HHPNC Approves New Bylaws

With the deadline for action looming, the   (HHPNC) on Monday evening approved a new set of bylaws, which they hope will afford them the freedom to better respond to the community’s needs.

HHPNC member Janet Dodson said that the recently approved bylaws have been submitted to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), where they will be reviewed before receiving final approval.

“It’s possible they could be sent back to us for revisions,” Dodson said.

As it stands, though, Dodson said the HHPNC is hopeful that they will soon be operating under a new set of bylaws that will allow them to react to community issues in real time.

Among the major changes that will go into effect, should the bylaws be approved, will be the ability of the HHPNC to form and dissolve standing and ad-hoc committees on the fly, rather than having to establish a set rotation of committees at the beginning of each new year.

“Instead of building committees before you know who is available and what the community needs, you can be more flexible,” Dodson said. “It gives you the chance to form committees in response to people being willing and asking to serve and in response to the immediate needs of the neighborhood at the time they need it.”

Among the committees Dodson said might be formed were those dedicated to arts and culture, education and supporting local business.

With the expanded freedom, Dodson said the board would also be able to form committees with more specific functions.

“We might form a committee that’s dedicated to supporting business on York and another one that’s dedicated to Figueroa, for example,” Dodson said.

Dodson said several committees are still be required by DONE, including an executive committee, budget and finance committee, rules committee, outreach committee and agenda committee.

Dodson said that, through the new bylaws, the HHPNC will also be reducing the size of its board from 21 to 19.

That the committee took action by Monday night was critical, Dodson said, as the council was approaching DONE’s deadline for action.

“We were on our second [deadline] extension,” Dodson said. “What DONE told me was [had we not met the deadline] they were going to hand us a set of bylaws that we had no control over.”