BY-LAWS
OF
THE NORTH COUNTRY FUNDS
ARTICLE 1
Agreement and Declaration
of Trust and Principal Office
1.1 AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST. These By-Laws shall be subject to the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as from time to time in effect (the
"Declaration of Trust"), of The North Country Funds (the "Trust"), the
Massachusetts business trust established by the Declaration of Trust.
1.2 PRINCIPAL OFFICE OF THE TRUST. The principal office of the Trust shall be:
CT Corporation System, Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000.
1.3 PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS OF THE TRUST. The principal office of the Trust
shall be: 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000.
ARTICLE 2
Meetings of Trustees
2.1 REGULAR MEETINGS. Regular meetings of the Trustees may be held without call
or notice at such places and at such times as the Trustees may from time to time
determine, provided that notice of the first regular meeting following any such
determination shall be given to absent Trustees.
2.2 SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Trustees may be held, at any time
and at any place designated in the call of the meeting, when called by the
Chairman of the Board, if any, the President or the Treasurer or by two or more
Trustees, sufficient notice thereof being given to each Trustee by the Secretary
or an Assistant Secretary or by the officer or the Trustees calling the meeting.
2.3 NOTICE. It shall be sufficient notice to a Trustee of a special meeting to
send notice by mail or courier at least forty-eight hours or by telegram at
least twenty-four hours before the meeting addressed to the Trustee at his or
her usual or last known business or residence address or to give notice to him
or her in person or by telephone at least twenty-four hours before the meeting.
Notice of a meeting need not be given to any Trustee if a written waiver of
notice, executed by him or her before or after the meeting, is filed with the
records of the meeting, or to any Trustee who attends the meeting without
protesting prior thereto or at its commencement the lack of notice to him or
her. Except as required by law, neither notice of a meeting nor a waiver of a
notice need specify the purposes of the meeting.
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2.4 QUORUM. At any meeting of the Trustees a majority of the Trustees then in
office shall constitute a quorum. Any meeting may be adjourned from time to time
by a majority of the votes cast upon the question, whether or not a quorum is
present, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice to any
Trustee who was present at the time of such adjournment; notice of the time and
place of any adjourned session of such meeting shall, however, be given in the
manner provided in Section 2.3 of these By-Laws to each Trustee who was not
present at the time of such adjournment.
2.5 ACTION BY VOTE. When a quorum is present at any meeting, a majority of
Trustees present may take any action, except when a larger vote is expressly
required by law, by the Declaration of Trust or by these By-Laws.
2.6 ACTION BY WRITING. Except as required by law, any action required or
permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Trustees may be taken without a
meeting if a majority of the Trustees (or such larger proportion thereof as
shall be required by any express provision of the Declaration of Trust or these
By-Laws) consent to the action in writing and such written consents are filed
with the records of the meetings of the Trustees. Such consent shall be treated
for all purposes as a vote taken at a meeting of Trustees.
2.7 PRESENCE THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT. Except as required by law, the
Trustees may participate in a meeting of Trustees by means of a conference
telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons
participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time, and
participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting.
ARTICLE 3
Officers
3.1 ENUMERATION; QUALIFICATION. The officers of the Trust shall be a President,
a Treasurer, a Secretary and such other officers, if any, as the Trustees from
time to time may in their discretion elect. The Trust may also have such agents
as the Trustees from time to time may in their discretion appoint. If a Chairman
of the Board is elected, he or she shall be a Trustee and may but need not be a
Shareholder; and any other officer may be but none need be a Trustee or
Shareholder. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person.
3.2 ELECTION AND TENURE. The President, the Treasurer, the Secretary and such
other officers as the Trustees may in their discretion from time to time elect
shall each be elected by the Trustees to serve until his or her successor is
elected or qualified, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or
becomes disqualified. Each officer shall hold office and each agent shall retain
authority at the pleasure of the Trustees.
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3.3 POWERS. Subject to the other provisions of these By-Laws, each officer shall
have, in addition to the duties and powers herein and in the Declaration of
Trust set forth, such duties and powers as are commonly incident to the office
occupied by him or her as if the Trust were organized as a Massachusetts
business corporation and such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from
time to time designate.
3.4 PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTS. The President shall have the duties and
powers specified in these By-Laws and shall have such other duties and powers as
may be determined by the Trustees.
Any Vice Presidents shall have such duties and powers as shall be designated
from time to time by the Trustees.
