HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts Commission Bylaws (January 17, 2018)Tukwila Arts Commission Bylaws
Article I Purpose
As stated in Tukwila Municipal Code ("TMC") 2.30.10, the Arts Commission ("Commission") is
hereby established to serve in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and City Council or other
commission or board of the City on matters including, but not limited to, those set forth
hereinafter. The activities of the Commission shall include the following:
1. To represent the City's interest in arts matters;
2. To be a clearinghouse for information and assistance for anyone, including arts
organizations, artists, interested in cultural advancement of the community;
3. To advocate for support and enhancement of the arts within the city through
cooperation with schools, regional and national arts organizations;
4. To explore ways and methods of obtaining private, local, State and federal funds to
promote arts projects for the community;
5. To review and make recommendations on all works of art acquired by the City;
6. To create and implement a yearly arts work plan and budget.
Article II Membership
Per TMC 2.30.020, the Commission shall be composed of not less than five and not more than
seven members. At least three members of said Commission shall be involved in the
instruction of or otherwise professionally engaged in the visual and/or performing arts
whenever possible.
A. Length of Appointment
The term of membership for the members of the Tukwila Arts Commission shall be four
years.
B. Resignation
If a Commission member is unable to complete their term of service a letter of
resignation should be sent to the Mayor indicating the effective date of the resignation.
C. Removal
A Commission member may be removed from the position if absent without being
excused for three consecutive meetings or six regular meetings in a calendar year.
D. Compensation
Members will receive no monetary compensation for serving on the Commission.
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Article III Duties of the Commission, Officers, Commissioners and Support Staff
A. Duties of Commission
The Commission shall undertake the duties and responsibilities defined in TMC
2.30.010.
B. Officers
Officers shall be a Chair and a Vice -Chair; both appointed members of the Commission.
Chair and Vice Chair shall be appointed by Commission members on a rotating basis and
shall be confirmed by the Commission.
C. Duties of the Officers
Chair
The Chair shall preside at all meetings and adhere to the duties of the presiding officer
prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. When necessary, the Chair shall
call for special meetings. The Chair shall be a full voting member of the Commission. The
Chair may delegate duties to other Commissioners with the consent of the Commission.
The Chair shall speak on behalf of the Commission before City Council, the public and
City staff.
The Chair will serve as a member on the City's Board of Ethics. In the event the Chair is
unable or unwilling to serve on the Board of Ethics, the Commission shall select a
member to serve on the Board.
The responsibilities of the chair include:
• Providing group direction and options for setting goals;
• Coordinating with staff to set meeting agendas;
• Coordinating meeting preparation with City staff; and
• Representing the Commission in the community.
The term of office shall be one year.
Vice Chair
The Vice -Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in absence of the Chair. The Vice -
Chair may also speak on behalf of the Commission before City Council, the public and
City staff when the Chair is not available to speak.
The term of office shall be one year.
D. Duties of Commissioners
It is the responsibility of all Commission members to:
• Arrange adequate time to carry out responsibility as a Commission member;
• Come to meetings prepared: Read all reports, proposals and documents
distributed prior to meetings;
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• Listen to other Commission members and communicate with respect and
courtesy; and
• Participate in group discussion and decision making.
I. Ethics Training
Every Commission member must complete Ethics Training and sign an Ethics
Training Certification Form within 90 days of appointment and must complete
the training within 90 days of reappointment or every four years, whichever
comes first.
II. Open Public Meetings Act Training
Pursuant to RCW 42.30.205, every Commission member must complete training
on the Open Public Meetings Act and sign an OPMA Training Certification Form
within 90 days of appointment and must complete the training within 90 days of
reappointment or every four years, whichever comes first.
III. Public Records Training
Every Commission member must complete training on the Public Records Act
and sign a Public Records Training Certification Form within 90 days of
appointment and must complete the training within 90 days of reappointment or
every four years, whichever comes first.
IV. Conflict of Interest
Washington's ethics laws prohibit public officials from gaining financially as a
result of his or her position. Public officials must declare any conflicts of interest
at a public meeting. A conflict exists if a recommendation potentially could
affect the finances of the group member or the finances of a family member. If a
conflict exists, the member must declare this fact at a meeting where the issue is
being discussed and refrain from discussing or voting on the recommendation.
Every Commission member must sign a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
within 90 days of appointment and must sign a new Disclosure Form within 90
days of reappointment or every four years, whichever comes first.
E. Duties of Support Staff
A City staff person is assigned to support the Commission. The primary role of staff is to
represent the City and facilitate communication between the Commission, City
Administration, the City Council and other City departments. Staff responsibilities
include:
• Ensuring compliance with applicable laws, such as the Open Public Meetings Act
(OPMA) and the Public Records Act (PRA);
• Providing professional guidance, issue analysis and recommendations;
• Assisting with research, report preparation and correspondence; and
• Compiling agendas, maintaining minutes and records, forwarding
recommendations and/or implementing actions.
