Northwest Side Branch Bylaws

Adopted April 1997. Revised March 7, 2023.

Article 1

This branch shall conform to the Constitution and the Bylaws of the Chicago Dental Society. Its organization shall be in accordance with Article XX of the bylaws of the Chicago Dental Society as revised on Oct. 4, 2011.

 (Hereinafter "Branch" shall designate the Northwest Side Branch and "Society" shall designate the Chicago Dental Society and "Board" shall designate the Northwest Side Branch Board.)

Article 2. Membership

Section 1. Active Membership

The Board of Directors of the Chicago Dental Society defines active membership as members in good standing assigned to this Branch.

Section 2. Privileges of Membership

All active and associate members in good standing shall have the right to vote at all meetings of the Branch, receive publications and notices of the Branch. Members in good standing are defined as Society members who have paid their CDS annual dues by the end of the CDS annual Midwinter Meeting.

Article 3. Officers and Term of Office

Section 1. Elective Officers

The elective officers of this Society shall be, in descending order, president, president- elect, vice president, treasurer and secretary each of whom shall be elected by the branch as provided in Article 7 of the Bylaws

  Section 2. Term of Office

The above officers shall be elected annually to serve for one year or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

Article 4. Management and Fiscal Year

Section 1. Management

The management of this Branch shall be vested in a Board of Directors consisting of the Branch officers, Branch Director and the three most recent active Past Presidents.

Section 2. President

The President shall preside at all meeting; shall appoint all committees not otherwise provided for in these by-laws subject to the approval of the Board of Directors; may counter-sign all checks for the disbursement of funds in payment of society expenses in accordance with according regulations and procedures established by the board; and must issue calls for special meetings when demanded in accordance with Article 5 of the constitution of the Chicago Dental Society; shall have the power to fill vacancies on all committees not otherwise provided in these by-laws; and shall perform such other duties as usually appertain to the office of the President. The President shall be an ex- officio member of all Committees. He/She will invite a Trustee from the Illinois State Society to report on current news pertaining to dentistry. The President will act as chair of the nominating committee.

Section 3. President-elect

The President-elect shall assist the President when requested and shall be privileged to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors; and shall act officially as the chair of the nominating committee. He/She shall succeed the president in office. The president-elect shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees. The president-elect shall preside in the absence of the President and to succeed to his/her office in case of vacancy for any cause.

Section 4. Treasurer

The treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds and monies of the society. He/She shall (a) cause to be deposited with a depository selected by the Board of Directors, all monies of the society; (b) sign checks for the disbursement of funds in payment of society expenses in accordance with accounting regulations established by the Board; submit his/her books and accounts for audit by two past presidents; (d) turn over to his/her successor all books, papers, records, and other properties of his/her office at the termination of his/her tenure. All checks should be cosigned by the President and (e) submit any forms required by and to the Chicago Dental Society and make the books, papers, records and other properties of the office available to the staff and/or Board of Directors of the Chicago Dental Society.

Section 5. Secretary

The Secretary shall conduct the business of the society, which is otherwise not assigned. He/She shall (a) be responsible for keeping adequate records; (b) notify members of appointment to committees; (c) shall serve as secretary of the Board of Directors; (d) shall turn over to his/her successor all books, papers, records, and other properties of his/her office, at the termination of his/her tenure.

Section 6. Branch Director to the Chicago Dental Society

The Branch Director to the CDS shall be elected for a three-year term. The Director shall act as liaison between the Branch and the Society's Board of Directors. The Director shall report to the Branch on matters regarding decision and policy transacted at the Society's Board. The Director has the responsibility to make Committee Appointments to the Chicago Dental Society's Standing Committees and Mid-Winter Meeting Committees, after consultation with the officers of his/her Branch.

Section 7. Quorum

Five or more active Board members in good standing shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a Board meeting.

Section 8. Fiscal year

The fiscal year shall be from June 1 of each year to May 31 or the succeeding year.

Article 5. Meetings and Quorum

Section 1. Meetings

  A. Regular meetings of the branch shall be held on the first Tuesday of October, November, December, March, and April, at such times and places as may be determined by the Installation Banquet shall NOT replace the regular meeting in April.

