With the last conference before reformation approaching, many questions get asked about the proper way to conduct business for the conference, the elections, and after the reformation. Remember that communication will be key. Anything that can be discussed, questioned, and decided upon in the minds of the voters and for their proxies will help with an orderly election.

Agenda (in simplified detail):

Original District 59 & 95

Credentials/quorum, approve agenda & minutes
1st half audit & Profit and Loss Statement
Officers reports
Unfinished business
Note: The division of funds among the districts is based on year-end membership reports as of June 30^th. This number will be provided by World Headquarters immediately when available. Funds include the local bank account. District Reserves will be divided at World Headquarters according to this ratio.

The district may choose to hold Speech Contests either before conducting elections, or reconvene the Original District 59 & 95 after elections.

At the close of the Original District 59 & 95 meeting, the meeting will divide into six concurrent meetings, one for each of the reforming districts. Voting members at these meetings will be the voting members of the clubs that will be aligned to these districts. Therefore, it is important that should a member hold a vote in each of the elections that s/he has a proxy to send to the other meeting.

Reformed District 59 (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands)

Credentials/quorum

Approve district documents, including geographic boundaries as previously approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan (include your webpages)
Adopt any District Procedures as needed
Approve alignment of District 59 clubs into areas and divisions
Elect District Director, Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director, division directors, and any other positions that this district elects, rather than appoints
New Business
Announce next business meeting and location

If quorum is not achieved in any of the three meetings, the business will be ratified in the same manner as a district that does not achieve quorum at any other business meeting – by being expressly approved in writing, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the member clubs in the district on the basis of two votes per club.

Reformed District 95 (Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden)

Credentials/quorum
Approve district documents, including geographic boundaries as previously approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan (include your webpages)
Adopt any District Procedures as needed
Approve alignment of District 95 clubs into areas and divisions
Elect District Director, Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director, division directors, and any other positions that this district elects, rather than appoints
New Business
Announce next business meeting and location

New District 107 (Andorra, Spain, Portugal)

Credentials/quorum
Approve district documents, including geographic boundaries as previously approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan (include your webpages)
Adopt any District Procedures as needed
Approve alignment of District 107 clubs into areas and divisions
Elect District Director, Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director, division directors, and any other positions that this district elects, rather than appoints
New Business
Announce next business meeting and location

New District 108 (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland)

Credentials/quorum
Approve district documents, including geographic boundaries as previously approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan (include your webpages)
Adopt any District Procedures as needed
Approve alignment of District 108 clubs into areas and divisions
Elect District Director, Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director, division directors, and any other positions that this district elects, rather than appoints
New Business
Announce next business meeting and location

New District 109 (Austria, Bulgaria, Cypress, Greece, Italy, Lichtenstein, Republic of Macedonia, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City)

Credentials/quorum
Approve district documents, including geographic boundaries as previously approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan (include your webpages)
Adopt any District Procedures as needed
Approve alignment of District 109 clubs into areas and divisions
Elect District Director, Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director, division directors, and any other positions that this district elects, rather than appoints
New Business
Announce next business meeting and location

New District 110 (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine)

Credentials/quorum
Approve district documents, including geographic boundaries as previously approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan (include your webpages)
Adopt any District Procedures as needed
Approve alignment of District 110 clubs into areas and divisions
Elect District Director, Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director, division directors, and any other positions that this district elects, rather than appoints
New Business
Announce next business meeting and location

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Do motions (i.e., DLC report, alignment report, or operating procedures/bylaws) for each district have to be distributed prior to the Business Meeting? Do they have to be approved by the district executive committee prior to being distributed to the district council members?

The motions (including committee reports for each district) should be brought forward from the district executive committee, as with any other business meeting, and should be made available to the district council in advance of the meetings. This will allow voters with proxies in the other meeting to make a decision for each of their proposed agendas.

Q: Since there will now be two districts, does the current DD become IPDD for both?

No. The current DD will not become IPDD for both because of potential district executive committee meeting conflicts, district council business meeting conflicts, time constraints to carry out District Leadership Committee duties, general workload of the position, etc.

The 2017 – 2018 District Director will become the IPDD for the district in which s/he resides. The other district will not have an IPDD for the first year. This position would be vacant (as would be the case if the IPDD resigned, was removed or passed away).

Q: How many District Leadership Committees will we have?

There is no hard-and-fast rule for the number of committees a reforming district will have. Some districts may find it easier to work as one committee; some may find it more beneficial to work as two, under one Committee Chair. If the committee decides to act as one, there will need to be a representative available for each meeting, in order to present the committee findings for that district.

One of the considerations that should be taken into account includes the number of potential candidates and their interviews. Whether the committee acts as one or two, it is important to note that they should work with their respective alignment committee(s), in order to determine the correct number of positions that will need to be filled.

Policy about the District Leadership Committee can be found in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article XI: Committees (b) District Leadership Committee

Q: If there is a leader who is currently planning to run for the same elected position in both districts (this member is in clubs in both districts), can this person be nominated in both elections, or would they have to run from the floor in one district?

