Reston Citizens Association Bylaws
HOME     ABOUT RCA     GET INVOLVED        RCA PROJECTS     LINKS     CONTACT US

 

Adopted 23 January 1968

as amended 19 January 1970

as amended 25 February 1978

as amended 21 February 1983

as amended 16 February 1987

as amended 17 April 1989

as amended 21 October 1991

as amended 22 June 1992

as amended 28 August 2000

as amended  24 September 2001

as amended 11/22/2004

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE I.  NAME

 

The name of this organization shall be the Reston Citizens Association.

 

 

ARTICLE II.  PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

 

  1. Purpose.  The purpose of the Reston Citizens Association is to provide the means for effective, informed, and responsible participation by the residents of Reston in the development of the community in which they live and in the promotion of the general welfare of the Reston Residents.  When referred to in these Bylaws, Reston shall mean the geographical area of Small Tax District 5 and all residents within this boundary.

  2. Objectives.  In keeping with its goals, the Association shall endeavor to insure the growth of Reston as a genuine New Town through the encouragement of the following objectives:

    1. That Reston should be open, in spirit and fact, to all.

    2. That Reston should continue to be a place for innovation in seeking solutions to urban problems:

(1)   That land should be developed as economically and imaginatively as possible, in order to preserve the maximum degree of natural landscape,

(2)   That the planning and architectural design of Reston should be marked by a concern for excellence and diversity,

(3)   That all types of housing, for all income levels, be planned in a manner that provides a “sense of place”, not the anonymity prevalent in so much residential development today,

(4)   That creative opportunities be provided for residents of all ages to follow social, cultural, and recreational interests in their pursuit of excellence as individuals and as responsible members of the community.

    1. That Reston should include a full range of commercial, industrial, recreational, educational, and cultural, as well as residential development.

    2. That the basic concepts of the Master Plan be carried out, especially with respect to the village and town centers, as envisioned.

 

 

ARTICLE III.  POLICY

 

1.         The Association shall seek to keep residents informed on all matters related to their community and shall advocate their interests on salient issues at the community, county, state, and national levels.

2.         The Association shall work through its community and business organizations in areas of mutual interests.

3.         The Association shall be non-partisan in that it may take action on governmental measures and policies, but may not support any political party or candidate.

 

 

ARTICLE IV.  MEMBERSHIP

 

1.         All residents who voted in the most recent annual election for the Association Board shall be members until the next election.

2.         All Board members, whether elected or appointed, shall be members of the Association.

3.         All residents of Small Tax District #5 of Fairfax County not covered in other classes shall be associate members of the Association.

 

 

ARTICLE V.  MEETINGS

 

1.         Meetings.  Meetings of the Association may be called by the President, or by a majority of the Board of Directors, or by a written request of 100 residents.  The person(s) who calls the meeting shall specify the agenda.

2.         Notice.  The Board of Directors shall publish notice of the meeting of the Association, including the agenda, for two successive calendar weeks in a newspaper published in Fairfax County.  The second publication shall not be less than seven days prior to the date of the meeting.

3.         Quorum.  Forty residents shall constitute a quorum when there is a matter to be voted on at the meeting.

4.         Voting.  The voting powers of the residents at a meeting shall be by majority vote, one vote per person, except for those issues on which a larger vote for approval is required under the statutes of Virginia.  No proxy or absentee voting shall be permitted.

 

 

ARTICLE VI.  RESIDENT POLL

 

1.         Resident Poll.  The Association may conduct a poll of the residents on any matter determined by a majority of the Board of Directors to be submitted to the residents, or which is requested by a petition signed by one hundred (100) residents.

2.         Discussion.  The Board may call a meeting of the residents for a discussion of the matters to be voted on in the resident poll.

3.         Method of voting.  Voting shall be by ballot at polling places within the community.  Absentee or mail balloting may be authorized by the Board of Directors.

