Harry Stone Crime Watch #1155

2

Proposed Harry Stone Crime Watch Guidelines

Rev. 12/2009

GUIDELINES

 

 

ARTICLE 1 – NAME, PURPOSE AND OFFICES

 

              Section 1.  Name.  The name of this crime watch is Harry Stone Crime Watch #1155.

 

              Section 2.  Purposes.  The Crime Watch is organized and will be operated exclusively in cooperation with the Dallas Police Department and the citizens of the Crime Watch #1155 for the benefit and betterment of the neighborhood (Area) bordered by Shiloh, Oates, Ferguson, and Gus Thomasson.

 

              Section 3.  Offices.  The Crime Watch will have no permanent office but may select temporary offices from time to time as determined necessary.  The Crime Watch will receive correspondence at its electronic mailbox HSCW.contact@gmail.com

 

 

ARTICLE II – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Section 1.  Power and Duties.  The activities and affairs of this Crime Watch shall be managed by its Board of Directors, who may exercise all such powers of the Crime Watch and do all such lawful acts and things as are permitted by statute or by these Guidelines.

 

Section 2.  Board of Directors.  The entirety of the Board shall reside, own property and/or principally manage or otherwise operate a business in the crime watch area.  The Board shall consist of the Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary, Treasurer, a representative of the business community, a liaison to the Ferguson Road Initiative, a liaison to City Hall, a liaison to non-profits, and a Field Director.

 

(a) Representative of the business community.  May be the owner or manager of a business in the crime watch area.  He or she will maintain continuous communication with all businesses in the area and will represent their collective interests on the Board.

(b) Liaison to the Ferguson Road Initiative (FRI).  Must be a member of the Crime Watch area.  Will actively participate on the FRI and represent the Crime Watch’s interests and communicate relevant information to the Crime Watch Board.

(c)  Liaison to City Hall.  Must be a member of the Crime Watch area.  Will monitor agenda items of the City Council, Plan Commission, and Parks and Recreation Board.  Will inform the Board of relevant items related to planning and zoning, public safety, and public improvements.

(d) Liaison to Non-Profits.  Must be a member of the Crime Watch area.  Will regularly communicate with Kiest Elementary, Harry Stone Recreation Center, and churches in the Area.  Will inform the Board of relevant items.

(e) Field Director.  Must be a member of the Crime Watch area.  Will serve as the communication conduit between the Board and the 13 section coordinators comprising the Area. 

 

              Section 3.  Election and Term of Offices.  Each officer will be elected by the membership and serve a term of 2 years or until his or her death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office.  Board members who are not officers will be appointed by the Chair with the approval of the membership and will serve a 1 year term for no more than 3 consecutive terms.

 

              Section 4.  Vacancies.  Any officer vacancy resulting from the death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, or removal from office shall be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining Directors at a special meeting or the next electoral meeting. 

 

              Section 5.  Removal of Directors.  Any Director may be removed, with cause at any electoral or special meeting of the Board of Directors by the affirmative vote of a majority of the number of Directors, if written notice of the intention to act upon such matter is given in the notice of such meeting.

 

(a) Any Officer who misses two (2) consecutive meetings or a total of four (4) meetings during the calendar year, unless such absence is excused by a majority vote of the Board, shall be removed from the Board as of the immediate subsequent Board meeting until and unless the Board reinstates such member.  Reinstated members will automatically be removed if they miss an additional Board meeting during the remainder of the calendar year.

 

ARTICLE III – MEETINGS

 

Section 1.  Place of Meeting.  General meetings will be held at an available facility the Board agrees upon.

 

Section 2.  Membership Meetings.  Membership meetings will be held three (3) times a year, in February, June, and October.  The date, time, and location of the meeting will be emailed to members, will be posted on the Crime Watch website, and a flyer will be posted at the Harry Stone Recreation Center.  If possible, a flyer will be distributed to households at least one week in advance of the meeting.  Except as otherwise provided by the statute, and these Guidelines, any and all business may be transacted at any regular meeting.

 

Section 3.  Electoral Meetings.  Officer Elections will be held at the October membership meeting every other year unless events arise that call for a special election. Officers will be elected by a majority of qualified persons present at the electoral meeting.  The Board may make special provisions for those wishing to vote absentee or by proxy. The newly elected Board will assume office immediately. Written notice of the date, time, and location of the electoral meeting will be stated on the Crime Watch’s website, via email and/or by flyer, which will be delivered by hand to every household in the Area.  Board members who are not officers will be appointed annually by the Chair with the approval of the membership

 

Section 4.  Special Meetings.  Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Chair, any two members of the Executive Committee, or any three members of the Board by written notice five days prior to the Meeting and addressed to each Board Member at the last address on file with the Secretary.  The Notice shall set forth the time and place and the purpose of such meeting.  No other business than that set forth in the Notice shall be transacted at a Special Meeting.

