CONSTITUTION OF THE DEVONSHIRE CIVIC ASSOCIATION. The name of this Association shall be the Devonshire Civic Association.

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1 CONSTITUTION OF THE DEVONSHIRE CIVIC ASSOCIATION ARTICLE I: NAME The name of this Association shall be the Devonshire Civic Association. ARTICLE II: LOCATION The place in Ohio where the principal office of the corporation is to be located is Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. The Devonshire Civic Association area shall be the area of the City of Columbus bounded by Karl Road on the East, I-71 on the West, Schrock Road on the North, and State Route 161 on the South. ARTICLE III: PURPOSE The purpose of this Association shall be to promote the general welfare of the area, known as Devonshire, by giving special attention to public improvements, safety, convenience, and comfort of the residents and all that is related to the betterment thereof and to provide the opportunities to bring together the diverse group of residents of Devonshire, in a closer social relationship while working toward a common goal. ARTICLE IV: NON-PROFIT This corporation is organized and operated exclusively for non-profit or charitable purposes. No part of the net earnings of this corporation shall be distributed to, or inure to benefit of, any member, trustee, or officer of this corporation, contributor or private individual. In the event of dissolution, winding up or other liquidation of the assets of this corporation, its assets shall be distributed to non-profit and charitable corporations or institutions as may be designated by the Board. ARTICLE V: ADDRESS The Associations principal office (address) shall be the residence of the Association s President. The Officers may designate another/other location(s) at its discretion. ARTICLE VI: MEMBERS Any renter or owner of property (age 18 years and older) in the area designated as Devonshire or business in the general area, and paying the annual dues, shall be a member of the Devonshire Civic Association. DCA CONSTITUTION Page 1 of 8

2 Section 6. ARTICLE VII: Dues of the Association shall be per year, per household or per Business. Membership dues will not be pro-rated. Annual Dues will be set according to the following categories: (1) Household Age 64 and under, (2) Household Age 65 and over, (3) Business. Any head of household and/or spouse or Business, whose dues are paid up currently, may vote on Association business. Absentee votes must be presented to the Secretary before the meeting is called to order. Membership dues will run from January to December. Any household or business, paying in December, will be for the following year. Receipts will be issued to each paying household/business, as a whole, with the year and member(s)/business name written on the receipt by a current Board member. The role of members; Represent diverse interests, input on issues or needs of our neighborhood and communicate to strengthen our community. A single voice is often unheeded by businessmen and officials. However, a civic organization represents unified citizen opinion when the associations act together; they become a strong voice that can have a powerful effect in county or city government. Civic Associations are concerned with everything that effects the community; Safety, Schools, Libraries, Roads, Recreation, Zoning, Trash Collection, Assessment, Code Violations and Events. OFFICERS & TRUSTEES All Officers must be voting members of the Association and shall be active members for a minimum of six (6) months, before holding office. An active member shall be defined as someone who attends and stays for four out of six consecutive DCA meetings and participates in those meetings. Officers shall reside in the area designated as Devonshire. Elected Officers of this Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The outgoing President will remain on the Board for one (1) year after his/her term of office expires, acting as an advisor to the current President. At the January meeting, additional Trustees shall be elected. These, along with the newly elected officers and the outgoing President of the Association, will constitute the Board. DCA CONSTITUTION Page 2 of 8

3 Section 6. Section 7. Section 8. Section 9. Section 10. Section 11. The absence of any Board member from three (3) consecutive regular meetings, without good cause shown, shall be grounds for termination, from the Board. A letter, requesting the resignation of such Board member, will be drafted and sent within 30 days, from the last missed regular meeting. Emergency, health-related or extenuating circumstances may be considered on a case by case basis by the Board for exception to the three (3) allowed absences, as stated above. Officers shall serve a one-year term. Trustees will serve a two-year term with half of them elected in alternating years. There is no limitation on future terms for any Board member. Responsibility of maintaining liaison with member Civic Associations and Northland Area Council Associations rests with the Board. President a. Shall preside at all Association meetings. b. Shall serve as member ex-officio of all committees. c. Shall vote only to break the tie vote on an issue. d. Shall not take part in a debate, unless he/she calls someone to take his/her place temporarily as President, until the question is disposed of. e. Must always remain impartial. Vice President a. Shall assume the duties of the President during his/her absence. b. Shall perform such other duties as he/she is called upon to do, by the President. c. After discussion with the Board, the Vice President shall arrange for a speaker or topic of discussion, for the monthly association meeting. Secretary a. Shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Association. b. Shall keep a record of all minutes of committee meetings which are submitted to him/her. c. Shall keep a current list of all members and their addresses. d. Shall handle all correspondence of the Association. e. Shall work with the Membership Chairperson to maintain accurate records of the membership. Treasurer a. Shall collect the dues and keep a proper record. b. Shall make a financial report at each Association meeting. DCA CONSTITUTION Page 3 of 8

