Mansion Neighborhood Association By-laws

By-Laws of the Mansion Neighborhood Association, Incorporated as amended February 24, 1999, Albany, New York.

Article I - Name

Section I. Name.
The name of the corporation is “Mansion Neighborhood Association, Inc.”(hereinafter referred to as the ‘Corporation’).

Article II - Purpose

Section I. Purpose.
The Corporation is a Not-For-Profit membership organization formed for the following civic purposes:

The goal of the Mansion neighborhood Association is to improve the quality of life for all residents in our culturally, economically, and racially diverse neighborhood.

The focus is on encouraging a sense of community, and pride in that community; encouraging appropriate use, maintenance, repair, and improvement of structures and land; encouraging the development and success of small businesses; encouraging safety and freedom from crime; and encouraging neighbors to meet and help each other.

The Mansion Neighborhood Association does this by providing a neighborhood-wide focus for action through volunteer projects, neighborhood activities, and social events. These include, among others, neighborhood meetings with invited informational speakers; individual and group projects working with City and State government offices for the betterment of the neighborhood; neighborhood clean-ups, dinners, picnics, street parties, City Block of the Year, etc.; ongoing contact with city police and Community Policing including Walk and Watch; sponsorship of neighborhood-wide sidewalk sales and home sale/rental events.

Section II. Boundaries
The Corporation shall have the following streets as boundaries: Trinity Place, Madison Avenue, Grand Street, Hamilton Street, Philip Street, Madison Avenue, Eagle Street, Warren Street, Arch Street.

Article III - Membership

Section I. Resident Member.
Any individual living in the area described in Article II, who is a registered voter shall be considered a resident member. Resident members are non-voting.

Section II. Associate member.
Any individual interested in carrying out and furthering the purposes and objectives of the Corporation shall be eligible for associate membership. Associate members are non-voting.

Section III. Voting member.
Any resident or associate member shall be eligible for a voting membership on payment of the dues prescribed in Article VII. Only recorded voting members shall be eligible to vote.

Section IV. Eligibility.
Any question of eligibility shall be resolved by the Board of Directors.

Section V.
Membership shall not entitle any member to any interest, any property, or any funds owned or acquired by the Corporation, but shall vest solely in the Corporation.

Article IV - Management

Section I. Control and Management.
Control and management of the Corporation including its property and funds shall be vested in the Board of Directors.

Article V - Board of Directors

Section I. Responsibilities.
All administrative responsibilities of the Corporation shall be carried out by a Board of Directors.

Section II. Membership.
The Board of Directors shall have a minimum of nine and a maximum of 17 members.

Section III Elections.
Any adult resident member shall be eligible for election as a director. Nine directors shall be elected by the membership. Any additional directors shall be appointed by the Board of Directors itself.

Section IV. Terms of Office.
The terms of office for all directors, whether elected or appointed, shall end each year at the annual meeting. No director shall serve more than three consecutive terms. Terms of office for elected officers shall start at the end of the annual meeting.

Section V. Duties.
The Board of Directors shall be responsible for electing from among its membership persons to take responsibility for the following activities: presiding at meetings, maintaining fiscal records, keeping records of meetings, writing letters, speaking to the media, chairing committees, distributing a newsletter door to door no less than every other month, and such other duties as may be needed for the proper functioning of the Corporation. If needed to meet banking requirements the Board of Directors may assign titles of officers for such purposes only.

Article VI - Meetings

Section I. Annual meeting.
The annual meeting for the election of directors and the transaction of other business shall take place during the month of October.

Section II. Neighborhood meetings.
Neighborhood meetings shall occur at least four times a year.

Article VII - Dues and Fiscal Year

Section I. Fiscal year.
The fiscal year shall commence June 1st each year.

Section II. Dues.
The annual dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors prior to each Annual Meeting and included in the call for such meeting, payable at the fiscal years start.

Article VIII - Amendments

Section I. Amendments.
Amendments to these by-laws may be made at any meeting of the Corporation provided that notice of the proposed amendment shall have been included in the call of the meeting. A majority vote of those voting members present shall be required to amend.

Article IX - Voting

Section I. Voting.
At the discretion of any director a roll call vote may be required. A quorum of two-thirds of the membership shall be required before a roll call vote can be taken.

Article X - Limitations

Section I. Limitations.
No part of the net earnings of the Corporation, if any, shall inure to the benefit of any individual or member. No substantial part of the activities of the Corporation shall involve attempts to influence legislation by propaganda or otherwise and the Corporation shall not participate in any way in political campaigns on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article XI - Dissolution

Section I. Dissolution.
In the event of the dissolution of the Corporation, the residual assets will be turned over to an organization which is itself exempt under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code and whose goals are compatible with those of the Mansion Neighborhood Association, Inc. None of the assets shall be distributed to the benefit of any private individual.