THE CHARTLEY HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I- NAME
This organization shall be known as the Chartley Homeowners Association, Inc.,
a body corporate operating under the laws of the State of Maryland hereafter
referred to as the Association.
ARTICLE II- PURPOSE
Section 1. The purpose of the Chartley Homeowners Association, Inc. is to provide
for the promotion of the health, safety, pleasure, and welfare of the residents
of the homeowners within the Chartley Community.
Section 2. The Association shall discuss and resolve issues that arise in or
pertain to our area, to act in coordination with other civic organizations in
the Reisterstown area, and to represent the interests of the members on the
County and State levels.
Section 3. The Association shall be non-stock, not for profit, non-partisan
in political activities, and non-sectarian in its operations.
ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in the Association shall be open to any adult individual(s)
18 years of age or older, owning a home within the bounds of Chartley as defined.
Chartley's boundaries are set out in a plat entitled "Chartley" which
is duly recorded in the land Records of Baltimore County.
Section 2. Prospective members shall make written application to the Association
for the purpose of providing necessary data. Appropriate dues payment shall
be made upon initiating membership.
Section 3. Resignation from membership should be submitted in writing to the
President.
ARTICLE IV- MEETINGS AND QUORUM
Section 1. General Membership meetings shall be held the second Tuesday of April
and October.
Section 2. Board of Directors meetings shall be held quarterly or as deemed
necessary during the year.
Section 3. The April meeting shall be the annual election meeting. Officers
shall be installed prior to assuming their duties.
Section 4. The Association's year shall run from July 1 to June 30.
Section 5. The President may call special meetings as deemed necessary.
Section 6. The quorum of any general membership or special meeting of this Association
shall be one-quarter (1/4) of the membership or twenty (20) members whichever
is less.
ARTICLE V- DUES
Section 1. Dues shall be $10 per household per year (July 1 to June 30) and
are subject to change.
Section 2. The full amount of dues shall be paid annually, due by June 30th.
Members not having paid dues by this date will be dropped from the membership.
Section 3. Members in good standing shall be entitled to vote on all matters.
ARTICLE VI- GOVERNMENT
Section 1. The government of the organization shall be vested in the Board of
Directors consisting of President, Vice President, Immediate Past President,
Treasurer, and Secretary.
Section 2. In the event that a member of the Board of Directors is absent from
three (3) consecutive meetings, his/her position may be declared vacant by a
majority vote of the Board.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for all property and
finances of the Association.
Section 4. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute
a quorum at any meeting of said Board. A simple majority of those members present
is sufficient to conduct Board business.
Section 5. The Board of Directors shall appoint or engage legal counsel as deemed
necessary to conduct the business of the Association.
Section 6. The Board of Directors shall prepare an annual budget for acceptance
by the general membership at the April Meeting.
Section 7. For any commitment or project not included in the current budget,
the Board of Directors shall be authorized to approve expenditures up to $50.00
without the approval of the general membership.
ARTICLE VII- DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. The President, as chief executive officer of the organization, shall
preside at all General Membership and Board of Directors meetings and shall
supervise the Association's affairs and activities. He/she shall have the authority
to appoint a committee chair after advice and recommendation of the Board. He/she
shall be an ex-officio member of all committees with the exception of the Nominating
Committee. He/she shall appoint an Auditing Committee to audit the Treasurer's
books annually at the close of the Association's year.
Section 2. The Vice President in the absence or disability of the President
shall assume all duties and powers of the President. He/she shall work with
the President on such internal affairs of the Association as shall be decided
by the Board of Directors and shall oversee the activities of all Standing Committees.
Section 3. The Immediate Past President shall serve as an advisor to the Board
of Directors and shall perform additional duties delegated by the President.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of dues. He/she
shall be the custodian of all monies paid to the organization and all monies
disbursed at the direction of the general membership or the Board of Directors.
He/she shall deposit the funds in the name of the Chartley Homeowners Association,
Inc. in such bank(s) as designated by the Board of Directors. Signatures of
the President and Treasurer are required on all checks. The Treasurer shall
be responsible for keeping the books of the Association. He/she shall submit
a financial report at each General Membership meeting and an annual written
financial report at the April Membership meeting. It shall also be the responsibility
of the Treasurer to maintain a list of qualified voters.
Section 5. The Secretary shall record the Minutes of the Board of Directors
and General Membership meetings and shall read the Minutes of previous meetings
at all General Membership meetings. He/she shall also keep a permanent record
of attendance and current membership rolls. The Secretary shall conduct the
correspondence of the Association and retain copies of such correspondence.
ARTICLE VIII- GENERAL ELECTION
Section 1. At least 30 days before the April General Membership meeting, the
Board of Directors shall appoint a Nominating Committee. When possible, the
Nominating Committee shall submit at least two qualified candidates for every
elective office.
Section 2. At least 15 days prior to the April election meeting, the Nominating
Committee shall distribute to the members the list of nominees for each office
and shall include a brief resume of their activities and qualifications.
Section 3. Nominations for any office may be made from the floor at the April
annual election meeting.
Section 4. Each nominee must meet the qualifications for voting in the given
election in which he/she is a nominee and must expressly accept the nomination.
Section 5. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year. No officer may
serve in the same office more than two consecutive full terms.
Section 6. Should a member of the Nominating Committee decide to run for office,
he/she must resign his/her position on the Nominating Committee. The vacancy
may be filled by the President.
Section 7. A qualified voter is a member in good standing, such member is one
who has paid full dues for the current year.
Section 8. At the April annual election, voting shall be by written secret ballot
with a quorum of voters being represented by presence or absentee ballot. A
quorum (as defined in Art.4, sec. 6) shall be sufficient to decide an election.
Section 9. Absentee ballots must be requested one (1) week prior to election
from the chairperson of the Nominating Committee and returned to the chairperson
before the election.
Section 10. Should a Board of Directors member position become vacant, the President
may appoint a member in good standing to assume the vacated office until a special
election can be held.
ARTICLE IX- SPECIAL ELECTION
Section 1. In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Directors, it shall be
the responsibility of the Board to fill the vacancy by a majority vote of the
Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X- COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Standing Committees of the Association shall be Homeowners Assistance,
Hospitality, Membership, Newsletter, Police Representative, ROG Representative,
Block Captains, and Zoning/Traffic.
Section 2. Special "ad hoc" committees may be appointed by the President,
with immediate power to act, subject to approval at the next Board of Directors
or General Membership meeting.
Section 3. All committees shall meet by the second Tuesday in March and submit
to the Board of Directors an approximate committee budget for the upcoming year.
Section 4. Block captains shall serve in the role of liaison between the members
and the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XI- PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The Parliamentary authority for this organization shall be Robert's Rules of
Order (Revised) in all matters not covered by these By-Laws. The President may
appoint a Parliamentarian to enforce these rulings.
ARTICLE XII- AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments and additions to the By-Laws shall be made by a vote of
two-thirds (2/3) of the members in attendance or by proxy at any General Membership
meeting, provided the proposed amendment or addition has been read at the previous
General Membership meeting or mailed to each member in good standing at least
15 days prior to the date of said meeting.
Section 2. Any member in good standing may submit proposed amendments in writing
to the Board of Directors.