Name
The name of the Association is the Potter Creek Neighborhood Association hereinafter designated the PCNA.
Boundaries
The Potter Creek neighborhood is defined as the geographical area of Berkeley, CA that lies between and is bounded on the north by the middle of Carleton St, on the south by the middle of Heinz Ave, on the west by the middle of Seventh St and on the east by the western edge of the properties on the west side of San Pablo Avenue, coincident with the Mixed Use/ Residential [MUR] boundaries for this area defined by the City of Berkeley.
Purpose
The Potter Creek Neighborhood Association is an association of both residents and businesses in the Potter Creek neighborhood formed for the purpose of strengthening our community, maintaining our quality of life and safety, and facilitating discussion and action on issues of concern
to the neighborhood. Specific goals are:
Membership eligibility
Any person age 18 or older who resides, owns a business, operates or manages a
not-for-profit organization, or owns real property (real estate) within the Potter Creek neighborhood boundaries defined in Article 1
is eligible to be a member of the PCNA.
Membership documentation
Any person meeting the PCNA membership criteria and wishing to become PCNA member must submit a completed and signed Membership Registration Form to the PCNA Treasurer. Membership registration will be updated at least once a year at the Annual Membership Meeting. All membership documentation information will be confidential and securely maintained by the Treasurer.
Membership privileges
Each PCNA member has the right to run for office, serve on committees, and cast one vote on all issues that come before the PCNA.
Membership dues
No dues are required for PCNA membership, however an annual voluntary
donation initially set at $10/year is requested to cover the costs of flyers to announce PCNA meetings and neighborhood events as well as other incidental costs. Other voluntary monetary contributions to cover specific expenses and donations of supplies for special projects may be requested as needed. The suggested donation amount may be raised by a vote of the Executive Committee.
Non-members/Guests
Non-members are welcome to attend PCNA meetings, social gatherings and participate in community efforts such as neighborhood clean-up, earthquake preparedness and neighborhood watch. Non-members may not vote, and may not serve on the Executive Committee.
Membership
The Executive Committee shall consist of the following duly-elected
members: Two Co-Chairs, one Secretary, one Treasurer and the Elected
Chairpersons of Standing Committees for Membership, Public Safety,
and Public Service/Social. Only PCNA members are eligible to be
Executive Committee members. The two Co-Chairs, Secretary and
Treasurer are the officers of the PCNA.
Obligations
The Executive Committee shall meet
quarterly or more frequently to develop agenda items and plan PCNA
Membership Meetings. Executive Committee members must attend the
Annual Membership Meetings.
Elections
All Executive
Committee members shall be elected for a one-year term by majority
vote of members present at the designated Annual Membership Meeting.
None, however, may be elected by a majority vote unless at least 15
members and at least one PCNA officer are in attendance. Nominations for Executive Committee members should be
invited at the Membership Meeting preceding the Annual Membership
Meeting. The slate of candidates shall be posted on the PCNA website
one month in advance of the Annual Membership Meeting.
Removal of Executive Committee Members
After three consecutive absences at duly noticed Executive Committee
meetings, the Executive Committee may vote to remove a member by a
majority vote if a quorum (51% of EC members) is present. Members
cannot be removed by email votes.
Vacancies
An Executive Committee member who has resigned, or
been removed, shall be replaced by a majority vote of the remaining
Executive Committee members within 60 days of their resignation or
removal. Their term shall expire at the next Membership Meeting.
Nominations for a permanent replacement shall be solicited at the
next regularly scheduled Membership Meeting.
Schedule
An Annual Membership Meeting
shall be held every year in April. At this meeting, elections of
officers for the PCNA will be held. Every January or February a
Nominating Meeting, to nominate members for positions on the
Executive Committee, will precede the yearly Annual Membership
Meeting. Additionally, a minimum of 2 other Membership Meetings shall
be held throughout the year.
Agenda, Noticing and Minutes
The Executive Committee shall set the
date, time, location and agenda of the Membership Meetings. Priority
will be given to time-sensitive issues.
PCNA members, City of Berkeley officials, and other interested parties may request that specific items be placed on the membership meeting agendas via email sent to the PCNA Secretary. These requests will be voted upon by the PCNA Executive Committee. The EC may not refuse to place an item on the agenda if it is suggested by a PCNA member and if it falls within the purpose of the PCNA as outlined in Article 1, though they may schedule it at their discretion.
Meetings shall be announced as early as possible and members will be sent email notification. All meetings will also be posted on PCNA website.The Executive Committee will record meeting minutes and will post them on the PCNA website.
Courtesy Policy
One of the goals of the PCNA is to
provide a civil forum for our community to discuss issues of concern
to the neighborhood. To facilitate this discussion, the PCNA has
adopted the following courtesy policy regarding both verbal and
written communications between association members:
Voting of the general membership may be conducted for Elections, to establish PCNA Advisory Positions, and to handle Regular Business Items. These are defined as follows:
(a) Elections are conducted annually to choose officers and members of the Executive Committee, as described in Article 3, or to amend the byLaws, as described in Article 6.
(b) PCNA Advisory Positions are determined by a vote by the PCNA general membership, and refer to items before the City of Berkeley or any other governmental or quasi-governmental entity with regulatory power over the Potter Creek neighborhood and its environs.
(c) Regular Business Items refer to votes on routine matters, such as activities to be pursued, or desired meeting dates.
Voting may be conducted by a show of hands, or by roll call. The voting procedures for each of the three types of voting are described below.
Regular Business items (c)
A simple majority of votes of attending members rules on any regular business item at a Membership Meeting. No advance notice is required.
Elections (a)
A list of candidates will be posted at least one month in advance of meeting at which the election will be held. A minimum of 15 PCNA members including one PCNA Officer must be present and cast their votes. When conducting such voting, including discussions preceding the vote, the PCNA may ask that all non-members be excused from the meeting. Election of officers and Executive Committee members requires a simple majority vote.
Advisory Position Votes (b)
Advisory Position voting requires an announcement in the meeting agenda. Such announcement will be made at least one week in advance of the meeting and will clearly indicate that a vote is proposed to be taken. Announcements will be made by email and be posted either electronically or physically. No item shall be voted on that has not been so announced. A minimum of 15 PCNA members including one PCNA Officer must be present and cast their votes. When conducting such voting, including discussions preceding the vote, the PCNA may ask that all non-members be excused from the meeting. Passage requires a simple majority vote.
Any petition to amend the bylaws should be submitted at the Membership Meeting preceding the Annual Membership Meeting and posted on the PCNA website. Action on the proposed amendment shall be put before the membership for a vote at the Annual Membership Meeting and shall pass by a 2/3rds majority vote provided that a quorum of 15 PCNA members including one PCNA Officer are present.
These are the Bylaws as amended and accepted by voice vote of the 21 members at the meeting on the 30th of April 2009.