The Little Italy Neighborhood Watch

Preamble

We the people who live as residents and / or work as employees or employers in the Little Italy Neighborhood area, in order to create and maintain a better neighborhood, seek to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and future generations, do ordain and establish this constitution and these by-laws for the Little Italy Neighborhood Watch Associaton (LINWA).

  

Article I: Name

This organization shall be known as “The Little Italy Neighborhood Watch Association” given the historic designation of this regional area as “Little Italy” by the city of Erie, and in light of this neighborhood’s ethnic origins, going back more than a century ago to the early 1900’s.

  

Article II: Geographical Territory & Boundaries

Section I.

The Little Italy Neighborhood Watch located in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania will be demarcated according to the following boundaries:

1. (a) the West-Side of Sassafras Street to the West-Side Area of Cranberry Street
2. (b) the North-Side Area of West 14 th Street to the North-Side of West 19 th Street.

Article III: Purpose

Section I.

It shall be the purpose of the Little Italy Neighborhood Watch:

1. (a) to build alliances and collaborate with law enforcement officials in an effort to help weed out criminals from our neighborhood area.
2. (b) to forge a strong partnership and good working relationship with City of Erie Officials including the District Attorney, Federal & State Judges, the District Justice, the Mayor, City Council Members, the Chief of Police and members of the Erie Police Department, the Office of Economic and Community Development, Redevelopment Authority, Housing Authority, Property & Maintenance Department Building Code Enforcement and other city and county agencies as well as independent social service agencies.
3. (c) to unite Landlords, Corporations, Corporate Executives, and Business Owners who work in the neighborhood to work with the Leadership of this Organization as well as with City of Erie, State & Federal Officials so as to advance both the economic climate and quality of life in our area of the city.
4. (d) to educate all members on crime awareness and anti-crime measures
5. (e) to promote the development and maintenance of the public health & welfare of the residents who live in this inner city neighborhood
6. (f) to strive for effective initiatives and programs which seek to improve, advance, and increase opportunities in the community in the areas of business and economic development, housing, jobs, education, public safety, family living and faith based initiatives.
7. (g) to protect, defend and uphold this constitution, including it’s by-laws and future amendments for all those whom it seeks to represent for the sake of maintaining the peace and advancing the common good.

Article IV: Organization

Section I: Membership

1. (a) Those seeking membership in this organization must physically reside and /or work or own a business within the geographical territory and boundaries of this organization as outlined in Article II, Section I, (a) & (b) in order to apply for and be accepted as a member.
2. (b) Those seeking membership in this organization may be male or female and must be at least 18 yrs of age. Proof of age can and will be requested when doubt exists regarding the applicant.
3. (c) Those seeking membership must completely fill out a Neighborhood Watch Application form in order to be considered for membership.
4. (d) Those seeking membership must be of good character and in good standing with law enforcement and neighborhood residents and businesses at the time of application for membership.
5. (e) Membership applications must be reviewed, processed, voted upon and accepted by the board of directors first and then presented to the general membership at a regularly scheduled meeting for approval, for an individual to become a member of this organization in good standing.
6. (f) Upon being accepted for membership by the board of directors and the general membership, the individual applicant becomes an official member of this organization, and is empowered to cast one vote on any issues brought forward for a vote at any general membership meeting, and is also eligible to nominate, appoint or elect a qualified candidate to hold an office.

Article V: Officers

Section I. The Officers of “The Little Italy Neighborhood Watch” will be:

1. (1) Coordinator
2. (2) Co-Coordinator
3. (3) Treasurer
4. (4) Secretary
5. (5) Master at Arms

