Standing Rules

Meetings:

o   The regular monthly Master Gardener assembly meeting shall occur at 9:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month.

o   Merchandise sales shall not be conducted while monthly meetings are in session.

o   All meeting rooms must be scheduled through the Extension Center.  They shall be left clean and orderly after all organized Master Gardener activities.

o   If the Oklahoma County Courthouse is closed due to inclement weather, then the Oklahoma County Cooperative Extension office will also be closed, and all previously scheduled Master Gardener meetings at that location shall be canceled.

Member Designations:

o   A Certified Master Gardener shall have completed the initial membership requirements authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a black badge.

o   A Senior Master Gardener shall have completed one hundred sixty (160) service hours authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a blue colored badge.

o   A Grand Master Gardener shall have completed five hundred (500) service hours authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a red colored badge.

o   A Distinguished Master Gardener shall have completed one thousand (1,000) service hours authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a gold colored badge.

o   A Distinguished Grand Master Gardener shall have completed one thousand, five hundred (1,500) service hours authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a purple colored badge.

o   A Platinum Master Gardener shall have completed two thousand (2,000) service hours authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a platinum colored badge.

o   A Diamond Master Gardener shall have completed five thousand (5,000) service hours authorized by the Association and is entitled to wear a white badge with green lettering and an embedded crystal.

o   A Master Gardener of the Year shall be selected each year in recognition of an individual’s service and commitment to the Association. The candidate shall be chosen from written nominations submitted to the Board of Directors by Certified Master Gardeners. The Board will present a ballot of candidates to the voting membership during a designated monthly meeting.

Membership Requirements:

o   Certified Active Master Gardener (C):

·         Complete Twenty (20) service hours authorized by the Association per year

·         Complete Twenty (20) hours of continued Education per year

·         Attend four (4) regular monthly meetings of the Association per year

o   Associate Master Gardener (A):

·         Attend at least one (1) regular monthly meeting of the Association per year

o   Emeritus Master Gardener (E):

·         Must have completed over two hundred sixty (260) service hours authorized by the Association.

·         Complete twenty (20) hours of continued Education per year

Miscellaneous:

o   A card will be sent to a Master Gardener if they become ill or in the event of a death in their immediate family.

o   Following the death of a Master Gardener, a memorial brick with their name will be placed in the Silver Anniversary Garden.

o   Only Certified and Emeritus Master Gardeners shall be eligible to participate in Association-sponsored tours, unless there are vacancies. If space allows, Associate Master Gardeners, students and spouses may participate.

o   Individuals who wish to transfer membership to the Association shall do so in accordance with the transfer policy, which may be found in the Education Committee’s Student Training Manual.

Operational Guidelines:

o   Fiscal Year – January 1 through December 31

o   The Association’s Standing Committee and Special Committee Chairs shall be appointed by January of the respective fiscal year.

o   The Nominating Committee shall be appointed in January. The committee will solicit candidates during the regular September monthly meeting with the election occurring during the November meeting.

o   The Audit Committee shall be appointed during the January Board meeting. The committee will submit its preliminary report during the February Board meeting with the final report presented to membership during the regular March meeting of the Association.

o   All Standing and Special Committees shall submit their proposed budgets to the Finance Committee by mid-January. The Finance Committee will present a proposed operating budget to the Board by the January Board meeting. The Board will adopt the Fiscal Year Budget during their February Board meeting and will present the adopted budget to the membership during the regular March meeting.  If there are expenditures required prior to the approval of the annual budget, those expenditures must be approved by the Board of Directors.

o   Standing and Special Committees and the Board overall have a fiduciary responsibility as stated in Article IV, Section 1 of the Association’s Bylaws.  As a result, only Standing and Special Committee Chairs have the authority to approve expenditures for their respective committees.

o   Each Special and Standing Committee Chair must maintain a record of the committee’s yearly activities.  The outgoing chairs will pass these records on to new committee chairs at the beginning of the fiscal year, or upon vacating their positions.

Service and Education Hours:

o   All education and service hours must be submitted to the Recording Committee by the last day of the year in which they were earned for recertification or new badges.

o   Email address for recording service and education hours: MG Hours @Gmail.com.  Written forms may be dropped in the designated box at the County Extension center.

Authorized Service Hours

• Board of Directors meeting – actual length of meeting (must have need to attend meeting)
• Committee meetings – actual length of meeting
• Committee- activities – actual length of activity
• Clean and Beautiful Schools – actual hours served
• Community Gardens – actual hours served gardening
• OSU-OKC Horticulture Center activities – actual hours served in greenhouses or grounds
•  Will Rogers Gardens – actual hours served gardening
• The Tree Bank – actual hours served gardening
• Junior Master Gardener program – actual time served
• Writing articles for the newsletter – actual time spent writing
• Consultations with neighborhood associations or community beautification programs as a Master Gardener using researched-based material –  as approved by Master Gardener Coordinator (maximum of ten (10) hours per year)
• Telephone duty – actual hours served
• Additional opportunities - as determined by Board of Directors and/or the Master Gardener Coordinator

Authorized Education Opportunities

• Oklahoma County Cooperative Extension Service classes – actual class length
• Statewide Master Gardener meetings – hours determined by organizers
• Educational seminars and conferences – actual program length
• Horticulture (garden club) meetings – actual presentation length
• College horticulture courses – three (3) hours  per credit hour earned
• Plant Detective Video Series –  one half (.5) hour per tape
• Oklahoma County Cooperative Extension Service Video Series – length of video
• TV/radio garden programs – actual program length (maximum of five (5) hours per year)
• Horticulture books and magazines – actual time studied (maximum of five (5) hours per year)
• Master Gardener-sponsored Horticultural tours – hours determined by  Master Gardener Coordinator
• Garden tours – actual time in the gardens
• Food Bank Gardening Programs– actual program time
• Monthly Master Gardener programs – actual length of presentation (does not include business meeting)
• Additional opportunities as announced at the monthly Master Gardener meetings, in the newsletter, and on the website

The Association offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, or disability.

Amended -  November 4, 2009

OSU Extension Center
930 N. Portland
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
713-1125

Have a garden question?  Need some help?
Call Master Gardeners
at 713-1125