Area 53 Guidlines

5. All officers or their alternates, unless otherwise specified, are expected to attend all Area Service Activities, one state mini conference outside of Area 53 and are encouraged to attend the Ohio State Convention and the Regional Convention and Regional Forum.

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VI. Duties of the Officers
1. Area Delegate:
a. Shall perform the duties specified in The A.A. Service Manual, whenever practical.

b. Is expected to attend all Area, State and Regional Service activities along with A.A.'s International Convention when held.

2. Alternate Delegate:
a. Shall perform the duties of the Area Delegate in the absence of the Area Delegate.

b. In the event that the Delegate cannot serve, the Alternate shall assume fully the duties of Area Delegate.

3. Chairperson:
a. Shall chair all afternoon Area Assembly and Area Committee meetings.

b. Shall prepare agenda for the Area Assembly and Area Committee meetings.

c. Act, in general, as the administrative officer of the Area Assembly.

d. May appoint an ad hoc committee to investigate a specific purpose or situation. The ad hoc committee will report it's findings to the Chairperson and Area Assembly at which time the ad hoc committee will be dissolved.

4. Alternate Chairperson:
a. Shall assume the duties of the Chairperson in his or her absence.

b. Shall assume other duties as requested by the Area.

c. Shall chair all morning Area Assembly Meetings

5. Secretary:
a. Shall take minutes of all Area 53 Assembly and Committee meetings.

b. Shall mail minutes of all meetings at appropriate times to all voting members of the Area 53 Assembly.

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c. Shall have custody of all current Area 53 Assembly documents (documents for the last two years), including minutes, committee reports, Delegate reports, correspondences, publications of Area 53 Assembly, etc.

d. Shall transfer all non-current documents, in a timely fashion, to the Area Archives committee for storage.

e. Shall notify all members of Area Assembly meetings.

f. Shall notify voting members of Area Committee meetings.

6. Alternate Secretary:
a. Shall perform the duties of the Recording Secretary in his or her absence.

b. Shall perform other duties as assigned by the Area Assembly.

7. Registrar:
a. Shall maintain Area computer system.

b. Shall develop, maintain and update, in a confidential fashion, a computerized database of all registered Area meetings and of all Area trusted servants and direct mailings or provide mailing labels as needed and approved by the Area.

c. Shall keep and update a listing of all persons eligible to vote in Area Committee and Area Assembly meetings.

d. Shall relay pertinent information between the Delegate and G.S.O., when requested to do so, and shall handle other Area correspondence as requested.

e. Shall maintain and cause to be published a calendar of events related to General Service within Area 53.

f. Shall prepare, in a format suitable for publication, a monthly listing of general service related events and information and distribute this document to Area Intergroups for possible inclusion in their monthly newsletters.

8. Alternate Registrar:
a. Shall be responsible for managing the Area 53 voice Mail System. b. Shall cooperate with the Group Services Committee by exchanging group, district, and Area change information. c. Shall perform the duties of the Corresponding Secretary in his or her absence.

d. Shall perform other duties as assigned by the Area Assembly.

9. Treasurer:
a. Shall receive and record contributions from A.A. Groups and individuals and return a receipt for each contribution.

b. Shall make all disbursements by check. Maintain records and supporting documentation for each check.

c. Shall maintain a bank account(s) with at least three signatories, the Treasurer and at least two other Area 53 Assembly officers.

d. Shall reconcile bank statement(s) monthly. e. Shall report to the Area Committee and Area Assembly at each meeting.

f. Shall prepare a written quarterly report for each Area Assembly meeting.
1. Report should include income/expenses since the previous report.

2. Listing, by group, district or other entity, all donations deposited to the Area account.

g. Shall prepare an annual financial report at the end of each year.

h. Shall present a budget for the upcoming year at the October Area Committee Meeting and at the December Area 53 Assembly.

i. Shall file all necessary annual IRS documents as required by law.

10. Alternate Treasurer:
a. Shall assume the duties of the Treasurer in his or her absence.

b. Shall assist in the preparation of the quarterly and annual financial report.

c. Shall review the bank reconciliation(s) prepared by the Treasurer monthly.

d. Shall serve as Treasurer for convention and conferences within compliance of area and state guidelines as applicable.

e. Shall perform other duties as assigned by the Area assembly.

