The Shire Policies and Bylaws

This is the policy for the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle, in the Kingdom of AEthelmearc, a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. It is subordinate to Kingdom Law & Policy, Corpora, and civil law.

*I. Publication of and revisions to policy.*

A. Sterlynge Vayle's policies must be published in the "The Dragon's Tongue" or on the kingdom sanctioned website in full at least once every two years. It is available by request from the Seneschal when requested in writing. When published, they supersede all former policies.

B. Changes to the policies must be presented at a business meeting and the changes approved at the next following business meeting. Additionally, any changes must be approved by a majority of the blue card-holding members at an official business meeting. Changes or additions to these policies become official upon their publication in the newsletter or website.

C. Business Meetings
Business meetings shall be held the first week of every month except for the month of August (when it conflicts with Pennsic War), and shall be announced in the newsletter or on the shire's official e-mail list at least 14 days prior to its date. All officers should attend or send a proxy. The September meeting may also be held the last week of August. If a meeting must be moved or rescheduled at the last minute it will be posted to the shire's email list, Facebook page, and phone calls will be placed to shire officers to assist in getting the word out to as many of the general membership as possible.

*II. Shire Officers*

A. Terms of Office and Election of Officers

Officers shall hold one year terms, except Exchequer and Seneschal, which shall have two year terms. All elections shall be held at the March business meeting, with the Exchequer election occurring in even numbered years, and Seneschal election in odd numbered years. If an Officer resigns unexpectedly, the Deputy will take over the duties of the office, and solicit letters of intent for a successor. The letters of intent should be sent to the Seneschal for presentation at the next business meeting. Letters will be considered and voted on at that time. In the event of there being no Deputy, the Seneschal shall appoint an interim officer. Any interm officer must maintain all the requirements to fulfill the office to which they are an Emergency Deputy.

The Shire officer may pick a deputy from those who volunteer. The election shall be by a show of hands at the meeting, with all Shire members eligible to vote. Any member of the Shire wishing to vote but unable to attend the meeting may send in their vote "by proxy" up to one week prior to the election, either in writing, on the phone to the Seneschal or via e-mail, and the Seneschal shall read those votes into the voting record. The term of office for the newly elected officer shall begin at that meeting, with the outgoing officer transferring all files, records, and shire property associated with that office to the new officer in a timely fashion.

All officers are required to fulfill their duties as per kingdom law. This includes being warranted, possessing a membership card, and filing timely reports. Officers are required to contact their kingdom officer within 30 days of taking office. If an officer does not do this, they shall receive a verbal warning from the Seneschal and a 10 day grace period to remedy matters. If the officer is still unable to begin their duties, they shall receive a written warning from the Seneschal and a further 10 days. If no attempt is made to remedy matters, a new officer will be elected at the next business meeting.

At the March meeting every officer should bring three (3) copies of their office's inventory. Copies will be given to the Seneschal, Exchequer, and the officer Successor. All non-officer members who hold shire property should bring two (2) copies of their inventory to the March business meeting. Copies will be given to the Seneschal and Exchequer.

B. Removal of warranted officers

A petition of 5 signatures of membership card holders is required to call for a vote of no confidence in an officer. At the next business meeting, a 2/3 majority of members may vote to eject an officer. Proxy votes are allowed. Once the signed petition is given to the Seneschal, the officer petitioned against shall be shown the petition. This should constitute a fair warning to improve the situation. Officers can only be removed from their position by their Kingdom superior and the Crown in a joint action for just cause. However, any no confidence vote will be submitted to the appropriate Kingdom officer.

C. Exclusions to Office Eligibility

The Seneschal and Exchequer cannot be Royalty and retain their office. Before entering a Crown or Coronet Tourney, they must prepare their deputy to be their successor. At the moment they win, their office transfers to their deputy.

*III. Financial Expenditures*

Expenditures greater than $50 must be approved by a majority of the officers. Expenditures of $50 or less must be authorized by the Seneschal and Exchequer, or by a majority of officers at a business meeting. Receipts for any expenditure are required for reimbursement, and must be submitted within 90 days of the expense to be considered valid.

*IV. Event Hosting*

Autocrats are required to have blue cards and be at least 18. While they are autocrat, they become ad hoc deputy seneschals. The autocrat or the seneschal must remain onsite while the event gates are open. If the autocrat is a martial officer, they must arrange for a deputy to marshal that activity for the event.

Anyone who wishes to autocrat an event must submit a bid no less than 90 days prior to the submission date for the publishing of the AEstel in the month during which the event will be hosted, unless voted on by officers. The bid must include the following information: The event name, location, autocrat name, head cook name, and an itemized budget. It is also suggested that an event announcement conforming to the submission standards of the Kingdom newsletter be included with the bid. If a bid is not approved then it is not deemed a Shire event. If the budget of an approved bid changes 20% or more from the initial submission it will need to be reapproved by a quorum of officers. Competing bids for the same event are encouraged. A bid will be considered approved that has met the critera above and has been voted on by the shire members present at the meeting. Autocrats must be roster warranted with the Kingdom Seneschal.