Bylaws
BYLAWS OF THE BIGELOW HIGHLANDS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE 1
Name and Establishment
Name The name of the Association shall be the Bigelow Highlands Neighborhood Association (referred to hereinafter as “the Association”).
Establishment The Bigelow Highlands Neighborhood Association was formed September 1993
ARTICLE 2
Purpose
2.1 Purpose The purpose of this Association is to maintain and enhance the quality of life in the Bigelow Highlands neighborhood through collective action of its members
ARTICLE 3
Membership
3.1 Eligibility. To be eligible to be a member, one must reside within or own property or a business licensed by the City of Olympia within the geographic area located in Thurston County, Washington, that is bordered by Yew Street, Fir Street (both sides of the street), 4th Avenue, and Puget Street. (Except for Fir, the Association’s boundaries shall extend to the center line of the streets).
3.2 Voting Rights. Every member, 18 years of age or older, who is signed in at a meeting with an address that meets the above Eligibility criteria, shall be entitled to vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members. There will be no voting by proxy, although absentee ballots may be provided on any occasion deemed necessary.
3.3 Establishment of Membership. Those who meet the above Eligibility criteria shall automatically be considered members of the Association, but an eligible individual may make it official by submitting his or her name, address, telephone number, and (if available and desirable) e-mail address to the Association.
3.4 Dues. Dues are $10 per year and are voluntary. No dues are required for membership in the Association. Dues may be paid to the Treasurer at any time during that calendar year (January 1st through December 31st).
ARTICLE 4
Officers and Board of Directors
4.1 Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be composed of the Association’s four officers and up to 6 board members at large. The board members at large are an annual position and shall be elected at the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors shall vote on the chairpersons of the Standing committees from among the members of the board. Members of the Board of Directors shall be expected to attend all general meetings, when possible, and, if they are on a sub-committee, to report to the rest of the Board on its activities.
4.2 Officers. The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
4.3 President. The President of the Association shall prepare agendas and preside at all meetings; establish, communicate and coordinate meeting dates and locations for all meetings; appoint the chairpersons and other members of committees as needed; call any “Special Meetings” required; represent the Association at meetings with external entities or appoint someone to do so; perform all duties normally incident to the office of president and other such duties as may be imposed by the Board of Directors or the Association. The President will also be a second signature for the Association’s financial institution.
4.4 Vice President. The Vice President of the Association shall perform the duties of the President in the event of the President’s absence; and other such duties as may be imposed by the President, Board of Directors, or the Association.
4.5 Secretary. The Secretary of the Association shall keep the minutes of all meetings; see that all correspondence to the Association is channeled to the Board; and ensures the preservation of corporate records of the Association both hard and electronic copies.
4.6 Treasurer. The Treasurer of the Association shall properly maintain records of assets and financial transactions of the Association; be responsible for collecting voluntary dues and keeping a record thereof; promptly make such disbursements as authorized by the President or Board of Directors; provides an annual balance sheet for the October meeting; ensure an annual audit of the previous year’s finances is conducted and perform such other duties as are normally incident to the office, plus such additional duties as may be assigned by the President, Board of Directors, or Association.
ARTICLE 5
Committees
5.1 Standing Committees. The Association shall establish at the Annual Meeting a list of standing committees that are necessary to support the purposes, activities, and operations of the Association. Suggested standing committees:
5.1.1 Block Watch Committee This committee shall oversee the establishment and maintenance of the Association’s Block Watch; keep the Association informed about neighborhood crime and relevant communications from the police; and set up and run general “Block Watch” meetings.
5.1.2 Communications Committee This committee shall oversee all the Association’s forms of communications, including, but not limited to: its newsletters, listserv, website, sandwich boards, and bulletin board.
5.1.3 Event Committee This committee shall plan and put on the Association’s annual party and assist in the planning of other Association events, when needed.
