Ocean View Coordinating Committe

Ocean View Coordinating Committee

By-Laws

Article l - Name

The name of this organization will be the Ocean View Coordinating Committee hereafter referred to as OVCC. -

Article ll - Object/Purpose

The purpose for the Ocean View coordinating Committee (OVCC) is to act as a facilitator for organizations (civic, service, and business) in the 14 city planning districts known as Ocean View. These planning districts are #1 Willoughby, #2 West Ocean View, #3 Pinewell, #4Ocean View, #5 Cape View, #6 Pretty Lake, #7 Shore Drive, #8 Pamlico, #9 Merrimac Park, #10 Commodore Park, #11 Northside, #12 Ocean Air, #13 Willow Terrace and
#14 Snug Harbor

The objective is:

To promote the welfare of Ocean View;

To promote Ocean View as an entity;

To Coordinate and provide an interchange of information between individual organizations so the total Ocean View Community is aware of actions, issues, and concerns of organizations belonging to OVCC;

To promote the interests of the member organizations in the areas of community improvement, cooperation between civic, service and business to create a viable, safe, desirable place to live and conduct business;

To be a forum to handle issues in the Ocean View Community which threaten the welfare and viability of civic, service and business cooperation;

To review the annually proposed City of Norfolk Operational Budget and Capital Improvement Plan to determine the impact on the greater Ocean View Community, and publicize areas that need to be addressed at budget hearings;

To be a combined voice for the civic, service, and business communities in Ocean View in dealing with the City and other external Ocean View agencies;

To promote and foster a clean desirable business environment that serves Ocean View;

To support civic league action and promote civic league formation in areas of Ocean View which have no civic organizations.

To provide an environment for the service organizations to thrive and improve service to and for the Ocean View Area.

OVCC is an apolitical organization and does not support nor endorse any candidate for political office.

Article lll - Operating Year

OVCC operating year will be July 1 through June 30.

Article lV - Membership

Any organization that is civic, service, or business in nature, having an Ocean View community interest, and meets the membership requirements, plus resides/meets in the defined Ocean View area will be eligible or membership in the Ocean View Coordinating Committee.

Requirements/Application: Civic Organizations are established civic leagues representing a specific area within defined OVCC boundaries. A Civic Organization must have elected officers, a minimum membership of 30 people, meet regularly (monthly, quarterly), and have a set of by-laws stating their area of representation purpose. Civic Organizations must provide evidence of meeting membership requirements and a set of by-laws for membership consideration in addition to a letter of request signed by the currently active president.

Business Organizations are business associations and individual businesses that have Ocean View community interests and reside (if an individual business) or meet (if an individual business) in the Ocean View area.

Business associations must have elected officers, minimum membership of 10 people, meet regularly (monthly, quarterly), and a set of by-laws stating their area of representation and purpose. Business associations must provide evidence of meeting membership requirements and a set of by-laws for membership consideration in addition to a letter of request signed by the currently active president.
Individual businesses must have a minimum of five employees with a stated interest in Ocean View, aside from being their place of employment, and to be able to provide a designated delegate by name to attend OVCC meetings. Individual businesses must provide a list of their employee participation by name and a statement of reason and intent in lieu of any by-laws to qualify for membership consideration in addition to a letter of request signed by the owner/active president of the business. The employee participation list must by updated yearly.

Membership applications must state under which membership category requirements an applicant is applying; civic, business (individual or association) or service. Acceptance for membership must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) of the Board. All membership applications plus annual revalidation will be kept by the Membership Committee and be open to the general membership.

Membership Revalidation: Membership revalidation will occur every year before election nominations and be accomplished by the Nominating Committee in coordination with the Membership Committee. The Nominating Committee will submit a membership revalidation report prior to any officer/board election being held.

Article V - Board of Directors

The direction of the OVCC will be vested in the Board of Directors which will consist of the elected officers, immediate past Chairperson of OVCC, the Presidents of the respective civic leagues or designated representatives residing within the 14 planning districts of Ocean View and the six 'at-large" elected members .

