NORTH DISTRICT
COUNCIL
BYLAWS
ARTICLE 1 – Name and Purpose
1.1 Name The name of this organization is the North
District Council (Council).
- To
empower the people in this District, collectively and through their representatives,
to identify problems and seek equitable solutions, based on a sense of
community trust, for the betterment of life, both in our environs and
citywide.
- To
provide a forum for consideration of common concerns to all Council
members, including physical planning, budget allocations, and service
delivery, and for the sharing of ideas for solutions to common
problems. The functions of the
Council shall include, but not be limited to:
1) rating
and ranking the Semi-Annual Neighborhood Matching Fund applications submitted
from said District;
2) participating
in the City’s budget priorities process; and
3) participating
in the City’s neighborhood planning process.
In accomplishing the Council’s
purposes, the Council will seek to reflect the geographic, racial, cultural and
economic characteristics of the District.
ARTICLE 2 – Boundaries
2.1 Boundaries The District boundaries are:
NORTH: NE 145th
Street from I-5 to Lake Washington
SOUTH:
Beginning at NE 75th and Lake City Way to NE 95th,
east on NE 95th to 45th NE, north on 45th NE
to NE 105th, then east to Lake Washington
EAST:
Lake Washington
WEST:
I-5 Freeway and Banner Way NE
ARTICLE 3 – Membership, Dues and Decertification
3.1 Membership Classification Membership on the Council shall be held
by community and business organizations, not by individuals. The Council shall consist of the following
representatives:
a. Organization Representatives Any organization with membership residing
within the designated boundaries of the District, with a stated purpose which
reflects the values stated in Article 1.2, and which meets the requirements set
forth in Article 3.2., may participate on the Council.
b. At-Large Council Members To be eligible for appointment as an at-large
member, a person must petition the Council, in writing, with at least nine (9)
signatures from residents who live within the designated District boundaries
and who are not among the nine (9) members qualifying any organization for
membership. The Council, after
determination that all requirements for membership are met, by majority vote,
may appoint at-large members. At-large
members shall serve a one (1) year term and may be reappointed by the Council.
c. Other Participation All persons within or near the District
boundaries, whether a resident, property owner, licensed business operator or
owner or designated representative, or representative of any school, church, or
other nonprofit organization, are urged to attend and participate on the
Council.
3.2 Membership Eligibility To qualify for representation on the Council,
each member organization shall certify annually that it meets the following
criteria:
a.
Shall have an active membership of at least nine (9)
individuals and/or businesses within the designated District boundaries. The nine (9) members shall not count toward
the nine (9) of any other organization.
b. Shall
hold one (1) general membership meeting annually that is open to the public and
at which elections are held.
c. Shall
commit to regular attendance at Council meetings. (See Article 3.4)
3.3. Dues Neither dues nor financial contributions of
any kind to the Council shall be prerequisite to membership in or participation
on the Council at any level or in any aspect.
3.4. Decertification Upon failure of a member organization to
submit the annual certification required by Article 3.2 or be represented at
three (3) consecutive Council meetings in any twelve (12) month period, the
Council shall notify that organization or constituency and request adequate
representation for continued participation on the Council.
3.5. Membership List A membership list shall be maintained and
published quarterly by the Neighborhood Service Center in cooperation with the
Council.
ARTICLE 4 –Representatives, Officers and Committees
4.1 Representatives Each member organization that meets the
requirements set forth in Article 3.2 is entitled to one (1) representative and
one (1) alternate to the Council and may select or remove, at any time, its
representatives under its own established procedures.
4.2 Officers The officers of the Council shall be a Chair
and a Vice Chair, or alternatively, Co-Chairs, who shall serve on the Council
as voting members during their term as elected officers. No person shall serve more than two (2)
consecutive terms in one (1) office.
4.3 Elections The Council shall elect, by simple majority
vote, the officers to serve on a rotating basis, for a period to be determined
by the Council.
4.4 .Eligibility All representatives of organizations and
at-large members, in good standing, shall be eligible for office.
4.5 Responsibilities The Chair shall organize the agenda, call and
chair Council meetings, be the official spokesperson for the Council and
appoint committees with the Council’s approval.
The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair when requested and perform the
same duties of the Chair with the same restrictions in the Chair’s absence.
4.6 Removal The Council may remove, for cause, any person
elected or designated by the Council, by a simple majority vote of the Council.
4.7 Vacancies The Council shall promptly fill any vacancy
among the officers.
