Little High Neighborhood Constitution & Bylaws

(rev. December 16, 2021-February 23, 2022)

Please note: The following is a provisional draft of the Little High Neighborhood Association’s Constitution and Bylaws. It is open to neighborhood comment and feedback and input.

Constitution

Article 1: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Little High Neighborhood Association (or “LHNA”).

Article 2: The Little High Neighborhood Defined

The LHNA shall be concerned with that part of the City of Charlottesville outlined on the map below, defining the neighborhood boundary.

Charlottesville’s Little High Neighborhood is located due east of the Downtown Mall and is bounded in the north on East High St from 9th St down to the light where it converges with Meade Ave; from the light at East High and Meade, the full length of Meade Ave to Carlton Road; from Carlton Road and Meade to East Water Street to the Belmont Bridge (basically along the railroad tracks); and 9th St from just before the Belmont Bridge to East High.

Article 3: Purposes of the LHNA

The purposes of the LHNA shall be:

The cultivation of a good community spirit and the conservation and purposeful enhancement of our area as an attractive, safe, and enjoyable place that is welcoming to ALL people to live, to raise families, and to age in place, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, disability, or income.
As a neighborhood open to all people, the LHNA recognizes that openness requires a sincere and ongoing commitment to significantly increasing the availability of genuinely and deeply affordable housing within the Little High neighborhood^[1] as well as within the greater Charlottesville community as a whole. The LHNA sets a goal of having 20% affordable (including deeply affordable) housing within the LH neighborhood and the Board shall do what it can to help reach this goal.
Helping those in need whether within our neighborhood or within the broader Charlottesville / Albemarle community. This includes but is not limited to: providing practical assistance to elderly neighbors by helping rake leaves and shovel snow for any neighbors requesting assistance; active participation in area food and clothing drives; establishing, where possible, formal or informal partnerships with other neighborhood associations and / or recognized public aid organizations of any kind; helping promote the neighborhood’s small businesses and other organizations.
Environmental stewardship in support of city and federal environmental goals. This includes promotion of measures to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by promoting walking and bike riding, reducing stormwater run-off, and preserving and improving the tree canopy and flora generally. Existing as well as future building in the neighborhood should be assessed in terms of these environmental goals.
Gathering and publication of neighborhood history. This involves collecting and compiling documents, photos, and text describing various aspects of the neighborhood’s recent and distant history and making these resources available to all residents via the neighborhood website (www.littlehighneighborhood.org), Instagram, Facebook, and by any other appropriate and accessible media platforms. As a neighborhood anchored on an antebellum Plantation house (“The Farm”) built and run by enslaved persons, the LHNA acknowledges a responsibility to gather and present the neighborhood’s legacy of slavery and racism honestly and fully.
The promotion of well-publicized free programs that will enhance neighborhood and community spirit.
The representation of neighborhood interests to all organizations including the various governing bodies and their instruments, for purposes outlined above.

Article 4: Neighborhood Association Membership

Any person residing in the Little High Neighborhood as defined in Article 2 shall be considered a member of the Little High Neighborhood Association. No resident person shall be denied membership based on that person’s ability or willingness to pay dues recommended by the Little High Neighborhood Association Board.

Any resident person 16 years of age or older may be enrolled as a voting member (“Voting Member”) of this Association upon signifying his or her or their interest to the Treasurer or Chair and providing contact information in the form of full name and physical address, telephone number and email address.

Associate (non-resident) Members

A person at least 16 years of age who is NOT a resident of the Little High Neighborhood who agrees with the LHNA’s purposes and will support the Association in accomplishing them may be enrolled as an associate member (“Associate Member”) at the discretion of the LHNA board.

Associate Members have the same privileges and duties as Voting Members including participation on the board, but Associate Members shall NOT be allowed to vote. Privileges and duties of Associate Members may be amended as specified in the Bylaws.

