A.
The name of this
association is The College Terrace Residents' Association (CTRA.)
B.
Unless otherwise
designated by the Board of Directors, the address of the group is the address
of the president of the CTRA.
C.
College Terrace shall
be understood as the area of Palo Alto bounded by Stanford Avenue, El Camino
Real, California Avenue, and the city limits just west of Amherst Street.
A.
The purpose of the
College Terrace Residents' Association is to enable residents to work together
to maintain and enhance the quality of life in College Terrace.
B.
The CTRA shall conduct
activities that further this goal, such as:
·
providing information
on and opportunities for discussion of issues affecting the neighborhood;
·
representing the
interests of College Terrace before appropriate governing bodies, institutions
and agencies; and
·
providing opportunities
for social interaction and community building within the neighborhood for the
benefit of the residents.
A.
Membership in the
College Terrace Residents' Association is open to all persons aged 18 or over
whose primary legal residence is in College Terrace.
B.
Interested parties not
meeting the membership requirements of III.A shall be entitled to non-voting
membership in the CTRA as Friends of College Terrace, upon written request to
the Board of Directors and payment of annual dues.
C.
Newsletters, fliers,
and other pertinent information disseminated by CTRA will be delivered by
volunteers to all residences in College Terrace. These will also be available
by email or other electronic means. All residents shall be given at least 2
weeks notification of any issue requiring a vote by the general membership.
D.
Copies of any materials
distributed to residents will also be available by mail or email to Friends of
College Terrace upon request.
E.
Each year, the Board of
Directors shall set the amount for voluntary dues from residents, and for the
required dues from Friends of College Terrace based on estimated costs to be
incurred. When the CTRA has a special need for funds, a special solicitation
shall be made.
C.
Board members shall be
elected to their offices by a simple majority of CTRA members at the
association’s annual meeting and shall serve without compensation for a
term of 1 year. Anyone meeting the criteria for CTRA membership in section
III.A is eligible to serve as a director.
Board members must reside in College Terrace at the time of election and
during their term as officers.
D.
The terms of newly
elected directors and officers shall begin April 1, with the exception of the
officers elected for 2001 who shall begin their terms immediately upon
election. A person may serve as a
director and officer for an unlimited number of terms. Midterm resignations or
other vacancies on the board may be filled by vote of a simple majority of the
remaining directors. Replacement directors shall serve until the next regularly
scheduled election.
E.
Board
members who do not attend three consecutive meetings of the board may be
dropped from the board unless their absences are due to special circumstances
acceptable to the majority of the remainder of the board.
A.
The board shall hold a
meeting once each calendar quarter and shall meet at other times as appropriate
to conduct the business of the association, including planning meetings or
other events, budgeting, spending, deciding policy and positions, publishing a
newsletter and communicating with members. Board meetings shall be open to all.
B.
Resolutions, motions,
and other matters put to a vote of the board shall be decided by a simple
majority of the directors with a quorum (greater than 50%) present.
C.
The board shall take
the initiative in providing College Terrace residents with relevant information
on issues affecting the neighborhood and in leading the discussion and resolution
of such issues.
D.
The board shall also
seek to identify the concerns of the residents of College Terrace through votes
taken at public meetings, surveys, petitions, and other means deemed
appropriate.
E.
Members of the board or
its designated agents may be authorized to speak before outside agencies and/or
to coordinate with such agencies and the public as representatives of CTRA.
F.
The board shall not
have legal authority to bind CTRA or its members to any course of action and
may not enter into contracts with third parties. The board shall not have the power to impose liability,
financial or otherwise, nor shall an individual director be liable for acts of
the board.
A.
The president is
responsible for presiding at all meetings of the board and all general CTRA
meetings and directing the business of the CTRA as executive officer of the
board. The president is also
responsible for upholding the bylaws, policies, and positions of the
association and for representing the association at outside meetings.
F.
The
government/university observer keeps the board and the membership informed of
prospective local governmental or university actions of interest to College
Terrace. Duties include monitoring
relevant public meetings, organizing election forums and informational meetings
on major issues, and providing reports to membership as appropriate.
G.
The coordinator of
social events heads a committee of volunteers who jointly encourage activities
involving residents with similar interests and make the spring and fall
neighborhood picnics happen.
A.
A general meeting of
CTRA members shall be called by the board of directors and held between January
1 and March 31 of each calendar year (the Annual Meeting). The board may call
additional general meetings of CTRA members at other times as the board deems
appropriate. The board shall notify the College Terrace resident community of
the time, location, and agenda of every general meeting at least 2 weeks in
advance of the meeting by distribution of fliers or other public means. These meetings shall be open to all.
B. Voting at General
Meetings:
1. Except
as otherwise provided in these bylaws, all motions, resolutions, and other
matters put to a vote of the CTRA membership at general meetings shall be
decided by a simple majority of the members present at the meeting. Each member
of CTRA present at the meeting shall be entitled to one vote.
2. For a vote to be taken at a general meeting, a quorum
of 25 CTRA members must be present.
3. A CTRA member who is unable to attend the annual
meeting but desires to vote for CTRA directors and officers may submit a
request for an absentee ballot to any current CTRA director. The member shall be furnished with a
ballot form, which, to be counted as a vote, must be filled out by the member
and received by the consenting director before the annual meeting.
A.
A. The board may appoint and dissolve
temporary and standing committees of CTRA members not on the board and may
delegate authority to these committees. The Chairperson of each committee shall
be appointed by the board. The Chairperson shall make periodic reports and be
responsible to the board.
B.
At least 3 months
before each annual meeting, the board shall appoint a nominating committee to
recruit candidates for election as directors and officers of CTRA. The nominating
committee will attempt to represent the diversity of College Terrace in
recommending candidates for office.
A vote of two-thirds of
members present and voting at the general meeting at which these bylaws are
presented shall suffice to ratify the bylaws of the association. A vote of
two-thirds of members present and voting at any subsequent general meeting
shall suffice to amend the bylaws of the association.