Attached files

file filename
8-K - 8-K - Sterling Real Estate Trusttmb-20200602x8k.htm

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMFT Logo

 

 

STERLING MULTIFAMILY TRUST
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

 

ARTICLE I
OFFICES

Section 1.    PRINCIPAL OFFICE.   The principal office of the Trust in the State of North Dakota shall be located at such place as the Board of Trustees may designate.

Section 2.    ADDITIONAL OFFICES.   The Trust may have additional offices, including a principal executive office, at such places as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine or the business of the Trust may require.

ARTICLE II
MEETINGS OF SHAREHOLDERS

Section 1.    PLACE.   All meetings of shareholders shall be held at the principal executive office of the Trust,  at such other place, or may be held solely by means of remote communications, as shall be set by the Board of Trustees and stated in the notice of the meeting.

Section 2.    ANNUAL MEETING.   An annual meeting of the shareholders for the election of trustees and the transaction of any business within the powers of the Trust shall be held on a date and at the time set by a majority of the Board of Trustees.  It is intended that the annual meeting will be held not more than 90 days following delivery of the annual report.

Section 3.    SPECIAL MEETINGS.   The chief executive officer, a majority of the Board of Trustees or a majority of the Independent Trustees (as defined in the Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”)) may call a special meeting of the shareholders.  A special meeting of shareholders shall also be called by the secretary of the Trust upon the written request of the holders of shares entitled to cast not less than 10% of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting.  The written request must state the purpose of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at such meeting.  Within ten (10) days after receipt of such written request, either in person or by mail, the secretary of the Trust shall provide all shareholders with written notice, either in person or by mail, of such meeting and the purpose of such meeting.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, such meeting shall be held not less than fifteen (15) days nor more than sixty (60) days after the secretary’s delivery of such notice.  Subject to the foregoing sentence, such meeting shall be held at the time and place specified in the shareholder request; provided, however, that if none is so specified, such meeting shall be held at a time and place convenient to the shareholders.

Section 4.    NOTICE.   Except as provided otherwise in Section 3 of this Article II, not less than ten (10) nor more than ninety (90) days before each meeting of shareholders, the secretary shall give to each shareholder, entitled to vote at such meeting and to each shareholder not entitled to vote who is entitled to notice of the meeting, written or printed notice stating the time and place of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting or as otherwise may be required by any statute, the purpose for which the meeting is called. Such notice shall be given either by mail, by presenting it to such shareholder personally, by leaving it at the shareholder’s residence or usual place of business or by any other means permitted by North Dakota law.  If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the shareholder at the shareholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Trust, with postage thereon prepaid.

Subject to Section 11(a) of this Article II, any business of the Trust may be transacted at an annual meeting of shareholders without being specifically designated in the notice, except such business as is required by any statute to be stated in such notice.  No business shall be transacted at a special meeting of shareholders except as specifically designated in the notice.

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

Section 5.    CONDUCT OF THE MEETING.   Every meeting of shareholders shall be conducted by an individual appointed by the Board of Trustees to be Board Chair of the meeting or, in the absence of such appointment, by the Board Chair of the board or, in the case of a vacancy in the office or absence of the Board Chair of the board, by one of the following officers present at the meeting: the vice Board Chair of the board, if there be one, the chief executive officer, president or the chief financial officer in their order of rank and seniority, or, in the absence of such officers, a Board Chair chosen by the shareholders by the vote of a majority of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or by proxy.  The secretary, or, in the secretary’s absence, an assistant secretary, or in the absence of both the secretary and assistant secretaries, a person appointed by the Board of Trustees or, in the absence of such appointment, a person appointed by the Board Chair of the meeting shall act as secretary.  In the event that the secretary presides at a meeting of the shareholders, an assistant secretary, or in the absence of assistant secretaries, an individual appointed by the Board of Trustees or the Board Chair of the meeting, shall record the minutes of the meeting.  The order of business and all other matters of procedure at any meeting of shareholders shall be determined by the Board Chair of the meeting.  The Board Chair of the meeting may prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and take such action as, in the discretion of such Board Chair, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, (a) restricting admission to the time set for the commencement of the meeting; (b) limiting attendance at the meeting to shareholders of record of the Trust, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the Board Chair of the meeting may determine; (c) limiting participation at the meeting on any matter to shareholders of record of the Trust entitled to vote on such matter, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the Board Chair of the meeting may determine; (d) limiting the time allotted to questions or comments by participants; (e) determining when the polls should be opened and closed; (f) maintaining order and security at the meeting; (g) removing any shareholder or any other individual who refuses to comply with meeting procedures, rules or guidelines as set forth by the Board Chair of the meeting; and (h) concluding a meeting or recessing or adjourning the meeting to a later date and time and at a place announced at the meeting.  Unless otherwise determined by the Board Chair of the meeting, meetings of shareholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.

