Section 1. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Members shall be held on the second Monday in July of each year, beginning with the year 1942, at such place in the Parishes of Cameron or Jefferson Davis, State of Louisiana, as shall be designated in the notice of the meeting for the purpose of electing directors, passing upon reports for the previous fiscal year, acting upon unfinished business; and transacting such other business as may be designated in the notice of the meeting. If the day fixed for the annual meeting shall fall on a legal holiday, such meeting shall be held on the next succeeding business day. Failure to hold the annual meeting at the designated time shall not work forfeiture or dissolution of the Cooperative.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Members may be called by resolution of the Board of Directors, or upon a written request signed by any three directors, by the President, or by 10 per centum or more of all the Members, and it shall thereupon be the duty of the Secretary to cause notice of such meeting to be given as hereinafter provided. Special meetings of the Members may be held at any place within the Parish of Jefferson Davis, State of Louisiana, specified in the notice of the special meeting.
Section 3. Notice of Members' Meetings. Written or printed notice stating the place, day and hour of the meeting, and in case of a special meeting or an annual meeting at which business other than that listed in Section 8 of this Article is to be transacted, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be delivered not less than 10 days or more than twenty five days before the date of the meeting, either personally or by mail, by or at the direction of the Secretary, or upon a default in duty by the Secretary, by the persons calling the meeting, to each Member. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail, addressed to the member at his address as it appears on the records of the Cooperative, with postage thereon prepaid. The failure of any Member to receive notice of an annual or special meeting of the Members shall not invalidate any action which may be taken by the members at any such meeting.
Section 4. Quorum. As long as the total number of Members does not exceed five hundred, 10 per centum of the total number of members present shall constitute a quorum. In case the total number of Members shall exceed five hundred, fifty members or 5 per centum of the Members, whichever shall be the larger, shall constitute a quorum. If less than a quorum is present at any meeting, a majority of those present in person may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice; provided, that the Secretary shall notify any absent Members of the time and place of such adjourned meeting.
Section 5. Voting. Each member shall be entitled to only one vote upon each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of the Members. All questions shall be decided by a vote of a majority of the Members voting thereon in person, except as otherwise provided by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these bylaws. A duly authorized officer of any firm, corporation, partnership, association or body politic may, upon proper proof of his authority, cast the vote of such organization.
Section 6. Proxies and Voting by Mail. Voting by mail shall be permitted. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted except that a wife present at a meeting may vote her husband’s membership and vice versa.
Section 7. Voting Districts. The territory served or to be served by the Cooperative shall be divided into nine districts. Each district shall be represented by one director. The nine districts shall be as follows:
District No. 1
All those parts of Allen, Evangeline and Acadia Parishes, Lousiana, within the jurisdiction area of the Cooperative, and all that part of Jefferson Davis Parish, described as follows: That part of Jefferson Davis Parish North of the following West-East line; Begin on the South line of intersection with the dividing line between Jefferson Davis and Calcasieu Parishes, thence run directly Eastward on and along said South line of said Section 13 across said Parish Eastward to Bayou Nezpique to the East boundary of the said Parish of Jefferson Davis.
District No. 2
All of that part of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, south of the South line of District No. 1 and North of the United States Highway No. 90.
District No. 3
All of that part of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, South of the South line of District No. 2 (US Highway No. 90) and North of a line running as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the South line of Section 37, Township 10 South, Range 3 West, Louisiana Meridian, with the Mermentau River; thence directly West to the Calcasieu Parish line at a point of intersection of Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis Parishes on the South line of Section 32, Township 10 South, Range 5 West, Louisiana Meridian.
District No. 4
All of that portion of Jefferson Davis Parish, Lousiana, South of the South line of District No. 3; all of Ward 1 of Cameron Parish, West of Lake Arthur and the Mermentau River and North of the Intracoastal Canal Waterway.
District No. 5
All of Ward 1 of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, East of Lake Arthur, the Mermentau River, Grand Lake and North of the old Intracoastal Canal Waterway, and all of that part of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, North of the old Intracoastal Canal Waterway and White Lake, and within the jurisdictional area covered by this Cooperative.
District No. 6
All of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, within the jurisdiction area of this Cooperative.
District No. 7
All of Ward 4 of Cameron Parish, Louisiana West of Bayou Lacassine.
District No. 8
All of Ward 3, 5, and 6 of Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
District No. 9
All of Ward 2 of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and all of Ward 4 of Cameron Parish, not included in District No. 7 and all of Ward 1 of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, not included in District Nos. 4 and 5, and all of Vermillion Parish, Louisiana, covered by the jurisdiction area of this Cooperative and not included in District No. 5.
Section 8. Order of Business. The order of business at the annual meeting of the Members and, so far as possible, at all other meetings of the Members, shall be essentially as follows:
- Report on the number of Members present in person in order to determine the existence of a quorum.
- Reading of the notice of the meeting and proof of the due publication or mailing thereof, or the waiver or waivers of notice of the meeting, as the case may be.
- Reading of the unapproved minutes of previous meeting of the members and the taking of necessary action thereon.
- Presentation and consideration of reports of officers, directors, and committees.
- Election of Directors.
- Unfinished business.
- New business.
- Adjournment.