The name of this
organization shall be THE TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION OF CAPE MAY,
INCORPORATED.
Taxpayer Association of Cape May, Inc. is
hereinafter referred to as “the Association” which may be
used as the short title.
The Association is a single
purpose entity with no partisan or political agenda. Its
members have one thing in common. They pay the taxes which
support the services of government.
The Sole Mission of the TPA is to hold
accountable any and all governmental entities which raise
and expend public revenues within the city of Cape May.
On behalf of the taxpayers of Cape May, the
Association seeks to nurture a transparent relationship
between the taxpayers and their governments, and will
pursue:
- A full and informative
presentation of local and county budgets,
- A comprehensive understanding of
the costs and benefits of services funded by taxpayers,
- A clear and documented assessment
of taxpayer benefit in any proposed expenditure of
public funds,
- Policies and Recommendations by
the Association which identify and support the interests
of the taxpayers of Cape May,
- Efficiency, economy and ethical
conduct government services,
- Taxpayer support for services,
programs and initiatives which benefit the interests of
the taxpayers of Cape May,
- Taxpayer opposition to any and
all expenditures of public funds for which the purpose
and value to the taxpayer is insufficient or has not
been documented,
- Cooperation and information
sharing among all agencies, organizations, groups and
associations within the community,
- Comprehensive governmental
planning that is responsive to the interests and
economic resources of the taxpayers of Cape May.
: All funds of the
Association shall be disbursed for the above purpose.
Any taxpayer owning real
property in Cape May shall be eligible for membership in the
Association, subject to the approval of the Board of
Directors of the Association (hereinafter “the Board of
Directors”).
Membership is subject to such rules as, from time
to time, are established by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors may establish sustaining
memberships and fix their annual dues.
The Board of Directors by an affirmative vote of
three quarters of the Directors may expel a member from
membership for conduct unbecoming a member, detrimental to
the good order of the Association or in violation of any
By-laws or any rule or regulation promulgated by the Board
of Directors; provided that such member shall first be given
ten days written notice of the charges and accorded the
opportunity of a hearing before the Board of Directors.
The annual dues should be
set periodically by the Board of Directors.
Annual dues shall be payable for a 12-month
period commencing on January 1st.
Any member whose dues are in arrears for three
(3) months shall forfeit the right to vote in the
Association and shall be removed from membership by the
Board of Directors.
The business of the
Association shall be conducted, subject to by-laws adopted
by the members, by a Board of Directors, which shall have
the powers and duties vested in it by the law.
The number of Directors shall be no less than
seven (7). A quorum shall consist of four (4) Directors.
However, the number of Directors may be increased from time
to time as the Board sees fit by an affirmative vote of at
least five (5) Directors.
Any paid member of the Association who wishes to
be elected to the Board of Directors must notify the Board
30 days prior to the Annual Meeting and serve for a two year
period.
If a Director wishes to resign from the board,
that Director must notify the Board with their effective
resignation date. If a Director does not communicate with
the Board in an active role within 90 days, that Director
will be removed from the Board provided that such Director
shall first be given ten days written notice of the removal
and accorded the opportunity of a hearing before the Board
of Directors.
SIf the number of Directors is increased, they
shall be appointed by a majority of the Board of Directors
but shall stand for election at the next annual meeting. Any
other vacancies in the Board of Directors may be filled for
the time intervening between the occurrence of such vacancy
and the next annual meeting of Association members by a
majority vote of the remaining Directors.
The Board of Directors shall provide for an
annual audit of the finances of the Association.
No paid official or employee of the City of Cape
May, the County of Cape May or any of their agencies, boards
of divisions may be an officer or Director of the
Association. In the event that any Officer or Director
accepting a paid position as stated heretofore, his or her
Office of the Association or Directorship shall become
vacant.
The Board of Directors
shall elect from its own number a President, a
Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, and any
additional officers the Board of Directors deems necessary
or desirable. Such officers shall serve until their
successors are elected at the first meeting of the Board of
Directors following the next succeeding-annual meeting of
Association members but may be removed from office prior
thereto by vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors.
The Directors shall be
elected by members of the Association at the annual meeting
of the membership to be held prior to Labor Day.
The time and place of the annual meeting to be
determined by the Board of Directors. (see Article X Meeting
of the Members)
The President shall
ordinarily preside as chairperson at meetings of the
Association and the Board of Directors.
