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BY-LAWS of the GOVERNMENT HILL COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Government Hill Community Council, hereinafter referred to as the “Council”.

Article II. Purposes

In addition to those set forth in Section 2.40.020 of the Anchorage Municipal Code, the purposes of the Council are: (1) to promote and maintain the betterment of the Government Hill neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska; (2) to perform the functions of a community council as prescribed in Section 2.40.050 of the Anchorage Municipal Code; and (3) to encourage the participation of all Government Hill residents, property owners and business owners in the continual improvement of the neighborhood through the Government Hill Community Council.

Article III. Location

The principal location of the Council in the State of Alaska shall be in that neighborhood in the Municipality of Anchorage commonly known as Government Hill, within the following boundaries: all that portion of the Municipality of Anchorage north of Ship Creek, excluding Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), but including Government Hill Elementary School as depicted in Map 5, Northeast Anchorage Bowl Community Council Districts as listed under Municipal Code 2.40.040.

Article IV. Membership

Section 1. Membership.To be eligible for membership in the Council, persons must be at least 18 years of age and live within the boundaries of the Council, or own a business within the boundaries of the Council, or be a non-resident property owner within the boundaries of the Council, or work for a nonprofit located within the boundaries of the Council. However, there is only one membership, or vote, for each non-resident property owner, business, service or nonprofit organization. Non-resident property owners, business owners and non-profits can designate a primary and alternate representative.

Section 2. Membership Eligibility, Determination. At the beginning of each Council meeting, members will sign in, stating their name, residence or business address on Government Hill and their telephone number. If an individual or person’s membership eligibility is questioned, the Council may require the questioned individual or person to furnish proof of his or her membership eligibility.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1. Meetings. There shall be an annual membership meeting in January of each year. The Council shall meet monthly during the year at a time and place the Council, or the Executive Board, establishes. A special meeting of the Council members may be called by the President, the Executive Board or by a petition signed by Council members equal to at least 10 percent of the members in good standing. That petition shall be addressed to the President or to the Executive Board calling a special meeting to be held within 14 days of the petition. A public notice must be given for all Council meetings. The meeting notice may be given by direct mail or email to Council members, or in newspapers, or radio or television community service announcements, or by any means that will ensure timely, effective notice to Council members.

Section 2. Quorum. A quorum for the transaction of business at any annual, regular or special meeting of the Council consists of eight Council members in good standing.

Section 3. Place of Meeting. All meetings of the Council shall be held on Government Hill, unless a majority of the Council members present and voting determines otherwise.

Section 4. Voting. A member in good standing is entitled to one vote. No member of the Council may vote by proxy.

Section 5. Minutes. Minutes must be taken at all meetings of the Government Hill Community Council. The minutes will be posted on the Federation of Community Council's website.

Section 6. Meeting Rosters. Meeting and/or member attendance rosters “shall be used only for council business”.

Article VI. Officers; Executive Board

Section 1. General Powers. The affairs of the Council shall be governed and managed by its officers. The Executive Board may act on matters of Council business between annual, regular or special meetings of the Council, and on those other matters authorized by law, these By-laws, or under or within policy guidance provided by Council members at Council meetings. Actions of the officers, or the Executive Board, shall be reported to the next regular Council meeting; and the actions may be reviewed and approved by Council members at annual, regular or special meetings.

 

Section 2. Officers. The Council shall elect the officers of the Council at the annual membership meeting. The officers of the Council are a President, Vice President and Secretary- Treasurer. However, the Council may elect two members to one or more of these offices as Co- President, Co-Vice President or Co-Secretary-Treasurer, if circumstances warrant. The officers shall hold office for one year, or until their successors are elected and qualify.

 

Section 3. Executive Board. The Executive Board consists of the officers of the Council, at least one, but no more than three members of the Council elected at large at the annual membership meeting, the immediate past President of the Council and the Delegate to the Board of the Federation of Community Councils. At least one of member of the Council elected at large shall be from among the following: either real property, business, service or non-profit organization. The President of the Council is chairman of the Executive Board. The Executive Board meets at the call of its chair, or a majority of the members of the Committee.

 

Section 4. Officers; Duties.

(a) The President presides at Council and Executive Board meetings. Unless otherwise provided by these By-Laws, the President or the Executive Board appoint members of all standing or temporary committees. The President shall perform those other duties that are generally performed by presidents of like organizations or that may be assigned by the Executive Board or the Council members.

(b) In the absence of the President, or in the case of his or her inability to act, the duties of the President shall be performed by the Vice President. If the President is removed from office, resigns, dies or becomes permanently disabled, or otherwise no longer qualifies for membership in the Council, the Vice President automatically becomes President for the balance of the President’s term. The Vice President shall perform those other duties which are generally performed by vice presidents of like organizations or that may be assigned by the President, the Executive Board or the Council members.

(c) The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the minutes of the Council meetings and of the Executive Board, send out notices of Council and Executive Board meetings, have custody of Council records and shall be in charge of the correspondence, received or sent by the Council. He or she shall make disbursements of Council funds and keep the necessary financial records. The Secretary-Treasurer shall perform those other duties that are generally performed by secretary-treasurers of like organizations or that may be assigned by the President, the Executive Board or the Council members.

Section 5. Vacancies. A vacancy may occur in a Council office because of the death, resignation, removal or disqualification of any officer. Except for the office of President, that vacancy shall be filled by election by Council members for the duration of the unexpired term. A vacancy in the office of Immediate Past President shall be filled from among the Past Presidents of the Council who still are members in good standing of the Council and who still reside, own property, or own or operate a business, service or nonprofit organization on Government Hill.

