Constitution & By-Laws

THE HAMILTON BOARD OF APPROVED BASKETBALL OFFICIALS

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

Areas Revised May 16, 2024

CONSTITUTION:

Article 1 – Name

1.1 – The name of this organization shall be THE HAMILTON BOARD OF APPROVED BASKETBALL OFFICIALS, having membership in the ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL OFFICIALS, hereinafter referred to as the HAMILTON BOARD.

Article 2 – Purpose

2.2 – To organize all Basketball Officials, disseminate knowledge of the Official Rules of Basketball, to hold Basketball Clinics and to officiate all organized basketball within our geographical jurisdiction when our services are requested.

Article 3 – Membership

3.1 -Those eligible for membership shall be all persons who have been awarded Lifetime Membership within the Hamilton Board and those who paid their dues and who have attained their 16th birthday prior to midnight August 31st of the current year. Members are required to achieve a passing grade of 60% on an official examination provided by CBOC or, failing that, the OABO Provincial Interpreter each year. Those failing to write or pass an exam will be suspended from officiating in accordance with OABO procedures until such time as the exam is successfully completed with a grade of 60% or better.

3.2 – Members in good standing are those who have paid their dues (except for Lifetime Members who are exempt from annual dues) and have not contravened the Constitution or By-laws and are not subject to disciplinary action.

3.3 – Members may be awarded Lifetime Membership within the Hamilton Board to recognize exceptional long-term service that has contributed to the foundation, growth and continued development of the Hamilton Board. In order to be recognized, a member must be nominated by a member of the Hamilton Board in good standing and be voted in to the Lifetime Membership category by a majority of 50% plus one (1) of the current Executive at a vote to take place prior to the Annual General Meeting.  The Lifetime Membership category may apply to both current and past members of the Hamilton Board and may, where deemed appropriate, be awarded posthumously.  Members who are awarded Lifetime Membership are exempt from the payment of annual dues.  No more than two individuals may be added to the Lifetime Membership category per year.

Article 4 – Executive members

4.1 – The Officers of the Hamilton Board shall be members in good standing and shall consist of: President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, 2 Assigning Officers, and an Interpreter and are to be elected by a simple majority of members in good standing, present at the Annual Meeting. The term of office shall be two years from the date of election. The position of Evaluation Officer shall be a member in good standing and will be appointed by the Executive.

4.2 – The position of any Executive member that becomes vacant during their term of office shall be filled by appointment of a Member in Good Standing by the remaining members of the Executive until the Hamilton Board’s next Annual Meeting. At the next Annual Meeting, an election shall be held for the remaining term of that office.

4.3 – In addition to the officers listed heretofore, the HBABO may, from time to time, elect an Executive Emeritus, who shall hold an Honourary Executive position for life.

4.3.1 – The Executive Emeritus may occupy an executive seat at all Association Executive meetings as well as HBABO Meetings and may be offered special assignments including, but not limited to, observing and evaluating officials.

4.3.2 – A nominee for Executive Emeritus shall be proposed by the Executive or nominations in advance of the Annual General Meeting. Any nominee(s) shall be voted on at the present or subsequent Annual General Meeting. In considering a nominee for the position of Executive Emeritus, the executive is to be guided by the principles that the honour is intended to recognize outstanding and long-standing contributions to the HBABO, its members and Basketball.

4.3.3 – In order to be elected Executive Emeritus, an individual must receive a simple majority from those in attendance and eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Article 5 – Duties of Executive

5.1 – The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board.  He/she shall exercise a general supervision over all the affairs of the Executive and shall be the official spokesperson for the Board.  The President shall cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie vote of the Executive.  The President shall prepare the agenda for the Annual General Meeting.  In his/her absence, or in his/her inability to act, the Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President. The President shall be a signing officer.

5.2 – The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in his or her absence, or in his/her inability to act.  The Vice-President is responsible for all details regarding the examinations. The Vice-President will be responsible for the creation and implementation of strategies related to recruitment and retention of officials.  The Vice-President will also be responsible for other duties as may be directed by the President or Executive.  The Vice-President shall be a signing officer.