3.5 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. The Chief Executive Officer of the Trust shall be
the Chairman of the Board, the President or such other officer as is designated
by the Trustees and shall, subject to the control of the Trustees, have general
charge and supervision of the business of the Trust and, except as the Trustees
shall otherwise determine, preside at all meetings of the Shareholders and of
the Trustees. If no such designation is made, the President shall be the Chief
Executive Officer.
3.6 CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. If a Chairman of the Board of Trustees is elected, he
or she shall have the duties and powers specified in these By-Laws and shall
have such other duties and powers as may be determined by the Trustees.
3.7 TREASURER. The Treasurer shall be the chief financial and accounting officer
of the Trust, and shall, subject to the provisions of the Declaration of Trust
and to any arrangement made by the Trustees with a custodian, investment adviser
or manager, administrator or transfer, shareholder servicing or similar agent,
be in charge of the valuable papers, books of account and accounting records of
the Trust, and shall have such other duties and powers as may be designated from
time to time by the Trustees or by the President.
3.8 SECRETARY. The Secretary shall record all proceedings of the Shareholders
and the Trustees in books to be kept therefor, which books or a copy thereof
shall be kept at the principal office of the Trust. In the absence of the
Secretary from any meeting of the Shareholders or Trustees, an assistant
Secretary, or if there be none or if he or she is absent, a temporary Secretary
chosen at such meeting shall record the proceedings thereof in the aforesaid
books.
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3.9 RESIGNATIONS AND REMOVALS. Any officer may resign at any time by written
instrument signed by him or her and delivered to the President or the Secretary
or to a meeting of the Trustees. Such resignation shall be effective upon
receipt unless specified to be effective at some other time. The Trustees may
remove any officer with or without cause. Except to the extent expressly
provided in a written agreement with the Trust, no officer resigning and no
officer removed shall have any right to any compensation for any period
following his or her resignation or removal, or any right to damages on account
of such removal.
ARTICLE 4
Indemnification
4.1 TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, ETC. The Trust shall indemnify each of its Trustees and
officers (including persons who serve at the Trust's request as directors,
officers or trustees of another organization in which the Trust has any interest
as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise) (hereinafter referred to as a "Covered
Person") against all liabilities and expenses, including but not limited to
amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and
penalties, and counsel fees reasonably incurred by any Covered Person in
connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other
proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or
legislative body, in which such Covered Person may be or may have been involved
as a party or otherwise or with which such Covered Person may be or may have
been threatened, while in office or thereafter, by reason of any alleged act or
omission as a Trustee or officer or by reason of his or her being or having been
such a Trustee or officer, except with respect to any matter as to which such
Covered Person shall have been finally adjudicated in any such action, suit or
other proceeding not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that
such Covered Person's action was in the best interest of the Trust and except
that no Covered Person shall be indemnified against any liability to the Trust
or its Shareholders to which such Covered Person would otherwise be subject by
reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard
of the duties involved in the conduct of such Covered Person's office. Expenses,
including counsel fees so incurred by any such Covered Person, may be paid from
time to time by the Trust in advance of the final disposition of any such
action, suit or proceeding on the condition that the amounts so paid shall be
repaid to the Trust if it is ultimately determined that indemnification of such
expenses is not authorized under this Article.
4.2 COMPROMISE PAYMENT. As to any matter disposed of by a compromise payment by
any such Covered Person referred to in Section 4.1 above, pursuant to a consent
decree or otherwise, no such indemnification either for said payment or for any
other expenses shall be provided unless such compromise shall be approved as in
the best interests of the Trust, after notice that it involved such
indemnification, (a) by a disinterested majority of the Trustees then in office;
or (b) by a majority of the disinterested Trustees then in office; or (c) by any
disinterested person or persons to whom the question may be referred by the
Trustees, provided that in the case of approval pursuant to clause (b) or (c)
there has been obtained an opinion in writing of independent legal counsel to
the effect that such Covered Person appears to have acted in good faith in the
reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interests of the Trust
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and that such indemnification would not protect such person against any
liability to the Trust or its Shareholders to which such person would otherwise
be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or
reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of office; or (d) by
vote of Shareholders holding a majority of the Shares entitled to vote thereon,
exclusive of any Shares beneficially owned by any interested Covered Person.
Approval by the Trustees pursuant to clause (a) or (b) or by any disinterested
person or persons pursuant to clause (c) of this Section shall not prevent the
recovery from any Covered Person of any amount paid to such Covered Person in
accordance with any of such clauses as indemnification if such Covered Person is
subsequently adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction not to have acted
in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Covered Person's action was in
the best interests of the Trust or to have been liable to the Trust or its
Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or
reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Covered
Person's office.
