Working To Improve Mesa And Its Neighborhoods

MESA GRANDE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE OPERATING RULES

ARTICLE ONE – NAME AND PURPOSE

The name of this informal community organization shall be the Mesa Grande Community Alliance (MGCA), which is organized exclusively for charitable, philanthropic and educational purposes, and more specifically, to promote the improvement of the neighborhoods that make up the Mesa Grande area.

ARTICLE TWO -- VISION STATEMENT

The vision for Mesa Grande, the Northwest Gateway to Mesa, is that it is an area with an excellent quality of life where people may live, work, shop, and learn, worship and play and where positive mixed-use development is taking place. As residents work on the realization of that vision, they will be using as a guide the “A Focused Future: Mesa Grande Community Revitalization Strategy” document adopted by the organization in June 2002, as adapted, amended and updated by the membership over time.

ARTICLE THREE – MEMBERSHIP

All persons residing, owning property or doing business within the MGCA boundaries, who are interested in helping to improve the neighborhoods of Mesa Grande, are eligible to become members of MGCA. Prospective new members will be asked to provide the Steering Committee with a single-page biography containing basic information about themselves, for MGCA’s membership records, but this shall not be a condition of acceptance to membership. Members are entitled to attend general and special meetings; to vote on all questions coming before the general membership; and to hold office and serve on standing or special committees. Members are welcome to attend meetings of the Steering Committee and to participate in discussions on matters before the Steering Committee, but will have no vote on matters before the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE FOUR – STEERING COMMITTEE

The MGCA Steering Committee shall consist of up to thirty members, all residents and/or property-owners within the MGCA boundaries, who are elected annually by the membership, at the annual membership meeting. A listing of possible categories (not all-inclusive) from which members may be drawn is appended to these Rules as Attachment 1, and shall serve as a guide to encourage the broadest possible representation from among those living and/or working within the MGCA borders.

Section 1: Steering Committee Role, and Compensation. The Steering Committee is responsible for the overall direction and policies of the MGCA. Through its Officers and Executive Committee, it delegates responsibility for day-to-day operations and project completion to individual members, and standing and special committees composed of members and other interested parties. Steering Committee members receive no compensation.

Section 2: Meetings. The Steering Committee generally shall meet monthly, at an agreed-upon time and place. At the pleasure of the Executive Committee, standing monthly meetings may be cancelled, except that no more than two consecutive meetings may be cancelled before the Steering Committee must meet again. All members must be notified in advance of a meeting cancellation.

a. An emergency meeting of the Steering Committee may be called by the Chair or his/her designee, with concurrence of the Executive Committee.

Section 3: Steering Committee Elections. Election of new Steering Committee members or re-election of current Steering Committee members to a new term will occur as the first item of business at MGCA’s Annual Meeting.

Section 4: Terms of Office. All Steering Committee members shall serve one-year terms, but are eligible for re-election for up to four additional consecutive one-year terms (for a total of five years’ consecutive service). After a one-year absence from the Steering Committee, members who previously have served are again eligible for election to the Steering Committee.

a. At the unanimous nomination of the Steering Committee, with ratification by a majority of the general membership present at a meeting called for that purpose, a Steering Committee member may continue his/her service on the Steering Committee for an additional two years beyond the above limit.

Section 5: Maximum Size of Steering Committee and Quorum. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the Steering Committee members before financial business can be transacted or a recommendation for disbanding the organization can be entertained; and a simple majority for all other business.

a. Steering Committee size currently is at 11 members. Upon adoption of these Operating Rules, that size may be increased up to a maximum of 30 members.

Section 6: Meeting Notice. Steering Committee members shall be notified no less than one week in advance of any regular meeting date, time and place.

ARTICLE FIVE – OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AND DUTIES

Officers shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, constituting the Executive Committee of the organization. The members of the Steering Committee shall elect these Officers from among their number, at the first Steering Committee meeting following the organization’s Annual Meeting at which Steering Committee members are chosen.

Section 1: Duties of Officers:

a. The Chair shall: create meeting agendas in consultation with the Executive Committee; serve as contact person for the organization with institutional partners and the news media; convene Steering Committee and General Membership meetings; conduct all Executive Committee, Steering Committee and General Membership meetings, or arrange for another Officer to do so, in the following order: Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.

b. The Vice-Chair shall: assume duties of Chair when Chair is unavailable; chair committees on special subjects, as requested by the Steering Committee; serve as backup to and substitute for the Chair in all MGCA business, as necessary.

c. The Secretary shall: keep records of Steering Committee actions, keep minutes, produce all organizational correspondence and conduct all internal communication between and among Steering Committee members, general members and other entities, at the request of the Chair and/or Steering Committee.

d. The Treasurer shall: keep accurate records of the organization’s receipts (including grants) and expenditures, in concert with MGCA;s fiscal agent(s), if any; assist in preparing an annual MGCA budget and financial statements; help develop and implement fundraising plans; monitor the work of MGCA’s fiscal agent(s}, if any; oversee the paying out of funds, as authorized by the Steering Committee; and report, in writing and orally, the organization’s financial status regularly on request of the Steering Committee, but no less than quarterly, in a consistent, understandable format, to Steering Committee members and the General Membership.

e. The Executive Committee shall: have all of the powers and authority of the Steering Committee, except for the power to amend the Operating Rules, make financial decisions, or initiate disbandment of the organization, in the intervals between meetings of the Steering Committee, subject to the direction and control of the Steering Committee.

