an opponent.

Maintain a professional relationship with fellow officials; do not criticize fellow officials in the presence of coaches, players, or spectators.

Violation of any of the foregoing may constitute improper conduct and subject a member to disciplinary action as set forth hereafter in this Constitution.

The deadline for payment of annual dues, except for new members, shall be the organizational meeting in September. Any member who fails to observe this deadline shall automatically incur suspension and will not be assigned games until reinstated as hereafter set forth. Such member may petition in writing for reinstatement upon payment of dues and a $10.00 fine, subject to approval by the Executive Board. For just cause, the Executive Board may, in its discretion, waive the fine.
Every member of SABO is required to attend all regular pre-season meetings as set forth by the President. A fine of Three Dollars ($3.00) shall be imposed for each meeting missed. No game shall be assigned to a member with an unpaid fine. The stated fine in Article IV, Section D, shall not be imposed upon any member in good standing that has been assigned to a game by the Commissioner when the scheduled date and time of the game coincide or conflict with the scheduled pre-season meeting.
Members are expected to, but are not required to, attend the regular season meetings as hereafter set forth. However, any member who misses three consecutive regular season meetings is subject to suspension of all games. Such three consecutive absences may be excused by the Executive Board upon presentation of a written petition setting forth just cause for absence. The President of SABO, under unusual conditions, is granted the authority to excuse such three consecutive absences, subject to confirmation by the Executive Board at its first subsequent meeting.
All members are required to fulfill game assignments that they have confirmed with the Commissioner of SABO. Any member who fails to fulfill a confirmed assignment will be fined the amount of fees for the game or games assigned. Failure to fulfill a game assignment also may, depending on circumstances, constitute improper conduct and may result in disciplinary action, as hereafter set forth. Upon receipt of game schedules, an official may cancel assignments up to forty-eight (48) hours prior to assigned game without penalty; however, a cancellation within forty-eight (48) hours shall result in a Five Dollar ($5.00) fine, regardless of reason. Reporting late to an assignment shall result in a Five Dollar ($5.00) fine. The Executive Board, in its discretion, may excuse failure to fulfill a game assignment upon presentation of a written petition setting forth just cause for the failure.
While not forbidden to officiate basketball games other than those assigned by the Commissioner of SABO, members of SABO are expected to give priority to SABO assignments, even to the extent that a member may not refuse a SABO assignment because of having another prior assignment, unless it is agreeable with the Commissioner. In no case may a member substitute another game assignment for a SABO game assignment without the express consent of the SABO Commissioner. Unless specifically assigned by the Executive Secretary of the FIISAA, no member may accept an assignment to any basketball game which is under the jurisdiction of SABO, without the express approval of the Commissioner of SABO. Violation of any of the foregoing provisions regarding game assignments may constitute improper conduct and may result in disciplinary action, as hereafter set forth.
Any individual who has been a member of SABO for less than three (3) years shall be required to attend one of the two pre-season training clinics provided for elsewhere in this Constitution, unless a written petition to be excused for just cause, either prior to or after the absence, is approved by the Executive Board. No games may be assigned to a member with an unexcused absence under this section.
A member shall be considered to be in good standing if the member has no unexcused absences or unpaid dues or fines, is not under suspension, and is not faced with any pending charges of improper conduct. A member in good standing will be allowed to resign if the resignation is submitted in writing to the President or Secretary and is approved by the Executive Board. Such resigned member may be readmitted to membership in SABO with the approval of the Executive Board without having to pay the $5.00 initiation fee.

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ARTICLE V: Officers

The elected officers of SABO, who shall be members of the Executive Board as hereafter provided, shall be:

The President

The Vice-President

The Secretary

The Treasurer

The Commissioner

The Member of the Executive Board at Large

The Sergeant-at-Arms

The term of office for each officer shall be one (1) year.
An officer shall hold office until a successor is elected. Officers of SABO shall be elected at the annual election meeting, as hereafter provided in this Constitution. Vacancies in office shall be filled as provided elsewhere in this Constitution.
There shall be no limitation on the number of terms an officer may serve.
An officer of SABO may be removed from office under the following conditions:

A written petition for removal of an officer shall be filed with the Secretary by any member or group of members of SABO alleging improper conduct, or malfeasance, or misfeasance, or dishonesty, or gross neglect of duty, or gross incompetence in connection with the performance of the officer's duties.

