The Charter of the Barony of Iron Bog in the Kingdom of the East of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. Revised and adopted –December, 2012

Preamble:

We the Citizens of the Barony of Iron Bog, in order to promote harmony, tranquility and the general welfare of the people, do ordain these articles to be the recognized policies of our Barony. This charter shall define, but not limit, the rights of all gentles who live within our Barony’s borders.

Section I – General Regulations

All policies not listed in Charter of the Barony of Iron Bog are repealed. Only the Policies listed herein, along with the Governing Documents (containing “Corpora” and the “By-Laws of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (hereafter known as “the SCA”) and East Kingdom Law are in effect in the Barony.
The Barony shall make no policy, rule or custom that contradicts any modern federal, state, or local laws, or that overrides or supersedes either the Governing Documents of the SCA, East Kingdom Law, or the policies of the Greater and Lesser Offices of the SCA or the East Kingdom.
If the Barony has no specific rule, then the Barony shall follow the Governing Documents of the SCA, East Kingdom Law, and the policies of the Greater and Lesser Officers of the SCA and the East Kingdom.
The current version of the Charter of the Barony will be maintained by the group Seneschal and made available on the Barony’s web page.
The Branch Financial Committee, as required by East Kingdom Financial Policy, Section IV.B, shall be comprised of the Seneschal, the Exchequer, both members of the Baronial Seat which shall have one vote between them, one Baronial officer and one other paid member who resides within the Barony. The Financial Committee will vote on all Baronial expenditures sent to them in an expeditious manner, in accordance with the Financial Policies, which are attached as Exhibit A.

Section II – Membership

Residents of the Barony are hereby defined as any persons living within those zip codes designated as comprising the Barony, as filed with the East Kingdom Seneschal.
Citizens of the Barony are hereby defined as any persons living within those zip codes designated as comprising the Barony, as filed with the East Kingdom Seneschal and holding a paid membership within the SCA. In keeping with Corpora, I.D.1, citizens should expect to show proof of membership in order to qualify for member privileges.

Section III – Business Meetings

All policies, rules, or regulations of the Barony shall be made only in the Barony’s business meetings.
Business meetings shall be open to all.
The Barony will, after public notice via all forms of communication it regularly uses, hold regular monthly business meetings.
Special business meetings may be called by the Seneschal, the Baron or Baroness, and/or by consensus of the officers or people of the Barony. A Special Business Meeting may be held after public notice via all forms of communication the Barony regularly uses.
The time and location of each regular business meeting, and of any special business meeting, shall be published in the Barony’s official newsletter, on the Barony’s email list(s), and on the Barony’s web site prior to the next meeting.
Quorum is hereby defined as a minimum of four citizens serving as Barony officers and four other residents in attendance.
The citizen presiding over the business meeting shall be referred to as the Chair. The Chair shall be the Barony’s Seneschal. If the Seneschal is not present, the meeting shall be chaired by a Deputy Seneschal. In the absence of both the Seneschal and a Deputy Seneschal, the meeting shall be chaired by the Barony’s Exchequer. In the absence of all three of those officers, the meeting shall be considered neither chaired nor official and therefore no Baronial business will be conducted.
The suggested order of the meeting shall be as follows:
1. The meeting is called to order by the Chair.
1. Officer reports
  1. Baronial Seat
  1. Seneschal
  1. Greater Officers
  1. Lesser Officers
  1. Committees and Guilds
1. Old Business, including Baronial event updates, selection of Officers, tabled motions from a previous meetings, etc.
1. New Business.
Motions may be made by any person present at the business meeting and may be made at any point following the delivery of officer reports.
Motions shall fall into one of two categories – matters of greater importance and matters of lesser importance.
Matters of greater importance shall include selection of officers, approval of event proposals, approval of changes to existing event proposals not of a financial nature, non-event related expenditures having been

reviewed and approved in accordance with Finance Committee guidelines as specified in Appendix A, and any other motion as determined by the Chair or by consensus of attendees at the meeting. A matter of greater importance shall automatically be tabled until the following meeting where it will be addressed as Old Business. At that point, general discussion shall take place. Any person present may participate in discussion. When all discussion is complete, the Chair will call for a majority vote.

