Proposed By-law Amendments

The following by-law changes have been proposed by Ridgeleigh Community Association President, Bill Deysher. The members of the Association will have an opportunity to vote on whether or not to approve these changes at the 2012 annual meeting. The meeting will be on May 16, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Oakleigh Elementary School. Each slate of changes must be approved by a 2/3 majority vote in order to be adopted.

Click here to view the Ridgeleigh Community Association's current by-laws.

1. WELCOMING COMMITTEE/ MEMBERSHIP OFFICER

The Membership Officer is presented with the huge task of trying to recruit members in our 1100 home neighborhood, handling their membership cards, maintaining membership rosters, maintaining block captain participation, accounts recievable, etc. In my opinion, the amount of work involved is too cumbersome for only one person is and this has led to turnover for this position in the past. Currently, the Welcoming Committee seems to take on a single membership related task of recruiting only those who have just moved into the neighborhood. In my opinion, it would make more sense for a committee of several people to perform the work involved with membership operations. Therefore, I am recommending combining the Welcoming Committee and Membership Officer Board Positions into a single Membership Committee Chair position and creating a standing Membership Committee. The following proposed amendments combined would allow this to take place:

Amend Article IV, Section 1 Elected Officers. (a) by striking out Membership Officer.

Amend Article IV, Section 3 Elected Officers. (3) by striking out section (e).

Amend Article VII, Section 1 Composition by striking out Welcoming Committee and inserting Membership Committee.

Amend Article VII, Section 7 Welcoming Committee by replacing it with the following:

Section 7. Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall keep membership records and rosters, Board of Director’s roster and committee rosters; collect dues and immediately turn over to the Treasurer; distribute membership cards for dues; stimulate interest and increase membership; obtain and be directly responsible for Block Captains; welcome new families to the area.

2. YOUTH COMMITTEE

There are many people in our community who are in need of support and charitable assistance from the community. I believe that our community should reach out to them and help them out as much as possible. This would not only benefit those in need, but also the community as a whole. Therefore, I would like to propose expanding the role of the Youth Committee to encompass other charitable purposes as described in the amendments below:

Amend Article VII, Section 1 Composition by striking out Youth Committee and inserting Community Service Committee.

Amend Article VII, Section 8 Youth Committee by replacing it with the following:

Section 8. Community Service Committee

The Community Service Committee shall coordinate the Associations charitable activities; reach out to those within the Associations boundaries that are elderly, ill, vulnerable, disabled, or otherwise in need of support or assistance; identify programs in the surrounding community that are available to provide assistance; keep the community informed of any community support that is available to those in need; and organize programs or activities that would increase community awareness and support for those in need.

3. COMPLAINT COMMITTEE

Currently the role of the Complaint Committee presents a procedure in order to address complaints from the membership. I also believe that this committee is intended to achieve fair and equitable solutions to neighborhood problems in order to maintain community relations. Therefore, I would like to propose changing the name of this committee in order to better reflect the nature of its intended purpose, while leaving the procedure for dealing with any complaints intact. The following amendments combined would serve this purpose.

Amend Article VII, Section 1 Composition by striking out Complaint Committee and inserting Community Relations Committee.

Amend Article VII, Section 6 Complaint Committee by replacing it with the following:

Section 6. Community Relations Committee

The Community Relations Committee shall receive any complaints or concerns from the membership, propose possible solutions to the Board of Directors, and follow up on any actions taken to address complaints. Any complaints shall be submitted in writing and include the name, address, and telephone number of the member complaining.

4. ELECTIONS/ FLOOR NOMINATIONS

The By-Laws currently allow anyone to be nominated for an officer position from the floor at the Annual Membership Meeting in May. I believe that this may present a liability for the Association because it allows no time for vetting a candidate. I believe that the membership deserves to know who the candidates will be in advance of the Annual Meeting. Therefore, I propose striking this line from the By-Laws:

Amend Article IV, Section 2 Nominations. (c) by striking out “Nominations will be accepted from the floor at the General Membership Meeting in May.”

5. STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIR TERM LENGTH AND SELECTION

The By-Laws do not currently indicate when the standing committee chair positions are chosen or indicate a term length. I propose the following in order to clarify the selection process:

Amend Article VII Committees by adding

Section 10. Term Length of Standing Committee Chairs

At the first Board of Directors meeting following the Annual Meeting the Officers shall select and appoint the Committee Chairs. The Committee Chairs will serve until the Board of Directors Meeting following the subsequent Annual Meeting.