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VII. Area Committee of the Area 53 Assembly
1. Composition
a. Delegate.

b. Alternate Delegate.

c. All current Officers and Alternate Officers.

d. District Committee Members, or their Alternates.

e. Chairpersons of Standing Committees, or their Alternates, and the DCM Chairperson or their Alternate.

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2. Purpose
a. The Area Committee will serve as the steering committee of the Area 53 Assembly.

b. The Area Committee will assist the Area Chairperson in. setting the agenda for the Area 53 Assembly.

c. The Area Committee will assist Area Officers in conducting the day-to-day business of the Area 53 Assembly.

3. Meetings
a. Meetings shall be held on the second Sunday in January, April, July and October.

b. The agenda set by the Area Committee will be communicated to all Area Assembly members at least one month prior to the Area Assembly Meeting.

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VIII. Standing Committees of the Area 53 Assembly
1. Area Standing Committees
a. Archives Committee.

b.Convention Committee.

c. Cooperation With the Professional Community Committee.

d. Correctional Facilities Committee.

e. Finance Committee.

f. Grapevine Committee.

g. Group Services Committee.

h. Liaison Committee.

i. Public Information Committee.

j. Treatment Facilities Committee.

2. Chairpersons of Committees
a. The committee members of a standing committee shall elect the chairperson. In the absence of an active committee membership, the Area Chairperson may recommend a standing committee chairperson subject to the approval of the Area Committee.

b. Rotation shall be a principle followed by all Standing Committees with respect to election or appointment of officers with efforts being made to maintain continuity of committee service.

c. Each committee chairperson shall submit a summary report of committee action to the Area Secretary at the Area assembly for inclusion in the minutes.

d. The chair of each standing committee shall submit copies of all committee meeting minutes to the Area Secretary for inclusion with area records.

e. Should a standing committee require support from the Area, the chair of the committee shall submit a budget request to the Area Treasurer by October 1 st for consideration for inclusion in the yearly budget prepared by the Finance Committee.

3. Additional Standing Committee Officers

a. Each standing committee shall elect from among their active members those officers who, in addition to the committee chairperson, are deemed necessary for the proper operation of the committee.

4. Standing Committee Funding

a. Standing committees may seek their funding through direct contributions to support the service components for their work. Contributions may be monetary or material in nature and within A.A. guidelines.

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IX. Committee Areas of Activity
1. Archives Committee
a. Shall collect, organize, preserve, store, and display records of A.A. History.

b. Shall select a member to serve as a non-rotating archivist responsible for assuring the physical integrity of Area 53's collection.

2. Convention Committee
a. Shall report regularly to the Area Assembly meetings.

b. Shall plan and organize Area Conventions.

3. Cooperation With the Professional Community Committee
a. Shall establish good cooperation between A.A. and the professional community.

b. Shall provide information about A.A. to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession.

4. Correctional Facilities Committee
a. Shall establish good cooperation between A.A. and correctional facilities in Area 53.

b. Shall provide information about A.A. to inmates in Area correctional facilities.

c. Shall assist in the organization of correctional facilities meetings.

5. Finance Committee
a. Shall be composed of the current and, in an election year, the incoming Treasurer, Alternate Treasurer, Area Chairperson, and Alternate Chairperson.

b. Shall Assist the Treasurer, on an election year the incoming Treasurer, in the preparation of the Area 53 budget.

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c. Shall consider all financial requests and make recommendations to the Area as deemed prudent by the committee.

6. Grapevine Committee
a. Shall review all matters relating to Grapevine publications.

b. Shall consider and make recommendations regarding proposed additions and changes to Grapevine publications.

c. Shall inform Assembly members, through displays and other suitable methods, of all available Grapevine publications and audio-visual materials, and other special items.

