The Heritage Hills/Windsor Hills Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team By-laws 

Section 1— Definition 
 
A.
 The Neighborhood Plan Contact Team means the individuals designated to implement an adopted neighborhood plan.  The neighborhood plan contact team is a separate body apart from any existing or future neighborhood associations. 
B.
 This organization shall be known as the Heritage Hills/Windsor Hills Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (HHWHCNPCT). 

 
Section 2—Roles & Responsibilities 
 
A.
 The role of the HHWHCNP Contact Team shall be to review and make recommendations on all proposed amendments to the adopted HHWHCNP and support implementation of the plan. 
B.
 When appropriate the HHWHCNPCT may decide to initiate a plan amendment. When appropriate the HHWHNPCT may give written approval to allow a plan amendment for an individual property within the planning area to be filed out of cycle.
C.
 The HHWHCNPCT are to serve as community points of contact on matters related to plan implementation and other City of Austin planning initiatives. 
D.
 It is also the responsibility of the HHWHCNPCT to work on behalf of all stakeholders in the neighborhood planning area 

 
Section 3—Boundaries 
 
A.
 North: East Braker Ln. 
South: US 183/East Anderson Ln. 
East:  Cameron Rd./Dessau Rd. 
West:  IH-35 Frontage Rd. 

 
Section 4—Membership of the HHWHCNPCT 
 
A.
 Membership of the HHWHCNPCT shall to the greatest extent practicable include at least one representative from each of the following groups within the neighborhood planning area 
1)  Property owners 
2)  Residential renters  
3)  Business owners  
4)  Neighborhood organization members owning property within the neighborhood plan area. 

B. No member shall purport to represent the HHWHCNPCT unless authorized to do so. (See Section 9B) 
C. Each member of the HHWHCNPCT shall be provided a copy of the of the adopted Contact Team bylaws. 
D. Voting membership shall be granted to any individual who meets the criteria as outlined above in Section 4A and has attended a total of 2 meetings. See Section 6Ac. 
E.  Attending the bylaws adoption meeting of the HHWHCNPCT meeting will count as the 1st meeting. Voting membership shall become effective at the beginning of the 2nd meeting. 
F. Names of new members shall be noted in the minutes. 

Section 5—Removal of Members from the HHWHCNPCT. 
 
A.
 Any HHWHCNPCT member who no longer meets the membership criteria of Section 4A shall be removed from the HHWHCNPCT. An individual’s membership on the HHWHCNPCT shall lapse on the fourth successive absence unless there are extenuating circumstances that have been communicated to the HHWHCNPCT President/Chair. The Secretary will make a notation in the minutes of each meeting of the names of the individuals whose membership will lapse at the next scheduled meeting.  The Secretary shall communicate this information to the individuals whose membership is at risk of lapsing within 30 days.

 
Section 6— Decision Making 
 
A.
 Voting: 
Decisions of the HHWHCNPCT will be made by voting according to the following rules: 

 a. Majority rule 
 b. Any person of legal age gets to vote 
c. When tied to membership status, i.e. must have attended 1 previous meeting within the last 6 months, and the current meeting, to be a voting member.  
d. One vote per property owner regardless of the number of properties owned in the planning area. 
e. A quorum of eligible members must be present in order to make a decision at an NPCT meeting. A quorum is established when at least 50% of eligible decision-making members are present. The names of eligible members participating in a decision will be included in the meeting’s minutes. 

Section 7—Meetings 
 
A.
 Meetings of the HHWHCNPCT shall be open to the public.  Community stakeholders are invited to participate in the discussion of the matters at hand, but only qualified decision makers/voting members of the HHWHCNPCT are eligible to make decisions/vote. 
B.
 Meetings shall be held bi-monthly on a Monday from 6:30 to 8:00pm. 
C.
 Unless otherwise noticed all meetings will be held at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center (1201 E. Rundberg Lane, Austin, TX 78753). The APD Recruiting Center shall be considered as a backup location if the Gus Garcia Recreation Center is unavailable. 
D.
 Additional meetings may be held on an as-needed basis. 
E.
 Special meetings of the HHWHCNPCT may be called by the Chair. Any member of the Contact Team may request a special meeting. 
F.
 Elections of officers shall occur once per year. 
G.
 Voting members do not have a greater right or privilege over non-voting members to speak at a public meeting of the HHWHCNPCT.   
H.
 Approved meeting notes and sign-in sheets, as a record of attendance, must be kept for all meetings of the HHWHCNPCT and shall be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Department upon request. 
I.
 Meeting discussions will be conducted in a conversational format with special regard for a dialogue that is respectful and considerate of all members in attendance. 
J.
 Robert’s Rules shall be used as a guide when parliamentary questions arise. 

