NEW AGRC BYLAWS

Bylaws

Arrowhead Gardens Residents Community

Revised April 2016

ARTICLE 1

Name and Address

This organization shall be known as the Arrowhead Gardens Resident Community (AGRC) located at 9200 Second Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98106-3326.

ARTICLE 2

Mission Statement

To provide the Arrowhead Gardens residents with a welcoming environment and opportunities for friendship, recreation, wellness, and education, thus empowering them to continue an active and independent lifestyle within the Community.

ARTICLE 3

Membership and Voting at General and Special Meetings

A.    Membership
Membership shall be open and voluntary to all residents of Arrowhead Gardens whose names appear on a lease.

B.    Quorum
A quorum of 25 members shall be required to be present before any business can be transacted.

C.     Voting
All members present are eligible to cast one vote on any subject when presented for consideration and approval by the membership. No proxy voting shall be allowed. Decisions shall be passed by a simple majority of the quorum. However, members may request a written vote.

 ARTICLE 4

Meetings of Members

A.    Frequency
General Meetings of the membership shall be held monthly on the fourth Friday of each month.  Exceptions to the meeting dates shall be as follows: November and December meetings shall be held on the third Friday.  Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board.

B.    Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used at all meetings of both the membership and the Executive Board.  A copy of the referenced Robert’s Rules of Order shall be maintained in the AGRC Logbook in Building B.

C.      Notice
A notice of all meetings shall be posted in each building no later than five (5) calendar days in advance of the scheduled meeting.

D.    Special Meetings

Special meetings shall require at least five (5) calendar days’ notice and shall be posted accordingly.  The notice for a Special meeting must include the topic of the meeting. Special meeting business shall be restricted to the topic as posted (e.g., a vacancy on the Board).

ARTICLE 5

Officers and Duties

A.    President
The President presides over Executive Board, General, and Special meetings.  He/she acts as the liaison with the Arrowhead Gardens management in representing the issues and concerns of the AGRC. The President shall report each month to the membership the status, progress, and plans of the Community. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. 

B.     Vice-President
The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence.  He/she shall assume the office of President should that office become vacant.

C.     Secretary
The Secretary shall record all minutes of each meeting and submit a written report to the membership and the Executive Board.  The minutes shall reflect an absence by any member of the Executive Board. The Secretary shall maintain all written correspondence as it pertains to the AGRC and shall post a copy of all minutes in the official AGRC Logbook located in Building B. 

D.    Treasurer
The treasurer shall be responsible for establishing a checking account on behalf of AGRC. The President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be signatories on said account.  Two signatures shall be required on all checks. Use of a single Debit Card for the AGRC account shall be the sole responsibility of the Treasurer. There shall be no duplicate debit cards.

All requests for projected expenditures must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board, accompanied by supporting detail and justification. The Board shall review the request and, if appropriate, recommend approval by the members at a General meeting.

The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all AGRC monies and submit a written report at each General meeting a copy of the report shall be included in the minutes of the General meeting.

An audit of AGRC financial records shall be conducted in May and November of each year by three (3) volunteers selected by the Executive Board at its October meeting the Audit Committee. The audit as completed will be presented in a written report to the Executive Board at its June and December meetings and then to the General meeting in June and N. The Audit Committee shall consist of no fewer than three (3) volunteer members none of which can be members of the Executive Board. 

The Treasurer shall chair the Budget Committee and prepare a budget to present to the AGRC at the January General meeting.

E.      Sergeant-at-Arms
The Sergeant-at-Arms shall maintain order at all meetings as well as ensure that all policies and rules are followed.

F.      Building Representatives

There shall be two Representatives each from Buildings A, C, and D within Arrowhead Gardens.  It shall be their responsibility to greet new residents as soon as practical, provide them with an AGRC New Resident Handbook, and encourage participation in the AGRC.  They shall be a resource for general information within the Community.  They shall give a collective report of their activities to the membership at each General meeting.

ARTICLE 6

Executive Board

Executive Board members are responsible for upholding and enforcing the By-Laws of the AGRC.

A.    Membership
The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant-at-Arms, and six (6) Building Representatives.

B.    Responsibilities
The Executive Board shall be responsible for managing AGRC affairs, conducting its business, planning all meeting agendas, and providing consultation and information to its members.  It shall meet on the second Friday of each month.

All residents are welcome to attend and observe the Executive Board meetings.  An open comment period shall follow at the end of the Executive Board business meeting.  

C.     Term of Office

The term of office shall be one year for each Officer and each Building Representative. The term of office shall begin on the first day of January.    

D.    Resignations
An Executive Board member may resign at any time after delivering written notice to the President. 

E.     Vacancies
When a position of an elected officer, other than the President, becomes vacant, an appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the President and confirmed by simple majority vote of the Executive Board. If the position of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the office, title, and duties of the President and shall serve for the remainder of the term.

If both the President and Vice-President positions become vacant, the Secretary shall temporarily assume the duties of the President and initiate a Special Election to fill the vacancies.  The Special Election shall be conducted in accordance with the same rules as those governing the regularly scheduled Annual Election.

If the position of a Building Representative becomes vacant, an appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the President and confirmed by simple majority vote of the Executive Board. 

ARTICLE 7

Annual Elections

A.     Election Committee

The President shall appoint an Election Committee, including the Chairperson, at the regularly scheduled Executive Board meeting in the month of August.  Committee membership shall include at least one member from each of the three (3) buildings. The Election Committee shall meet and prepare a plan for conducting the election. 