The "at-large" members are divided into two groups of three "at-large" members; three members will be elected from the Service Organizations and three elected from the Business Organizations. The elected terms for "at-large board members are as follows;

One from the Service Organization and one from the Business Organizations will serve a term of three years.
One from the Service Organization and one from the Business Organizations will serve a term of two years.
One from the Service Organization and one from the Business Organizations will serve a term of one year.

Three "at-large" positions will be elected only from member Service Organizations and three " at-large" positions will be elected only from member Business Organizations. One will be elected from each year category.

Article Vl - Officers

The elected officers of the Ocean View Coordinating Committee will be the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers will be elected annually as provided in Article X.

The duties of the officers will be as follows.

Chairperson. The Chairperson will preside at all meetings; will appoint all Standing Committee Chairpersons and Ad Hoc Committee Chairpersons after consultation wit the Board; and will serve as Ex-officio member of all Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees except the Nominating Committee; will appoint and Ad Hoc Committee to audit the Treasurer's books in the month of May of each year; and will call special meetings as circumstances dictate.
Vice Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson will assume the office of Chairperson in his/her absence; will coordinate activities of such committees as designated by the Chairperson.
Secretary. The Secretary will record, maintain, and publish the minutes of all Board and General membership meetings; will maintain and publish an updated copy of the membership roster and the by-laws, and will maintain any records so designated by the Chairperson. The Secretary will prepare correspondence as directed by the Chairperson. The Secretary will prepare correspondence as directed by the Chairperson or the Board of Director's will maintain up-to-date files of both incoming and outgoing correspondence.
Treasurer. The Treasurer will collect and receive all dues and any other funds contributed to the OVCC; will maintain a local bank account to pay bills; will maintain up-to-date records, will determine eligibility for voting and provide a current membership roster for the Secretary, will make a full financial report annually and will furnish all records to the audit committee as requested.

Article Vll - Committees, Standing and Ad Hoc

Standing Committees

The OVCC Chairperson will appoint Chairpersons of all Standing Committees. The Board of Directors will designate any additional duties and powers that are not herein stated. Any additional duties and powers will not last for more than term of one year without being approved by the general membership and incorporated into the by-laws. All Standing Committees will meet at least once during an operating year and have at least three active members on the committee. If a Standing Committee does not meet these requirements or has failed to perform their duties, the OVCC Chairperson can declare the Standing Committee inactive. A declaration of inactive requires the Board to review the performance of the Standing Committee and recommend action to resolve the problem. standing Committee Chairpersons are non-voting members of the Board. Standing Committee members may be drawn from the community at large. Standing Committee names and their duties are as follows:

A. Finance Committee.
     The Treasurer will be the Chairperson. The Finance Committee will establish an annual budget and
      establish a financial program to support the work of the OVCC. The Board of Directors will approve
     the annual budget. The Finance Committee will raise and collect all revenue including dues; execute collection of membership dues for the next operating year before annual revaluation is complete so the Membership Committee can determine which membership organizations are in good standing. The Finance Committee Chairperson will be responsible for conducting the annual review of the City Budget (i.e.: Capital Expenditures) before the City Council votes on it and will report to the OVCC Chair and Board not less than quarterly; provide minutes of any meeting held within one week from the time and meeting was held.

B. Membership Committees:
The Membership Committee will be responsible for all matters the deal with membership. These include enforcing membership requirements per Article lV-Membership; executes annual membership revalidation with the Nominating Committee and the Treasurer before the annual candidate slate can be presented to the Board for approval. The Membership Committee will conduct annual membership drives. The Membership Committee will maintain membership records and aid the Secretary in publishing an annual roster; report to the OVCC Chair and Board not less than quarterly; provide minutes of any meeting held within one week from time meeting was held.

C. Civic Committee;
At the OVCC Chairperson direction, will be responsible for all actions that deal with Civic Leagues; support individual member civic league actions to include code reviews and enforcement; foster civic league development, promote Ocean View as a desirable community to live in; be a caucus for member civic leagues; report to the OVCC Chair and Board not less than quarterly; provide minutes of any meeting held within one week from the time the meeting was held and work with the Finance Committee on the review of the Annual City Budget.

