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Section 1: Name of Organization:

The name of the organization shall be the MESA PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, formerly known as "Mesa Park Civic Association." The organization shall function and operate as a non-profit organization, and hereinafter be referred to as the Association.

Section 2: Purpose of the Association

The purpose of the association is to seek to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood in such matters as land use, environmental protection, public services, consumer protection, and other matters of neighborhood concern.

1. Inform residents of Mesa Park about issues of general concern to the neighborhood through newsletters, association meetings, and other means.
2. Promote community safety through the neighborhood watch program, the dissemination of information, education and other means.
3. Promote a sense of community through neighborhood activities.
4. Protect and improve Schroeter Park by organizing park clean up days, cooperate with city departments, and notifying police of suspicious activities.
5. Encourage the enhancement of property value and esthetics in the neighborhood.
6. Represent the interests of the neighborhood to relevant governmental and civic agencies.

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Section 1: Membership Qualifications

1. Membership in the Association shall be open to all residents and property owners 18 years of age and older within the boundaries of the Mesa Park neighborhood.
2. Honorary membership may be awarded to persons who have performed services that tend to further the purpose of the Association. The election of honorary membership shall be by majority vote of the membership. Honorary members shall have no vote.

Section 2: Membership Voting

1. Members of the Association present at any meeting shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the membership.
2. A quorum shall be necessary for the transaction of Association business. A Quorum be constituted of at least ten members.
3. An affirmative vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of the members constituting a quorum shall be binding on the Association.
4. To be eligible to vote for Association officers, an individual must be a member in the Association.

Section 3: Membership Lists

The membership list and information gathered by the Association is to be used solely for conducting Association business. This information will not be released or sold to individuals or organizations for other uses.

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Section 1: Income

The Association charges no dues or membership fees; however, voluntary contributions are accepted. Activities to raise funds for Association use may be held if appropriate.
Section 2: Expenditures

1. The fiscal year of the association shall run from January 1st to December 31st.
2. The board of directors shall adopt a budget by the end of January describing the planned expenditures and projected income for the fiscal year.
3. The budget shall be published in the first newsletter distributed after adoption of the budget.
4. The board of directors shall accept comments and suggestions from the general membership for alteration of the budget, but the final decision with respect to the budget is the sole province of the board of directors.
5. The approval of the budget by the Board authorizes expenditures described in the budget.
6. The board of directors may alter the budget at any time during the calendar year by majority vote of a quorum of board members.
7. Expenditures not included in the budget may be approved by majority vote of a quorum of board members.
8. Any donation received for which the donor has specified a particular use, shall be used for the specified purpose or returned to the donor. Such donations may be accepted or rejected at the discretion of the President of the Association unless overruled by a majority of the members of the Board of directors.

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Section 1: General Membership Meetings

Meetings of the general membership shall be held a minimum of quarterly, and a maximum of once a month, as called by the President of the Association, and/or the Board of Directors.

Section 2: Board Meetings

Meetings of the Board shall be held at least quarterly.

Section 3: Member Privileges

The privilege of holding office, introducing motions, participating in floor debate, and voting shall be limited to members of the Association.

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Section 1: Number of Directors

The Board of Directors shall consist of no less than three members-at-large, in addition to the officers set forth in this Article.

Section 2: Terms of Office

Board member-at-large #1 shall serve a one year term. All other directors shall serve for two year terms that shall be staggered in such a way that approximately half of the Directors are elected annually at the fall membership meeting.

Section 3: Eligibility for Board Service:

Only persons eligible for Association membership shall be qualified to hold an elected or appointed position.

Section 4: Duties of the Board

The Board shall manage the affairs of the Association in the interim between general meetings. The board shall be accountable to the membership; shall seek the views of those affected by any proposed policies or reactions before adopting any recommendation on behalf of the Association; shall strictly comply with these bylaws.

Section 5: Election of Board Members

Board members shall be elected annually by a vote of the membership at its annual meeting. The names of all candidates for the board shall be placed in nomination. Election requires a majority vote of the membership present.

Section 6: Board Vacancies

The board may fill any vacancy on the board or a committee by majority vote of the board in cases involving absences by a board or committee member from three (3) consecutive meetings. A member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term and until his/here successor is elected or appointed.

