New Mexico Territory Cowboy Mounted Shooters General By-laws

Revised to current version May, 2011

1.       The purpose of the organization shall be to promote and support the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting in the state of New Mexico and the surrounding area including El Paso, Texas.

2.       The name of the organization shall be the New Mexico Territory Cowboy Mounted Shooters, a New Mexico Non-profit corporation and shall hereafter be referred to as NMTCMS.

3.       The organization shall be open to anyone interested in the sport and shall be affiliated with the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association of Colombia Tennessee, hereafter referred to as CMSA.

4.       All NMTCMS Shoots shall be conducted in accordance with the current CMSA rulebook as will the accumulation of points for NMTCMS year end awards.

5.       NMTCMS members must be current CMSA cardholders in good standing.

6.       Only points from sanctioned CMSA WPQ matches will count toward NMTCMS year end awards. Fun shoots, practices, clinics or local club shoots will not count.

7.       Fees collected for NMTCMS activities offset the cost of awards and operation of the state finals and shall be used for that purpose to insure that no one individual is left responsible for the financial burden of the State Championship event.

8.       In order to be eligible for yearend awards participants must compete in at least half of the sanctioned matches throughout the year.

9.       In the interest of ensuring the growth of our sport all NMTCMS sanctioned shoots are required to include a Wrangler class if there are participants interested. Shoot fees for Wranglers should be kept to a minimum, although arena fees and point fees shall apply.

10.   Move ups and move downs must follow CMSA guidelines and accrued points will follow move ups. In the event a member moves up at the State Championship that move up will take effect at the next shoot and not affect the current season.

11.   A competitor will win the State Championship by accumulating the most points at NMTCMS sanctioned matches throughout the season. The Board may decide to drop 2 or more of the contestants lowest scores depending on the number of shoots held during the season. No less than 10 shoots will be counted toward the State Championship. State Championship awards will be given in each qualified class and age division as defined by CMSA. (Note: Winning the State Championship shoot does not necessarily mean that person is the State Champion.)

12.   The officers of the Association shall consist of President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and a board of no less than four (4) Directors all of whom shall be active members of good standing in the organization. The minimum age of such an officer shall be 18 years. A member must be in good standing for six (6) months prior to being elected as an Association officer. All officers of the association serve at will and may decline to serve at anytime.

13.   The board shall be made up of the 2 most recent past Presidents, as well as no less than 2 at large Directors chosen by the current President. The President may ask other members to serve as needed, such as the National Advisory Board member and/or CMSA Board members from our area.

14.   Duties of Officers
President: It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all (General and Board of Directors) meetings as Chairperson to assume responsibility for the day to day operation of the organization and to enforce all By-Laws and Regulations related to the Association. The President shall also appoint all committees necessary for the function of the Association. The President should only vote is business before the board in the case of a tie.

Vice-President: In the absence of the President, presides and performs the duties of President, also can be head of a committee. The Vice-President shall assist the President in all duties deemed necessary by the President. The Vice President each year is also the President-Elect for the coming season and takes over the duties of President after the State Championships have been awarded.

Secretary-Treasurer: It shall be the duty of the Secretary-Treasurer to keep minutes of all the meetings, including Board meetings, and maintain a current list of all officers, Board Members, and general membership. The Secretary-Treasurer shall receive and bank all money due the Association and disburse all money as directed as well as keep records of such funds and pay bills, receive and file all receipts from expenditures and to give a financial report at each meeting. Bills shall be paid by checks when possible for record purposes.

Board of Directors: It shall be the duty of the Officers and Board of Directors to take the initiative in determining the policies of the Association, to control management of any equipment belonging to the Association, approve major purchases, and to authorize expenditures of the Association funds. The Board of Directors will have the responsibility of transacting the business between meetings and report to the general membership for approval and ratification, any new policies or projects considered as deemed necessary by the President.

15.   Rules of Conduct- Recognizing that our sport is a family oriented activity and realizing that there are frequently young children present at these events; the Rules of Conduct for all NMTCMS events will strictly follow the rules set down in the CMSA rulebook under Rule #3. Anyone offended either directly or indirectly should contact any board member with any complaint. Subsequently the NMTCMS board will determine what actions are appropriate based on the severity of the violation.

16.   In the event NMTCMS should become inactive or be dissolved for any cause; available cash will be used to pay any outstanding liabilities. Any remaining cash and any equipment owned by the organization will be donated to Reins for Life (a 501 (C) 3 Charity) in Dexter, New Mexico to be used in their program services.

The rules and guidelines contained herein are accepted by the membership and acknowledged by the officers of the organization for the current season and should not be altered except in extreme circumstances by a majority vote of the membership or their duly appointed representatives. Anyone having issue with any of the rules or guidelines listed here is encouraged to contact the board of directors of the NMTCMS in writing in person by mail or by electronic mail. A decision on any action or inaction shall be rendered by the board, with explanation, within a two week period from when they receive the complaint.