The Executive Board shall conduct a due process hearing on the petition after giving reasonable notice of such hearing to the petitioner(s) and the respondent officer. The Executive Board, by a majority vote, shall make a written recommendation to the membership of SABO as to whether the removal shall be upheld or denied, with reasons for the recommendation being set forth. The recommendation of the Executive Board shall be considered at the next regular meeting of SABO, or at a special meeting to be called by the President. After due explanation of the recommendation and debate thereon, the decision as to whether the respondent shall be removed from office shall be made by a majority vote of the members voting at said meeting. To effectuate this provision of the Constitution, a quorum for the purpose of considering removal of an officer or officers shall be two-thirds of the active members of SABO

The foregoing sections of this Article relate solely to action which may be taken against an officer in connection with the officer's performance of duties of the office held. For other disciplinary purposes, an officer of SABO shall be treated as any other member of SABO, and shall be subject to the same disciplinary action as any other member, as provided elsewhere in this Constitution.

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ARTICLE VI: Duties of Officers

The duties of the President shall be:

To preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board.

To call such special meetings of the Association and/or the Executive Board as the President shall deem necessary.

To appoint ad hoc committees of the Association as the need arises, and to appoint such committees as shall be directed by FHSAA. The President shall also appoint such committees as shall be mandated elsewhere in this Constitution.

To perform such duties of the office of President as are set forth elsewhere, or shall be set forth elsewhere in this Constitution.

To represent SABO in all dealings with outside agencies or persons, except for those powers specifically delegated herein to the Commissioner.

Upon request, to assist the Commissioner in dealings with outside agencies or persons.

To conduct such correspondence with outside agencies or persons as shall be necessary in the best interests of the Association, or to assign same to the Secretary of SABO.

To assign a rules interpreter or interpreters for the pre-season meetings and/or other meetings and/or clinics of SABO.

The duties of the Vice-President shall be:

In the absence of the President, to preside at meetings of the Association and the Executive Board.

To be in charge of training of new members, and other relatively inexperienced officials, including supervision of the pre-season clinics as set forth elsewhere in this Constitution.

In the absence of the President, to perform the functions of the office of the President as are set forth in Section A of this Article.

Whenever the Commissioner is unable to perform the duties of the office of Commissioner, due to injury, illness, or other misfortune, or absence from the City, or other temporary cause, the duties of the Commissioner shall be temporarily performed by the Vice- President until such time as the Commissioner is able to resume performing the duties of the office.

The duties of the Secretary shall be:

In the absence of the President and the Vice-President, to preside at meetings of the Association and the Executive Board.

To maintain official records of the Association, including copies of the Constitution and amendments thereto.

To give notice of all regular and special meetings of SABO.

To record and keep minutes of all meetings of the Association and the Executive Board, and to present same for appropriate approval.

To correspond with members of SABO and outside agencies and persons as directed by the President, or in the absence of the President, the Vice-President.

To perform such other duties as are provided, or shall be provided, elsewhere in this Constitution.

The duties of the Treasurer shall be:

In the absence of the President, Vice-President, and Secretary, to preside at meetings of the Association and the Executive Board.

To collect all dues, fines and other monies due SABO.

To deposit all dues, fines and other monies of SABO in a bank account as directed by the Executive Board.

To faithfully keep a true record of all financial transactions of SABO and to report same as required by the Executive Board.

To present a report on SABO's financial condition at each regular meeting of SABO.

To pay all the obligations of SABO, as directed by the Executive Board.

To perform such other duties as shall be set forth elsewhere in this Constitution.

The duties of the Commissioner shall be:

In the absence of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, to preside at meetings of the Association.

To assign all games to be booked by SABO, at the senior and junior high school levels, boys and girls.

To strive to develop a schedule of game assignments that will be as fair and equitable as humanly possible, not only to the members of SABO, but to the coaches and players of schools served by SABO.

To cooperate with the Executive Secretary of FHSAA in assignments of officials to post-season tournaments and to give said Executive Secretary of FHSAA, upon request, unbiased information concerning the capabilities of SABO officials for post-season tournaments.

