Constitution of the Belgrave Residents Association
[as
adopted by the 2017 AGM, making a minor extension of the area covered by the
Association. This followed the changes made by the 2012 AGM, amending the
constitution adopted by the 1999 AGM, which made significant changes to the
original 1976 Constitution and which was further slightly amended (Article 16)
by the 2002 AGM]
- The name of the Association shall be the
Belgrave Residents Association (hereinafter called the Association). It
shall be non-political and no officer of the Association may be a member
of Dublin Corporation or of either House of the Oireachtas.
- The aims of the Association shall be:
To represent the interests of the residents in the area
(a) To preserve, develop and
improve the character and amenities of the area;
(b) To assist in the provision
of services beneficial to the residents;
(c) To improve the social
conditions of residents in the area;
(d) To
liase on behalf of the residents with the local authority, Public Representatives and other public and
private bodies
(e) To
cooperate with other local interest bodies in furtherance of these aims
(f) To
take any other action in furtherance of the above aims.
The Association may cooperate with any other residents associations, traders,
business organizations or any other organization to improve the area and
achieve these aims.
- The following roads are affiliated to
the Association:
Annesley Park, Belgrave Square, Belgrave Road, Beechwood Park,
Castlewood Avenue, Castlewood Park, Castlewood Terrace, Cambridge Road,
Charleston Road, Charleston Avenue, Church Avenue, Kensington Villas,
Killeen Road, Moyne Road (including Moyne Court) Oakley Road (including
Wellington Gardens), Ormond Road, Palmerston Road, Upper Mountpleasant
Avenue Nos. 32-37, Windsor Road[1]
***with the
number of houses on each road listed***
Any new road or area wishing to join the Association must be
approved at a Committee of Road Representatives meeting and subsequently
approved at the next A.G.M.
- The units of the Association are:
(a) Ordinary member
(b) Road Representative
(c) Committee of Road
Representatives
(d) Officers
- Application for membership of the
Association shall be open to any person who accepts the aims of the
association and who agrees to abide by its Constitution and rules, (and on
payment of subscription all members are deemed to have accepted the
constitution, rules and aims of the Association) resident in the
neighbourhood of Rathmines and Ranelagh as shall be approved by the Committee
of Road Representatives (roads affiliated to the Association).
A member is a member who is paid up and is on the register of members.
Membership shall run for the calendar year from the first of January. Members shall be all members of a
household over 18 who have paid their household subscription.
Membership of the association will entitle the household to exercise one
vote at General meetings. In order to be able to vote at the annual
general meeting, a person must have been a member for a period of not less
than three months previously.
The amount of the annual household subscription of members shall be set on
a proposal of the Committee of Road Representatives at the annual
general meeting. Subscriptions are payable for the calendar year. Subscriptions
are due before 30th June. Only those members whose subscriptions are
received before that date shall be entitled to vote in an AGM or other
General Meeting
- The Committee of Road Representatives
shall be comprised of road representatives elected at the annual general
meeting by the members of each of the roads affiliated to the Association
with two road representatives for the first 50 houses or part thereof and
an additional road representative for each additional 50 houses or part
thereof.
The quorum for Committee of Road Representatives shall be seven.
The role of the road representative shall be to:
Regularly attend and actively take part in committee meetings
Keep themselves, their residents and
the committee informed on local issues
Collect the subscriptions and keep a record of all money collected
Take
responsibility for solving issues that might arise on their road.
Participate in the work of the Sub-Committees of the association
Each member of the Committee of Road Representatives must declare
an interest in any matter being discussed by the committee to the
committee at the beginning of that item on the agenda and the chairperson
shall decide whether they should be present or not for that item of
discussion.
- At its first meeting after election, the
Committee of Road Representatives shall elect from among its
members the officers of the Association, who shall be the following office
holders:
1. Chairperson,
2. Secretary
3.Treasurer
4. Planning Officer
Other officers may be elected or special areas of interest allocated by
the committee.
The posts of:
1. Chairperson
2. Secretary
3.Treasurer
4. Planning Officer
may not serve in the same post for more than 3 consecutive years, unless no other
candidate is nominated and seconded at the first meeting after the AGM.