4.8 Committees The Council shall appoint such committees as
deemed appropriate for its purposes. The
Chair of each committee must be a representative, alternate member, or at-large
member of the Council in good standing. All
district residents and business persons may serve as members of the
committees. Committees or their members
shall not publicly take any position on any question in the name of the Council
prior to approval by the Council. A
committee’s position is only a recommendation to the Council and shall include
both majority and minority views.
ARTICLE 5 – Meetings
5.1 Accessible, Open Meetings The Council shall meet at least nine (9)
times per year. All meetings shall be
open to the public and shall be held at handicapped-accessible, public places
within the District to the maximum extent feasible. All meetings shall be held at times other
than normal business hours.
5.2 Regular Meetings The Council shall have regular monthly
meetings at a time to be determined by the Council, and in accord with Articles 5.1 and 5.3.
5.3 Joint Meetings The Council may meet jointly with other
District Councils organized under Resolution 27709 for the joint consideration
of matters of common interest. The
meeting may be held in any District in accord with Article 5.1.
5.4 Special Meetings Any Council member may call a special meeting
of the Council, as needed, with the concurrence of twenty-five (25%) of the
voting Council members in good standing.
Notice shall be given to all voting Council members of such meetings at
least three (3) business days before the date set for the meeting.
ARTICLE 6- City Neighborhood Council Representation
6.1 Representative The Chair shall be the representative of the
Council at all City Neighborhood Council (CNC) meetings and shall have the
authority to vote on behalf of the Council.
The Chair shall serve for a term to be determined by the Council.
6.2 Alternate An alternate shall be the Vice Chair or
another designee nominated by the Chair and approved by simple majority vote of
the Council. The alternate shall serve
for a term to be determined by the Council.
In the event the alternate is unable to attend on behalf of the Chair,
the Chair may select another alternate to attend the CNC meeting in case of an
emergency. No person shall serve more
than two (2) consecutive terms.
6.3 Responsibilities The Chair and/or alternate shall attend CNC
meetings, report to the Council, take proactive stances on activities and
discussions at CNC meetings and shall receive and accept instructions whenever
the Council votes to provide such instructions.
ARTICLE 7- Postion/Public Statements and Rights of Citizen
7.1
Positions/Public
Statements No position or public
statement shall be taken or made on behalf of this Council by an individual
Council member without the prior approval of the Council. When appropriate, the position presented
shall include both majority and minority views.
7.2
Rights of
Citizen Any person may petition
the Council for action. Petitions must
be in written form.
ARTICLE 8 – Rules of Order, Voting, and Quorum/Majority
8.1 Robert’s Rules All meetings covered by these Bylaws shall be
conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised, to the extent
they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.
8.2 Consensus/Voting The Council shall strive to reach decisions
by consensus. If consensus is not
reached and a vote is required, each member organization and each at-large
member in good standing shall have one (1) vote. A duly authorized alternate may vote in place
of the duly appointed representative.
There shall be no voting by proxy.
Non-member residents and business persons may not vote.
8.3 Quorum/Majority At all meetings of the Council, a majority of
member organizations and at-large members in good standing shall be necessary
and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. It shall take a simple majority of a quorum
of said Council members in good standing to pass a motion, unless otherwise
stated in these Bylaws. No action shall
occur in the absence of a quorum.
ARTICLE 9 – Bylaw Adoption, Amendment and Ratification
9.1 Adoption These Bylaws shall be deemed adopted when
approved by a majority vote of duly authorized organization representatives and
at-large members in good standing in attendance at a regular meeting of the
Council, provided that written notice of the proposal of these Bylaws shall
have been given at least one (1) week before the meeting. Upon adoption, a set of the Bylaws and any
amendments shall be promptly filed with the Department of neighborhoods. A copy shall also be field with the District
Community Service Center and be given to all member organizations an at-large
members in good standing.
9.2 Ratification The Bylaws adopted in accordance with
paragraph 9.1 shall be ratified at the next regular meeting of the Council.
9.3 Amendment After ratification of the Bylaws, any member
organization and at-large member in good standing may propose an amendment to
the Bylaws. Any amendment shall be
initiated by introducing a written proposal at a regular meeting of the
Council. The Bylaws may be amended at
the next regular meeting of the Council by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the
members in good standing present and voting.
Voting may be postponed if more time for review is requested by any
member organization or at-large member in good standing.
The
above Bylaws were adopted on October 5, 1988, amended on March 21, 1996 and
ratified on April 18, 1996 and again in December, 2009 by the North District
Council.
Philip
Shack, Chair, December 2, 2009
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