BYLAWS OF THE SHANDON NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Adopted at the March 2015 Annual Meeting.
CHAPTER ONE: NAME AND FORM
The legal name of the organization is the Shandon Neighborhood Council (“Council”). The Council is a nonprofit corporation organized and operated pursuant to the laws of the State of South Carolina.
CHAPTER TWO: PURPOSE AND POWERS
The purpose of the Council shall be to promote social welfare in the area of Columbia, South Carolina, known as Shandon, by improving neighborhood, community, and governmental relations, and by combating neighborhood and community deterioration. The Council’s power is advisory in nature, and the Council shall defer ultimate representation to duly elected public officials. The Council shall remain non-partisan. For the purposes of the Council, "Shandon" is defined as that geographic area of Columbia bounded by Harden Street, Devine Street, Kilbourne Road, and Rosewood Drive. These bylaws shall be posted for the benefit of the public on the website of the Council.
CHAPTER THREE: MEMBERSHIP
A. Eligibility. The Council shall be comprised of up to fifteen individuals, and a minimum of eight individuals, elected pursuant to the provisions of Chapter Six of these bylaws. Any individual who maintains his or her primary residence in Shandon is eligible for membership. Council members shall be elected at-large. A Council member who changes his or her primary residence to an area outside of Shandon, as described in Chapter Two, during the member’s term as a member, may finish that term, but may not be re-elected.
B. Terms. All Council members shall be elected for terms of three years, commencing with the annual plenary meeting at which they are elected. Terms shall be staggered so that five members' terms end, and five members are elected, at each annual plenary meeting. No Council member may serve more than two consecutive full terms. In the event the President's term of office and term of membership end simultaneously, and he or she is not reelected to the Council (because he or she is not voted in or not allowed to be voted in as a result of he or she reaching his or her term limit), he or she may nevertheless continue to be a member of the Council for one year in an advisory, non-voting capacity. To understand the Immediate Past President’s capacity under other situations, see Chapter 5, Section E, Immediate Past President.
C. Vacancies. Interim vacancies shall be filled by majority vote of the Council. A Council member elected to fill an interim vacancy shall serve only until the next annual plenary meeting, at which time the remainder of such term, if any, shall be filled by vote of all eligible electors.
CHAPTER FOUR: MEETINGS
All meetings of the Council, other than meetings of committees which are established by the President, shall be open to the public. The most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority whenever applicable.
A. Membership meetings. The membership of the Council shall meet once every two months at such time and location as set by the membership. A simple majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. Any person who resides in Shandon may be entitled to a reasonably limited place on the agenda for the purpose of presenting or discussing issues relevant to the business of the Council or the welfare of area residents. Requests for placement on the agenda must be submitted to the Secretary or the President prior to the meeting.
B. Special called meetings. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the President or by request of a majority of members of the Council. Notice of the date, time, place, and purpose of a special meeting must be given at least forty-eight hours prior to the meeting; such notice may be given by telephone or electronic mail. A simple majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
C. Annual plenary meeting. The annual plenary meeting shall be held on the second Monday in March. Elections of new council members shall occur at the annual plenary meeting. The Council shall publish notice of time and location of the annual plenary meeting on the Council’s website (www.shandonneighborhood.org) at least thirty days prior to the meeting. The notice shall include the means by which interested persons may obtain the names of nominees and information on other matters to be taken up at the meeting.
CHAPTER FIVE: OFFICERS
The officers of the Council shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, Immediate Past-President, and a Treasurer. All officers (except the incoming President and the Immediate Past-President) shall be elected by the Council immediately following the annual plenary meeting. Terms of office shall be one year, except that the Treasurer shall serve for a term of two years. Terms shall commence immediately upon election. In the event that the Treasurer's term of membership expires before completion of his or her term of office, and he or she is not reelected to the Council, a new treasurer must be elected for a full two-year term. Any officer may be removed from office with or without cause by majority vote of the Council membership at any regular membership meeting or at any properly called special meeting called for that purpose.
A. President. The President shall set the agenda and preside over all meetings of the Council; represent the Council on public occasions before local governmental bodies, and in communications with other organizations; and appoint committees and committee chairs of the Council.
B. President-Elect. The President-Elect shall assist the President as the latter requests, and assume the President's duties in the absence of the President. The President-Elect shall automatically become President of the Council at the conclusion of the current President’s term of office.
C. Secretary. The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all Council meetings, provide members with minutes of the Council’s meetings, maintain adequate records of the Council’s activities, arrange for any notices required by the membership or these Bylaws, and conduct official correspondence as directed by the President.
D. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall collect, safeguard, and disburse all funds obtained in the name of the Council. No expenditure of funds may be made except as approved by the membership of the Council; provided, however, that expenditures of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or less, or any regular, annual expenses, may be made on the concurrence of the Treasurer and President. The Treasurer shall present an informal report of the financial status of the Council at each membership meeting, and shall present a formal financial statement of the Council (including a balance sheet and income and expense statement) at each annual plenary meeting. The Treasurer shall also coordinate compliance by the Council with all requirements of the Internal Revenue Service, the South Carolina Department of Revenue and Taxation, and the South Carolina Secretary of State.
E. Immediate Past-President. The Immediate Past-President shall serve as an officer for one year following his or her term as President, and shall assist and advise the President and the President-Elect in their duties as needed. In the event the Immediate Past-President begins their term at a time when he or she is not an elected member of the Council (i.e. his or her term of office as President and term of membership end simultaneously because he or she is not reelected to the Council or because he or she has completed two full three year terms on Council and is prohibited from running for reelection) he or she may nevertheless continue to be a member of the Council for one year in an advisory, non-voting capacity. If the Immediate Past-President begins their term at a time when he or she is an elected member of the council (i.e. his or her term of office as President ends and he or she still has one or more years left on his or her previous election to council or he or she is reelected to Council) he or she will serve in a voting capacity.
CHAPTER SIX: MEMBERSHIP ELECTIONS
Election of members to the Council shall occur at the annual plenary meeting on the second Monday of March of each year. At least thirty days prior to the annual plenary meeting, the Council shall approve at least one name for each open membership position; the list of nominees must be made known to any area resident requesting such information. Nominations may also be made by any three eligible electors from the floor at the annual plenary meeting. An eligible elector is any person who maintains his or her primary residence in Shandon. Proxy voting shall not be allowed; absentee voting for Council members may be permitted in such manner as established by the Council. New Council members shall be elected by plurality of all votes cast.
CHAPTER SEVEN: AMENDMENT OF THESE BYLAWS
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of all eligible electors present at the annual plenary meeting. Proposed amendments to these bylaws may be submitted to the Council by any member or any three eligible electors; such recommendations must be submitted in writing to the Secretary at least thirty days prior to the annual plenary meeting. When proposed amendments have been properly submitted, the Council shall provide notice of the proposed amendments and provide copies of proposed amendments upon request prior to the vote. Proxy voting will not be allowed.
CHAPTER EIGHT: COUNCIL ASSETS, TAX QUALIFICATION AND DISSOLUTION
No part of the income or assets of the Council may ever inure to the benefit of any member of the Council or any private individual. In the event of dissolution of the Council, all assets remaining after payment of or provision for payment of all legitimate debts and liabilities shall be distributed to any entity which is recognized as exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any succeeding statute of like tenor and effect) or to any political subdivision of the State of South Carolina. To the extent possible in keeping with the requirements of this Chapter Eight, the recipient must be an organization or entity with functions and purpose similar to those of the Council.