  B. Special meetings of this branch may be called by the president upon his/her own initiative, and special meetings must be called by the President upon written request of a majority of the Board of Directors; or 5% or more active Such meetings shall be called within the time limit stated in the request, provided the request is made not less than 30 days days prior to the time of the requested meeting.

C. The Secretary shall send a written notice a minimum of 15 days in advance to each active member of the Branch specifying the purpose of purposes of the special No other business shall be transacted or discussed except by unanimous consent and vote by the members present.

Section 2. Quorum

Ten percent or more active members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting.

Article 6. Election of Officers

Section 1. Elective Officers

The elective officers of this Branch shall be President, President-elect, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Secretary and Treasurer, who shall be elected to serve for one year, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The President shall not be elected but shall succeed to that office after having been elected President-Elect and having served his/her term in such office or as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

Section 2. Nomination of Candidates

A. By Nomination Committee. The nomination committee shall consist of the branch President, branch President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and any Past-Presidents that have attended two Branch meetings within the previous 12 months. The president-elect shall act as Chair   of the Nomination Committee calling the meeting to order. The branch president will act as the secretary. The President-Elect shall be without voting privileges except in the case of a tie. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be without voting privileges. The committee will function on a majority vote. The Nomination Committee shall submit its slate with the candidate's consent, not later that the March membership meeting. The executive committee shall set the budget for the Nominating Committee.

  B. By Petition. Names of candidates other than those submitted by the Nominating Committee, shall be submitted in writing, setting forth the names of candidates on a petition with the signatures of at least 25 members, in good standing, of the Branch. Such petitions, together with evidence of consent from the nominee or nominees, shall be filed with the Secretary of the Branch, not less than 20 days prior to the annual election.

Section 3. Manner of Voting

In the event of a contest for any or all the elective offices voting shall be by written secret ballot. The form of the ballot shall be approved by the Board. If there is no contest for any of the elective offices, the President shall direct the Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot on behalf of the candidates for the office to which they have been nominated. In all contested elections, tellers shall be appointed by the President at the time of election. They shall tabulate the votes and report to the President immediately.

Section 4. Time and Place

The annual Election of Officers shall be held at the regular April meeting at such time and place as designated by the Board.

Section 5. Installation of Officers

The officers shall be installed after their election but shall not assume their duties until June 1 of that year. The Installation Banquet will be held at such time and place chosen by the incoming president.

Section 6. Succession of Officers

In the event any elective office shall become vacant for any cause whatsoever, the officer who is next in rank will assume that office. The Nomination Committee shall appoint an active member in good standing to the office of Secretary until his/her successor is duly elected and qualified.

A. President. The vice president shall succeed to the office of president in the case of vacancy.

B. President-elect. If this office becomes vacant for any cause, the same shall be filled at the next annual election and the ballot shall indicate as follows: “Vacancy to be filled-to succeed the office of the President.”

Section 7. Removal from Office

In the event any elected officer of the Branch would be found incompetent to retain office for any reason, the authority to remove such officer would be held by a 75% majority vote of the Board of Directors. The remainder term of office would be filled as stated in Article 7, Section 6.

Article 7. Delegates to the ISDS House of Delegates

Section 1. Delegates

 A. Eligibility. Candidates for Delegates or Alternate Delegates to the ISDS House of Delegates must have been a Branch member for at least one (1) fill year at the time of election as a Delegate.

  B. The Director of the Branch and the President-elect shall serve as Any additional Delegate or alternate Delegate positions shall be nominated by the membership. The President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve as Alternate Delegates if Delegate and/or Alternate positions are not elected by the membership.  Alternate Delegates will be paid a stipend at the same rate of a Delegate if the Alternate Delegate attends the meeting.

  C. Election. Delegates and Alternate Delegates will be elected a minimum of six months prior to the ISDS Annual Meeting.

D. Term For purposes of the Branch, the Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall serve one  year from Aug. 1. Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall be elected annually and may serve a maximum of five consecutive years. Candidates may be eligible after sitting out one year.