5.2 Ad Hoc Committees. The Board of Directors may establish at any time Ad Hoc committees to accomplish specific objectives of the Association that are time limited and do not require establishment of a standing committee. Ad Hoc committees may be designated standing committees at the Annual Meeting of the Association.
ARTICLE 6
Meetings
6.1 General Membership Meetings The Board shall hold at least one general membership meeting quarterly and may hold additional meetings as deemed necessary. All Board and general members shall be notified not less than seven days prior to the meeting of the time, place, and purpose. Any and all members may be present at these meetings.
6.2 Annual Meeting The annual meeting will be held in October. This will be the meeting where the last order of business will be to nominate and elect the Officers for the upcoming one year term which begins on November 1.
6.3 Special Meetings The President may, when necessary, call a special meeting. This may or may not take place of the regular general membership meeting. Notification of members of a special meeting may be less than the seven day prior to the meeting criterion for an emergency situation.
6.4 Quorum To conduct a transaction of business at Board Meeting, a General Meeting, or Special Meeting, one more than 50 percent of the Officers must be present. All such business transactions will be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast (one more than 50 percent).
6.5 Method for Notification of Meetings Each year, a set permanent date (such as the second Tuesday of the month) may be set for the general membership meetings; or, if the Board chooses, it may instead set a date for the next meeting at the end of a current one. All members will receive a printed reminder notice from the Communications Committee at least seven days prior to a General Meeting or a Special Meeting, except in the case of an emergency.
ARTICLE 7
Selection of Officers and Board of Directors
7.1 Elections Elections of the officers shall be held at the annual meeting. The two-year terms shall be staggered, with the President and Secretary elected in the odd or even years and the Vice President and Treasurer elected in the opposite. The Standing Committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the newly elected President at the first General Membership Meeting of the new fiscal year.
7.2 Nominating Process Nominations for Board and Officer positions shall be accepted by members and self-nominations will be allowed, if seconded.
7.3 Eligibility to Vote Everyone present at a meeting where a vote takes place may vote, as long as they sign in with an address that meets the Association’s Membership Eligibility criteria.
7.4 Method of Voting All elections will be by ballot or show of hands. The person receiving the simple majority of the votes cast (one more than 50 percent) will be the winner of the election.
7.5 Removal Any officer or Chairperson may be removed from office by a simple majority (one more than 50 percent), conducted by written ballot or show of hands by the general membership, if he or she has: (1) Led or taken part in activities detrimental to the purpose of the Association; (2) Been negligent in carrying out the responsibilities of the office; (3) Been absent from three consecutive meetings without reasonable cause; or (4) Is no longer physically or mentally able to fulfill the duties of the position. In the event of the removal of an officer that does not take place at or just before the annual elections meeting, a Special Election shall be held to replace the removed officer, with the winner serving out the remainder of the removed officer’s term.
7.6 Resignation In the event of the resignation of an officer that does not take place at or just before the annual elections meeting in the year corresponding with the election of his or her position, a Special Election shall be held to replace him or her, with the winner serving out the remainder of that officer’s term.
7.7 Removal or Resignation of Committee Chairperson In the event that a committee chairperson resigns or needs to be removed (according to the same criteria as is considered for the removal of an officer), the President shall appoint a replacement.
ARTICLE 8
Administrative and Financial Provisions
8.1 Books and Records Any member may inspect the Association’s books and records, for any purpose at any reasonable time.
8.2 Amendments of Bylaws New Bylaws may be adopted and existing Bylaws may be altered or repealed at any annual or special meeting by a simple majority of the votes cast (one more than 50 percent).
8.3 Grants BHNA member as defined in Article 3.1 may submit a proposal for a grant or matching monies opportunities. Grants can be submitted to, but not limited to the City of Olympia. Proposals must have a clear purpose of benefit to the neighborhood at large. The proposals may be submitted at any time to the Board for review and must be presented and voted on by the Association at least one general or Special meeting prior to the submission deadline. The person(s) proposing the grant must be willing to actively participate in the grant process.
