Preamble

This Temple shall be governed by the Articles of Incorporation, and any general or specific orders from time to time in effect of the Imperial Council, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America, and by the following By-Laws:

Article I

Name and Seal

1. This Temple shall be known as Aladdin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America, Oasis of Columbus, State of Ohio, by virtue of a charter granted July 25, 1894, by the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America.

2. The Seal of Aladdin Temple shall consist of two concentric circles between the circumference of which are the words "Aladdin Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S.,  Columbus, Ohio." The inner portion of the seal shall contain three camels, three pyramids and Aladdin's Lamp, and the date of the Charter "1894".

Article II

Membership

1. The Temple shall consist of its officers and as many members as it admits.

2. The form of the Petition for membership shall be prescribed by the Imperial Council.

3. The Temple may not accept a petition from a candidate unless he is in good standing as a Master Mason of a lodge recognized by, and in amity with The Conference of Grand Masters of North America.

4. A Petitioner must be an actual resident for at least six months in the jurisdiction of Aladdin Temple.

5. Any member of the Armed Forces or Diplomatic Service of the United States or Mexico may petition Aladdin Temple if stationed within the jurisdiction of Aladdin Temple without reference to his actual place of residence, and thereupon, after election, may be initiated by and become a member of Aladdin Temple.

6. Petitions in proper form according to this Article may be received at any stated session, and when so received shall be read by the Recorder and referred to a committee of three members selected by the Potentate. Upon favorable recommendation by the committee, the name of the applicant shall be presented to the Temple for ballot. If, upon the balloting for a candidate subsequent to a favorable report, three black balls shall appear, another ballot shall immediately be had, but no more. If less than three black balls appear, he is elected.

If the ballot reveals three black balls a second time, the candidate shall be declared rejected and disqualified to make a second application within thirteen weeks.

A written objection, signed by at least three members of the Temple in good standing, presented to the Potentate or the Recorder, shall have the same effect as an adverse ballot.

After the balloting is completed and the candidates are declared elected and notified, no objection made thereafter with respect to the candidates may be considered unless ordered by vote of the Temple.

7. Any petitioner elected to membership who fails to present himself for initiation for two Ceremonial sessions subsequent to his election, in the absence of good cause shown, shall not be eligible for initiation until his application has again been acted upon by the Temple, in accordance with the By-Laws and Code of the Imperial Council.

8. In order to retain membership in Aladdin Temple, a Noble must maintain the requirements above stated.

9. Except as herein provided, Aladdin Temple shall honor an official written notice from the prerequisite Mason Body concerning the loss of membership in that body by a member of Aladdin Temple. Suspension from Aladdin Temple is subject to the provisions of Section 323.11(b) (1), (2), (3), and (4) of the bylaws of the Imperial Council.

10. Rights of membership in Aladdin Temple are suspended by a voluntary demission upon payment of all indebtedness, assessment and voluntary obligations to the Temple; or suspension for non-payment of dues; or suspension for any other cause. Membership is terminated by death or expulsion.

 11. A member may be suspended at any stated session for failure to pay dues or assessments for a period of one year, in the following manner.

He must be notified by mail that he is in arrears.

He must be given an opportunity to be heard.

He must be admitted to the Temple for this purpose even though he is in arrears.

A majority of members present at a stated meeting must vote to suspend him.

A member suspended for non-payment of dues and assessments may be reinstated by written application for restoration accompanied by written evidence that he is in good standing in his prerequisite body, and the restoration must be reported to the Temple at the next stated meeting and recorded in the minutes.

Membership in Aladdin Temple may be terminated by demit upon the payment of all indebtedness to the Temple and in accordance with Section 323.10 of Article XXIII of the Imperial By-Laws.

Associate Membership

(a) Any Noble may apply for membership by affiliation in a second Temple and, if accepted by the second, thereafter hold associated membership subject to the provisions of this section.

(b) Application for associate membership shall be subject to the same requirements as those relating to affiliation by demit, including jurisdiction, except that the applicant need not hold a demit to make an application for associate membership. An application for associate membership must be accompanied by written evidence that the applicant is in good standing and eligible for a demit.

(c) Upon election of an applicant for associate membership, the second Temple shall notify the other of which the Noble is a member that he has associate membership; and thereafter he shall be considered an active member of both Temples.

(d) Suspension of a Noble holding associate membership for non-payment of dues to the second Temple shall not affect his membership in the Temple to which he first belonged; but his suspension of non-payment of dues to the first Temple shall ipso facto effect his suspension in the second. His suspension for any other cause or his expulsion, as the case may be, from the other. Immediate notice of his suspension or expulsion by either Temple shall be given to the other Temple and to the Imperial Recorder.

