1. A dispute has arisen between two members of the Civic Federation, Leeway Overlee Civic Association and Highland Park/Overlee Knolls Civic Association, regarding which shall serve henceforth as the civic association representing to Arlington County the interests of a specific neighborhood.
2. The area in dispute is bounded by: N. 22nd Street to the north, N. Quantico Street to the west, Four Mile Run and I-66 to the south, and N. McKinley Road, N. 18th Street, and N. Lexington Street to the east. The area is referred to by its various subdivision areas, such as Overlee Knolls, Parkhurst and Highland Park, by its designation as the Highland Park/Overlee Knolls neighborhood conservation area, and simply by the name Overlee.
3. For many years ACCF has recognized the disputed neighborhood as represented by the Highland Park/Overlee Knolls Civic Association, although since at least 1979 many residents of the area have been dues-paying members of the Leeway Overlee Civic Association. At least 18 residents of the disputed area have been elected and served as officers of the Leeway Overlee association.
4. For the past decade or more, residents of the disputed area have endorsed all proposed neighborhood conservation (NC) projects for their neighborhood at regular meetings of the Leeway Overlee Civic Association. In 2001 the Highland Park/Overlee Knolls Civic Association for the first time began to endorse and prioritize NC projects at its meetings. The priorities approved by the local residents at the two civic group meetings have differed, thus making it difficult for any project from the disputed neighborhood to gain County NC funding.
5. In September 2001, Leeway Overlee Civic Association asked the County to revise its civic association map to reflect its association's long established role in the area and to ensure that the association received all County notices on matters affecting the area.
6. The County Board referred the issue to ACCF for a recommendation as to which civic association should be recognized as the civic voice for the disputed area.
7. The ACCF initiated efforts with the two civic associations to resolve the matter, which resulted in a neighborhood vote held on November 29, 2001.
8. At the November meeting, a motion calling for the Highland Park/Overlee Knolls Civic Association to continue representing the disputed area to the County was voted down by a vote of 65 in favor and 102 opposed.
9. The ACCF does not consider the November vote conclusive as to which civic association the disputed neighborhood wishes to have represent it in the future.
THEREFORE, the Civic Federation resolves that the civic representation dispute between its two member organizations shall be settled by the residents of the disputed area in the following manner:
A. Within the final two weeks of March 2002, a plebiscite shall be held at a location within the disputed area. The adult residents of the disputed area shall be given the opportunity to vote "yes" or "no" as regards the following three questions:
1. Shall this neighborhood have the Leeway Overlee Civic Association represent its interests to Arlington County in all matters?
2. Shall this neighborhood remain a distinct neighborhood conservation district within Arlington County under a neighborhood conservation plan separate from that of the adjoining Leeway neighborhood conservation district?
3. Shall the development any new neighborhood conservation plan for this neighborhood, the endorsement of any neighborhood conservation projects, and the prioritization of such projects for funding purposes be done by the residents of this neighborhood under the auspices of the Leeway Overlee Civic Association?
B. ACCF shall hold the plebiscite by polling the residents of the disputed area between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on a March date to be selected by the ACCF Executive Committee. The polling shall be done by secret ballot in an impartial manner similar to that used for annual political elections within the County. The polling place shall be manned by a minimum of three delegates of the ACCF unaffiliated with either of the two civic associations involved in this dispute. Up to two observers from each of those two civic associations may also be in attendance during the polling hours, but they shall not be within sight of where the actual ballot marking takes place. No party will be permitted to hand out materials regarding the issues in question within 500 feet of the polling place. After the poll closes at 10 p.m. and all residents present by that hour have been permitted to vote, the ACCF delegates shall jointly tally the ballots and shall jointly sign multiple copies of a document confirming the YES and NO vote totals on each issue. The senior polling official shall notify the President of the ACCF of the plebiscite results no later than 10 a.m. the following morning. The presidents of the two affected civic associations shall also thereafter be promptly notified of the results. All other details of the conduct of the neighborhood polling shall be left to the discretion of the ACCF Executive Committee. It may also solicit the aid of one or more disinterested County residents with previous experience as election officials to ensure that the polling to determine the will of the people in the disputed neighborhood is conducted in a fair and above-board manner.
C. The results of the plebiscite vote shall determine whether the Civic Federation henceforth recognizes the Leeway Overlee Civic Association or the Highland Park/Overlee Knolls Civic Association as the civic organization representing the disputed area. This result shall be included in the Civic Federation's next newsletter. The ACCF Executive Committee shall promptly advise the Clerk of the Arlington County Board of the results of the plebiscite and which organization the Civic Federation shall recognize henceforth as the civic organization representing that area. The Clerk shall also be provided with copies of this resolution and the signed polling results summarizing the neighborhood's votes on the three issues.
D. Any out-of-pocket costs the Civic Federation incurs to conduct the plebiscite shall be reimbursed by the Leeway Overlee Civic Association.
Arlington County Civic Federation