Section 6. Delegate, Federation of Community Councils. The Council shall elect, or, subject to the approval of the Executive Board and the Council, the President may appoint, a member of the Council as a Delegate to the Board of the Federation of Community Councils. The election or appointment shall occur at the annual membership meeting, and the term of office of the Delegate is one year. The Delegate is a member of the Executive Board. Article VII. Elections A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President of the Council not later than the November meeting. The recommendations of the Nominating Committee shall be announced to the Council not later than the December meeting. Elections shall be held at the annual membership meeting in January. Nominations from the floor may be made at that annual membership meeting. Both the Nominating Committee and a Council member making a nomination from the floor shall give assurance that the person will accept the office if elected. Newly elected officers take office immediately after the conclusion of the annual membership meeting, unless otherwise provided by vote of the Council membership.

Article VIII. Committees

Section 1. Scope of Authority, Duration. All committees, except the Executive and Financial Review Committees, shall be for a specific purpose and duration.

Section 2. Appointment. The President or the Executive Board may appoint and define the duties of those committees that may be necessary for the accomplishment of the purposes and functions of the Council. A Committee also may be proposed by Council members at a Council meeting; however, it may be created only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the members in good standing present.

Section 3. Limitations of Powers. No committee, nor any member of the Council, may make public any action or any resolution of the Council or represent himself or herself to be a spokesperson for the Council on that action or resolution, or in any way commit the Council or its members to any course of action on a question of policy or on a matter of general public interest without first having received specific approval or instruction from the Council or the Executive Board following a Council or Executive Board meeting.

Article IX. Finance: Income, Expenditures; Checks, Deposits; Gifts

Section 1. Income Source. The Council may accept gifts, grants, or contributions, in cash or in kind, from individuals, organizations, government, business, industry, educational institutions, foundations, or any other source. Any gift, grant or contribution shall be conveyed to the Council by an appropriate legal instrument, and it may be accepted for any general or special Council purpose. A full report of any gift, grant or contribution to the Council shall be made by the Secretary-Treasurer at the next Council meeting after the gift, grant or contribution has been made and accepted by the Executive Board.

Section 2. Checks, Drafts; Other Evidences of Indebtedness. All checks, drafts or orders for the payment of money, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the Council shall be signed by an officer or officers, agent or agents, of the Council in the manner the Executive Board, or the Council determines. In the absence of that determination, these instruments shall be signed by any two of the following Council officers: the President, Vice President, or Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 3. Limitations on Expenditures. No officer, without the approval of the Executive Board or the Council membership, may expend, or authorize the expenditure, of more than $200 of Council funds.

Section 4. Banking. All Council funds shall be deposited in a timely manner to the credit of the Council in the banks, trust companies, credit unions or other depositories, including but not limited to a savings and loan association, that the Executive Board or the Council may select. Deposits, withdrawals and special accounts may be managed in a manner prescribed by the Executive Board. However, the Secretary-Treasurer shall make a financial report at each regular Council meeting, and at each Executive Board Meeting; that report is subject to the approval of the Council membership.

Section 5. Annual Financial Review. The financial records of the Council shall be reviewed annually by a person or by a committee selected by the Council membership at the end of each fiscal year. The annual financial review shall be circulated among the Council membership.

Section 6. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Council shall begin on the first day of January and end on the last day of December of each calendar year. Article X. Council Endorsement The council shall not endorse a candidate for federal, state or municipal elected office.

Article XI. Dissolution;

 Disposition of Council Property Unless otherwise provided by law, dissolution may occur by vote of three-fourths of the members of the Council in good standing at a regular Council meeting, at a special meeting called for that purpose or by mail ballot. Dissolution also may occur when there are less than five members of the Council in good standing on the membership rolls. If the Council is dissolved by law, or by one of the procedures set out in this Article, then the Council property, including but not limited to funds remaining in the Council treasury, after all obligations are met, shall be donated to the Municipality of Anchorage.

Article XII. Parliamentary Procedure

  In all instances not covered by applicable law or these By-laws, the most recent edition of Roberts’ Rules of Order, Revised shall prevail.

Article XIII. Amendments

Proposed amendments to the By-laws, unless otherwise prescribed by law, shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer who shall refer them to the Executive Board for their recommendation and to the Council for its consideration at the next regular Council meeting, the Council’s annual meeting, or at a special meeting called for that purpose. The Executive Board shall make its recommendation concerning the proposed amendment at the Council meeting at which the amendment is to be considered. Written notice of the Council meeting at which an amendment to these By-laws will be considered, together with an informative summary of the proposed amendment(s), shall be mailed to Council members, or given public notice by the public notice processes prescribed in Article V, Section 1, of these Bylaws, at least 14 days before the meeting at which the amendment(s) will be considered. A vote of two-thirds of the members of the Council in good standing present at a regular meeting, or at a special meeting called for that purpose, is necessary to adopt any amendment to these By-laws. A mail ballot may be used for the adoption of amendments to these By-laws, as prescribed by the Executive Board; however, any mail ballot voting procedure must contain deadlines for receipt of the ballots.

CERTIFICATION OF ADOPTION I certify that these By-laws were submitted in accordance with Article XII, By-laws of the Government Hill Community Council, and were presented, amended, and adopted by vote of the Council membership on the 15th day of March 1990, and further amended by vote of the Council membership on the 20th day of November 2003, and further amended by vote of the Council membership on the 20th day of February 2014 and edited on the 23rd day of May 2014 to conform to Anchorage Municipal Code.

ATTEST: ____________ Stephanie Kesler President