Paterson's Eastside Neighborhood Association

Member Services

Eastside Neighborhood Association By-laws

Article I – Organization

The name of this organization shall be the Eastside Neighborhood Association, hereinafter referred to as ESNA.

The boundaries of ESNA shall be identified at East 33rd Street/Vreeland Avenue to the west, McLean Boulevard/Route 20 to the east and north, and 20th Avenue to the South.

Article II – Purpose

The purpose of ESNA shall be;

To effect change in law and government enforcement of law to improve the quality of life in the Paterson community, prevent community deterioration, with particular focus on the Eastside Neighborhood.

To foster acceptance by the community of all races, creeds, national origins, sexual orientations, color, religion, sex, handicap, or familial status, to allow all to live together in peace and harmony, aware of each others differences and accepting such differences as each person’s right of existence, and to eliminate prejudice and discrimination.
To formulate and promote a marketing and publicity program highlighting the advantages of living in the city of Paterson, focusing primarily on the Eastside.
To promote maximum exposure of real estate availability and commercial prospects in the Paterson community.
To seek out and address incidents of home abandonment and violation of community laws and regulations which result in vandalism or the destruction of property and to work in conjunction with the Paterson Police Department to prevent burglary, breaking and entering, loitering, and potentially socially abusive action.
To search for, discover and authenticate such historic or unique homes, buildings and natural landmarks as exist in Paterson’s Eastside; to assist local organizations and citizen groups or property owners to recognize the heritage of such homes, landmarks, or buildings and to preserve, repair, restore or maintain such sites; to publicize their unique values and interest to all; to encourage owners of such sites to participate in such preservation, repair, restoration, or publicity, to raise funds for the purchase, restorations or obtaining rights to continue the character of such sites; to promote the value and historic or unique interest as a value, style, or example of such type for preservation, maintenance, repair or restoration.
Pecuniary gain or profit, incidental or otherwise, is not contemplated by the organization for its members.

Article III – Membership and Dues

Membership in this organization shall be open to all adults (18) eighteen years or older, living or working in the Eastside of Paterson, and to any resident of the city of Paterson who expresses interest in the goals of the organization.
Dues shall be $ 20.00 per household. This figure may be modified by a simple majority vote of the membership present.
Membership shall be for one year, from January 1 to December 31. All dues are payable to the membership chairperson who shall turn over all dues to the treasurer as they are secured.
A member joining the organization on or after October 1 of one year shall be considered a member in good standing until December 31 of the following year. Such member however, shall not be eligible to nominate candidates for office or to vote at the annual meeting of the organization in the first (4) four months in which a person became a member.
The right to vote shall be restricted to those adult members in good standing with the organization who live within the boundaries of the neighborhood as set forth in Article I, paragraph B.
The right to become an officer in the organization shall be restricted to voting members within the organization who have been members for one year. In addition, the President shall have served for no less than (1) one year, at any time prior to them holding the position of President, as a member of the Executive Board.

Article IV – Meeting of the Organization

The annual meeting of the organization shall be held on the second Monday of the month of May, at a time and place to be designated by the president and executive Board no later than March 31. Written notice stating the time, place and agenda of the annual meeting shall be mailed to all members in good standing.
General meetings shall be held in September, December, March and May. Notice of the meetings shall be given to membership at least one week prior to that date.
Twenty five members of the organization present and eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting, or any general or special meeting of the membership.
Special meetings shall be called by the President and/or Executive board from time to time as necessary for the best interest of the organization.

Article V – Officers

The officers of this organization shall be a President, Vice President, second and third Vice Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer.
All officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the organization present and eligible to vote at the annual meeting of the organization. Officers shall hold office for one year, and the term of office shall begin at the close of the annual meeting at which they are elected and shall continue until their successors are elected. No officer shall hold more than one office and no member shall be eligible to serve more than (2) two full consecutive terms in the same office.
A parliamentarian shall be appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. The Parliamentarian shall serve as honorary officer and member of the Executive Committee for a term concurrent with the President. The parliamentarian shall advice the officers and membership on matters related to the bylaws and procedures of the organization. The parliamentarian shall not provide legal counsel to the organization or its officers.
Any officer who has served for more than (10) years in any office shall be known as an Officer Emeritus of the Executive Board.
The president shall have the following duties and Responsibilities:

