UPDATE, 1/22/14: Charlotte LGBT center may close in February
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The board of directors of the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte released the fees and levels of their new membership structure on Monday evening, following news on Monday morning of their revised bylaws and other procedures regarding membership, meetings, rental rates and other changes.
The center also addressed some concern over continued closed-access to its board meetings. Some community members had issued concerns regarding continued closed meetings which restricted access to only those individuals who were paid members of the organization.
The center had adopted several significant changes at its board meeting on Jan. 15, instituting new bylaws revisions on a membership structure and open board meetings.
Among the changes, the center adopted a new 15-minute public comment period wherein any member of the public could attend and speak, provided they gave 24-hour notice to the board of their intent to speak. The revised bylaws, however, restricted attendance at the full board meeting to only members.
According to new membership levels released by the center on Monday evening, membership would require payment of anywhere between $24-$240 annually, thereby limiting board meeting attendance to only those who were paid members.
related
Dec. 5: Community calls for more open, transparent Charlotte LGBT center
Dec. 6: Annual non-profit survey shows fundraising diversity, strength among local LGBT non-profits
Dec. 13: Charlotte center votes to open board meetings, reinstate membership structure
Jan. 20: Charlotte center adds new rental fees, membership structure
Patrice Shannon, chair of the center’s public relations committee, said via email that the board did not intend to limit attendance at its board meetings, which the board voted to open to the public in December, following a Dec. 4 town hall meeting, at which 100 people attended, where concerns over openness, transparency and board accountability were discussed. The town hall was planned in response to several commentaries from this writer at his personal blog in November.
“We are working now to get a board vote on changing the wording in the bylaws to make it clear that board meetings are open to the community (no supporting membership required),” Shannon said in an email. “When we were putting together this particular part of the bylaws, the term ‘membership’ was misused, but its intended meaning was the entire community. This was a human error that occurred when drafting the bylaws, but it was the clear understanding of each board member that all board meetings were to be open to any and everyone and free of charge.”
Shannon said a vote to update the bylaws to fully open board meetings to all individuals should come no later than Tuesday evening.
The new membership structure will allow individuals to join for several new benefits. The bylaws provide few rights to members, though a separate board-adopted membership structure provides benefits such as a member newsletter, programming discounts, rental discounts and, notably, voting rights. However, the bylaws extend voting rights to members only when the board opts to give members voting privileges. Members will not have the right to vote on board officers or members.
It’s my opinion after several years of attending the centers round table meetings, which are now called town hall meetings, has resulted in little progress for the benefit of the community. It is no surprise to see the shuffling, back stepping and cover-up over the wording in the latest changes to the By-Laws. This latest move to deceive the community is a prime example of what’s been going on for years by certain board members and past community center leaders. I can only speculate as to why this has happened and continues as one of the oldest reasons in society, Ego and personal feelings towards individuals who buck the system, is a primary cause for people to run amuck. It just shows how the center views the community as an inferior people, like I said its no surprise.
Allowing membership with restrictions is not what we asked at the town hall meeting. Its seems the board directors of the center took parts of what was suggested, only to use it as a pacifier and not really giving nothing. Membership in an organization means membership without restrictions. In my opinion this is the reason they are still having problems. They are perceiving to be scared about giving up control and power to the very people they serve. They treat us like children who can’t handle the responsibility of business, but then boast that the center is the community’s center, contradicting their statements.
As a person who has been dedicated to my community, I really feel bad for some of the newer board member; because I feel they have a good heart and want to do what’s right. I have seen many board members who are good people, leave because once they found out firsthand the ongoing deceptions projected by the center towards the very community they signed on to help, has been a forest. Many of these good people has talked with me and I am asking some of these good people to come out and make a statement so that the truth is known.