- The duties of the Chairperson shall be
to preside at meetings of the Management Committee, Committee of
Road Representatives, and of the Association. The chairperson shall
try to ensure consensus on any issue and if this is not achievable shall
call a vote of all committee members present, of which a two-thirds
majority shall be decisive on any matter involving expenditure and a
simple majority on all other issues, with a casting vote for the
chairperson in the event of a tie.
- The duties of the Honorary Secretary
shall be:
(a) To keep all non-financial
books and documents relating to the association;
(b) To write letters as directed
by the committee;
(c) To issue notifications of
committee and general meetings;
(d) to keep a register of
members from records provided by Road Representatives and the Honorary
Treasurer
(e) To perform such other duties
as the committee may direct.
- The duties of the Honorary Treasurer
shall be:
(a) To receive monies on behalf
of the association and to apply them as the committee may direct;
(b) To make payments as directed
by the committee.
(c) To keep the accounts of the
association.
- The duties of the Planning Officer shall
be:
(a) To monitor planning
applications within the area and those that might affect the area
(b) To lodge with the planning
Authority and/or Bord Pleanála relevant observations / objections
(c) To monitor issues in the
wider planning context such as the development plan, reports, and represent the
interests of the Association where appropriate
- The Committee of Road Representatives
may fill by co-option any vacancy occurring during its term of office. In
the case of a vacancy, such a vacancy shall be filled by a resident of the
area.
- The Committee of Road Representatives
may also form sub-committees;their areas of responsibility shall be
allocated by the Committee of Road Representatives.
The Committee of Road
Representatives may also appoint or co-opt any member interested in
assisting with the work of a sub-committee.[2]
- The Association may publish information
leaflets for the benefit of members and other material for general
distribution in the area and may also publish material in electronic
format
- The Committee of Road Representatives
can arrange public meetings of interest to its members
- The Committee of Road Representatives
shall keep in regular contact with all the elected representatives for the
area at both local and at national level
17. The agenda
of the A.G.M. shall include the following items:
(a) Minutes of previous A.G.M.
and any E.G.M. s held during the year
(b) Report of Treasurer,
including statement of accounts
(c) Report of Planning officer
(d) Report of Secretary
(e) Report of Chairperson
(f) Appointment of auditor
proposed by outgoing committee
(g) Election of Road
Representatives
(h) Membership subscriptions for
the following year
(i) Local issues
- The Annual General Meeting should be
held on a date agreed by the Committee
of Road Representatives
- The existing Committee of Road
Representatives’ term of office expires at the start of the first meeting
of the Committee of Road Representatives after the AGM.
- The Committee of Road Representatives
may make rules to provide for any matter not covered by this Constitution,
but any such rule may be annulled by a majority vote at a general meeting.
- An extraordinary general meeting shall
be summoned if a requisition signed by not less than 30 ordinary members
or 10 members of the Committee of Road Representatives is received by the
Honorary Secretary. Ten days notice of this meeting shall be given in
writing.
- This Constitution and any article may be
amended by two-thirds majority vote at the Annual General Meeting unless
otherwise provided herein.
- The Association shall be dissolved only
at a special general meeting convened for that purpose, at which the
proposal is passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present.
Any assets of the Association shall be realized and used to settle debts
and liabilities of the Association. If there is a surplus remaining
thereafter, it shall be disposed of as decided at the meeting. If the
assets are insufficient to meet the debts and liabilities, the deficit
shall be made up by equal contributions from all the members of the
Association, to the extent required by law.
[1]
Castlewood Avenue and Castlewood Terrace were recorded
at the 2002 AGM as having withdrawn from the association. Dunville Avenue was
added at the 2003 AGM. Cambridge Villas was added at the 2004 AGM. At the 2005 AGM, Belgrave Terrace was added
and it was agreed that Castlewood Avenue should be included as before. At the 2017
AGM, Kensington Villas and part of Upper Mount Pleasant Avenue were added.
[2]
Last sentence added by 2002 AGM