(e) Associate members of Aladdin Temple shall pay the same annual dues as Regular members. Associate members are exempt from the Hospital and Per Capita assessments.

(f) Election of an associate member to life membership in one Temple does not constitute his election of life membership in the other.

(g) An associate member shall have all rights and privileges of membership in both Temples except he may not hold elective office in the Temple of which he is an associate member. An associate member of Aladdin Temple may hold elective Office in a Shrine club of Aladdin Temple

Life Membership

Life members may be created by:

(a) Election by the Nobility in recognition of meritorious service.

(b) The payment of 20 times the Temple annual dues as provided in section 332.6 of the Imperial By-Laws.

Honorary Membership

Honorary membership in Aladdin Temple may be conferred by the Temple upon any Noble, as a complement, by majority vote of the nobility at any stated meeting of the Temple.

Article III

Fees and Dues

1. The initiation fee, which shall not be less than that prescribed in section 332.1 of the Imperial By-Laws, will be established in accordance with paragraph 2 of this section and shall be paid in full before initiation.

2. A proposal to change the initiation fee must be presented in writing in the form of a resolution at a stated meeting. The resolution must be laid over to the next stated meeting or to a special meeting called for action thereon. A notice of such meeting must be sent to every member of the Temple and it must recite the text or substance of the proposal. If the proposal is adopted by at least two-thirds of the members present and voting it is approved.

3. There shall be no initiation fee for affiliation. Petitions for affiliations shall be accompanied by a demit from the Temple of which the petitioner was formerly a member. If at the time of affiliation the petitioner has paid dues to his previous Temple for the current Shrine year no dues are due Aladdin Temple. However, if the petitioner for affiliation has not paid dues to his previous Temple for the current Shrine year then a prorated amount of the dues as provided in paragraph 6, plus the Imperial Per Capita Tax and the Imperial Hospital Assessment, must accompany the petition for affiliation.

4. The annual dues, except for life membership, shall be $54.00. In addition to the annual dues each member including life members and candidates, shall pay, in advance, the Hospital assessment of the Imperial Council for Children in the amount of $5.00 and the Imperial per capita assessment of $15.00, making a total dues and assessments of $74.00 to be paid before the first day of January each year.

5. Candidates initiated,  in the following periods, pay dues in these proportions:

6. In order for a suspended Noble to be reinstated, a reinstatement fee of $94.00  must accompany the request for reinstatement.

(# 4, 5, 6 rev 2005)

Article IV

Sessions of the Temple

1. The stated sessions of the Temple shall be held each month of the year except June, July, and August. The annual election of the Temple, commencing in 2001, shall be held at the December Stated Session. The January Stated Session, which shall be the annual meeting of the Temple and include the installation of officers, shall be held on either Friday or Saturday following the second (2nd) Wednesday in January each year, with proper notice to be given as to the selected day. All other stated sessions shall be held on the third (3rd) Monday of the month. All stated sessions shall begin at 7:30 o'clock P.M., unless otherwise ordered by the Potentate, and due notice given to the membership.
 
2. Special sessions may be called by the Potentate, when, in his judgment, the good of the Temple shall be promoted thereby, and each member of the Temple shall be given due notice thereof, which notices must set forth the place and hour of such special session, together with a full statement of the business to be transacted. No business can be transacted at a special session except such as is specified in the notice.

3. The Temple may hold Ceremonial Sessions at any time upon the call of the Potentate, provided due notice thereof shall be given to the membership of the Temple. The Potentate may hold a Ceremonial at any of the stated sessions.

4. A quorum consists of seven members of the Temple entitled to vote, one of whom must be the Potentate, the Chief Rabban, the Assistant Rabban, or a Past Potentate of the Temple.

5. The Potentate shall open and preside at all meetings and sessions of the Temple. In the absence of the Potentate, the Chief Rabban shall preside. In the absence of both the Potentate and chief Rabban, the Assistant Rabban shall preside. In the absence of all three of these officers, a Past Potentate shall preside

6. All powers not delegated to officers or committees by these By-Laws are reserved for action by the members at meetings.

Article V

Officers - Terms - Duties

1. The officers of the Temple shall be:

The first seven officers listed in this Article and the Four Representatives to the Imperial Council shall be elected annually. All other officers shall be appointed by the Potentate.

2. The Potentate shall have the authority to appoint members of the Temple to perform such duties as he may deem necessary and incident to the work of the Temple.

3. The Temple shall elect its elective officers and representatives by written ballot and by a majority vote in each case. The manner of election shall be as prescribed in Article XXV of the Code of the Imperial Council.