Article 5: Board

The LHNA Board is a part-time volunteer organization. No board member may accept payment for any service or activity undertaken by the LHNA.
Any resident of the Little High neighborhood 16 years of age or older who is a member of the neighborhood association is eligible to serve on the Board with full privileges.
Number of Board members: Board membership should consist of between 7 and 13 voting members of the LHNA. Between elections, vacated seats may be filled via appointment by the Board.
Information on joining the LHNA Board must be made available on the official neighborhood website (LittleHighNeighborhood.org), the official email list, and other suitable media.
Joining the Board: Any neighborhood resident qualifying as a Voting Member of the LHNA may join the Board by election at annual meetings, by invitation of the Board, or by the recommendation of at least three non-related neighborhood residents.
Requests to join the Board and Appointments to the Board should, whenever possible, be considered with respect to the goal of having a diverse Board representative of all neighborhood residents. Part of the diversity requirement is to attempt to have representatives from the different geographical parts of the neighborhood in order to more fully represent the neighborhood in Board discussions.
Families or partners are encouraged to share a position on the Board but will have only one vote between them.
All members of the Board shall serve for a term of three years immediately upon election or appointment, and shall be eligible for re-election or reappointment without limit.
Individual Board members may be removed by a 4/5 vote of the other members of the Board. Removal from the Board may be appealed to the LHNA membership.
Representatives of companies or businesses located or doing business within the LH neighborhood are entitled to attend LHNA Board meetings but will have NO voting rights.

Article 6: Board Duties & Responsibilities

Reimbursement but no compensation: No member of the LHNA Board may receive compensation for service on behalf of the Neighborhood Association. Members may, however, be reimbursed for pre-approved expenditures incurred on direct behalf of the NA.

Likewise, no member of the LHNA Board may accept money for any assistance or service provided to any neighborhood resident. This does not preclude reimbursement for verifiable costs incurred for specific purchases undertaken at the specific request of individual residents.

Attendance: Board members must attend at least 8 monthly meetings in any year to retain voting privileges. Voting privileges can be regained by attending 8 of the last 12 monthly meetings. When a Board member is unable to attend at least 6 of the monthly meetings in a given year, a new Board member must be elected or appointed. A board member who attends no meetings in a given 12 month period will be automatically removed.

A quorum for voting requires that a simple majority of the voting members of the Board be present. A quorum is NOT required for discussion of Board business.

Board meetings shall be open to the LHNA membership to the greatest extent possible and shall be held on a regular schedule and announced to the general membership in advance.

Article 7: Officers

The officers of the LHNA shall be a Chair (or President), a Vice-Chair (or Vice President), a Secretary, and Treasurer. If the Board prefers, the Chair and Vice-Chair may share responsibilities equally as co-Chairs (or co-Presidents). If needed, additional offices may be added by a 2/3 vote of the Board.

Officers of the Board shall be elected by a 3/4 vote of the other members of the Board and serve terms of two years.

In the absence of a 3/4 vote on the Board, the election will be turned over to the LHNA membership as a whole.

An election involving the LHNA membership must be announced at least two weeks in advance via email and every other available medium. A minimum of 60 voting members must participate for the election to be legitimate. Voting may be done in person or via email or other electronic means. Anonymous votes will NOT be counted.

All officers of the Board shall serve for a term of two years immediately upon election or appointment, and all shall be eligible for re-election. The President or Chair is limited to two two year terms (or four years total). All other officers may serve indefinitely.

Article 8: Duties of Officers

The Board shall be charged with conducting the business of the Association.

The Chair (or President) shall preside over meetings and represent the Association in all matters pertaining to the Association.
The Vice-Chair (or Vice President) shall preside over all business matters in the absence of the Chair. The Vice Chair shall be the Chair’s stand-in on all committees and at all meetings.
The Secretary shall record and promptly distribute the minutes of the LHNA Board meetings as specified by the Association bylaws and maintain an active record of meetings, elections, decisions, and correspondence as an archive of the Association. If the secretary is absent, it is his/her responsibility to find a replacement.
The Treasurer shall have charge and custody of and be responsible for incoming and outgoing funds, receipts, and monies due to or being paid by the Association. The Treasurer will sign checks on behalf of the Association and make deposits at an approved financial institution. All expenditures and reimbursements must be approved by the Board prior to disbursal of funds. The Treasurer will be prepared to make reports as requested of fund balance and use. The Association Fiscal Year will run from January 1st to December 31st.
All members of the LHNA Board must disclose any business relationships they may have or any other circumstances that may create a conflict of interest as the phrase is commonly understood. Board members may NOT vote on any matter involving even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Communications: At least one of the Board officers and / or any other member of the Board is responsible for maintaining the neighborhood website, Facebook page, Instagram page, maintaining the neighborhood email list and sending out emails to the neighborhood on matters of general interest to residents.
Should the Chair become unable to complete the term of office for any reason, the Vice Chair shall succeed for the unexpired term. All other vacancies among the Board officers and Board members may be filled by appointment by the Board from among Association members.
The Chair or in his/her absence the Vice Chair, or in the absence of both, the Secretary, shall preside at all meetings of the Association.
In the month of January, the Treasurer shall present a financial report which will be disseminated via email and / or the neighborhood website.

