BYLAWS

(Amended 1/8/2019)

Article I: Name

The name of this association shall be the Salem Rental Housing Association, Inc. (SRHA)

Article II: Membership, Qualifications, Fees, and Dues

Section 1: Classes

1. Active Membership shall include individuals who own, operate, or act as a residential agent for the owners of residential properties, including apartment complexes, multi-plex units, and single family dwellings.
2. Associate Membership shall include any person, firm, or organization that serves, supplies, or supplements services to the rental industry or is interested in the industry.

Section 2: Qualifications for Membership

1. Membership dues, fees and qualifications shall be reviewed on an annual basis by the Board of Directors.
2. Any member who fails to pay dues or fees within sixty (60) days of the time they are due and payable shall be automatically dropped from membership.
3. Membership meetings are open to Active and Associate members and those interested in becoming members. Non-members are limited to two meetings as a guest, thereafter must join to attend.
4. Commitment and adherence to the Association Code of Ethics.
5. A former member who was not disqualified due to Ethics violations may be reinstated by becoming current in their dues and fees.
6. A former member disqualified due to Ethics violations who wants to be reinstated must submit a written request for reinstatement with a plan for meeting the Ethics criteria in the future and meet those criteria. This plan will be submitted to the Board of Directors for review and determination of reinstatement. The individual may be asked to meet with the Board to discuss the application for reinstatement.

Section 3: Applications for membership will be available on request. Completed applications must be accompanied by advance payment of required dues to qualify for membership.

Section 4: Suspension, termination, reinstatement and transfer of membership in this Association shall be accomplished in the following manner

• a.       Termination of Benefits. Members who have been terminated shall forfeit all rights and privileges of membership and any dues previously paid to this Association.
• b.      Any member may be censured, suspended or expelled from the Association if two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors present at a regularly scheduled meeting consider such action to be desirable and in the best interest of the Association.
• c.       Reinstatement. A vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors present at a regularly scheduled meeting shall be required to reinstate any member who has been expelled or suspended pursuant to the provisions of this Section.
• d.      Death or Resignation. Upon the death or resignation of a member such
  membership may be transferred for the balance of the fiscal year to another party designated by the personal representative of the deceased or by the resigning party.

Article III: Voting Eligibility

Section 1: Active Members may vote for officers, on proposed changes to the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws.

Section 2: Associate Members shall not be eligible to such rights and privileges nor to hold office.

Article IV: Executive Officers and Board of Directors and ORHA Delegates

Section 1: Active Members in good standing for a minimum of one year shall be eligible to be nominated and elected to Executive Officer and other Board of Director positions and to the ORHA Delegate.

Section 2: Executive Officers.

1. The Executive officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board of Directors.
2. These officers shall be nominated in October, elected from the general membership at a regularly scheduled in November, sworn in December and take office in January of the next year.

Section 3: Terms of office

1. The officers will serve for a term of one year.
2. The officers’ terms will start on January 1 and end on December 31 of the same year.
3. Officers appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve the balance of the term for which his/her predecessor was elected.

Section 4: The President will preside at all meetings of the Association and Board of Directors.

1. The President shall be the chief elected officer of the Association, shall have power to call special meetings and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
2. The President may, with the approval of the Board, appoint additional members to the Board of Directors with terms to expire at the next election.
3. The President shall be a member of the Board for one full year subsequent to his/her term of office.

Section 5: The Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.

1. The Vice President shall perform such duties as assigned by the President.
2. In the event of permanent absence of the President or as directed by the President, the Vice President shall perform all the duties of the President.

Section 6: The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Association.

1. The Secretary shall record or cause to be recorded all minutes of the meetings, keep accurate records of same, be the custodian of the Association minutes.
2. The Secretary shall record attendance at membership and Board meetings.
3. The Secretary shall maintain the regular correspondence for the Association.
4. The Secretary shall perform other duties as may be required by the President and the Directors.

Section 7: The Treasurer shall be custodian of all funds belonging to the Association.

1. The Treasurer shall see that the full and accurate records for the Association are kept and maintained and presented quarterly to the membership
2. The Treasurer shall be responsible to keep accurate records of membership and review meeting attendance. Treasurer will encourage membership.
3. Before entering the duties of the office, the treasurer shall, upon the request of the Association, provide a fidelity bond to the Association, the premium to be paid by the Association.
4. The Treasurer shall pay all bills in a timely fashion so as to avoid extra costs for the Association and to verify that all bills are accurate.
5. The Treasurer shall do appropriate research to make sure expenses are within guidelines requested by the Board.
6. The Treasurer shall pay dues to ORHA and submit current membership address lists to ORHA.

