II. Membership: Meetings, Quorum, Voting, Proxies
2.1. Membership
The Association shall have one class of membership, as more fully set forth in the Declaration and Articles of Incorporation for the Association, the terms of which pertaining to membership are incorporated herein by this reference.
2.2. Place of Meetings
Meetings of the Association shall be held at the principal office of the Association or at such other suitable place convenient to the Members as may be designated by the Board, either within the Community or as convenient as is possible and practical.
2.3. Annual Meetings
The first meeting of the Association, whether a regular or special meeting, shall be held within one year from the closing of the first Unit or when twenty-five percent (25%) of homes in the Community have been sold, whichever is later, unless the Board determines that it is in the best interest of the Community to hold it earlier. Subsequent regular and annual meetings shall be set by the Board so as to occur during the third quarter of the Association’s fiscal year on a date and at a time set by the Board.
2.4. Special Meetings
The President may call special meetings. In addition, it shall be the duty of the President to call a special meeting if so directed by resolution of the Board or upon a petition signed by Members representing at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the total votes in the Association.
2.5. Notice of Meetings
Written, printed or electronic notice stating the place, day, and hour of any meeting of the Members shall be delivered, either personally, electronically or by first-class mail, to each Member entitled to vote at such meeting, not less than ten (10) nor more than fifty (50) days before the date of such meeting, by or at the direction of the President or the Secretary or the officers or persons calling the meeting.
In the case of a special meeting or when otherwise required by statute or these By-Laws, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be stated in the notice. No business shall be transacted at a special meeting except as stated in the notice.
If mailed, the notice of a meeting shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the Member at its address as it appears on the records of the Association, with postage prepaid.
2.6. Waiver of Notice
Waiver of notice of a meeting of the Members shall be deemed the equivalent of proper notice. Any Member may, in writing or electronically, waive notice of any meeting of the Members, either before or after such meeting. Attendance at a meeting by a Member or the Member’s proxy shall be deemed waiver by such Member of notice of the time, date, and place thereof, unless such Member or proxy specifically objects to lack of proper notice at the time the meeting is called to order. Attendance at a special meeting also shall be deemed waiver of notice of all business transacted at such meeting unless an objection on the basis of lack of proper notice is raised before the business is put to a vote.
2.7. Adjournment of Meetings
If any meeting of the Association cannot be held because a quorum is not present, Members or their proxies holding a majority of the votes represented at such meeting may adjourn the meeting to a time not less than five (5) nor more than thirty (30) days from the time the original meeting was called. At the reconvened meeting, if a quorum is present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting originally called. If a time and place for reconvening the meeting is not fixed by those in attendance at the original meeting or if for any reason a new date is fixed for reconvening the meeting after adjournment, notice of the time and place for reconvening the meeting shall be given to Members in the manner prescribed for regular meetings.
The Members represented at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to do business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Members to leave less than a quorum, provided that any action taken is approved by at least a majority of the votes required to constitute a quorum.
2.8. Voting
The voting rights of the Members shall be as set forth in the Declaration and in these By-Laws, and such voting rights are specifically incorporated by this reference.
2.9. Proxies
At all meetings of Members, each Member may vote in person (if a corporation, partnership, or trust, through any officer, director, partner, or trustee duly authorized to act on behalf of the Member) or by proxy, subject to the limitations of Georgia law. All proxies shall be either in writing or by electronic transmission specifying the Unit(s) for which it is given, signed by the Member or its duly authorized attorney-in-fact, dated and filed with the Association’s Secretary or his or her designee prior to the beginning of any meeting for which it is to be effective. Unless otherwise specifically provided in the proxy, a proxy shall be presumed to cover all votes which the Member giving such proxy is entitled to cast, and in the event of any conflict between two or more proxies purporting to cover the same voting rights, the later dated proxy shall prevail, or if dated as of the same date, both shall be deemed invalid. An electronic transmission must contain or be accompanied by information from which it can be determined that the Member, Member’s agent or Member’s attorney-in-fact authorized the electronic transmission. Every proxy shall be revocable and shall automatically cease upon conveyance of any Unit for which it was given, or upon receipt of notice by the Secretary of the death or judicially declared incompetence of a Member who is a natural person, or of written revocation, or eleven (11) months from the date of the proxy, unless a shorter period is specified in the proxy.
2.10. Majority
As used in these By-Laws, the term “majority” shall mean those votes, Owners, Members, or other group, as the context may indicate, totaling more than fifty percent (50%) of the total eligible number.
2.11. Quorum
Except as otherwise provided in these By-Laws or in the Declaration, the presence, in person or by proxy, of Members representing twenty-five percent (25%) of the total votes in the Association shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the Association.
2.12. Conduct of Meetings
The President or any designee the Board approves shall preside over all Association meetings. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings and record in a minute book all resolutions adopted and all other transactions occurring at such meetings.
2.13. Action Without a Meeting
Any action required or permitted by law to be taken at a meeting of the Members maybe taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if consent, in writing or by electronic transmission, specifically authorizing the proposed action is signed by Members holding at least a majority of the voting power entitled to vote thereon. Such consent shall be filed with the minutes of the Association, and shall have the same force and effect as a vote of the Members at a meeting. The record date for such action shall be the date that the first Member signs a consent. Within ten (10) days after receiving authorization for any action by written consent, the Secretary shall give written notice to all Members entitled to vote who did not give their written consent, fairly summarizing the material features of the authorized action. Each signed consent shall be included in the minutes of meetings of Members filed in the permanent records of the Association. No consent in writing or by electronic transmission shall be valid unless: (1) the consenting member has been furnished the same material that, pursuant to the Georgia Nonprofit Corporation Code, would have been required to be sent to members in a notice of a meeting at which the proposed action would have been submitted to the members for action; or (2) the written consent contains an express waiver of the right to receive the material otherwise required to be furnished.
2.14. Action By Written Ballot
Any action that may be taken at any annual, regular or special meeting of Members may be taken without a meeting if approved by ballot as provided herein. The Association shall deliver a ballot, in writing or by electronic transmission, to each Member entitled to vote on the matter. The ballot shall set forth each proposed action and provide an opportunity to vote for or against each proposed action. All solicitations for votes by ballot, in writing or by electronic transmission, shall indicate the number of responses needed to meet the quorum requirements; state the percentage of approvals necessary to approve each matter other than election of directors; and specify the time by which a ballot must be received by the Association in order to be counted. A timely ballot, in writing or by electronic transmission, received by the Association may not be revoked. Approval by ballot of an action shall only be valid when the number of votes cast by ballot equals or exceeds the quorum required to be present at a meeting held to authorize such action and the number of approvals equals or exceeds the number of votes that would be required to approve the matter at a meeting at which the total number of votes cast was the same as the number of votes cast by ballot. The results of each action by ballot in writing or by electronic transmission, shall be certified by the Secretary and shall be included in the minutes of meetings of Members filed in the permanent records of the Association.