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BY-LAWS OF THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY
OF MODEL CITIES, LANSING, MICHIGAN
Submitted for Approval April 7, f1971
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of this organization is the Resident Assembly
of Model Cities, Lansing, Michigan (hereinafter referred to as
Assembly) .
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
Section 1. Statement of the Purpose. The Assembly shall
have as its purpose citizen input into the planning, administration,
day-to-day implementation and evaluation of the Lansing Model
. Cities program. To best attain this purpose, the Assembly shall
work to the end of strengthening the quantity and quality of
citizen involvement in assisting the Lansing Model Cities program
in submitting a comprehensive action plan to the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
Section 2. Functions Determined Essential to This Pur-
pose. The Assembly shall have as its functions: The responsi-
bility of assisting the Policy Board of Model Cities in pulling
together a comprehensive action plan; and: The approval of any and
all plans and programs in the comprehensive package submitted
by the Lansing Model Cities program to the Department of Housing
and Urban Development for funding, after approval by the Policy
Board and before submission of such -plans and programs to the
Lansing City Council for approval.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERS
Section 1. Members. The members of the Assembly shall
be the 100 duly elected..Aembers (10 from each of the 10 Model
Cities areas) and the '6 ,elected at-large Policy Board members.
The 100 neighborhood representatives shall be eligible for office
within the Assembly. However, the 6 Policy Board members elected
at large shall not be eligible for office.
Section 2. Voting. (a) Each of the 106 members shall
be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to the vote of
the members.
(b) A duly elected alternate for a member may
vote only with permission from the regularly elected member to
cast a ballot or vote in the member's absence.
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1. Meetings Open to Public. All meetings
of the Assembly shall be open to the public and oitizens shall
have the right to speak upon recognition of the Chairman and shall
be limited to three (3) minutes, subject to extension by a majority
vote of the members present.
Section 2. Rules. The rules of procedure in Robert's
Rules of Order shall guide the Assembly in all cases to which
they are applicable but may be suspended by majority consent of
the members.
Section 3. Regular Meetings. Regular meetings shall
be held the first Wednesday of alternate months commencing in
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April (and thereafter in June, August, October, December and
February) of each year of the term of existence of the Assembly.
Exceptions to the regular meeting dates shall be at the discretion
of the Chairman.
Section 4 . Special Meetings. Special meetings of the
members may be called by the Chairman and/or Executive Committee.
Section 5. Notice of Meetings and Waiver. Written or
printed notice stating the place, day and hour of any meeting of
members shall be delivered, either personally or by mail, to each
member entitled to vote at such meeting not less than 7 calendar
days before the date of such meeting, by or at the direction of
the Chairman and/or Executive Committee. Attendance of a member
at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of proper notice of
such meeting. in case of a special meeting, the purpose for
which the meeting is called shall be stated in the notice.
Section 6. Quorum. A quorum will be considered to be
those members present at a meeting, provided that: all members
received proper notice pursuant to Section 3 of ,this Article.
Section 7. Method of Voting. By determination of the
Chairman, the voting on matters before the Assembly may be by
show of hands and/or roll call. A ballot shall be taken if so
voted by two-thirds of the members present.
Section 8. Order of Business. The order of business
shall be prepared by the Chairman and/or Executive Committee
except that: after call to order of each meeting a roll call
by area and the 6 at-large members shall be taken. After roll
call there may be introduction of guests if requested or at the
discretion of the Chairman.
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Section 9. Decorum. The Chairman shall be responsible
for the decorum of the Assembly and may limit discussion in his
discretion. Any member conducting himself in a manner offensive
to the Assembly shall be -subject to censure or expulsion from
a meeting upon a vote of- two-thirds of the members present.
The Chairman, Parliamentarian and Sergeant at Arms shall enforce
the will of the members in this regard.
ARTICLE V
OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Assembly
shall be Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary.
Section 2. Election and Term of Office. The officers
of the Assembly shall be members and shall be elected the first
Wednesday of each April (commencing in 1972) for one-year terms .
officers are eligible to be re-elected for two successive terms .
Section 3. Duties. (a) The duties of the officers
shall be such as usually attach to such offices and, in addition
thereto, such further duties as',may be designated from time to
time by the members of the Assembly.
(b) The Chairman shall have the additional duty
of appointing a Parliamentarian, who shall not be a member of the
Assembly and shall have no vote therein. The Parliamentarian
shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee. The
Chairman shall appoint from the membership of the Assembly a
Sergeant at Arms.
Section 4 . Succession of Officers . - At every meeting the
Chairman, or in his absence, the Vice-Chairman, shall act as
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presiding officer. In the event of the absence of both the
Chairman and Vice-Chairman, the Executive Committee shall select
a temporary Chairman.
Section-• 5._ Vacancies. Vacancies in the offices may
be filled for the unexpired term by election by a majority of the
members at any regular meeting. Each officer shall. hold office
until his successor shall have been duly elected.
ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES
Section 1. Executive Committee. (a) The Executive
Committee shall be elected annually at the regular April meeting
of the members and shall consist of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman,
Secretary, Parliamentarian and 4 members elected at large. Two
of the 4 at-large members shall be elected for 2 years , 2 elected
for 1 year, then 2 elected each year thereafter for 2 years.
At-large members may be re-elected and serve for 4 consecutive
years and then one year must elapse before the Committee member
may be nominated again to the Committee. However, an Executive
Committee member shall be eligible for election to an officer
position.
(b) Four members of the Executive Committee shall
constitute a quorum and the Committee may act upon the majority
vote of its members.
(c) The Executive Committee shall meet the first
Wednesday of alternative months commencing in May (and thereafter
in July, September, November, January and March) . All action of
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the Executive Committee shall be reported to the full Assembly
at its meeting next succeeding such action.
Section 2. Nominating Committee. The Chairman shall
appoint a Nominating Committee (1 from each of the 10 Model Cities '
areas) at the February regular meeting to prepare a slate of can-
didates for the officer positions before the Assembly's April
meeting.
Section 3 . Other Committees. The Chairman may appoint
such other Committees as the business of the Assembly may require.
Such committees shall consist of not less than 5 nor more than
9 members, provided that not more than 1 member from any of the 1C
Model Cities' areas shall be appointed.
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
These by-laws may be amended, repealed or new by-laws
adopted by the affirmative vote of a two-thirds majority of the
members voting at any regular meeting of the members; provided
that: notice of amendment, repeal or proposed new by-laws
and the nature thereof has been submitted to the Chairman,
Executive Committee and other members of the Assembly at least
one month prior to the date of the meeting at which said amend-
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ment, repeal or proposed new by-laws are to be presented for
consideration.
Submitted by the By-Laws Committee :
Russell 5 eat a m, C airman
Douglas Branson, Vice-Chairman
Pauline Bernal, Secretary
Thomas W. McClure, Parliamentarian
Jo Wooten Chairman B '�_
Y , , y-Laws Commis„':;
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