Western Area of Missouri - Delegate Area 39

Western Area of Missouri Guidelines
(updated June, 2008)

Print Copy of 2008 Guidelines

Print Copy of Proposed Guideline Changes (2011)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

SECTION ONE — THE AREA ASSEMBLY
1.1 THE ASSEMBLY — MEETINGS
1.2 THE ASSEMBLY — MEMBERSHIP
1.3 THE ASSEMBLY — OFFICERS
1.4 THE ASSEMBLY — COMMITTEES
1.5 THE ASSEMBLY — ELECTIONS
1.6 THE ASSEMBLY — FUNDING

SECTION TWO — THE AREA COMMITTEE
2.1 THE AREA COMMITTEE — COMPOSITION
2.2 THE AREA COMMITTEE — MEETINGS

SECTION THREE — STANDING COMMITTEES
3.1 GENERAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE, COMPOSITION AND GUIDELINES
3.2 WESTERN AREA CONVENTION COMMITTEE
3.3 STATE CONVENTION COMMITTEE

SECTION FOUR — THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

SECTION FIVE — THE GENERAL SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

SECTION SIX — DISTRICTS, DISTRICT COMMITTEES AND DISTRICT ELECTIONS

6.1 DISTRICT COMMITTEES
6.2 DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEETINGS
6.3 DISTRICT ELECTIONS
6.4 DISTRICTS
6.5 DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

SECTION SEVEN — OTHER COMMITTEES
7.1 FINANCE AND BUDGETARY COMMITTEE

SECTION EIGHT — AMENDMENTS
8.1 PROPOSAL AND APPROVAL
8.2 INCORPORATION INTO GUIDELINES

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Western Area of Missouri Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous will be a service body. It will protect and respect the autonomy and the privilege of dissent of any or all AA groups in the Area and of any voting members of the Area Assembly.
In the course of its deliberations and discussions, the Assembly will be ever mindful of the ideals expressed in the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, and the AA Service Manual. It shall strive to be the true voice and group conscience of AA unity in the Western Area of Missouri.
Service will be the primary purpose of the Assembly. It will encourage all AA groups to participate in the business conducted and to support it in its efforts to cooperate with General Service Office, AA World Services, and the AA General Service Conference.
The Assembly is specifically charged with the duty of electing a Delegate to the General Service Conference and to provide the Delegate with the support to assist in the course of duties of this office. The Assembly is further charged with electing such other officers as it deems necessary to conduct the business of the Assembly.
There are no ruling bodies in Alcoholics Anonymous, only trusted servants. It should, therefore, be recognized that the procedures set forth in this set of guidelines for the Assembly, the Area Committee, standing committees, and district committees simply consolidate in one place are suggested guidelines, ratified by a majority of the Western Area of Missouri Assembly.
The procedures are, to the best of our knowledge, compatible with the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, and the AA Service Manual.

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SECTION ONE — THE AREA ASSEMBLY
1.1 THE ASSEMBLY — MEETINGS
A) Area Assemblies in the Western Area will be held on a quarterly basis during the months of January, March, June and September whenever possible.
B) The meetings will be at locations and on dates selected by the Area Chairperson. These will be announced as far in advance as possible.
C) The agenda for Assemblies will be prepared by the Area Chairperson, assisted by the Area Secretary.
D) Meeting notices, agendas, workshop topics, and the minutes of the last Assembly will be sent to all voting members of the Assembly no less than 30 days prior to the next Assembly.
E) It will be announced at the Assembly that only voting members on the Secretary's roll will be permitted to vote on the Assembly business, qualifying "voting members".
F) A majority vote will be sufficient for usual Assembly business. A two-thirds majority written ballot, however, will be necessary for the election or removal of officers.
G) Business coming up for discussion from the floor at any Assembly that is not on the agenda and which requires an Assembly vote should be placed on the agenda for the following Assembly, providing such placement is approved by a majority of the voting members present. Immediate or emergency action may be taken with the approval of two-thirds of the Assembly.
H) If any Area officer, Area standing committee chairperson, DCM or GSR is absent from any two consecutive Area Assemblies and is not represented by an alternate, the Area Chairperson, upon notification from the Secretary, may contact the absent member or the appropriate group or district to seek a remedy to the absence or to ask for the selection of a qualified replacement.
I) A quorum for Assembly business will be those members present, providing notice of the meeting has been given.