Because the elections will be held concurrently, we strongly advise that this member make a decision about which district they wish to serve. Elected positions require considerable time and resources which would be spread thin by trying to serve both, and there are other conflicts for top district leaders which would prohibit them from serving both.

Candidates need to be aware that their voters may be confused by multiple nominations and campaigns, which may result in them not being elected to either district. It is strongly advised that the members of leadership committee(s) work together to ensure that they are not both putting forth the same candidate in the two districts.

Q: What are your recommendations for the Chair and Administration Manager positions for running each meeting?

The 2017 – 2018 Immediate Past District Director and 2018 – 2019 District Director can chair the meetings. The Administration Manager can attend one meeting; the chair can assign someone to act as Administration Manager for the other meeting.

Q: How many ballots may one person carry?

There is no change to the maximum number of ballots or proxies that a member may carry, because this is still one district council that is planning for the future of two districts. It is not two different councils; so the same limits will apply as in any other district council meeting. The District Administrative Bylaws, Article X: Council Meetings, Quorum, Proxies, and Voting state: “Each member of the district council in attendance at a council meeting, or his or her proxy as authorized by subparagraph (d) hereof, is entitled to one vote. Any active individual member who carries the proxies of both the club president and vice president education from a member club is entitled to two votes; and any such individual member who is also entitled to a vote as a member of the district executive committee is entitled to three votes. All other members of the district council shall be limited to a maximum of two votes.”

Q: If someone belongs to clubs in the original and reformed district, and they held one ballot in each district, how will they vote?

Because we have a proxy system, their votes can still be cast at both meetings. Affected officers will instruct their proxy holder on how to vote. It will be helpful to have instructions for proxies in the notice about the meeting, along with information about the motions to be decided. Include this scenario in the newsletter and make voters aware that they will have to choose which meeting to attend.

Sample Proxies for district council meetings are available in the District Leader Tools section of the website.

Q: What happens if there isn’t a quorum for the original District 59 & 95, or the reformed Districts? What actions can be taken to confirm the motion?

The District Administrative Bylaws Article X(c) states: “In the event that any business is transacted at any district council meeting at which a quorum is not present, the action shall be deemed as valid as if a quorum were present if it thereafter is expressly approved in writing, personally, by mail, fax, e-mail, electronic transmission or other reasonable means, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the member clubs in the district on the basis of two (2) votes per club.”

Hopefully, however, all of the meetings will have a quorum. It should be a “plus” for people to attend since it’s the “first” meeting of the new districts – that could be a selling point for conference attendance.

Q: After the split, which District would be responsible for the Year-end audit of the “original” District 59 & 95? The Finance Manager and District Director for the original District 59 & 95 would be responsible for the year-end procedures and having the books audited, but who approves the audit?

Since the information is an integral part of both districts, both districts should approve the audit and both districts should be responsible for year-end documentation. It is ultimately the district that retains the original district number that is responsible for approving and submitting the Year-end audit. The new districts may wish to participate in the process, not only to help close the books on their last year, but also to get a firm basis for preparing their future Year-end audits. The IPDD should be involved specifically, whether s/he lives in the original Districts (59 & 95) or the new Districts (107, 108, 109, 110). It’s important that both districts work together for a smooth transition. Any questions about the Year-end audit may be directed to DistrictFinancialQuestions@toastmasters.org.

Q: How do we divide the property – timing lights, Toastmaster resources, stop watches, banners, district trophies, etc.? Will we need a formal motion?

This will not require a motion or action. It is part of “doing business.” Many districts plan to purchase these items in advance of the reformation so each District will have the necessary start-up materials on July 1.

Q: How many speech contestants will the newly formed districts send to the International Speech Contest?

Please note that no matter which district the contestant is a member of as of July 1, they will be representing the Original District 59 & 95 in the International Speech Contest. Questions about contests may be directed to SpeechContests@toastmasters.org.

Alignment

Q: Who serves on the alignment committee?

The alignment committee will be established by the District Director, and made up of willing Toastmasters members.

Q: What are the responsibilities of the committee?

After the selection of the alignment committee(s), it will be up to the members to establish a proper area and division alignment for the clubs under their umbrella. The boundaries will have already been approved by the Board of Directors per the submitted reformation plan. As each club will be aligned to the district within which it physically meets, the alignment committee and the voters will only be deciding the areas and divisions to which the clubs are assigned within their respective district, once it is determined which clubs are in which district.

Q: How many alignment committees will we have?

There will be one committee that prepares two proposals. The committee will have representatives for the original and reform district and one committee chair, who will take into consideration the geographical requirements when reporting each district’s alignment, based on the alignment policies.

One of the considerations that should be taken into account includes the geography of the districts. Districts in smaller geographic areas may have members that are familiar with all corners of both districts. Districts that cover larger land masses may have members with better, more specialized information about just one side of the district. They will work as one committee to divide the clubs based on their physical meeting places and into area and divisions, and they will need one representative for each meeting to deliver the report for that district.

Read the policy!

District Alignment policy in Protocol 7.0: District Structure.

Additional practical information is available at: Toastmasters International -Alignment and Planning.

