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Constitution and By Laws

revisions last adopted January 16, 2008

Purpose

Article I. Name and Area of the Society

  1. The Harrison West Society shall be the name of the organization.
  2. The area designated as Harrision West is bounded and described as follows:Beginning at the intersection of Olentangy River Road and Fifth Avenue following West Fifth Avenue eastward to Harrison Avenue; thence southward on Harrison Avenue to Buttles Avenue; thence eastward to NeilAvenue; Thence southward to Goodale Street; thence westward on Goodale Street to CSX RailRoad; thence northward along the CSX RailRoad to Third Avenue, thence eastward on Third Avenue to Olentangy River Road; Thence northward to Fifth Avenue.

Article II. Responsibility

The Harrison West Society shall have the responsibility of assuring a representative voice for our area and community:

  1. To provide leadership for our own area.
  2. To carry out the will of the majority of its members.
  3. To provide two representatives to other organizations as the need may arise from time to time.

Article III. Membership

A. Membership Classifications:
1. Individual Memberships are open to those individuals, 18 years or older, who are interested in the aims and principles of the Society and who live in Harrison West.
2. Senior Memberships are open to those individuals 60 years or older who are interested in the aims and principles of the Society and who live in Harrison West.
3. Sustaining Memberships are open to those individuals who qualify for Individual or Senior Memberships and who seek to contribute to the Society at a greater level.
4. Patron Memberships are open to those non-resident property owners, businesses, churches, and other institutions, who are interested in the aims and principles of the Society and who are located in Harrison West.
5. Honorary Memberships may be conferred by the Society upon persons who have contributed outstanding service to the community or have substantial interest in the Harrison West neighborhood. Honorary members may attend all meetings, serve on committees in an advisory capacity, and participate in discussion, but are not entitled to vote or hold office.
6. Non-resident memberships are open to those individuals who are interested in the aims and principles of the society and who do not live in Harrison West. Non-resident members may attend all meetings, serve on committees in an advisory capacity, and participate in discussion, but are not entitled to vote or hold office.
7. The Executive Board shall have the right to reject applications and renewals and to determine into which membership classification any application or renewal belongs.
B. Voting Privileges:
1. Each Individual, Senior, Sustaining, and Patron member is entitled to one vote. Businesses, churches, and other institutions are limited to one vote. Nonresident property owners are limited to one vote per entity (e.g., corporation, company, or partnership), and not one vote per property. Entities that share a common member or relationship shall be considered to have the interests of the whole represented by that one member and are limited to one vote. A Patron member who is also a resident is limited to one vote.
2. Members must be present at society meetings to cast votes; no proxy votes shall be permitted.
3. Applicants for new membership in the society shall not receive voting privileges until forty-five days (45) after the application is received. Prior to receiving voting privileges, a new member may attend all meetings, serve on committees in an advisory capacity, and participate in discussion, but is not entitled to vote or hold office.
C. Dues:
1. Applicants for membership in the Society must submit dues with the application. Applications received during October, November and December shall be considered to be for the following calendar year; all other applications shall be considered to be for the current calendar year.
2. Renewing members must submit dues with the renewal form.
3. The Executive Board may waive dues for cause upon request.
4. Any change in the dues schedule is to be determined by a vote at a meeting of the society. Any proposed change in the dues schedule must be presented to the society at a regular meeting no fewer than forty-five (45) before any vote on such a change.
D. Membership Renewal:
1. Membership in the Society is to be maintained on a calendar year basis. The deadline for renewal is December 31.
2. A member who fails to renew by December 31 loses voting privileges but is entitled to a grace period from January 1 through the regular May meeting during which the member may renew the membership and immediately regain voting privileges.
3. If a member fails to renew prior to the end of the regular May meeting, the member shall thereafter be considered a new applicant and shall be subject to the forty-five (45) day waiting period for voting privileges per Article III. B. 3.

Article IV. Meetings

A. Society meetings shall be held at least eleven (11) times annually. Regular meetings will be announced at the prior regular meeting. Special meetings may be called on an emergency basis by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.

B. All meetings shall be open to the public and guests of the Society unless directed by a majority vote of the members present.

C. The Secretary shall see that the voting membership is notified in writing, by U.S. mail or other written means, of the date, time, place, and purpose of any special meetings of the Society at least three (3) days in advance of the date of the meeting. If a special meeting is called and time is of the essence, a phone committee may carry out this procedure upon the direction of the President.

