Constitution
Article 1–Purpose
The purpose of this Association shall be to provide a forum and voice for the Community, and to protect and promote the mutual interests and welfare of the residents of Brookland-Bush Hill and environs.
Article–II Name
The name of this organization shall be the Brookland-Bush Hill Civic Association.
Article 3–Area
The area of service of this Association shall consist of the present bounds of Brookland Estates/Bush Hill Woods, and subsequent additions thereto along and between the north side of Franconia Road, south of Oakwood Road and its extensions, the homes on Jane Way (including the homes on Ninian Court and Talbois Place) on the east, and Brookland Road, Pratt Street, Piedmont Drive, and Saratoga Drive to the west.
Article IV–Membership and Voting
Section 1. Membership shall be open to all residents of households within the area set forth in Article III above.
Section 2. Each individual having paid annual dues shall be entitled to vote at any authorized meeting of this Association as set forth in the By-Laws.
Section 3. Membership in BBHCA shall be verified at each BBHCA meeting and a voting card issued to eligible voters. Votes shall be tallied by a show of voting cards except as specified elsewhere for contested elections.
Article V–Meetings of the Membership
Section 1. At least one meeting of the membership of this Association shall be held annually for the purpose of election of officers to serve the Association.
Section 2. Members shall be given written notice, by the Executive Committee, of the time, date, place and purpose of membership meetings as set forth in the By-Laws.
Section 3. A quorum shall be required to transact any business at regular and special membership meetings. A quorum shall consist of not less than fifteen (15) households eligible to vote present, including two elected officers.
Section 4. Except as provided by Article VII of this Constitution and by Article VIII of the By-Laws, a majority vote, in the affirmative, of the members present and voting shall be required to carry any motion or resolution brought before any meeting of the membership of this Association.
Article VI–Publications
This Association shall publish a newsletter and other flyers or announcements needed to inform the residents of meetings, issues before the community, and other items deemed to be of interest or use to the residents. The primary publication shall be a newsletter, which shall strive to present a balance of views on controversial subjects.
Article VII–Officers and Executive Committee
Section 1. The affairs of this Association shall be administered by the officers of the Association and by an Executive Committee as prescribed in the By-Laws.
Section 2. The officers of this Association shall be: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall consist of the aforesaid officers and the chairpersons of such standing committees as are specified in the By-Laws.
Section 4. Election of all officers shall be by secret ballot in contested elections and by a show of voting cards in uncontested elections, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Bylaws, Article V, Section 3.
Article VIII–Amendment of Constitution
Section 1. Amendment of this Constitution shall be by the affirmative vote of the members as provided by Section 2 of this article.
Section 2. Amendment of this Constitution shall be pursuant to the following procedure:
First meeting: A proposed amendment shall be submitted by motion, duly seconded, and then, after discussion and subject to amendment, be put to a vote. Upon approval by majority affirmative vote of the members present and voting, the proposed amendment shall be published and distributed to the membership not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the next following meeting of the membership.
Second (next following) meeting: The proposed amendment shall be put to a vote without further amendment. A three-fourths affirmative vote of all members present and voting shall be required for enactment.
Bylaws
Article I–Dues and Voting
Section 1. Membership Year: The Membership Year of this Association shall be January 1 to December 31.
Section 2. Dues: Dues can be adjusted once a year at the annual meeting. The membership dues will be reviewed annually as part of the report of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee. (Revised November 15, 2005)
Section 3. Voting: The payment of dues shall entitle any address within the service area to not more than two votes at a membership meeting.
Article II–Meetings
Section 1. The Association shall hold not less than three membership meetings per year, at a place designated by the President, subject to postponement or cancellation by the President on request of a majority of the Executive Committee, or by a majority vote at any regular or special meeting. No two successive meetings shall be separated by more than four months. Households shall be given at least forty-eight (48) hours written notice of any membership meetings.
Section 2. Special meetings of the Association may be called by a majority vote of the Executive Committee or by a majority vote of the members voting at a regular or special meeting. At least forty-eight (48) hours written notice of every special meeting shall be issued to households, except in cases of extreme emergency determined by the Executive Committee. The notice shall state clearly the purposes for which the special meeting is called, and no other business shall be considered at that meeting.
