Bylaws
of the
Forest Hills Neighborhood Association, Inc.
ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. NAME. This organization shall be known as the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association (hereinafter referred to as “the Association”).
Section 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this association shall be to:
Promote interest among the members in neighborhood issues to include, but not limited to civic, economic, educational, safety, cultural, recreational, and environmental conditions in the neighborhood and its adjacent areas.
Inform its membership of public issues impacting the Association including, but not limited to zoning, transportation, sewer, water, and drainage.
Network with other organizations for cooperation and information.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Section 1. CLASSIFICATIONS OF MEMBERSHIP.
Regular -- Legal residents who live within the neighborhood boundaries as described in the Charter.
Associate -- Former residents and residents of immediately adjacent areas. Associate members must be approved for membership by the Board of Directors of the Association, but will then have the rights, duties, and obligations of regular members.
Business – Businesses who serve the neighborhood area and support the efforts of our civic community. As with Associate members, they must be approved by the Board of Directors, and given similar rights, duties, and obligations of regular members, except for voting privileges.
Section 2. VOTING. Regular and Associate members who have currently paid their dues are entitled to one (1) vote at general or special meetings of the Association.
Section 3. DUES. Dues for all members shall be $10.00 per adult.
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS
Section 1. REGULAR MEETINGS. Meetings shall be held on the second Tuesday of a month in each quarter, at 7 p.m. Place of meeting shall be in writing to all members at least seven (7) days in advance. For the general membership to conduct business, a simple majority of the Board of Directors and an additional twenty (20) percent or twenty-five (25) members, whichever is less, must be present. Motions may be passed by a majority vote of members present.
Section 2. ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS. An annual membership meeting shall be held during the month of September. The purpose of this meeting shall be to hold elections of officers and directors for the forthcoming calendar year. Notice of time and place of the meeting shall be furnished to each member at least seven (7) days previous thereto. The Association’s year shall be from September meeting to the following September meeting.
Section 3. RULES OF ORDER. The following simple rules of order will guide the conduct of all meetings:
When given the floor, speakers must state their name and address. Speakers will be given the floor for a maximum of three (3) minutes and not be interrupted.
Robert’s Rules of Order latest edition will be used to determine questions of parliamentary procedure.
Section 4. SPECIAL MEETINGS. A special meeting may be called by a majority of the Board of Directors, with seven (7) days adequate and sufficient notice to the membership. Only such business shall be considered as was specified in the “notice” of such meeting.
Section 5. BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS. The Board shall meet monthly, and at other times as necessary. Any member may attend the Board of Directors meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President, with at least three (3) days notice in advance to each Director. For the Board to conduct business, five (5) members or a simple majority of the Board, whichever is smaller, must be present. Motions may be passed by a majority of Board members present.
Section 6. COMMITTEE MEETINGS. Those present at any committee meeting shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE IV – ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 1. ELECTIONS. Elections shall be held annually in September. Election shall be by ballot and majority shall rule. Voting shall be limited to current members whose dues have been paid prior to the meeting. Those elected shall be installed in October at the meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. NOMINATING COMMITTEE. The President shall appoint a nominating committee, consisting of two members from the Board of Directors and three regular members from the floor. This Nominating Committee shall recommend a minimum of one candidate for each office under consideration. Nominations may also be accepted from the floor. All candidates must be members in good standing of the Association.
Section 3. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The Officers of the Association will include a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and a Treasurer. The officers elected in September 2009 shall continue to serve until September 2011, staggering the terms of our Board of Directors. Officers are elected in odd-numbered years and serve two-year terms. Officers may serve no more than three (3) consecutive terms in the same position. Any active member in good standing who resides within or directly on the border of Forest Hills Neighborhood Association boundaries can run for office.
Section 4. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors shall consist of five (5) directors, in addition to the current four serving officers. Each Director shall serve a two-year term on the Board, and may be re-elected to no more than three (3) consecutive terms. These positions will be elected in even-numbered years. Four of the Directors shall be elected to represent the four geographic quadrants of our neighborhood (southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast). The remaining Director shall be the Immediate Past-President of the Association.
Section 5. VACANCIES. If any vacancy occurs for any reason among the officers or other directors, the unexpired term of such vacancy shall be filled by majority vote of the Board of Directors and ratified by a vote at the next general membership meeting.
Section 6. REMOVAL OF OFFICER. The General membership may, by a two-thirds vote, remove an officer or director from office. The Board of Directors may also recommend removal of an officer/director to the general membership by a majority vote. At least seven (7) days notice must be given to all members before a general membership meeting which votes on removal of an officer/director. The vacant position will be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and ratified by a vote at the next general membership meeting.