In matters of lesser importance, general discussion shall take place immediately on the motion. Any person present may participate in discussion. When all discussion is complete, the Chair will call for a majority vote.
The Chronicler or recorder designated by the Seneschal will take minutes of the meeting and post same to the Barony’s web site within two weeks of the meeting in question.

Section IV – Voting

Participation in a vote is limited to those citizens of at least fourteen years of age present and voting, with the exception of absentee votes as defined below.
Votes may be taken by show of hands, voice call, or by written ballot as decided by the Chair, however any vote may be held by written ballot if proposed and seconded by a citizen.
Absentee voting is permitted to citizens of the Barony. Absentee votes are limited to specific motions and must be presented to the Chair, by the citizen, with proof of membership before the beginning of the business meeting.
Voting by proxy is not permitted.
We do not recognize abstentions.
In votes that require other than “yes/no” responses, the last question of the vote shall be “none of the above.”

Section V – Officers

In keeping with East Kingdom Law, the Barony shall maintain a sufficient slate of officers to maintain the branch status.
In keeping with the appropriate sections of Corpora and East Kingdom Law, all Officers and Deputy Officers must be citizens of the Barony for the duration of their tenure, and their terms must comply with Kingdom Law.
Except for the Baron and/or Baroness, an Officer’s first term of Office is defined as two years. Subsequent terms are for one year. Officers must note their intention to serve an additional term no less than one month prior to the end of their current term. Election to an additional term will be dependent upon the Officer passing a majority Vote of Confidence one month before completion of the term or another Candidate presenting himself for consideration one month before the end of the current Officer’s term. To present himself,

a Candidate must submit a Letter of Intent to the appropriate Barony Officer, the Seneschal, the Chronicler, and the Web Minister for publication in the newsletter, on the web site, and to the Barony’s email list(s). Should the Officer fail a Vote of Confidence or should a Candidate present himself, an election must be held to determine who shall hold the Office. This shall be a matter of greater importance and must be tabled until the following business meeting.

All Candidates may speak for themselves before a vote is taken. A retiring Officer may endorse any Candidate he so chooses. A clear majority is required for a Candidate to receive the Barony’s support. If no Candidate receives a clear majority, the Candidate with the fewest votes will be dropped until there are only two Candidates on the ballot. If there are two Candidates tied for the fewest votes, then they will have a run-off vote, before the general selection continues to determine which Candidate stays on the ballot. The appropriate corresponding Kingdom Officer and regional deputies and the Crown of the East have veto power. Any Candidate known to be unsuitable to the Kingdom shall not be permitted to run for the Office in question.
Deputy Officers shall be selected by the Officer and presented to the Barony for a majority Vote of Confidence. Each Officer will train a Deputy or Deputies in all aspects of their Office.
Should an Officer resign or become unable to perform the duties of the Office, the Deputy will take over those duties until the end of the original term of Office, a successor is chosen, or until the original Officer is again able to perform those duties.
In keeping with East Kingdom Law, Officers must file reports as required by the corresponding Kingdom Officer and/or the Regional Deputy.
Officers’ files and materials must be fully transferred from the outgoing Officer to the incoming Officer not more than one month after the date of formal transfer of the Office.
At any point, any Citizen may, at a regular business meeting, express dissatisfaction with the performance of an officer and may call for a vote of no confidence. This motion must then be seconded by another citizen. If a second is received, the motion is then treated as a matter of greater importance.
No single officer may be subjected to a vote of no confidence more than once every six months.
In the event of passage of a vote of no confidence, a petition will be forwarded by the Seneschal, or by the deputy Seneschal in the case of a vote against the Seneschal, to the appropriate Kingdom officer on behalf of the Barony.

