Bylaws

Article V – Nominations and Election of Board Members

Section 1: All members, as defined in Article III, are eligible for nomination and election to the Board of Directors. The nomination period shall open Memorial Day and close four weeks before the date set for the end-of-summer meeting. All nominees shall be subject to acceptance by the Board before being placed on the official ballot.

Section 2: Members, as defined in Article III, may vote either by email, mail or, in the case of Board elections, in-person at the end-of-summer meeting. Ballots shall be distributed to all members at least two weeks prior to the Board-designated election date. Ballots must be received by the Association at least five days before the election date, except for ballots cast in person at the end-of-summer meeting. Mailed ballots may only be requested by those members who do not have an email address and cannot attend the meeting. A quorum will be established when membership participation equals 1/3 of the total membership.

Lake Warren Preservation Association By-Laws

Article I – General Information

The name of the organization is the Lake Warren Preservation Association.

The mailing address for the Association is:

P.O. Box 331

Alstead, NH 03602

Email address is:

lakewarren.nh@gmail.com

Article II – Association Purpose

The purpose of the Lake Warren Preservation Association (the Association) is to promote the general health, safety and welfare of Lake Warren and its watershed, located in Alstead, NH. The Association works to:

- preserve the ecological health of the lake and its watershed through education, preservation programs, fundraising, and advocacy; and to

- enhance the civic and social life of the community by promoting friendship and communication among its members, local organizations, and the Alstead community at large.

Article III – Membership

Section 1: To be a member of the Association, dues, as set by the Board, must be paid annually, at or before the beginning-of-summer meeting. Individuals also must be at least 18 years of age and:

i. reside in or own property in Alstead, NH, or

ii. have been previous members of the Association, and

iii. have demonstrated a strong commitment to the betterment of the Lake and the community by actively supporting efforts to achieve the Association’s purpose as stated in Article II.

Section 2: New members are eligible to nominate Board candidates, be nominated for Board positions, and vote three months after payment of dues.

Article IV – Board of Directors

Section I: The Lake Warren Preservation Association Board shall comprise up to nine (9) directors including its officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2: The officers of the Association shall have the following duties:

President: The President shall be the presiding officer at all meetings of the board and the membership. The President may call special meetings as required and with reasonable notice to the membership. At all meetings, the President shall recognize individuals who are entitled to have the floor and shall expedite business in every way compatible with the rights of the members. The President shall serve as primary liaison to partner organizations and may delegate tasks relating to same to the Vice President or others.

Vice President:

The Vice President shall serve in the absence of the President and perform any other duties of the President at the President’s request. The Vice President shall oversee the activities of any committees which may be formed.

Secretary: The Secretary shall record, maintain and read the minutes (as requested) of all meetings. The secretary is responsible for the distribution of all routine information regarding Association activities to the membership. This shall include notice of date and time of meetings and events and distributing copies of the meeting agenda to the membership prior to meetings. The secretary is responsible for keeping members’ contact information up-to-date in the email database. The Secretary shall distribute correspondence prepared by any officer on behalf of the Lake Warren Preservation Association at the President’s request.

Treasurer: The Treasurer has custodial responsibility for all of the Association’s funds. The Treasurer shall keep and maintain all of its financial accounts and sign all checks. The Treasurer shall collect all dues payments and record such payments for each member for the purpose of compiling a current voter list. The Treasurer shall be responsible for reporting accounting information as required by any financial or government entity. The Treasurer shall be the presiding officer at all Association meetings in the absence of both the President and Vice President.

Section 3: The duties of non-officer directors are as follows:

- to support the officers of the board;

- to chair regular and ad-hoc committees;

- to serve as the Association’s ambassadors, providing information to and gathering information from community members and other stakeholders regarding the lake and community;

- to act as advisers to the Board’s officers;

- to nominate candidates for open Board positions, both officers and directors; and

- to appoint new officers to fill unexpired officers’ terms in the event of vacancy.

Section 4: To be eligible for nomination and election, directors must fulfill the requirements for Association membership, as described in Article III of these By-Laws. The term of office for directors shall be two years. Directors are eligible to serve for three consecutive terms, after which time one year must pass before they are eligible for re-election.