 

(a)           Special meetings of the general membership can be called by written notice at least one week in advance of the meeting.  A majority vote by the Board can constitute the calling of a special meeting.

 

Section 5.  Quorum and Manner of Acting.  At all meetings of the Board of Directors, the presence of 51% of the Board of Directors shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, except otherwise provided by statute, by these Guidelines.  The act of a majority of the Directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors unless the act of a greater number is required by statute, or by these Guidelines, in which case the act of such greater number, shall be requisite to constitute the act of the Board.  If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the Directors, the Directors present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a Quorum shall be present.  At any such adjourned meeting , any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally convened.

 

(a) Meetings will be held in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order.

 

Section 6  Director Compensation.  No Director shall receive compensation for his or her services as a Director or as a member of any standing or special committee of the Board.  Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Director from receiving reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Crime Watch.

 

Section 7.  Consent of Directors.  Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors or any committee may be taken without meeting if a consent in writing or majority vote of the Board is taken on the action.

 

ARTICLE III – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, SPECIAL COMMITTEE, AND ADVISORY BOARD

 

                           

Section 1.  Special Committees.  The Chair may designate three (3) or more persons to constitute a special committee or committees for any purpose provided that such committee or committees shall have and may exercise only the power of recommending action to the Board of Directors and of carrying out and implementing any instructions or policies, plans and programs therefore approved, authorized and adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2.  Term of Office.  Each committee member shall serve until the next electoral meeting of the members of the Crime Watch and until his/her successor is appointed, unless the committee shall be sooner terminated, or unless such member be removed from such committee, or unless such member shall cease to qualify as a member thereof.

 

Section 3.  Committee Chairs.  One member of each committee shall be appointed Chair by the person or persons authorized to appoint the member thereof as approved by the Board of Directors.

 

 

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS; POWERS AND DUTIES

 

              Section 1.  Elected Officials.  The elected officers of the Crime Watch shall be the Chair, the Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as may be elected in accordance with provisions in these Guidelines. 

 

              Section 2.  Term of Office, Removal, Filling of Vacancies.  Each officer shall be elected in accordance with his or her election to the Board of Directors for a two (2) year term and may not serve in the same office capacity for more than two (2) consecutive terms.  Any officer may be removed at any time by the Board of Directors whenever in its judgment the best interest of the Crime Watch, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the rights, if any, of the persons so removed.  If the office of any officer becomes vacant for any reason, the vacancy will be filled by the Board of Directors.

 

              Section 3.  Chair.  The Chair shall be the chief operating officer of the Crime Watch.  He/she will be the main contact with the Dallas Police Department and the Crime Watch Executive Board representative.  He/she shall have the active supervision and control of the operations and affairs of the Crime Watch.  The Chair shall have, within limits directly approved by the Board of Directors, the general authority to cause employment or appointment of such services necessary for the Crime Watch to achieve or attempt to achieve its purpose as defined in Article I.  The Chair can serve on all Crime Watch committees but shall not serve as Chair of any of those committees.  Upon conclusion of his/her term, the outgoing Chair shall serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors.

 

              Section 4.  Vice-Chair.  The Vice-Chair shall generally assist the Chair and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties and services in the absence of the Chair.

 

              Section 5.  Secretary.  The Secretary shall ensure that notice is given of all scheduled meetings of the general membership and Board of Directors and shall keep minutes of meetings of the general membership and the Board of Directors.  He/she shall be responsible for gathering and posting relevant information on the Crime Watch website and generally perform all duties usually pertaining to the office of the secretary of the Crime Watch.

 

              Section 6.  Treasurer.  The Treasurer shall be the chief accounting and financial officer of the Crime Watch and shall have the authority for all matters pertaining to accounts and finances of the Area as established by the Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall generally perform all duties usually pertaining to the office of treasurer of the Crime Watch and will, along with the Chair, co-sign for the Crime Watch expenditures from the Area checking account.

 

              Section 7.  Additional Powers and Duties.  In addition to the foregoing especially enumerated duties, services, and powers, the several elected and appointed officers of the Crime Watch shall perform such duties and services and exercise such further powers as may be provided by statute, the Crime Watch Guidelines, or as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine or as may be assigned to them by any competent superior officer of the Crime Watch.

 

              Section 8. Spokesperson.  Any public statements on behalf of the Board shall be made only by or at the direction of majority vote of the Board.

 

              Section 9.  The Board may contract with other persons and agencies, both public and private, in accordance with policy for the rendering of services or for programs of mutual action furtherance of the Board’s purposes, programs, and activities.

 

ARTICLE V – AMENDMENTS

 

These Guidelines may be altered, amended, or repealed, or new guidelines maybe adopted at any regular or special meeting of the qualified members by a two-thirds affirmative vote of those present, providing that the alteration, repeal, or adoption be contained in the notice of such meeting and has been submitted in writing to the Board and members at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.

 

 

Draft 1/19/2010