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1.2 THE ASSEMBLY — MEMBERSHIP

A) Voting members of the Assembly, elected for two year terms will be Delegate, Alternate Delegate, Chairperson, Alternate Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, all Area Standing Committee Chairpeople, all DCMs, and the GSRs of all registered groups in the Western Area of Missouri. Alternate Secretary, Alternate Treasurer, Alternate Standing Committee Chairpeople, Alternate DCMs, and Alternate GSRs may vote for voting members if the voting members are not present. Additional voting members are all former Western Area of Missouri Delegates, any Trustee elected by the Western Area of Missouri and the Western Area Archivist. No one person shall have more than one vote. Therefore, it is recommended that no one person hold more than one voting position at Western Area Assembly.
B) All former Western Area of Missouri Delegates and any Trustees elected from Western Area of Missouri may, if willing, serve as ex officio voting members of the assembly and will be placed on the mailing list by the Secretary to receive all Assembly communications.
C) The Area Archivist, elected to serve an indefinite term, subject to disapproval by the Assembly, will be an ex officio voting member of the Assembly.

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1.3 THE ASSEMBLY — OFFICERS

A) The elected officers of the Assembly will be the Delegate, Alternate Delegate, Chairperson, Alternate Chairperson, Secretary, Alternate Secretary, Treasurer, Alternate Treasurer and the Area Archivist.

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DELEGATE
B) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Delegate:
1. The elected Delegate will carry out the clearly defined duties indicated in the AA Service Manual.
2. The Delegate should have at least six years of continuous sobriety and should have served at least one full term as an Area officer, Committee Chairperson or DCM.
3. The Delegate is authorized expenses which need not be vouchered. They include the amount specified by the GSO for the General Service Conference and monthly Western Area expenses.

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ALTERNATE DELEGATE

C) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Alternate Delegate:
1. The Alternate Delegate will assume the duties of the Delegate in the Delegates absence.
2. The Alternate Delegate should have at least six years of continuous sobriety and should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Committee Chairperson, or DCM.
3. Should the Delegate be unable to finish the term, the Alternate shall automatically become Delegate to finish the term.
4. The Alternate Delegate will be responsible for sending Western Area minutes and guidelines to all other Alternate Delegates in the Southwest Region and to the Editor of the Southwest Regional Newsletter.
5. The Alternate Delegate will be authorized unvouchered expenses per month for the performance of Western Area duties.

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CHAIRPERSON

D) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Area Chairperson:
1. The Chairperson shall carry out the clearly defined duties as indicated in the AA Service Manual.
2. The Area Chairperson should have at least five years of continuous sobriety.
3. The Chairperson should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson, or DCM.
4. The Chairperson will present all Standing Committee Chairpeople, elected from within their own committees, to the Assembly members for their approval during the Elections Assembly.
5. The Chairperson shall be authorized unvouchered expenses for monthly Area duties.
6. The Chairperson will serve as an ex officio member of the State Convention Committee.

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ALTERNATE CHAIRPERSON
E) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Alternate Chairperson:
1. The Alternate Chairperson will assume the duties of the Chairperson in the Chairpersons absence.
2. The Alternate Chairperson will be responsible for all Area workshops, both at the Assembly and if any are sponsored by the Area Committee in the Districts.
3. The Alternate Chairperson will serve as coordinator for all Area Standing Committees and committee Chair people.
4. The Alternate Chairperson should have at least five years of continuous sobriety.
5. The Alternate Chairperson should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson or DCM.
6. If the Chairperson is unable to finish the term, the Alternate Chairperson will automatically become Chairperson to finish the term.
7. The Alternate Chairperson will be responsible for keeping the maps of the Western Area of Missouri, seeing that they are properly updated when amended by the Assembly.

