TITLE

This group shall be known as the ‘Greenhills Community Garden Project’ and is a sub-group of the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the group are to establish, maintain and develop allotments and a community garden on the land held in trust on behalf of the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’ and the people of Greenhills.

MEMBERSHIP

Residents in the Greenhills Residents’ Association catchment area, over the age of 18, are eligible to apply for membership. All members will pay an annual fee. This fee is set by the ‘Greenhills Community Garden Project’ and must be agreed by the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’ committee. People living in estates bordering the Greenhills Residents’ Association catchment area (Walkinstown, Cherryfield, Green Park, Limekiln, Temple Manor, Manor Estate), may if they have an interest in gardening, apply to the committee for membership of the ‘Greenhills Community Garden Project’.

GARDENING PROJECT COMMITTEE

The Gardening Project Committee should be elected each year at an annual general meeting of members. The Gardening Project Committee shall be composed of a minimum of five members and a maximum of nine members. In addition, the Greenhills Residents’ Association committee may nominate up to two members to the Gardening Project Committee. The Gardening Project Committee should not comprise of more than two non-allotment holders. Members who have demonstrated a committement and a clear working involvement within the project shall be nominated for election to the four officer positions; a chairperson, a secretary, a treasurer and a vice-chairperson. In the event of a person leaving the area or resigning from the committee, the remaining committee may co-opt another member to fill the position.

An Officer shall not hold the same office for longer than three consecutive years. An officer or committee member who absents him or herself from three consecutive meetings without valid excuse shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee. A person who holds any elective position in local or central government shall not be eligible for election to the committee, and any committee member wishing to contest such elections must first resign from the committee.

An ordinary member of the Association or Project, not being related to any committee member, shall be elected at the AGM as Hon-Auditor of the Project.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Elections for the officer positions will take place in the following order; Chairperson, Hon-Secretary, Hon-Treasurer and Vice-Chairperson. Nominations should be proposed and seconded from the floor and the candidate must accept a nomination. In the case where two or more people are nominated, voting shall take place by means of the single transferable vote (PR) using a secret ballot. In the case of any elections, the meeting shall appoint two tellers to count votes and report on the result. Ordinary committee members shall be deemed elected unless more than five are nominated. Otherwise an election will take place as above.

GARDENING PROJECT COMMITTEE MEETINGS

All meetings shall be convened by the Secretary, who shall give due notice of dates and times of such meetings to each committee member. The Secretary or Minute Secretary shall keep minutes of meetings and records of attendance and provide the committee with an agenda and copies of previous meeting’s minutes in advance of the next meeting.

Any 5 committee members, by giving written notice to the ­Secretary, may call a meeting.

A quorum for committee meetings shall be one third of the committee which should include at least two officers.

MANAGEMENT

The overall management of the project shall be vested in the Gardening Project Committee, who shall perform all such acts, as may be deemed necessary or expedient to further the objectives of the project. Minutes of every committee meeting must be sent to the secretary of the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’ before the subsequent Gardening Project meeting. A member of the committee shall be nominated to the Greenhills Residents’ Association Committee and a report shall be provided at each ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’ committee meeting.

The day to day running of the allotments shall be vested in an Allotment Committee. The Allotment Committee shall have a minimum of three members and a maximum of five members. Then Allotment Committee will be elected for a maximum three year period. This committee shall be elected by allotment holders. For voting purposes a maximum of two votes per allotment is permitted for each allotment / part allotment. The Allotment Committee shall nominate a representative who shall attend Gardening Project Committee meetings. The Allotment Committee is responsible for operational issues and shall ensure that all allotment rules are complied with. The Allotment Committee shall report on a monthly basis to the Gardening Project Committee for their performance. The Allotment Committee may also propose amendments to allotment rules to the Gardening Project Committee for consideration. When enforcing allotment rules the committee shall follow agreed procedures.