The President may establish standing or temporary
committees, assign their duties, and appoint any member of
the Association to sit on such committees. The Committees
shall exist at the pleasure of and shall report as required
to the President.
The President shall carry out the policy and
program of the Association as directed by the Board of
Directors. When these bodies are not in session he or she
shall represent and act for these bodies.
The Vice-President shall substitute for the
President in his or her absence and in such case may
exercise the powers of the President with regard to calling
meetings.
The Secretary shall keep minutes at meetings of
the Association and the Board of Directors, send all notices
as required, have charge of the records of the Association,
and along with President, sign all contracts.
The Treasurer shall collect all dues and shall
have custody of all moneys belonging to the Association. He
or she shall keep complete accounts and shall present a
written financial statement at each annual meeting.
Expenditures shall be made only by the Treasurer upon
specific or general authorization of the Board of Directors.
In case of the absence of any officers or for any
other reason that the Board of Directors may deem
sufficient, the Board of Directors may delegate, for the
time being, the powers or duties of such officer to any
other officer or to any Director.
The President may call
meetings of the Board of Directors at his or her discretion.
A meeting of the Board of Directors must be called by the
President upon written request of three (3) or more
directors. Notice of every meeting, stating the time and
place thereof, shall be given to each director personally,
by telephone, or by email at least one (1) day before the
meeting.
S A majority of Directors, but in no event less
than four (4) Directors, shall constitute a quorum of the
Board of Directors.
S At every meeting of the Board, all issues
considered shall be decided by the vote of a majority of the
Directors attending said meeting except as otherwise
provided. Voting by e-mail shall be permitted from time to
time as authorized by the President provided that every
Director casting a vote by e-mail shall provide every other
Director with a copy of said e-mail.
The order of business at meetings of directors
shall be as follows:
1. Call to order.
2. Recording of members present.
3. Reading of minutes of last meeting. (sent by Email)
4. Reports of Board of Directors, Officers, and Committees.
5. Unfinished business.
6. New business.
7. Miscellaneous business and discussions.
8. Adjournment.
The annual meeting of the
membership shall be held prior to Labor Day at a time and
place and to be determined by the Board of Directors.
Special meetings of the membership may be called
either by the President at his or her discretion, or by the
President upon written request of twenty-five (25) or more
members. In the event the President does not call a special
meeting as requested by the membership those members seeking
the special meeting may submit their request in writing
directly to the Secretary of the Board for consideration.
The agenda of a special meeting may be discussed at such
meeting. Notice of each annual or special meeting shall be
given to each member either by email or by publication, at
least five (5) days prior to the meeting.
At every annual meeting all elections shall be
decided by a majority vote of those members of the
Association in good standing present at the meeting. The
Board may call for a vote on any issue determined by a
majority of the Board that it determines cannot wait until
the next annual meeting.
Amendments to the
Constitution or By-Laws for the Association shall be
submitted by the Board and may be adopted at the annual or a
special meeting of Association members.
All amendments shall be decided by a majority
vote of those members of the Association in good standing by
written ballot or by proxy arriving by date specified on the
ballot. Any proxies/ballots not returned by any member will
be voted in the affirmative by the Secretary of the
Association. Any proxy which is returned which does not
contain a specified affirmative or negative vote will be
voted in the affirmative by the Secretary of the
Association.
Every person who was or is a party of
is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or
proceeding, whether civil criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that such person or a
person of whom such person is the legal representative is or
was a Director or Officer of the Association for all actions
taken by him or her or for any failure to take action in his
or her capacity as a Director regardless of when the action
or failure to act occurred shall be indemnified and held
harmless by the Association to the fullest extent legally
permissible under the laws of the State of New Jersey
against all expenses, liabilities and losses (including
attorney fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such person
in connection therewith. Such right of indemnification shall
not be exclusive of any other right which such Director or
representative may have or hereafter acquire.
The Association may be
terminated and dissolved only by a two-third vote of the
Board of Directors provided that at least 20 days written
notice of the proposed termination and dissolution shall
have been given to all members of the Association.
In the event the Board of Directors of the
Association have any remaining assets and income, they shall
donate to any organization or organizations that are exempt
under section 601 (C3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954
as amended, as the Board of Directors of the Association
shall select.
Updated by current Board of
Directors September 2015,
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