As previously announced, a Committee of the Board has been reviewing our Club Bylaws for several months now. After many, many hours of thought and debate, the Board approved the Committee's recommendation to revise the Club Bylaws. The final step is for membership to consider and vote on this proposed revision.
The Board has scheduled a vote by the membership on the proposed Bylaws revisions at the March 21, 2019, meeting of the General Membership.
Please plan to attend.
If approved by a two thirds vote of the members present at the March General meeting, the changes in the Bylaws will be phased in through the remainder of the fiscal year (by June 1).
The Board believes that updating our Bylaws will prepare the Club for a strong and healthy future, and you are encouraged to attend the March General Meeting to consider this proposal.
Click the image to view or download a PDF of the revised Bylaws as proposed.
If you have questions or are interested in learning more about the work of the Bylaws Review Committee and the thinking behind the proposed revisions, please reach out BylawsReview@EstesParkNewcomers.org.
An informational meeting is scheduled for 10:00-11:00am on March 7th in the Wasson Room of the Library. The meeting is open to all active members. If you plan to attend, we ask that you RSVP for the meeting online.
Key Changes Proposed
This is by far the most extensive update to the Newcomers Club Bylaws since its founding. The Bylaws Review Committee concluded that an exhaustive review was warranted, due to significant growth of the Club and its activities in recent years.
- Shift Membership Year to July 1 - June 30
- Create opportunity to expand Club programming year-round
- Support a transitional period between administrations
- Establish an Executive Committee
- Consisting of all elected officers and the Immediate Past President
- Delegate some of the duties of the President to the Executive Committee
- Establish a Finance Committee
- Create and maintain the Club budget
- Empowered to review use of Club funds
- Establish Working Committees
- Committee structure to replace the static list of specified Board positions and functions in the existing Bylaws
- Expand opportunities for members to serve in non-Board positions
- Better retain institutional knowledge
- Create more opportunities for internal succession between administrations
- Define Relationships Between the Club and Parties of Interest
- Define prospective members, graduates and alumni
- Equip the Board to define policies that encompass non-active members
- Modernize and Clarify Bylaws
- Separate policy guidelines from the Bylaws, empowering the Board to implement policies governing Club activities and operations
- Clarify key governance terms
- Remove obsolete definitions, structures and operational practices