BYLAWS OF CLIFF/CANNON NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
SECTION 1 – NAME
A. Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood Council.
SECTION 2 – STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
A. The purpose of the Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood Council is to improve and preserve the quality of life, promote common interest, preserve Neighborhood character, and promote harmony through open dialogue, mutual respect and an inclusive environment where diversity is open and encouraged. We will promote this purpose through actions including but not limited to:
1. Represent Cliff/Cannon in the Neighborhood Council Program.
2. Review and recommend an action, a policy, or a plan to the City Council Neighborhood Committee, the City, and to any agency, commission or board on matters affecting the Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood.
3. Assist the City in determining priority needs for the Neighborhood.
4. Review items for inclusion in the City budget and make recommendations relating to budget items for Neighborhood improvements.
5. Undertake to manage projects as may be agreed upon or contracted with public agencies.
6. To source, secure, manage and disburse funds and/or property for projects, activities, or improvements that are outside of the Neighborhood Council Program but are for the benefit of the Neighborhood.
7. Review, comment, and if necessary, take legal action on projects that could adversely impact the quality of life, character, or environmental health of the Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood
SECTION 3 – BOUNDARIES
A. North: 1-90 Freeway.
B. East: Division Street, south to 8th Ave., east to Cowley Street, south to Sumner Ave., west to Grand Boulevard, south on Grand Boulevard to 16th Ave.
C. South: 16th Ave. (north and south sides) to Cedar Street then southwest to intersection of Cedar and Maple Streets.
D. West: The Bluff.
SECTION 4 – MEETINGS
A. Regular Neighborhood Council Meetings shall be held at least five (5) times per year between September and May on a specified day at 7:00 pm at a place designated no less than one week prior to the meeting.
B. Special or Emergency Meetings of the Neighborhood Council may be called by the Neighborhood Council Executive Committee OR by fifty-one percent (51%) of the voting members present at the two previous meetings. Any actions taken at Special or Emergency Meetings shall be reported at the next regular Neighborhood Council meeting.
C. Regular and Special Neighborhood Council Meetings shall be open to anyone, except an executive session may be called to discuss legal or other confidential matters. Except for executive session, visitors will be invited to participate in the discussion of matters at hand but cannot vote.
D. Only Neighborhood Council members actually present at any given meeting may vote.
E. Unless otherwise specifically defined in these bylaws, Robert’s Rules of Order, current edition, shall govern all affairs of the Neighborhood Council.
F. Sign-in sheets, as a record of attendance, must be kept for all meetings of the Neighborhood Council and a copy shall be forwarded to the City’s Neighborhood Liaison to maintain on public file, and shall be kept on file by the Executive Committee Point of Contact.
SECTION 5 – MEETING NOTIFICATION
A. All meetings will be publicized in the Neighborhood using whatever reasonable means that are available, for example, but not limited to: flyers, mailings, notifications in newspapers, radio, television, electronic communications, social media, etc. Notice shall be distributed not less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting date.
B. Failure to receive a meeting notice does not invalidate the meeting. However, the provisions of this section must be complied with in good faith.
C. For Special Meetings, all voting members will be notified by telephone, flyer, electronic communications and/or social media at least one (1) week in advance.
SECTION 6 – COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP
A. Council membership is open to anyone who lives or owns property, owns or operates a business, or is a business’ designated agent(s), in the Neighborhood and who is at least sixteen (16) years of age.
B. Voting – Each person living in or owning property in the Neighborhood gets a single vote. Each business also gets a single vote with the representative of that business, who votes for that business, becoming a matter of record. Each voting person must attend at least two (2) Neighborhood Meetings within the twelve (12) months preceding the meeting which a vote takes place before (s)he can vote. Before (s)he can vote for the first time, each voting person must have attended:
1. Two (2) Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood Council (CCNC) meetings within the preceding twelve (12) months, or
2. Three (3) meetings in the preceding two (2) years, or
3. Four (4) meetings in the preceding three (3) years or
4. Five (5) meetings.
C. The Neighborhood Council year begins June 1.
D. Voting membership may be revoked in the following circumstances. 1. Not meeting attendance requirements.
2. “Just cause” which will be debated by Neighborhood Council members present and require a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the members present. Debate will be conducted in the presence of the person against whom action is being taken. Voting membership may be reestablished by meeting the membership requirements.