Section 6.    QUORUM.   At any meeting of shareholders, the presence in person or by proxy of shareholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting on any matter shall constitute a quorum; but this section shall not affect any requirement under any statute or the Declaration of Trust for the vote necessary for the adoption of any measure.  If, however, such quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the shareholders, the Board Chair of the meeting shall have the power to adjourn the meeting from time to time to a date not more than one hundred twenty (120) days after the original record date without notice other than announcement at the meeting.  At such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified.

The shareholders present either in person or by proxy, at a meeting which has been duly called and convened, may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough shareholders to leave less than a quorum.

Section 7.    VOTING.   The holders of a majority of the shares of beneficial interest of the Trust present in person or by proxy at an annual meeting at which a quorum is present may, without the necessity for concurrence by the Board of Trustees, vote to elect each trustee.   Each share may be voted for as many individuals as there are trustees to be elected and for whose election the share is entitled to be voted.  For the purposes of clarity, trustees shall be elected by a plurality of the voting power of the shares present and entitled to vote on the election of trustees at a meeting at which a quorum is present.  A majority of the votes cast at a meeting of shareholders duly called and at which a quorum is present shall be sufficient to approve any other matter which may properly come before the meeting, unless more than a majority of the votes cast is required by statute or by the Declaration of Trust.   Unless otherwise provided by statute or by the Declaration of Trust, each outstanding share, regardless of class, shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of shareholders.

Section 8.    PROXIES.   A  shareholder may cast the votes entitled to be cast by the shares of beneficial interest owned of record by the shareholder in person or by proxy executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder’s duly authorized agent in any manner permitted by law.  Such proxy or evidence of authorization of such proxy shall be filed with the secretary of the Trust before or at the meeting.  No proxy shall be valid more than eleven months after its date unless otherwise provided in the proxy.

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

Section 9.    VOTING OF SHARES BY CERTAIN HOLDERS.   Shares of the Trust registered in the name of a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity, if entitled to be voted, may be voted by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, a general partner or trustee thereof, as the case may be, who is authorized by the entity to vote on its behalf, or a proxy appointed by any of the foregoing individuals, unless some other person who has been appointed to vote such stock pursuant to a bylaw or a resolution of the governing body of such corporation or other entity or agreement of the partners of a partnership presents a certified copy of such bylaw, resolution or agreement, in which case such person may vote such stock.  Any trustee or other fiduciary may vote stock registered in his or her name as such fiduciary, either in person or by proxy.

Shares of beneficial interest of the Trust directly or indirectly owned by it shall not be voted at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares entitled to be voted at any given time, unless they are held by it in a fiduciary capacity, in which case they may be voted and shall be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares at any given time.

The Board of Trustees may adopt by resolution a procedure by which a shareholder may certify in writing to the Trust that any shares of beneficial interest registered in the name of the shareholder are held for the account of a specified person other than the shareholder.   The resolution shall set forth the class of shareholders who may make the certification, the purpose for which the certification may be made, the form of certification and the information to be contained in it; if the certification is with respect to a record date or closing of the stock transfer books, the time after the record date or closing of the stock transfer books within which the certification must be received by the Trust; and any other provisions with respect to the procedure which the Board of Trustees considers necessary or desirable.  On receipt of such certification, the person specified in the certification shall be regarded as, for the purposes set forth in the certification, the shareholder of record of the specified shares in place of the shareholder who makes the certification.

Section 10.    INSPECTORS.   The Board of Trustees, in advance of any meeting, may, but need not, appoint one or more individual inspectors or one or more entities that designate individuals as inspectors to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof.  If an inspector or inspectors are not appointed, the person presiding at the meeting may, but need not, appoint one or more inspectors.  In case any person who may be appointed as an inspector fails to appear or act, the vacancy may be filled by appointment made by the Board of Trustees in advance of the meeting or at the meeting by the Board Chair of the meeting.  The inspectors, if any, shall determine the number of shares outstanding and the voting power of each, the shares represented at the meeting, the existence of a quorum, the validity and effect of proxies, and shall receive votes, ballots or consents, hear and determine all challenges and questions arising in connection with the right to vote, count and tabulate all votes, ballots or consents, determine the result, and do such acts as are proper to conduct the election or vote with fairness to all shareholders.  Each such report shall be in writing and signed by him or her or by a majority of them if there is more than one inspector acting at such meeting.  If there is more than one inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the inspectors.  The report of the inspector or inspectors on the number of shares represented at the meeting and the results of the voting shall be prima facie evidence thereof.

Section 11.    ADVANCE NOTICE OF SHAREHOLDER NOMINEES FOR TRUSTEE AND OTHER SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS.  

(a) Annual Meetings of Shareholders.  

(1) Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Trustees and the proposal of other business to be considered by the shareholders may be made at an annual meeting of shareholders (i) pursuant to the Trust’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Trustees or (iii) by any shareholder of the Trust who was a shareholder of record both at the time of giving of notice by the shareholder as provided for in this Section 11(a) and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with this Section 11(a).  

(2) For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a shareholder pursuant to clause (iii) of paragraph (a)(1) of this Section 11, the shareholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the secretary of the Trust and such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for action by the shareholders.  To be timely, a shareholder’s notice shall set forth all information required

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

under this Section 11 and shall be delivered to the secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust not earlier than the one hundred fiftieth (150th) day nor later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than thirty (30) days from the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the shareholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the one hundred fiftieth (150th) day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on the later of the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to the date of such annual meeting or the tenth (10th)  day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.  The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above.  Such shareholder’s notice shall set forth (i) as to each individual whom the shareholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a trustee, (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of such individual, (B) the class, series and number of any shares of beneficial interest of the Trust that are beneficially owned by such individual, (C) the date such shares were acquired and the investment intent of such acquisition and (D) all other information relating to such individual that provides information as to the nominee’s qualifications under Article III, Section 2(c) and other information required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of trustees in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules thereunder (including such individual’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a trustee if elected); (ii) as to any other business that the shareholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a description of such business, the reasons for proposing such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such shareholder and any Shareholder Associated Person (as defined below), individually or in the aggregate, including any anticipated benefit to the shareholder and the Shareholder Associated Person therefrom; (iii) as to the shareholder giving the notice and any Shareholder Associated Person, the class, series and number of all shares of beneficial interest of the Trust which are owned by such shareholder and by such Shareholder Associated Person, if any, and the nominee holder for, and number of, shares owned beneficially but not of record by such shareholder and by any such Shareholder Associated Person; (iv) as to the shareholder giving the notice and any Shareholder Associated Person covered by clauses (ii) or (iii) of this paragraph (2) of this Section 11(a), the name and address of such shareholder, as they appear on the Trust’s stock ledger and current name and address, if different, and of such Shareholder Associated Person; and (v) to the extent known by the shareholder giving the notice, the name and address of any other shareholder supporting the nominee for election or reelection as a trustee or the proposal of other business on the date of such shareholder’s notice.

(3) Notwithstanding anything in this subsection (a) of this Section 11 to the contrary, in the event the Board of Trustees increases or decreases the maximum or minimum number of trustees in accordance with Article III,  Section 2 of these Bylaws, and there is no public announcement of such action at least one hundred thirty (130) days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a shareholder’s notice required by this Section 11(a) shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust not later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Trust.  

(4) For purposes of this Section 11,  “Shareholder Associated Person” of any shareholder shall mean (i) any person controlling, directly or indirectly, or acting in concert with, such shareholder, (ii) any beneficial owner of shares of beneficial interest of the Trust owned of record or beneficially by such shareholder and (iii) any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such Shareholder Associated Person.

(b) Special Meetings of Shareholders.   Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of shareholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Trust’s notice of meeting.  Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Trustees may be made at a special meeting of shareholders at which trustees are to be elected (i) pursuant to the Trust’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Trustees or (iii) provided that the Board of Trustees has determined that trustees shall be elected at such special meeting, by any shareholder of the Trust who is a shareholder of record both at the time of giving of notice provided for in this Section 11 and at the time of the special meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complied with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 11.   In the event the Trust calls a special meeting of shareholders  

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

for the purpose of electing one or more individuals to the Board of Trustees, any such shareholder may nominate an individual or individuals (as the case may be) for election as a trustee as specified in the Trust’s notice of meeting, if the shareholder’s notice required by paragraph (2) of Section 11(a) shall be delivered to the secretary at the principal executive office of the Trust not earlier than the one hundred fiftieth (150th) day prior to such special meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time on the later of the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to such special meeting or the tenth (10th)  day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Trustees to be elected at such meeting.  The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of a special meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above.

(c) General.  

