BYLAWS
OLYMPIA COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS
I. General Provisions
A. NAME
The name of the organization is the Olympia Council of Neighborhood Associations, called the CNA.
B. MISSION
The CNA strives for positive short- and long-term outcomes for our local community by providing a forum to collaborate with and give voice to all, including historically underrepresented community members. This will be achieved through outreach to engaged and disengaged community members, feedback to the City of Olympia about neighborhood perspectives on important issues and decisions, taking action to enhance quality of life, health and safety of residents and ensuring that City programs and land use decisions are neighborhood centric. The CNA will also serve as a resource to neighborhoods for important neighborhood activities such as grant writing, online communications and event planning.
C. OFFICE OF RECORD
The home address of the Chairperson will be the address of record.
D. MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
Meetings of the CNA will generally occur monthly, with special meetings as needed. Members and interested parties will be notified ten days in advance of meetings.
Members may call a CNA meeting without the assistance of the Executive Committee when the Executive Committee has failed to call a meeting in over three months and one-third of member neighborhood associations agree to call a meeting.
E. PRESENTATIONS
Persons or organizations wishing to make presentations to the CNA must make their requests through the Executive Committee.
F. AMENDMENTS
The bylaws may be amended by a two-third (2/3) vote of the membership present at a special or regular meeting in which the proposed amendment has been identified in advance.
II. Membership
A. ELIGIBILITY
Neighborhood associations recognized by the City of Olympia are eligible to become voting members of the CNA. Associations that have submitted applications to the City for formal recognition may become CNA members pending the City’s decision on their status.
Neighborhoods interested in seeking recognition including those in Urban Growth Areas, may request participation as non-voting members of the CNA.
B. ENROLLMENT
Neighborhood associations enroll in the CNA by designating a primary contact to represent their associations and by maintaining an active email address recognized with the CNA. Associations may designate alternate representatives.
C. MEMBERSHIP TERM
A neighborhood association’s membership is effective as long as the association is recognized by the City or the CNA, has designated a primary contact, and maintains an active email address recognized with the CNA.
D. MEMBERSHIP PRIMARY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Share information, history, and strategies.
- Convey the positions of their associations to the CNA and keep their associations informed about the activities of the CNA.
- Share issues and opportunities with other neighborhood associations, seek endorsement or help, and bring requests for action to other neighborhood associations.
E. LETTERS, RESOLUTIONS AND OTHER METHODS OF ENDORSEMENT
Persons or organizations seeking endorsement of a proposal may draft letters, resolutions, or use other methods to describe their position and document which neighborhood associations are on the record in support of it.
F. PARTICIPATION IN THE CNA
Any individual may attend and participate in CNA meetings, provided they follow the bylaws. Any individual, including a neighborhood association representative, may be precluded from participating in CNA meetings if they do not follow the bylaws.
When discussing the CNA, members will accurately reflect the intent and content of the CNA’s activities and are expected to follow the principles and ground rules outlined in these bylaws in Section IV.
G. MEMBERSHIP DONATIONS
Donations to cover the costs of meetings and activities may be solicited when deemed necessary.
III. Executive Committee and Executive Board
- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Executive Committee is established to jointly manage and administer the affairs of the CNA in service to the entire community of Olympia neighborhoods. The Executive Committee will be comprised of members will consist of a Chair and Vice Chair, a Secretary, a Communications Coordinator, and a Programs and Events Coordinator.
1. The primary responsibilities of all Executive Committee members will include:
a) Provide for the organizational and leadership functions of the CNA
b) Approve amendments to the bylaws.
2. The roles and responsibilities of the Executive Committee are as follows:
a) Chair and
b) Vice Chair
(1) Develop the agendas for CNA and Executive Committee meetings.
(2) Facilitate Executive Committee and CNA meetings.
(3) Serve as the official spokespersons for the CNA or designate a spokesperson.
c) Secretary
- Take and prepare the minutes for CNA meetings.
- Finalize, assemble and distribute meeting packets and other materials as needed.
- Ensure that the CNA’s official documents are posted on the CNA website.
