1. Membership Voting Age:
Summary:
- Right to vote is granted to members who are at least 18 years of age.
- To become an Active member will require at-least one year of associate membership AND member’s age to be 18 years or older.
- Before the age of 18, all members will remain as associate members.
Motivation:
With planned expansion comes the need to further solidify our by-laws and systems. Voting age of 18 complies with state laws and recognizes it as a milestone for independence of thought and opinion of members as envisioned in the MCC by-laws.
MCC continues to highly encourage youth membership. Participation of youth members below this age as associate members will continue as usual – with participation in programs, committees and volunteer corp as defined in the bylaws.
Reference in the Bylaws:
Article 6 Membership, Section 6.03 Types of Membership
(additions to existing sections appear in bold)
6.03 A – Associate Membership
“Those who have successfully completed the above procedure (6.02) become associate members for a period of one year or more.”
6.03 A – Active Membership
“Members who have served as associate members for one year, are over the age of 18 and have fulfilled their membership obligations are eligible to be active members by action of the BOD. An active member shall have a single vote in the GM meetings for the election of directors, the disposition of all or substantially all of the assets, an election to dissolve MCC, and for other matters submitted by the Board of Directors or according to these Bylaws to the Active Members for a vote. Periodic review of the active membership list shall be made by the BOD to determine the active membership.”
2. Introduction of Youth Membership:
Summary:
- Subsidize membership fee (50% off) for youth members of ages 25 years and under.
Motivation
- Encourage and engage youth into the MCC system
- Train them in Musllim leadership, teamwork and collaboration
- Provide opportunity to have a say in the composition of their programs
- Develop a sense of ownership and service toward the MCC center and community
Reference in the Bylaws:
Section 6.03 Types of Membership – Add “Youth Membership”
(This will be added as section 6.03 F )
6.03 F Youth Membership
“To encourage youth membership, members in the ages under 25 will be eligible for a discount.
Members in this age-group can apply for a discount of 50% to the usual monthly membership fee. This will be granted based on the needs of MCC and the applicant by action of the board.”
Additional Notes:
BoD will seek to create further detailed procedures for youth involvement in the MCC system, such as the following: (These will be codified by motion of the board).
- Provide Observer status / internship of 6 months in the BoD to youth members in the age-group 25 years and under.
3. Half-yearly Town-Hall each year
Summary:
- Townhall meeting every six months
Motivation
- In order to encourage community involvement and receive feedback, it has been felt that a half-yearly general membership meeting is required in addition to the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
- While this has often been practiced in the past, this amendment makes it a part of the by-laws in order to make it a regular and established practice.
- A mid-year meeting will help to reinforce priorities from the AGM, as well as allow the community to provide feedback on BoD plans for the year and re-prioritize items when necessary.
Reference in the Bylaws:
Article 7 Meetings: Section 7.01: Annual Meetings
Remove the struck-out text from section 7.01
“Annual meetings of members shall be held between May 1st and June 15th of each year. The date, time and place shall be fixed by the BOD. If a majority of the active members present at any such annual meeting or the BOD so directs, a further meeting shall be held in November. The purpose of the annual meeting is for the election of three (3) of the nine (9) Directors and five (5) members of the nominating committee, adoption of the budget, review of the MCC’s performance in the preceding year, and the transaction of other business as may be properly called.”
Add sub-section 7.01 (a) Half-yearly Meeting
Half-yearly meeting of members (Townhall) will be held 5-7 months after the Annual General Meeting to provide increased transparency and participation from the general membership.
4. Open-Questions session in BoD meetings once each quarter
Summary:
- Townhall meeting every six months
Motivation
- This will provide an additional in-person pathway for members of the community to present pressing concerns or suggestions to the BoD, in addition to existing methods.
- Note that submission of written feedback, concern or question is open 24×7 online and BoD is looking for ways to better track and provide response(s).
- Also note that amendment #3 requires a half-yearly townhall to be held to enable community members to interact with the board, review priorities and provide feedback.
Reference in the Bylaws:
Article 8 Directors: Section 8.06:
The following paragraph will be added at the end:
“One BoD meeting in each quarter will have 15 minutes in the agenda for an “Open Questions” session from the membership, with prior submission of the topic. Topic to be submitted one week prior to the BOD meeting. Procedure and schedule will be posted by the BoD in advance for the year.”
Additional Notes:
A sample procedure:
Every 2nd BoD meeting in the quarter will have 15 minutes in the agenda for an open question session from the membership, with prior submission of the topic submitted one week prior to the BOD meeting. Note that 2nd meeting of each quarter will be July, October, January, and April BoD meetings
5. Term limits on NC members:
Summary:
- Nominating committee (NC) members shall not have more than two consecutive 1 year terms.
Motivation
- This term limit will encourage new members to stand for candidacy to NC, become members of NC and bring new ideas and introduce new social groups into the MCC leadership.
- Reduce bias in nominating favorite candidates
Reference in the Bylaws:
Section 12.02 (k)
The following paragraph will be added at the end of the section 12.02 (k)
“Nominating Committee (NC) members may not continue as NC member for more than two consecutive terms. NC Membership can restart after a break of one year.”