(1) Upon written request by the secretary or the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof, any shareholder proposing a nominee for election as a trustee or any proposal for other business at a meeting of shareholders shall provide, within five Business Days of delivery of such request (or such other period as may be specified in such request), written verification, satisfactory, in the discretion of the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof or any authorized officer of the Trust, to demonstrate the accuracy of any information submitted by the shareholder pursuant to this Section 11.   If a shareholder fails to provide such written verification within such period, the information as to which written verification was requested may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section 11.  

(2) Only such individuals who are nominated in accordance with this Section 11 shall be eligible for election by shareholders as trustees, and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of shareholders as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 11.   The Board Chair of the meeting shall have the power to determine whether a nomination or any other business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with this Section 11.  

(3) For purposes of this Section 11, (a) the “date of mailing of the notice” shall mean the date of the proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies for election of trustees and (b) “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a document publicly filed by the Trust with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act.

(4) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 11, a shareholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of state law and of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 11.   Nothing in this Section 11 shall be deemed to affect any right of a shareholder to request inclusion of a proposal in, nor the right of the Trust to omit a proposal from, the Trust’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act.

ARTICLE III
TRUSTEES

Section 1.    GENERAL POWERS.   The business and affairs of the Trust shall be managed under the direction of its Board of Trustees.

Section 2.    NUMBER, TENURE AND QUALIFICATIONS.   

(a)    At any regular meeting or any special meeting of the Board of Trustees called for that purpose, a majority of the entire Board of Trustees may increase or decrease the number of trustees, provided that the number thereof shall never be less than seven (7), nor more than twelve (12), and further provided that the tenure of office of a trustee shall not be affected by any decrease in the number of trustees.

(b) Trustees shall be elected annually by the shareholders at the annual shareholder meeting. Each trustee shall hold office until the election of his or her successor. Any trustee may resign at any time upon notice to the Board Chair of the board or the chief executive officer.

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

(c) Each trustee shall have at least three years of relevant experience demonstrating the knowledge and experience required to successfully acquire and manage the type of assets being acquired by the Trust. In addition, at least one of the Independent Trustees shall have three years of relevant real estate experience.

 

Section 3.  ANNUAL AND REGULAR MEETINGS.   An annual meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be held immediately before and at the same place as the annual meeting of shareholders, no notice other than this Bylaw being necessary.  In the event such meeting is not so held, the meeting may be held at such time and place as shall be specified in a notice given as hereinafter provided for special meetings of the Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of regular meetings of the Board of Trustees without other notice than such resolution.

 

Section 4.    SPECIAL MEETINGS.   Special meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called by or at the request of the Board Chair the chief executive officer, president, or by a majority of the trustees then in office.  The person or persons authorized to call special meetings of the Board of Trustees may fix any place as the place for holding any special meeting of the Board of Trustees called by them.  The Board of Trustees may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of special meetings of the Board of Trustees without other notice than such resolution.

Section 5.    NOTICE.   Notice of any special meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be delivered personally or by telephone, electronic mail, facsimile transmission, United States mail or courier to each trustee at his or her business or residence address.  Notice by personal delivery, telephone, electronic mail or facsimile transmission shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.  Notice by United States mail shall be given at least three days prior to the meeting.  Notice by courier shall be given at least two days prior to the meeting.  Telephone notice shall be deemed to be given when the trustee or his or her agent is personally given such notice in a telephone call to which the trustee or his or her agent is a party.  Electronic mail notice shall be deemed to be given upon transmission of the message to the electronic mail address given to the Trust by the trustee.   Facsimile transmission notice shall be deemed to be given upon completion of the transmission of the message to the number given to the Trust by the trustee and receipt of a completed answer-back indicating receipt.  Notice by United States mail shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail properly addressed, with postage thereon prepaid.  Notice by courier shall be deemed to be given when deposited with or delivered to a courier properly addressed.  Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees need be stated in the notice, unless specifically required by statute or these Bylaws.

Section 6.    QUORUM.   A majority of the trustees shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business at any meeting of the Board of Trustees, provided that, if less than a majority of such trustees are present at said meeting, a majority of the trustees present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice, and provided further that if, pursuant to applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws, the vote of a majority of a particular group of trustees is required for action, a quorum must also include a majority of such group.

The trustees present at a meeting which has been duly called and convened may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough trustees to leave less than a quorum.

Section 7.    VOTING.   The action of the majority of the trustees present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the action of the Board of Trustees, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion or a different vote is required for such action by applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws; specifically including that any action pertaining to any transaction in which the Trust is purchasing, selling, leasing or mortgaging any real estate asset, making a joint venture investment or engaging in any other transaction in which an advisor, trustee or officer of the Trust, any affiliated lessee or affiliated contract manager of any property of the Trust or any affiliate of the foregoing has any direct or indirect interest, other than as a result of their status as a trustee, officer or shareholder of the Trust, shall be approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the trustees disinterested in the transaction as well as by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, even if the Independent Trustees constitute less than a quorum.  If enough trustees have withdrawn from a meeting to leave less than a quorum but the meeting is not adjourned, the action of the majority of that number of trustees necessary to constitute a quorum at such meeting shall be the action of the Board of Trustees, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion or a different vote is required for such action by applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws or is required.  

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

Section 8.    CONDUCT OF THE MEETING.   At each meeting of the Board of Trustees, the Board Chair of the board or, in the absence of the Board Chair, the vice Board Chair of the board, if any, shall act as Board Chair of the meeting.  In the absence of both the Board Chair and vice Board Chair of the board, the chief executive officer or in the absence of the chief executive officer, a trustee chosen by a majority of the trustees present, shall act as Board Chair of the meeting.  The secretary or, in his or her absence, an assistant secretary of the Trust, or in the absence of the secretary and all assistant secretaries, a person appointed by the Board Chair, shall act as secretary of the meeting.

Section 9.    TELEPHONE MEETINGS.   Trustees may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time.  Participation in a meeting by these means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

Section 10.    CONSENT BY TRUSTEES WITHOUT A MEETING.   Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Trustees may be taken without a meeting, if consent in writing or by electronic transmission to such action is given by each trustee and is filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Trustees.

Section 11.    VACANCIES.   If for any reason any or all the trustees cease to be trustees, such event shall not terminate the Trust or affect these Bylaws or the powers of the remaining trustees hereunder (even if fewer than seven trustees  remain).  Except as may be provided by the Board of Trustees in setting the terms of any class or series of stock, any vacancy on the Board of Trustees may be filled only by a majority of the remaining trustees, even if the remaining trustees do not constitute a quorum.  Independent Trustees shall nominate replacements for vacancies among the Independent Trustees’ positions, provided that if there are no remaining Independent Trustees to nominate replacements, the majority vote of the remaining trustees will be sufficient.   Any trustee elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the trusteeship in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies.

Section 12.    COMPENSATION.   Trustees shall not receive any stated salary for their services as trustees but, by resolution of the Board of Trustees, trustees who are not employees of the Trust, the Advisor or its affiliates may receive compensation per year and/or per meeting and/or per visit to real property or other facilities owned or leased by the Trust and for any service or activity they performed or engaged in as trustees and as committee members.  Trustees may receive options or warrants pursuant to any stock option plan or warrant plan that may be adopted by the Trust.   Trustees who are not employees of the Trust, the Advisor or its affiliates may be reimbursed for expenses of attendance, if any, at each annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees or of any committee thereof and for their expenses, if any, in connection with each property visit and any other service or activity they performed or engaged in as trustees; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any trustees from serving the Trust in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor.

Section 13.    LOSS OF DEPOSITS.   No trustee shall be liable for any loss which may occur by reason of the failure of the bank, trust company, savings and loan association, or other institution with whom moneys or stock have been deposited.

Section 14.    SURETY BONDS.   Unless required by law, no trustee shall be obligated to give any bond or surety or other security for the performance of any of his or her duties.

Section 15.    RELIANCE.   Each trustee, officer, employee and agent of the Trust shall, in the performance of his or her duties with respect to the Trust, be fully justified and protected with regard to any act or failure to act in reliance in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Trust, upon an opinion of counsel or upon reports made to the Trust by any of its officers or employees or by the adviser, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants selected by the Board of Trustees, advisor or officers of the Trust, regardless of whether such counsel or expert may also be a trustee.  

Section 16.    CERTAIN RIGHTS OF TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS.   The trustees shall have no responsibility to devote their full time to the affairs of the Trust.   Any trustee or officer, employee or agent of the Trust, in his or her personal capacity or in a capacity as an affiliate, employee, or agent of any other person, or otherwise, may have business interests and engage in business activities similar to, in addition to or in competition with those of or relating to the Trust.  

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES

Section 1.    NUMBER, TENURE AND QUALIFICATIONS.   The Board of Trustees may appoint from among its members committees, composed of one or more trustees, to serve at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees.  The number of Independent Trustees on each committee shall be determined in accordance with each committee’s charter.  