 

 

ARTICLE VII.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

1.         Number.  The Board of Directors shall consist of fifteen residents, including the President.

2.         Term.  The term of office shall be one year for President and two years for other Directors, except as noted in Paragraph 7b of this Article VII.  The Office of the President and seven directors plus any Board seats vacated by resignation since the last election and which have not been filled by the Board shall be filled by election of the residents each year.  The President and three Directors shall be elected at-large; four Directors shall be elected to represent each of the four geographic districts established by the Board of Directors.  Unfilled vacancies for at-large and district seats to be filled by election shall be filled in the same manner as the initial election for those seats.

3.         Qualifications.  Any resident is eligible to serve as a Director and as President.  A resident who is a candidate for a district Director seat and is elected to serve as such Director must reside in that district.

4.         Candidacy.  A candidate for the Board of Directors or President shall be nominated by filing a Petition of Candidacy.  A candidate for President shall indicate on the petition whether or not it is also a Petition of Candidacy for Director.  The Board shall set and provide public notice of filing period dates.

5.         The Ballot.  The ballot shall list candidates for President in a group and in a second group, the candidates for Director, who shall be listed either in an at-large or a district candidates sub-group.  Candidates shall be listed within each group and subgroup in random order, which shall be determined in drawings by the Elections Committee.

6.         Elections.

a.       Elections shall be conducted by ballots cast by residents on election day, which shall coincide with the first weekend of the Reston Festival.

b.      Each voter may cast one vote for President.  Each voter may cast one vote for each at-large vacancy.  Each voter may cast one vote for each district director vacancy in the district where the voter resides.

c.       Each Director and President shall be elected by a plurality vote of the residents and shall take office upon election.

d.      If no candidate for President receives thirty-three percent (33%) or more of the votes cast for President, a run-off election between the two candidates receiving the most votes shall be held within thirty (30) days of the election day.

e.       The Board may establish procedures for absentee balloting as they deem appropriate.  The Board shall establish four geographic districts within Reston, as equally representative with respect to voting population as practicable, and shall amend the boundaries of those districts where necessary to maintain such equal representation.

7.         Vacancies.

a.       The Board of Directors shall, by a majority of the votes cast, fill any vacancy on the Board and the substituted Director shall serve for the remainder of the original Director’s term.  Any vacancy on the Board with respect to an original Director elected to represent a particular District should, but is not required to be filled by a resident who lives in that district.  Three consecutive, unexcused absences from a Board meeting by any Director shall be deemed a resignation.  Any resignation by a Director shall be noticed to the Board in the agenda sent to the Board members and shall be recognized by the Board by a vote of acceptance at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.  The Board of Directors shall fill Board vacancies by a majority vote of the Board at a regularly scheduled Board meeting.

b.      In the election in the year 1989 and in any succeeding years in which vacancies have not been filled by the Board prior to the election and four (4) or more at-large Directors’ seats are being filled, the three (3) persons receiving the highest number of votes shall serve for a two-year term and the remaining vacant seats shall be filled for one-year terms by those elected.  In any such election where both Directors representing a particular district are to be elected, the person receiving the highest number of votes in that district shall serve for a two-year term and the other vacant seat shall be filled for a one-year term by the next highest vote-getter.

8.         Powers and Duties.  The Board of Directors has the power and authority to conduct the affairs of the Association.  The Board shall operate from an annual budget.  It shall create such committees as it deems necessary to carry out the purpose and objectives of the Association.  If a committee determines that the Board of Directors should take action at any regular or special meeting to carry out the purpose and objectives of the Association, that committee must provide a written report to the Board at least two weeks prior to that meeting continuing the committee’s recommendations.

9.         Meetings.  The Board shall hold at least nine (9) regular meetings each year which shall be given public notice and may be visited by any resident.  The President may call special meetings of the Board and shall call a special meeting upon written request of three Board members.

