TITLE 22

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE

CHAPTER 26

COOPERATIVE MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS

22-2610.  Bylaws — Adoption — Contents — Amendment. Each association incorporated under this chapter must, within thirty (30) days after its incorporation, adopt for its government and management, a code of bylaws, not inconsistent with the powers granted by this chapter. A majority vote of the members or stockholders, or their written assent, is necessary to adopt such bylaws. Each association under its bylaws may, also, provide for any or all of the following matters:

a.  The time, place and manner of calling and conducting its meetings.

b.  The number of stockholders or members constituting a quorum.

c.  The right of members or stockholders to vote by proxy or by mail or by both, and the conditions, manner, form, and effects of such votes.

d.  The number of directors thereof, which must not be less than five (5) and may be any number in excess thereof, the term of office of such directors and the number of directors constituting a quorum.

e.  The qualifications, compensation and duties and term of office of directors and officers; time of their election and the mode and manner of giving notice thereof.

f.  Penalties for violations of the bylaws.

g.  The amount of entrance, organization and membership fees, if any; the manner and method of collection of the same, and the purposes for which they may be used.

h.  The amount which each member or stockholder shall be required to pay annually or from time to time, if at all, to carry on the business of the association; the charge, if any, to be paid by each member or stockholder for services rendered by the association to him and the time of payment and the manner of collection; and the marketing contract between the association and its members or stockholders which every member or stockholder may be required to sign.

i.  The number and qualification of members or stockholders of the association and the conditions precedent to membership or ownership of common stock; the method, time and manner of permitting members to withdraw or the holders of common stock to transfer their stock; the manner of assignment and transfer of the interest of members, and of the shares of common stock; the conditions upon which, and time when membership of any member shall cease. The automatic suspension of the rights of a member when he ceases to be eligible to membership in the association, and mode, manner and effect of the expulsion of the member; manner of determining the value of a member’s interest and provision for its purchase by the association upon the death or withdrawal of a member or stockholder, or upon the expulsion of a member of forfeiture of his membership, or, at the option of the association, by conclusive appraisal by the board of directors. In case of the withdrawal or expulsion of a member the board of directors shall make certain that the capital furnished by such terminated member is correctly recorded on the books of the corporation in direct relationship to his patronage and such terminated member shall be notified of such interest by payment in money or issuance of stock in the association or issuance of such other evidence of the capital interest as the bylaws of the association may permit or any combination of the foregoing; within one (1) year after such expulsion or withdrawal.

This act is intended to permit the association to establish and accumulate reasonable reserves and surplus funds and to abolish the same; also to create, maintain, and terminate revolving funds or other similar funds; to utilize a revolving fund method of financing, or such other methods as may be prudent and compatible with agricultural cooperative organizations; in the manner as provided for in the bylaws of the association.

The interest of an existing or former member in the association’s capital reserve or equity accounts is an equity interest and not a debt, and is revolvable in the manner defined in the bylaws and subject to the restrictions defined therein. The issuance of notices of allocation and/or of equity reserve balances, or any other form sufficient to place the existing or former member on notice of his equity interest in the association shall satisfy the recording, appraisal, notification and/or payment requirement hereinabove set forth or as set forth in the bylaws. Revolving of capital reserve or equity accounts shall be at the discretion of the board of directors and the bylaws may specifically so provide.

Non-equity obligations will be paid according to their terms.

Obligations such as checks or drafts issued by the association to the patron, credits in a capital reserve or equity account called for revolving by the board of directors of the association, remaining uncashed or unclaimed at the expiration of the period of five (5) years after the issuance, call for payment, or stated maturity date thereof, shall be deemed, if authorized by the bylaws and at the direction of the board of directors, transferred, as a contribution, to the capital fund of the association, this being an exception to chapter 5, title 14, Idaho Code.

The bylaws of any association incorporated under this chapter may be altered or amended at any regular meeting or at any special meeting of the members or stockholders thereof called for that purpose by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members or stockholders present at such meeting: provided, that a quorum as specified in the bylaws of the association be present: and, provided further, that where the bylaws of said association authorize voting by mail and a mail vote pursuant to such bylaws is taken on the question of altering or amending such bylaws, the affirmative vote of a majority of all members or stockholders voting on such question shall be required.

History:

[(22-2610) 1921, ch. 124, sec. 10, p. 298; am. 1929, ch. 246, sec. 3, p. 501; I.C.A., sec. 22-2010; am. 1986, ch. 4, sec. 1, p. 42; am. 1991, ch. 163, sec. 1, p. 391.]