Section 2.    POWERS.   The Board of Trustees may delegate to committees appointed under Section 1 of this Article any of the powers of the Board of Trustees, except as prohibited by law.

Section 3.    MEETINGS.   Notice of committee meetings shall be given in the same manner as notice for special meetings of the Board of Trustees.  A majority of the members of the committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the committee.  The act of a majority of the committee members present at a meeting shall be the act of such committee.  The Board of Trustees may designate a Board Chair of any committee, and such Board Chair or, in the absence of a Board Chair, any two members of any committee (if there are at least two members of the Committee) may fix the time and place of its meetings unless the Board shall otherwise provide.  If a trustee member of the committee is absent from a committee meeting, the remaining committee members, whether or not they constitute a quorum, may appoint another trustee to act in the place of such absent member.  Each committee shall keep minutes of its proceedings.

Section 4.    TELEPHONE MEETINGS.   Members of a committee of the Board of Trustees may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time.  Participation in a meeting by these means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

Section 5.    CONSENT BY COMMITTEES WITHOUT A MEETING.   Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of a committee of the Board of Trustees may be taken without a meeting, if consent in writing or by electronic transmission to such action is given by each member of the committee and is filed with the minutes of proceedings of such committee.

Section 6.    VACANCIES.   Subject to the provisions hereof, the Board of Trustees shall have the power at any time to change the membership of any committee, to fill all vacancies, to designate alternate members to replace any absent or disqualified member or to dissolve any such committee.

ARTICLE V
OFFICERS

Section 1.    GENERAL PROVISIONS.   The officers of the Trust shall include a chief executive officer, a president, a treasurer a secretary and a chief financial officer. In addition, the Board of Trustees may from time to time elect such other officers with such powers and duties as they shall deem necessary or desirable. The chief executive officer may from time to time appoint one or more vice presidents, assistant secretaries and assistant treasurers or other officers.  Each officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualifies or until his or her death, or his or her resignation or removal in the manner hereinafter provided.  Any two or more offices except president and vice president may be held by the same person.  Election of an officer or agent shall not of itself create contract rights between the Trust and such officer or agent.

Section 2.    REMOVAL AND RESIGNATION.   Any officer or agent of the Trust may be removed, with or without cause, by the Board of Trustees if in its judgment the best interests of the Trust would be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed.  Any officer of the Trust may resign at any time by giving written notice of his or her resignation to the Board of Trustees, the Board Chair, the president or the secretary.  Any resignation shall take effect immediately upon its receipt or at such later time specified in the notice of resignation.  The acceptance of a resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective unless otherwise stated in the resignation.  Such resignation shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the Trust.  

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

Section 3.    VACANCIES.   A vacancy in any office may be filled by the Board of Trustees for the balance of the term.

Section 4.    CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.   The Board of Trustees  shall designate a chief executive officer.  The chief executive officer shall have general responsibility for implementation of the policies of the Trust, as determined by the Board of Trustees, and for the management of the business and affairs of the Trust.   He or she may execute any deed, mortgage, bond, contract or other instrument, except in cases where the execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Trustees or by these Bylaws to some other officer or agent of the Trust or shall be required by law to be otherwise executed; and in general shall perform all duties incident to the office of chief executive officer and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Trustees from time to time.

Section 5.    CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.   The Board of Trustees  shall designate a chief financial officer.  The chief financial officer shall have the responsibilities and duties as set forth by the Board of Trustees or the chief executive officer.

Section 6.    BOARD CHAIR.   The Board of Trustees  may designate a Board Chair.   The Board Chair shall preside over the meetings of the Board of Trustees and of the shareholders at which he or she shall be present.  The Board Chair shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him or her by the Board of Trustees.

Section 7.    PRESIDENT.   The Board of Trustees  may designate a president.   The president shall have the responsibilities and duties as set forth by the Board of Trustees or the chief executive officer.

Section 8.    VICE PRESIDENTS.   In the absence of the president or in the event of a vacancy in such office, the vice president (or in the event there be more than one vice president, the vice presidents in the order designated at the time of their election or, in the absence of any designation, then in the order of their election) shall perform the duties of the president and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the president; and shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to such vice president by the president or by the Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees may designate one or more vice presidents as executive vice president, senior vice president, or as vice president for particular areas of responsibility.

Section 9.    SECRETARY.   The secretary shall (a) keep the minutes of the proceedings of the shareholders, the Board of Trustees and committees of the Board of Trustees in one or more books provided for that purpose; (b) see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law; (c) be custodian of the corporate records and of the seal of the Trust; (d) keep a register of the post office address of each shareholder which shall be furnished to the secretary by such shareholder; (e) have general charge of the stock transfer books of the Trust; and (f) in general perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him or her by the chief executive officer or by the Board of Trustees.

