CONSTITUTION

OF THE
INTERNATIONAL CITY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION

PREAMBLE

We the members of the International City Football Officials Association, in order to

perpetuate better football officiating for the schools of middle Georgia and its
surrounding areas, do establish this constitution for the members of said Association.

Article I
Section 1 Procedure

Parliamentary procedure in general shall conform to “Roberts Rules of Order Revised”

except as modified by this constitution and/or its Bylaws

Section 2 Name & Membership

Paragraph 1 This organization shall be known as the International City Football

Officials Association. Throughout this document where the acronym ICFOA is used it
shall be known to refer to International City Football Officials Association.

Paragraph 2 This organization shall have members and its legislative powers shall be
vested in such members. ICFOA shall have two levels of membership, which include
both Regular Members and Associate Members.

Paragraph 3 Regular Membership shall consist of all current ICFOA Regular Members
who have met the past or current requirements for Regular Membership in ICFOA and
any future Associate Members who shall meet the requirements for Regular Membership
as described in this Constitution and/or its Bylaws.

Paragraph 4 Associate Membership shall consist of any person with or without formal
football officiating experience desiring to become a member of ICFOA. Such persons
shall submit his/her name to the Membership Committee for approval. After such
approval said person shall become an Associate Member for a period of two qualifying
years provided the person has no formal football officiating experience. If said person has
prior formal football officiating experience and submits approved credentials as described
by this constitution and its Bylaws, they shall serve as an Associate Member for one
qualifying year.

Paragraph 5 A qualifying year shall consist of one fiscal year as described in Article II,
section 8, in which a person has meet all training, attendance and other such mandatory
requirements as described in this Constitution and its Bylaws. In such case that a person
was not a member at the beginning of the fiscal year or was on leave of absence at the

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beginning of the fiscal year, said person shall begin their fiscal year at the time of
registration with ICFOA

Paragraph 6 In order to become a Regular Member of ICFOA, each person shall

execute a pledge the pledge below and shall solemnly bind themselves to and be
governed by this constitution and its adopted Bylaws. Regular Membership shall become
effective immediately following and not before executing this pledge.

I, (stated name), do hereby vow to abide by the rules, procedures and other
guidance contained in the Constitution and Bylaws of the International City Football
Officials Association. I also pledge to diligently study the rules and mechanics of the
game, and to take advantage of opportunities offered to enhance my officiating skills.

Paragraph 7 Here within where the term “Member” is used it shall refer to both
Associate and Regular Members. Where term “Regular Member” is used it shall only
refer to those Regular Members who have been appointed legislative powers as described
by this Constitution. Where the term “Associate Member” is used it shall only refer to
those members who have been approved as an Associate Member as described by this
Constitution. Where the term “Legislative body” is used it shall refer to a quorum of
Regular Members as described in Article II, Section 3 of this Constitution.

Paragraph 8 Members shall always have the right to appeal to the legislative body the
decision of any committee that affects their membership.

Paragraph 9 When a committee has issued a ruling upon a specific member and the
member feels that the decision is not just, the member may use the following appeal
process:
a) Upon receiving the decision from said committee, the member shall
make known his/her intention to appeal. The member then has seventy-
two (72) hours to present in writing, a notice of his/her appeal to the
President, Recorder, or Chairperson of the committee that issued the
ruling. The letter should include a recount of the incident for which the
decision was issued and the reason for which the member believes that
the decision is un-just. In such case that a letter is not presented within
the stated time period, the appeal process shall end.
b) Once a member has stated their intention to appeal, then the decision
for which they are appealing shall not be carried out until completion
of the appeals process.
c) At the next scheduled or called meeting the presiding officer shall read
aloud the members letter and shall state which committee’s decision is
being appealed.
d) The committee, whose decision is being appealed, shall then have a
representative give said committee’s recount of the incident and the
reason(s) for the decision that was made.
e) The presiding officer shall then make a motion to uphold the
committee’s decision and it shall be second by the committee’s

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 representative. After open debate the presiding officer shall call for a
secret ballot vote of the membership (a quorum shall not be necessary
but only Regular Members have voting privileges), which shall be
counted and verified by the Membership Committee. In such case that
the Membership Committee is involved in the appeal, the executive
committee shall count and verify the votes.
f) If the votes are cast in favor of the Committee then the appeals process
is over and the committee’s original decision shall be in order. If the
votes are cast in favor of the Member, the appealed decision is nullified
and there shall be no further action taken concerning the issue at hand.

Paragraph 10 If a member believes he/she is not being scheduled according to his/her

qualifications, said member has the right to bring this to the attention of the Membership
Committee. If the Membership Committee is unable to satisfactorily resolve the
member’s complaint, they shall submit same to the Executive Committee which shall
make a binding decision.

Section 3 Dues

Paragraph 1 All Members of ICFOA shall be subject to dues as prescribed by the

Constitution.

Paragraph 2 At the second Business meeting of each Fiscal year the Executive
Committee shall submit for approval, a proposed registration fee to be known as
Membership dues for said fiscal year. These dues shall be in the form of a one-time fee
per fiscal year in order to provide sufficient revenue for the operation of ICFOA and the
registration of each member.

Section 4 Special Assessment

Paragraph 1 Individuals - ICFOA members of the Executive Committee the authority

to determine the amount of assessment levied against individual members of the
association within the confines of this Constitution and its Bylaws.

Paragraph 2 General Membership - If a general assessment is necessary to off-set

unforeseen costs; the Executive Committee shall determine the amount and recommend
same to the Legislative Body for approval with or without modification.

Article II
Section 1 Legislative Powers

The Legislative powers of ICFOA shall be vested in the Regular Members and shall only
be exercised during legislative assemblies at duly constituted regular or called meetings
at which a quorum is present. Each Regular Member shall have vested Legislative power
of one vote for each question called before the Legislative body.

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Section 2 Legislative Body

The Legislative body shall consist of a quorum of Regular Members in attendance at a

duly constituted meeting who has been assigned legislative powers as described in this
Constitution.

Section 3 Quorum

Paragraph 1 A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the average attendance of Regular

Members from the three (3) immediately preceding, duly constituted regular meetings or
shall consist of a simple majority of the entire regular membership, whichever number is
lower.

Paragraph 2 For the purpose of Constitutional amendments as described in Article V, a

quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the average attendance of Regular Members in
attendance at the three (3) immediately preceding, duly constituted regular meetings.

Section 4 Method of Voting

When not specified otherwise in this Constitution, the assembly shall vote viva voce or
by show of hands unless challenged. In a challenged vote a roll call vote shall be
mandated.

Section 5 Meetings

Paragraph 1 ICFOA shall have regular scheduled meetings which shall be held at such
times as the Executive Committee, with the advice of the President, shall appoint and
cause to be published.

Paragraph 2 There shall be two types of regular meetings: 1) business meetings and 2)
training meetings. There shall not be more than one regular business meeting per month.
All remaining meetings each month shall be Training Meetings.

Paragraph 3 ICFOA shall have the right to assign called meetings and shall be
constituted by obtaining approval from the President and then giving forty-eight (48)
hours notice to the Members. Called meetings shall be for business or training purposes.

Paragraph 4 The President shall have at his/her discretion, if for good cause, the power
to cancel a regular or called meeting. Such cancellation shall take place by notice of
cancellation no less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the assigned beginning of said
meeting.

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Section 6 Meeting Agenda

Paragraph 1 The order of business for all meetings shall adhere to either Article II,
Section 6, Paragraph 2 or Paragraph 3 (below) in accordance with the type and purpose of
said meeting.