The term of all elective officers shall be for one year.

The Illustrious Potentate shall not serve for more than one term.

The terms of all elective and appointive officers, chairman, directors and committee members, shall expire upon the date of the annual election next following their election or appointment.

4. Officers whose duties are not prescribed herein or in the Code of the Imperial Council shall perform such duties as are appropriate of their several stations, or as may be assigned to them by the Potentate or by the Temple.

5. An office becomes vacant in the event an officer or representative dies, resigns, moves and resides permanently without the jurisdiction of Aladdin Temple, is promoted, is suspended, is expelled, is adjudged mentally incompetent, is physically unable, is convicted of a felony or any criminal act involving moral turpitude. A special election may be held without a dispensation to fill a vacancy in an elective office. A vacancy in an appointive office shall be filled by the potentate.

6. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Recorder or Treasurer, the Potentate shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy until a successor has been elected and installed.

7. If a vacancy occurs in the office of an elected representative, and time is not sufficient to call a special election, the Potentate shall appoint a representative, and notice of the appointment shall be given to the Imperial Recorder in the manner required by Article XXV of the Imperial By-Laws.

8. The officers of the Temple, before entering upon the discharge of thier respective duties, must take the obligation prescribed by the Imperial By-Laws in Article XXVI.

The officers shall be installed immediately after election or at the first succeeding meeting of the Temple in accordance with the Ceremony of Installation prescribed by the Imperial Council. They shall assume the duties of their respective offices upon installation.

9. The printing, publication, circulating or distribution of resolutions, letters, telegrams, tickets or other devices, by a Noble, suggesting, recommending, opposing or containing the names of proposed candidates for office in the Temple is prohibited.

For any violation of this prohibition, the Imperial Potentate may suspend any offending Noble, and he may declare the election of the officers void and order a new election.

At least one week prior to the annual meeting or any election, the Temple Recorder shall mail to each member a notice thereof containing this limitation.

Article VI

Duties of Temple Officers

1.    Illustrious Potentate

(a) The Potentate is responsible to the Imperial Council for the government of Aladdin Temple. It is his duty to require that Aladdin Temple, its officers and members, at all time observe Shrine law and the By-Laws of Aladdin Temple

(b) He shall appoint the Temple officers and committees to be appointed.

(c) He shall require that accurate records be kept and just accounts rendered, and is authorized to sign checks.

(d) He shall require that regular returns be made to the Imperial Council, and that candidates fees, annual per capita taxes, hospital taxes and assessments are properly paid.

(e) Promptly after his election, the Potentate shall submit to the Board of Trustees an estimated itemized budget of the Temple income and expenses for the current calendar year. This budget shall be predicated upon the anticipated income and expense for said period, which shall be promptly considered by the Board of Trustees and which may be altered or changed to conform to the needs of the Temple and returned promptly to the Potentate in time for presentation to the Temple at its February meeting, at which time the Temple must consider and adopt a budget.

(f) The completed budget must be available to all members of the Temple for inspection before it is presented for adoption.

(g) The amended budget may be submitted at any meeting of the Temple, after such proposed amendment has been approved by the Board of Trustees, in order to conform to the needs of the Temple.

(h) A copy of the budget  must be filed with the Imperial Recorder within thirty days after its adoption.

2. Chief Rabban

(a) In addition to his other duties, the Chief Rabban, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, must prepare and complete the annual budget of the Temple as required by Section 334.4 of the Imperial bylaws for the ensuing year in time for the ensuing year in time for submission at the Temple meeting at which the budget is approved.

(b) In the absence of the Potentate, he is authorized to sign checks.

3. Treasurer

(a) It is the duty of the Treasurer to act as custodian of all funds; sign checks for the withdrawal of funds; examine, as often as necessary the financial records and books of account of the Temple; and when requested at any meeting of the Temple, give a financial report of the income and expenditures of the Temple since the last report.

(b) The Treasurer shall prepare, and submit at the Annual Meeting of the Temple, from the books and records of the Temple, an annual statement of its financial condition, its annual operating statement, or any other or supplemental report or statement necessary to disclose the true financial condition, the nature and current value of the assets, the operating results, and the income and sources thereof, and present his books and papers to an auditor for the annual audit.

(c) Upon assuming his office, the Treasurer shall furnish a bond in such amount as may be fixed by the board of Trustees so as to protect the Temple, the trustees and the officers, personally and as officers and trustees, as thier respective interest may appear. The premium for said bond shall be paid for by the Temple.