Section II. Duties of Officers

1. (1) Coordinator
   1. (A) The Coordinator, along with the Co-Coordinator, shall monitor all aspects of the Neighborhood Watch on an internal and external level and make every effort to keep the general membership fully informed of neighborhood activity and operations except those matters to which he or she is bound by confidentiality and / or the principles of privileged communication at the request of city officials and / or law enforcement.
   2. (B) The Coordinator shall preside as the leader of all meetings of the Neighborhood Watch when present.
   3. (C) The Coordinator along with the Co-Coordinator and Treasurer shall establish and submit a yearly budget for approval by the general membership for this organization, according to the fiscal year beginning July 1st and ending June 30th.
   4. (D) The Coordinator along with the Co-Coordinator, Treasurer and an accountant shall file appropriate non-profit income and expense forms with the IRS each year as required by law
   5. (E) The Coordinator together with the Co-Coordinator, Treasurer and skilled professionals shall apply for appropriate grants that will prove to be beneficial to the organization
   6. (F) The Coordinator shall together with the treasurer monitor all financial accounts and transactions, sign all checks and account for payment of monies from the Neighborhood Watch accounts.
   7. (G) The Coordinator shall together with the Co-Coordinator and Treasurer submit all financial transactions to an outside accountant for an independent audit on a yearly basis.
   8. (H) The Coordinator shall call special meetings of the Neighborhood Watch when deemed necessary and shall appoint all ad hoc committee and sub committee members who are deemed necessary to assist the organization periodically.
   9. (I) The Coordinator shall work with and meet regularly with city of Erie officials, law enforcement personnel, the local district justice, designated block captains, businesses and landlords and attend community meetings at large that might prove to be beneficial to neighborhood watch efforts.
   10. (J) The Coordinator shall recruit and maintain regular contact with Block Captains for informational and crime reporting purposes.
   11. (K) The Coordinator shall schedule special events for the good of the neighborhood and the general membership.
   12. (L) The Coordinator shall conduct all nominations, appointments and elections by the general membership for any and all offices and see to it that the process operates smoothly and efficiently according to prescribed procedures
   13. (M) The Coordinator shall serve as the chairperson for the Board of Directors which includes all duly appointed or elected officers and shall be empowered to cast one vote in favor or against any decisions that are to be made by the board of directors and the general membership.
2. (2) Co-Coordinator
   1. (A) The Co-Coordinator shall, in the presence of the Coordinator participate at regular meetings and assist the Coordinator with the overall operation and decision-making of the Neighborhood Watch & meetings, as well.
   2. (B) The Co-Coordinator, in the absence of the Coordinator, at any regular or special meeting of the Neighborhood Watch, shall, with the full knowledge and consent of the Coordinator, perform the functions and duties of the Coordinator at such meetings.
   3. (C) The Co-Coordinator shall fulfill any additional and reasonable duties assigned by the Coordinator for the good of the organization.
   4. (D) In the event the Coordinator is incapacitated by illness or infirmity, to the extent that full knowledge and consent is not possible for him / her to make sound decisions due to the illness or infirmity, the Co-Coordinator shall automatically and temporarily assume the full duties as Coordinator until such time passes when either the Coordinator who was ill has fully recovered from the illness or infirmity or until such time as the general membership.
   5. (E) The Co-Coordinator shall serve as a member of the board of directors and be empowered to cast one vote in favor or against any decisions made by the board of directors and the general membership.
3. (3) Treasurer
   1. (A) The Treasurer shall have co-responsibility for all financial transactions and accounts in conjunction with the Coordinator.
   2. (B) The Treasurer shall attend all monthly Neighborhood Watch Meetings and provide a monthly treasurers report to the general membership for approval.
   3. (C) The Treasurer shall sign all checks as the first official and necessary designated signature regarding the payment of any monies to any external party or reimbursements to any internal party upon approval by the general membership and as outlined in the yearly preliminary budget.
   4. (D) The Treasurer shall, in conjunction with the Coordinator, submit a preliminary budget for review and approval by the general membership at least 60 days prior to the new fiscal year which begins July 1st of each calendar year.
   5. (E) The Treasurer shall, in conjunction with the Coordinator and a duly appointed external accountant, submit a financial report and 501 C-3 non-profit income tax return to the Internal Revenue Service at the end of each fiscal year ending June 30 of each calendar year..
   6. (F) The Treasurer shall maintain and possess all financial accounts including checking, savings, investments, grants, etc. for the purpose of safeguarding organizational monies which have been specifically designated for this organization.
   7. (G) The Treasurer shall abide by all civil and ethical laws concerning the operation of a 501-C 3 non-profit organization in regards to all monetary transactions & accounts and shall be held liable to the full extent of the law and by the final decision of the general membership for any violations of the law or this constitution that involve fraud, perjury, theft, and / or embezzlement of monies of any kind.
   8. (H) The Treasurer shall provide a year end report of income and expenditures for the fiscal year no later than 30 days following the end of the fiscal year
   9. (I) The Treasurer shall be involved in all discussions that pertain to the securing of, appropriation of, and transaction of any and all monies of this organization, whether those monies are in the form of grants, donations, bequests, or are for internal or external purposes.
   10. (J) The Treasurer shall server as a member of the board of directors and be empowered to cast one vote in favor or against any decisions that are to be made by members of the board of directors.
4. (4) Secretary
   1. (A) The Secretary shall attend all meetings whether they be monthly meetings or specially designated meetings and record in writing a concise, detailed, and accurate set of minutes for each meeting.
   2. (B) The Secretary shall present minutes from the previous meeting for approval by the general membership at the next regularly scheduled monthly general membership meeting.
   3. (C) The Secretary shall, along with the Coordinator, Co-Coordinator, Treasurer, and Master at Arms, be involved in the decision making process of this organization on a regular basis.
   4. (D) The secretary shall server as a member of the board of directors and be empowered to cast one vote in favor or against any decisions that are to be made by the board of directors.
   5. (E) The secretary shall, along with the Master at Arms, bear responsibility for distributing secret ballots, should that be the election method of choice, and also have the duty of collecting them and counting them as well for a final tally.
5. (5) Master at Arms
   1. (A) The Master at Arms shall attend all meetings whether they be monthly meetings or specially designated meetings and serve as the security officer to maintain civil order amongst the general membership especially in the event serious conflicts arise that threaten the safety of those in attendance at meetings and / or any appointed or elected officer of this organization.
   2. (B) The Master at Arms shall, upon the request of the Coordinator, Co-Coordinator or Board of Directors, escort from the meeting premises anyone who is deemed and identified to be out of order and a disruption to the regular business being conducted at the meeting.
   3. (C) The Master at Arms shall at all times serve as security for all officers and general members upon their request and with due prudence for any given situation that is determined to be reasonable in requesting such service be provided for the good of the organization.
   4. (D) The Master at Arms shall monitor and prohibit any member of this organization under the age of 18 from voting to appoint or elect any officer.
   5. (E) The Master at Arms shall monitor all voting procedures for officers whether they are by appointment via a voice vote or election by secret ballot.
   6. (F) The Master at Arms, along with the secretary, shall be directly involved with and monitor the accurate counting of voice votes or secret ballot votes and also announce the winner for each office as determined by the general membership.
   7. (G) The Master at Arms shall serve on the board of directors and be empowered to cast one vote regarding all decisions that are in favor or against any decisions to be made by members of the board of directors and the general membership.
   8. (H) In the event an officer resigns or is removed from office, the Master at Arms shall see to it that an orderly transfer of power occurs and that the previous officer does not interfere with or disrupt the ordinary manner of business conducted at general membership or board of director meetings.
   9. (I) The Master at Arms shall assist with and fulfill any other duties appropriately designated him / her by the Coordinator and Board of Directors.