D. Service Committee; At the OVCC Chairperson's direction, will be responsible for all actions that deal with Service Organizations; support individual Service member actions; foster Service Organizations development; promote Ocean View as a desirable community; be a caucus for member Service Organizations ; report to the OVCC Chair and Board not less than quarterly; provide minutes of any meeting held within one week from the time the meeting was held, work with the Finance Committee on review of the annual City Budget.

E. Business Committee:
At the OVCC Chairperson direction, will be responsible for all actions that deal with the business community and business in general. Support individual business member actions ; foster business organizations development, promote Ocean View as a desirable community to conduct business; be a caucus for individual business members and member Business Organizations report to the OVCC Chair and Board not less than quarterly; provide minutes of any meeting held within one week from the time the meeting was held and work with the Finance Committee on the review of the Annual City Budget.

F. Nominating Committee:
At the OVCC Chairperson's direction, will be responsible for all actions that deal with the annual nominating, election, and voting process for filling the OVCC officer and the "at-large" Board seats. The OVCC Chair will appoint the Nominating Committee Chair, the Board will appoint by majority vote three members and the general membership will appoint by majority vote three members. The committee will oversee the annual Membership Revalidation. The committee will run the nominating and election process in accordance with Article X - Elections and Voting. Report to the OVCC Chairperson and Board not less than quarterly. Provide minutes of any meeting held with in one week from time meeting was held.
Ad Hoc Committees:

The OVCC Chairperson shall appoint the Chairperson of all AD Hoc Committees. The Board of Directors shall designate any duties and powers and the term length. These conditions, duties and powers will be recorded by the Secretary and made part of the record and minutes. An Ad Hoc Committee term will not exceed two years without being approved by the general membership and incorporated into the by-laws. All Ad Hoc Committees will meet at least twice during an operating year and have at least three active members on the committee. If the committee does not meet these requirements or has failed to perform their duties, the OVCC Chairperson can declare the Ad Hoc Committee abolished. A declaration of abolishment requires the Board to review the decision. Ad Hoc Committees will report to the OVCC Chair and board not less than quarterly and provide minutes of any meeting held with in one week from time meeting was held.
The OVCC Chairperson will be an E-officio member of each Standing and Ad Hoc Committee except the Nominating Committee.

Article lX - Meetings and Quorums

Meetings of the Board of Directors will be held monthly on the 2nd Thursday, unless otherwise decided by the Board of Directors and will be open to the membership. A simple majority of the Board, but no less than six, will constitute a quorum.
Meetings of the General Membership, which includes all members of the OVCC, will be held not less than quarterly. A majority of the voting membership will constitute a quorum. The last General Membership Meeting of the opening year will be known as the Annual Meeting and will be held in June when elections will be held.
Town Hall Meetings will be held on an as-needed basis and may be designated as a General Membership Meeting. They will be open to the general public, as well as the membership. Town Hall Meetings will be called by the Chairperson with the concurrence of the Board. Their purpose shall be stated/published with meeting particulars and general information to the total Ocean View Community.
Minutes of the Board of Directors and the general membership meetings will be provided to the Board on a regular basis no later than one month from the time of the meeting. Minutes will be available to the general membership upon request.
Committees will meet as directed by their respective Chairperson. Committee reports will be provided by the Committee Chair to the OVCC Chairperson no later than one week after the meeting.
The newest revision of Robert's Rules of Order shall apply in all cases except where such rules are not consistent with the existing by-laws of the OVCC.

Article X - Elections and Voting

The Nominating Committee is responsible for the nominations process, annual elections, and any vacancies for unexpired terms. The Nominating Committee will oversee all actions needed to conduct the annual elections of officers and the elections to fill expired 'at-large" Board seats. The Nominating Committee will be responsible for membership revalidation.
Provide a slate of candidates for annual elections which will be accomplished in the following manner:

A. The Nominating Committee will aid the Membership Committee in revalidating the active organization membership list according to membership requirements criteria. The Membership Committee will screen active membership organizations for good standing.

