BY LAWS OF THE EAST VILLAGE ASSOCIATION
- Name
- Boundaries
- Purpose
- Membership
- Officers
- Voting
- Board of Directors
- Committees and Activities; The Frankie Machine Garden
- Newsletter
- General Meetings
- Budget and Finance
- Amendments
- History
The name of the organization shall be the East Village Association (EVA), a non-profit organization chartered by the State of Illinois.
The area shall encompass that part of the city of Chicago, Illinois with boundaries as follows: North – Division Street (1200 North) South – Chicago Avenue (800 North) East – Milwaukee Avenue (800 – 1600 West) West – Damen Avenue (2000 West)
The purpose of EVA shall be educational, social and civic. It is organized:
- To provide an opportunity for those who live in, work in, or identify with the social or business interests of the area, to work together for the common good of the community with a positive community spirit;
- To work for a cleaner, safer neighborhood; To assemble and disseminate information about neighborhood conditions, ways to eliminate unwholesome and blighting features, quality and availability of public and private community services, the law pertaining to these matters, and resources available for developing plans for conservation, redevelopment, and general improvement of the community;
- To plan for the maintenance and improvement of both the physical and social environment of the community;
- To promote community discussion of these matters; To empower members to solve community problems.
Such activities shall be carried on without reference to race, creed, or national origin and shall be in cooperation with governmental, religious, charitable, and other educational, civic, scientific, or community organizations. The organization itself shall not become involved in campaigns for political office.
Section 1. Membership Categories
Individual Membership. All persons who live in, work in or identify with the EVA area shall be eligible for individual membership.
Family Membership. Persons residing in the same household and at the same address shall be eligible for family membership.
Senior Membership. Any persons over the age of 65 shall be eligible for individual senior membership.
Institutional Membership. Any business, civic, social, or religious organization is eligible for institutional membership.
Garden Membership. Individuals who use the Frankie Machine Community Garden are designated as “Garden Members” of EVA. Garden Members are members of FMG committee. Garden Members can receive and exercise the privileges of regular EVA membership with participation in general EVA activities.
Section 2. Dues Membership dues are set by the Board and published in the newsletter. Any increase in the dues must be approved by the general membership according to the rules of the by-laws. Dues may be waived in exchange for volunteer service to EVA.
Section 1. The officers of EVA shall be four: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Their term of office shall be for one (1) year, starting April 1 and ending March 31. As a qualification for office, the officers of the Association must be members in good standing.
Section 2. President. The President shall preside at all general and Board of Directors meetings. The President shall be the principal spokesperson for EVA.
Section 3a. Vice President. The Vice President shall assist the president in EVA matters. In the President’s absence, the Vice-President shall preside.
Section 3b. In the absence or disability of the President or Vice President, their duties shall be performed by a person of their designation.
Section 4. Secretary. The Secretary shall take the minutes of the general meetings.
Section 5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have charge of the receipts and disbursements of the Association. The Treasurer and the President shall be empowered to sign checks. The Treasurer shall be responsible for a monthly report to the general membership and an annual report of EVA’s finances. Reimbursements of authorized expenses incurred on behalf of EVA will be paid by the Treasurer. The Treasurer will write and disburse receipts for all authorized expenses on behalf of EVA. EVA’s financial records can be viewed by submitting a written request to the Board of Directors.
Section 6. No person running for or holding political office shall serve as an officer of EVA.
Section 7. Election of Officers. The Officers are to be elected each year at the March general meeting. A nominating committee comprising of a minimum of three (3) members appointed by the President at the February general meeting shall submit a proposed slate of officers at the March general meeting. Prior to the election, nominations shall also be accepted from the floor. Voting shall be done via written ballot and counted by any two volunteers other than members of the nominating committee and the nominees for office. The results shall be announced at the March general meeting. Simple majority determines election results for each office. In case of a tie, a run-off election for that office will be held at the same meeting. Twelve (12) members constitute a quorum.
Only members in good standing over 16 years of age who reside or own property in the area defined in Article II are eligible to vote. An individual or a senior membership entitles the holder to one vote. In a family membership each family member of voting age is entitled to vote, however, the voting capacity of a family membership cannot exceed three votes. An institutional membership entitles a designated person to one vote. No person may cast more than one vote.
ARTICLE VII. Board of Directors
Section 1. The purpose of the Board of Directors shall be to plan and organize general meetings, to implement actions voted upon by EVA, and to be responsible for the overall operation of EVA. The members of the Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, editor(s) of the newsletter, and up to four members appointed by the President. The total number of Board members may not exceed ten (10).
Section 2. The Board shall meet once a month. A minimum of four members of the Board constitutes a quorum. Regularly scheduled meetings are open to the public.
ARTICLE VIII. Committees and Activities
The Board of Directors will authorize committees. Committees shall study and conduct hearings on all matters referred to them and shall have authority to make public their findings and decisions, provided that it is made clear that they are not speaking for EVA without prior approval. Committees should regularly make public their findings through newsletter articles and consistent verbal updates at the general meetings. Examples of committees include: vacant lots, city services, aldermanic liaisons, economic development, community gardens, urban forestry advocacy, and membership. Examples of activities include: cleanups, graffiti paint-outs, fundraising, and social events.
ARTICLE VIIIA. The Frankie Machine Garden
The Frankie Machine Garden (FMG) is a community garden located at 1800 W. Haddon Street, Chicago. It was established in 1988 by the East Village Association (EVA). The purpose of the FMG is to provide open green space to relieve urban congestion and to provide gardening space for neighborhood residents. EVA sponsors the FMG as a contribution to the quality of life in our community. EVA obtained title to the FMG property in 1992 via a negotiated sale from the City of Chicago. EVA assumes responsibility for assuring that obligations of ownership (e.g. liability insurance) are met. Direct supervision of the FMG is the responsibility of the FMG representative. The FMG Representative chairs the FMG Committee, which operates in accordance with the policies enumerated in EVA Bylaws Article VIII. Individuals who use the FMG are designated as “EVA Garden Members” (see article IV, Section 1)
Section 1. Garden Operation. The FMG consists of garden plots that are available for the use of community residents. A donation for use of the plot is requested, but not required. Gardeners must comply with the "FMG Rules" (see addendum), which include maintenance requirements/provisions. The Rules are established by the EVA Board of Directors and the FMG Committee, with review and revision on an annual basis.
Section 2. Garden Finances. Garden expenses include maintenance costs and capital improvements. EVA is responsible for approving the FMG budget and insuring that maintenance costs are met. Capital improvements may be funded via grant monies, EVA must approve all funding for capital improvements. FMG funds are maintained in a separate account, supervised by the FMG Representative and EVA Treasurer.
A newsletter shall be published monthly. The purpose of the newsletter shall be to facilitate communication. To this end, heads of committees and officers are responsible for providing written updates on their activities. The newsletter may include advertising. A copy of the newsletter shall be delivered to each member and shall be made available to the general public, other community organizations, and key community institutions and members. The editor(s) shall exercise editorial privileges. A statement to the effect that the opinions expressed in the newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Board of Directors must be included in the newsletter.
General meetings shall be held monthly and shall be open to the public. Notice of time and place for the general meeting shall be printed in EVA’s newsletter on a regular basis. The meeting shall follow a pre-set agenda determined by the President. Members shall be allowed to bring before EVA new items for discussion by EVA at the general meeting. The President shall decide how issues brought before EVA shall be handled, i.e., discussed, sent to committee, or placed on the agenda of the following general meeting. General meetings shall include oral reports given by Board and committee members. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern general meetings. Issues that the Board of Directors deems necessary for general membership approval shall be voted on at the general meeting. The issues shall be discussed and presented as motions. A motion shall pass with a simple majority from members with voting privileges. Twelve (12) members constitutes a quorum.
ARTICLE XI. Budget and Finance
EVA shall be responsible for raising sufficient resources to meet the budget needs. The fiscal year shall be April 1 through March 31.
These By-Laws may be amended at any general meeting of EVA by an affirmative vote of a quorum of twelve members. Amendments to the By-Laws must be amended by the following procedure: Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors not less than thirty (30) days prior to the next general meeting. The proposed amendment must be recorded in the newsletter issue published prior to the next General Meeting. If the Board of Directors votes not to recommend the proposed amendment, the proponent may place it before the general membership by presenting to the Secretary a written petition signed by at least five (5) members in good standing at least twenty-nine (29) days before the general meeting. The petition shall state the proposed change with the signatures affixed thereto. The proposed amendment shall then be sent in writing with the call of the meeting and placed on the agenda.
All matters not governed or covered by these By-Laws shall be determined by Robert’s Rules of Order Revised.
By-laws originally adopted: May 1, 1984
Amendments proposed:
- March 1988 Adopted April 5, 1988
- July 20, 1992 Adopted March 2, 1993
- December, 1994 Adopted February 7, 1995
- August 1, 1999 Adopted September 7, 1999
- April 1, 2000 Adopted May 2, 2000
- January 24, 2009 Adopted March 2, 2009
- March 8, 2010 Adopted May 3, 2010
- March 5, 2011 Adopted April 4, 2011
- October 8, 2018 Adopted January 7, 2019
