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Bylaw One
Name and Office

The name of the Association shall be the Union Park Neighborhood Association. It will have its principal office in the City of Des Moines at a location as may from time to time be designated by its members or its Steering Committee.

Bylaw Two
Purpose

The Union Park Neighborhood Association exists to preserve the quality of the Union Park neighborhood, promote the area as desirable for families and individuals, foster neighborhood fellowship, and work with the City to serve as a vehicle by which neighborhood problems are resolved and neighborhood goals are achieved.

Bylaw Three
Boundaries

The boundaries of the Association shall be the south side of Hull Avenue on the north, Glenbrook Drive or the railroad tracks on the east, the north side of Washington Avenue on the south, and the Des Moines River and the east side of Second Avenue on the west.

Bylaw Four
Steering Committee

Section 4.1. The Association shall be governed by a Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall manage the business and affairs of the Association.

Section 4.2. Members are welcome to attend all Steering Committee meetings. To become a voting member of the Steering Committee, a member must attend three consecutive Steering Committee meetings. To remain a member in good standing of the Steering Committee, the member should not be absent for more than six consecutive meetings. No limit shall be placed on the length of time a member of the Steering Committee shall be eligible for service.

Section 4.3. Attendance. Any member of the Steering Committee who is absent from six (6) consecutive meetings without a satisfactory reason shall be deemed to have resigned as a member of the Steering Committee and shall cease to be a member thereof. Such member may, however, be reinstated by a majority vote of the Steering Committee.

Section 4.4. Nominating Committee. The officers shall appoint a nominating committee to consist of at least three (3) members of the Association. The nominating committee shall present a slate of officers to the Steering Committee, which shall then vote on the slate. The approved candidates shall be presented at the fall general meeting for a vote by the members. A simple majority of the votes cast shall decide the election.

Section 4.5. Insignia, Colors, Badges, Logos, Flags, and Banners. The Steering Committee may adopt insignia, colors, badges, logos, flags, and banners for the Association, as it deems desirable.

Bylaw Five
Meetings of the Steering Committee

Section 5.1. Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Steering Committee shall be held on the second Tuesday of every month, unless a majority of the Steering Committee deems it unnecessary or when such day falls on a legal holiday, in which event the regular meeting for that month shall be held at such time and place as may be designated by resolution of the Steering Committee.

Section 5.2. Special Meetings. The chair may call a special meeting of the Steering Committee at any time. A special meeting must be called on the written request of any three members of the Steering Committee. At least five (5) working days’ notice by mail, e-mail, or telephone of such meeting must be given to the members of the Steering Committee. The notice must state the purpose of the meeting.

Section 5.3. Quorum. A simple majority of voting members present shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the Steering Committee.

Section 5.4. Order of Business. At meetings of the Steering Committee, the following items should make up the agenda:

1. Roll call or sign-up sheet.
2. Minutes of preceding meeting and action thereon.
3. Reports of Officers and Committees.
4. Elections, when applicable.
5. Old business.
6. New business.

Section 5.5. Open Meetings. All meetings of any committees of the Association and all meetings of the Association as a whole shall be open to anyone who may wish to attend.

Bylaw Six
Officers

Section 6.1. Designation of Officers. The officers of the Association shall be a chair, vice-chair, or cochairs, a recording secretary, a corresponding secretary a treasurer, membership chair, and newsletter editor. The officers shall be elected annually by the members at the fall general meeting and shall hold office until their successors shall have been elected. The offices of recording secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer, membership chair, and newsletter editor may be held by the same person or in any combination by two or three persons. Any active member of the Association shall be qualified to be an officer of the Association.

Section 6.2. Duties of Chair or Co-chair

1. Presiding Officer. The chair, or in the absence of the chair, the vice-chair, shall preside over all meetings of the Association and the Steering Committee.
2. Appointing Committees. The chair shall appoint all committees of the Association, unless otherwise directed by the Steering Committee or general membership.
3. Ex-Officio Member of Committees. The chair or co-chair shall be a member, ex-officio, of all committees. In the absence of the chair, the vice-chair or the other co-chair may so serve.

Section 6.3. Duties of Vice Chair or Co-chair. In the absence or disability of the chair, the vice chair or the other co-chair shall perform all duties of the chair, and in so acting shall have all powers of, and be subject to all restrictions on, the chair.

