HAUDENOSAUNEE & RASERON:NI NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
(Open for Discussion)
Article 1 – NAME
The name of the organization shall be the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood Association of Brantford (herein called the Association).
Article 2 – GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
The Brantford neighbourhood shall be defined as the area of Brantford, Six Nations Domain.
Note: The Geographic boundaries of Brantford, Six nations Domain are unbound and transcend the political boundaries of the Corporation of the City of Brantford and will continue to grow as we develop a demographic of all our members.
Article 3 –VISION, MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
Vision Statement
“To create a neighbourhood where both the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni can collaborate to advance the matters of Righteousness and Peace.”
Mission
The mission of the Association is to promote a strong, liveable community and to empower Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni of our neighbourhood through community engagement.
Objectives
1. To engage members of the community in issues both specific to the area and Brantford wide.
2. To participate in planning that affects the residents of this community
3. To foster a safe, secure community according to Wampum Law (eg. Two Row wampum and the Friendship covenant wampum belts).
4. To increase the natural beauty and environmental sustainability of the neighbourhood.
5. To promote redevelopment that reflects the values of the neighbourhood.
6. To be a credible, powerful and representative voice for the community, while remaining nonpartisan and inclusive.
7. To facilitate the implementation of the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood Association of Brantford Plan.
8. To work toward the goals outlined in the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood Association of Brantford Charter
Article 4 – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 Membership
1.All residents 18 years of age and older residing in the geographical area described in Article 2 are automatically members of the Association.
2. All members who have attended at least one regular meeting of the Association within the past year are voting members.
3. All those residing outside of the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood of Brantford who have an active involvement in the neighbourhood may become nonvoting associate members.
4. Those residing outside of the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood of Brantford who have a particularly strong involvement in the neighbourhood may become nonresident voting members on the basis of a majority vote of the voting members who reside in Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood of Brantford. Nonresident Voting memberships shall last for one year and may be renewed yearly on the basis of a majority vote. Nonresident voting members shall have the same rights (voting and otherwise) as other voting members except that they may not vote on applications for nonresident voting membership.
Article 5 COMMITTEES
Section 1 Role of Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Association is responsible for the ongoing operation of the Association and shall be entrusted to make decisions on behalf of the Association between meetings of the general membership.
Only Executive Committee members may act as official Association representatives to the the Corporation of the City of Brantford Advisory Committees, Police Supervisory Meetings, and Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood of Brantford Charter Meetings.
Section 2 Composition of Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Association’s Executive Officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership & Communications Coordinator(s), and the Activities Coordinator(s). The chairs of all Association subcommittees shall also be non-voting members of the Executive Committee.
Section 3 Election of Executive Officers
The Executive Officers shall all be Association members in good standing, and shall be elected by the membership at the annual meeting for a term of one year, beginning May 1st, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms in any one office.
Section 4 Executive Vacancies
The Executive Committee may, during the course of its term, appoint members to fill any vacant positions and will notify the membership of such appointments.
Section 5 Subcommittees
The Executive Committee shall have the exclusive right to create Association subcommittees and appoint their Chair on an adhoc basis. All other committees of the Association shall report to the Executive Committee, and will dissolve at the end of the Executive Committee’s term.
Section 6 Standing Committee for Activities
1. The only standing committee of the Association shall be the Activities Committee.
2. Membership on the Activities Committee shall be open to all members in good standing.
3. The duties of the Activities Committee are to:
a. Co-ordinate annual events, including the Winter Carnival, HRNABrantford BBQ, Movie Nights and other social events.
b. Liaise with other events and organizations that build the social fabric of the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Neighbourhood, including Open Streets, Storyteller Crawl, & Art Crawl.
c. Coordinate the volunteers involved in HRNAB activities. Inventory and maintain HRNABrantford assets including the BBQ, popcorn & cotton candy machines, movie projector/screen.
4. The Activities Coordinator(s) shall chair the committee and shall be elected by the members of the Committee at its first meeting following the annual meeting, serving for a term of no more than two consecutive years.
5. The duties of the Chair shall be to coordinate the meetings and activities of the Committee, and sit on the Executive Committee.
Article 6 – DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section 1 Duties of the President
The President shall:
1. preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the membership.
2. exercise general supervision over the interests and welfare of the Association.
3. be an exofficio member of all committees.
4. call all Executive and General meetings of the Association.