Section 3. The Annual Meeting (for election of officers) shall be the scheduled community meeting in November of each year unless otherwise notified as per the rules in these By–Laws.
Article III–Duties of Officers
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association except as provided herein and perform the duties usually devolving upon a presiding officer. He shall be the Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member ex-officio of all other Committees except the Nominating Committee. Except as provided herein, he shall: appoint all chairmen of Standing and Special Committees, represent this Association at government and civic meetings, transmit over his signature all official correspondence, provided that he may delegate such authority to members of the Executive Committee and the Chairmen of the various standing and special committees; execute Association checks as authorized by the membership in the absence of the Treasurer, and shall obtain, at Association expense, surety and fidelity bond coverage in reasonable amount, but not less than $10,000. Except as provided herein, he shall promptly fill, by appointment, vacancies in an appointive office.
Section 2. The First Vice President shall succeed to the duties of the President in his absence from any meeting of the Association, or in his inability to discharge the duties pertaining to the office. The First Vice President shall be Chairman of the Publicity Committee, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee to his Office.
Section 3. The Second Vice President shall succeed to the duties of the First Vice President in his absence from any meeting of the Association, or in his inability to discharge the duties pertaining to the Office. He shall serve as Chairman of the Membership Committee, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee to his office.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall receive, deposit, disburse and account for all monies belonging to the Association. He shall deposit all funds in certificates of deposit, savings or checking accounts, as directed by the Executive Committee or the membership. He shall pay all bills and claims against the Association, keep accurate books and records of all monies received, disbursed and on account, subject to audit, submit an itemized written statement of the receipts and disbursement of the Association at each regular meeting, submit a complete statement of financial condition, statement of receipts and disbursements by category for the year, and present an annual Treasurer’s Report to the membership at the Annual Meeting. He shall serve as Chairman of the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to his Office by the President or the Executive Committee. He shall obtain, at Association expense, surety and fidelity bond coverage in reasonable amount, but not less than $10,000.
Section 5. The Secretary shall record the proceedings at all official meetings of the membership, report the minutes thereof at the next following regular meeting and be charged with the maintenance and safekeeping of the said minutes after approval by the membership. The Secretary shall maintain records of all official correspondence of officers and committee chairs or their designated representatives and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee.
Article IV–The Executive Committee
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall carry out established policy and furnish guidance in the administration of Association affairs within the Statement of Purpose set forth in the Constitution, and shall function to preclude the exercise of unauthorized plenary powers or unilateral action by any representative of this Association.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall act on behalf of the Association on such business as shall arise between meetings, but only when said business is deemed to be of special import to the association, and the exigencies of time preclude the convening of a Special Meeting.
Section 3. Except as provided herein, the Executive Committee shall fill vacancies in any elected office.
Section 4. The Chairman of the Executive Committee shall formulate an agenda of business to be transacted at each meeting of the Association and perform other duties as prescribed within these By-Laws.
Section 5. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall meet as called by the President or any two members of the Executive Committee. The presence of the majority of the members of the Executive Committee at such a meeting shall constitute a quorum for the dispatch of business.
Article V–Nomination and Election of Officers
Section 1. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of not less than four (4) members, designating one as chairman. At least one member must not be a present member of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee Chairman shall publish in the annual meeting notice the Committee’s nominees for the various offices provided by the Constitution. No second shall be required to place these nominees upon the ballot.
Section 2. At the annual meeting, at the close of unfinished business, the presiding officer shall relinquish the chair to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee or his designated representative, who shall conduct the election of officers. Candidates may be nominated from the floor for any office prior to balloting for that particular office. One (1) second, and nominee’s consent, shall be required to place nominations from the floor upon the ballot.
Section 3. Officers shall be elected by majority vote for a term of one year or until a successor shall be elected. The vote shall be tallied by a show of valid voter cards except when there is a contested election. In such case, the vote shall be tallied by a count of secret ballots. If no candidate receives a majority vote upon any ballot, the name of that candidate receiving the least votes shall be stricken and another vote taken.
Section 4. The new Officers shall be immediately installed; the new Executive Committee shall promptly fill any office to which no candidate has been elected.
