Policies

• 1.1 “Planning” is the Planning Committee chair, who may co-opt assistants or ask Executive Committee members to attend meetings.
• 1.2 Simple Proposals:
  • 1.2.1 Planning meets with developers and gets detailed proposal. If necessary assisting them to flesh-out a concept.
  • 1.2.2 Developers meet with Executive Committee to review application to city.
  • 1.2.3 Developers come to monthly membership meeting for presentation. Developers may ask for delay to change proposal.
  • 1.2.4 Membership votes to recommend or oppose.
• 1.3 Complex Proposals:
  • 1.3.1 Planning meets with developers and gets detailed proposal. There may be several meetings to assist in fleshing-out a concept into a detailed proposal.
  • 1.3.2 Developers meet with Executive Committee to review application to city.
  • 1.3.3 Developers come to monthly membership meeting for presentation.
  • 1.3.4 Developers may meet with Planning or Executive Committee after presentation.
  • 1.3.5 Developers come to the next monthly membership meeting.
  • 1.3.6 Membership votes to recommend or oppose.
• 1.4 The Executive Committee is the sole judge if a project is “simple.” the Developers may choose to pursue a project as “complex” even if the Society is willing to treat it as “simple.”
  • 1.4.1 A project will generally be considered complex if it is:
    • 1.4.1.1 A residential build or expansion creating four or more new dwelling units, or
      1.4.1.2 Requires six or more zoning variances.
• 1.5 Projects not meeting these criteria may nonetheless be designated as “complex” at the Executive Committee’s sole discretion. In making the designation of a project as “complex” or “simple,” the Executive Committee shall take into account the scope of the project, its impact on the surrounding properties and the neighborhood, the number and extent of zoning variances requested, and whether the requested variances reflect a change rather than a continuation of the current state or use of the property.
• 1.6 If a developer does not meet with the Society according to this policy, the Society reserves the right to oppose the proposal before any city body.
• 1.7 The Society and its committees shall be governed in all planning matters by the “Harrison West Area Plan” (2005).
• 1.8 Dissemination of Development Proposal Information Through Electronic Media
  • 1.8.1. The Harrison West Society reserves the right to share development proposal information at the discretion of the Executive Committee, including but not limited to zoning variance applications, statements of hardship, variance lists, building plans, architectural drawings, elevations, and written feedback from the City of Columbus (collectively, “Proposal Information”, through posts on electronic media “Posts”. Such media may include, for example, the Society’s own website, or the Society’s social media accounts, including but not limited to Facebook and Nextdoor.
  • 1.8.2. By providing Proposal Information to the Planning Committee, any member of the Executive Committee, and/or by submitting an application to the City of Columbus such that it will be made publicly available, developers agree that such information may be subject to Posts in accordance with Section 1.8.1. Upon express request from the developer, the Society shall refrain from Posts as to specified Proposal Information, except that the Society reserves the right to post any Proposal Information pertaining to any proposal for which the developer is seeking a vote within one month.
  • 1.8.3. Posts made in accordance with Section 1.8.1 may include copies of documents shared with the Society, and/or hyperlinks to publicly available information, including but not limited to applications on file with the City, or postings on publicly available websites.
  • 1.8.4. As a general practice, Posts made in accordance with Section 1.8.1 shall be limited to copies of documents provided and, where appropriate, concise statements regarding the nature, location, and identity of the project. Posts shall not include statements representing the Society’s support of, or opposition to, applications for zoning variances, except following a vote of the Society to support or oppose an application, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
  • 1.8.5. As a general practice, the Society will refrain from posting specific personal identifying information for projects that are owner-occupied. Specific personal identifying information may include, for example, names and addresses of project owners or project sites, but does not include a general description of the project and a general description of its location. However, the Society reserves the right to post such information at the discretion of the Executive Committee, taking into account the project owner’s interest in privacy, as well as the interests of the neighborhood. In no event will the Society be required or expected to redact portions of Proposal Information.
  • 1.8.6. Nothing in this policy prevents any individual member of the Society, including the Executive Committee, from endorsing, opposing, or otherwise commenting on pending development proposals in a personal capacity, using a social media account other than the Society’s account, at any time.
  • 1.8.7. Nothing in this policy limits the right of the Society to post summaries of discussions at Society meetings, including but not limited to meeting minutes.
  • 1.8.8 Planning shall make reasonable efforts to advise developers of this Policy at or near the outset of any proposal, and prior to dissemination of information.
• 1.9 Duration. All recommendations of the Society shall be effective until the City shall act upon them or for 1 year (whichever is less). Each document concerning a recommendation shall state that it has an expiration date.

