Why did the Board propose changes the by-laws in the first place?
In 2006 the Board learned that the Blue Hill Co-op’s decade-long practice of computing and distributing patronage dividends was out of conformity with Maine business statutes. To remedy this situation, the Board started working with a lawyer whose practice concentrates on assisting cooperatives and nonprofit organizations in the interpretation and application of corporate, tax, and securities law. While helping us revise the by-laws that pertain to patronage dividends, the lawyer noted many other additional elements and/or omissions within the Co-op’s by-laws document that are in conflict with state or federal law or are written in a confusing or ambiguous way. After reviewing his recommendations, the Board decided that to ensure a sustainable future for our Co-op we needed to undertake a thorough revision of our by-laws.