Section 8: ORHA Delegates

1. The Delegates will attend membership and board meetings.
2. They will represent the local chapter at the ORHA meetings and report back to the local.
3. They need to vote in a way that would support the interests of the local.

Section 9: The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Association.

1. Composition of Board of Directors
   
   1. The Board will be comprised of the Executive Officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer), the two ORHA delegates, the past president, and the chairs of sitting committees.
2. Board Duties
   1. The Board shall make recommendations and reports to the general membership of the Association.
   2. The Board shall direct control of all the affairs of the Association.
   3. The Board shall fill vacancies in the office of any elected officer or director who may have resigned or is unable to function.

Section 10: Suspension from office

1. Any officer may be suspended or removed from office by two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors after reasonable notice and hearing.

Article V: Sitting Committees

Section 1: All committees are to be appointed by the President and approved by the Board of the Directors.

Section 2: Committees are:

1. Legislative Action
   1. Duties
      1. Constantly review and evaluate state and local regulations affecting landlords with the objective of making improved changes locally over time
      2. Alert other chapters of ORHA of issues and situations to avoid in their localities.
      3. Provide updated information to the ORHA Legislative Director and Lobbyist regarding changes SRHA local would like to implement.
2. Newsletter
   1. Duties
      1. Publish monthly.
      2. Provide articles to the editor for inclusion.
      3. List upcoming meetings, trainings, and events.
3. Dues
   1. Duties
      1. Encourage membership in the local and state organizations.
      2. Provide information on signing up for membership.

Section 3: Ad hoc committees or task forces may be set up on a temporary basis as needed by the Board to deal with short terms issues.

Article VII: Fiscal Year

Section 1: The Fiscal Year of the Association is from January 1 to December 31 of the same year.

Article VIII: Election of Officers

Section 1: Nomination Committee

1. Not less than 30 days before the October meeting of the Association, the President shall appoint a nominating committee selected from the membership.
2. The committee shall present their nominations at the regularly scheduled meeting in October.
3. Individuals interested in serving may submit their names to the committee by end of the October meeting.

Section 2: Nominations for any office may be made from the floor at the nomination meeting. Consent from the person nominated is required.

Section 3: Elections will be held at the November membership.

1. Elections will be done by Secret Ballot.
2. Write-ins will not be counted.

Article IX: Amendments

Section 1: By-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the membership after providing a thirty (30) day notice of the amendment by majority vote of those present.

Section 2: Emergency amendments may be made by the Board of Directors with two-thirds vote to deal with pressing issues. At the next regularly scheduled membership meeting, the emergency amendment will be presented and go through the regular By-law amendment process.

Section 3: Special meetings for the purpose of amending By-Laws may be called by the President at the request of a member.

Article X: Meetings

Section 1: Regular membership meetings shall be held monthly unless the Board decides to cancel.

Section 2: Fifty percent of the Board of Directors present shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the Board. Unless otherwise specified in these By-Laws, a simple majority vote of the Directors present shall decide an issue, provided a quorum is present at the meeting.

Section 3: Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or upon the request in writing of a majority of the Directors.

Section 4: Standing committees will maintain a regular meeting scheduled tied to their associated duties.

Article XI: Expenses

Section 1: Officers, Board Members, and Members doing approved Association business will be reimbursed using the guidelines below.

Section 2: Reimbursement guidelines

1. A receipt for the expenditure must accompany all requests for reimbursement. In the event of a lost receipt, a written statement of the expenditure and any other available proof of the expenditure must be submitted, however, it is understood that reimbursement in these cases may be denied.
2. The expenditure must be approved by the president.
3. If expenses are considered excessive or unnecessary, the president may request that expense receipt be accompanied by a written justification statement.
4. It is expected that members will work to keep costs to a minimum.

Section 3: Travel expenses

1. If a member must travel to do SRHA business, travel expenses may be covered.
2. If the member is reimbursed by another entity, such as the ORHA, the SRHA reimbursement will be reduced by that amount.
3. Travel expenses may include lodging, meals, and mileage at the IRS rate.
4. Carpooling is encouraged.

Article XII: Rules of Order Roberts Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern all meetings of the Association in all cases where applicable and shall not be inconsistent with the Articles or By-Laws of the Association.

Article XIII: Dissolution

Section 1: Upon the dissolution of this Association, the Board of Directors, after providing payment of all obligations, shall distribute the remaining assets to the Oregon Rental Housing Association (ORHA) and SRHA members will become direct members of ORHA.

Section 2: If ORHA dissolves, a special task force, appointed by the SRHA President, will be formed to advise the SRHA Board and membership on a recommended course of action and a plan for distribution of assets.