Difference between revisions of "Rules and Policies"

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= Rules and Policies =
 
= Rules and Policies =
   
The following Rules and Policies comprise the specific governing language of Lowell Makes, beyond the [[Bylaws|Bylaws]], as defined and approved by the [[BOD|Board of Directors]]. Amendments and revisions to these Rules and Policies will be circulated by the Board upon approval.
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The following Rules and Policies comprise the specific governing language of Lowell Makes, beyond the [[Bylaws|Bylaws]], as defined and approved by the [[Board_of_Directors|Board of Directors]]. Amendments and revisions to these Rules and Policies will be circulated by the Board upon approval.
   
 
== Finances ==
 
== Finances ==

Revision as of 14:27, 14 July 2015

Membership Agreement

The following policies are in the Membership Agreement that all Lowell Makes members sign when joining, and define the overall expectation of behavior as a member.

Lowell Makes Policies and Procedures

Lowell Makes strives to provide a safe, productive and fun work environment for its members. In light of this mission, we ask you to obey the following policies and procedures for working in our facility. Failure to obey these policies and procedures can make our facilities dangerous or unwelcoming to others, and such actions on your part may result in your license being terminated without notice. Please take them seriously. We reserve the right to change these policies and procedures as needed and with sufficient notice to members.

Individual Safety

Obey all posted signs and literature pertaining to safe use of our facilities. These include but are not limited to signs regarding appropriate shop clothing and protective gear, techniques for safe equipment use, material-specific precautions for equipment, and machine tool lockouts. Do not use equipment you are not comfortable with or trained to use. Our strong preference is that you not operate heavy machinery after staffed hours without a partner in the facility; operate it individually at your own risk. Default to asking for help if uncertain.

Shared Safety

In a shared and open facility like ours, it is possible for less experienced members to operate equipment dangerously without knowing it. Please stay on the lookout for unsafe behavior, and approach and offer feedback to fellow members if you believe they are working unsafely. Please notify staff immediately if you believe any piece of equipment or infrastructure to be unsafe.

Respectful Behavior

In both in-person and electronic interactions, behave respectfully, courteously, and professionally to your fellow members. No discrimination, harassment, or hate speech shall be tolerated.

Courtesy of Individual Spaces

If you are licensing space from us, please keep your individual space relatively orderly. Do not enter any individual workspaces that are not yours without explicit permission.

Courtesy of Shared Spaces

Keep noise levels to a respectful minimum for the comfort and enjoyment of those in the immediate area. No loud music, tool use or other noise will be permitted in the open rental areas without the explicit permission of the members around you. No fumes or flames are permitted in unventilated areas. Restore the shared spaces to be as clean as or cleaner than when you found them. Please respect and do not interrupt any official activities or classes in the shared spaces.

Presence

Inactivity and lack of physical presence at our community facility can be detrimental to our mission and prevent others from using the space. Please inform us of any extended absences or extenuating circumstances that might prevent you from attending. Otherwise, we expect members to make regular use of our facilities.

Guests

Non-member guests are permitted in the makerspace so long as they do not use Lowell Makes equipment or shared areas or interfere with other members. Guests and their actions are the sole responsibility of the host member.

Tolerance of Feedback

Please be open to constructive feedback from fellow members, especially as it pertains to safe use of our equipment and disrespectful communication or behavior.

Rules and Policies

The following Rules and Policies comprise the specific governing language of Lowell Makes, beyond the Bylaws, as defined and approved by the Board of Directors. Amendments and revisions to these Rules and Policies will be circulated by the Board upon approval.

Finances

  1. No authorization or allocation can be made in excess of the moneys available in the General Fund.
  2. Unless an exception has been given by the Board of Directors, funds which have already been allocated for spending from the General Fund may be spent from the line of credit as long as interest is not accrued and an outstanding balance is not kept.
  3. All profits from the sales of items are placed into a related committee's fund (the committee responsible for the item, if applicable) at the Treasurer's discretion.
  4. Refunds for membership dues paid within the last 30 days can be authorized ONLY at the discretion of the Treasurer or President.
  5. All goods and services valued up to $500 require express confirmation from the Treasurer prior to purchase. Goods and services valued greater than $500 will require a majority vote of the Board of Directors. In both cases, the submission should include a written quote and itemized list of the purchase or service provided, submitted via the Lowell Makes Purchase Request Form.
  6. Lowell Makes must receive a written invoice or receipt prior to payment for any services or goods. This only applies to vendors who regularly provide a written invoice (or receipt) to their customers. If a best effort is not made to provide the Treasurer with a written invoice (or receipt) from the respective vendor:
    1. Lowell Makes will not provide payment for the respective goods or services.
    2. If the transaction was already purchased with funds belonging to the Lowell Makes, the amount of the respective transaction must be refunded to the Lowell Makes.
  7. All property purchases equal to or greater than $500 and having an useful life of one year or more are to be capitalized.
  8. All individual items purchased for less than $500 and having a useful life of less than one year are to be expensed.
  9. Only current procurement officers (this is currently the Treasurer and the Manager) are allowed to have an active LM credit card.
    1. After changes in procurement officers, it is the responsibility of the Secretary to ensure the credit card company's records.
  10. Only the current President, Secretary, and Treasurer are allowed to be authorized signers on LM bank accounts.
    1. After a change in President, Secretary, or Treasurer, it is the responsibility of the Secretary to ensure the bank's records are updated.