BYLAWS OF THE AUSTIN HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I. NAME

This association shall be known as the Austin Heights Neighborhood Association ("AHNA").

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

The purpose of AHNA is to:

  1. Identify the common interest in such matters as zoning, public services and policies, private development, conservation and improvement of the natural features of the area, and other community concerns.
  2. Inform the neighborhood about community issues and provide a forum for discussion of them.
  3. Represent the neighborhood and take action where appropriate.

ARTICLE III. BOUNDARIES

The boundaries of AHNA shall be as follows:

ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP

Any person 16 or over who resides within the described boundaries of AHNA is a member of AHNA.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS

  1. Rules. Rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern AHNA in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.
  2. General membership meetings. General membership meetings shall be held approximately quarterly (January, April, July, and October) at a time and place to be determined by the membership at a previous meeting or by the steering committee ("SC").
  3. Special membership meetings. Special membership meetings may be called by the SC or by at least 10 members of the association. Only the business specified in the call may be taken up at a special meeting.
  4. Notice. All meetings shall be publicized in the neighborhood using whatever reasonable means are available, such as phone calls, flyers distributed door to door, flyers prominently posted throughout the neighborhood, and email. The notification must include the date, time, place, and a summary of the agenda for the meeting. Failure to receive a meeting notice does not invalidate the meeting. However, the provisions of this paragraph must be complied with in good faith.
  5. Attendance. AHNA meetings shall be open to the public. Visitors may be invited to participate in the discussion of matters at hand, but only members of the association will be eligible to vote.
  6. Quorum. A quorum of votes of record at a membership meeting is 10 members. With or without a quorum, "sense-of-meeting" straw polls are open to all attending.
  7. Voting. Only members of the association may vote at membership meetings. The chair may determine the manner in which a vote is recorded (i.e., voice vote, show of hands, ballot, etc.). Absentee voting is not allowed.
  8. Minutes and Sign-up Sheet. Approved minutes of meetings and sign-in sheets, as a record of attendance, must be kept for all membership meetings of AHNA.

ARTICLE VI. STEERING COMMITTEE ("SC")

  1. General. The SC shall be the principal representative, governing, and policy-recommending body of the AHNA. Actions of the SC shall be governed by the will of the membership as expressed at general and special membership meetings.
  2. Nomination and Election of SC Members.

    The SC shall consist of 7 members. Prior or current service on the SC does not disqualify a member from nomination. No more than one member of a household may serve on the SC at any one time.

    Members of the SC shall be elected at large to serve staggered one-year terms. Elections for SC members shall be held at the April and October general membership meetings with four SC members elected in April and three SC members elected in October. Members of the SC shall take office at the end of the membership meeting at which they were elected.

    At the April and October general membership meetings, a member may nominate his or herself or a member may nominate another member for service on the SC. Election of the SC members shall be by paper ballot if there are more nominees than the number of available SC positions. Each member may cast as many votes as there are open positions, each for a different nominee. A tie shall be decided by an agreed upon method of chance.

    B-1. Transitional Paragraph. Notwithstanding Paragraph B, of the seven SC members elected in October 2005, four of the members shall serve a one and one-half year term and three members shall serve a one-year term in order to stagger the terms of the members of the SC. An officer elected under Article VII who is serving a one and one-half year term under this paragraph may serve in the office for the duration of the term. This paragraph expires May 1, 2007.

  3. Removal and Vacancies of SC Members.

    A member of the SC who fails to attend three consecutive regular SC meetings, or who ceases to be a member of the AHNA, shall be considered to have resigned, and a vacancy may be declared by the SC. A member of the SC may be removed by the SC for any reason by two-thirds vote of a membership meeting, provided that the recall is included in the agenda of the required notice of the meeting.

    Vacancies on the SC occurring between regular annual elections may be filled on an interim basis by the SC. An election to fill a vacancy of the SC shall be held at the next general membership meeting.

  4. Meetings of the SC.

    The SC shall hold meetings as needed at a time and place designated by the SC. Meetings of the SC may be called by the Chair or by any two of the SC members. A quorum of the SC is 4 members. No action shall be taken by the SC unless a quorum is present. The regular business of the SC may be conducted electronically, and votes may be taken via email and phone.

  5. Powers and Duties of the SC.

    Between membership meetings, the SC shall make recommendations for action and policy to the general membership, or take action to support or further policies, activities, or events approved by earlier membership meetings. The SC is authorized to make policy decisions when necessary.

    SC members shall endeavor to attend all meetings of the SC and all membership meetings.

    All SC meetings shall be open to members. However, only SC members may vote on questions before the SC. To the extent practicable, the SC shall inform members of the AHNA of upcoming SC meetings on the AHNA internet website.

ARTICLE VII. OFFICERS

  1. Officers.

    The officers of the AHNA shall be the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.

    The officers shall be selected by a majority of the SC from among its members at its first meeting or as soon thereafter as possible. A majority of the entire SC shall elect the officers.

    The officers shall take office immediately upon being elected. The terms shall extend for one year or until the new SC elects successors.

  2. Duties and Responsibilities of Officers.

    The chair shall preside at meetings of the membership and SC. The Chair shall, with the Secretary, be responsible for providing required notices, though the Chair or Secretary may delegate this responsibility to members of the association who volunteer to distribute notices. The Chair shall be the principal representative of the AHNA. The Chair may designate chairing duties as required.

    The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair as necessary.

    The Secretary shall keep a complete record of all actions of membership and SC meetings. The Secretary shall, with the Chair, be responsible for providing required meeting notices.

    The Treasurer shall, as applicable, maintain an AHNA bank account, collect and disburse funds, maintain books and records of accounts of AHNA assets and accounts, and report at each regular meeting on AHNA finances.

  3. Replacement. An officer who can no longer serve shall be replaced by the SC at the next regular SC meeting.
  4. Removal. An officer who fails to properly perform the prescribed duties of office may be removed from the office by a majority of the entire SC.

ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES

The SC may establish standing committees, special committees, and task forces as necessary to organize and further AHNA's effectiveness and to encourage community-oriented volunteer efforts.

Members may serve on committees and vote on issues before the committee. Committee votes may be subject to SC endorsement prior to implementation. Committee chairs may be appointed by the AHNA Chair or elected by the committee itself.

Committee meetings shall be open to the public. To the extent practicable, committees shall provide notice of committee meetings by posting notice on the AHNA internet website. Non-members may attend and participate, but may not be committee chair and may not vote except where the committee chair calls for a straw poll.

ARTICLE IX. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

Neither AHNA, its SC, nor any member purporting to speak for it, shall represent AHNA as endorsing any candidate for public office or any political party. AHNA membership rosters or email lists shall not be used for political, commercial, or any other activity not directly related to AHNA, and without prior SC authorization.

ARTICLE X. POLICY DETERMINATION

AHNA may develop policy positions, including those that support or oppose the establishment or modification of laws, regulations, and city ordinances and policies. AHNA policy positions shall be determined at a membership meeting of AHNA by majority vote at which a quorum is present. In case of necessity between general membership meetings, and when there is insufficient time to call or notice a special meeting, the SC may take a policy decision on behalf of AHNA. A policy so decided by the SC shall be submitted for approval at the next general membership meeting.

No member of the AHNA may make a public statement representing a position of AHNA without prior approval from a majority of the SC.

ARTICLE XI. BOOKS AND RECORDS

All books and records of AHNA may be inspected by any member at any reasonable time.

ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENT

The bylaws of the AHNA may be amended, altered, or repealed by a two-thirds vote at any meeting of the membership, provided that the exact wording of the proposed change is included in the agenda of the required meeting notice.