Revised 11/2023

GREATER DUBLIN REALTY ASSOCIATION (GDRA)

BY-LAWS & CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I – Name

This organization shall be known as the Greater Dublin Realty Association, a non-profit organization.

ARTICLE II – Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote better real estate relations between REALTORS and the general public; and to promote the general welfare of the greater Dublin area.

ARTICLE III – Membership

All Realtor/Broker members, in good standing of the Columbus and or neighboring Boards of Realtors, and any other individuals who serve in an associated or closely related field (i.e. Lenders, Title Companies, Attorneys, Home Inspectors, Termite and Gas Companies, etc…)

ARTICLE IIIA – Membership Classification

Section 1. Greater Dublin Realty Association Shall Recognize 2 distinct membership classifications:

  1. Voting Member – A voting member is a Realtor, Affiliate Member or Vendor business that relates to real estate sales or is directly involved in the real estate transaction process in the greater Dublin area. A voting member’s dues must be current and must be in good standing with GDRA. These members may make announcements, place homes on tour that are listed with the Columbus board of Realtors MLS system, and they may bring and distribute literature. Each voting member is entitled to one vote.
  2. Honorary Member – Any non-realtor to whom the association may, from time to time, elect to bestow such membership in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the Association and/or the furtherance of the cause and purpose of the Association. Honorary members are not permitted to vote.

Section 2. Application of the Greater Dublin Realty Association. Membership must be made in writing, accompanied by appropriate dues, and the name of one designated representative.

ARTICLE IV – Dues:

Section 1.

  • The Treasurer of the Greater Dublin Realty Association shall assess each member their dues for the forthcoming calendar year no later than the third (3rd) Friday in February of the year. Such dues will be considered delinquent if payment has not been received by the cutoff date.

    Weekly fees to be $4.00 for each meeting to be determined annually by the board prior to 12/1 of current year.

    The amount of dues to be assessed is as follows:

    VOTING MEMBER – Dues to be $35.00 annually paid by the 3rd Friday in February. This fee is for Realtors, Affiliate Members & Vendors with voting privileges.

    HONORARY MEMBER – No dues.

Section 2.

  • Any member who has not paid their dues by March 1st will be automatically dropped from membership and removed from the GDRA website.

Section 3.

  • Optional yearly total payment of $155.00 ($35.00 dues + $120.00 weekly meeting fee discounted paid in advance for entire year)

Section 4.

  • Annual dues to be determined by the board prior to December 1st of the current year.

Section 5.

  • Any extraordinary expense of the Association for which the treasury has insufficient funds shall be borne equally by each voting member.
ARTICLE V – Voting

Section 1.

  • Each voting Member shall have one (1) vote.

Section 2.

  • General Voting issues of financial expenditures over $250.00, other than day-to-day operations, and all contribution requests shall be voted on by the general membership. All requests for contributions shall be submitted to the officers prior to presenting a request for funds to the membership for a vote. All expenditures other than day-to-day expenses must be approved by 2/3 (two thirds) of the members present and voting at any regular meeting.

Section 3.

Election of Officers

  1. Nominating Committee: A committee comprised of the current President and the immediate past 2 (two) presidents shall present a slate of nominees to the association at the first regularly scheduled weekly meetings in November of the current year. It is the responsibility of the nominating committee to present at least 1 (one) nominee for each elected officer position. Additionally, nominations from the floor will be accepted at this meeting and the second scheduled weekly meeting in November. (Nominations from the floor must have prior approval of the nominee). The nominating committee shall distribute a written list of nominees to the voting membership at the 3rd (third) scheduled meeting in November to vote for each elected officer position.
  2. Term of Officers: Officers shall serve for a period of one (1) calendar year (January through December). The president and President-elect cannot hold the same office for two (2) consecutive terms.
  3. Officer Qualification: More than one (1) officer from each Real Estate Brokerage Company shall be permitted to hold an office during a given year.
  4. The offices of President and President-elect shall be held by individual Realtor voting member only. (The realtor must be associated with a real estate broker in good standing with the Columbus Board of Realtors). The offices of Secretary, Tour Director, Treasurer and Sergeant-at-Arms may be held by any voting member.
  5. All candidates shall be notified of election results immediately after the ballots are collected and counted by the nominating committee. In the case of a tie, a coin toss per Robert’s Rule of Order shall take place at the same meeting.
ARTCLE VI – Permanent Officers and Standing Committees