- Maintain the contact list of active Executive Committee and CNA members, and the list of other interested parties.
d) Communications Coordinator
- Monitor all communication with the CNA.
(2) Ensure that the CNA website is updated.
e) Program and Event Coordinator
- Develop programs for presentations and special events.
- Be a resource for encouraging and enhancing neighborhood events
Executive Committee members may fulfill each other’s responsibilities on an ad-hoc, mutually agreeable basis and may solicit member volunteers who are not members of the Executive Committee to assist them in meeting their responsibilities.
The full Executive Committee may form subcommittees to support specific projects or initiatives as needed.
The Executive Committee shall establish and maintain a Roles and Responsibilities Roster to define and assign the specific tasks required to operate and sustain the CNA.
B. ELIGIBILITY
Executive Committee
Only individuals representing neighborhood associations that are members of the CNA may serve on the Executive Committee. No more than one official representative per association can serve on the Executive Committee at one time.
Individuals who are elected officials of local governments and those who have declared candidacy for election to local government may not serve on the Executive Committee.
C. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS
The Executive Committee will hold an election for open Executive Board positions every year.
Terms for Executive Board members will be two (2) years. Elections for Chair and Vice Chair will be held in separate years to ensure staggered terms. The election will be held in accordance with the voting process defined below in Section III-E. Executive Board members may serve consecutive terms.
D. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee will meet to conduct and manage the affairs of the CNA. A majority of the Executive Committee may call special meetings as needed.
E. DECISION-MAKING AND VOTING PROCEDURE
The Executive Committee will be elected by a simple majority of members at an election meeting.
Decision-making authority for the CNA resides with the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee members, in consultation with each other, will make decisions on behalf of the CNA.
The Executive Committee will make its key decisions using consensus as its primary decision-making approach, falling back on a simple majority of current Executive Committee members if consensus cannot be reached within an appropriate and reasonable time frame.
Votes may be taken at full Executive Committee meetings on matters related to CNA business and CNA meeting agendas. Votes are carried by a simple majority of those present.
A quorum is comprised of a simple majority of the total current Executive Committee membership.
Executive Committee members will recuse themselves from votes in which a conflict of interest is present.
F. PARTICIPATION AT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Any individual may attend Executive Committee meetings, provided they follow the bylaws. Any individual, including Executive Committee may be precluded from participating if they do not follow the bylaws.
G. EXECUTIVE BOARD VACANCIES
In the event that the Executive Board Chair resigns, the individual serving as Vice Chair shall immediately assume the role of Chair for the remainder of that position’s term. In the event that the Vice Chair, Secretary, Communications Coordinator, or the Program and Events Coordinator resigns, the Executive Committee will include on the next regular meeting an agenda item to elect a replacement from its membership for the remainder of that position’s term.
H. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REMOVAL/RESIGNATION
Any Executive Committee member may be asked to resign if any of the following occur:
- They are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
- They do not abide by any of the provisions outlined in these bylaws.
- They miss three (3) or more consecutive Executive Committee meetings.
IV. Ground Rules
A. Organized
1. Start on time/end on time
2. Follow through on commitments – do what you promise you’ll do
3. Hold yourself and others accountable to the bylaws and ground rules
4. Help the facilitator keep the group on time and on track
B. Participatory and Focused
1. Give everyone the opportunity to speak – no side conversations
2. Acknowledge the contributions of others
3. Keep the big picture and the group’s mission in mind
4. Be specific – use examples – explain your thinking
C. Productive
1. Seek consensus
2. Build on differences in perspective by inviting questions and revisions
3. Be willing to politely disagree and discuss challenging issues
4. Focus on interests, not positions
5. Be gentle yet direct with feedback
D. Non-Compliance
Noncompliance with the Bylaws of the CNA may result in termination of meeting participation for the offender, upon a two-thirds majority vote by the membership of the CNA at a scheduled meeting.
V. Place of Meeting
The CNA shall meet in person, virtually or in a hybrid format as determined by the Executive Committee. To the greatest extent practicable, the format will seek the maximum level of accessibility for the membership.