King Neighborhood is holding a member meeting on Wednesday, November 9th, 2016, for the purpose of considering a change in our organizational by-laws. We have been asked by the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) to clarify our procedures for handling grievances submitted to the neighborhood association. To that end, KNA’s board of directors is asking members to attend so as to hear the change detailed below. The proposed new language for a grievance procedure is taken from ONI’s suggested neighborhood association by-laws template, issued January 2015.
The NA board asks members to consider removing Article X in the current by-laws, and replacing it with:
ARTICLE X: GRIEVANCE PROCESS
Section 1. Other Forms of Conflict Resolution are Encouraged. All parties are encouraged to resolve disagreements and disputes through one-on-one dialogue, discussions with directors and members, and/or formal mediation whenever possible.
Section 2. Eligibility to Grieve. A person or group harmed as a result of a decision of this association may file a formal grievance if they believe the action taken by the association violated a provision of these bylaws, a formally-adopted policy of the association, or the ONI Standards.
Section 3. Filing a Grievance. Grievances must be submitted, in writing, to the association president and/or secretary, within 45 business days of the alleged violation. A grievance must identify the date of the action being grieved and the provision of the association’s bylaws or the ONI Standards which allegedly were violated, describe how the provision was violated and how the grievant was harmed by this action, and identify the remedy the grievant is seeking.
Section 4. Initial Review and Response. The board or the board’s designee will review the proposed grievance and determine whether it meets criteria for a grievance as defined in this article. If the proposed grievance is found not to meet the criteria, the board or its designee will inform the grievant in writing of this determination and the reasons for the determination. If the proposed grievance is found to meet the criteria, the review process continues.
Section 5. Grievance Committee. If the process continues, as per Section 4, the board, or a committee designated by the board, shall offer the grievant an opportunity to present information relevant to the grievance and shall gather other relevant information. The body carrying out the review will develop its findings and recommendations and submit them to the board.
Section 6. Board Action. The board shall consider the findings and recommendations and render a decision on the grievance. The board shall notify the grievant of the board’s decision, in writing, within 60 calendar days from the receipt of the grievance.
On Wednesday, November 9th, King NA will meet for a member meeting to review the above proposed change to our governing by-laws, at 7 pm. The regular monthly board meeting, open to all, begins after the conclusion of the member meeting. Both meetings will be at the offices of NECN, 4815 NE 7th Avenue. Before 7 pm, the office is closed to the public for a board training.