Section VI – Event Stewards

In keeping with Corpora and East Kingdom Law all Event Stewards for the Barony must be citizens of the Barony and shall be considered officers as deputies under the Seneschal’s office during the period of time between the Barony’s acceptance of the event proposal and the completion of the event.
Event Stewards shall be selected via approval of the event bid submission by a majority vote.

The sponsoring of events and selection of Event Stewards shall occur by the following procedure: At least seven (7) months prior to the proposed date of the event, a budget must be submitted to the Financial Committee. After approval of the budget by the Financial Committee, and at least six (6) months prior to the proposed date of the event, the event proposal shall be presented to the populace at a regular business meeting. The proposal shall have sufficient information for the Barony to make an informed decision including, but not limited to, a written event proposal containing the name of the Event Steward, the name of the Head Cook, the proposed site, the proposed activities, and the event budget. Event proposals shall comply with the local event section of East Kingdom Law and East Kingdom Financial Policy. General discussion will take place on the proposed event. The Barony may consent, deny or postpone judgment on the proposal by a majority vote. The event steward shall provide monthly status reports, oral or written, to the Barony. Event expenses will be reimbursed to individuals working on events, subject to Barony approval and SCA Exchequer policies.
All files relevant to the event must be fully transferred from the outgoing Event Steward to the Seneschal not more than one month after the date of the event. All financial records relevant to the event must be fully transferred from the outgoing Event Stweard to the Exchequer not more than one week after the date of the event.

Section VII – Amending the Charter

An amendment to the charter may add, delete, or modify any rule so long as it does not contradict any modern federal, state, or local law, or that overrides or supersedes the Governing Documents of the SCA, East Kingdom Law, or the policies of the Greater and Lesser Offices of the SCA or the East Kingdom.
An amendment to the charter must be submitted in writing to the Seneschal and the Chronicler by a citizen either before or during a regular business meeting. The proposed amendment must be seconded by another citizen during the meeting. Amending the Charter is considered a matter of greater importance, and shall be tabled until the following business meeting.
The proposed amendment will be published in the newsletter, on the website, and on the email list(s) at least one month prior to vote. A two-thirds vote is required for passage of the charter amendment. Participation is limited to those Citizens of at least fourteen years of age present and voting, with the exception of absentee votes as defined previously.
Changes to the charter due to updating of section numbers or policy changes in the Governing Documents, East Kingdom Law, or the policies of the Greater and Lesser Offices will not require a vote and will take place automatically as an administrative function.

Section VIII – Baronial Selection Process

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY

Iron Bog may have either a sitting Baron, a sitting Baroness, or a sitting Baron and Baroness (known as a sitting Territorial Couple) hereafter known as the “Baronial Seat”. However, an individual may run for Baronial Seat only once on the ballot. Therefore, the individual must decide to run either individually or as a member of one pair.
1. In order to be eligible to run for Baronial seat in Iron Bog, each candidate must meet all eligibility qualifications under East Kingdom Law, in addition to the following criteria:
  1. Must be a Citizen of the Barony of Iron Bog as defined in the Iron Bog Charter.
  1. Must be a paid member of the SCA, Inc. at the time of publication of intent to run for Baronial seat, throughout the polling procedure, and at all times while sitting on the Baronial seat.
  1. Must be eighteen years of age or older.
  1. Must have resided within the geographical boundaries of Iron Bog for at least one year preceding the notice of intent to run for Baronial Seat.
  1. Must have completed one of the following criteria in the five years preceding the notice of intent to run for Baronial Seat:
    1. Completed one year as a Local, Regional or Kingdom Officer;
    1. Been the event steward or head cook (as listed in the event announcement) for two events hosted by Iron Bog;
    1. Been the main event steward or head cook (as listed in the event announcement) for an Inter-Kingdom event.
1. If a citizen of Iron Bog has not completed one of the three qualifications above in I.B.v.a.-c., but can demonstrate to the required officers that they have sufficiently supported the local group, the required officers may vote by simple majority to allow the individual to run.
1. If there is any dispute as to the completion of one of the qualifications in Section I.B.i-v above, the determination will be made by simple majority vote of the filled required officers of Iron Bog. Filled required officers will be deemed to mean the required officers of the branch as determined by East Kingdom Law.
1. VOTING EXCEPTION: In instances above where a vote of the required officers occurs and there is a tie, there is a re-vote of the required officers with the seneschal abstaining. This abstention does not count as a negative vote.

