Three changes are proposed: the volunteer service fee schedule (Section 2.9), membership fees and tennis-only membership (Section 3.1), and a weapons policy (new Section 7.5). Full text below.
Three separate amendments are proposed. Each is explained below on its own, and each gets its own Yes/No vote on the ballot.
Per Section 8.4, any amendment requires a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of members present at a regular or special meeting, and the full proposed text must be delivered to all members at least seven (7) days before that meeting. Each amendment is voted on separately.
Writes into the By-Laws the exact $150 fee approved in 2022, and writes down how it is billed, when it is due, and what happens if it is unpaid.
Section 2.9 of the By-Laws requires every member household to give four hours of volunteer service each year, and says households that don’t complete them are assessed “a fee of at least $150.” The By-Laws set only a minimum. In 2022 the fee was approved at exactly $150, but that was never documented anywhere, and the By-Laws say nothing else about it. This fall showed why that isn’t enough.
The new Section 2.9 fixes the fee at exactly $150, as approved in 2022, and gives members 30 days to pay. If it isn’t paid, a second invoice adds a $25 late fee and gives 14 more days. If the balance is still unpaid after that, the membership is suspended until it is paid. Every step is written down before anyone is billed, so members can see exactly what is expected and when.
2.9 Each member family shall be required to donate a minimum of four hours time in volunteer service to the club. The board will provide ample and varied service opportunities. Exceptions to this provision include members in their first year and households in which all adult members are over the age of 65. Households who do not complete and verify the required volunteer hours will be assessed a fee of at least $150.
2.9 Volunteer Service
Replaces confusing, out-of-date fee wording with one name per fee and a published fee schedule, and defines the two tennis-only memberships.
Section 3.1 of the By-Laws is supposed to tell members what they pay to join and what a tennis-only membership costs. In practice it has been hard to follow, and it no longer matches what the club actually does.
The new Section 3.1 sets a $1,250 first-year membership fee for new families and individuals, uses one name for each fee and lists the prices in a table, so every member can see what each membership costs. It also keeps the existing convertible tennis-only membership at its current prices and adds a second tennis-only option with no one-time fee, annual dues of $250.00 per household, no voting rights, and a waitlist for anyone who wants to move up to standard membership. The Board can update the prices as needed.
This is the same goal behind the volunteer fee amendment. When rules are unclear, members find out about them at the worst moment, such as an invoice they didn’t expect. We’d rather everyone see the rules in writing before they matter.
d. Alternate memberships are available as outlined in section 3.1 of these By-Laws.
d. Tennis-only memberships are available as outlined in Section 3.1 of these By-Laws.
3.1 Membership Fees
3.1 Membership Fees and Categories
Fee Schedule (current) is shown in the table below.
| Membership | One-time fee | Annual dues |
|---|---|---|
| Family, first-year member | $1,250.00 | $650.00 |
| Family, returning | None | $650.00 |
| Individual, first-year member | $1,250.00 | $473.77 |
| Individual, returning | None | $473.77 |
| Tennis-Only (Convertible), new member | $720.00 | $344.85 |
| Tennis-Only (Convertible), returning | None | $344.85 |
| Tennis-Only (No Conversion) | None | $250.00 |
| Convertible to Family upgrade | $480.00 | $260.00 |
Annual dues for members joining mid-year are prorated under Section 3.3. A $75.00 late fine applies under Section 3.2(c). Online payments may include a separate transaction fee.
Puts the Board’s weapons policy into the By-Laws so it can only be changed by a vote of the membership.
The Board recently adopted a weapons policy in the club’s Rules & Policies. As a private, family-oriented club, our goal is a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment for members and guests of all ages, and the policy prohibits weapons on club property.
This proposal puts the same policy in the By-Laws. The reason is who can change it. The Rules & Policies can be changed by the Board alone. A rule in the By-Laws can only be changed by a vote of the membership under Section 8.4, so it carries the weight of a decision made by all of us.
The proposed text keeps the exceptions from the Board’s policy: ordinary tools and utensils used for their intended purpose, such as kitchen knives at the grills and maintenance tools on workdays; weapons lawfully stored inside a private vehicle under Georgia law; and law enforcement officers acting within their official duties. Violations are handled through the existing process in Section 7.4.
(No provision.)
7.5 Weapons Prohibited
If approved under Section 8.4, these changes take effect upon approval. Section 2.9 applies to volunteer service fees assessed after approval; fees assessed before approval remain governed by the By-Laws as they stood at that time.
This is an example only. Nothing you select here is saved or counted. On the real ballot you answer each question separately, and you may skip any of them.
The Board will announce when the ballot opens.