HAND FAQ
HAND PDX Neighborhood Map
How is HAND organized?
HAND has a Board consisting of up to 20 board members who serve two-year terms, with half elected every year at the May General Meeting by the general members. All HAND members are eligible to serve on the HAND Board.
The HAND Board has five executive officers: a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Chair. They are elected for a one-year term by the board at the June regular board meeting. The executive officers jointly serve as the HAND Executive Committee and, when required by urgent business, as the HAND Rapid Response Committee.
Ad-hoc committees are also created by the board as needed.
Meetings
The HAND Board meets the third Tuesday of every month (excluding August and December), from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Philip Neri’s Carvlin Hall: 2408 SE 16th Avenue (and Division). When there are land use (i.e. development) issues to discuss, a Land Use Meeting is held at 6:30 p.m. in the same place.
The Executive Committee of the Board meets monthly to plan the agenda for the next regular meeting.
When there are urgent matters to be decided between the regular monthly board meetings, the executive officers may choose to convene as a Rapid Response Committee. Any decisions of the Rapid Response Committee are subject to approval at the next regular board meeting.
At the annual General Meeting in May, all members discuss topics of common interest and vote for board members for the coming year. Any bylaws changes are voted by the members at the same meeting.
All meetings are open to the public and are announced on this website, via the hand-announce email list, and on the HAND Facebook page. Attending a meeting is a great way to be part of the conversation!
Who is a member?
Membership is open to all residents, property owners, business owners and non-profit organizations (each represented by a single designee) living or located within the boundaries of HAND. A special membership, with all privileges and responsibilities can be granted to a HAND resident high school student, who may not necessarily be of State of Oregon legal voting age.
How can a neighbor raise an issue with the Board?
One easy way is to attend a board meeting. There’s always time to hear from HAND members.
Another option is to send email to the board chair: chair@handpdx.org.
The HAND Board wants to hear from you, so if you have an idea or concern, please speak up!
How Can I Find Documents on this Web Site?
The most recent meeting agendas, meeting minutes, and letters generated by the Board are filed on the Minutes, Agendas, Letters page. You can page through previous documents via the “Older Posts” link at the bottom of the page. If you are looking for a specific document and know some keywords, use the site search function (magnifying glass at the top right of each page). If you want to see documents from a particular time period, use the “Archives” function at the bottom of the right-hand column.