Section 1. Permanent Elected Officers

**Each officer will be required to keep a notebook of their activities to be turned over to the new officer at the end of each year**

  1. President – The President is empowered to appoint committee chairpersons and committee members to serve as he/she see fit and as is necessary. Said committees are to serve at the President’s discretion. The President shall preside over all meetings and assemblies of which the association is the official sponsor. The President is empowered to appoint individuals to compile the term of any Association office which, by one reason or another, is vacated during his/her administration. From time to time, it is envisioned the President may be called upon to serve as the official spokesperson for the Association.
  2. President-elect – The President-elect shall carry out those duties assigned him/her by the President. The President-elect, in the absence of the President, shall preside over all meetings and assemblies of which the association is the official sponsor. In the event the office of the President is vacated during the administrative year, the President-elect shall become President automatically upon the completion of his/her term as President-elect. The President –elect serves as the chair of Realtor Care Day, the annual holiday party and is responsible for all press releases to the media.
  3. Secretary – The Secretary shall perform those usual duties attributed to that office. the Secretary or a representative must attend all the weekly association meetings. The Secretary shall work in conjunction with the Treasurer and Webmaster on assembling and maintaining the membership directory. The Secretary shall take notes of any discussions, record any motions and results of such motions at the general membership meetings. This position shall keep the minutes at the officer’s meetings. The Secretary shall be responsible for sending cards/flowers as needed to GDRA members.
  4. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall perform those usual duties attributed to that office. The names of the President and Treasure shall be placed on the checking account, with the ultimate responsibility for the Association’s funds resting with the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall present a quarterly report to the general membership at the beginning of each new quarter. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget approved by the board. The budget shall be presented to the general membership along with the first quarterly report. The Treasurer assisted by the Secretary has the responsibility of maintaining an accurate, up-to-date list of paid membership for the Association.
  5. Tour Director – The Tour Director shall preform those usual duties attributed to the office, including but not limited to the collection of requests for homes to be put on the weekly tour, the routing of the weekly tour, and the preparation of the tour sheet. The Tour Director shall be responsible for obtaining advertiser sponsors for the back of the weekly tour sheet.
  6. Sergeant-at-Arms/Parliamentarian – The Sergeant-at-Arms is empowered and shall be responsible for maintaining order at the general membership and officer’s meetings. In the capacity as Parliamentarian, this officer will be responsible for understanding and maintaining Robert’s Rules of Order. He/she shall assist the President in presenting any new motions to the floor. He/she shall perform the duties of the Secretary or Tour Director in their absence.

Section 2. – Unelected officers/Standing committees/Committee chairs

**Responsible for preparing a written report to be kept in the President’s notebook at the end of the year**

  1. Webmaster – The webmaster is empowered to and shall maintain the GDRA Website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and any other social media platforms as they see fit. They will work in conjunction with the Membership, Treasurer and Secretary on assembling and maintaining the membership directory.
  2. Membership – Membership Chairperson is empowered to maintain GDRA Membership records and to evaluate members eligibility and good standing and to maintain these records for GDRA members. They are to report to the President and work in conjunction with Treasurer, Secretary and Webmaster.
  3. Social/Hospitality – This committee shall be composed of a minimum of five (5) voting members in good stating of the Association and shall be responsible for formulating and coordinating any social events.
  4. Holiday – The President-elect shall chair this committee. This committee shall be responsible for planning the annual holiday party held in December each year. It is the responsibility of the committee to make sure the ticket sales revenue equals the expenses for this annual event. This event may serve as one of the fund-raising events for the Association.
  5. Golf Outing – This committee shall be comprised of a minimum of five (5) voting members in good standing with the Association. This committee shall be responsible for planning the annual golf outing held in the summer or fall each year. It is the responsibility of the committee to make sure the ticket sales revenue equals the expenses for this annual event. This event may serve as one of the fund-raising events for the Association.
  6. By-laws – This committee shall be composed of current officers, with the chair being the President and a minimum of five (5) voting members in good standing with the Association. This committee shall be responsible for understanding and reviewing the current by-laws. This committee is also responsible for proposing any changes/revisions to the general voting membership for a motion and vote.
  7. Nominating – This committee is comprised of the current President, the immediate past two (2) Presidents, and a minimum of four (4) voting members in good standing with the Association. It will be the responsibility of the nominating committee to follow the duties as outlined in Article V, Section 3. (A).
  8. Donations/Scholarships – This committee is comprised of the current officers with the chair being appointed by the President, and a minimum of four (4) voting members in good standing with the Association. The purpose of the committee is two-fold;
    • First, it is to identify families, and/or organizations primarily in the Dublin area in need of charitable contributions. (The committee may identify and propose donations outside of the Dublin area in special situations).
    • Second, the purpose is to identify a minimum of at least one (1) student from each of the Dublin high schools in need of a secondary school scholarship. The chair of this committee may contact the head of each high school guidance department for a possible recipient of the scholarship. Candidates must be graduating students from Dublin Coffman, Dublin Scioto and Jerome high schools. The dollar value of each scholarship must be of equal value to each recipient.
ARTICLE VII: Revision of By-Laws