Article 9: Bylaws

The Board shall prepare and adopt a set of Bylaws which, with this Constitution, shall govern the policies and procedures of the Association.

Any Bylaw may be adopted, deleted, or revised by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the Board provided there is a quorum. The absence of a quorum shall postpone the vote until the next Board meeting at which there is a quorum.

Article 10: Changes to the Constitution

All proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be signed by five Voting Members of the Association and shall be submitted in writing to the Board.
All proposed amendments shall, after due consideration by the Board, be offered for discussion at the next Association meeting. The Board shall have at least thirty days for consideration of any proposed amendment and shall submit the proposed amendment to the Association at the first meeting following the lapse of this period of thirty days. This thirty day waiting period may be waived by a unanimous vote of the Board. The membership is to be notified in writing by the Secretary of proposed amendments to the Constitution together with two weeks’ notice of the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.
Significant changes or revisions to the Constitution must be approved by a vote of three-fourths of the Board and then submitted to the LHNA for comment and for approval.

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Little High Neighborhood Association Bylaws

(rev. Dec. 2021- Feb. 2022)

Article 1: Fiscal Year and Dues

The fiscal year of the Association shall begin January 1.

Recommended dues for LHNA membership will be established by the Board annually.

Article 2: Representation and Communications

Only the Board, or persons empowered by it, shall represent the Association to government officials, local or regional organizations, or the media. The foregoing does not in any way prevent or preclude individual neighborhood residents from making their views on public issues known. The LHNA Board, like any organizational board, makes no pretense of representing the views of every individual resident.

Individual members of the Board may communicate with City officials, other neighborhood associations, and other groups on behalf of the LHNA without obtaining prior approval, but Officers and regular Board members must notify the full Board of the substance of their correspondence and communications.

Emails to the neighborhood should be drafted in consultation with the members of the Board most affected by the substance of a given email.

Article 3: The Work of the Board

Much of the work of the Board shall be done through formal or ad hoc committees appointed by the Board. Committees shall consist primarily of members of the LHNA Board but board members are encouraged to work with any neighborhood residents who are not on the board but are willing to help. The Chair(s) or President(s) and the Vice Chair(s) or Vice President(s) shall be ex officio members of all committees. Committees may be convened for temporary needs with specified terms and purposes.

All committee work must be reported in a timely manner to the full Board.

The following list of committees may be amended at any time by a majority vote of the Board.

Finance Committee

Provide oversight for the accounting of the Association’s finances
Support the treasurer in their responsibilities
Report periodically to the Board on the fiscal state of the Association
Prepare a budget for Board approval.
Help in the collection of NA dues.

Community Building Committee

Visit and welcome new or neglected neighborhood residents
Develop and provide orientation materials about the Neighborhood and the LHNA to be published on the website
Propose, plan, and carry out community building events such as neighborhood block parties, backyard concerts, storytelling, potluck suppers, etc.
Maintain a Volunteers List to help neighbors in need of assistance with leaf-raking or snow shoveling, transportation, procuring food, etc.

Zoning, Growth, and Affordable Housing Committee

Strive to learn about and inform the neighborhood of zoning changes, new real estate building projects, and other changes that might affect the neighborhood.
Maintain an active relationship with elected officials, city staff, commissions, and law enforcement agencies.
Attend meetings relevant to Little High interests.
Promote and defend zoning consistent with the goals in the LHNA Constitution so that new residential building projects include at least 20% affordable housing for the longest term possible, that new building projects be as environmentally sensitive and sustainable as possible, and insisting that new construction or alterations to existing structures follow long established principles of urban planning reiterated in the summer of 2021 by CvillePlansTogether — viz., that the height of buildings follow the topography of the neighborhood so that taller buildings are on lower lying areas, that there be reasonable buffers between buildings of significantly different heights, and that adequate sidewalks and bike lanes be part of new development to keep traffic down, etc.