5.3 – The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep minutes of all decisions undertaken at meetings of the Executive or the Hamilton Board.  He/she shall keep a complete record of the names and addresses of all members of the Hamilton Board.  He/she shall receive all communications and conduct all correspondence, retaining copies of each in a proper file.  He/she shall ensure that members are properly notified of any meetings required by the constitution.  He/she shall keep an accurate record of all monies received and disbursed and report on such regularly to the Executive and to the Hamilton Board at the Annual General Meeting.  He/she shall be responsible for signing and distributing all cheques drawn by the Hamilton Board.  In the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer, other members of the Executive with signing authority may sign and distribute cheques drawn by the Hamilton Board.

5.4 – The Interpreter shall be the official rules interpreter of the Board. The Interpreter will be responsible for conducting referee clinics, classroom instruction of rules, mechanics and floor positioning and shall assist in conducting referee clinics and on-court instruction at regularly scheduled meetings.

5.5 – The Assignor #1 shall be responsible for the appropriate assignment of officials to all high-school, college and men’s league level games.  He/she shall act as the point of contact for the convenors/athletic directors for these games and shall be responsible for any complaints or potential discipline matters arising from the games assigned.  The Assignor #1 shall work with the Executive to resolve any matters that arise.  He/she shall be responsible for recording the assignments made and where necessary prepare invoices for payment by the leagues where assignments were made.  The Assignor #2 shall be responsible for the appropriate assignment of officials to all games not covered by the Assignor #1.  This includes but is not limited to elementary and ladies league level games.  The Assignor #2 shall carry out the same duties as the Assignor #1 for these leagues.

5.6 – The Evaluation Officer, appointed by the Executive, shall assist the Executive in evaluating officials.

Article 6 – Meeting

6.1 – The Annual Meeting of the Hamilton Board shall take place in the month of May of the current season. The place and start time of the meeting shall be arranged by the Executive and announced no later than March 31 of the current season.

6.2 – All elections and general motions need a majority of those members in good standing that are present to pass or for the motion to take effect. A show of hands may be used to decide if a vote shall be by secret ballot.  All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot.  The candidate garnering the most votes shall be declared the winner.  The announcement of election results shall be naming the winning candidate only.

Article 7 – Amendments

7.1 – No amendment(s) or alteration(s) shall be made to any part of this Constitution or By-Laws except at the Annual General Meeting as notified of in Article 6.1. Such amendment(s) or alteration(s) shall be by approval of a two-thirds (66%) majority of those members present.  Notices of any proposed amendment(s) or alteration(s), duly Motioned and seconded by any Members in Good Standing, must be filed in writing with the President and Secretary-Treasurer no later than two (2) weeks prior to the Annual Meeting.  Members in Good Standing do not have to be present at the Annual Meeting in order for such motions to be considered by the Members in attendance.

7.2 – All changes to this Constitution and By-Laws shall be hi-lighted and dated.

Article 8 – Committees

8.1 – The Executive may appoint, of form committees comprised of executive and / or members in good standing, as it deems necessary to conduct its business.

8.2 – The Executive may appoint special advisors to the executive as it deems necessary to assist in conducting its business.

 Article 9 – Information Technology

9.1 – The Executive will appoint yearly an Information Technology (IT) Support Officer. This individual will provide support for the IT needs of the members of the Hamilton Board. This would include, but is not limited to, the maintenance of the Hamilton Board website. This appointment can be offered to a member of the Hamilton Board or, if no suitable candidate is available, an individual who is not a member of the Hamilton Board. The Executive will develop annually scope of work for this appointment and this person will report to the Executive.