4.3 INDEMNIFICATION NOT EXCLUSIVE. The right of indemnification hereby provided
shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any such Covered
Person may be entitled. As used in this Article 4, the term "Covered Person"
shall include such person's heirs, executors and administrators; an "interested
Covered Person" is one against whom the action, suit or other proceeding in
question or another action, suit or other proceeding on the same or similar
grounds is then or has been pending; and a "disinterested Trustee" or
"disinterested person" is a Trustee or a person against whom none of such
actions, suits or other proceedings or another action, suit or other proceeding
on the same or similar grounds is then or has been pending. Nothing contained in
this Article shall affect any rights to indemnification to which personnel of
the Trust, other than Trustees and officers, and other persons may be entitled
by contract or otherwise under law, nor the power of the Trust to purchase and
maintain liability insurance on behalf of any such person.
ARTICLE 5
Reports
5.1 GENERAL. The Trustees and officers shall render reports at the time and in
the manner required by the Declaration of Trust or any applicable law. Officers
shall render such additional reports as they may deem desirable or as may from
time to time be required by the Trustees.
ARTICLE 6
Seal
6.1 GENERAL. The seal of the Trust shall consist of a flat-faced die with the
word "Massachusetts," together with the name of the Trust and the year of its
organization cut or engrafed thereon, but, unless otherwise required by the
Trustees, the seal shall not be necessary to be placed on, and its absence shall
not impair the validity of, any document, instrument or other paper executed and
delivered by or on behalf of the Trust.
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ARTICLE 7
Execution of Papers
7.1 GENERAL. Except as the Trustees may generally or in particular cases
authorize the execution thereof in some other manner, all checks, notes, drafts
and other obligations and all registration statements and amendments thereto and
all applications and amendments thereto to the Securities and Exchange
Commission shall be signed by the Chairman, if any, the President, any Vice
President or the Treasurer or any of such other officers or agents as shall be
designated for that purpose by a vote of the Trustees.
ARTICLE 8
Provisions Relating to the
Conduct of the Trust's Business
8.1 DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE. The Trustees or any officer or officers or
agent or agents of the Trust designated from time to time for this purpose by
the Trustees shall determine at least once daily the net income and the value of
all the assets belonging to any Series or attributable to any class of Shares of
the Trust on each day upon which the New York Stock Exchange is open for
unrestricted trading and at such other times as the Trustees shall designate. In
determining asset values, all securities for which representative market
quotations are readily available shall be valued at market value, and all
securities and other assets for which representative market quotations are not
readily available shall be valued at fair value, all as determined in good faith
by the Trustees or an officer or officers or agent or agents, as aforesaid, in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted at the time.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the assets belonging to any Series or
attributable to any class of Shares of the Trust may, if so authorized by the
Trustees, be valued in accordance with the amortized cost method, and the asset
value so determined, subject to the power of the Trustees to alter the asset
value so determined, less total liabilities belonging to that Series or
attributable to any class of Shares (exclusive of capital stock and surplus)
shall be the net asset value until a new asset value is determined by the
Trustees or such officers or agents. In determining the net asset value the
Trustees or such officers or agents may include in liabilities such reserves for
taxes, estimated accrued expenses and contingencies in accordance with
accounting principles generally accepted at the time as the Trustees or such
officers or agents may in their best judgment deem fair and reasonable under the
circumstances. The manner of determining net asset value may from time to time
be altered as necessary or desirable in the judgment of the Trustees to conform
it to any other method prescribed or permitted by applicable law or regulation.
Determinations of net asset value made by the Trust or such officers or agents
in good faith shall be binding on all parties concerned. The foregoing sentence
shall not be construed to protect any Trustee, officer or agent of the Trust
against any liability to the Trust or its security holders to which he or she
would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or
her office.
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ARTICLE 9
Amendments to the By-Laws
9.1 GENERAL. These By-Laws may be amended or repealed, in whole or in part, by a
majority of the Trustees then in office at any meeting of the Trustees, or by
written consent in lieu thereof.
ARTICLE 10
10.1 PROXY INSTRUCTIONS TRANSMITTED BY TELEPHONIC OR ELECTRONIC MEANS. The
placing of a Shareholder's name on a proxy pursuant to telephonic or
electronically transmitted instructions obtained pursuant to procedures
reasonably designed to verify that such instructions have been authorized by
such Shareholder shall constitute execution of such proxy by or on behalf of
such Shareholder.
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