ARTICLE I

Establishment

The Michigan Association of REALTORS®, Inc. (“Association”) created on October 28, 1998 for the benefit of its members a Commercial District, which shall be subject to the bylaws of the Association and these Rules and Regulations as adopted by the Commercial District Governing Council and the MAR Board of Directors. The Commercial District was on January 30, 2004 renamed The Michigan Commercial Alliance of REALTORS®(MiCAR) by the Commercial District Task Force. The Michigan Commercial Alliance of REALTORS® is hereinafter referred to as “MiCAR”.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

The purpose of MiCAR shall be to:

Membership in MiCAR is open to any member of the Association.

ARTICLE IV

Funding

The Association will dedicate sufficient staff and funds to MiCAR to carry out the mission and objectives of MiCAR.

ARTICLE V

Governing Council

Section 1. Authority

The Governing Council of MiCAR will be empowered to authorize services, programs and activities necessary to create a statewide presence and voice for commercial REALTORS®. Consistent with these Rules and Regulations, the Governing Council also shall have authority to adopt and amend policies and procedures as necessary to implement these Rules and Regulations

Section 2. Council membership

The Governing Council shall have fifteen members. It shall be composed of representatives from each of the following groups: (3) representatives from Commercial Alliance of REALTORS® (CAR, Grand Rapids), (3) representatives from the Detroit Area Commercial Board of REALTORS® (CBOR), (1) from the Saginaw/Flint/Bay City region, (1) from the Battle Creek/Kalamazoo region, (1) from Northern Michigan, (1) from Lansing, (2) representatives from the MAR Board of Directors, and the officers elected from within. A member of the CAR or CBOR board of directors may act either as a representative of that group, or as a regional representative, but may not serve as a representative for both.

Section 3. Selection of members

Members of the Governing Council appointed by local or Commercial Divisions or groups shall be selected in a manner to be determined by the Divisions or groups appointing them. 

Section 4. Assumption of Council positions

Each member of the Governing Council shall assume his or her position on January 1 of each year following appointment or upon appointment to fill a vacancy, and serve a two-year term. The terms will be staggered so that each year, one-third of the terms expire.

• Terms of Transitional Governing Council members
  The initial terms of Transitional Governing Council members will be as follows so as to create a Governing Council in which the two-year terms of four representatives expire every year starting in 2007:
  • Initial three-year terms: 1 CAR representative, 1 CBOR representative, 1 Bay City/Saginaw/Flint representative, and one Lansing representative. 2004 term will expire in 2007.
    
    
  • Initial two-year terms: 1 CAR representative, 1 CBOR representative, 1 Battle Creek/Kalamazoo representative, and one MAR Board of Directors representative. 2004 term will expire in 2006.
    
    
  • Initial one-year term: 1 CAR representative, 1 CBOR representative, 1 Northern Michigan representative, and one MAR Board of Directors representative. 2004 term will expire in 2005.
    
    
  • The terms of officers elected in 2004 will expire in 2006. A representative who fills the vacancy left by a representative who is elected to an officer position or who resigns from the Governing Council will serve the remainder of their predecessor’s term. Those officers who were elected as representatives serving three-year terms will not be eligible to return to their representative positions after the expiration of their officer terms.

The Governing Council shall elect a Chairperson-Elect of the Governing Council for a one-year term from the representatives serving on the Governing Council.

Section 7. Succession of Chairperson-Elect

The Chairperson-Elect of the Governing Council shall automatically succeed to the position of Chairperson of the Governing Council without necessity of election. He or she shall preside over all meetings of the Governing Council in the absence of the Chairperson and shall automatically assume the position of Chairperson in the event the current Chairperson is unable or unwilling to carry out the duties of that position.

Section 8. Election of Treasurer-Secretary

The Governing Council will elect each year a Treasurer-Secretary from within the Council. The Treasurer-Secretary will serve a one-year term. Should the elected Treasurer-Secretary be unable to fulfill his or her duties, the Governing Council will elect a new Treasurer-Secretary.

ARTICLE VI

Chairperson

Section 1.

The Chairperson of the Governing Council shall preside over all meetings of the Governing Council and shall have other such duties and responsibilities as are usually vested in the position of Chairperson.

Section 2.

The Chairperson of the Governing Council shall, with the concurrence of the MiCAR representative to the MAR Board of Directors, annually encourage MiCAR members to serve as liaisons to the MAR Finance Committee (3-year term) and Legal Action Committee (5-year term), as well as liaisons to other committees, task forces and study groups of the Association as necessary.

Section 3.

The Governing Council shall, on or before December 1 of the year preceding the expiration of the current MAR Director term nominate two members to be elected to the positions of MAR Director representing MiCAR.

Said member elected from MiCAR shall serve on the MAR Board of Directors for two consecutive one year terms beginning January 1 of the following year. The terms of each Director shall be staggered so that each year, one new Director is elected while one Director begins his or her second one-year term. The Governing Council shall elect a replacement in the event the current representative leaves the position.

ARTICLE VII

Meetings

The Governing Council shall have a minimum of four (4) meetings annually. A minimum two-week notice of meeting, agenda and minutes from the previous meeting shall be sent to the members of the Governing Council.

ARTICLE VIII

Quorum

Presence in person or by phone of at least a majority of the then-constituted Governing Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

ARTICLE IX

Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, shall be recognized as the authority governing the meetings of the MiCAR Governing Council in all instances wherein its provisions do not conflict with these Rules and Regulations or the bylaws of the Association.

ARTICLE X

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of MiCAR shall at all times be the same as the fiscal year of the Association.

ARTICLE XI

Amendments

Section 1.

These Rules and Regulations may be amended by the Governing Council, subject to approval of the Board of Directors of the Association, provided that written notice of any proposed amendment is sent to each member of the Governing Council at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting at which such amendments are to be considered.

Section 2.

Unless otherwise stipulated at the time of their adoption, all amendments shall become effective immediately upon their adoption by the Michigan Association of REALTORS®.

ARTICLE XII

Dissolution

MiCAR may be dissolved only by a majority vote of the Delegate Body of the Association and only at the direction of the Michigan Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors.