July Meeting: Monday July 27th 6:00 - 8:00 pm

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Kendra Fox

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Jul 15, 2026, 2:56:07 PM (2 days ago) Jul 15
to Davis Square Neighborhood Council


Meeting: Monday, July 27th, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 


Hi Neighbors,


Our regular meeting will be held at 6:00 PM, venue TBA. Please plan to arrive in person at 5:30 PM - see below for details and proposed agenda.

As always, our regular meetings are hybrid and also held online via Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85220522175?pwd=b92uXx6aRRNXdehZWGFZRQXogheZus.1

Meeting ID: 852 2052 2175

Passcode: 812425


**Additional note for July 27 meeting**

This month we will be addressing more than a dozen bylaws amendments introduced at last month's meeting. There will be some provisions to help make this process accessible and productive. Please read the following in preparation for our meeting:

  • To help the membership decide how to vote,  a Voter's Guide has been prepared. Click here to access the voter guide, which will link to language for all the amendments up for vote for your review. 

  • To ensure there is time for everyone to feel heard, and adequately discuss each amendment, you are encouraged to discuss in advance of our meeting using our discussion group. Click here to access the discussion group.

  • To keep our process organized and ensure validity, we will be performing member check-in and verification at the door. We ask that you plan to arrive at 5:30 pm for our 6 pm meeting to allow time for check in. Verified members will be provided red/green voting cards to hold up in favor or opposition. Non-members are welcome at the meeting, but will not vote. Please bring proof of address if you are unverified or unsure of your status

  • A QR code linking to the voter guide, as well as a few physical copies, and a handout primer on Robert's Rules of Order will be provided at the meeting for reference.

  • To help ensure there is adequate time to move through all of the votes on our agenda, we will be introducing a motion during the meeting to limit debate. The membership will vote on whether to pass this motion. Our intention is not to limit or discourage discussion overall, but we strongly emphasize the need for more extensive debate to occur in advance of the meeting. The proposed limits are for debate to be limited to:

    • 12 minutes of debate per amendment (6 minutes per side); 2 minutes speaking time per person, and speaking once per amendment; alternating sides for each speaker. 



Please reach out to the board at dsnc-...@googlegroups.com with any questions about the upcoming meeting. 


Thank you for your participation and cooperation as we do the important work of addressing our open amendments.


See you at the meeting,


Kendra Fox




Agenda:

  • 5:30 PM - Member sign in and verification

  • 6:00 PM - Welcome & Intros (name, pronouns, street and/or connection with Davis Sq.)

  • 6:10 PM - Approve minutes from the last meeting

  • 6:11 PM - Report from the Treasurer (PJ)

    • Receipts 

    • Expenditures

    • Balance

  • 6:12 PM - Update on DSNC’s neighborhood council recognition process (PJ)


  • 6:15 PM - Commentary on role and function of CBC & CBA (Elaine and PJ)

    • History of process to date

    • Expectations for CBC process going forward


  • 6:30 PM - Bylaw Amendments

    • Comments on the amendment process and backlog (Elaine)

    • Motion to limit debate

    • Bylaw amendments up for vote (Order TBD), as noticed and described in the published voter guide 

      •  Clerical amendments:

        • Amendment 50 (Chris Beland) removes the requirement for the Outreach committee chair to be a member of the Board.

        • Amendment D (Derrick Rice) makes clerical changes to section 3.1, primarily labeling the membership eligibility criteria for easier reference. It does not change the membership criteria.

        • Amendment 18A1.1 (Chris Beland, Ashish Shrestha) makes a clerical change to section 5.3 so that the threshold to pass CBAs is only stated once. It does not change what that threshold is (⅔ majority).

      • Membership eligibility:

        • Amendment 20 (Meredith Porter) changes the membership eligibility option “Resides within ½ mile of the Neighborhood Boundaries” to also require residing in Somerville.

        • Three amendments (4A1, 4A2, 4B) remove the “genuine local interest” membership eligibility option, but make different changes beyond that (see guide for details).

      • Community Benefits Agreements:

        • Amendment 18A1.1 (mentioned above) makes clerical changes.

        • Amendments 18A1.2-4 (Chris Beland, Ashish Shrestha) reduce the threshold to pass a CBA, from the current ⅔ majority to 60%, 55%, or 50%.

        • Amendment 18C1 (Ed Woll) requires at least ⅔ of verified DSNC members to vote (like a quorum requirement) on CBAs.

        • Amendment 54 (Ashish Shrestha) requires CBA votes be conducted “consistent” with board elections and specifies certain minimum requirements.

      • Miscellaneous

        • Amendment N (Chris Beland) removes the requirement to “elect” a nominating committee, and instead just requires “forming” one.

        •  Amendment 16G (Zachary Yaro) restores direct election of the treasurer and secretary, and simplifies Section 4.6 Voting Method.

        • Amendment 53A1 (Derrick Rice, Alex Dehnert, Rebecca Rogers) codifies a “standing policies” mechanism.

  • 7:40 PM - Updates from Committee Chairs




  • 7:59 PM - Motion to adjourn

  • 8:00 PM - Vacate

Post Meeting Socializing at Elm Street Taproom: Stop by for a drink!


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