Section 7: Duties of the Board Members

1. President
The President shall prepare the agendas for all general meetings and for board meetings, preside at general meetings and at Board meetings, be an ex-officio member of all committees, and authorize all expenditures of Association moneys. The president shall appoint members of committees not elected, subject to approval by a majority of the board. The President shall authorize all statements made on behalf of the Association.
2. Vice-president
The Vice-president shall fulfill the duties of the President in the President's absence, shall serve as parliamentarian of the Association, and shall perform other duties delegated by the President.
3. Secretary
The secretary shall keep minutes and written records of majority and minority opinions expressed at all meetings; shall keep a file copy of all public correspondence of the Association; shall make records of the Association available for inspection for any proper purpose at any reasonable time.
4. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for Association moneys, including receipts for newsletter advertising, donations, receipts from fund raising activities, and payment of Association expenses. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures, shall maintain accounts of the Association, shall notify the president of all expenditures from Association accounts, and report the status of all accounts at general meetings.
5. Board Members-at-Large and Committee Chairpersons
Chairpersons of committees shall inform the board and Association of all activities of their respective committees.

Section 8: Board Meetings

The board shall meet at least seven days prior to any general or special membership meeting and at any other time the chairperson may designate. These meetings shall be open session; however, only board members shall be entitled to vote. A quorum for board meetings shall be the number of board members in attendance; decisions shall be made by majority vote. Directors shall be notified of board meetings in writing or by telephone in advance. A majority of board members by signed petition, may call a board, general or special meeting.

Section 9: Emergency Powers of the Board

In such cases where the board is required to provide neighborhood response before the question is presented to the membership, the board must indicate to the questioner that this is the case, and shall present the action taken at a special or general meeting within thirty days, or within a reasonable time for ratification by the membership where circumstances dictate.

Section 10: Termination for Nonattendance

Any officer may be removed from office for cause at any meeting by two-thirds of the board members, providing that notice has been furnished to the officer and all other board members at least two weeks before said meeting.

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The board shall establish both standing and ad hoc committees as it deems necessary. Committees shall make recommendations to the board for board actions. Committees shall not have the power to act on behalf of the organization without specific authorization from the board.

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Section 1: Definition

A conflict of interest exists for a member or a board member whenever the member or board member holds a personal financial interest which will be impacted by the action or inaction by the Association on a proposal before the membership or board. A personal financial interest shall include a financial interest held by the member or board member and/or by members or their immediate family. A personal financial interest includes an ownership interest above five percent of a business which will be impacted by the decision of the Association. Examples of personal financial interest would include: employment by the Association; ownership of property the use or control of which is being considered by the Association; or plans to purchase property the use or control of which is under discussion by the Association.

Section 2: Declaring the Conflict of Interest

Whenever a member or board member determines that they have a conflict of interest relating to an item under discussion, they must inform the body (membership and board) hearing the proposal that the conflict of interest exists.
Section 3: Abstention from Voting

Members or board members shall not vote on matters in which they have a conflict of interest.

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Section 1: Eligibility to Grieve

A person or group adversely affected by a decision or policy of the Association may submit in writing a complaint to any member of the Grievance Committee.

Section 2: Complaint Receipt

Within seven days of receipt of the complaint, the committee shall arrange with the petitioner a mutually acceptable place, day, and hour for a review of the complaint. Within thirty days of that meeting, the committee shall submit to the board a written recommendation for resolving the complaint.

Section 3: Final Resolution

The committee shall attempt to resolve the complaint and shall submit a report of their recommendation and/or action to the petitioner board, and membership. If the committee, board, and petitioner cannot reach agreement, final resolution of the complaint shall be by vote of a majority of the membership at a general or special meeting.

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Section 1: Submission of Proposals

Any person or group, inside or outside the boundaries of the ASSOCIATION and any city agency may propose in writing items for the consideration and/or recommendation to the board. The board shall decide whether proposed items will appear on the agenda of either the board, standing committee, special committee, general meeting, or special meeting.

Section 2: Notification

The proponent and members directly affected by such proposals shall be notified in writing, at least seven days in advance, of the place, day, and hour that the proposal will be reviewed.

Section 3: Attendance

The proponent may attend this meeting to make a presentation and answer questions concerning the proposal.

Section 4: Dissemination

The Association shall submit recommendations and dissenting views as recorded from the meeting to the proponent and other appropriate parties.