Development procedure policies adopted May. 16, 2018.

• 2.1 Formal minutes shall only be kept for the membership meetings. This does not preclude keeping notes at other meetings.
• 2.2 Minutes shall be approved by the members at a regular meeting and shall be signed by the secretary in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
• 2.3 Minutes shall be posted to the Society’s web page within 7 days of approval by the membership.

Minutes adopted 2006, amended 18Sept2024.

• 3.1 All correspondence on behalf of the Society shall be on official stationery, signed by the president or (with the president’s approval) the secretary.
• 3.2 A copy of all correspondence shall be given the secretary for filing.
• 3.3 This policy shall not preclude individual or private communications by officers, heads of committees or individuals. It is encouraged that such communications also be given the secretary for filing.

Correspondence adopted 2006.

• 4.1 Membership meetings.
  • 4.1.1 The membership shall meet on the third Wednesday of each month (except December) at 7 p.m. at a place announced at the prior regular membership meeting.
  • 4.1.2 The place of each membership meeting shall be posted to the Society’s web page within 7 days of announcement.
• 4.2 The Executive Committee shall meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at a place announced at the prior regular membership meeting.

Meetings adopted 2006, amended 18Sept2024.

• 5.1 The purpose of this policy is to establish a code of conduct and to promote the confidence of the Society’s members in their leaders.
  • 5.1.1 An Official is an Officer of the Society (elected or appointed), or a person chairing a committee of the Society.
  • 5.1.2 A Conflict of Interest is a situation in which an official has a private or personal interest sufficient to appear to influence the objective exercise of their official duties.
• 5.2 Each Official has a duty to place the interest of the Society foremost in any dealing on behalf of the Society. Officials shall not use their position, or the knowledge gained from that position, in such a manner that a conflict arises between the interests of the Society and the Official’s personal interests. Specifically, a conflict of interest may arise:
  • 5.2.1 if an Official has an interest that might reasonably appear to impair their independent judgment in the discharge of their responsibilities to the Society, or
  • 5.2.2 if an Official has an ownership or investment in any entity with which the Society has or has begun negotiating any, or
  • 5.2.3 if an Official serves in any entity with which the Society has or has begun negotiating any arrangement, or
  • 5.2.4 if a member of the Official’s household meets any of the above criteria.
• 5.3 Officials are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the earliest practical time. Such Officials shall provide written disclosure of any interests that could potentially result in a conflict of interest.
• 5.4 Officials who are uncertain whether they have a conflict of interest shall request that the Executive Board determine whether a conflict of interest exists. The Executive Board shall make a determination by a majority vote (excluding the potentially conflicted Official) and report that decision to the membership.
• 5.5 No Official shall participate in any deliberation of any matter in which such person has a conflict of interest. Officials who have a conflict of interest shall remove themselves from the meeting room while such matter is under discussion and also shall not represent the Society such matters.
• 5.6 If any member of the Society has reasonable cause to believe an Official has failed to disclose a conflict of interest, the member shall file a complaint with the Executive Board.
  • 5.6.1 The Executive Board shall inform the person of the basis for such belief and afford the person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose.
  • 5.6.2 After hearing the Official’s response and after making such further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the Executive Board shall report its determination to the Society at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
  • 5.6.3 If the Executive Board determines the Official has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest the Executive Board shall recommend such disciplinary and corrective action as it deems appropriate.
  • 5.6.4 The Society shall determine the final disciplinary and corrective action by majority vote, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Society. Notice must be given with the notice of the meeting.

Conflict of Interested adopted April 18, 2012.

• 6.1 Individual
  • 6.1.1 Basic: $20.00
  • 6.1.2 Household (all members of a household listed): $25.00
  • 6.1.3 Senior: (individual over 64) $10.00
  • 6.1.4 Student: (individual with student ID) $10.00
• 6.2 Organization
  • 6.2.1 Basic: $50.00
• 6.3 Harrison West Hero
  • As either a Individual or Organizational member: $100 (or more)

Dues Schedule adopted July 15, 2015