Section 10.    TREASURER.   The treasurer shall have the custody of the funds and securities of the Trust and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Trust and shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the Trust in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Trustees.  In the absence of a designation of a chief financial officer by the Board of Trustees, the treasurer shall be the chief accounting officer of the Trust.  

The treasurer shall disburse the funds of the Trust as may be ordered by the Board of Trustees, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the president and Board of Trustees, at the regular meetings of the Board of Trustees or whenever it may so require, an account of all his or her transactions as treasurer and of the financial condition of the Trust.  

If required by the Board of Trustees, the treasurer shall give the Trust a bond in such sum and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Trustees for the faithful performance of the duties of his or her office and for the restoration to the Trust, in case of his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, moneys and other property of whatever kind in his or her possession or under his or her control belonging to the Trust.  

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

Section 11.    ASSISTANT SECRETARIES,  ASSISTANT TREASURERS AND VICE BOARD CHAIR.   The assistant secretaries,  assistant treasurers and vice Board Chair, in general, shall perform such duties as shall be assigned to them by the secretary, treasurer or Board Chair,  respectively, or by the chief executive officer or the Board of Trustees.  The assistant treasurers shall, if required by the Board of Trustees, give bonds for the faithful performance of their duties in such sums and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Trustees.

Section 12.    SALARIES.   The salaries and other compensation of the officers, if any, shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Trustees and no officer shall be prevented from receiving such salary or other compensation by reason of the fact that he or she is also a trustee.  

Section 13.    STANDARD OF CONDUCT.  Each officer of the Trust shall discharge its duties to the Trust in good faith, in a manner the officer reasonably believes to be in the best interest of the Trust, and with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances.

ARTICLE VI
CONTRACTS, LOANS, CHECKS AND DEPOSITS

Section 1.    CONTRACTS.   The Board of Trustees or any committee of the Board of Trustees within the scope of its delegated authority may authorize any officer or agent to enter into any contract or to execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Trust and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.  Any agreement, deed, mortgage, lease or other document shall be valid and binding upon the Trust when duly authorized or ratified by action of the Board of Trustees or such committee and executed by an authorized person.

Section 2.    CHECKS AND DRAFTS.   All checks, drafts or other orders for the payment of money, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the Trust shall be signed by such officer or agent of the Trust in such manner as shall from time to time be determined by the Board of Trustees.

Section 3.    DEPOSITS.   All funds of the Trust not otherwise employed shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the Trust in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Board of Trustees may designate.

ARTICLE VII
SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST 

Section 1.    CERTIFICATES; REQUIRED INFORMATION.   Except as may be otherwise provided by the Board of Trustees or required by the Declaration of Trust,  shareholders of the Trust are not entitled to certificates representing the shares of beneficial interest held by them.  In the event that the Trust issues shares of beneficial interest represented by certificates, such certificates shall be signed by the officers of the Trust in the manner permitted by the NDCL and contain the statements and information required by the NDCL.  In the event that the Trust issues shares of beneficial interest without certificates, the Trust shall provide to the record holders of such shares a written statement of the information required by the NDCL to be included on stock certificates.

Section 2.    TRANSFERS WHEN CERTIFICATES ISSUED.   Upon surrender to the Trust or the transfer agent of the Trust of a stock certificate duly endorsed or accompanied by proper evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer, the Trust shall issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel the old certificate and record the transaction upon its books.

The Trust shall be entitled to treat the holder of record of any share of beneficial interest as the holder in fact thereof and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of North Dakota.  

Notwithstanding the foregoing, transfers of shares of any class of beneficial interest will be subject in all respects to the Declaration of Trust and all of the terms and conditions contained therein.

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

Section 3.    REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATE.   Any officer designated by the Board of Trustees may direct a new certificate to be issued in place of any certificate previously issued by the Trust alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming the certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed.  When authorizing the issuance of a new certificate, an officer designated by the Board of Trustees may, in his or her discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate or the owner’s legal representative to advertise the same in such manner as he shall require and/or to give bond, with sufficient surety, to the Trust to indemnify it against any loss or claim which may arise as a result of the issuance of a new certificate.