Neighborhood and Local History Committee

To collect and publicize a fair and honest neighborhood history.
To arrange for presentations on this topic available to all neighborhood residents. Guest speakers may be professional or academic historians or others with some expertise in neighborhood and local history (including the personal reminiscences of longtime residents).

Environmental Sustainability Committee

To identify and publicize ways in which individual residents can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to environmental sustainability.
To arrange for presentations on this topic available to all neighborhood residents. Guest speakers may be anyone with useful tips on efforts that can be done around one’s home and yard to live more sustainably.

Small Business Committee

To help promote small businesses located within the neighborhood or with strong neighborhood ties.

Traffic and Safety Committee

To work with City officials (e.g. Neighborhood Development Services, Public Works, the City Manager’s office, City Council, and other entities) to promote traffic safety in ways approved by the Board and the Association as a whole including improving the walkability of the neighborhood through construction of adequate sidewalks, etc.

Article 4: Monthly Meetings

The LHNA Board should conduct regular meetings at least 12 times a year. The meetings shall ordinarily take place once a month at whatever time is convenient for as many Board members as possible.

For the sake of accommodating holidays or for other contingencies, two meetings may be held in one month if no convenient time is available in the following or preceding month.

All regular meetings of the full neighborhood association board conducted online via Zoom or similar electronic means shall be open to all neighborhood residents. Participants in online meetings must identify themselves and have their cameras on.

In the absence of a large common space in which to meet in person Board meetings shall be open to neighborhood residents on the basis of available space.

LHNA Board members may also discuss issues and conduct business via email. In particular, the Board should do the following tasks via email to save time at their meetings:

approval of minutes
approval of agenda

Agenda — The Chair(s) or President(s) is responsible for producing an agenda in advance of each regular meeting. The agenda should be shared in advance with the Board for approval, comment, or revision.

Any Board member may propose topics for the agenda. These should be circulated to the full Board for approval prior to regular meetings.

Any neighborhood resident may propose topics for the agenda. These must be circulated to the full Board for approval prior to regular meetings. If the Board decides for any reason not to include items submitted by residents on the agenda, a written explanation must be provided to the resident.

The officers and regular Board members should make an effort to find interesting and relevant guest speakers who have expertise or insight on matters of neighborhood concern.

The business of the LHNA Board should follow this format:

discussion of the approved agenda items
other matters from LHNA Board members (approximately 5 minutes per speaker)
reports of Board members and committees when available
unfinished business not covered by the agenda
new business not covered by the agenda

If necessary to keep Board meetings productive and worthwhile, or at the request of three or more Board members, the Board will be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article 5: Reporting the Work of the Board

The Board must make a serious effort to publicize its work to all neighborhood residents.

Accordingly, the Secretary will take notes and compile the Minutes for every regular meeting. The Board will review and make whatever corrections or additions are necessary before the Minutes are published on the LHNA website.

In addition to publicizing the Minutes, the Chair or President shall write a summary of the Board’s work at least once every three months and disseminate via email or the website. The full Board must approve the summary before it is made public.

Footnotes

By “genuinely” affordable we mean truly affordable which can be assessed in terms of percentage of new units on site, length of time for which proposed affordable housing will be kept affordable, and income level for which the housing is intended. Many real estate developers try to win public approval for so-called affordable housing projects that are priced for people making 80% of AMI (Area Median Income). Genuinely affordable housing must include a significant percentage of units for people making 60% of AMI or less.
The push for affordable housing is in keeping with the neighborhood’s history as a residential community. From the early 1950s, when most of the neighborhood’s houses were built, until the early 2000s, our neighborhood had a good stock of reasonably affordable ranch style houses, nearly all were somewhere between 750 and 1100 square feet. The housing in our neighborhood has since become absurdly overpriced as almost everyone is aware. While this tendency reflects broad housing trends beyond even City Council’s ability to control, the neighborhood association is committed to doing what it can to keep housing affordable within our neighborhood. Among other things, the goal of 20% affordability gives us an important standard by which to assess the merits of new real estate development proposals.
It would be foolish to try to block all housing growth in or around our neighborhood. While we reject NIMBYism, this doesn’t mean we are we willing to stand aside and let commercial real estate developers and city planners do what they will without our input. We may or may not be able to have any impact on real estate development in our neighborhood, but we will try and we will stand with other local affordable housing advocates in saying “no density without affordability”.