Why Your Neighborhood Should Join Us
The Rock Hill Council of Neighborhoods is a forum where neighborhood groups can come together to voice their individual concerns within a group of peer organizations who have similar purposes and goals.
We could almost be thought of as a United Nations of neighborhoods. If your group has a particular issue that is a problem for your neighborhood, you can bet that somewhere, someone else is having or has had the same problem. By combining our voices and resources, we can often times provide solutions to issues that may not have been available to a single a neighborhood or offer suggestions from neighborhoods who have already addressed a similar situation. After all, why re-invent the wheel?
So, in a nutshell, by joining the Rock Hill Council of Neighborhoods, your neighborhood is immediately connected to the resources, experiences, and voices of many different areas of our city all working together to make Rock Hill one of the friendliest communities and most desired areas to live in South Carolina!
How Your Neighborhood Can Join Us
Membership in the Rock Hill Council of Neighborhoods is open to any recognized neighborhood organization within the City of Rock Hill, SC, city limits whose constitution, bylaws, or operating principles establish among its goals the preservation and improvement of the neighborhoods in the City of Rock Hill.
The requirements to join the Rock Hill Council of Neighborhoods are simple and are as follows:
- Membership is ABSOLUTLY FREE! You will NEVER be asked for a membership fee of any kind, but you WILL be required to donate some of your time.
- Your neighborhood organization must meet at least once a year to be eligible for membership, but we encourage monthly or quarterly meetings so that neighbors remain connected and informed.
- Your neighborhood will be asked to appoint two delegates, a primary and an alternate. Between the two delegates, one will be required to attend at least six of the ten monthly RHCN meetings. Both delegates need not attend the same meetings together, but are always welcome. Each neighborhood organization has one vote, even if both delegates are in attendance.
- Interested neighborhood organizations must complete the Membership Acceptance Form and submit it to the City of Rock Hill Neighborhood Empowerment Office for verification. Your application will then be submitted to the RHCN Executive Board so that a vote of acceptance may be scheduled at our next General Meeting.
You may download a PDF version of the form by clicking on the hypertext link above, or by clicking on our Forms Page in the Main Menu. There you’ll find other helpful items (like Sample Bylaws) that will aid you in organizing your neighborhood. You also may request forms by contacting Terry Windell, Neighborhood Empowerment Coordinator, at 803-326-3877.
What the Term “Recognized Neighborhood Organization” Means
A Recognized Neighborhood Organization is defined as one which meets the following requirements:
- Has an identifiable constituency, representing at least one-tenth of the households located within fixed geographical boundaries
- Holds at least one public neighborhood meeting annually
- Has a body of officers
- Is nonpartisan in nature
- Has a constitution and/or bylaws and/or statement of principles of operation
- Makes membership in the organization open to anyone who lives in or owns property in the neighborhood regardless of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, or physical and mental disability.
Neighborhood Organizations that meet the minimum requirements as stated above will be considered for membership to the Rock Hill Council of Neighborhoods. So what are you waiting for…come join us and help make Rock Hill even better!