Section 2: Terms of Office of, and Replacement of, Officers:

a. Officers shall serve one-year terms, but are eligible for re-election for up to four more consecutive one-year terms (for a total of five years’ service).

b. Upon a unanimous vote of the Steering Committee, with ratification by a majority of the general membership present at a meeting called for that purpose, an Officer may continue his/her service as an Officer for an additional two years beyond the above limit.

c. Upon resignation or other departure of an Officer, his/her replacement shall be elected by the Steering Committee at its next regular meeting at which a quorum is present. The Officer so elected shall serve out the remainder of the vacant position’s one-year term, and this service shall not count as the individual’s first year of service for the purpose of his/her terms of office.

ARTICLE SIX -- ELECTING OFFICERS AND STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS AT LARGE; FILLING VACANCIES

Officers and Steering Committee members at large are elected by a majority of members present at the Annual Meeting of the General Membership, and take office immediately. Procedures for conducting annual elections are as follows:

a. Two months before the annual meeting, the Chair appoints a Nominating Committee of three or more members, one of whom should be a member of the Steering Committee who is not an Officer.

b. The Nominating Committee reports its slate of nominees for all open Steering Committee positions to the general membership at a meeting at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting. If a nominee is selected specifically to represent one of the categories contained in Attachment I to these Rules, that nominee must meet the criteria set forth for the position he/she hopes to fill (ie., a person nominated from the Faith Community would indeed have to legitimately represent an identifiable Faith Community within the MGCA borders).

c. The General Membership votes on the slate of nominees at its regular Annual Meeting.

d. If a vacancy occurs on the Steering Committee during the year, the Secretary may receive from present Steering Committee members nominations to fill that vacancy, at least two weeks in advance of the next Steering Committee meeting after the vacancy is known. These nominations shall be sent to Steering Committee members with the regular Steering Committee meeting announcement, and a new member to fill the vacancy shall be selected by majority vote at the next Steering Committee meeting. Term of office of those so elected is until the next regular Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE SEVEN -– RESIGNATION, ABSENCES AND TERMINATION

Resignation from the Steering Committee must be in writing, received by the Secretary and accepted by the Steering Committee. A Steering Committee member may be terminated for cause from the Steering Committee by a majority vote of the Committee, if s/he has three consecutive unexcused absences from Steering Committee meetings in a year. A Steering Committee member may be removed from office for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining Steering Committee members.

ARTICLE EIGHT -- FINANCIAL RECORDS

The Treasurer shall report no less than quarterly to the Steering Committee regarding MGCA finances. The Treasurer will present an annual budget and an annual financial report to the Steering Committee and the general membership for approval. Signatures of two Executive Committee members shall be required on all financial transactions for and in the name of the MGCA.

ARTICLE NINE – STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

The Steering Committee may create Standing and Special Committees as needed.

Standing Committees are as follows, in accordance with the Focused Future plan referenced in Article Two of these Rules:

1. Mesa Grande Archeological Site Development Committee

2. Medical Campus Committee

3. Business/Industrial Corridors Committee

4. Neighborhood Schools Committee

5. Neighborhood Transportation System Committee

6. Parks and Open Spaces/Heritage Preservation Committee

7. Other Standing Committees as deemed necessary by the Steering Committee

Special Committees are as follows:

1. Nominating Committee

2. Other Special Committees as deemed necessary by the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee appoints all Standing Committee chairs from among the members of the Steering Committee. Steering Committee members may also serve on any Special Committee, but may not chair it. The Chair of each Special Committee will be elected by that particular Committee's membership. Special Committees may be created as needed by the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE TEN -- AMENDMENTS

Monthly Meetings. MGCA shall hold regular monthly General Membership Meetings on a date and at a time and place agreed upon by the membership.

Annual Meeting. The date, time and place of a once-a-year regular Annual Meeting shall be set by the Steering Committee.

Special Meetings. A majority (three) of Executive Committee members may call special membership meetings as needed.

ARTICLE ELEVEN -- AMENDMENTS

These Operating Rules may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds vote of the Steering Committee members present at a regularly-convened meeting of the Steering Committee at which a quorum is present. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with the regular Steering Committee agenda packet and meeting notice prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE TWELVE – DISBANDMENT

In the even that the Mesa Grande Community Alliance (MGCA) desires to wholly cease operation as an organization, this may be accomplished by a unanimous vote of a quorum of the Steering Committee, and a ¾ vote of the general membership present at a meeting called for that purpose. Upon such votes, these Operating Rules are extinguished and the Mesa Grande Community Alliance is disbanded as a community organization.

Possible Categories for Membership on the MGCA Steering Committee

(not all-inclusive, intended only as a guideline to encourage the broadest possible representation)

Resident members from neighborhoods and HOAs within MGCA boundaries

Members from the business community (large or small employers; business must be located within MGCA boundaries but representative may live elsewhere)

Members from Educational Community (EVIT, MPS, MCC)

Youth Members (Westwood High School Student Body President, Carson Jr. High Student Body President, Mayor’s Youth Committee)

Banner Mesa Medical Center

Representatives of Hispanic community organizations within MGCA boundaries (Comite, Mesa Association of Hispanic Citizens, etc.)

City of Mesa staff (Neighborhood Outreach, Police Dept., Code Compliance, Planning and Zoning?)

Non-Profit Groups (Mesa United Way, MARC Center, Prehab, Mesa CAN, Men’s Center, Mesa Senior Center, etc)

Faith Community representatives from within MGCA boundaries (Pastor Schaumburg, Jerry Lewis, Jim Wright, Queen of Peace, First Christian, etc.)

Historic District representatives (West 2nd Street, Wilbur, Evergreen, Robson)

City Councilmember (District 1,2, or 3, or a designated representative)