4 c. Shall keep the accounts and furnish a detailed statement of such at the Annual meeting. d. Shall serve as a member of the Finance Committee. e. In no event, shall the Treasurer make any disbursement of funds unless he/she is satisfied that such disbursement is within his/her authority and the amount s purpose will meet with the approval of the Board. The Treasurer may, without prior approval of the Board, make any single disbursement, not to exceed $ Any proposed expenditure in excess of $25.00 shall first receive the approval of the Board. f. The records and financial documents of the Treasurer shall be audited annually or upon termination of his/her office, by a special Committee. Section 12. ARTICLE VIII: ARTICLE IX: In the absence of the above officers, the Board shall elect replacements from among themselves to conduct the meetings. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES Officer candidates shall be nominated from the floor at the November meeting. Voting shall be by a secret ballot at the Annual meeting, in December, with a simple majority deciding the election of Officers and Trustees. At the Annual meeting, in December, the President shall appoint members of the Association to tabulate the results of the election and report the findings to the Association. Unsuccessful candidates, for major offices, shall be automatically nominated for a position of Trustee. Nominations shall also be accepted from the floor and voted on by the entire membership, at the Annual meeting. All newly elected Officers and Trustees shall be installed at the Annual meeting, in December. They shall begin their terms starting with the January meeting. VACANCIES Vacancies in an office shall be filled for the unexpired term by a majority vote of the Board. ARTICLE X: BOARD The Board may adopt such rules which are not inconsistent with these regulations, the Articles of Incorporation, or the Laws of the State of Ohio, for the conduct of its meetings and for the management of the affairs of this Association, as it may deem proper. DCA CONSTITUTION Page 4 of 8

5 The following Rules and Regulations are hereby adopted by the Board. Section 6. Ratification Any action taken by the Board, prior to adoption of these Rules and Regulations, is hereby ratified. Meetings The Board shall meet each month at a place designated by the President. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or four (4) Board members. The order of business shall be the same as for General Meetings. Quorum Sixty percent (60%) of the Board shall constitute a quorum. No Board meeting shall be called to order for the purpose of conducting Association business unless a quorum is present. All questions shall be decided by a sixty percent (60%) vote to accord. President In the absence of the President and Vice President, the Board members shall elect replacements from among themselves to conduct the meeting. In no event shall any meeting of the Board members be conducted in the absence of a Board member performing the duties of the Secretary. In the Secretary s absence, the presiding officer will appoint a replacement from the other Board members. General Duties a. All Board members, regardless of office, shall accept any additional duties which may be assigned to them by the President and shall assume full responsibility for the diligent discharge of these duties. b. Between meetings of the Association, the Board may take any action on a matter which the Association could have authorized. Section 7. Composition The Board is made up of the following members: a. President b. Vice President c. Secretary d. Treasurer e. Outgoing President (if still available) DCA CONSTITUTION Page 5 of 8

6 f. Membership Chairperson * g. Public Relations Committee Chairperson * h. Finance Committee Chairperson * i. Social Committee Chairperson * j. Activities Committee Chairperson * k. And a maximum of six (6) other elected Trustees * If a person has been appointed. ARTICLE XI: ARTICLE XII: MEETINGS Monthly Meetings. This association shall meet the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at a location to be determined by the Board and publicized at least one (1) week in advance of the meeting. Annual Meetings. This Association shall have its annual meeting at the regularly scheduled December meeting. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board and/or Association may be called at the request of the President or four (4) members of the Board, who will notify all elected officers of the time and place of the meeting, five (5) days prior to the meeting. The Monthly meeting time or place may be changed or cancelled by a majority vote of the Board. Members shall place electronic devices on mute or vibrate. All ideas and concerns shall be heard. It is okay to disagree, but not to be disagreeable in a disrespectful fashion. Respect everyone s opinions and respect everyone s time. COMMITTEES There will be two (2) types of committees: Standing and Special. Committees are appointed by the President and are approved by the Board. Standing committees shall serve for a period of one (1) year. The Chairperson, of each Standing committee, should attend all Board meetings. All Committee chairpersons shall have the authority to create sub-committees to accomplish their goals. DCA CONSTITUTION Page 6 of 8

7 Section 6. Standing Committees a. Membership Committee The Membership Committee is to advance the growth of the membership in the Devonshire Civic Association through whatever means possible, particularly through membership drives and by having a membership table available at every organizational function. The Membership Chairperson will have, and maintain, records of household members, by street and by alphabetical order. Records shall be made available, at every meeting, as needed, for reference. b. Public Relations Committee The Public Relations Committee shall protect the community by forwarding grievances to the Better Business Bureau and shall also consider neighborhood grievances. This Committee shall handle all neighborhood news and shall post public notification of all monthly meetings. This Committee shall be composed of the members of the Board. c. Finance Committee (Ways and Means) The Finance Committee shall raise funds to finance the objectives of the entire organization. It has the authority to appoint sub-committees or to work with existing Committees by mutual agreement. d. Social Committee The Social Committee shall plan social events for adults and/or families. e. Activities Committee The Activities Committee shall plan sport activities for local youths, adults and/or families. ARTICLE XIII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY All of the capacity of this Association shall be vested in and all its power and authority shall be exercised by the Board, which shall manage and conduct the affairs of this Association except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Ohio, the Articles of Incorporation or this Constitution. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Rules and Regulations and any special rules of order the Association may adopt. DCA CONSTITUTION Page 7 of 8

8 ARTICLE XIV: DEVONSHIRE ENTRANCE ISLAND It shall be the responsibility of the Devonshire Civic Association to have an American Flag flying on the entrance island at all times. The Devonshire Civic Association shall own a minimum of two (2) flags, one flying and one in reserve. ARTICLE XV: AMENDMENTS These Rules and Regulations may be amended at any meeting, provided written notice of such an amendment has been given to the Secretary at the previous regular meeting. An amendment shall become part of these Rules and Regulations by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members present. Revised: 09/07/2017 Retyped By: Ruth Johnson, DCA President DCA CONSTITUTION Page 8 of 8