10.     Quorum.  A majority of the Directors shall constitute a quorum.



ARTICLE VIII.  OFFICERS

 

1.         Enumeration.  The officers of the Association shall be President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

2.         Term.  Officers shall serve until their successors are elected.

3.         Election.  Except for the President, who shall be elected as provided in Article VII, officers shall be elected annually, within thirty (30) days of election day, by a majority vote of the new Board of Directors from among their number and shall take office upon election.

4.         President – Powers and Duties.  The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association.  He or she shall preside at all meetings, and shall be responsible for implementation of all resolutions of the Board of Directors, subject, however, to the right of the Board of Directors to delegate any specific powers, except such as may be by statute exclusively conferred on the President, to any other officer or officers of the Corporation.

5.         Vice-Presidents – Powers and Duties.  The Vice-Presidents, in their successive order, shall perform all the duties of the President in the latter’s absence or disability, and shall succeed to the office of the President in the event of the withdrawal or resignation of the President for any reason.  The Vice-Presidents shall also perform such other duties as may be assigned to them by the President, the Executive Committee, or the Board of Directors.

6.         Secretary – Powers and Duties.  The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Association, issue notices of and keep minutes of all meetings of the Association, be custodian of the records and discharge such other duties as may be assigned to him or hereby the Board of Directors or the President.

7.         Treasurer – Powers and Duties.

a.       The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all the funds and property of the Association.  Funds shall be distributed only upon the order of the Board of Directors of the President, and shall be deposited in the name of the Association in such bank, or banks as may be designated by the Board of Directors.  All bank accounts shall require two signatures for check withdrawal.

b.      The Board may require an annual review of all bank accounts by a Certified Public Accountant before transfer of such accounts to the newly elected Treasurer.

 

ARTICLE IX.  INDEMNIFICATION

 

Each director and officer, whether or not then in office, shall be indemnified by the Association against all cost and expenses reasonably incurred by or imposed upon them in connection with or resulting from any action, suit or proceeding to which he or she may be made party by reason of their being or having been a director or officer of the corporation with the exception of the case of such officers’ or directors’ willful misconduct of knowing violation of criminal law.

 

 

ARTICLE X.  COMMITTEES

 

1.         Executive Committee.  The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Association and such other persons as the President may appoint from among the members of the Board.  It shall conduct any emergency business of the Board between meetings, and shall report any actions so taken at the next Board of Directors meeting.  The Executive Committee shall appoint the Board members to serve on the committees and shall concur with each committee’s choice of committee chair.

2.         Elections Committee.

a.       The Elections Committee shall consist of five (5) residents to be appointed by the Executive Committee with due consideration of geographical representation.  The Chairperson and one member shall be members of the Board, the remainder shall not be members of the Board.  The Committee shall be appointed to a term of one year.

b.      The Elections Committee shall supervise the nomination and election of Directors and the President.  It may nominate candidates to fill vacancies that may occur on the Board of Directors.

3.         Planning and Zoning Committee.  The Planning and Zoning Committee shall review and advise the Board on planning and zoning matters, including Master Plan changes, rezoning, development plans, and site plans in Reston and surrounding areas of direct interest to Reston.

4.         Other Committees.  The Board shall create such other committees as needed to carry out the purpose and objectives of the Association.  A member of the Board shall serve on each committee.

 

 

ARTICLE XI.  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

 

The rules contained in Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the Association in all cases where applicable and where they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws of the Association.

 

 

ARTICLE XII.  AMENDMENT

 

1.         When not in conflict with the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws may be amended either by resolution approved by two-thirds of the Board of Directors or by a resolution brought in accordance with ARTICLE VI.  POLL.  It shall require two-thirds of the votes cast to adopt such a resolution.

2.         Proposed Bylaw amendments may be brought to a resident poll on election day and one additional time during the year, except any proposed amendment which the Board determines to be the same in substance or intent as a prior proposal amendment may not be reconsidered until one full year following the original vote thereon.