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SECRETARY
F) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Area Secretary:
1. The Secretary will carry out the clearly defined duties of Area Secretary as indicated in the AA Service Manual.
2. The Secretary should have at least four years of continuous sobriety.
3. The Secretary should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson or DCM. Previous outside secretarial experience would be helpful.
4. The Secretary will be responsible for taking the minutes of the Assembly and receiving all Area Committee meeting minutes.
5. When Assembly business requires a vote the Secretary will announce that only voting members of the Assembly are to vote, qualifying “voting members”. (see page 4, 1.2)
6. The Secretary is to assist the Chairperson in preparing the Assembly agenda, taking care that business carried over from the previous Assembly is placed on the agenda.
7. The Secretary is responsible for all minutes and records of the Western Area of Missouri and will be responsible for keeping the original and all undistributed copies of the Western Area of Missouri Service Guidelines and to see that they are properly updated when amended by the Assembly. The Secretary will be responsible for seeing that all new members of the Assembly receive a copy of the W.A. Guidelines.
8. The Secretary will be responsible for keeping all mailing lists up to date, including the name, address and telephone number of every Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson, former Delegates, DCMs, GSRs and their alternates, whenever possible. 9. The Secretary will have a petty cash fund to be replenished quarterly.
10.The Secretary will be the guardian of the Western Area computer throughout the two year term and will carry renter’s or home owner’s insurance to protect against any loss. In addition, the Secretary will create (and routinely update as needed) backup files of all information stored in the Area computer and give these files to the Alternate Secretary for safe keeping.

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ALTERNATE SECRETARY
G) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Alternate Secretary:
1. The Alternate Secretary is to assist the Secretary in the completion of the stated duties and will be responsible for housing the off-site backup files of information stored in the Area computer.
2. If the Secretary is unable to finish the term, the Alternate Secretary will automatically become Secretary to finish the term.
3. The Alternate Secretary will assume the Secretary’s duties when the Secretary is absent.
4. The Alternate Secretary will have a vote only in the absence of the Area Secretary.
5. The Alternate Secretary should have at least four years of continuous sobriety. Previous secretarial experience would be helpful.
6. The Alternate Secretary should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson or DCM.

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TREASURER
H) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Area Treasurer:
1. The Treasurer will carry out the clearly defined duties indicated in the AA Service Manual.
2. The Treasurer should have at least four years of continuous sobriety.
3. The Treasurer should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson or DCM. Previous outside experience would be helpful.
4. The Treasurer is responsible for being guardian of all Area funds, with an eye for preventing foolish, extravagant or unauthorized spending of Area Committee money.
5. The Treasurer will be responsible for preparing a quarterly financial report and record of group contributions which will be presented at each Assembly. A copy will be provided to each voting member of the Assembly at the meeting or by mail.
6. The Treasurer is responsible for making the groups aware of the money needed for Western Area of Missouri and GSO support.
7. The Treasurer is responsible for preparing an annual budget for the Assembly which will be presented for approval of the Assembly each January along with a complete report of the previous year’s finances.
a. The Treasurer will be responsible for preparing and filing an annual tax statement as required by law.
8. The Treasure will maintain a banking account for the deposit of all Area receipts. A demand savings account may be used for funds not immediately needed for current expenses and disbursements from the checking account. The bank signature card will contain the signatures of the Area Treasurer, the Area Chairperson and at least one other Area Officer.
9. All checks will be signed by at least two of the three bank signatures.
10.The Treasurer will be the guardian of the Western Area computer containing the financial information throughout the two year term and will carry renter’s or homeowner’s insurance to protect against any loss. In addition, the Treasurer will create (and routinely update as needed) backup files of all information stored in the computer and give these files to the Alternate Treasurer for safe keeping.

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ALTERNATE TREASURER
I) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Alternate Treasurer:
1. The Alternate Treasurer is to assist the Area Treasurer in the completion of stated duties.
2. If the Treasurer is unable to finish the term, the Alternate Treasurer will automatically become Treasurer to finish the term.
3. The Alternate Treasurer will assume the Treasurer’s duties when the Treasurer is absent.
4. The Alternate Treasurer will have a vote only in the absence of the Area Treasurer.
5. The Alternate Treasurer should have at least four years of continuous sobriety. Previous outside experience would be helpful.
6. The Alternate Treasurer should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, standing committee Chairperson, or DCM.

