N.Y. Benevolent Orders Law Section 8
Trustees

The persons executing such certificate and named therein, shall be the board of trustees of such corporation. If but two bodies unite to form such corporation, its by-laws may prescribe the terms of office of the trustees. If more than two bodies so unite, the trustees shall divide themselves by lot into three classes, not including, however, the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, if such officer shall have been elected as provided in section seven hereof, who shall be one year trustees, so that the term of office of the first class shall expire in one year; the term of office of the second class, in two years; and the term of office of the third class, in three years; provided, however, that no trustee shall continue as such after he has ceased to be a representative. On a vacancy occurring in the office of a trustee of such corporation, the body which he represented shall fill such vacancy, provided the bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty in number, and the person so chosen shall hold office for three years, if chosen on the expiration of the term of his predecessor, and otherwise, until the expiration of the original term. But if the bodies uniting to form such corporation exceed thirty in number, then any vacancy occurring by reason of the expiration of a term or by failure of any trustee to be re-elected as a representative, shall be filled for three years or for the balance of the unexpired term, as the case may be, by the representatives in annual session; and any vacancy occurring otherwise than as above specified, shall be filled until the next annual meeting of the representatives by the body that has lost representation by reason of the vacancy, when it shall be filled by said representatives for the remainder of the unexpired term. If the bodies uniting to form such corporation exceed thirty in number, then the representatives, but if less than thirty in number then the board of trustees, may admit or prescribe rules and regulations for the admission as members of such corporation of other bodies chartered or instituted by the same general governing body as any of the bodies named in such certificate, or by any superior or higher jurisdiction or governing body of the order to which any of such bodies belong, and may prescribe rules and regulations for the withdrawal, expulsion or suspension of any body or bodies having membership in such corporation. Where the bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty in number, the board of trustees shall fix the term of office of such trustees elected to represent new members of such corporation at one, two or three years, and shall so apportion such new trustees that as nearly as possible the terms of office of one-third of the trustees of such corporation shall expire annually. Where the organizations so united are trades unions, trades assemblies, trades associations or labor organizations, the board of trustees may, from time to time, admit as members of such corporation and of such board of trustees the representatives of any other labor or trade organization or association whether or not the same be chartered or instituted by the same general governing body as any of the bodies named in such certificate, or by any superior or higher jurisdiction or governing body of the order to which such bodies belong. The board of trustees admitting such members shall file in the county clerk’s office a certificate showing such action, and the terms of the representatives so admitted shall be fixed as above provided in the case of other organizations. Every corporation formed under this chapter must file annually immediately after its annual meeting, in the clerk’s office of the county where such building is or is to be located, a certificate giving the names and addresses of the principal officers of the corporation and the names and addresses of the members of the board of trustees, and the names and location of all bodies admitted to or withdrawn or expelled from membership since the filing of the last preceding certificate. And the several bodies comprising such corporation may by a two-thirds vote of all the members present at any regular or special meeting, notice whereof has been duly given according to the constitution, rules and regulations of such body, adopt by-laws, rules and regulations for the management and government of such hall, temple, or other building not inconsistent with the laws of the state or the constitution, general rules or laws of the grand lodge or other governing body to which it is subordinate and may therein provide for the disposition of the revenues arising therefrom and may in such by-laws, rules and regulations limit and define the purposes and uses to which the net revenue from said hall, temple or other building shall be applied, and when the same shall be concurred in by all of said bodies, they shall be binding on said corporation and thereafter said net income shall not be devoted or applied to any other purpose.

Source: Section 8 — Trustees, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/BVO/8 (updated Sep. 22, 2014; accessed May 3, 2025).

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Accessed:
May 3, 2025

Last modified:
Sep. 22, 2014

§ 8’s source at nysenate​.gov

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