7. Group Services Committee
a. Shall serve new and existing districts and groups in Area 53 by sharing information and experience to strengthen the General Service Structure.

b. Shall coordinate and cooperate with all DCM's to organize all inactive districts.

c. Shall provide materials and information to assist in registering groups and districts with all service entities.

d. Shall maintain and help to coordinate the GSR School.

e. Shall maintain and present Conference Approved Literature for resale at all Area 53 General Service Functions.

8. Liaison Committee
a. Shall work to establish and maintain communications among central and intergroup offices and Area 53.

b. Shall seek to prevent unnecessary duplication of efforts and conflicts arising from service work by the Area and central or intergroup offices within the Area.

c. Shall seek to keep Area members informed of all central office and intergroup office activity within the area.

9. Public Information Committee
a. Shall provide speakers and information for non-A.A. functions within the guidelines of the traditions.

b. Shall assist in the preparation and dissemination of all A.A. public announcements within the Area.

c. Shall appoint, with Area Chairperson's approval, a Webmaster to update, maintain, and make changes to the website.
The Webmaster should:
1. Have access to a computer and Internet connection.

2. Possess some knowledge of HTML and or other Internet languages.

3. Inform the Area of any changes or needs concerning the website.

10. Treatment Facilities Committee
a. Shall establish good cooperation between A.A. and treatment facilities in Area 53.

b. Shall provide information about A.A. to patients in Area treatment facilities.

c. Shall assist in the organization of treatment facilities meetings.

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X. Districts of the Area Assembly
1. District Membership
a. District membership shall consist of the District Committee Member and all General Service Representatives within the District.

2. Voting Membership - Voting membership at District meetings shall consist of:
a. District Committee Member (or their Alternate).

b. One General Service Representative (or their Alternate) from each Group in the District.

c. Other officers as required by the District membership.

3. District Meeting
a. Each District should meet at regularly defined intervals, not less than four times a year, and at a time and place of its own choosing.

4. District Elections
a. Each Group may elect a GSR and, if they choose, an Alternate GSR.

b. Each GSR is to serve a two-year term.

c. GSRs are to be elected on even-numbered years for groups with even group numbers, odd numbered years for groups with odd numbers.

d. GSR elections should occur during the period from October to November, with the newly elected GSRs assuming their positions in December.

e. DCMs are to be elected by the currently serving GSRs in the District to serve a two-year term. DCMs should be elected on November of the year in which Area Elections do not occur.

5. District Committee Members Meeting
a. A meeting of all DCMs is to be held on the same day as and immediately prior to the Area Committee meeting. At this meeting, DCMs will discuss items to be presented to the Area Committee for inclusion on the agenda of the Area Assembly Meeting. Other service-related issues of importance to DCMs may also be discussed.

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b. For organizational purposes, the DCM meeting will elect a chairperson and a secretary.

6. District Committee Member Chairperson (DCMC)
a. Qualifications:
1. The D.C.M.C. has served as a D.C.M. and is elected by other D.C.M.s to take responsibility for D.C.M. committee meetings.

2. If the person chosen is a current D.C.M., a new D.C.M. should be elected to fill his or her position.

b. Duties
1. Shall keep in regular communication with the D.C.M.s.

2. Should coordinate and report all D.C.M. hosted events to the Area Registrar to prevent scheduling conflicts. (Examples; workshops, committee meetings, sharing sessions.)

3. May be responsible for the smooth running of the D.C.M. segment of the Area Assemblies and Area Committee Meetings.

4. Needs a sound understanding of the Steps, Traditions and Concepts.

5. Keeps the Area Officers informed of the group conscience of the D.C.M. committee meeting.

6. Shall coordinate with the Delegate all redistricting plans if requested by the D.C.M.

7. D.C.M. Secretary
a. Secretary will be responsible for providing minutes of the meeting to Area D.C.M.s.

8. District Boundaries
a. District boundaries are shown approximately on the map in Appendix A.

b. Specific designation of any group as being in a district is dependent upon group number assignment from General Service Office

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XI. Intergroups and Central Offices
1. Members of the Area 53 Assembly recognize the vital services provided by these units which benefit the entire fellowship and encourages their coexistence.