Section III. Nominations / Appointments / Election of Officers

1. (a) Nominations, Appointments and / or Election of Officers are to be held at the monthly meeting in January every two years except when it is necessary to fill a vacancy of office due to resignation or removal, in which case the above can be accomplished at a more opportune time decided by the membership for the good of the organization
2. (b) Nominations, Appointments and / or Elections for an office or to an office must take place at a regularly scheduled meeting.
3. (c) A minimum of ten members who live and / or work in the neighborhood must be present in order to nominate, appoint, elect to office, or remove from office.
4. (d) Those who live and /or work in the neighborhood are eligible to nominate, be nominated, appoint, be appointed, elect, or be elected to an office.
5. (e) Those who nominate, appoint, or elect candidates and / or officers must be present in person at the meeting in order to do so.
6. (f) In order to be nominated, appointed or elected for office a candidate must be in good standing with the neighborhood, the neighborhood watch and with law enforcement officials.
7. (g) Nominees for office must be nominated by someone other than themself and the nomination must be affirmed by a second motion.
8. (h) All nominations and nominees for an office must meet the criteria of Section II (a),(b), (c),(d),(e), & (f),(g) regarding nominations, appointments or elections above or they will be disqualified.
9. (i) Those nominating, appointing and / or electing officers must be at least 18 years of age.
10. (j) Nominated Candidates for office may be appointed or elected to office.
11. (k) Members are to decide whether to appoint or elect officers by a motion. This motion must be seconded and approved by the majority of the membership.
12. (l) Once nominated Officers may be appointed by a majority voice vote of the general membership or elected by a secret ballot.
13. (m) Those who live and / or work in the neighborhood are eligible to cast one vote for each vacant office through appointment by voice vote or election by secret ballot.

