Why we are proposing this amendment
As a growing and diverse congregation, it is vital that the Kehilla Community Synagogue (KCS) Board of Trustees (BOT) represents, as best it can, the community it both serves and is part of. It oversees the financial health of Kehilla and the wellbeing of our clergy and staff; it is responsible to help solve key long-term issues, and to assure ongoing alignment with the mission and vision of Kehilla.
By allowing the board to more promptly fill vacancies, the community is better represented and the numbers on the board robust so as to spread the workload – we need working folks, parents of small children – so as not to put undue burden on just a few.
The community must vote to approve any bylaws amendment, including those first approved by the Board of Trustees.
Summary of the changes:
- Minimum number of BOT members is changed from five to ten, with a caveat that if the number falls below ten the board will continue to function so long as there is a current – and timely – process occurring to fill the vacancy(s)
- Any vacancy – not just one left by a departing board member mid-term – may be filled by the BOT. Those individuals will fill the balance of a two-year term, and be able to stand for two additional 2 year terms.
Proposed Bylaws Amendment
The KCS Board of Trustees voted unanimously to amend the by-laws as follows:
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Deletions
Additions
1. Number: The authorized number of Trustees of this Corporation shall be a minimum of five ten and a maximum of fifteen, and any member of the Synagogue may be elected a Trustee. The Board of Trustees may continue its authority during any time that the number of members falls below ten, as long as there is a current process for filling the vacancies.
2. Term: Board members shall serve staggered terms of two (2) years. No Board member shall serve more than six (6) consecutive years.
3. Vacancies: In the event that a vacancy shall occur at any time on the Board of Trustees, the remaining Trustees shall have the right and the authority to fill the said vacancy at any regularly called meeting of the Board.
- In the case of a Trustee who has left mid-term, such appointment shall be for the period of the unexpired term of the Trustee whose place is being taken. At the end of that period, any such appointee(s) may be nominated for an additional two-year term, to be considered for election to the Board at or before the next annual community meeting. It still holds true that no Board member shall serve more than six (6) consecutive years.
- In the case of the number of Trustees falling below the minimum of ten (10) members, such appointment(s) shall be for the remaining period of a two-year term, to achieve at least the minimum number of Trustees. At the end of that period, any such appointee(s) may be nominated for an additional two-year term, to be considered for election to the Board at or before the next annual community meeting. It still holds true that no Board member shall serve more than six (6) consecutive years.
Synagogue members may nominate themselves or other members to fill Board vacancies.
4. Election:
a) New Board members, and those seeking an additional two-year term, shall be elected each year at or before the annual community meeting. Members elected at this meeting will begin their terms on the Board at the beginning of the new fiscal year.
b) Candidates for the Board of Trustees are presented by the Nominating Committee, by self-nomination and/or nomination by another Synagogue member present at the Annual Meeting.
***PLEASE VOTE BY DECEMBER 31***
For more information about the Kehilla Community Synagogue Board of Trustees, serving on the board, and other leadership roles please click here.