Paragraph 2 Regular Business Meeting Agenda:

a) Roll Call (Secretary or Membership Committee Chairperson)
b) Reading of Minutes of the previous meeting (Recorder)
c) Report from officers and/or Committee Chairpersons as appropriate
d) Items of concern/interest (President or member with prior approval of President)
e) Old business
f) New business
g) Training as warranted should time permit (Training Committee)

Paragraph 3 Training Meeting Agenda:

a) Roll Call (Secretary or Membership Committee Chairperson)
b) Reading of Minutes of the previous meeting (Recorder)
c) Limited number Items of concern/interest (President or member with prior
approval of President)
d) Business that cannot wait to be handled at the next regular business meeting (must
be approved by the President prior to the meeting).
e) Training (Training Committee)

Paragraph 4 The President shall have the right, if for good cause, to dispense with any
or all procedures as described in Article II section 6, except as described in Article 1
section 1.

Section 7 Public Record of Meetings

Paragraph 1 This Constitution, its Bylaws and any subsequent amendments thereto,
shall be placed into the custody of the Recorder and uploaded to the ICFOA website.
New Members shall be given the website internet address in order to view/download the
aforementioned ICFOA documents. If website is unavailable for whatever reason, the
recorder will email these documents as required on a case-by-case basis.

Paragraph 2 A journal containing the minutes from each meeting of the ICFOA shall
be prepared by the Recorder and shall be made available as a reference to any Member or
visitor. Such journal shall remain in the custody of the Recorder.

Section 8 Fiscal Year

Paragraph 1 A single Fiscal Year shall consist of all actions taken and/or completed
during the period between January 1 and December 31 of the same year.

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 Article III

Section 1 General Executive and Administrative powers

Paragraph 1 The executive and administrative authorities of ICFOA shall be vested in

its Officers and Committees.

Paragraph 2 Officers of ICFOA who shall hold certain executive and/or administrative
powers as described within this Constitution and its Bylaws, shall be as follows:
President, Vice-President, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Treasurer, Recorder and Sergeant-
At Arms.

Paragraph 3 The Committees of ICFOA which shall hold certain executive and/or
administrative powers as described within this Constitution and its Bylaws, shall include:
the Executive Committee, the Scheduling Committee, the Membership Committee, the
Training Committee and the Election Committee.

Paragraph 4 Other Committees, not afore mentioned, may be appointed by the

President as deemed necessary to perform actions not otherwise assigned in this
Constitution or its Bylaws to the aforementioned Officers and/or Committees.

Section 2 President

Paragraph 1 The executive powers not otherwise delegated by this Constitution and its
Bylaws shall be vested in the President.

Paragraph 2 The President shall be the executive and presiding officer at all duly
constituted meetings of ICFOA.

Paragraph 3 To be eligible for nomination for the office of President, the member shall
have been a Regular Member for four (4) qualifying years.

Section 3 Vice-President

Paragraph 1 The Vice-President shall act as the executive and presiding officer at all
duly constituted meetings of ICFOA in the event of the absence, death or disqualification
of the President.

Paragraph 2 The Vice-President shall serve as the Chairperson of the Executive

Committee.

Paragraph 3 To be eligible for nomination for the office of Vice-President, the person
shall have been a Regular Member for four (4) qualifying years.

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Section 4 Secretary

Paragraph 1 The Secretary shall keep and maintain the official roll and make same
available to other officers and/or committees as necessary.

Paragraph 2 The Secretary in an emergency shall accept or reject game assignments,

those not already included in present contracts, at his/her discretion when such
assignments cannot be accepted or rejected at Regular Scheduled Meetings.

Paragraph 3 To be eligible for nomination for the office of Secretary, the person shall
have been a Regular Member for five (5) qualifying years.

Paragraph 4 In such event as the Secretary cannot perform his/her duties, the Recorder
shall then perform those duties listed in Article III, Section 4, Paragraph 1 and the
President shall perform those duties listed in Article III, Section 4 Paragraph 2 until such
time as the Secretary can again perform these duties or a new Secretary is elected.