Section IV. Special Elections

1. (a) In the event that an office becomes vacant due to resignation or removal the membership is to call a special election at an opportune time agreeable to the majority of members present.
2. (b) A minimum of ten members must be present to nominate, appoint and /or elect an officer or officers by way of a special election.
3. (c) If a minimum of ten members are not present the nominations, appointments and / or elections must be postponed until there is a quorum of ten members present.
4. (d) All other requirements as stated in Section II, (b), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), and (m) regarding nominations, appointments and / or election of officers must be fulfilled

Section V. Term of Office

1. (a) Officers are nominated, appointed and / or elected for a two year term from the date the election was held.
2. (b) An officer whose first term has expired for a particular office may be renominated, reappointed and / or re-elected to a second term for that same office.
3. (c) No officer may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office unless a two year period of time has passed since the expiration of their last term for that same office.
4. (d) The newly elected officers shall be installed, take the oath of office and proceed to function according to their job description at the first regular meeting held after the election.
5. (e) In the event of the resignation or removal of an officer the new candidate who is nominated, appointed and / or elected for that office shall finish the remainder of the previous officer’s term until the following January and then begin his /her two year term thereafter, regardless of when the previous officer’s term ended by expiration or was terminated.
6. (f) Any officer who is nominated, appointed and / or elected to fill a vacant office as the result of a resignation or removal shall be given the opportunity to complete the remaining time of the previous officer in addition to being appointed or elected for a two year term.
7. (g) Upon completion of serving time left by a vacancy of office, he or she will begin a two year term of office of their own beginning with the First Tuesday of January of a given calendar year.
8. (h) Any officer who serves time left by the vacancy of an office and is elected to a two year term may also be nominated, reappointed or re-elected for another two year term even though the total years served in office may exceed four consecutive years due to additional time served completing the remainder of the previous officer’s term.

Section VI. Resignation / Removal from Office

1. (a) An officer may resign from office at any time for any reason either verbally, in writing or by communicating such an intention through a second party at a regularly scheduled meeting.
2. (b) Resignation from an office is automatic upon communicating that intention to the general membership in accord with the approved communicational forms outlined in (a) above, so long as this takes place at a regularly scheduled meeting.
3. (c) An officer may be removed from office only for a grave moral offense, a publicly scandalous offense, a violation of a civil law, conviction of a criminal offense or a grave dereliction of duty.
4. (d) If an officer fails to faithfully fulfill his or her duties of office contained herein, he or she may be removed by the general membership according to the procedures of removal outlined in (d) below.
5. (e) An officer may be removed from any appointed or elected office at any regularly scheduled monthly meeting by a motion and a second motion from the membership with discussion and a two thirds majority vote of the membership and board of directors.
6. (f) Any officer / board member of this organization who engages in three (3) unexcused absences from the board of director or general membership meetings in any given year shall be suspended from the board and also be automatically subject to the procedures for removal from office at the next regularly scheduled general monthly membership meeting in accord with the process outlined in (c), (d) and (e) above as well as outlined in Section VII (a) thru (i) according to this Constitution and these By-Laws.