D. A minimum of eight (8) members with voting privileges shall constitute a quorum.

E. Any questions as to the procedure at a meeting of the Society which is not provided for in this Constitution and By-Laws shall be determined according to Robert's Rules of Order Revised, as interpreted by the meeting Chairperson.

Article V. Officers

A. The duties of the officers shall be as implied by their titles and as prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order Revised.

B. The term of office shall be for one (1) year and shall continue until successors have been duly elected and installed. The number of terms in succession is at the will and discretion of the vote of the Society.

C. All officers must be residents of Harrison West.

D. President
1. The President is to preside over the meetings of the Society;
2. The President shall reserve voting rights to vote only in the event a tie may occur;
3. The President shall be responsible for the direction of the meetings as well as organizing the program for each year;
E. Vice President
1. The Vice President is to assist the President and preside in the President's absence.
2. The Vice President shall be a member of all committees.
F. Secretary
1. The Secretary is to account for the minutes of all Society meetings. A report of the previous minutes shall be given at each meeting or in the Harrison West News and approved at the meeting.
2. The Secretary shall keep a voting membership roster.
G. Treasurer
1. The Treasurer is to account for all money disbursed or received. Membership collection money and other money received for the operation of the Society shall be turned over and accounted for by the Treasurer. Disbursement of money shall be approved at Society meetings.
2. The Treasurer may pay postage without prior approval of the Society.

Article VI. Executive Board

The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers as well as the junior past President and any officers who may, from time to time, be elected to a new office created by the Society.

Article VII. Committees

A. The Standing Committees of the Society shall be: Audit; Nomination; and Planning and Development.

B. The Audit Committee shall, each year in March, conduct an audit of the Treasurer's books for the prior calendar year. The Audit Committee shall also conduct an audit of the Treasurer's books if so directed by a vote at a meeting of the Society.

C. The Nomination Committee shall ensure that there is at least one nomination per office at the regular meeting in May and at any election to fill a vacant office.

D. The Planning and Development Committee shall develop and maintain a long range document that meets the objectives of the Society and can be used to represent the Society's goals and planning process and to review proposed projects, zoning changes/variances and report/recommend appropriate action by the Society.

E. Chairpersons and members of committees shall be appointed by the President.

F. The President may appoint other committees as the necessity arises.

G. Committees may include professional resource persons and/or consultants who are not organizational representatives or individual members; however, the chairperson of each committee must be a Society member with voting privileges.

H. Committee Chairpersons shall report findings of their committees at the scheduled meetings of the Society. Recommendations of the committees will be voted on by the Society at scheduled meetings.

Article VIII. Elections

A. The election of officers shall be the last item of business at the regular meeting in May.

B. Nominations shall be taken from the floor at the April and May meetings.

C. At the regular meeting in May, the Nomination Committee shall present those nominations received at the April and May meetings and shall make additional nominations if necessary to ensure at least one nomination per office.

D. Voting shall be done by secret ballot. Where there is only one (1) nominee, the vote for that office may be done by acclamation. No proxy votes shall be permitted. The election shall be determined by a majority vote (50% +1).

E. The newly elected officers shall take office immediately following the election at the regular meeting in May. Outgoing officers will turn over all records of the organization to the new officers within ten (10) calendar days.

F. If the office of the Presidency becomes vacant, the Vice President shall become President and an election shall be held to fill the vacant Vice Presidency.If the office of the Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary becomes vacant, an election shall be held to fill the vacant office. Any vacancy shall be announced at a regular Society meeting and the election shall be held at the next regular Society meeting.

Article IX. Amendments

A. All amendments and changes to the Constitution and By-Laws must be made in writing to the Society at a regular meeting and be voted upon at the next regular meeting.

B. The voting membership must be notified in writing by U.S. mail of any proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws.

C. A two-third majority vote at the regular meeting will be required to change the Constitution and By-Laws.

Article X. Termination

In the event of termination of the Society for any reason, at any time, unless otherwise required by law, the last Executive Board shall have full power to liquidate the affairs of the Society and dispose of its assets in any manner it may deem advisable for the betterment of the community, excepting that no part of the earnings or assets of the Society shall insure to the benefit of any individual.

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