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ARCHIVIST
J) The following are among the duties and qualifications of the Area Archivist:
1. The Archivist shall carry out the clearly defined duties as indicated in the Western Area Archives Policy and Procedures adopted.
2. The Area Archivist should have at least 5 years of continuous sobriety.
3. The Archivist should have served at least one full term as an Area Officer, Standing Committee Chairperson, or DCM.
4. The Archivist is the person responsible for the collection of the documents and artifactual items. He or she takes care of and maintains the physical integrity of the collection. The Archivist is also responsible for ensuring the protection of the anonymity of members, and the confidentiality of the AA records. It is helpful and desireable that the archivist takes at least an introductory course in archival science or library science. From shared experience we know that it takes a considerable amount of time to become familiar with a collection of historical information. Therefore, it is recommended that the archivist not rotate frequently.
5. The primary function of the archivist can be considered therefore to be twofold: primarily, a custodial responsibility for assuring the physical integrity of the collection and its availability to persons with a valid reason for study- and also a parallel and crucial role of data gatherer. It is in this latter capacity that service can be rendered to Bill W's urging that archives are needed "so that myth doesn't prevail over fact". In a real sense then, AA archivists are "keepers of the past".

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EXPENSES
K) Area expenses will be those approved in the budget by the Western Area of Missouri Assembly.
L) Any elected Assembly Officer receiving money from the Western Area of Missouri (excluding Assembly overnight motel reimbursement) will prepare a quarterly financial statement to be presented to the Assembly body.

1.4 THE ASSEMBLY — COMMITTEES
A) Standing Committees of the Assembly will be Conventions (Area and State), Cooperation with the Professional Community, Correctional Facilities, Archives, Literature, Public Information, Treatment, Grapevine, Special Needs and any other committees as deemed necessary to cooperate with corresponding committees of the General Service Conference.
B) Special task committees may be formed for a specific term by the Area Chairperson.
C) Refer to Standing Committees 3.1.

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1.5 THE ASSEMBLY — ELECTIONS
A) All Area officers will be elected by the Third Legacy procedure as defined in the current AA Service Manual.
B) At the Fall Assembly during even numbered years, there will be an election of Area officers and standing committee chairperson to serve two year terms beginning January 1 of the odd numbered years.
C) The Assembly may, by a majority vote, remove the names of any eligible Area committee members from the list if they are not present at the Election Assembly.
D) There will be no nominating committee appointed.
E) Absentee or proxy votes will not be allowed.
F) After nominations from the Area Committee are taken through the Third Legacy procedure, nominations may be taken from the floor. No nominations of absent members of the Assembly will be allowed or considered unless that member has informed the Area Chairperson of the reason for his absence and his willingness to serve in the particular office being considered.
G) Each candidate for office may give a brief statement of his AA service background and the length of continuous sobriety.
H) The Delegate will serve only one two-year term and will never again be a candidate for this office. The only exception is if an Alternate Delegate steps in to fill an unexpired term and then may be a candidate for a full term.
I) Other Area officers may not be eligible to succeed themselves unless they have been elected to the office to fill an unexpired term, in which case they may be a candidate for a full term.
J) The order of election will be Delegate, Alternate Delegate, Chairperson, Alternate Chairperson, Secretary, Alternate Secretary, Treasurer, and Alternate Treasurer.
K) Alternate Delegate and Alternate Chairperson are to be elected separately and not as runners-up to the Delegate and Chairperson.
L) In the event any Area officer is unable to finish his term or is removed from office by a vote of the Assembly, the Chairperson will call for an election at the following Assembly if there are more than six months remaining in the term at the time the vacancy occurs. If there are less than six months, the Chairperson will appoint another member of the Area Committee to fulfill the duties of the vacated office until the next election. If the vacancy is Delegate, Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer, the alternate will automatically step into the office and the above replacement procedure will apply for choosing new alternates.