NOMINATION PROCEDURES
- The process to select a new Baronial Seat begins in one of the following ways:
  - One year prior to the end of term of the current Baronial Seat, or
  - The current Baronial Seat announces its intention to step down, or

The Seneschal announces that the Baronial Seat is vacant, or
1. The Royalty removes the current Baronial Seat and appoints a Vicar. The Vicar may not run to replace the removed Baronial Seat.
1. Upon the announcement by either the retiring Baronial Seat or the Seneschal, the Seneschal will accept nominations for Baronial Seat either by written letter or email.
1. The Seneschal will prepare an announcement that nominations are being accepted for the Baronial Seat. This announcement will be placed on the web site by the Web Minister, posted to the email list by the Seneschal, and mailed to subscribers of the newsletter by the Chronicler, within fourteen days of the announcement of the vacancy. Officers in charge of these publications must make every effort to publish those announcements within the required time frame.
1. The Seneschal will accept nominations for Baronial Seat until the opening of the next business meeting following the business meeting announcing the vacancy of the Baronial Seat. At that point, nominations are closed and a list of candidates for Baronial Seat will be created and announced at the close of that meeting.
1. The Seneschal will prepare an announcement indicating the names of eligible candidates for Baronial Seat. This list of candidates will be placed on the web site by the Web Minister, posted to the email list by the Seneschal, and mailed to subscribers of the newsletter by the Chronicler, within fourteen days of the announcement of candidates. Officers in charge of these publications must make every effort to publish those announcements within the required time frame.
1. Following the posting of the names of eligible candidates, the candidates are then encouraged to begin their campaign by posting on the e-mail list, to the website, or in person.

POLLING PROCESS
- Immediately following the announcement of the candidates as defined in II.E., the Iron Bog Seneschal will contact the East Kingdom Seneschal to coordinate the preparation of the ballot and request mailing labels.
- The polling and investiture will be conducted according to the rules specified in East Kingdom law.

TERMS
- The term for a Baronial Seat is three years.
- The Baronial Seat is limited to one term and one 2 year extension if they request it and it is granted by Iron Bog’s citizens.
- During the business meeting one year prior to the end of the term, the nomination procedures will begin as described in Section II.A. and the Baronial Seat will announce whether it wishes to run for

an additional term. If there is a sitting Territorial Couple, then both territorial leaders must agree to continue.

If the Baronial Seat states their intention to sit for a 2 year extension, an announcement will be placed in the next Iron Bog newsletter and on the Iron Bog website within five days of the announcement.
- If no other candidate has submitted a letter of intent within one month of the Baronial Seat announcing its intention to continue, a vote of confidence will be taken by closed ballot at the next business meeting.
- If the sitting Baronial Seat is successful in the vote of confidence, then they will continue through an additional 2 year term of office.
- If the Baronial Seat is not successful in the vote of confidence, then the nomination process will begin from Section II.A. above.
- If the Baronial Seat does not wish to continue, then the nomination process will begin from Section II above.
- If there is a Baron and Baroness sitting as territorial leaders and either of them decides to step down early, the remaining territorial leader may complete the current term individually.
- Either party is permitted to run as either individuals or as a part of a new Baron and Baroness pair in the next nomination process, unless doing so conflicts with current Kingdom Law.
- If the Baronial Seat decides to step down early, then the nomination process will begin from Section II.A. above.