BY-LAWS:

1.1 – Association fees will be set prior to the registration meeting in September. These fees cover administration costs of the Hamilton Board, as well as dues for the Ontario Association of Basketball Officials (including insurance coverage). They are to be paid in full at the time of registration annually in September before any games are assigned. Prospective new members may attend meetings in September to determine if they wish to join – registration for new members, including payment of fees, must be completed by October 1 and before any games are assigned. These fees also include $40.00 to an education fund to aid in education initiatives undertaken by the Board, $10.00 per member, including dual members, to be put in the Kitch MacPherson Bursary Fund, which is established for further education of selected recipients and $15.00 per member, including dual members, to be donated toward cancer research as part of the “pink whistle” campaign. 11.25% of each member’s game fees shall be paid to the Hamilton Board and distributed in accordance with By-Laws 1.3 to 1.5 and 3.75% of each member’s travel fees shall be paid to the Hamilton Board and distributed directly to the Board in accordance with By-Law 1.5.

1.2 – The President, Vice-President, Evaluation Officer, Information Technology (IT) Support Officer and Interpreter shall be paid an honorarium to be decided at the Annual Meeting.

1.3 – The Assigning Officers shall receive 6% of the total game fees of the members to be divided amongst the Assignor No. 1 and Assignor No. 2 based on the proportion of games assigned.

1.4 – The Secretary-Treasurer shall receive 1.5% of the total game fees of the members.

1.5 – To cover administration costs, 3.75% of the total games and travel fees of the members shall go to the Hamilton Board.

By-Law 2 – Uniform

2.1 – Members of the Hamilton Board shall wear the uniform defined by the OABO constitution.

Editorial note: At the time of the publishing of this document the uniform consists of black trousers (with black belt if worn), black basketball shoes, black socks, the CBOC shirt, a black Fox40 whistle and black lanyard. As approved by the membership at the May 18, 2023, use of the CBOC shirt will be effective September 1, 2023. Prior to September 1, 2023 officials will continue to use striped shirts.

2.2 – For locally assigned games, if a warm-up jacket is worn it shall be a black basketball jacket with the Hamilton Board crest or the CBOC or CABO warm-up jackets or any warm-up jacket designated by CBOC (crew does not need to wear the same jacket).

  1. Warm-up jackets are required to be worn for all high school or U14 and above games
  2. Warm-up jackets are optional for all other local assignments but the entire crew will either wear or not wear warm-up jackets

By-Law 3 – Rule of procedure

3.1 – Members of the Hamilton Board who contravene this Constitution and/or By-Laws, or the Constitution / By-Laws of our governing bodies including OABO, may be subject to suspension as determined by the Hamilton Board Executive. A suspended Member will not be eligible to be assigned games during the duration of any suspension.  The suspended member may appeal the suspension to an Appeal Committee, through the Executive, as appointed per Article 8.1.  The decision of such Appeal Committee shall be binding and final.

3.2 – Members shall adhere to the rules and floor mechanics as set out in the Officiating Manual for the appropriate rules set that a League and/or Governing Body is being officiating for. This shall include any variations that are provided to the Hamilton Board Executive in writing and that are posted on the Hamilton Board web site.  Governing bodies that Hamilton Board Members currently serve are; Basketball Ontario / Canada Basketball / CBOC / FIBA; CCAA / OCAA, USports / OUA; and OFSAA.

3.3 – Any member of the Hamilton Board, who is participating as an active player or team member, shall bear in mind that he or she is expected to conduct themselves properly at all times, particularly considering his fellow officials and shall be subject to disciplinary action including suspension for failing to do so.

3.4 – The President may call an executive meeting or general meeting with forty-eight (48) hours notice.

3.5 – Officials shall not be allowed to solicit or volunteer for game assignments, ALL game assignments must be assigned and approved by Assigning Officer #1 or Assigning Officer #2.

3.6 – Where possible the following order of business should be followed for Annual Meetings:

  1. Opening Remarks – Chairperson
  2. Additions to the Agenda
  3. Minutes of previous Annual Meeting
  4. Business arising from the minutes
  5. Executive Reports
  6. Amendments to Constitution & By-Laws
  7. Election of Officers
    1. The order of the election of officers shall be:
      1. Any new position that has been created within the Constitution and does not already appear in the following order
      2. Interpreter
      3. Assigner #2
      4. Assigner #1
      5. Secretary-Treasurer
      6. Vice President
      7. President
  8. New Business
  9. Adjournment