By-law
SECTION 1:
This Lodge shall be known and distinguished as Mount Moriah Lodge, No. 20, Free and Accepted Masons, hailing under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. All persons who shall be members of Pioneer - Mt. Moriah Lodge, No. 20 at the time this section ratified shall be members of Mount Moriah Lodge No. 20.
SECTION 2:
The stated communication of this Lodge shall be held on the First Wednesday of each month and by discretion of the Master, the third Wednesday of each month, except that there shall be Summoned Communication in the month of May, which shall be known as the Annual Communication for the Election of Officers and for the transaction of other business of the Lodge. The Master of the Lodge at his discretion may call Special Communication. All fees, dues and other compensation matters shall be fixed at the Annual communication.
SECTION 3:
The Master shall have the power to suspend all stated communications between June 1 - September 30 and any which fall on a legal or religious holiday or eve thereof. He may also, if deemed necessary, hold a suspended communication on a substitute date.
SECTION 4:
The elective officers of this lodge shall be the Master, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Treasurer, Secretary and three (3) Trustees.
SECTION 5:
The term for each of the elected officers of the Lodge shall be for one (1) year, except that the term of office of a Trustee shall be three (3) years and known as the Board of Trustees. The term of Trustees shall be so arranged that the term of one shall expire at the end of each year. All Trustees must reside in New York State as prescribed by the Constitution of Grand Lodge. Each elected officer shall continue in office until his successor has been duly elected and installed.
SECTION 6:
The Master of the Lodge shall appoint a Senior Deacon, a Junior Deacon, a Senior and Junior Masters of Ceremony, two or more Stewards, a Marshall, an Organist, a Tiler and one or more Chaplains. The Master has also the right to appoint any officer with the title Emeritus.
SECTION 7:
a) The duties of the officers, elected or appointed, shall be such as prescribed by the Constitution of Grand Lodge.
b) It shall be the duty of the Board of Trustees to hold in turn all real and personal property of the Lodge. They shall deposit monies and/or securities received by them to the credit of the Lodge in insured institutions. Said funds may be invested in or reinvested in, investment grads marketable investment or Securities and Exchange commission qualified 1940 act open-end mutual funds. No monies shall be drawn from any financial institution that the Lodge has accounts in, except after proper authorization, after a vote of the Lodge at a Stated, Special or Summoned Communication. All disbursements of the Lodge shall be by check only, signed by the Treasurer after it has been certified by the Master and Secretary and that such payment has been authorized by the Lodge. No Trustee shall be eligible to the office of Treasurer or appointed on the Auditing Committee during his term of office. The Senior Trustee shall be the Chairman of the Board.
SECTION 8:
Any vacancy on the Board of Trustee shall be filled by elect for the unexpired term or terms.
SECTION 9:
At the end of the term of Master, with the approval of the Lodge, a Past Masters Apron may be presented to him if is not in possession of one. Additionally, he may be presented with a suitable token of esteem.
SECTION 10:
For the faithful performance of their respective duties, the Secretary, Treasurer and Tiler shall receive such compensation as the Lodge shall direct.
SECTION 11:
A petition of any person desirous of becoming a member of this Lodge must be presented (in his own handwriting) at a stated Communication. After the Lodge received the petition, it shall be referred to a committee of three (3) whose duty it shall be to make a thorough investigation of the candidate and submit a report to the Lodge within a reasonable time, thereafter, provided a period of at least (2) two weeks shall have elapsed. This investigation must take place at the residence of the candidate. On the report of said committee, the lodge shall proceed to ballot on the candidate. Unless the ballot contains three (3) or more black balls or cubes, the candidate shall be declared accepted to become a member of this Lodge.
SECTION 12:
A candidate for initiation and advancement in this Lodge shall deposit a Two Hundred -Fifty (250.00) dollar proposition fee, which deposit shall be applied as part payment of the initiation fee if the candidate is accepted. Said monies shall be returned if the candidate is rejected. A candidate elected to receive the Degree of Entered apprentice must present himself for initiation within three months but may be extended by a majority vote of the members present at any stated Communication. A candidate failing to present himself without proper cause shall forfeit his proposition fee.
SECTION 13:
The initiation fee shall be Seven Hundred Fifty ($750.00) Dollars and shall be one half of the regular fee ($375.00) for a member's son, adopted son, stepson, son-in-law, grandson, father, father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, nephew and uncle (either by blood or marriage).
SECTION 14:
Any Mason wishing to affiliate with this lodge shall deposit one hundred dollars ($100.00) with his petition (written in his own handwriting), which deposit shall be applied as part payment of the brother's affiliation fee which shall be two hundred dollars ($200.00). No brother shall be considered until he shall produce satisfactory evidence that he has honorably and constitutionally withdrawn from the Lodge in which he last belonged, unless he wished to affiliate as a dual member, in which case he must provide an official letter from the other
Lodge that he is a member in good standing.