Section 5 Recorder

Paragraph 1 The Recorder shall record and maintain the official minutes of all duly
constituted ICFOA meetings. Said minutes shall become official upon being reviewed
and subsequently signed by both the presiding officer and the Recorder.

Paragraph 2 The Recorder shall collect and maintain records as described in Article II,
Section 7, and make public when requested.

Paragraph 3 The Recorder shall serve as the historian for ICFOA.

Paragraph 4 To be eligible for nomination for the office of Recorder, the person shall
have been a Regular Member for one (1) qualifying year.

Section 6 Treasurer

Paragraph 1 The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all monies and shall serve as
the collecting and disbursing officer of ICFOA.

Paragraph 2 The Treasurer shall maintain a checking account in the name of the
organization at a locally recognized banking institution. The Treasurer shall maintain a
journal of accounting containing cash receipts and disbursements and/or other such
accounting materials as may be required. The Treasurer shall at the last meeting of each
fiscal year, present all financial accounting materials to the Executive Committee for the
purpose of audit.

Paragraph 3 To be eligible for nomination for the office of Treasurer, the person shall
have been a Regular Member for four (4) qualifying years.

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Section 7 Parliamentarian

Paragraph 1 The Parliamentarian shall, at the request of the presiding officer or any
member of ICFOA, give opinions on procedure in accordance with this Constitution, its
Bylaws and/or “Roberts Rules of Order Revised”. Such opinion shall be advisory only
and, in the event of conflict, shall be resolved by majority vote as described in Article II
of this Constitution.

Paragraph 2 To be eligible for nomination for the office of Parliamentarian, the person
must be a Regular Member.

Section 8 Sergeant-At-Arms

Paragraph 1 The Sergeant-At-Arms shall on instruction from the presiding officer,

during any duly constituted meeting, use such force as deemed necessary to maintain
proper order.

Paragraph 2 To be eligible for nomination for the office of Sergeant-At-Arms, the

person must be a Regular Member.

Section 9 Executive Committee

Paragraph 1 The President shall appoint an Executive Committee consisting of the

Vice-President as Chairperson of said committee and four (4) additional Regular
Members. Such appointment shall be subject to approval by the Legislative Body.

Paragraph 2 The Executive Committee shall serve as a steering committee for ICFOA
and as an advisory panel for the President and other officers.

Paragraph 3 The Executive Committee shall act as committee for setting dues and
special assessments as described in Article I, Section 3 and Section 4, respectively.

Paragraph 4 The Executive Committee shall act as a committee on meeting dates as

described in Article II, Section 5.

Paragraph 5 Ideally, at the second business meeting of the year (but no later than the
third business meeting of the year) the Executive Committee shall, from the list of all
eligible officials, submit to the Legislative body a prioritized list of Referees for the
current year for the various levels of play. Motions to amend or modify the list may be
made before the Legislative body votes for its approval.

Paragraph 6 The Executive Committee shall function to administer actions deemed

necessary for personnel problems.

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Section 10 Scheduling Committee

Paragraph 1 The Scheduling Committee shall consist of the Secretary, who will serve
as Chairperson, and two (2) additional members appointed by the President and approved
by the Legislative Body.

Paragraph 2 The Scheduling Committee shall serve as a committee with the sole power
to assign the membership to work contractual games. Game assignments shall be made
based on the following: 1) GHSA Classification of Official, 2) Ability of Official, 3)
Seniority of Official, and 4) Other considerations deemed appropriate by the Scheduling
Committee.

Section 11 Membership Committee

Paragraph 1 The President shall appoint a Membership Committee consisting of a

Chairperson and two (2) additional Regular Members. Such appointment shall be subject
to approval by the Legislative Body. The Chairperson shall be the member who has the
highest level of ICFOA seniority.