RIGHTS, DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE BARONIAL SEAT
- The Baronial Seat is the voice of the Eastern Royalty. As such, they are the final word on all matters of protocol at meetings, events, commons and other official Iron Bog functions.
- In addition to the Rights and Responsibilities of Territorial Barons/Baronesses outlined in East Kingdom Law, the Iron Bog Baronial Seat will have the additional Rights, Duties and Obligations:
  - Meetings and Events
    - The Baronial Seat of Iron Bog shall make every reasonable effort to attend meetings and events hosted by Iron Bog.
    - Prior to announcement of events, the Event Steward should contact the Baronial Seat for their availability to attend a proposed event.
    - Should the Baronial Seat challenge a proposed event, the Baronial Seat shall have the opportunity to voice objections and provide a basis for said objections prior to the vote being taken on the event.
  - Awards

The Baronial Seat may establish award orders for Iron Bog.
1. The names and badges of said awards shall be presented at a business meeting.
1. The presentation of a new award shall be placed in the next Iron Bog newsletter and on the website within five days.
1. At the next business meeting, all attending citizens may vote on the proposed award by simple majority vote.
1. The Baronial Seat may bestow titles, positions of honor, favors, and approved Baronial awards at their discretion, unless in direct conflict with Kingdom Law.
1. The Baronial Seat will bestow the title to Baronial champions who are selected in accordance with any provisions in the Iron Bog Charter.
1. The Baronial Seat shall have the authority to remove any champion as Baronial Champion.
1. The Baronial Seat shall appoint the commanders of the Iron Garde, or any militia that will be considered part of the Barony. The Baronial Seat may remove or discharge the commander of the Iron Garde or any sanctioned militia which is considered part of the Barony.

EXHIBIT A

Barony of Iron Bog Financial Policies

Section I – General Regulations

1. The Barony shall make no policy, rule or custom that contradicts any modern federal, state, or local laws, or that overrides or supersedes either the Governing Documents of the SCA, East Kingdom Law, or the policies of the Greater and Lesser Offices of the SCA or the East Kingdom.

Section II – The Financial Committee

The Financial Committee is responsible for setting financial policy for the barony in accordance with Kingdom policy.
The Financial Committee shall consist of the following current members:
1. Seneschal
1. Exchequer
1. The Office of the Baron/Baroness – which shall count as one vote
1. One additional Baronial Officer
1. One other paid member who resides within the Barony.
The term of the Financial Committee members shall be determined by their tenure in office or shall be two years for non-Officers.

Section III – Financial Committee Meetings

Financial Committee Meetings will be held as needed to discuss or take action on financial matters.
1. A meeting may be called by the Seneschal or the Exchequer. If another Financial Committee member has information that needs to be brought to the attention of the committee, s/he should request that the Seneschal or Exchequer call a meeting.
1. The meeting may be run by the Seneschal or the Exchequer.
1. A meeting may be held in person, via email or via phone.
1. There shall be at least one Financial Committee meeting per fiscal year to plan the Barony annual budget.
1. Financial Policy shall be reviewed by the Finance committee at the same meeting that the annual budget is planned.
1. Additional meetings shall be held when the need for discussion or action on financial matters occurs.

Section IV – Annual Budget

The annual budget must include provisions for:

Office expenses for elected officers
1. Planned Barony events
1. Repair and replacement of equipment
1. Baron/Baroness expense fund
The annual budget may include provisions for:
1. Equestrian insurance
1. Special projects
1. Potential Kingdom level events

Section V – Allowed Expenses

Allocation of funds not approved by an alternate method may be approved by the following guidelines:
1. All requests for expenditures must be presented to the Financial Committee.
1. Amounts of $25.00 or less may be approved by the Seneschal and the Exchequer.
1. Amounts between $25.01 and $250.00 may be approved by a plurality vote of the financial committee.
1. Amounts of $250.01 and over must be tabled by the Financial Committee until the next Baronial meeting when the expense can be approved or disapproved by the populace.
Allocation of funds for annual budget items will be approved by the Financial Committee.
Those eligible to vote on the allocation of funds are the same as stated as being eligible to vote in the barony election policies.
Fully documented receipts must be provided to support all expenses before reimbursement.
All disbursements will be made to an entity by signed checks, and with full documentation.
Advances may be issued for approved allowed expenses.
1. The Advancement of Funds form must be signed by the Exchequer and the recipient prior to the issuance of the funds.
1. Receipts and unused funds must be returned to the Exchequer within sixty (60) days of the issuance of the advance. The Financial Committee may, by majority vote, extend this deadline by thirty

(30) days.