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1.6 THE ASSEMBLY — FUNDING
A) Necessary funds must be available for the Assembly to fulfill its responsibilities.
B) Net proceeds of Western Area of Missouri Conventions will be forwarded to the Area Treasurer by December 31st of that year. A determined amount of seed money for the next year’s convention will be set by the Convention Committee and will be subject to approval by the Assembly.
C) Individual members of the Assembly are encouraged to express their gratitude for sobriety by donating to the Assembly $1 for each year of sobriety.
D) A great proportion of the responsibility for funding will come from the individual groups in the Western Area of Missouri. Each is asked to provide the Area Assembly or Committee at least $1 per member per year on a monthly or quarterly basis or to give according to the current literature dealing with AA finances. These contributions, however, are voluntary, and the Area Committee welcomes whatever amount each group deems appropriate for the support of carrying the AA message at the Area level.
E) Any surplus funds of the Assembly after a prudent reserve is maintained may be dispersed to GSO by a vote of the Assembly.

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SECTION TWO — THE AREA COMMITTEE

2.1 THE AREA COMMITTEE — COMPOSITION
The Area Committee consists of the Area officers, Area Standing Committee Chairpeople, and DCMS, or their alternates in the absence of a member.

2.2 THE AREA COMMITTEE — MEETINGS
A) The Area Chairperson or the Delegate or three members of the Area Committee may call for any special meeting of the Area Committee. The Committee will meet only at such call. Notice of Area Committee meetings will be sent by the Area Secretary to all Area Committee members at least ten days prior to such meeting, notifying members of the time, date, and location of the meeting.
B) Any member or the Area Committee missing two consecutive Area Assembly business meetings may be considered to have resigned and, in the case of the DCMs, the Area Chairperson may contact the appropriate district committee to seek a remedy to the situation or to seek the election of a qualified replacement.

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SECTION THREE — STANDING COMMITTEES

3.1 GENERAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE, COMPOSITION AND GUIDELINES
The Western Area of Missouri Standing Committees are designed to serve as liaisons to the A.A. members in our Area by passing on information from the General Service Office and the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous. All Western Area of Missouri Committees shall function in accordance with the A.A. Guidelines from the General Service Office and through the utilization of Committee Workbooks from the General Service Office. Committees wishing to establish or change Policy and Procedures for their respective Committees may do so provided a completed Policy and Procedure Manual is submitted to the entire body of the Western Area of Missouri for their review and approval.
A) All Standing Committees will organize, set goals, and carry out their duties internally. Each committee will be directly responsible to the Assembly and any actions or major decisions affecting Western Area and/or Alcoholics Anonymous as a whole will require Assembly approval. To be more financially responsible, when a standing committee’s recommendations involve an expenditure of money, an estimate of cost and its impact on the Area’s budget will be part of the recommendation.
B) A Standing Committee Chairperson should have at least four years of continuous sobriety and will be a voting member of the Assembly. All Standing Committees (with the exception of the State Convention Committee) will consist of: a chairperson, elected by the committee; all district committee representatives elected by their districts to serve on that particular committee; and any A.A. member wishing to serve on that committee, and will serve two-year terms corresponding with the Area Assembly terms. Alternates to each position are very important and those elected should be willing and able to step in if needed.
C) The Standing Committee Chairperson will be responsible for helping corresponding district committees and district representatives get activities and work started at the district level to support and assist individual members and groups in the work for which their particular committee is responsible. In the event a district does not have a committee representative, the chairperson will work directly with that district’s DCM.
D) Each Standing Committee Chairperson will submit a yearly budget to the Area Treasurer at each September Assembly to assist the Treasurer in preparing a yearly budget.
E) Each Standing Committee will hold a quarterly meeting on Saturday of each Assembly weekend and the Committee Chairperson will be responsible for giving a report (including a financial statement) at each Assembly business meeting on the activities of their committee.
F) Each Standing Committee shall hold an election for Standing Committee Chairperson, following Third Legacy procedure as defined in the current A.A. Service Manual, at the Fall Assembly during even-numbered years. The Chairperson elected within each committee will be presented to the Assembly by the Area Chairperson for consideration and approval.