Section VII. Procedures for Removal from Office

1. (a) In the event that an officer has deliberately, willfully, and gravely violated any article or section of this constitution or has engaged in scandalous behavior with the deliberate intent of doing so, and where the allegations appear to be credible, an inquiry and investigation is to be held by the board of directors after the general membership has been notified of the violations and / or accusations being investigated.
2. (b) Upon conclusion of the inquiry and investigation, if there is substantial evidence the allegations and violations are true and deliberate, then the matter concerning the removal of an officer from office is to be presented to the general membership.
3. (c) If the officer denies or contests the allegations, he or she is permitted to have a fair hearing before the board of directors at a special meeting in which general members are invited to attend.
4. (d) After a fair hearing, if the board of directors by a majority vote determines that an officer has violated this organization’s constitution or by-laws and / or violated the oath of office and / or violated any civil law whether that be local, state or federal in nature, the issue is brought forth to the general membership at the next regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
5. (e) Once the General Membership has been informed of the situation, a motion must be made by a member and seconded by another member to call a vote for removal from office. Discussion by the general membership must follow. A voice vote or a secret ballot vote is then to be taken and the results announced prior to the conclusion of the meeting.
6. (f) If the majority of the board of directors and the majority of the general membership votes in favor of removal of an officer from a specific office, that officer is thereby officially removed from office upon the conclusion of that vote effective immediately, even if there is no criminal conviction in a court of law prior to or following that vote.
7. (g) Upon removal from office, the officer must be escorted immediately from the meeting premises by the Master at Arms.
8. (h) Any officer removed from an office may never serve again in any capacity as an officer for this organization and likewise, no longer remains a member in good standing nor is he / she permitted to attend or vote at any future meetings.
9. (i) In the event of removal from office, the highest ranking member of the board of directors, as listed in Article V, Section l, will be responsible for holding nominations, and conducting a special election according to rules pertaining to special elections outlined in section IV.

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1: Board of Directors

1. (a) The Board of Directors shall consist of all elected officers for this organization.
2. (b) Officers are to meet once a month as a board of directors, at a time and on a date that is suitable to them and decided by them, in order to discuss pertinent neighborhood issues and to set the agenda and highlight information that is to be covered at the next monthly meeting.
3. (c) Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be led by the Coordinator with the active participation of all other elected officers on the board. In the event of the absence of the Coordinator at a regularly scheduled board meeting, the Co-Coordinator shall assume responsibility for notifying board members and conducting the meeting.
4. (d) Elected Officers as a Board of Directors are required and expected to attend all Board of Director Meetings as part of their duties, except in those instances which involve vacation time, personal or family illness, emergencies, or a funeral for an immediate or extended family member or friend.
5. (e) A board member may also be excused from attending any given board meeting for any other reason determined to be legitimate with the approval of the Coordinator and other Board Members.
6. (f) Unexcused absence on the part of any board member for any meeting is subject to review and the sound judgement of the other members of the board of directors.
7. (g) Habitual unexcused absence is grounds for removal from office, subject to the review of the remaining board members.

Section 2: General Membership

1. (a) Regularly scheduled meetings shall be held on a monthly basis on the first Tuesday of each month unless a more opportune day and date is decided and agreed upon by the general membership.
2. (b) In addition to the regularly scheduled monthly meetings, the general membership and officers may decide and agree upon calling additional meetings if circumstances warrant and if a majority of officers and the general membership deems it appropriate and necessary for the good of the organization.
3. (c) All monthly meetings are to follow the basic format and structure below:
   1. (1) Call to Order
   2. (2) Pledge of Allegiance
   3. (3) Guest Speaker
   4. (4) Secretary’s Report: Reading, Review, Discussion & Approval of the Minutes from the prior General Membership Meeting.
   5. (5) Coordinator’s Report
   6. (6) Co-Coordinator’s Report
   7. (7) Treasurer’s Report
   8. (8) Master at Arms Report
   9. (9) District Justice Report
   10. (10) Law Enforcement Coordinator Report
   11. (11) Block Captains Report
   12. (12) Neighborhood Issues / New Business / Good of the Order
   13. (13) Set Date of Next Meeting & Adjournment
4. (d) The board of directors may at a board of directors meeting adapt, valuate, edit, modify and / or change the basic format for general meetings outlined in (c) above at any time in any way, as deemed necessary by a majority vote or by consensus of the board of directors.
5. (e) Meeting times are to be set by the board of directors on a day and a date that is acceptable to the general membership. Members are to be notified periodically of the dates and times of meetings as well as neighborhood issues and upcoming events.

