The board of the CNPS East Bay Chapter has updated our chapter bylaws. If you are a member in good standing of the CNPS East Bay Chapter, you will soon receive a ballot (via either email or USPS, depending on whether we have your email address) that will allow you to vote on approving the updated bylaws and electing 2022 chapter officers. Please be sure to vote online or mark your paper ballot and return it by the deadline.
The bylaws establish internal rules for operating our chapter, and the board follows the bylaws as they set policy and make decisions. The bylaws were last revised in 2008 and needed to be updated, especially where definitions had been unclear. The newly revised bylaws, presented now for a vote by chapter members, were officially approved by the chapter board on December 4, 2021.
Some of the major changes to the existing bylaws, which were approved by our members in 2008, include the following:
- clarified definition of a board quorum for voting
- a more formal definition of chapter board members, which in the updated version includes chapter officers, the most recent past president, the statewide CNPS Chapter Council delegate, and members at large (this is a new category of board member added in the updated bylaws)
- more detailed information about record keeping and reports by board officers such as the treasurer and recording secretary
- clarified language regarding committees, including standing committees and ad hoc committees
- additional language about voting by the membership, including electronic voting.
Here are links to the existing (2008) bylaws and to the updated bylaws, which chapter members will vote to approve in the upcoming December chapter election.
If you have any questions about the updated bylaws, please contact president@ebcnps.org.
— Robin Mitchell, Recording Secretary and Bylaws Committee, CNPS East Bay Chapter
December 2021