Paragraph 2 It shall be the duty of the Membership Committee to collect and

investigate reports on prospective members. These duties shall include, but not be limited
to, counseling with Associate Members during the time that they are associated with
ICFOA. The Membership Committee shall collect and investigate exceptional game
reports and counsel members when necessary. They shall also require certification from a
doctor certifying health good enough for the purpose of officiating, if an official’s health
is suspect.

Section 12 Training Committee

Paragraph 1 The President shall appoint a Training Committee consisting of a

Chairperson and at least one (1) additional member(s). Such appointment shall be subject
to approval by the Legislative Body. The Chairperson shall be a Georgia High School
Association Certified Football official.

Paragraph 2 It shall be the duty of the Training Committee to formulate training for
members of ICFOA. The Training Committee shall coordinate scheduling of such
training with the Executive Committee as specified in Article III, Section 9, Paragraph 4.
The goal of the Training Committee shall be to annually update all members on any
changes to the rules and game mechanics. Additionally, the Committee shall provide
members with a review of the rules and game mechanics as deemed appropriate by the
committee and the officers of ICFOA. Also, the Committee shall provide separate
training sessions for new and registered members to enable them to reach an acceptable
level of knowledge with regard to the rules and game mechanics as rapidly as possible.

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Section 13 Election Committee

Paragraph 1 In the years where it is necessary to elect officer(s) as described in Article

III, Sections 2 through 8, an Election Committee shall be formed on the date of the
scheduled meeting for elections. The Election Committee shall be comprised of the
President, Parliamentarian, and the Executive Committee.

Paragraph 2 In the case as that one or more of these members is a candidate for one or
more of the offices, that member shall be excused from his/her duties during the election
for that office for which they are a candidate. The President shall appoint a replacement
for the vacancy.

Paragraph 3 The Election Committee shall serve to provide fair and accurate results of
the election process as described in this Constitution and its Bylaws. The Election
Committee shall cause to be published a meeting for nominations of officers and a
meeting for the elections. These two meetings shall not be less than one (1) week apart.

Article IV

Section 1 Election of Officers

Paragraph 1 The term of office for all constituted officers shall be two (2) years
beginning on the first day of the fiscal year following their election to office.

Paragraph 2 The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of three

(3) Regular Members and shall present the names of said committee to the Legislative
Body for approval no later than the October business meeting of the election year. The
Nominating Committee shall collect the names and qualifications of Members interested
in obtaining or continuing in an elected position with ICFOA. They shall present one
candidate for each elected office for approval by the Legislative Body at the meeting for
such as described in Article III, Section 13, Paragraph 3. At the Meeting prescribed for
the election of officers, Regular Members may make additional nominations from the
floor for any position being elected. However, all nominees must meet the minimum
qualifications required of the office for which they are nominated.

Paragraph 3 All nominees, for the current election must be made by the Nominating
Committee or from the floor by a Regular Member. A person can only be nominated for
one elected position for the current election. All floor nominations are subject to a
second in order to be approved. All nominations for all offices will be closed prior to the
beginning of the election process.

Paragraph 4 Officers shall be elected, by receiving a majority of votes cast by the

Legislative Body. If no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, there will be a run-off
between the two (2) candidates who received the highest numbers of votes cast.

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Paragraph 5 Votes cast during the election process shall be by secret ballot submitted
to the Election Committee.

Paragraph 6 After the votes have been cast, tallied and confirmed for each office, the
Election Committee shall submit the results.

Article V
Section 1 Amendements

Paragraph 1 This constitution may be amended by the introduction and approval of a

bill proposing such.

Paragraph 2 The Legislative body through use of secret ballot must pass proposed
amendment during a balloting process conducted by the Election Committee. Such
approval is subject to approval by two-thirds (2/3) of the Legislative Body.

Paragraph 3 The proposed amendment and notice of the meeting date and time for
balloting, shall be read to the organization one (1) week prior to balloting for the
proposed amendment.

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