Dozens of member households attended a November 12 meeting to debate and vote on upgrades to WOHA’s governing rules. Over 100 others not in attendance participated via proxy. The special meeting was held at Colonial Hills United Methodist Church. 

 

Each of the proposed By-Law revisions passed with approvals from at least 144 member households and opposition by no more than 10. Click to view ballot with tallies. The amendments that are now in effect include:

 

• Nominations for the Board election held each January shall be received by the Secretary no later than December 20th so that Members may be informed of candidates prior to the upcoming meeting. The ability to add additional nominees from the meeting floor has been retained.

 

• The decades-old requirement that all nominees be members in good standing for at least one year has been clarified and reaffirmed. This common industry practice allows nominees time to participate in the association before leading it, and allows fellow members opportunities to become familiar with potential leaders.

 

• Members may vote for multiple Board candidates and a nominee must secure approval among at least half of all ballots cast.

 

• To encourage healthy competition for available seats, the Board’s maximum size will be 10 Directors. The Board typically operates with not more than this quantity to efficiently manage its duties and initiatives. This revision will also realign the Board with the requirement that approximately half of its two-year seats expire each year enabling balanced continuity.

 

• Following each Board election, outgoing Directors will be allowed to continue duties for 10 days enabling proper transition of documents and tasks to their successors.

 

• Members unable to attend a meeting may designate another member as their In-Person Proxy to vote on their behalf and submit a statement to be shared with attendees.

 

This week’s special meeting averted bureaucratic policy work at the upcoming Annual Membership Meeting. That time will be used instead to host an engaging guest speaker. Please watch for an email in early January announcing the date and location of this next meeting.