As you read through these pages, make note of any questions you may have about the policy, or the clubs and where they will be aligned. Please be sure to ask as soon as possible, so that we may help. You may direct inquiries regarding alignment to districts@toastmasters.org.

Ask for a list!

With this information, we have included an up-to-date club directory for your district. Please keep in mind that this list will change as the year comes to a close. This is simply a starting point for the committee to divide the clubs into which district they will fall, based on the boundary plans that have already been approved. From there, you may start to plot out the divisions and areas that will make up your district.

You may also wish to ask for an updated list before your election conference. This will allow you to make adjustments to your alignment plan based on new charter clubs, clubs that have since disbanded, or clubs that move meeting locations. District Directors, Program Quality Directors or Club Growth Directors may request a list from listrequest@toastmasters.org.

Q: May the original district take this opportunity to reorganize their existing areas and divisions into new configurations?

Yes, every district (regardless of reformation status) has the opportunity to re-letter divisions, or re-number areas which becomes effective July 1.

Numbering and lettering of divisions and areas

Q: Which District number will each district have?

District numbers and boundaries will be approved by the Board of Directors. The district with the oldest surviving club within its boundaries will retain the original district number. You may wish to ask the District Director which side of the district has retained the original number, and what number will be assigned the reformed district.

Q: What letters may be used for divisions?

Divisions may use any letter A-Z
A letter may only be used once per district
Some districts use the letters A, B, C, in order
Some districts use the compass point designations, N, S, E, W

Q: What numbers may be used for our areas?

Areas may use any number from 1-99
Numbers may be re-used, as long as it is in a different division
Some districts use each number in each division (A1, B1, C1, A2, B2, and C2)
Some districts use groups of numbers for each letter (A 1-9, B 10-19, C 20-29)

As long as each area has a number, and each division has a different letter, it is up to each district to decide which standard works best for them!

Sizes of the divisions and areas

Q: How many clubs should be in each area?

Areas must consist of four to six clubs, except where special circumstances exist. A district may have an area with three clubs if efforts are made to charter a fourth club in the area. Under no circumstances shall an area have fewer than three clubs. Please see Protocol 7.0 District Structure (1)(D)(I)

Q: How many areas should be in each division?

A division must have a minimum of three areas. Please see Protocol 7.0 District Structure (1)(E)

Districts are encouraged to assign clubs to areas based upon geographical proximity to other clubs in that area. Advanced clubs shall not be segregated into separate areas, but shall be integrated with other clubs in the district.

Be sure to account for future growth of areas and divisions as you divide them. Consider the resources of your area and division directors so that all clubs and members will be equally served.

Reporting the alignment to your district for approval

Q: How will the motion to approve the alignment be presented to the members?

The proposals shall be brought forward from the Original District 59 & 95 district executive committee, and should be made available to the Original District 59 & 95 Council in advance of the meetings. This will allow voters with proxies in the other meeting to make a decision for each of their proposed alignments. Also, the boundaries will have already been approved by the Board of Directors per the reformation plan submitted by the original district. As clubs will be aligned to the district within which it physically meets, the alignment committee and the voters will only be deciding the areas and divisions within the district.

Reporting your alignment to World Headquarters

Q: How will our alignment be reported?

Templates will be sent to the incoming and outgoing District Directors to be filled out sometime in June. They may ask the committee(s) to fill out the appropriate templates, or they may choose to do so themselves.

Q: Are there additional deadlines due to reformation?

Final district alignment is due to World Headquarters by July 15. However, as a reforming district, your DD and incoming DD’s will be asked to submit preliminary information as soon as it is available. This will allow the District Leader Support team at World Headquarters to start preparing for their internal processes, and make the transition as smooth as possible.

Q: It is very important that the alignment is submitted completely and accurately.

Please remember to verify the alignment of both districts when the new program year reports become available in late July. Immediately report any discrepancies to your District Director who will work with the District Leader Support team to rectify these.

Club and District Central Access – July 1

As you might imagine, there are numerous district business-related tasks to do at year end when a district reforms. To be certain that no new business is entered in the system before the year end results are final, and thus affecting the 2018 – 2019 information related to the reformation, we must shut down portions of club and district central in reforming districts. One way that we can make sure to have access restored as soon as possible is to make sure that your 2018 – 2019 District Alignment is delivered as soon as possible after you receive your templates. All of the clubs, as well as the district leadership teams will receive additional information as the program year comes to a close.

Club Central – all clubs, both districts

We have determined that some portions of Club Central business for all of the clubs in both districts must be shut down from July 1, 2018 until about the 3^rd week of July. Club officers will not have access to the following portions of Club Central:

Submit membership application(s) – new/dual/reinstate
Pay dues

Members are welcome to fax to us any membership applications or dues payments; however, we will not be able to process those until almost the same time as they become available on the web.

District Central – reform district

No portion of District Central will be available to the new districts until the same time as Club Central access is restored.

District Central – original district

District Orders may not be available for the district team in the district that keeps the original number until the same time as Club Central access is restored.

District website URL’s

If you have not already done so, please be sure to send the district website URL(s) for the new district, and the original (if changing), to be included on our district websites page to districts@toastmasters.org.