Mahncke Park Neighborhood

Bylaws to Fall by the Wayside?

Oct 24, 2004

The motion made by an attendee at the October MPNA general meeting was reworked several times before, at least most, attendees were satisfied with it;

"A committee shall form to review MPNA bylaws and to make recommendations of changes, if any are deemed necessary. Persons interested in serving on the committee should contact Rene M. Ramirez (whoisproust@aol.com) or any other Board member. Mr. Ramirez will serve as chairperson. The committee will report to the February 2005 MPNA general meeting. This motion will be published in the next (November, 2004) neighborhood newsletter."


This was in response to proposed changes in bylaws regulating Board member terms and the definition of a quorum.


Terms:
Under the current bylaws, Board/Director terms are defined as:
"The term of office for Board members shall be one year. No director shall serve more than two consecutive terms."

The proposed change is;
"Directors shall have 2-year terms."


The rationale behind the proposed change is that Board members ("Directors" is interchangeable with "Board members") gain experience in their first year that can be put to good use in the second year. Additionally, finding neighbors willing to serve on the board has, at least according to some long-time neighbors, not been easy to find. Thus, with the exclusionary clause, experienced, willing hands aren't able to fill hard-to-fill vacancies.


Quorum:
Under the current bylaws, a quorum is defined as:
"Four directors constitute a quorum but must always include the First Chairperson or the Second Chairperson."

The proposed change states:
"A quorum shall consist of any Board officer and at least 3 other Board members meeting at a regularly scheduled or called Board meeting."

The reason for the proposed change is to allow the Board to continue doing the business of the neighborhood should 1st and 2nd Chairpersons be unable or unwilling to participate in a quorum. The major problem with the traditional MPNA bylaw definition of a quorum is that no actions could be taken by the majority of the Board should the two Chairpersons not be present.