Kevin Marsh Uncategorized

2016 Membership Drive

Spring 2016

Dear Neighbor,

Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) is your local community council. CTM advocates on behalf of the Clifton community. Issues we have promoted in the past year include supporting the CCAC, seeking high quality public education seats for your children, removing invasive plants from Burnet Woods, more events at Clifton Plaza, reducing the speed limit on McAlpin and Ruther Avenues, more bicycling infrastructure for Clifton, and resolving the noise from the roof of Good Sam hospital. We have worked on zoning variance issues as well as providing community input into the City’s Land Development Code revisions.

CTM also sponsors many activities and festivals throughout the year for our community including: Memorial Day Parade & Cookout, Lantern Walk, CliftonFest, the House Tour, Holidays on Ludlow and more. We provide funding for beautification projects such as the flower pots & holiday decorations on Ludlow Avenue. We provide communications including the community email list, Clifton Community website and the Clifton Chronicle. We partner with the Clifton Business and Professional Assocation (CBPA) to keep the Clifton Plaza operating. To support this important community work, we need your generous support. Membership dues are tax deductible and make up the second largest source of income for CTM. If you paid membership dues sometime in 2015, thank you for your support. Memberships are based on the calendar year, and we need your support again in 2016.

Starting or renewing your membership will help us keep Clifton a vibrant, desirable, and fun place to live, work, and play. CTM also accepts donations, and you can do that at the same time you renew your membership online. You can click here to renew online.

If you wish, you can also use this Membership Form to do a mail in membership renewal.

Thank you for your support.
CTM Membership Committee

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Kevin Marsh Announcements, Uncategorized

CTM Proposed Bylaws Changes

CTM Trustees formed an ad-hoc Bylaws Review Committee during the October meeting this year. Various bylaws topics were set for review. During the November CTM meeting, three bylaws changes were proposed and the Trustees voted to put these changes before the membership at the December 7, 2015 meeting. All CTM members who have paid their dues for 2015 are eligible to vote on these changes.  The CTM Bylaws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members present and voting provided the amendments have been introduced in writing at a previous CTM meeting and proper notice has been given.

This post summarizes the changes being proposed. The actual language is linked below at the very end. If you have feedback on these changes, feel free to email Trustees.

Click here to read the current CTM Bylaws as revised by the membership during 2010.

Officer Succession

Current bylaws language is not clear on how the President is succeeded if s/he resigns. Trustees encountered this issue during September. This proposed bylaws change creates a very clear succession plan for President and Vice President by ensuring the Vice Presidents are elected with new titles: 1st Vice President and 2nd Vice President. The 1st Vice President shall succeed the President. The 2nd Vice President shall succeed the 1st Vice President. In addition, the proposed bylaws changes make it mandatory to immediately replace the Treasurer or Secretary position should a Trustee resign either position.

Five Trustee Election Cycle

Current bylaws language does not advise on how to ensure that 5 Trustees are elected each year. The CTM Board is comprised of 15 Trustees.  To have a good balance of veteran and new Trustees, there should be 5 elected each year for full 3 year terms. This balance provides for a more effective Board. This proposed bylaws change create language to ensure that this cycle is preserved when there are more than 5 positions open for election by providing for less than 3 year terms to Trustees who are elected with lowest vote counts.

Nominating Committee Formation and Report

Current bylaws language does not set a deadline on when the Nominating Committee must fully form. The language also has no details on what the Committee’s required report to the Board must contain. If the Nominating Committee is formed too late in the year, it will not have time to properly perform it’s work of finding candidates and preparing for the Fall election of Trustees. This proposed bylaws change sets the August CTM meeting as the latest formation date. The current Board feels that the required Nominating Committee report should have some minimum acceptable standards and details. This proposed bylaws change provides for specific report requirements. This creates a minimum standard for future Nominating Committees to meet.

Proposed Bylaws Language Files

In each of the pdf files linked below, the existing bylaws language is shown first, and the proposed changes for member approval are shown afterwards.  We urge you to read these changes carefully.  If you have feedback on these changes, feel free to email Trustees.

ARTICLE V – Paragraph 2

ARTICLE VI

ARTICLE VIII – Paragraph 1 and 2