Annual Mtg. Ballot Info

The annual meeting of the Burleith Citizens Association will be held on Thursday, November 10, from 6:30–9:00 pm, at Washington International School (enter on 36th Street). Click here for the agenda.

Per the BCA bylaws, BCA members who are Burleith residents or who own property in Burleith are entitled to vote. For voting purposes, membership must have been current 30 days before the vote (i.e., on October 11) and on the day of the vote. Resident-owner households have two votes, and other qualified voters have one vote. Procedures for additions to the proposed slate of officers and non-officer directors appear at the end of this post.

BALLOT ITEMS

The first part of the ballot is the vote for the 2017 BCA officers and directors. The positions, names, and biographies of the proposed slate can be found in the October Burleith Bell and on the website. Copies will also be available at the meeting. 

The second part of the ballot addresses concerns raised by some BCA members. The BCA Board decided to add a ballot measure allowing members to vote on whether to retain or remove a phrase that was added in the May 2016 amendment to the Bylaws to "Article I, Section 3. Purposes" by the BCA Board.

The Bylaws allow the Board to enact amendments to this section without a vote of the BCA membership. The Bylaws also allow the membership to propose amendments to the Bylaws to be voted on by the membership. When the May 2016 amendment was enacted by the Board, the majority of Board members agreed that it was in alignment with BCA past projects such as the call box restoration, the Daniel Boone monument restoration, the Arcadia Burleith pictorial history book, etc. The Board believed that such an amendment was needed to apply for a grant to help fund exploration of the pros and cons of becoming an historic neighborhood, community education and discussion sessions, and a process for gauging the community's wishes concerning this topic. The bylaw change was helpful but not essential to the grant application, but the bylaw language is necessary if the Burleith community ultimately decides to submit an application to the city for historic designation for all or part of the community.

The exact wording of the phrase that was added in the May 2016 Bylaws amendment is highlighted in the affected section quoted below:

"Section 3. Purposes. The Association is organized to promote the social welfare of, and to promote and advocate the interests and rights of, all residents of the Burleith Community; to sponsor or participate in activities that maintain and improve the quality of life within the Burleith Community; including safeguarding the neighborhood's heritage; and for related purposes."

The ballot will provide for a membership vote on whether to retain the added phrase or remove it. Note that a vote to retain the phrase is NOT a vote to apply for historic designation.