SECTION 15:
Any member having been unaffiliated for non-payment of dues may be restored to membership at any Stated Communication by a majority vote taken by a show of ban, provided that the arrears are disposed of to the satisfaction the Lodge. Except that any brother who shall have been unaffiliated for five (5) years or more shall not again become a member of this lodge, until, per Section 11, he shall have been investigated by a committee, and said committee shall submit a report to the lodge, that a ballot has been taken by the Lodge and said brother shall be notified by mail of the results of that ballot.
SECTION 16:
It shall be the duty of each member to notify the Secretary of any change in his post office address.
SECTION 17:
The annual dues of each member, payable in advance, shall be at rates approved at each Annual Communication in May plus such annual per capita tax as may be levied by Grand Lodge from time to time except as otherwise provided in Section 18 of these by-laws.
SECTION 18:
A member of Pioneer Lodge No. 20 who received Life Membership therein prior to the 1st day of January 1958 or a member of Mt. Moriah No. 27 who received or would have been entitled to receive Veteran Membership therein prior to the 1st day of January 197 5, shall thereafter pay, in advance, the annual dues of Five (5) Dollars plus such annual per-capita tax as may be levied from time to time by Grand Lodge.
SECTION 19:
At any stated communication, the Lodge may, by unanimous ballot, confer Honorary Membership upon a Master Mason, who is in good standing in any other regular lodge, provided that the proposal of such Honorary Membership shall first be submitted in writing to the Master of the Lodge while not in session. The Master shall thereupon appoint a committee consisting of three (3) members to report on such proposal. Upon the unanimous recommendation to him of approval by such committee, the proposal shall be submitted to the Lodge at a stated communication and shall be balloted upon at a succeeding stated communication.
SECTION 20:
The secretary shall advise the Lodge at the first communication in October of the names of all members in arrears for dues and the amounts thereof. Final reading of delinquents shall be read at December communication and names forwarded to Grand Lodge for non-payment of dues by December 31 and removed from the membership rolls.
SECTION 21:
A member more than one year in arrears for dues may be unaffiliated by the majority vote of the Lodge at the December communication, provided such members shall have been duly summoned thirty days previous thereto to show cause why such action should not be taken.
SECTION 22:
At the Annual Communication, no member in arrears for dues shall be entitled to vote, as per Section 21 of these By-Laws.
SECTION 23:
The Master of the Lodge shall designate the chairman and members of all (ad-hoc and standing) committees. The standing committees are:
(a) Relief committee shall consist of three (3) members.
(b) Auditing Committee shall consist of three (3) members whose duty it is to examine the accounts of the Secretary, Treasurer and Trustees, and make a detailed report thereof at the Annual Communication.
(c) Budget Committee shall consist of three (3) members: Treasurer, Secretary and one other to be appointed by the Master. Their duty is to prepare a budget for the next succeeding year, submit same to the Lodge, to be read at the April Communication. The consideration of the budget shall then be held over until the Annual Communication, at which time, after review, shall be voted upon by the members. Expenditures incurred for any item in the budget shall not exceed the amount allotted therefore unless approved by the Lodge at a communication summoned, therefore.
SECTION 24:
A Quorum for the transaction of any business of the Lodge at any Stated, Special or Summoned Communications shall be five (5) members. No transaction of any business of the Lodge shall be conducted before 7:00 pm, at any Communications.
SECTION 25:
Effective May 3, 2107, a three (3) year moratorium will be placed on amending By Laws 12,13,14 and a five (5) year moratorium will be placed on amending all other By Laws. Any portion or the whole of these By-Laws may be amended or annulled or other substituted in their stead at the will of the Lodge, provided that the Ancient Landmarks of the Fraternity and the Constitution, Regulations and Edicts of Grand Lodge be carefully maintained. All propositions to amend or annul any or all of these By-Laws, or to substitute others in their stead, must be made in writing, read before the Lodge and a copy sent to each member. It must then lie over until the next stated communication, when a vote shall be taken upon such proposition, the assent of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting shall be necessary for the adoption of such proposition.
SECTION 26:
Any candidate wishing to become a member of this Lodge will be subjected to a 'Questions and Answers' test in 'open lodge and must be found to be proficient by the Brethren of the Lodge in order to proceed to the next degree. If a candidate is deemed not proficient, they may be tested again at the next communication.
SECTION 27:
All former By-Laws, Regulation and Amendments are hereby annulled. As Amended - Approved and Ratified by the members April 5, 2017