It shall include, but not be limited to, developing a schedule for posting the required notices in a timely manner, creating suggestions for encouraging nominations,  providing residents with a sample ballot in advance of voting, arranging for the printing, receiving, and counting of the ballots, and announcing the results.

B.    Nominations

Nominations shall take place only during the September General meeting. The agenda for the October meeting shall provide an opportunity for all candidates to present a campaign statement.

C.     Notices

At least ten (10) days prior to the nomination meeting (September General meeting), a notice shall be posted in each building designating the date, time, and place of the election. All notices described in this section of the By-Laws shall include the election procedure and eligibility requirements.

D.    Annual Election Voting

Voting shall take place between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm during the day of the regularly scheduled AGRC General meeting in the month of November.  Secret ballots, one per eligible resident, must be deposited in a monitored ballot box provided in the Community Room; Building B. Election Committee members shall assist voters as requested.

Accommodations shall be made for residents who are (a) unable to personally deliver their ballot to the voting location or (b) who will be absent on Election Day. They shall be allowed to participate via absentee ballot. Write-in votes shall be accepted and counted. The procedure for a secure absentee ballot shall be followed by the Election Committee and posted in the election notice.

No proxy ballots shall be allowed.

ARTICLE 8

Removal of Officers

Any officer can be removed for one of three reasons:

·        Three (3) unexcused absences from the Executive Board or General meetings per term of office

·        Failure to perform in accordance with the duties as stated in Article 6

·        Just cause. Just cause is limited to a felony conviction or malfeasance committed during the Executive Board member’s term of office.

1.     Recall Initiation

A.    Two-thirds of the remaining members of the Executive Board vote to recommend a recall or

B.     Executive Board receives a valid petition signed by a minimum of 25 residents requesting a recall.

The Executive Board recommendation (A) or a valid petition (B) must state the reasons for the proposed removal and must identify the actions that are violations of duties as set forth in these By-Laws. 

2.     Unaffected members of the Executive Board select a Recall Monitor to conduct the proceedings.

3.     The Recall Monitor provides to the officer in question notice of a hearing and an impending vote. The notice shall include the date for a Special meeting of the Executive Board to be held no later than seven (7) days after the receipt of the written notice.  The notice shall also include specific allegations to be addressed at said hearing. 

4.      The Recall Monitor shall conduct a fair and impartial hearing before the Executive Board and the proceedings shall be open to the membership.

5.      Executive Board shall meet in closed session and two-thirds must vote to submit the recall petition to a vote of the residents.  In addition, a notice shall be posted in all buildings with the date, time, and place of the vote.  

6.      The vote shall be held not later seven (7) days after the conclusion of the hearing. If necessary to meet this requirement, a Special meeting shall be held. The decision shall be by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of at least 25 members. Said vote shall be cast by secret ballot.

ARTICLE 9

Standing Committees

The President shall appoint all committees including the Chairperson with the approval of the EC. The President shall be an Ex Officio member on all committees. Any resident may volunteer to serve on a committee by simply notifying the Chair of the committee.  Each Committee Chair make a written account of all meetings and such reports shall be place in the AGRC the public notebook.

These are the Standing Committees of the AGRC:

Social Events and Activities Committee

This committee shall be responsible to develop and present a budget to the Executive Board for review and approval and to help plan, organize and implement the social events for the AGRC as directed by the Executive Board.  This committee shall also prepare a report of its events and activities for presentation to the Executive Board at its regularly scheduled meeting(s) and for inclusion in any newsletter.

Members are encouraged to submit ideas for events and activities not later than the 15^th of any month to the AGRC liaison committee (currently the van and bus drivers) for presentation to the Arrowhead Gardens management for inclusion in the monthly calendar of events.

Sunshine Committee

The Treasurer is the Chairperson of the committee by virtue of his/her office.  He/She shall have the duty to send cards to the ill, to notify other residents when possible that one of our own may need some cheering up and to generally help them in any way.

Telephone Committee

This committee maintains and distributes on a regular basis an updated telephone registry.  In order to receive a copy of the Telephone List a resident must agree to have their name, apt # and telephone listed for others.

Budget Committee

This committee prepares the annual budget for presentation to the AGRC at its January General meeting

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee shall consist of no fewer than three (3) volunteer members none of which can be members of the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall serve the Audit Committee as an ex-officio non-voting member.

The Audit Committee shall be responsible for an audit of the AGRC financial records twice a year during the months of May and November and report its findings to the AGRC at its June and December General meetings.

Elections Committee

The Elections Committee shall be appointed and perform the duties as required in Article 7 of these By-Laws.

 Wellness Committee

The Wellness Committee shall develop programs and projects to promote a long healthy and meaningful for all AGRC members. In furtherance of these goals the Wellness Committee may enter into alliances with other entities to provide information, services and products as appropriate.

ARTICLE 10

Amendments

These By-Laws and all amendments shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of the membership present at a General meeting.  Members must be notified by posted notice 10 days in advance of the vote to approve the proposed amendments.

Proposed amendments shall be read into the record at a regular General meeting and voted on at the next General meeting.

ARTICLE 11

Non-Discrimination

The residents, officers, and any person served by the AGRC shall be regarded entirely on a non-discriminatory basis, with respect to age, gender, race, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation.