Why Update our By-laws?

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A word from your VNA President concerning the proposed VNA By-laws changes:

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Our review committee has worked diligently to update the VNA’s by-laws. The board has endorsed the proposed changes and we plan to hold a member-wide vote next month to makes these updates official. I believe these updates are essential for the VNA to remain an accessible and responsive community resource for Volker.

 

Unfortunately the COVID-19 epidemic has proven that our traditional ways of socializing and communicating break down more easily than we imagined. Leveraging technology will make the VNA more resilient to such challenges.

 

Our recommended updates to the by-laws include:

 

1. Recognizing electronic notification channels (e.g. website email notifications) as sanctioned methods for communicating with our members. Given the constraints COVID-19 has introduced, it’s time to recognize electronic communication as a necessary option — one that our by-laws should clearly define and guide.

 

2. Amending our by-laws to officially recognize these electronic methods as binding notification of upcoming member-wide votes and VNA actions. Today, the by-laws state that the newsletter is the only method by which such votes can be announced; but the newsletter does not come out every month, and we know that members don’t always read it or have access to it.

 

3. Establishing simplified procedures for absentee voting, including using email and online voting options. This year has taught us that meeting in person will sometimes be impossible. In-person meetings remain vital to us as an organization and as a neighborhood, and we look forward to resuming that ritual. But establishing backup procedures is simply a necessity. And even in the best of times, not every member can easily attend every meeting. Giving members a digital option for voting is a significant move toward greater equity.

 

You can view the VNA by-laws with proposed changes highlighted on our website by looking under the About tab or click here to view the document directly. Additionally, we have a summary of the proposed changes, also under the About tab, or view the summary directly here.