Section VI – Collection of Funds

A paid member of the SCA must be in charge of the gate functions at any event where money is collected in the name of the SCA.
This individual must be permitted by the SCA’s Corporate Policies to serve as a deputy of the Exchequer, who will be ultimately responsible for the accounting of the gate funds.
Minors under age 15 may not serve as Head Gatekeeper, Reservationist or Troll for an event.

Such minors may assist at the gate collecting funds, making change, etc., under the oversight of the individual designated as being in charge of the gate functions.
1. The individual designated as being in charge of the gate functions must approve any such minor assisting gate functions.
All cash or equivalents (i.e., checks) received prior to an event should be deposited within seven (7) days but no longer than fourteen (14) days after receipt.
1. All cash or equivalents received at an event must be deposited within fourteen (14) days of receipt.
1. Income of any type that has not been deposited is not to be used for refunds, reimbursements or expenses.

Section VII – Event Budgets

Budgets for events shall be presented to the Finance Committee for evaluation and approval as outlined in the Charter. A determination shall be made as to the fiscal feasibility of the proposed budget by the Financial Committee within fourteen (14 days) of submission.
1. When a potential overrun is detected the Financial Committee can adjust the budget to match the new estimate. (Alternatives should be considered prior to adjusting the budget.)
1. Based on custom, Their Royal Majesties of the East and Their Royal Highnesses of the East shall not be charged a site fee, feast fee, or admission to Barony events.
1. Based on custom, the Reigning Baron and/or Baroness might not be charged a site fee or admission to Barony events at which there is a Baronial Court, at the discretion of the Event Steward in conjunction with the Financial Committee.
1. Any other complimentary passes for event staff or Royalty will be determined in advance on an individual event basis by the Seneschal, Exchequer and Event Steward of the event.
The formal Baronial policy is that event refunds are not given. Requests due to extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the Financial Committee in conjunction with the Event Steward and determined on a case by case basis.

Section VIII – Inventory

An annual inventory accounting shall be given to the office of the Exchequer by all baronial officers and baronial guild masters who have materials or items purchased with baronial funds or donated to the barony.
This inventory is due on or before October 21st of each year.
A new inventory is due immediately whenever the office holder changes.
Inventories will include explanations for changes from the previous inventory.
Inventories will contain consumable and non-consumable items.

Disposal of inventory due to age and wear is done at the discretion of the office holder with prior approval by the Exchequer.
A Deputy Exchequer can be responsible for inventory control.
Any person maintaining Barony property shall be responsible for the items in their possession.
- In the event of damage to or loss of the items due to negligence or misuse, the person responsible for the damage or loss must reimburse the Barony at replacement cost, or provide a replacement of like kind and quality.
- This reimbursement/replacement requirement does not apply to damage due to normal usage.

Section IX – Changes to Financial Policy

This Financial Policy may be modified or corrected by the Kingdom Exchequer so as not to conflict with Kingdom and/or Society financial policies.
When it is decided to change Financial Policy, the changes must be distributed to the populace of the Barony for comment.
1. This can be done by presenting at a meeting, email or by publishing in the Barony newsletter.
When the Financial Committee has approved the revisions to the Financial Policy, a signed copy of the revised policy must be sent to the Kingdom Exchequer.
When the policy has been approved by the Kingdom Exchequer, it will be made available on the Barony website and in the newsletter.

Baronial Charter

General