Bylaws

The Bylaws of the Common Ground Co-op are the legal document which governs our organization. This defines the overall structure of the co-op, and how changes to that structure can be made. They’re terse, formal, legal, and incredibly important!

We are in the process of changing our bylaws. This new document will:
  • Protect the democratic principals of the co-op by doing things like making voting quorums a percentage rather than static number of active owners.
  • Streamline the governance process to accommodate growth.
  • Safeguard the co-op from legal challenges to the way we operate by making our bylaws compatible with current State of Illinois statutes.
  • Provide for the payment of patronage dividends in years we make a profit, and further protect the financial interests of our collective ownership.
  • Legally transfer all member capital certificates to owner shares.
  • Expand the board of directors from 7 to 9 members to accommodate the growing needs of our ownership.
  • Allow for owners to vote in-store, via mail-in ballots and by proxy rather than just in person at a single meeting.
We have a discussion process in place to give all owners a chance to learn more about these changes and have an opportunity to provide input into the final document.

We will be discussing the new bylaws on the co-op's blog. Board members will be in front of the store between 10 and noon on the following market days:
  • June 13
  • July 11
  • August 8
  • September 12
  • October 10
All owners are invited to a final feedback session on September 2.

We will have a vote on adopting these bylaws at the GMM on October 10
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Current Bylaws107.86 KB
Proposed Bylaws54.5 KB
Whats changed - Page 1350.5 KB
Whats changed - Page 2310.23 KB