Governance

Logan Square Walks
Governance
Organizational Philosophy and Structure

  1. Logan Square Walks (LSW) will remain an inclusive organization, open to anyone interested in improving the pedestrian environment of Logan Square. Members must be committed to the LSW mission: Promoting pedestrian access, safety, awareness, and community. A $5.00 annual membership is required.
  2. LSW prohibits discrimination/harassment of any kind, including that based on gender, race, creed, color, ethnicity, economic circumstance, physical ability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, profession, or age.
  3. LSW will be governed by a steering committee of dues-paying members who have contributed productively to the organization over time. The steering committee will consist of no fewer than six and no more than 15 members annually. The initial nominations to the steering committee will be made by LSW co-Chairs. Steering committee members will serve annual terms. For calendar year 2005, nominations to the steering committee may occur on a quarterly basis and be put forward for consideration by any steering committee member or member at large. Only steering committee members possess voting rights, and voting rights extend to steering committee confirmations as well as issue-based proposals, which may come from either steering committee members or members at large.
    If it is determined that a steering committee member has been disruptive or is otherwise in violation of the parameters of membership, he or she may be removed from the committee by vote. See item 5.
  4. Voting may occur at any quarterly meeting of the steering committee to accept/reject a proposal or new nomination to the steering committee. Voting may also be conducted virtually on an as-needed basis. If a steering committee member has no electronic access, accommodations will be made.
    For all decisions affecting governance and policy, members at large will be solicited for feedback prior to voting by the steering committee. Information will be distributed either at member-at-large meetings or through electronic means, so steering committee members may account for this feedback in deciding their votes.
    Any item to come to vote will, when possible, be announced or distributed to all members of the steering committee at least 72 hours in advance of the vote. In order for a vote to be considered valid, at least two-thirds of the steering committee membership must vote (see 5. for exceptions).Though consensus is desired, a proposal or nominee will be logansquarewalks.orgimple majority (of the two-thirds minimum). Steering committee members not present at a given meeting will be given the opportunity to vote in absentia, and no vote will be considered complete until all steering committee members have proffered their votes, declined to vote, or failed to respond to a vote request by the vote deadline.
  5. There are two exceptions to the two-thirds minimum/simple majority rule:
                        1) Changing the governance guidelines
                        2) Adding/removing members of the steering committee
    In these cases, two thirds of the total steering committee membership is required to pass the vote.
  6. The steering committee will meet on a quarterly basis. Membership-at-large meetings will occur quarterly in close proximity to steering committee meetings.
  7. Each steering committee member is expected to make a tangible contribution to the organization beyond payment of dues and meeting attendance. Individuals will agree to one task per quarter to be reported on by the subsequent quarterly meeting. Subsequent task commitments may grow from the previous objective or be altogether new. Task examples may include representation of LSW to another local committee, taking responsibility for website updates, sponsoring and coordinating a LSW event, serving as LSW committee chair, serving as LSW officer, etc.
  8. One or two members of the steering committee will agree to serve as Chair. The Chair(s) will serve a one-year term and be responsible for organizing quarterly meetings, posting general information on the website and/or listserv, serving as liaison(s) to elected officials and community groups, and functioning as the central contact and spokesperson(s) for the organization. One additional member each will agree to serve in the following two annual positions: Secretary and Treasurer. The Secretary will record and post meeting minutes and be responsible for other written communications as needed. The Treasurer will manage the treasury funds, maintain a membership database, and oversee membership initiatives.
  9. Each LSW membership-at-large meeting will be headed by the Chair or appointed Facilitator. If no topic is already assigned to the meeting, it is the Chair or Facilitator’s task to determine the agenda. The Chair/Facilitator must provide a typed agenda and maintain the timetable during the meeting. Interference with the Facilitator’s ability to lead the meeting is prohibited. If no one volunteers to facilitate, these duties revert to the Chair(s).
  10. An annual meeting of the membership at large will be held in January 2006 to elect a new steering committee and offer any revisions to the governance structure, effective for calendar year 2006.
  11. The governance structure may be amended at any time during calendar year 2005. See item 5. above for parameters.

Revised 1/27/05, cap