PART 3: Section 22. Ring of Shires (Local Branches)

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22. Ring of Shires (Local Branches)

22.1 A shire is defined as a particular region or district in the province of B.C. whose boundaries may from time to time be established or redrawn by the Witan, or at thing or althing.

22.2 A shire is analogous to a local branch of the society, and must consist of at minimum three Freehold members in good standing, at least two of which must be trothed, voting members.

22.3 A shire moot is defined as a general meeting of all the voting members of a given shire.

22.4 A shire aeht is defined as the executive committee that has been elected by all voting members of a shire to oversee the execution of the Freehold's purposes, and to represent the shire among the Freehold Witan, or the meetings of that committee.

22.5 An aethling is defined as a member of the shire aeht who has sworn the Witan's Oath and who is not the representative of any gild.

Shire Membership

22.6 A shire that comes to have less than two voting members for an interval of greater than a year may be disbanded by the Witan, thing or althing.

22.7 The shire itself, the Witan or the thing or althing, may from time to time set a greater number of trothed members which are required to maintain an active branch of the society, but in no case shall it be set higher than the actual number of trothed members currently registered in the shire, and it may not be set at less than two.

22.8 Once formed, every Freehold member in good standing with a registered address that falls within the boundaries drawn for a shire, shall be considered a member of that shire.

22.9 Any member who subsequently changes their address to one that falls within a shire boundary shall be considered a member of that shire seven days from the date they register the change of address with the Freehold writer, or a shire aethling.

22.10 The Freehold writer and the shire aeht will inform each other within seven days of any changes in a registered member's change in mailing address insofar as it falls within, or outside, the boundaries of a shire.

22.11 A person ceases to be a member of a shire when his or her registered address is changed to one outside the boundaries defined for the shire, or upon ceasing to be a Freehold member as per Section 1.

22.12 Shire members who have sworn the Freeholder's Oath are entitled to vote at shire moots.

Founding a Shire

22.13 To found an active shire, trothed Freeholders who dwell within a given proposed district shall:

(a) elect to do so,
(b) present their founding resolution in writing to the Witan, thing or althing,
(c) elect an executive council of aethlings, called the shire aeht, which shall consist of at minimum two shire members,
(d) establish a plan of action appropriate to their region and submit it along with their founding resolution.

22.14 A shire's founding resolution may be passed, thus officially founding the shire, by a simple majority of the Witan, or at a thing or the althing.