Section 6.4.1. Duties of Recording Secretary. The recording secretary shall attend and record the minutes of all Steering Committee meetings, and all annual and special meetings of the Association. The recording secretary shall type and distribute the minutes and keep a file of all minutes and permanent attachments to the minutes. The recording secretary shall also keep a file of all correspondence issued on behalf of the Association.

Section 6.4.2. Duties of Corresponding Secretary. The corresponding secretary shall send out invitations, thank-yous, press releases and media announcements to all concerned parties. The corresponding secretary shall forward to the recording secretary copies of all correspondence sent on behalf of the Association.

Section 6.5. Duties of Treasurer. The treasurer shall keep the books and accounts of the Association, and shall perform any other duties usually assigned a treasurer. The treasurer shall make payments only for bills properly approved by the Steering Committee. In the absence or incapacity of the treasurer, the treasurer’s power to sign checks may be delegated by the Steering Committee to one of its members.

Section 6.6. Duties of Membership Chair. The membership chair shall maintain and update the database of the Association members and provide reports needed by the Association.

Section 6.7. Duties of Newsletter Editor. The newsletter editor gathers and edits materials for the newsletter.

Bylaw Seven
Committees

Special committees may be appointed from time to time by the Steering Committee or the chair to consider and report to the Steering Committee on subjects requiring investigation. Special committees may also be formed to accomplish a specific task or plan a specific event. Membership in such committees shall terminate and such committees shall disband after such report is delivered, task is completed, or event is held, unless otherwise directed by the Steering Committee.

Bylaw Eight
Membership

Section 8.1. Membership. Membership in the Association is obtained by payment of annual dues, to be established by the Steering Committee with the approval of the general membership.

Section 8.2. Persons Eligible. Membership in the Association shall be open to persons who live, worship, or own property within the Association’s boundaries.

Section 8.3. Nonpayment of Dues. In a special case, the Steering Committee is empowered to remit the annual dues of a member should a majority of the members of the Steering deem such action to be in the best interest of the Association.

Section 8.4. Effect of Nonpayment of Dues. Any member neglecting to pay dues or obligations of any kind for a period of three months after they are due, provided notice thereof shall have been mailed to the member, shall forfeit his or her rights to membership. After one additional month, if such dues or obligations are still unpaid, the member may be dropped from the roll of membership at the discretion of the Steering Committee. If such discretion is not exercised, the member shall be dropped from the roll at the end of the calendar year.

Bylaw Nine
Association Meetings

Section 9.1. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Association for the election of officers and the transaction of the general business of the Association shall be held in the fall of each year, at a date to be set annually by the Steering Committee. Members not preset at such meeting may vote for election of officers by letter addressed to the recording secretary and postmarked on or before the date of the meeting.

Section 9.2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Association may be called at any time by the chair, and must be called at any time by the chair, or in the absence of the chair, by the vice-chair or cochair, or secretary, on the written request of a majority of the Steering Committee, or on the written request of not less than five (5) members of the Association. Five (5) days notice of any special meeting must be given to the members of the Association. The notice must state the object of the meeting.

Section 9.3. Quorum. A simple majority of voting members present shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the Association.

Section 9.4. Order of Business. At the fall general meeting of the Association, the following shall be the order of business:

1. Roll call or sign-up sheet/introductions.
2. Report on amendments.
3. Elections.
4. Address of guest speaker and discussion thereon.
5. Reports of officers and committees.
6. Old business.
7. New business.

Bylaw Ten
Amendments of Bylaws

Section 10.1. Amendment of Bylaws. These bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members voting at any regular or special meeting of the Association, provided notice of such amendment or amendments and the nature thereof shall have been given to the members of the Association at least five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting at which such amendment or amendments are to be presented for consideration. Any adopted amendments to the bylaws shall be binding on all members, including those who voted against them. Members not present at such meeting may vote by letter addressed to the recording secretary and postmarked on or before the date of the meeting.

Bylaw Eleven
Dissolution

The Association may be dissolved by the vote of a two-thirds majority of its members. In the event of dissolution, the property of the Association, if any, shall be distributed to organizations falling under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or any corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

The General Meeting of the Union Park Neighborhood Association adopted these revised bylaws on November 19, 2003 by unanimous vote.