Member Virtual Town Hall

Please plan to join Grounded Solutions Network staff and Board for a Member only virtual town hall to discuss several proposed modifications to our organizational bylaws.

Four years ago, our Members voted to approve changes to our bylaws allowing the National Community Land Trust Network to merge with Cornerstone Partnership.  Based on your clear support for those changes, we became Grounded Solutions Network.  Together, we have advanced our vision for equitable communities organized around the values of inclusion, stewardship, and self-determination.  When we proposed the changes to our bylaws four years ago, we also realized that further amendments would eventually be necessary as Grounded Solutions Network evolved further. 

During early 2019, at the CEO’s request, the Board of Directors of Grounded Solutions Network formed a bylaws task force to explore further refinements. The task force included five current Board members and two non-board practitioners. Over the past six months, the task force has determined several proposed changes to help the organization advance our goals for racial equity, simplify membership dues payments, update the member voting process and further strengthen our Board composition and processes.  The bylaws task force team of volunteers who diligently and thoughtfully worked with staff and external pro-bono legal counsel to develop the proposed changes includes:

• Jaimie Ross, Board Secretary, and task force chair
• Maria Benjamin, GSN Director
• Brenda Torpy, GSN Director
• Christopher Ptomey, GSN Director
• Jeff Yegian, GSN Director
• Dev Goetschius, GSN Member (Sonoma County CLT)
• Tony Hernandez, GSN Member (Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative)

The various proposed changes will formalize our commitment to advancing racial equity in both external and internal aspects of our work to create more equitable and inclusive communities. Several of the specific bylaws changes proposed will also allow the organization to work more effectively with our membership.

We will review the proposed bylaws changes with our Members and provide an opportunity for addressing your questions during the September 11th virtual town hall. We have also allocated time during the Atlanta Reclaiming Vacant Properties event on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 2nd for an in-person discussion of the proposed bylaws changes. All Members will be requested to formally vote on the changes as part of our annual email ballot process during the period spanning mid-November – early December 2019. The outcome of the vote will be announced at our virtual Annual Membership Meeting to take place later in mid-December.

In addition to reviewing the proposed bylaws updates during the September virtual town hall, we will provide a brief update on Grounded Solutions Network activities for the remainder of 2019.

A draft of the revised bylaws with the proposed changes highlighted can be accessed for review here.  The most significant changes are:

1. Racial Equity and Inclusion:
   1. Addition of language regarding racial equity and inclusion, including the requirement for the board to adopt a racial equity and inclusion policy.
       
2. Membership Updates:
   1. Streamlines payment of dues and provides for termination of a member if a member does not pay its dues.
   2. Specifies how members can appoint representatives to vote on their behalf if a member cannot make a meeting or submit their own vote based on the deadline.
       
3. Board of Directors Updates:
   1. Updates the Board Composition Requirements
   2. Specifies Nomination Committee Process for creating a slate of proposed qualified Directors
   3. Removes Capital Impact Partners Appointed Director (since this is no longer required by Capital Impact Partners)
   4. Permits existing term-limited Officers to serve for an additional year as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors to ensure continuity in governance