4. Recorder

(a) It shall be the duty of the Recorder to keep accurate minutes of the proceedings of the Temple; issue notices to the members of each meeting; keep a just and true account with each member of the Temple; present his books and papers to the Auditor whenever required; keep a register to the members of the Temple; and at the Annual Meeting of the Temple render a complete report of the membership and other matters of interest in which his office is concerned.

(b) He shall, before January 15 of each year, transmit to Imperial Recorder, in the form prescribed, the annual returns for the Temple; arrange to remit to the Imperial Recorder the per capita tax a established by the Imperial Council and arrange to remit $2.50 of the initiation fee for every initiate immediately after the initiation to the Imperial Recorder; and issue official Shrine cards to members entitled to the same.

(c) The Recorder shall receive all funds accruing to the Temple from membership sources and promptly deposit them to the credit of the Temple in an approved depository; keep the books of account and records of the Temple; carefully preserve him memoranda of payments of obligations of the Temple; draw and sign checks, vouchers, or orders for the payment of obligations of the Temple; sums due the Imperial Council, or other authorized disbursements; report the amount of all funds received and disbursements thereof as often as the Potentate may require; and keep the budget control records.

(d) The Recorder shall issue all notices to the members, attend to the official correspondence of the Temple, and shall issue all certificates authorized by the Temple. He shall have custody of the seal, books and records of the Temple, and shall deliver the same to his successor in good order.

(e) The Reorder shall arrange his books, records and accounts so as to conform with fiscal year as provided for in Article XXVII, Section 327.3 of the Imperial By-Laws.

(f) He shall prepare for the Board a monthly statement showing financial transactions of the Temple and shall annually furnish the Board a complete written inventory of the Temple Property. He shall furnish such other reports as may be required by the Illustrious Potentate or the Board of Trustees.

(g) Upon assuming his office, the Recorder shall furnish a bond in such amount as may be fixed by the board of Trustees so as to protect the Temple, the trustees and the officers, personally and as officers and trustees, as thier respective interest may appear. The premium for said bond shall be paid for by the Temple.

(h) All checks shall be signed by at least two of the four officers authorized; viz. Potentate, Chief Rabban, Treasurer, and Recorder.

5. Other Officers

All other Officers shall perform the duties appropriate to their several stations and those assigned to them by the potentate.

6. Executive Director

The Board of Trustees may employ an Executive Director who shall be the chief administrative and operations employee of the Temple. The Executive Director shall be a member of Aladdin Temple and shall remain such during his employment. The Executive Director shall provide the administrative support necessary for the Recorder  to fulfill the duties specified in Section 327.3 of the By-Laws of the Imperial Council. The Executive Director, with the advise and consent of the Board of Trustees, may employ a Building Operations and/or Marketing Manager. The Executive Director shall employ such administrative, maintenance and support personnel as are required for the operation of the Temple, as authorized by the Board of Trustees within the annual budget as approved by the Temple. The Executive Director shall be responsible for the supervision and performance evaluation of the employees of the Temple and shall report to the Board of Trustees on such performance evaluations annually. The services of the Executive Director may be terminated by a majority vote of all members of the Board of Trustees.

ARTICLE VII

Board of Directors

1.  The Board of Directors consists of the Temple Official Divan Officers:
(a)  Quorum.  Three Directors constitutes a quorum of the Board.
(b)  Meetings.  The Board of Directors shall meet monthly or on the call of the Potentate who shall be its chairman.  He must call the meeting when requested by three directors.  Meetings may be conducted in person or by telephone or other means of communication by which all parties may be connected and all comments and conclusions as well as the vote on any resolution be heard and or observed by all members present.
(c)  Notice.  The Recorder shall give not less than three days' written notice to each director of the time and place of the meeting.  Notice may be waived in writing prior to or subsequent to such meeting.
(d)  Budgets.  The Board of Directors shall, in conjunction with the Chief Rabban:
(1)  Prepare and complete the proposed Temple budgets for the ensuing year;
(2)  Report or cause to be reported to the appropriate stated meeting of the Temple any proposals for amendments to or departures from the budget and the reasons therefore;
(3)  Cause copies of the complete budget for the succeeding year to be made available upon request to each member at least seven days prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered.  The proposed budget shall be in detail and in accordance with the Uniform Chart of Accounts prescribed by The Imperial Council together with the amount budgeted for the preceding year.
(4)  The Budget shall be presented to the Temple for approval at the December session of the Temple.
(5)  A copy of the budget must be filed with the Imperial Recorder within thirty days after its adoption.
(e)  Multiple Budgets.  The Board of Directors may prepare and propose both an operating budget and a capital budget.