Article VII: Parliamentary Authority

1. (a) Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised Current Issue along with the Constitution and By-Laws of this Organization shall govern all operations of the Board of Directors and the manner by which business at General Monthly Membership Meetings is handled and conducted.
2. (b) Whenever a question or doubt exists or a lacuna is present regarding the authority of this organization or a specific law, the Constitution and By- Laws will always take precedence over Roberts Rules of Orders.

Article VIII: Dues

1. (a) The board of directors may, at any time, establish membership dues to cover normal operating expenses, if it becomes necessary by a simple majority vote of the board of directors.
2. (b) Once a majority vote to establish membership dues has been established, those dues become retroactive for the given year in which the vote was taken and may be collected from members within a specified period of time to be determined by the board of directors.
3. (c) Any member who is not current in paying their dues within 30 days of the date due will receive written notification of their delinquency from the treasurer. If the delinquency continues for a total of 60 days the member will receive a letter of termination of their membership and good standing with the organization.
4. (d) Members who have not paid their dues are not permitted to attend meetings and also lose their privilege of voting on any issues or nominating or voting for any officer.
5. (e) Once a member’s membership has lapsed after the 60 day warning period, they must formally reapply for membership and be re- accepted before they are permitted to attend meetings and vote again.

Article IX: Fiscal Period

1. (a) All business conducted by this organization, with the exception of appointment of officers and elections, will be conducted according to the Fiscal Year beginning on July 1st of each calendar year this organization is in existence and ending June 30th of the succeeding year this organization is in existence.

Article X: Operation as a Non-Profit 501-C3 Organization

Section 1: Property

1. (a) The property of this organization shall be administered in accord with all pertinent federal, state, and local laws pertaining to an authorized 501 C-3 approved Organization observing and abiding by all regulations of the Internal Revenue Service of the United States of America.
2. (b) No part of the net earnings, net income or assets of this organization shall be distributed for the benefit of any Director, Member, Officer, or Trustee or benefit any other private individual, except those monies that the board of directors and general membership of this organization has authorized to pay for crime prevention, neighborhood development, economic development, services rendered and / or for the purpose of reimbursement.
3. (c) No substantial portion of activities of this organization shall involve the dissemination or distribution of political propaganda or shall otherwise attempt to influence legislation that is not of legitimate concern to this neighborhood, nor shall this organization participate in, promote or endorse any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article X: Amendments to By-Laws and Constitution

Section I: Power to Amend

1. (a) Any part of these By-Laws and this Constitution may be evaluated, reviewed, amended, adapted, or repealed in any manner deemed suitable according to necessary circumstances by two thirds vote of the members of the Board of Directors and the General Membership as well.
2. (b) Notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall be distributed to all members at least 45 days before any proposal shall come before the General Membership for action.

Section II: Waiver of Notice

1. (a) The notice required by Article X, Section 1 above may be waived by the concurrence of a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of those members present at a duly convened monthly membership meeting, as provided for in Article VI, Section 2 above.

Section III: Effective Date

1. (a) This Constitution and these By-Laws become effective immediately upon adoption by two thirds (2/3) of the Board of Directors and the General Membership. Amendments to this Constitution and / or these By-Laws shall become effective immediately upon adoption by two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors and the General Membership of this organization, unless otherwise specified.

Article XI: Dissolution

1. (a) The Little Italy Neighborhood Watch Association may be dissolved by a two- thirds (2/3) vote of all members in good standing, present and voting at a duly constituted annual, monthly or specially designated meeting represented by at least fifty one (51 %) percent of the existing membership in good standing.
2. (b) Thirty (30) days notice of such a proposed action must be given to all registered members who are in good standing via the U.S. Postal Service, prior to the meeting at which such a vote is intended to be taken.
3. (c) In the event that the proscribed requirements stated in (a) and (b) above are met, and a favorable vote for dissolution is achieved, all funds remaining after liabilities have been paid shall be distributed as follows in the following order: (1) 25 % to the City of Erie Department of Community and Economic Development; (2) 25 % to the City of Erie Police Department; (3) 25 % to the District Attorney’s Office; (4) 25 % to the City of Erie Redevelopment Authority.

Constitution Adopted: February 25, 2005 by the Board of Directors of this organization in Erie, Pennsylvania.
  March 1, 2005 by the General Membership of this organization in Erie, Pennsylvania.