 
Section 8—Meeting Notification 
 
A.
 All meetings will be publicized in the neighborhood using whatever reasonable means available, for example:  flyers, mailings, newsletters, print publications, web pages and/or neighborhood listserves. At a minimum, meeting notification will be publicized through:
a.	 Direct notification of all contact team members(including voting and non-voting) via email, phone, listserv, or contact team website;
b.	The schedule shall be described in the community registry entry for the Contact Team; and
c.	Meeting notification shall be provided to City Staff for dissemination to the general public through a centralized contact team website or other means.
B.
 Notices shall be distributed not less than 10 days before the next scheduled meeting date. The meeting notice will include a meeting agenda.
C.
 Failure to receive a meeting notice does not invalidate the meeting. However, the provisions of this section must be complied with in good faith. 

 
Section 9—Officers and Duties 
 
A.
 The officers of the HHWHCNPCT shall be, at a minimum:  Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary. 
B.
 Duties of the officers are as follows: 
	
 The Chair shall be responsible for the operation of the HHWHCNPCT and its 
officers pursuant to these bylaws. This shall include conducting meetings, representing the team at official functions, appointing committees, and generally overseeing the business of the HHWHCNPCT.  The Chair shall have the primary responsibility for coordinating with the City of Austin planners on Neighborhood Plan related issues. 

 The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair in preparing meeting agendas and 
conducting meetings and shall assume all duties of the Chair when required. 

 The Secretary shall maintain all written records including meeting notes and records of attendance. The Secretary shall produce all written communications as directed by the Chair, or the HHWHCNPCT membership. 

 The Secretary shall submit annually to the City of Austin Planning and Zoning Department a list of the current officers and voting members and their contact information. 

 The Secretary shall annually submit to the City of Austin Planning and Zoning Department bylaws based upon a standardized template addressing rights and responsibilities, boundaries, membership, decision making, meetings, meeting notification, elections and duties of officers, finances, conflicts of interest and amendments to the bylaws.  

Section 10—Nomination, Election, and Term of Officers 
 
A.
 Officers will be elected by the HHWHCNPCT voting members, by majority vote. All candidates must be qualified voting members of the HHWHCNPCT. Candidates must be listed in the agenda of the meeting at which the vote will occur. 
B.
 Officer terms shall be for 2 years not to exceed 2 consecutive terms as the same officer. 
C.
 To ensure continuity, membership terms shall be staggered.  The initial slate of officers shall serve the following initial terms; Chair 3 years, Vice Chair 2 years, Secretary 1 year. After the initial term of office is concluded all subsequent officers will serve as referenced in Section 10B. 
D.
 The Secretary will notify the Planning and Zoning Department in writing of the names of the newly elected officers, their contact information, and the date they are due to take office. 

Section 11—Removal and Vacancies of Officers 
 
A.
 Any elected officer may be recommended for removal from office for not fulfilling their duties as per Section 9.  Removal shall be considered by the HHWHCNPCT and shall require a two-thirds vote of members eligible to vote and present at a meeting of the HHWHCNPCT, providing that a resolution proposing the consideration of the removal has been adopted at a preceding meeting and that notice of the vote for removal has been included in the call to the meeting at which the vote shall take place. 
B.
 Should vacancies occur outside the normal election process, candidates for the unfilled term shall be nominated from the floor and elected at the next scheduled meeting following the vacancy. The person elected to the vacated office will serve for the remainder of the term. 

 
Section 12—Committees 
 
A.
 Committees shall report to the HHWHCNPCT and these reports shall be entered into the minutes or meeting summaries. 

Section 13—Finances 
 
 A.  The HHWHCNPCT may not collect or charge dues of its membership. 
 B.  The HHWHCNPCT may only accept in-kind donations that aid in the     prescribed roles and responsibilities of the HHWHCNPCT as defined in Section    2. 
 C.  In-kind donations that create a conflict of interest (see Section 14) are not     permitted. 

Section 14—Conflict of Interest 
 
A. If a voting member of the HHWHCNPCT, has a personal relationship with, or interest in a development that requires a plan amendment, the member must follow these rules: 
1)
 If a member has a substantial interest (see below) in a project, the member cannot participate in any decision or voting concerning the project, including the decision of the HHWHCNPCT to recommend an application for a plan amendment or the decision to support or not support the project. 
2)
 If a member has a substantial interest in a proposed project, the member must disclose this interest at the time a plan amendment application is discussed and at the time the recommendation letter for the project is submitted to the Director of the Planning and Zoning Department. 
3)
 A member with a substantial interest in a project may participate in the discussion regarding the proposed change.  However, participating in the voting or decision regarding that change is disallowed. 

 
 Substantial interest means:  
 
1)
 A person owns at least a part of or is invested in the property, or the business developing the property. 
2)
 If a person has worked for someone involved in the project over the past year. 
3)
 If the person has a business that would directly benefit from the project.  
4)
 If the person serves on the board of directors, corporate officer, or any other board overseeing the project. 
5)
 If the person owes money to anyone involved in the project. 

 
Section 15—Amendments 
 
A.
 These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of those present at a HHWHCNPCT meeting, providing that a resolution proposing the amendment has been adopted at a preceding meeting and that notice of the proposed amendment has been given in the call for the meeting at which the amendment shall be voted upon. 

 
Section 16—Effective Date 
 
A.
 These bylaws of the Heritage Hills/Windsor Hills Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team are effective as of June 11, 2017.