  E. Responsibilities. The Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall have the responsibility of attending the following meetings associated with the ISDS House of Delegates to represent the Branch:

1. CDS Caucuses (one prior to the ISDS Annual Meeting and one during
2. The Opening Meeting of the ISDS House of Delegates
3. The Reference Committees at the ISDS House of Delegates
4. The Business Meeting at the ISDS House of Delegates
5. Any special meetings call by the ISDS House of Delegates

Section 2:

Once ISDS HOD Resolutions are released to us, the Director of the Branch shall assign Resolutions to the Delegates and Alternate Delegates. Consideration can be made for all areas of interest, where feasible. Each Delegate and Alternate Delegate should learn the contents of all resolutions, but the assigned ones should be known in-depth to be our delegation’s experts on the content. First- timers will be paired with experienced delegates to mentor them on the process. The Alternates will sit with the Delegation during House of Delegates debate and voting on the Resolutions they’ve been assigned. The Director will pre-arrange seating at our table, and then tap Delegates to come off the floor to allow an Alternate to sit in, when appropriate.

Article 8. Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees of the Northwest Side Branch

A. Nominating Committee. This committee shall present a slate of officers to the membership for election no later than the March membership meeting. Nominees must have fulfilled the requirement of having served as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the ISDS House of Delegates by attending all meetings required of a member of the Delegation or having chaired a minimum of two major committees or at the discretion of the Branch Board. The major committees shall be Attendance and Dinner, Branch Correspondent, Installation Banquet, Programs Chair, and CPR/Special Events Chair.

  B. Attendance and Dinner. This committee shall encourage attendance to dinner meetings, keep records of attendance at all meetings and shall credential all persons seeking admission to meetings. This committee shall also contact the location chosen for meetings to arrange dates and times at directed by the President and be responsible for dinner tickets and seating counts.

  C. Branch Correspondent. This committee shall submit announcements and news items concerning the Branch and its' members to the editor of the CDS Review for publication by the deadlines set by the Society.

D. Installation Banquet. This committee shall arrange for the program and installation of officers and shall take charge of the entertainment and dinner at the Installation Banquet at the direction of the Incoming President. The Incoming President shall have the privilege to name his/her installing officer.

This committee shall arrange for and have charge contacting speakers, confirming program dates, and introduction of the programs presented at the regular meetings.

CPR/Special Events. This committee shall arrange for the CPR program and shall arrange for any special events at the direction of the President.

Section 2. Standing Committees of the Chicago Dental Society

The committees appointed as per the CDS Policy Manual will conform to said appointment.

  A. Access to Care. This committee will evaluate and make recommendations regarding feasibility, utilization and access to dental care for the economically and physically disadvantaged.

  B. Dental Care Plans. This committee will have the responsibility to study and report on third party payment plans to the membership.

  C. Mediation. It shall be the duty of this committee to receive complaints from either patients or member dentists, and to function as a conciliation service for resolving differences. It is not a function of this committee to make a final determination as to where fault may lie.

  D. Membership. The function of this committee is to recruit and retain members in the Northwest Side Branch.

  E. New Dentist Committee. Members shall assist in implementation of new dentist recruitment and retention efforts, study and determine needs of new dentists, and make recommendations to respond to unmet needs or concerns.

F. Peer Review. This committee shall function to assess quality of services rendered in cases referred by the mediation committee. These functions shall not include setting fees, determining practice, or interfering in the dentist-patient relationship. All members of the Peer Review Committee are covered under the liability policy of the Chicago Dental Society. This committee shall act, on a case-by-case basis, as directed by the CDS Peer Review committee.

  G. Relief Branch Liaison. This committee shall investigate all applications for financial aid from the American Dental Association Relief fund and report its recommendations to the Board of directors of the Chicago Dental Society.

  H. Speakers Bureau. This committee will act as part of the Communications Committee of the Chicago Dental Society and will secure speakers in order to more effectively reach school, public institutions, and citizens groups interested in hearing about dentistry.   Article 9. Amendment of Standing Rules

Section 1. Amendment of Standing Rules

The Standing Rules of this branch may be amended or revised by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the active members present at any regular meeting, provided that the proposed changes shall have been presented, in writing, at any regular or special meeting at least thirty days prior to the meeting at which such action is requested. Such proposed amendments or revisions shall be published in the official publication of this Society at least 10 days prior, or written notice postmarked at least 15 days before the time of such meeting.