The Lark Street Business Improvement District Annual Meeting on Monday, June 24, 2024 at 6:30pm at Lark Hall located at 351 Hudson Avenue, Albany New York 12210.
During this meeting a quorum, if present, will vote on the following business: ratification of the Bylaws governing the Lark Street BID, available on our website larkstreetbid.org/bylaws . These bylaws were updated throughout the course of the year by the Bylaws Committee with counsel, and in accordance with state and local law governing business improvement districts. They were adopted by the Board of Directors on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
During the meeting elections will be held for the following vacant seats on our Board of Directors:
Class A, Commercial Owners (2 seats)
Class A Member Eligibility from the Bylaws: Class A: Commercial Property Owners. Owners of record of real property in the District consisting of commercial space that are registered with the City of Albany to receive real property tax bills for such real property located within the District, shall be Class A Members of the Corporation. Owners of properties wholly exempt from real property taxes are not eligible for membership, nor representation on the Board of
Directors as Class A Property Owners, unless said ownership provides a payment in lieu of the property tax. Class A Members shall be allocated one vote for each separate and individually assessed parcel of real commercial property owned.
Class B, Residential Owner (1 seat)
Class B: Residential Property Owners. Owners of record of real property in the District consisting of one or more dwelling units that are registered with the City of Albany to receive property tax assessment statements for such real property located in the District shall be Class B Members of the Corporation. Each Class B Member shall be allocated one vote for each separate and individually assessed parcel of real property owned.
Class D, Residential Renter (1 seat)
Class D: Residential Tenants. Tenants who are occupants pursuant to leases of residential spaces within the District shall be Class D Members of the Corporation, provided such persons shall have applied for membership by providing the Executive Director a copy of their commercial lease, and remain tenants pursuant to such lease. Each Class D Member shall be allocated one vote for each separate and individually leased property.
If you are eligible in one of the above-mentioned classes and would like to run for a seat on the Board of Directors please contact Executive Director Ella Montelone, no later than Monday, June 17, 2024. An updated ballot will appear on our website Tuesday, June 18, 2024, available for download. Members in Class D must apply for membership and provide proof of a lease agreement on a residence within the BID’s boundaries. An application for Class C and D membership is available on the website LarkStreetBID.org/member-application Ballots for each class will be available at the Annual Meeting on Monday June 24, 2024.
From the Bylaws:
Section 4 – Quorum.
The Members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum, provided that such Members constitute at least ten percent (10%) of those entitled
to vote at the meeting.
Section 5 – Voting.
Each Member shall have one (1) vote and shall vote by ballot or, at the discretion of the Chair, by voice vote. All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those present at the meeting in which the vote takes place. Absentee ballots will be provided at the request of the Member at least three (3) days prior to the vote.
Section 6 – Elections & Procedure.
A. At the Annual meeting, an election shall be held to (re)elect and replace all Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Directors whose terms have expired. Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D
shall vote by Class to elect Directors.
B. The Notice for the Annual Meeting shall set forth the date, time, purpose of the Annual Meeting, and a list of available seats on the Corporation’s Board of Directors. Members seeking election to the Board of Directors may nominate themselves or be nominated by another Member of their Class no later than five (5) business days prior to the Annual Meeting.
C. At any time, the Board may also elect to form an Election committee, appointed by the Chair, to nominate a slate of candidates. If the Board opts to form an Election committee, individual Members may also nominate themselves or may be nominated by another Member of their Class no later than five (5) business days prior to the Annual Meeting.
D. The Ballot for the open seats on the Corporation’s Board of Directors shall set forth nominated candidates who are eligible to be members of the Board of Directors. The Ballot shall be placed on the Corporation’s website for download (or online voting) and emailed to
the last recorded email address of each Member of record no later than three (3) days prior to the date set for the Annual meeting. Ballots will also be available at the Annual Meeting. Only Members shall be eligible to vote, and Members shall only vote for those Directors representing their own membership classes. Voting by proxy for the election of Directors is not permitted, and no candidates seeking to serve on the Board of Directors may appoint (or be represented by) a proxy to run for (or serve in) an open seat on their behalf. The results of the election of directors shall be announced at the Annual meeting.
E. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken by a run-off election to be conducted prior to the conclusion of the Annual meeting and which shall be limited to those candidates who were tied.
F. Members who meet the criteria to represent multiple membership Classes in Board elections (e.g., a residential owner who is also, separately, a commercial tenant) may be nominated for election to the Board in each Class for which such Member qualifies. However, Members may only occupy a single seat on the Board of Directors. As such, election to the Board as a Director representing one membership Class precludes such Director’s subsequent election to represent any other Class for which said Member is otherwise eligible. Members who meet the criteria for membership in multiple Classes may vote in elections pertaining to each Class for which
said Member qualifies for membership.
G. Nomination of and election to the Board of Proxy candidates representing eligible Members is not permissible.
If you have any questions or wish to nominate yourself for a seat in a class you are eligible for, please email ella@larkstreet.org