3. Revoking of membership must be proposed at one Regular Meeting and voted on at the next regularly scheduled Neighborhood Council Meeting.
4. No member shall purport to represent the Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood Council unless authorized to do so by vote of the Neighborhood Council membership.
SECTION 7 – COUNCIL POSITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. The Executive Committee shall be composed of at least five (5) members of the Neighborhood, in good standing, annually elected by Neighborhood members, and the Chair(s) of any standing committee of the Neighborhood Council.
B. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management of the affairs of the Neighborhood Council. The Executive Committee shall:
1. Maintain and update annually the membership list.
2. Plan, advertise and hold Neighborhood Council meetings. 3. Keep meeting minutes.
4. Maintain a Neighborhood website.
5. Hold elections as called for in these bylaws.
6. Represent the Neighborhood in communications with the City government, including the Community Assembly, as directed by majority vote of the Neighborhood Council membership present at a
given meeting.
7. Approve any decision to appeal or resolve a legal action involving a project impacting the Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood.
C. The Executive Committee may act for the Neighborhood Council between regular meetings on any matter determined urgent.
D. The Executive Committee shall take minutes of all meetings and provide a copy of the minutes and a report at the next Regular Neighborhood Council Meetings.
E. Unless so authorized by the Neighborhood Council membership or as required to meet the duties set forth in this section, neither the Executive Committee nor any officer or agent shall have the power or authority to bind the Neighborhood Council by any contract or engagement, or to pledge its credit, or render it liable pecuniary for any purpose or to any amount.
SECTION 8 – NOMINATIONS, ELECTIONS AND TERMS OF OFFICE FOR OFFICERS AND APPOINTMENTS
A. Nominations may be submitted by a nominating committee and/or received from the floor at the March meeting.
B. The Executive Committee will:
1. Receive all nominations for office ensuring each nominee is a voting member of the neighborhood. This could include the recruitment of candidates.
2. Create a ballot.
3. Tabulate the ballot results.
4. Not make any recommendations on any candidate.
C. All candidates must have accepted the nomination and currently be a qualified voting member of the Neighborhood Council.
D. Executive Committee members will be elected by majority vote of the Neighborhood Council voting members present at the next scheduled meeting (April or May).
E. The term of office shall be for one (1) year from June 1 to May 31. Executive Committee members may serve consecutive terms. In the event an officer fills an unexpired term of another, she/he can be elected to additional terms.
F.Voting will be by secret ballot if there is more than one (1) candidate for office. The ballots shall be maintained for sixty (60) days by the Executive Committee and shall then be destroyed.
G. An Executive Committee member will facilitate Neighborhood Council meetings.
SECTION 9 – REMOVAL AND VACANCIES
A. Any elected Executive Committee member may be removed from office for good cause. Removal shall be debated by the Neighborhood Council and shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present at a meeting of the Neighborhood Council, provided that a resolution proposing the consideration of the removal was adopted at a preceding meeting and that notice of the vote for removal was included in the call to the meeting at which the vote shall take place.
B. Should vacancies occur outside the normal election process, candidates for the unfilled term shall be nominated from the floor and elected at the next scheduled meeting following the vacancy. The person elected to the vacated office will serve for the remainder of the term.
SECTION 10 – COMMITTEES AND APPOINTMENTS
A. The Neighborhood Council has the power to create committees as needed.
B. Volunteers will be recruited from persons who are Neighborhood Council members or who are eligible for membership.
C. There shall be no limit to the number of members on a committee unless directed by the Council membership.
D. Committees shall report and make recommendations to the Neighborhood Council. These reports shall be entered into the minutes.
SECTION 11 – AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
A. These bylaws may be amended by approval of a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present at a Regular Neighborhood Council Meeting. The resolution to amend must have been proposed at the preceding Regular Neighborhood Council Meeting with notice given as to the proposed amendment concerns in the call for the meeting at which the amendment shall be voted upon.
B. A committee established as in Section 10 of these bylaws will review bylaws annually in the third quarter of the calendar year.
CLIFF/CANNON NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BYLAWS REVIEWED/APPROVED MARCH 1, 2016, AMENDED MARCH 4, 2017