To preside at all meetings of the organization
to coordinate all the organizations activities
to delegate such responsibilities as deemed necessary
to vote only by secret ballot, roll call or to break a tie vote
to serve as spokesperson of the organization
to establish, as needed, Special or Ad hoc Committees in accordance with article VIII
to appoint a solicitor for the organization with the advice and consent of the executive board
to be an ex-officio member of all committees
To coordinate contacts with other organizations, elected and appointed officials and persons representing any organization, partnership or corporation.
to call additional meeting of the organization as may be required
to perform all other duties incidental to the office
to approve all correspondence and the use of his/her signature
to be one of the officers who may sign the checks and drafts of the organization
to appoint the parliamentarian as an honorary officer as noted above
to annual appoint the individual(s) who shall serve as the auditor(s)

The Vice President shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

In the absence of the president, the Vice President shall serve in that capacity, or if unavailable, the Vice President next in rank shall exercise these responsibilities.
To sit on, and be a consultant to the standing committees under his/her area as determined by the President in conjunction with the wishes of the Vice Presidents. There shall be specific areas of responsibilities for the Vice Presidents
To coordinate the activities which relate to his/her overall area of responsibility?
To ensure that committee reports are available for the information of the Executive Board and the Membership.
To perform such additional duties as may be assigned by the President.

the Treasurer shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

To maintain all financial records of the organization, said records to be kept on a fiscal year basis beginning July 1 and ending June 30.
To receive all monies from all organization activities for deposit of these funds in the appropriate bank accounts.
To disburse organization funds for payment of bills on specific authorization by the President. All checks shall require the signature of the President and the treasurer, or the first Vice President, who may sign in absence of the president or treasurer.
To submit financial reports at each executive board meetings and after each major organization activity involving finance.
To submit a written financial report on the condition of the organizations treasury at the annual meeting and to the membership at the close of the year.
To meet with the auditor(s) at the end of the fiscal year for the audit of the organizations financial records.

The secretary shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

To conduct all correspondence relating to the organization as requested by the president.
To issue notices to members of all meetings of the organization, the executive committee and the executive board.
To keep a register of all members of the organization.
To keep complete and accurate minutes of the organizations meetings and the meetings of the Executive committee and executive board.
To provide the minutes of the last proceeding of the organization, of the executive committee and executive board at the next respective meeting thereof.
To keep a copy of the organizational chapter and by-laws on file.
To provide all board members with a copy of the executive board minutes at least one week prior to the next meeting.

The elected officers and the Parliamentarian shall constitute the executive committee.

Article VI – Executive Board

The executive Board shall consist of all officers, all honorary officers, and all (co)chairpersons, all of whom shall be voting members. All members of the Executive Board must be members in good standing of the organization. The Executive Board shall meet prior to each general meeting or at the call of the President, with a minimum of (9) nine present for a quorum, with a minimum of six Executive Board meetings per year. Executive Board meetings shall be open to any member in good standing as an observer. At the recommendation of a member of the Executive Board, the Board, by majority vote, may allow a member in good standing to participate in discussion.
The executive board shall control and manage the affairs of ESNA. The executive board shall only act in the name of ESNA when it shall be regularly convened by the President after due notice to all executive board members of such action.
No officer or member of the executive board representing interest of ESNA shall meet alone with any organization, elected or appointed official person representing any organization, partnership or corporation. Any meeting held as noted above shall not be recognized by the organization.
Any officer or member of the executive board missing more than three consecutive meetings, except under extenuating circumstances as may be determined by the Executive Board, shall forfeit their position on the executive board.
Officers and members of the executive board shall turn over materials related to their position to their successor upon vacating their office or chair. In the absence of a successor materials shall be turned over to the president.

Article VII – Standing Committees

There shall be standing committees, as hereinafter set forth, to discuss, clarify and make recommendations to the executive board relative to any actions within each standing committee’s jurisdiction.
As ESNA is a volunteer organization believing that the more active the membership the more effective the organization, membership on all standing committees shall be open to all members in good standing.
The standing committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the executive committee. Appointments shall be made annually and as soon as possible when a vacancy appears.
Standing committee meetings shall be held at least monthly and/or at the request of the committee chairperson.
A report of activities shall be presented by the committee chairperson to the executive board at each meeting.
A report of committee activities shall be made at general meetings.
Standing committees shall include;