B. The Nominating Committee will invite selected good standing active organizations to submit names from their organizations for consideration for officer positions and the expiring "at-large" Board seats.

The Nominating Committee will screen the list of names nominated for each office and "at-large" position for active membership in good standing. The Nominating Committee must ensure the names nominated are from active organizations in good standing with the OVCC. The Nominating Committee must ensure the persons nominated are willing to stand for election.

The Nominating Committee will then decide on the slate of candidates from the list of qualified persons willing to stand for the election. they will identify the individual, their member organization, and for which office or "at-large" board vacancy they are recommended.

The slate of candidates recommended by the Nominating Committee will be presented to the Board for approval. When the slate of candidates is approved by the Board, it will be presented to the general membership for the vote.

The Nominating Committee will be responsible for printing ballots of all candidates for all elections.

The Nominating will conduct the voting process. Voting will be from organizations in good standing with the OVCC.

Standing for Election

Any individual can be a candidate for any office or "at-large" Board seat if they have been nominated by their member organization and put into nomination by the Nominating Committee, or have been nominated from the floor at the General Membership nominating meeting. At any nominee must meet the criteria established below:

The individual must be a member of an active OVCC member organization in which that organization is in good standing with the OVCC.
The Individual must be willing to actively serve in the position for the entire length of the term.
The individual must meet the following officer/"at-large" position criteria:

A. Officer position candidates will come from any active member of any OVCC member organization in good standing.
B. Service "at-large" seats on the Board must be filled only from active member candidates of OVCC Service Organizations in good standing.
C. Business "at-large" seats on the Board must be filled only by active member candidates of OVCC Business Organizations in good standing.
Candidates must be either nominated first by their organization and then selected by the Nominating Committee or nominated from the floor at the General Membership Meeting.

Good Standing is defined as:

The membership requirements for the organization have been met and have been revalidated in the annual membership revalidation.
The member organization is current with their dues paid through the next operating year.
The organization delegate has attended the quarterly General Membership Meetings for a minimum of three of the last four General Membership Meetings unless properly excused by the OVCC Chairperson.
No organization nor any individual from their membership organization can stand for election if the organization is not in good standing with the OVCC.

A. Multi-year "at-large" Board seat holders must be in good standing for the next year or the seat will be declared vacant by the Chairperson.

B. Civic League Board seat holders must be from a Civic League in good standing or their position on the Board will be declared forfeited until good standing is achieved.

Elections:
At the regular Board of Directors meeting in April the Nominating Committee will provide a slate of candidates. The Board of Directors will vote to accept or reject the total slate. Upon acceptance, the Board will forward nominations to the general membership and set a date for the election. The General Membership Meeting will meet no later than May with elections held no later than June. The Nominating Committee will conduct all elections with the Board of Directors as the validating body of those elections. any member of the Board running for election will not serve as part of the election validating body.

Installation of officers and new board members will occur at the July Board of Directors meeting.

All elections for unexpired term positions will be conducted by the Nominating Committee as directed by the OVCC Chairperson and the Board of Directors will be the voting body. Criteria for persons to fill an expired term position must meet the same criteria as for the annual elections for that position. The Nominating Committee will conduct the elations and the OVCC Chairperson will validate the election. All vacancies of the elected members of the Board will be filled for the unexpired term of office by majority vote of the Board. The Board will ask the Nominating Committee for recommendations.

Voting

One vote per active organization in good standing at time of revalidation of membership. Revalidation of membership will occur before the April Board of Director's meeting. Voting will be accomplished from the member organization designated delegate of record. Te delegate of record will be determines at the time of membership revalidation in April.

Article Xl - Amendments

Section 1. The By-laws may b amended at any General Membership Meeting at which a quorum is present, by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present, provided the proposed amendment or amendments have been submitted to each member organization at least two weeks prior to the date of the voting.

Adopted 11 Nov 2004

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