Article VI–Committees
Section 1. The Standing Committees of this Association are:
- Budget, Finance and Audit
- Membership
- Zoning and Land Use
- Publicity
- Constitution and By-Laws
- Neighborhood Watch
Section 2. Standing or Special Committee members shall be appointed by the Committee Chairs. All Chairs will maintain a complete record of the activities of their respective committees and shall submit oral reports on these activities at the regular meetings, and written reports on request of the President. At the conclusion of each Committee’s authorized term or activity, resignation of its Chair, or complete reconstitution of membership, the entire files and records of the committee shall be surrendered to the Recording Secretary for file retention or transmittal to the new committee chair.
Section 3. The Budget, Finance and Audit Committee exercises surveillance over the financial affairs of the Association, and perform an annual audit of the books and records of the Treasurer. Its recommendations on financial policies and procedures shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval. The Committee shall present its audit report for approval at the Annual Meeting, as part of the Treasurer’s Annual Report. The Committee will present for approval by the members a provisional operating budget for the following membership year. The Committee will recommend for approval by the members any changes to the Annual Dues amount for the following year. The incoming Treasurer and the new Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee will present a final operating budget for the approval of the membership at the first regular meeting following the annual meeting. (Revised November 15, 2005)
Section 4. The Membership Committee shall conduct the annual membership drive, collect and transmit dues, payments and official membership cards, circulate all authorized petitions, conduct telephone canvassing, and maintain current resident directory and a roster of paid-up households eligible for voting.
Section 5. The Zoning and Land Use Committee shall investigate and report to the Executive Committee and the membership all pending zoning applications, reported zoning violations, public nuisances, and road, drainage and utility deficiencies. The Committee Chair shall advise the membership of all County Zoning and Budget hearings affecting the Association. The Chair or designated representative shall represent the Association at the various State and county zoning and land use meetings.
Section 6. The Publicity Committee shall notify the membership of all meetings, and shall publish and distribute a newsletter for information on the Association and its activities to all residents. The Newsletter should include information about upcoming events and hearings of local, County, and State authorities of interest to the Association-, reporting as much as possible the known dates and subjects of such meetings-, and afterwards, reporting the results of those meetings. It shall also publish and distribute all notices as required by the Constitution and these By-Laws or as authorized by the Executive Committee or the membership. The Chair shall be an ex-officio member of all Standing and Special Committees except the Nominating Committee.
Section 7. The Constitution and By-Laws Committee shall be charged with the drafting, editing and administering of proposed amendments to the Constitution and By-laws. It shall maintain official copies of the Constitution and By-Laws as required by the Executive Committee and the membership. The Chair shall be the Parliamentarian of the Association.
Section 8. The Neighborhood Watch Committee, under the guidance of the Crime Prevention Officer of the Franconia District Station, Fairfax County Police and in accordance with the Fairfax County Neighborhood Watch Program shall help prevent crime in the service area. Important elements of the committee shall be to increase community awareness of crime and crime countermeasures through educational, publicity efforts and involvement of all the residents. The chair, or designated representative, shall represent the Association at the Franconia Police District Station monthly Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings and other events pertinent to safety, crime prevention, and emergency action procedures.
Section 9. All committee Chairmen shall be subject to the supervision of the Executive Committee, and, except as provided within these By-Laws, serve at its pleasure. All committee Chairs shall be appointed annually by the incoming President.
Article VII–Amendment of Bylaws
Section 1. Amendment of these By-Laws shall be by the affirmative vote of the members after appropriate notice by publication, as provided by Section 2 of this Article.
Section 2. Amendment of these By-Laws shall be pursuant to the following procedure:
First meeting: a proposed amendment shall be submitted by motion, duly seconded, then after discussion and subject to amendment, be put to vote. Upon approval by majority vote of the members present and voting, the proposed amendment shall be published and distributed to all households not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the next meeting of the membership.
Second (next following) Meeting: The proposed amendment shall be put to vote without further amendment. A two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of all members present shall be required for enactment.
Article VIII–Parliamentary Procedure
All procedural matters shall be governed by the current “Roberts Rules of Order” in all cases where applicable and where not inconsistent with the Constitution or these By-Laws.