Major decisions (including modifications to the constitution) should be presented to the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’ and agreed by the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’. No decisions shall be adopted by the 'Greenhills Community Garden Project' committee that contravenes the objectives of the ‘Greenhills Residents’ Association’ constitution.

ACCEPTANCE OF RULES

Membership of the project shall imply the acceptance of each and all of the projects rules and procedures, and any additions and/or alterations, which may be agreed. Rules and procedures shall be posted in a prominent position. The Gardening Project Committee has the power to amend rules and procedures as deemed appropriate in maintaining the objectives of the project. These amendments must but have agreement from at least two thirds of the Gardening Project Committee. However, changes to the constitution must be approved by the Greenhills Residents’ Association and at a general meeting of Gardening Project members. All changes in rules and procedures must be communicated to Gardening Project members and provided to the Greenhills Residents’ Association committee within two weeks of the changes being adopted.

The Gardening Project Committee shall have full power to decide any question for which no provision is made for in the rules and by-laws, and shall be responsible for proposing the appropriate amendment at the earliest possible time.

ALLOTMENT ALLOCATION

If a resident is interested in obtaining an allotment they should become a member of the Gardening Project and fill in an allotment application form. The Gardening Project Committee shall approve the application and place the member on the waiting list. An allotment, or part allotment, shall have a maximum of two named allotment holders. Only one allotment per household shall be allocated.

When an allotment becomes available it shall be allocated as follows:

• All current allotment holders shall be offered the option of transferring to the vacant allotment. If an allotment holder transfers to the vacant allotment then their allotment will be allocated.
• The applicant longest on the approved waiting list from the Greenhills Residents’ Association catchment area will be offered the allotment.
• Should there be no approved applicants from the Greenhills Residents’ Association catchment area then applicants received from estates bordering Greenhills (Walkinstown, Cherryfield, Green Park, Limekiln, Temple Manor, Manor Estate) on the approved waiting list, will be offered the allotment. The applicant longest on the list being offered first.

BANKING PROCEDURE

The project shall have a bank account(s) into which all monies received shall be lodged. All cheques shall be signed by the treasurer and one other officer. The account of the project shall be closed for audit purposes on the last day of April in each year.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Greenhills Community Garden Project shall be held during the month of May each year. Notice, in writing, must be given at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

All members of the Greenhills Community Garden Project may submit motions for discussions at the AGM. Such motions must be received by the secretary not later than 3 days prior to the meeting.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

A special general meeting may be called by the committee, or by requisition signed by not less than 10 members of the project, delivered to the secretary, who in turn must call such a meeting within 4 weeks from the date or receipt of such requisition. Only the business stated in the requisition may be debated at the special general meeting, and details of the said business should be included in the notice of meeting sent to all members.

VOTING RIGHTS AND QUORUM

A quorum for an Annual or Special General Meeting shall be 10 members. If a quorum is not reached, the meeting shall be re-convened and all members informed of the new date and venue. Those present at a re-convened meeting shall constitute a quorum.

At all general meetings, each member will have one vote only.

Voting at all general meetings shall be by show of hands, except when a ballot is demanded, and a simple majority supports such demand.

DISSOLUTION

The ‘Greenhills Community Garden Project’ may be dissolved only by the vote of not less than 75% present at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. An audited financial report shall be presented at such meeting. The dissolution will not be effected until assets are disposed of and liabilities discharged. In the event of insufficient funds to clear liabilities, the existing members shall contribute the deficiency, in equal shares.

INDEMNITY

All Officers of the group shall be indemnified by the ‘Greenhills Community Garden Project’ for any expenses incurred in executing their duties on behalf of, and on the direction of, the committee of the ‘Greenhills Community Garden Project’.

AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION

Membership of the project shall imply the acceptance of the constitution. Amendment to this constitution should be approved by the Greenhills Residents Association and be presented at the next Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for that purpose. Adoption of a new constitution requires agreement from at least two thirds of the members present and qualified to vote.

RULES