ARTICLE V – DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 1. GENERAL. All Officers and Directors shall attend General and Special Membership Meetings and Board of Director Meetings. Failure to attend, without prior notice, three (3) meetings shall constitute resignation. Notice of anticipated absences must be given to the presiding officer of the meeting to be missed.
Section 2. PRESIDENT. The President shall:
Preside over general and special membership meetings and Board of Directors Meetings;
Ensure that matters requiring Board approval are presented to the Board;
Serve as the official representative of the Association to any outside organizations and agencies; and
Appoint all committee chairpersons with the approval of the Board.
Section 3. VICE PRESIDENT. The Vice President shall:
Assist the President in fulfilling the duties of that office along with any other duties assigned by the President; and
Preside over general and special membership meetings in the absence of the President.
Section 4. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall:
Keep minutes of the general and special membership meetings and Board of Director meetings. The minutes will be made available to members before all general membership meetings. Minutes of the Board meetings shall be provided prior to the start of each Board meeting.
Maintain a record of all members and visitors to the general and special membership meetings and to Board meetings. Records of attendance at general membership meetings shall be maintained by means of a sign-in sheet at each meeting;
Maintain a list of Officers and committee chairpersons to include the name, address, and telephone of each;
Be the custodian of the corporate papers of the FHNA, and all other records of the FHNA which are not in the custody of other officers;
With the Treasurer, maintain a list of all members, their, addresses, phone numbers and other information as necessary.
Section 5. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall:
Document and receive all FHNA funds and deposit them into the proper FHNA accounts;
Maintain bank statements and all records of FHNA finances in the form of income, expenditures and account balances and report current financial information at each general membership and Board meeting;
Record current membership and dues received; and
Prepare a written annual report to the Board detailing income, expenditures and account balances as of the end of August each year. This report shall be submitted to the Board of Directors no later than September 10th of each calendar year.
Section 6. QUADRANT LEADERS. Quadrant Leaders shall;
Serve as the eyes and ears of our neighborhood and are responsible for communicating directly to our members and other residents within their respective quadrant as well as soliciting input and ideas from them;
Post signs of upcoming meetings;
Be visible by walking, talking, calling, flyering, use email or any other means of communication; and
Recruit and retain members.
ARTICLE VI – FINANCES
Section 1. CHECKING ACCOUNT. All monies shall be deposited in the name of the Association in a financial institution approved by the Board of Directors. Two (2) signatures shall be required on all checks for disbursement.
Section 2. AUDIT. An auditing committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall submit a report to the members at the last meeting of the year.
ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES
Section 1. STANDING COMMITTEES. The standing committees shall be: Zoning/Code Enforcement, Neighborhood Crime Watch, History, Hospitality, and Communications.
Section 2. AD-HOC COMMITTEES. The President may appoint any Ad-Hoc Committees considered expedient or necessary with the approval of the Board.
Section 3. COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS. With the exception of the Audit Committee, the committee chairpersons shall report to the president. Committee findings and recommendations are to be presented to the Board and general membership. All committee members must be members in good standing. Committee chairpersons shall abide by these Bylaws and by any and all policies and guidelines established by the Board of Directors. Committee chairpersons shall attend Board meetings and make reports as requested by the board.
ARTICLE VIII – COMPENSATION
Section 1. COMPENSATION. Neither the officers, directors, nor members serving on committees shall receive any salary or compensation other than for necessary expenses approved by the Board of Directors, for their services rendered to the Association.
ARTICLE IX – PROPERTY
Section 1. PROPERTY OF FHNA. All records, correspondence, membership and email lists, signs, monies and any other thing donated to or purchased by FHNA is and shall remain the property of the FHNA and not its individual members.
Section 2. PROPERTY OF MEMBERS. Purchases made by an individual member for use in connection with his/her duties as an FHNA officer or committee chairperson, and for which purchase the member has not been reimbursed by FHNA, shall remain the property of the member.
Section 3. RETURN OF FHNA PROPERTY. All officers, directors and committee chairpersons who have reached the end of their term of office, tendered a resignation, or been removed from office shall, within ten (10) days of the end of their term of office, turn over to the Board of Directors all FHNA property in their possession and or control. Any outgoing officer, director and/or committee chairperson who fails to comply with Article X, Section 3 is cause for revocation of his/her membership in the FHNA and may result in further action taken by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be made, amended, or rescinded by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any meeting of the Association, providing they form a quorum. Written notice of proposed changes must be given to all members thirty (30) days in advance of such meeting.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 14th day of May 2019.