DeWitt Farmers Market By-Laws

1.  Purpose: To promote the DeWitt Farmers Market and build consensus within the DeWitt community on policies to develop and sustain a vital farmers market in DeWitt.

2.  Membership: Voting members will include all registered vendors in the current season and persons volunteering their time toward market operations (including attendance at open market organizational meetings). Voting members may examine accounting records of association revenues and expenditures.

3.  Officers: Two managers will be elected before the beginning of the market season. Their duties shall include overseeing market operations according to published vendor guidelines: monitoring weather conditions so as to cancel in case of inclement weather, convening and moderating organizational meetings, gathering vendor’s contact information on registration forms, collecting season fees of $70 and $10 daily fees; putting out signs and parking cones on market days; soliciting $50 or $100 (or more) sponsorships from businesses in the DeWitt community, accounting for market association revenues and expenditures; and placing newspaper ads and other publicity via Facebook and Instagram permitting Social Media Admin to handle these tasks. Managers will maintain office hours from 1-3 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on market days (or a manager can be reached by phone at other times). 

4.  Organizational Meetings: All organizational meetings are open to the public and minutes will be taken. Robert’s Rules of Order will be applied at these meetings. Members may propose, discuss and vote upon changes to bylaws, vendor guidelines and other market policies at organization meetings, Market Association expenditures will be discussed and voted upon at these meetings. Spring organizational meeting(s) on or after the March 20 vernal equinox, and aftermarket midsummer solstice meeting on June 21, an after-market fall meeting on September 23rd (the autumnal equinox) and a winter solstice holiday gathering on December 21st.

5.  Market Policies: Market guidelines will be distributed to all vendors as part of the registration process. Current market days are Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The season begins in May (as soon as vendors can harvest enough produce to sell) and continues through October. A manager will ask vendors to fill out a registration form including contact information. Business liability insurance coverage is strongly recommended, and a file copy from the insurance provider verifying coverage will be requested by the manager upon registration. Vendors holding a season registration may reserve a stall/area for the season provided that they notify a manager on market days when they will not be vending. After a vendor pays for 7 or more $10 daily passes, that vendor will be granted a season pass. Vendor fees are waived for vendors serving food at the park; nonetheless, food vendors must register to provide their contact information, copies of insurance forms and other appropriate paperwork to managers.

6.  Dissolution policy: At such time that members decide to discontinue the farmers market all residual funds from collected revenues and market records will be submitted to the DeWitt Development Company.