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The boundaries of the Mesa Park neighborhood are:

1. Duval road on the north
2. the fourth house south of Wind River on the south
3. US 183 (Research Blvd) on the west
4. the property behind Red Cloud Drive known as The Quarries to the railroad tracks on the east.

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The Association shall abide by all Texas Statutes relative to public meetings and public records. Official action taken by the Association must be on record or part of the minutes of each meeting. The minutes shall include a record of attendance and the results of any vote taken. A summary of dissenting views should be transmitted along with any recommendations made by the Association to the city.

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The Association shall not discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, income, or political affiliation in any of its policies, recommendations or actions.

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Upon the dissolution of the Association, no class of member shall have any right nor shall receive any assets of the Association. The assets of the Association are permanently dedicated to a tax-exempt propose. In the event of dissolution, the assets of the Association will be delivered to a succeeding tax-exempt neighborhood organization recognized by the City of Austin, Texas. Otherwise, the assets will be distributed to an organization that is tax-exempt under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) or (501(c)(4))of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States.

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These sections were moved to this appendix as a temporary measure until the committees described create a mission statement and set of procedures for conducting the business for which they were created. This appendix is not part of the by- laws but provides a means for the Association to list the committees which it has authorized.

Section 1: Mesa Park Neighborhood Watch

Mesa Park subdivision is divided into four sections containing a total of fifty-eight neighborhood watch groups. If the neighborhood needs to be notified rapidly, the section leaders will be notified by the President of the Association. The section leaders will, in turn, call each of the watch group captains in their respective sections. The watch group captains will notify each household in their watch group.

Each neighborhood watch captain will be responsible for informing the Association President of any incident in their area, setting up training meetings with the Austin Police Department, and informing each home in their watch group as appropriate. They will help keep the watch group informed and follow guidelines set up by the police department.

Section 2: Park Committee

The Park Committee shall consist of the Park Committee Chairperson, the President of the Association, and other members of the Association who are interested in keeping the park clean and safe. The Park Committee Chairperson will be the liaison person between the Association and the Parks and Recreation Department of Austin, Texas. Any problems or concerns regarding Schroeter Park should be reported to the Park Committee Chairperson.

Section 3: Others

1. Establish standing committees along with rules and procedures for those committees.
2. Establish rules for conducting general meetings. Doing so may avoid unpleasant situations where persons feel they have been ignored or mistreated.

Considerations:
Standing rules for meetings and committees should not be part of the bylaws. They could not be altered in a reasonable amount of time to react to a changing situation.

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First Version

The first draft of the bylaws was base on the previous set of bylaws for the association that were used before the association became inactive and the model bylaws distributed by the City Planning Commission Neighborhood Empowerment Subcommittee. The draft was written over a period beginning July 18, 1995 and ending November 8, 1995. The bylaws were then approved by the membership at a general meeting on September 29, 1995.

Version 2

The following change was adopted at the general meeting on September 24, 1996. ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Section 2: Terms of Office was changed to have Board member-at-large #1 serve a one year term.

Version 3

The following changes were adopted at the meeting of March 25, 1997:

1. Article X: Boundaries
The western boundary was change from Angus Drive to US 183.

1. A new section (Section 3) was added to Article II Membership restricting the use of Association membership lists for Association business only.

Version 4

The following changes were adopted at the meeting of February 25, 1998:

1. Article II, Section 2, item 4.
The requirement that a member of the association have attended two general meetings to be eligible to vote were dropped. The words ", and have attended two general meetings, effective second meeting of attendance." were struck from the previous version.
2. Article IV, Section 7, item1
The wording of the section was changed to make it clear that the only president has the authority to call a general meeting and set the agenda for such a meeting. In the first sentence, the word "all" was inserted before "general meetings".
3. Article XIV
Add a second IRS class of tax-exempt organization to which the assets of the association may be delivered if the association is dissolved. The words "or (501(c)(4))" were inserted after "(501(c)(3))".

Version 5

The following changes were adopted at the meeting of April 30, 2002

1. Article III

The article was expanded to describe the management of income and expenditures.

2. Article IV

Fiscal year specification moved to Article III.

3. Article V

A small number of words were changed to make the duties and authorities of the President and Secretary more precise.

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