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3.2 WESTERN AREA CONVENTION COMMITTEE
The Western Area of Missouri Convention Committee will have these among its duties:
A) The committee will be composed of a Chairperson elected by the Western Area Convention Committee, other officers elected by the committee, all district Convention Committee representatives, and any other AA members who choose to work regularly with the Convention Committee.
B) Once assembled, the committee will organize and select from its ranks the following assisting officers: Co-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Registration Chairperson, Publicity and Public Information Chairperson, Entertainment Chairperson, Hospitality Chairperson, Literature and Display Chairperson, and any other chairperson deemed necessary by the committee.
C) The committee representatives will serve two-year terms corresponding with Area Assembly elections and terms of office and will be responsible for the Western Area of Missouri Conventions during that period.
D) The committee will function basically along GSO guidelines for conventions and will be directly responsible to the Assembly for its actions. The chairperson will make a report to each Assembly.
E) The committee will keep minutes, records, attendance files, mailing lists, and financial records.

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3.3 STATE CONVENTION COMMITTEE
The following are among the duties of the State Convention Committee:
A) Two members will be elected at each March Assembly for two year terms to begin immediately after elections.
B) The State Conventions Committee shall be organized as suggested in the State Conventions Committee Guidelines adopted by the committee and accepted by the Eastern and Western Areas of Missouri.

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SECTION FOUR — THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The following are among the duties and qualifications of the DCMs:
A) DCMs should have at least four years of continuous sobriety.
B) It is suggested that DCMs should not also serve as a group GSR.
C) The DCM is expected to attend all Area Committee meetings and Area Assemblies or to provide for an alternate to attend in their place.
D) The DCM is responsible for providing the Area Secretary with a complete and current list of all District officers and GSRs, including their alternates. Names, addresses and phone numbers should be furnished. The Area Secretary should be notified of any changes during the term.
E) If a DCM misses two consecutive Assemblies and is not represented by an alternate, the Area Chairperson may contact the appropriate District committee and seek to remedy the situation or to seek the election of a qualified replacement.
F) The DCM should help coordinate visits of the Delegate to his District so that the greatest number of people may be at a Delegate report meeting. He may also want to arrange for various Area Officers and Standing Committee Chair people to attend at least one District meeting a year in his District for sharing Area and District activities.
G) The DCM will give a District report at each Assembly and may periodically be asked to help interpret the conscience of groups in the District to the Delegate or Assembly.
H) The DCM is asked to arrange for all District meeting minutes or District information to be mailed to all Area Officers, Standing Committee Chair people and the Area Archivist. It would also be helpful if minutes were mailed to other DCMs, to former Delegates and to GSO.

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SECTION FIVE — THE GENERAL SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

The following are among the duties and qualifications of the GSRs:
A) All Western Area of Missouri group GSRs are full voting members of the Area Assembly and are expected to attend four quarterly Assemblies each year.
B) GSRs should have at least two years of continuous sobriety.
C) If a GSR misses two consecutive Assemblies and is not represented by an alternate, the Area Chairperson may contact the appropriate GSR or group to seek a remedy to the situation or to seek a qualified replacement.
D) The GSR will be responsible for providing his DCM with group information for mailing lists and AA directories in time to meet appropriate deadlines.
E) GSRs are asked to report back to their groups the activities of the Area Assembly.
F) GSRs will be asked from time to time by the Delegate or Assembly to help interpret their groups' conscience on matters to be considered.

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SECTION SIX — DISTRICTS, DISTRICT COMMITTEES AND DISTRICT ELECTIONS

6.1 DISTRICT COMMITTEES
A) Each District shown on the Area map should have a District Committee whose members should be one DCM, other officers deemed necessary by the committee and the elected GSR from each registered Group in the District.
B) Each District should have a Chairperson or representative for each corresponding Area Standing Committee who shall automatically serve as a member of the corresponding Area Committee and who should serve to coordinate activities at the District level.

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6.2 DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEETINGS
A) District Committees should meet regularly at a time and place of their own selection. Meetings should be monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly, but should be at least quarterly.
B) District meetings should be held according to the guidelines in the current AA Service Manual.

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6.3 DISTRICT ELECTIONS
A) In Western Area of Missouri Districts, all Group and District elections should be held and completed prior to the Fall Assembly of even numbered years. DCMs, GSRs and their alternates should be elected for two year terms beginning January 1 following the election.
B) Names, addresses and telephone numbers of all newly elected DCMs, GSRs and their alternates should be furnished to the Area Secretary at the Fall Assembly prior to their taking office.
C) DCMs should be elected by the retiring GSR committee from among their present and current membership.
D) No DCM, GSR, or their alternate should succeed himself as a voting member of the District Committee or Area Assembly in the same office.