These By-laws and such rules and regulations may be adopted or changed by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting at a regular meeting following two (2) weeks’ written notice to all members of the proposed adoption or change. Voting on said changes shall take place on the third (3) week following the original presentation of the proposed changes.

ARTICLE VIII: Tour
  1. Boundaries: Tour boundaries will consist of the Dublin Corporation limit and/or the Dublin School District Boundaries.
  2. The Tour: You must be a paid member of GDRA, a licensed agent, and must attend the meeting the morning of the tour. If the listing agent cannot be present at the meeting due to extenuating circumstances, they may have another licensed agent serve in their place.
    1. All tour requests must be in writing to the Tour Director no later than 12:00 Noon the Wednesday preceding the weekly Friday morning meeting.
    2. All homes are to be scheduled for tour within sixty (60) days of the initial listing period; however, new construction is an exception. Twelve (12) months must pass before a home may be placed on tour a second time, unless significant cosmetic changes have been made to the home.
    3. All homes must be available for showing until 11:30am.
    4. An agent may have a maximum of two (2) homes on tour per week.
    5. If the agent has a home on tour, they need not be present at the home during the tour timeframe. It is, however, expected of them to tour the other homes.
ARTICLE IX: Indemnification Authorization and Indemnity
  1. In the event that any person who was or is party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suite or proceedings seeks indemnification for the Association against expenses (including attorney’s fees), and in the case of actions other than those by or in the right of the Association, judgements, fines and amounts paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such actions, suit or proceeding by reason of the fact that such person is or was a trustee, officer employee, agent or volunteer of the Association, or is or was serving at the request of the Association as a trustee, director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic, foreign, nonprofit or for profit), partnership, joint venture, trust of other enterprise, then unless such indemnification is ordered by a court, the Association shall determine or cause to be determined in the manner provided in Section 1702.12 (e) (4) of the Ohio Revised Code whether or not indemnification is proper in the circumstance because the person claiming such indemnification has met the applicable standards of conduct set forth in division (e) (1) and (e) (2) of section 1702.12 of the Ohio Revised Code and, to the extent that it is so determined that such indemnification is proper, the person claiming such indemnification shall be indemnified.
  2. Expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred by the trustee, director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer in defending any action, suite or proceeding referred to in paragraph (a) of this section may be paid by the Association as they are incurred in advance of the final disposition of such action, suite or proceeding, as authorized by the trustees in the specific case upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the trustee, director, office, employee, agent or volunteer to repay such amount if it ultimately is determined that such person is not I=entitled to be indemnified by the Association as authorized in the Article.
  3. The indemnification authorized by paragraph (a) of this section shall not be deemed exclusive or, and shall be in addition to, any other rights granted to those seeking indemnification, pursuant to the articles, the regulations, any agreement, vote of members or disinterested trustees, or otherwise, both as to action in their official capacities and as to action in other capacity while holding their officers or positions and shall continue to a person who has ceased to be a trustee, director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer and shall insure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such a person.
  4. For the purpose of this Article, the term “volunteer” is used as defined in Chapter 1202 of the Ohio Revised Code, as (a) (1) applicable to as amended.
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