To represent SABO in negotiations with coaches and/or other school officials on matters concerning game fees, scheduling of games, contracts where applicable, scratch lists, and other appropriate issues. The Commissioner and the President of SABO shall act cooperatively in such matters as the situation shall demand, including, but not limited to, acts of controversy between members of SABO and coaches and/or officials of schools served by SABO.

So far as humanly possible within time limitations, to observe the officiating of SABO officials and to give constructive criticism thereon.

Within ethical boundaries, to seek additional schools which SABO may serve.

The duties of the member of the Executive Board at Large shall be:

In the absence of all other officers, to preside at meetings of SABO.

To represent members of SABO in matters of conflict and/or controversy with the Commissioner and the Executive Board, and to attempt to resolve such issues in privacy and in consultation with the individuals involved.

The duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms shall be:

In the absence of all other officers, to preside at meetings or other functions of SABO.

To assist the presiding officer at meetings and other functions of SABO in maintaining order, as designated by the presiding officer

To perform such other duties as are provided, or shall be provided. elsewhere in this Constitution.

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ARTICLE VII: The Executive Board and Its Duties

The Executive Board shall consist of all the elected officers of SABO, as set forth in ARTICLE V of this Constitution, and also the individual who served as President of SABO in the preceding season, provided such individual is not re-elected as President. If the membership of the Executive Board is eight members, a quorum for a meeting of the Executive Board shall be five members; if the membership is seven members, a quorum shall be four members.
The duties of the Executive Board shall be:

To meet at such times as the President shall deem advisable or on a call for such meeting from a majority of the Executive Board.

To enforce all provisions of this Constitution, particularly with respect to those provisions contained in ARTICLE IV.

To approve or disapprove any proposed expenditure of funds of SABO.

Whenever a charge of improper conduct is brought against a member as set forth in ARTICLE IV of this Constitution, to hold a due process hearing at the next Executive Board meeting after having given the respondent member due notice of the written charge and of the time and place of the hearing. If the respondent member does not appear for the hearing and has no legitimate excuse for the absence, the Executive Board may proceed to consider the charges. Upon consideration of all the relevant facts, the Executive Board by a majority vote shall decide to reject or to approve the charge. If the decision is to approve, the Board by majority vote shall set such disciplinary action as it deems just and proper. Such disciplinary action may be one or more of the following: Probation, fine, or suspension from game assignments and/or participation in SABO for a stated period of time; provided, however, the respondent member who is the subject of disciplinary action shall be notified by SABO's Secretary within three (3) days that such respondent member has the right to appeal the disciplinary action decision to the Commissioner of FHSAA for review and final adjudication.

To conduct an annual audit of SABO's financial condition, said audit to be completed prior to the first regular pre-season meeting following the annual organizational meeting in September. A report on the audit shall be given to the membership at said first regular pre-season meeting.

To approve all contracts to which the SABO shall be a party.

To archive all documents relating to the conduct of any proceedings or business of SABO for five years. Documents will include (but not be limited to) any and all written or printed documents, financial records. bank statements, cancelled checks, deposit receipts/slips, purchase/reimbursement receipts, written correspondence to and from SABO pertaining to SABO business, Executive Board minutes, SABO meeting minutes, SABO rosters, attendance rolls, and contracts for services rendered. These records will be kept in the possession of the Secretary and will be available for review. In the event that an incumbent President is not re-elected, the President- elect will receive the current records by the organizational meeting of his/her election year.

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ARTICLE VIII: Meetings

All meetings of SABO shall be conducted in accordance with the rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, except when such rules conflict with specific provisions of this Constitution. A copy of said Robert's Rules of Order shall be held in custody of the Secretary and will be available at each meeting.
A quorum for a meeting of SABO shall be a majority of the active members, except that a minimum of ten days notice of a meeting will cancel the need for such quorum.
The order of business at SABO meetings shall be as follows, except that in the six pre-season rules meeting as provided hereafter, rules study shall be the first order of business and roll call shall be the last order of business;

