West 46th Street Block Association, Inc.

Constitution and By-Laws

Approved October 6, 1981 Amended November 1984 and March 2002

ARTICLE 1. OFFICES
The principal office of the West Forty-Sixth Street Block Association, Inc. shall be in the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York.

ARTICLE 2. PURPOSES
The purposes for which this Association has been organized are to promote a better neighborhood through the monitoring of city services and to initiate innovative programs which will improve and benefit the community.

ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP
A. Qualifications for membership- Persons 16 years of age, residing on, or having their business, professional offices, or property on West 46th Street between the west side of 8th Avenue and the east side of 11th Avenue, or on 9th or 10th Avenues between the south sides of West 47th Street and north side of West 45th Street, are eligible for membership in the Block Association.
B. Membership categories- the categories of membership shall be as follows:
1. Residential- persons residing in the area described in Section One of this Article.
2. Commercial/Institutional- businesses, professional offices and property owners, and any religious, charitable, or not-for-profit organization whose primary office or operation is located in the area described in Section A of this Article.
C. Members in good standing- residential and Commercial/Institutional Members shall be deemed in good standing four weeks after payment of the annual dues.
D. Dues- annual dues for each category of membership shall be established by the general membership at the November meeting each year and shall be effective in January of the next calendar year.
E. Program year- The program year shall commence the first Tuesday of each January.

ARTICLE 4. OFFICERS
A. The officers shall be: President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.
1. President- the President shall be chief executive officer of the Association and shall preside at all meetings of the general membership and Executive Committee. The President shall have the general management of the affairs of the Association and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the membership and Executive Committee are carried into effect. The President shall appoint the chairpersons for the standing committees and the members at large. The President is entitled to vote when the vote is by ballot and in all other cases where the vote would change the result. The President is ex-officio, a member of every committee and shall sign all Block Association correspondence generated by them.
2. Vice-President- During the absence or disability of the President, the Vice-President shall have all the powers and functions of the President. The Vice-President shall perform such other duties as the Association or Executive Committee shall prescribe.
3. Treasurer- the Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all the funds and securities of the Association and shall deposit said funds. The Treasurer shall record all transactions and report them to the membership on a monthly basis. The Treasurer shall notify the membership Committee Chair of all dues payments received, with the name of the member and date of the transaction.
4. Secretary- the Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Executive Committee and general membership meetings. This officer shall record attendance at the membership meetings.
B. The general membership shall decide if a vacancy exists; if so, it shall be filled by appointment by the President. An Officer appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term of his/her predecessor.

ARTICLE 5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
A. The President shall appoint a nominating committee to be announced at the September general meeting.
B. The nominating committee shall submit its recommendations to the membership at the October general meeting.
C. Any member in good standing may place his/her name on the ballot by submitting a written request signed by ten other members in good standing to the Chairperson of the nominating committee on or before October 15th.
D. Election of the officers shall be the first order of business at the November general meeting.
E. The responsibilities of newly elected officers shall commence January First of the following year.
F. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the members in good standing at the November membership meeting for a term of one year.
G. No officer shall be elected for more than two consecutive terms to the same office.
H. Balloting.
1. Ballots will be sent out by mail to all members to be returned in person or by mail by the November meeting.
2. The election will be chaired by a member in good standing who is not a member of the Nominating Committee, not running for office and not a present officer. This Chairperson will be selected by the Executive Committee and will oversee tallying of votes.

ARTICLE 6. MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
A. Membership meetings shall be held on the first Tuesday of every month. Meetings may be waived or re-scheduled by a majority consensus vote of the general membership.
B. Quorum: at least thirty percent (30%) of the general membership in good standing must be present to conduct official business including any action on motions, resolutions or instructions to the Executive Committee.
C. Order of Business- The order of business at general meetings shall be:
o Reading of the minutes of prior meeting. (The reading of minutes may be waived.)
o Reports of officers
o Reports of standing and ad hoc committees
o Unfinished business
o New business
o Public announcements
o Adjournment
D. Voting- Each organization or business and each individual member of the Block Association shall have one vote.
E. Matters affecting the activities of this Association shall be decided by a majority vote of the quorum in attendance.
F. Special meetings of the Block Association may be called by the executive committee.

ARTICLE 7. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
A. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers, the appointed chairpersons of the standing committees and two members-at-large.
B. The Executive Committee shall serve as a board of directors and as a steering group to the Association. It is empowered to evaluate the needs of the community it serves and to outline long and short range goals for the Association and to recommend programs and courses of action to the general membership.
C. The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility to take action on matters discussed and approved by the general membership including all letters and correspondence by any member of the Executive, standing or ad-hoc committees; to deal with emergency situations, and to prepare the agenda for general meetings. The committee is the only committee empowered to disburse funds.
D. The President shall call monthly meetings of the Executive Committee at such a time deemed appropriate.
E. Two-thirds of the Executive Committee must be present to conduct official business.
F. The Executive Committee may authorize expenditures of up to $100.00 but shall report such to the membership at the next general meeting.

ARTICLE 8. STANDING COMMITTEES
A. At the discretion of the President and/or the general membership, there shall be the following standing committees.
1. Membership -maintains an active membership drive, a list of current Members in Good Standing, and shall issue membership cards.
2. Program- arranges presentations of topical interest, in accordance with the Principles of the Block Association, for each general membership meeting or at other times designated by the executive committee.
3. Communications -shall have responsibility for newsletters, posters and fliers, and the Web Sites if any. Posters or fliers advertising any Block Association event or activity shall be removed at the conclusion of that event or activity.
4. Park & Recreation -shall act as liaison with NYC Parks Dept., and shall monitor Activities and conditions in May Matthews Playground. Any Parks-related issues shall also be referred to this committee.
5. Quality of Life -any issues relating to the environment, sanitation or safety of and in the Block Association area shall be the responsibility of this committee.
6. Special Events -this committee shall be responsible for planning and conducting any event or activity not related to the above committees or in conjunction with the above committees.
7. Ivan Shapiro House Liaison Committee -this committee shall serve as a channel of communication between the community and Ivan Shapiro House on West 46th Street, and a resource for matters pertaining to the relationship between Ivan Shapiro House and the community.
B. Ad-hoc committees may be established when it is deemed appropriate at any general membership or Executive Committee meeting.
C. All actions including written correspondence in the name of the Block Association, taken by any standing or ad-hoc committee must first be approved by the Executive Committee or by the President and signed by the President. Committees shall be responsible for correspondence.

ARTICLE 9. DISBURSING OF FUNDS
Any funds of this Association can only be disbursed under the direction of the Executive Committee. All checks require the signature of any two of the following officers: President, Vice-President, and Treasurer.
A disbursement from the treasury for purposes other than satisfaction of routine expenses, e.g. a donation, shall be approved by the executive committee. Should such a disbursement be in an amount in excess of $100, it shall be discussed and approved by two-thirds of the members attending that meeting.

ARTICLE 10. RULES OF PROCEDURE
The rules of Parliamentary Procedures as contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall guide the Association in all matters not otherwise provided for herein.

ARTICLE 11. AMENDMENTS
A. This constitution and by-laws may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of the quorum in attendance.
B. The general membership must be advised of the amendment resolution at the previous meeting.