Publicity-develop and disseminate public relations with media
Newsletter-publish and distribute a quarterly newsletter to the membership and in the neighborhood.
Membership-seek out and maintain records of ESNA’s membership and collect annual dues.
Telephone squad-coordinate and activate a telephone communication chain to the membership and residents.
Hospitality-secure general meeting dates and space by June of each year, and provide for the set-up of refreshments at said meetings.
Welcome wagon-seek out and meet with new residents of the eastside neighborhood.
Neighborhood advocate-serve as liaison with ESNA and the various departments and divisions of the city government.
Parks and recreation-work with the division of parks on matters of beautification, utilization and recreation in the neighboring parks.
Marketing-develop and disseminate information about the neighborhood housing stock to interested parties.
House tours-organize and conduct the annual house tour.
Crime watch-to coordinate neighborhood crime watch activities with residents of the eastside neighborhood and the Paterson Police Department.
Historic Districting-to coordinate and act as liaison between state/federal historic committees and ESNA. Develop and maintain local design guidelines.

Article VIII – Special and Ad-hoc committees

The president may, with approval of the executive board, appoint a special or ad hoc committee to consider any matters not within the jurisdiction of a standing committee.
The membership at any general meeting may, by majority vote of the members present, create a special or ad hoc committee to consider any matter not within the jurisdiction of a standing committee.
Dissolution of a special or ad hoc committee shall occur at the time the goals of the committee have been met.

Article IX – Use of signature

Verbal or written use of the name “Eastside Neighborhood Association” shall only be by the president or any other official so designated by the executive Board. Any correspondence generated by any approved designee shall be reviewed/approved by the President and a copy of same filed in a central file maintained by the secretary.

Article X – Vacancies

In case of death, resignation, incapacity or removal by the President, his/her powers shall be exercised until the removal of the incapacity or until the next annual meeting, whichever occurs first, by the first Vice President. If the First Vice President is unavailable, the Vice President next in rank and available shall assume the duties of president.
A vacancy in any other office shall be filled at a special election by a majority vote of the general members where a quorum exists at a general or special meeting. Written notice of the special election must be given no less than (8) eight days before this meeting shall take place.
The officers so elected shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of his/her predecessor.
The removal of an officer, for cause, shall be by motion of the executive board and (2/3) two thirds vote of the membership in good standing present and voting.

Article XI – Nomination procedure and election of officers

A nominating committee of (5) five members in good standing shall be appointed by the executive committee. The nominating committee shall consist of at least (3) three members who are not currently serving on the executive board. One member of the committee shall be a past president of the organization, but no more than one committee member shall have served in this capacity. No member of the Executive Committee shall be eligible to serve on the nominating committee.
The chairperson of the nominating committee shall be selected by and from the committee’s membership.
The nominating committee shall formulate its recommended slate of officers and report its recommendation to the membership at the general meeting in March of each year. The committee shall have the responsibility to certify the eligibility of all members of the slate.
The nominating committee shall provide a written report containing its recommended slate to the membership prior to the annual meeting at which elections are held. Inclusion of this report in the ESNA newsletter prior to the annual elections shall qualify as this notification.
Nominations for office shall be accepted from the floor t the annual meeting. If this occurs, the election process for the affected position(s) shall be by secret ballot, which shall be tabulated by the nominating committee. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.
The elections of officers at the annual meeting shall be run by the chairperson of the nominating committee. The sitting president shall resume the chair of the annual meeting upon the completion of all election proceedings, including the certification of results by the committee.

Article XII – Parliamentary Procedure

Roberts rules of order as newly revised shall govern in all matters not covered by these bylaws.

Article XIII – Audits

There shall be an annual audit of the financial records of this organization.
The audit shall be conducted by an auditor who shall be appointed by the executive board no later than the end of the fiscal year.
The audit shall take place as soon as possible after the close of each fiscal year.
Other audits shall be conducted as may be deemed necessary by the President or Executive Board.
Neither the time nor the place of any audit need to be announced in advance.
The auditors shall submit a written report to the executive board at the next meeting of the executive board following the audit.

Article XIV – Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any general meeting by the submission of proposed amendments at said meeting and by a 2/3 two thirds vote of the members in good standing present at the following general membership meeting where a quorum exists.
Any member in good standing who wishes to make a bylaw change shall submit that in writing to the Executive Committee. The committee will present all requests with comment before being submitted to the general membership for majority approval.

Article XV – Monies

No checks other than previously budgeted/general monies shall be promised and/or made without prior approval by executive board.