Roll call

Reading of the minutes

Report of the Treasurer

Report of the Executive Board

Report of Committees

Old business

New business

Game reviews

Rules study

Report of the Commissioner

Adjournment

To promote attendance at pre-season meetings, and to increase knowledge of the rules of basketball, the presiding officer at each pre-season meeting shall designate a sergeant-of-arms for that meeting who shall note and record the time of arrival and departure of any member at such meeting. This information shall be provided to the Executive Board immediately upon the conclusion of the meeting. If any member misses a substantial portion of the rules review portion or any other part of the meeting, the Executive Board in its discretion may rule that the member has not substantially complied with the attendance at pre-season meetings as required in Article IV, Section D of this constitution. In such case. the member shall be promptly notified of the Board's ruling and the member will be subject to the $3 fine just as if the member had not appeared at the meeting, and no games shall be assigned the member until the fine is paid. The express purpose of this provision is to discourage and penalize the practice of a member circumventing Article IV, Section D, by showing up for roll call at a pre-season meeting but being absent for a substantial part of that meeting.

The annual organizational meeting of SABO shall be held in September on a date, hour and site to be determined by the President.
At the organizational meeting, the President shall designate two dates to hold training clinics for officials who have been SABO members for less than three years. Attendance shall be required for such officials on one of the two dates, unless absence is excused as elsewhere set forth in this Constitution.

The Vice-President shall be in charge of those clinics and shall make arrangements for them. The President shall set the dates, hours, and sites for those clinics in cooperative consultation with the Vice President.

There shall be six consecutive weekly pre-season meetings of SABO, with rules study to be the primary order of business. The President shall set the dates, hours and sites for these meetings, and the Secretary shall give due written notice to the membership of such meetings. The President is authorized, in his discretion, to substitute the annual rules clinic conducted by FHSAA for one of the six pre-season meetings herein provided.
Regular season meetings shall be held during alternate weeks of December, January and February. The President shall set the dates, hours and sites for these meetings, and the Secretary shall give due written notice to the membership of such meetings.
The President is authorized to call such special meetings of SABO as he shall determine, in his discretion, to be advisable. Reasonable notice of such meetings shall be given by the Secretary, in accord with Section B of this Article, which governs the subject of a quorum.
Voting by proxy shall not be allowed at any meeting of SABO.

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ARTICLE IX: Election of Officers

During the first regular season meeting in January, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee composed of five members which shall prepare and submit a list of nominees for the elective offices. This list of nominees will be presented to the membership during the second regular season meeting in January. Additional nominations may be made from the floor by an active member during the first regular season meeting in February. Nominations for all offices will close at that time and may not be reopened except that they may be reopened at the annual election meeting for any office for which there is only one nominee at that time due to withdrawal of one or more nominees between the first regular season meeting in February and the election meeting. Nominations may be reopened at the election meeting if, due to withdrawals, there is at that time no nominee for a particular office.
The date for the election shall be the second regular scheduled meeting in February. The officers shall take over their duties the next day following the Boys High School State finals.
There shall be a minimum ten-day written notice of the election, said notice to be given by the Secretary stating the date, hour and site for the election, and the nominees.
The procedure shall be:

The Secretary shall prepare the official ballot.

The vote shall be by secret ballot.

If any candidate for a specific office shall fail to receive a simple majority of all votes cast on the first ballot, there shall be a runoff balloting for that office, with the candidates receiving the highest number and the second highest number of votes being subject to election on the second ballot. The voting then shall continue until one candidate receives a simple majority of all votes cast.

All members in good standing can vote by absentee ballot for all offices if they cannot attend the meeting the day of the election. To exercise an absentee ballot for officers of the Association in annual elections, a member shall obtain a copy of the official ballot from the Secretary of the Association. Said ballot shall then be sealed in an envelope and kept sealed in the custody of the Secretary until the election, at which time the envelope will be opened and the absentee ballot will be counted with the ballots of those present at the meeting. If any one candidate for a particular office fails to acquire a majority of all votes cast for that office on the first ballot, the absentee vote for a particular candidate for that office may be counted in the runoff only if the absentee ballot names one of the two candidates in the runoff election.