2. Within the Area, Groups are encouraged to form intergroup units which may offer the following local services:
a. Receiving, distributing and following up Twelve Step Calls.

b. Answering inquiries about A.A.

c. Establishing local public information committees.

d. Maintaining information about local hospitals and recovery facilities for alcoholics.

e. Providing local A.A. open and closed meeting lists.

f. Providing a newsletter.

g. Ordering, selling and distributing A.A. conference-approved literature.

3. Members of the Area 53 Assembly encourage intergroup officers to specify their area and scope of activity and forward such information to the Area Registrar . The Area Registrar may then distribute such information to other Area officers to enhance coordination between Area 53 and the Intergroups and Central Offices so that no essential services to members and to those who may want what we have go unfulfilled.

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XII. Election of Area Delegate, Alternate Delegate, and Area Officers
1. At the September Area 53 Assembly Meeting of each even-numbered year, the Area Assembly will hold elections of the Area Delegate, Alternate Delegate, Chairperson, Alternate Chairperson, Registrar, Alternate Registrar, Secretary, Alternate Secretary, Treasurer, and Alternate Treasurer. The term of service for these individuals will be for two years and will begin January 1 of the following year.

2. At the beginning of this even-numbered election year, the Chairperson will ask the immediate Past Delegate to chair an ad hoc nomination committee to identify, secure, and submit names of qualified nominees.

3. The election assembly will follow the general order of business as outlined on page S34 of The A.A. Service Manual with special emphasis on items 4, 5, and 6.

4. Pages S34, a Typical Election Assembly, and S20-21, Third legacy Procedure, are to be read to the Assembly prior to the beginning of the election.

5. All elections will be held using Third Legacy Procedure.

6. All members of the Area Assembly designated as voting members as described in Chapter III "Membership" shall have voting privileges.

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XIII. Financial Guidelines of the Area 53 Assembly
1. The Area Assembly will accept contributions only from A.A. Members in Area 53 to insure that the Assembly remains directly responsible to those it serves.

2. A.A. Groups are encouraged to use the pamphlet "Supporting Your A.A. Support System" when determining contributions.

3. Disbursement of Area 53 funds, not included in the approved budget, must be approved by:
a. The Area Committee - up to and no greater than $300

b. The Area 53 Assembly - all amounts over $300

4. Area 53 shall maintain bank account(s) with at least three signatories, the Area Treasurer and at least two other Area 53 Assembly Officers. All disbursements shall require a check with two signatures.

5. Disbursements for expenditures approved in the budget shall be considered approved by the Area 53 Assembly and will not require pre-approval.
6. No disbursements shall be made to any individual or group without proper statements and/or receipts.

7. Annually, the Area Committee shall examine past and anticipated expenditures and income for the Area and assure that only a prudent reserve is maintained in the Area operating account. All excesses shall be forwarded to the General Services Office.

8. The Area will fund the Delegate's cost for the General Service Conference and other expenses related to the execution of his or her duties as approved by the Area Assembly.

9. Expenses of Alternate Delegate, Officers, Alternate Officers and Standing Committee Chairpersons associated with the execution of their duties may be paid if approved by the Area 53 Assembly.

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XIV Changes In These Guidelines
1. Any proposed change to these Guidelines shall be submitted, in writing, to the Area Chairperson who will present it to the Area Committee as an item for inclusion on the Area Assembly agenda.

2. The proposed change will be presented at the next Area Assembly meeting. At that time limited discussion will occur and a vote to consider the proposed change will be taken. If a majority of Area Members present vote to consider the change, the change will be placed on the Agenda for the following Area Assembly meeting.

3. If the proposed change is to be considered, the Area Secretary will distribute a copy of the proposed change to all voting members of the Area 53 Assembly within 15 days of the meeting during which the vote to consider was taken.

4. Changes to be considered will be presented to each area Group by their respective GSRs, and the group's conscience on the proposed change assessed.

5. At the following Area Assembly meeting, the proposed change which was approved for consideration will be presented for possible adoption. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote is needed at that time to adopt the proposed change.

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Area 53 General Service Central and South East Ohio Guidlines

Area 53 General Service
Central and South East Ohio Guidlines