Article V – Nominations and Election of Board Members

Article VI – Committees

The Association Board may establish ad hoc and standing committees to carry out the functions and goals of the Lake Warren Preservation Association. A committee chairperson may be a member of the Board of Directors or an individual with relevant expertise and demonstrated interest in the committee’s goals as set by the Board. Committees may be staffed with board members, association members, and relevant experts to ensure they can function effectively.

Article VII – Meetings

Section 1: Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held a minimum of three times per calendar year in person, by Zoom, or similar online format.

Section 2: Annual in-person meetings of the Association shall be held at least twice per year, at the beginning-of and end-of summer. The Board shall determine and publish the dates of these meetings no later than May 31st of each year. The agenda and ballot for all general member meetings shall be distributed by email no less than two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Section 3: Special meetings may be called as needed by the President after consultation with the other Board Members. Special meetings may also be called by a petition of not less than one-third of the voting membership at the most recent election.

Section 4: All meetings of the Lake Warren Preservation Association shall be governed by these By-Laws and by using the procedures stated in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 5: If the President, after consultation with the other officers, deems it necessary, special voting by the membership by means of e-mail may be utilized to decide any question that could be considered at a meeting of the Association. A quorum of one-third the current membership voting by email is required.

Article VIII - Financial Reporting

Section 1: The Association’s fiscal year shall run from March 1 to the last day of February.

Section 2: Financial reports shall be created by the Treasurer, reviewed by the Board and emailed to the membership. Reports shall be presented to the membership at the two summer meetings. A final summary report shall be distributed by email at the end of the fiscal year.

Article IX – Revenues - Dues

Section 1: Dues for any given year shall be determined by the Board.

Section 2: The beginning-of-summer meeting marks the start of the membership year. Dues shall be paid at or before this meeting.

Section 3: New and lapsed members may pay dues at any time during the year. However, voting is restricted for new members as described in Article III.

Article X – Expenditures

Lake Warren Preservation Association funds may be spent as either regular or extraordinary disbursements.

Section 1. Regular expenditures are those expenses related to the ordinary operation of the Association. The Treasurer shall disburse Association funds to cover these expenditures. The Treasurer may be called upon by the membership to explain any regular disbursements. Regular expenditures include but are not limited to the following:

Postage and delivery fees

Paper, stationery, and office supplies

Duplicating Expenses, Web Site or social media fees

Meeting refreshments and venue rental fees

New Hampshire Lakes’ membership dues and Lake Host expenses

Lab fees associated with lake water testing

Signs and advertisements (e.g. meeting notices, cyanobacteria alerts)

Speaker fees

Section 2. Extraordinary expenditures are those not described above in Section 1. The Board must approve each extraordinary expenditure and, if the disbursement exceeds $500, inform the membership. A double signature shall be required of checks for amounts over $500.00. This signature block shall consist of the Treasurer and another director.

Article XI – Revision and Ratification of the By-Laws

Copies of these by-laws and any amendments that may be necessary in the future shall be distributed to the membership by email for a comment period of not less than 5 days and ratified by a majority of membership votes thereafter.

Article XII- Use of Member Information

Individual members of the Association may request the use of membership list for purposes that are directly related to the mission and goals of the Association as stated in Article II. The list shall not be used to profit individuals, businesses or non-profit concerns; it shall not be used for partisan purposes such as to advocate for board candidates, or for issues that are or have been under consideration by the Board and membership. Use of the list must be approved by a majority of the Association’s members.

Article XIII - Dissolution Clause

Whenever two-thirds of the membership of the Lake Warren Preservation Association shall have voted to dissolve the corporation, then said corporation shall be automatically dissolved upon the filing with the New Hampshire Secretary of State of a statement signed under the penalties of perjury by the treasurer and a majority of the directors setting forth (a) that at least 2/3 of the members voted dissolution; and (b) the plan for distribution of the corporation's assets and satisfaction of its obligations in accordance with NH RSA 292:10-a.

Lake Warren Preservation Association By-Laws

Proposed March 2023

Ratified on April 28, 2023