In the event of a vacancy in the ranks of the officers during the period when pre-season meetings are being held, or during the regular season, the President shall notify the members of the vacancy at a regular meeting and at the following regular meeting an election will be held, with nominations to be made from the floor. If the vacancy is in the office of the President, the notification will be made by the Vice-President. If a vacancy in the ranks of the officers occurs between seasons, the President shall call a special meeting to fill the vacancy, with a minimum ten (10) days written notice of the vacancy and the date and place of the election, said notice to be given by the Secretary to members by mail at their last known address. The election to fill the vacancy shall be conducted in accordance with provisions of Roberts Rules of Order relating to the filling of a vacancy in an office at a special meeting. If a vacancy is in the office of the President, the notification and the calling of the special meeting will be by the Vice-President.

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ARTICLE X: Amendments to the Constitution

A proposed amendment to the Constitution may be proposed by any member or group of members of SABO.
A proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be submitted, in writing clearly legible, to the Secretary of the Association at any duly called meeting of the Association.
A proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be read to the Association when submitted.
At the first meeting of the Association after the meeting at which a proposed constitutional amendment is submitted, copies of the proposed amendment shall be distributed to all members present, but no action may be taken on the proposed amendment.
At the second meeting of the Association after the meeting at which a proposed constitutional amendment is submitted, copies of the proposed amendment shall be distributed to all members present who did not receive a copy at the previous meeting, and action on the proposed amendment shall be taken in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order.
No proposed amendment to the SABO Constitution shall be adopted except by a two-thirds vote of the members voting at a duly called meeting of SABO, consistent with the foregoing provisions of Article X.

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ARTICLE XI: Dues and Compensation

Prospective members will pay dues as follows:

All first-time members of SABO will pay an initiation fee of $5.00 in addition to the annual dues. No individual will be required to pay the initiation fee more than once.

All active SABO members will pay annual dues of $25 .00 for the 1997-1998 basketball season. However, thereafter in succeeding seasons, dues may be set and/or changed from time to time on a scheduled basis as prescribed further in Article XI. A constitutional amendment is not necessitated.

Compensation for the Commissioner will be paid out of the SABO treasury and will be an annual fee of $5,500.00 for the 1997-1998 season. However, thereafter in succeeding seasons, compensation may be set and/or changed from time to time on a scheduled basis as prescribed further in Article XI. The Commissioner will not be paid earlier than the second regular season meeting in January nor later than the election meeting in February. A constitutional amendment is not necessitated.
Officers and others may be reimbursed or prepaid out of the SABO treasury for legitimate expenses incurred on behalf of SABO, upon approval of the Executive Board.
Compensation for others, in addition to the Commissioner, may be deemed necessary from time to time. The procedure is prescribed further in Article XI.
The President will appoint a "Revenue and Compensation Review Committee" subject to the following guidelines:

The Committee will be appointed minimally every three years and maximally at the President's discretion every year.

Seven SABO members in good standing will be appointed by the President by the first regular season meeting and announced to the membership at that meeting.

The Committee will meet to formulate recommendations regarding revenue and compensation.

The Committee will make its written recommendations on changes in revenue and/or compensation, if any, to the Executive Board by the last regular season meeting in December.

The Executive Board will review the recommendations and decide to either reject or accept the Committee's recommendations as a whole by the second regular season meeting in January.

If the decision is to reject, the recommendations die and existing dues and compensation status remain unchanged for the forthcoming season.

If the decision is to accept the recommendations, then the Executive Board will convey by mail to the entire SABO membership the list of recommendations by the second regular season meeting in January.

SABO membership will have final approval of the recommendations. A vote will be conducted at the first regular season meeting in February. Approval of the recommendations will be by majority vote of those members present at the meeting. Absentee ballots or voting by proxy are prohibited. Any changes will take effect the following basketball season.

Revenue and Compensation Committee will:

Review dues structure. Determine if existing dues are appropriate, exorbitant, or inadequate and make recommendations.

Review all forms of compensation. Determine if existing compensation is appropriate, exorbitant, or inadequate and make recommendations.

Determine if other officers or other SABO members are deserving of compensation. If so, the Committee will further determine amount(s), payment schedule(s), and determine if existing revenue sources are adequate to fund these additional compensations. Make appropriate recommendations.

Consider other sources of revenue should the need arise and make recommendations.

Compensation set for a particular season (exclusive of reimbursable expenses) is all that will be paid to any individual. Bonuses in any form or by any other designation are prohibited.

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