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PATIO PLANTERS FO THE VIEUX CARRE

Patio Planters
1000 Bourbon Street
Box 270
New Orleans, LA 70116

To Join Patio Planters:
Email Janelle Madsen
or call (504) 522-4402

Other matters:
Email our President
Stephen Swain

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Constitution & Bylaws

PATIO PLANTERS, GARDEN CLUB OF THE VIEUX CARRE'

PURPOSES:

  1. Meeting in each others' patios for the friendly exchange of ideas concerning the special problems of gardening in patios and on balconies.
  2. Exchange of plants.
  3. Mutual assistance in executing patio and balcony garden projects.
  4. Promoting certain civic events conducive to the welfare and beautification of the Vieux Carre', mainly from a horticultural point of view.
  5. The achievement of these purposes in a spirit of informal fun and friendliness. Controversial matters such as politics, etc., are to be avoided.

MEETINGS:

  1. Regular meetings (announcements of which must be mailed to all qualified members at least 10 days in advance) shall be held the first Wednesday in each month at 8 PM in a member's patio, if possible.
  2. Board meetings are called:
    1. At the discretion of the President,
    2. By the request of a majority of the Board, or
    3. At the insistence of a majority of the membership present at a Regular Meeting: except that a Board Meeting is required to be held in the month of February and at least every three months thereafter. The Chairmanship at meetings is assumed by the highest ranking officer present. The Chairman does not vote (except at annual elections) but may cast a deciding vote in the event of a tie. A quorum (a majority of the Board Members or their proxies) is required to conduct business at a Board Meeting, but not so at a Regular Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP AND QUALIFICATIONS THEREFOR:

  1. Regular Membership is restricted to:
    1. Residents of the Vieux Carre' owning or having the use of a patio or balcony in or on which garden activities are conducted, and
    2. Non-residents of the Vieux Carre' provided they own property and maintain a garden in a patio in the Vieux Carre'. An applicant possessing these qualifications becomes a Regular Member, subject to approval of a majority of the Board, by secret ballot, upon signing the application and submitting same to the Membership Chairman or Secretary.
  2. Honorary Membership may be conferred on special benefactors of Patio Planters not having the qualifications for Regular Membership, provided the entire Board, by secret ballot, gives it assent.

THE BOARD:

  1. The Board shall consist of nine members.
  2. Seven shall be elected.
  3. One shall be appointed by the President.
  4. The immediate past President shall serve as ex-officio member of the Board for the ensuing year.

ELECTION OF THE BOARD:

The seven Board members to be elected shall be chosen annually at the Regular Meeting in February by secret ballot as follows:

  1. At least ten candidates for the Board must be nominated in open meeting at the Regular Meeting in January. If ten nominations are not forthcoming from the floor, it is the duty of the Chairman of the meeting to supply the additional names to bring the number of candidates to ten.
  2. After someone has been nominated, that person's husband or wife may not also be a candidate.
  3. Announcements for the February meeting containing the names of these Candidates must be mailed to all qualified members so that they may come to the meeting prepared to elect seven Board members by a single secret ballot.
  4. A special committee of three non-Board members, appointed by the President, shall tabulate the votes in a room apart while the February Meeting is in progress and announce the results at the end of the meeting.
  5. The seven candidates receiving the most votes shall be declared elected to the Board with the following proviso: No more than four of the then existing Board members may be re-elected to the new Board. Should more than four of such be among the leading seven candidates, only the four with the largest number of votes shall be re-elected. The others shall automatically be disqualified. Their places shall be taken by candidates who are not members of the then-existing Board, but who received the next highest number of votes to the seven highest. The newly elected Board shall assume authority immediately after the Regular February meeting. Within ten days after the election, the past President shall call a Board meeting, at which meeting the new Board shall elect from among themselves a President, Vice-President, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, listed in order of rank. The new President shall name the single appointee to the Board prior to the next Regular
    meeting in March. The new roster must be made known to the members in the announcement for the March Regular meeting.

DUTIES OF THE BOARD:

The Board shall have the power to do and make the following:

  1. To make decisions on matters of policy.
  2. To plan programs for meetings and special projects and events in harmony with the organization's purpose.
  3. To adopt an annual budget and methods of raising funds when needed.
  4. To authorize expenditures. Funds must be kept in a bank account for Patio Planters with the provision that checks drawn shall be required to have the signature of at least two of the three top-ranking officers.
  5. The President shall appoint all chairmen of committees, subject to the conformation of the Board, including a Membership Chairman and a Program Chairman, which latter two must be Board members. Other chairmen need not be members of the Board.
  6. If a vacancy occurs in the office of the Presidency, the Vice-President becomes President and the Board promptly elects a new Vice-President from the Board or membership-at-large for the unexpired term of the predecessor. As other vacancies occur on the Board, the President promptly appoints new officers or members of the Board, subject to the confirmation of the Board, for their unexpired terms.

METHOD OF AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS:

There are two requisites for amending this instrument:

  1. Approval by two-thirds of the Board, and
  2. Approval by two-thirds of the members present at a Regular Meeting. It is further required that copies of the proposed changes be mailed to all qualified members ten days in advance of said meeting.