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6.4 DISTRICTS
The number of Districts in the Western Area of Missouri should be defined according to the needs of the Groups, Districts and the Area.

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6.5 DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
District boundaries have been defined by the Area Assembly. They may only be changed by a majority vote of the Assembly. District boundary changes should reflect a combination of the needs of the Assembly and the Districts and Groups. No changes shall be made until those proposed changes have been presented to the District Committees and to the Groups in the geographical area affected by the changes. The Alternate Chairperson is responsible for keeping the maps and seeing that they are updated as a result of action by the Area Assembly.
A need for changing District boundaries may arise at Group, District, or Area levels. Any Area Assembly, District, or Group wishing to change existing boundaries may request the approval of the Area Assembly. The following procedure shall be used:
A) The proposal shall be sent to the Area Chairperson in writing to be placed on the agenda for the next scheduled Assembly.
B) If discussed and if the Areas Assembly votes to do so, the proposal will be presented to the affected Groups or Districts for their consideration.
C) The Groups and Districts involved shall take a Group Conscience on the matter. The results will be returned to the Area Assembly for discussion, and a vote will be taken at the following Area Assembly.
D) No further action shall be considered for a period of six months.

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SECTION SEVEN - OTHER COMMITTEES

7.1 FINANCE AND BUDGETARY COMMITTEE
A) Composition of the Finance Committee
1) The Finance Committee shall be comprised of 5 AA’s from the following: Past WAMO Delegates, GSRs’, DCMs’ and any other non-voting WAMO AA member.
2) Recommended length of sobriety is at least 4 continuous years.
3) Previous experience in financial, budget, taxes and business is strongly suggested.
4) Attendance at all Finance committee meetings required with exception of 1 allowed absence in a row, with prior notice to chair of WAMO and/or the finance committee chair. (Any meeting missed without prior notice results in removal from the committee).
5) Selection of Finance Committee:
a) Resume must be submitted by the June Assembly. Resumes include prior service positions held and fulfilled. A standard resume form will be provided.
b) Finance Committee chooses replacement candidates from resumes
c) Finance Committee submits new members to Assembly at the September elections assembly for approval.
d) In the event someone cannot complete their term the finance committee shall pick a replacement from the resumes on file and present the candidate to the assembly for approval.
6) The WAMO Finance Committee will be comprised of 5 AA members to serve as follows: The 1st committee members will have 3 members to serve 2-year term and 2 members to serve 1-year term. This is to be determined within committee of members to rotate. On going committees rotation process will be in 2-year terms, as 2 or 3 members with 1-year experience will be retained in the committee, to retain continuity and experience.
7) WAMO Officers or Standing or Sub Committee Chairs shall not serve on the Finance Committee.
8) The Finance Committee members will not be reimbursed for overnight or travel expenses for attending finance committee meetings and/or area assembly.
B) Roles/Responsibilities of the Finance Committee:
1) Assist with the review of WAMO Standing Committee chairs and area officer’s quarterly budgets and reimbursement requests.
2) Assist the WAMO Treasurer with Annual budget preparation.
3) Assist the Standing Committee Chairs and Area Officers with annual budgets when requested.
4) Receive and review statements of WAMO bank accounts (checking-monthly and savings-quarterly.
5) Assist with preparation of annual taxes as needed.
6) Report to WAMO Assembly.
7) Make determination of need for outside audit.

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SECTION EIGHT — AMENDMENTS

8.1 PROPOSAL AND APPROVAL
Proposed amendments to these guidelines will be presented to the Area Chairperson in writing. The Chairperson will place them on the agenda of the next Area Assembly for first consideration. If a majority of the Assembly approves, the proposal will be forwarded to the groups and districts for their consideration. Next, the proposal will be placed on the agenda of the following Assembly for final approval. Any such proposal would be mailed along with the Assembly agenda by the Secretary to all voting members of the Assembly no less than 30 days before the scheduled vote. The final vote may be by written ballot.

8.2 INCORPORATION INTO GUIDELINES
The updating and accuracy of these amendments will be the responsibility of the Area Secretary.