5. make authorized payments by the issuance of payment order cosigned by another officer empowered to do so.
6. act as the official representative of the HRNABrantford in meeting with the City of Brantford, and be authorized to speak on behalf of the Association to the public.
7. perform other duties as decided by the Executive Committee.
Section 2 Duties of the Vice President
The Vice President shall:
1. chair meetings as required, or fill the role of President in the sustained absence of the President.
2. make authorized payments by the issuance of payment order cosigned by another officer empowered to do so.
3. perform other duties, including acting as President when required, as directed by the Executive Committee.
Section 3 Duties of the Secretary
The Secretary shall:
1. prepare, distribute and maintain minutes of all meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee.
2. perform other duties as decided by the Executive Committee.
3. receive and prepare official correspondence as necessary.
4. prepare the agenda and arrange a meeting space for all Association meetings, in cooperation with other members of Executive Committee.
5. create, maintain, and distribute at each meetings a status report of all outstanding action items resultant from the previous meeting.
Section 4 Duties of the Treasurer
The Treasurer shall:
1. receive, account for and deposit in a bank all funds of the Association as directed by the Executive Committee.
2. make authorized payments by the issuance of cheques cosigned by another officer empowered to do so.
3. keep accurate records of all financial transactions.4. maintain appropriate financial records which shall be subject to inspection and/or audit as directed by the Executive Committee.
5. prepare and submit such financial statements or reports as may be required by laws or regulations and/or as requested by the Executive Committee or the Association.
6. perform duties as may be assigned by the President or Executive Committee.
7. Administer member reimbursements for previously approved expenses on behalf of the Association.
Section 5 Duties of the Membership & Communication Coordinator(s)
The Membership Coordinator(s) shall:
1. work to maintain an accurate and updated list of voting members, their addresses and contact information.
2. encourage the active involvement of all members in the Association.
3. Prepare and maintain a distribution list of residents and members interested in receiving direct communication from the Association.
4. Prepare printed or electronic newsletters, and/or web content, as directed by the Executive Committee,
5. Coordinate the distribution or publication, on a regular basis, of all printed and electronic materials.
Article 7 – MEETINGS
Section 1 Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Community Centre
1. At least two meetings (General Membership or Executive Committee) shall be scheduled per month in order to maintain the meeting space at the Haudenosaunee & Raseron:ni Community Centre.
Section 2 Voting Procedure
1. All meetings of the association, the Executive Committee, and other committees shall make decisions by a process of majority vote.
2. In the case of a tied vote, proposals on which a vote is taken will be rejected
3. In the case of disputes over decisionmaking procedures, the Association will follow the procedure described in the most recent published edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Section 3 General Membership Meetings
1. An annual general meeting of all members shall be held in july. The date, time and place are to be determined by the Executive Committee.
2. The Executive Officers will be elected at the annual general meeting.
3. Special Membership Meetings must be called by the Executive Committee at the written request of 25 members.
4. A quorum of any properly called and noticed meeting of the general membership shall consist of the voting members present and must be presided by a member of the Executive Committee.
5. Notice for any meetings of the general membership including special meetings, shall be given to the members, in writing, at least fourteen days in advance of the date of the meeting.
Section 3 Executive Committee Meetings
1. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once monthly and this meeting may also coincide with a regular meetings of the Association.
2. Such meetings are open to all members of the Association, but only members of the Executive Committee shall be entitled to vote.
3. Special meetings of the Executive Committee must be called in response to a written request for such a meeting by a minimum of two members of the committee.
4. A quorum of any properly called and noticed meeting of the Executive Committee shall consist of fifty percent of the Executive Officers currently elected and appointed.
5. Notice for any special meetings of the Executive Committee must be provided to the members of the Executive Committee at least three days in advance of the date of the meeting.
6. The executive may, in cases where confidential information is discussed, hold a portion of meetings in camera.
Article 8 FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the association shall be from july 1st to june 30th
Article 9 – AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended by a two thirds vote of any properly called and noticed meeting of the general membership provided that one month prior notification of the proposed amendments has been given to the members.
Article 10 – DISSOLUTION
The Association may be dissolved at any time by a vote of two thirds of the members present at a properly called and noticed special meeting of the Association called for that purpose. Upon dissolution and after payments of all debts and liabilities, the remaining assets of the Association shall be distributed to a charitable organization in Brantford.