Section 4.    CLOSING OF TRANSFER BOOKS OR FIXING OF RECORD DATE.   The Board of Trustees may set, in advance, a record date for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of shareholders or determining shareholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or the allotment of any other rights, or in order to make a determination of shareholders for any other proper purpose.  Such date, in any case, shall not be prior to the close of business on the day the record date is fixed and shall be not more than ninety (90) days and, in the case of a meeting of shareholders, not less than ten days, before the date on which the meeting or particular action requiring such determination of shareholders of record is to be held or taken.

In lieu of fixing a record date, the Board of Trustees may provide that the share transfer books shall be closed for a stated period but not longer than twenty (20) days.  If the share transfer books are closed for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of shareholders, such books shall be closed for at least ten days before the date of such meeting.

If no record date is fixed and the share transfer books are not closed for the determination of shareholders, (a) the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of shareholders shall be at the close of business on the day on which the notice of meeting is mailed or the thirtieth (30th) day before the meeting, whichever is the closer date to the meeting; and (b) the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive payment of a dividend or an allotment of any other rights shall be the close of business on the day on which the resolution of the trustees, declaring the dividend or allotment of rights, is adopted.

When a determination of shareholders entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof, except when (i) the determination has been made through the closing of the transfer books and the stated period of closing has expired or (ii) the meeting is adjourned to a date more than one hundred twenty (120) days after the record date fixed for the original meeting, in either of which case a new record date shall be determined as set forth herein.

Section 5.    SHARE LEDGER.   The Trust shall maintain at its principal office or at the office of its counsel, accountants or transfer agent, an original or duplicate share ledger containing the name and address of each shareholder and the number of shares of each class held by such shareholder.  

Section 6.    FRACTIONAL SHARE; ISSUANCE OF UNITS.   The Board of Trustees may issue fractional shares or provide for the issuance of scrip, all on such terms and under such conditions as they may determine.  Notwithstanding any other provision of the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws, the Board of Trustees may issue units consisting of different securities of the Trust.   Any security issued in a unit shall have the same characteristics as any identical securities issued by the Trust, except that the Board of Trustees may provide that for a specified period securities of the Trust issued in such unit may be transferred on the books of the Trust only in such unit.

ARTICLE VIII
ACCOUNTING YEAR

The Board of Trustees shall have the power, from time to time, to fix the fiscal year of the Trust by a duly adopted resolution.

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020

 

 

ARTICLE IX
DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 1.    AUTHORIZATION.   Dividends and other distributions upon the shares of the Trust may be authorized by the Board of Trustees and declared by the Trust, subject to the provisions of law and the Declaration of Trust.   Dividends and other distributions may be paid in cash, property or stock of the Trust, subject to the provisions of law and the Declaration of Trust.  

Section 2.    CONTINGENCIES.   Before payment of any dividends or other distributions, there may be set aside out of any assets of the Trust available for dividends or other distributions such sum or sums as the Board of Trustees may from time to time, in its absolute discretion, think proper as a reserve fund for contingencies, for equalizing dividends or other distributions, for repairing or maintaining any property of the Trust or for such other purpose as the Board of Trustees shall determine to be in the best interest of the Trust, and the Board of Trustees may modify or abolish any such reserve.

ARTICLE X
INVESTMENT POLICY

Subject to the provisions of the Declaration of Trust, the Board of Trustees may from time to time adopt, amend, revise or terminate any policy or policies with respect to investments by the Trust as it shall deem appropriate in its sole discretion.

ARTICLE XI
SEAL

Section 1.    SEAL.   The Board of Trustees may authorize the adoption of a seal by the Trust.   The seal shall contain the name of the Trust and the year of its incorporation.  The Board of Trustees may authorize one or more duplicate seals and provide for the custody thereof.

Section 2.    AFFIXING SEAL.   Whenever the Trust is permitted or required to affix its seal to a document, it shall be sufficient to meet the requirements of any law, rule or regulation relating to a seal to place the word “(SEAL)” adjacent to the signature of the person authorized to execute the document on behalf of the Trust.  

ARTICLE XII
WAIVER OF NOTICE

Whenever any notice is required to be given pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws or pursuant to applicable law, a waiver thereof in writing, signed by the person or persons entitled to such notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to the giving of such notice.  Neither the business to be transacted at nor the purpose of any meeting need be set forth in the waiver of notice, unless specifically required by statute.  The attendance of any person at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where such person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

 

ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

The Board of Trustees, with the concurrence of the majority of the shareholders of the Trust, shall have the power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of these Bylaws and to make new Bylaws; provided, however, that the concurrence of the majority of the shareholders shall not be required to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of these Bylaws or to make new Bylaws which do not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the shareholder of the Trust.  

As amended by the Board of Trustees

June 2, 2020