Riverview Garden Society

Introduction

 

The Garden Society has a set of “Policies and Procedures” which govern some of the operational issues at the gardens; however, our governance has always been very informal. We all want to be able to focus on growing food, but it has been noted that it is important to clarify our governance procedures.

 

By-laws

 

1. Executive Committee:
   
   This group consists of several people, elected or approved by the Annual General Meeting, who have agreed to take on a variety of responsibilities needed to keep the society in good standing.
   
   President: Chairs the AGM, maintains the records of members (contact info, payment history, etc); sends out application forms to members; deals with inquiries from the public and from gardeners and redirects them as appropriate; is the liaison person with the City and with other external partners and parties; ensures that we have up to date insurance coverage.
   
   Vice-President: Chairs the meeting in the President’s absence; serves as the grounds coordinator and manages the operational aspects of the gardens (eg. Policy and Procedures enforcement).
   
   Treasurer: Takes charge of the banking and cheque writing. Produces a financial report for the Annual General meetingThese three individuals are official cheque signers at the bank. Our bank account requires one of these three to sign cheques in the name of the society.
   
   Past President: the most immediate past President who is a valued source of information for the current executive committee.
    

2. Advisory Committee:
   
   This group consists of individuals who have volunteered to take over certain areas of work for the Garden Society.  The Society will ensure that there is representation from both garden locations on the Advisory Committee.Currently, this consists of:
   
   Compost Coordinator – responsible for ensuring that the compost piles are maintained, and seeking volunteers to work on the compost.
   
   Environmental Coordinator – responsible for advocating on environmental issues for the gardens (eg. Mosquito spray buffer zone), and providing education opportunities for gardeners.
   
   Grounds coordinator – responsible for organizing tasks relating to the physical area around the gardens, including “road” maintenance, etc. 
   
   Common Area Coordinator – responsible for care and maintenance of the flower garden area.

 

Succession of the Executive Committee:

 

It is proposed that a slate of candidates for the committees be circulated with the application forms early in the new year, with the opportunity for gardeners to confirm the candidates, or to nominate alternative people, should they wish to do so. If alternatives are proposed, there will be an election for that position, held at the Annual General Meeting, where all positions will be affirmed.

 

Policy and Procedure enforcement:

 

When gardeners are not following the operational policies and procedures (e.g. not keeping the weeds down, or perhaps using chemicals), the following procedure is followed:

 

1. Vice-President (or designate) talks informally to the gardener in question, pointing out that they are in contravention of the policy, finding out if they need assistance, etc. and giving a “warning.” At that time, a damage deposit of one year’s rent will be collected and will be refunded when the problem has been remediated.  
    

2. If no action on a weed problem is forthcoming in 2 weeks, the President informs the gardener officially in writing that they will not be invited back the following year. If necessary due to overgrowth of weeds, the garden will be plowed under. The damage deposit will then be used to help pay for this service. If it has been determined that a gardener has violated the prohibition on pesticides and herbicides after being warned, they will be notified in writing that they will not be invited back.

 

Waiting list policy

 

The Vice-President will maintain a waiting list of interested individuals. They will be sent a survey to ascertain their degree of interest and commitment to participating in the society according to our bylaws, (and asked if they are interested in sharing a plot or being mentored by an experienced gardener). Those on the list will be phoned at the beginning of the garden year, in order to gauge their continued interest. A combination of “first come- first served” and demonstrated interest in the gardens will determine those eligible for newly vacant plots.

 

Page updated: March 2016