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Article IV Elections
The Commission shall appoint and confirm a Chair and a Vice Chair each year. Officers shall be
confirmed and take office annually at the first regular public meeting of the Commission in
January on a rotating basis. Confirmation of officers will take place as the first item of new
business, and newly confirmed officers will assume their duties at the close of approval process.
The position of Chair will be determined by a rotation process. Each arts commissioner is
appointed to fill a numbered position (positions 1-7). Chairs will hold that position for one year
in consecutive order. Arts Commissioner holding position 1 will serve as chair for one year.
Arts commissioner holding position 2 will serve as Vice -Chair for that year rotating in as Chair
the following year with arts commissioner holding position 3 rotating in as Vice -Chair and so on.
Should the Chair be vacated prior to the completion of the term, the Vice -Chair will assume the
duties and responsibilities of the Chair for the remainder of the term. The next consecutive arts
Commission position will rotate in as Vice -Chair.
Should the Vice -Chair be vacated prior to the completion of the term, the next consecutive arts
commission position will assume the remainder of the term.
Arts Commissioner completing a term for a vacated chair or vice chair will be able to fulfill the
position the following year.
Article V Meetings
All Commission meetings shall comply with the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act
RCW 42.30. All meetings shall be noticed and open to the public.
A. Schedule
The Commission shall hold regular meetings according to the following schedule:
The third Wednesday of each month. The meetings shall begin at 5:00 p.m. unless
modified. Should a regular meeting day be a legal holiday, the scheduled meeting shall
be postponed to the succeeding Wednesday, unless a majority of the Commission votes
to select another day or to cancel the meeting.
Any Commission meeting may be canceled by a majority vote or consensus of the
Commission. The Chair or Vice -Chair may cancel a meeting for lack of agenda items or
lack of a quorum.
B. Special Meetings
Special meetings may be held by the Commission subject to notice requirements
prescribed by State law. Special meetings may be called by the Chair, the City Council, or
the Mayor, or by the written request of any three (3) Commissioners by written notice
emailed or delivered to each member of the Commission at least 24 hours before the
time specified for the proposed meeting.
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Special meeting called shall state the subject(s) to be considered and not subject other
than those specified in the notice shall be considered. No special meetings shall be
scheduled between November 15th and the end of the year. The agenda for a special
meeting need not conform to the Order of Business in Section C of this Article.
C. Order of Business
The order of business for each regular meeting of the Commission shall be as follows:
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Approval of Minutes
5. Unfinished Business
6. New Business
7. Reports of Commissioners/Announcements
8. Agenda for Next Meeting
9. Adjournment
D. Notices
The public shall be notified of the preliminary agenda for the forthcoming Commission
meeting by posting a copy of the agenda in the City's Digital Records Center.
Article VI Rules of Meetings
A. Absences
Absence from more than three (3) consecutive Commission meetings may be cause for
removal. Members shall communicate with the Chair, the Vice -Chair or the City Staff
Liaison with requests for an excused absence in the event they will miss three (3) or
more consecutive meetings. Emergency requests may be considered. The Chair may
approve the absence.
B. Quorum
At all Commission meetings, the presence of the majority of the currently seated
members constitutes a quorum. A quorum is required for the Commission to take any
action.
C. Rules of Procedure
The current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall provide the basis for
meeting structure and official decisions shall be made by motion and vote of the
Commission.
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D. Meeting Decorum
To provide a fair and efficient forum for the conduct of business at Commission
meetings the following rules of decorum shall be observed:
1. No person shall address the Commission without first obtaining recognition from
the chair.
2. The Commission may allow comments from members of the public attending
Commission meetings by permission of the Chair or majority vote of the
Commission members present.
3. If there are many people who wish to speak at a meeting the Chair may limit
each speaker to 5 minutes of speaking time. If a speaker is representing an
organization, the Chair may grant that speaker an additional 5 minutes of
speaking time.
4. Once a member of the public has spoken in regard to a specific matter before
the Commission, he/she shall not be recognized to speak again until all persons
wishing to speak have first been given the opportunity to do so.
5. To aid in the creation of accurate meeting minutes all speakers should provide
their first and last name each time they address the Commission.
6. Commission meetings will generally begin at 5:00 p.m. or as indicated on the
public notice. Meetings will continue until the agenda items have been
completed or until 6:30 p.m. whichever comes first. Continuation of a meeting
beyond 6:30 p.m. requires approval of a motion to extend by a majority vote. If
no motion is approved the Chair will continue the meeting to a specific date.
E. Voting
In instances where a vote is called for or required, the present majority is enough to act
(provided a quorum is present). Each member shall have one vote and no proxies shall
be allowed. Present members may abstain. The Chair may vote on any issue and shall
vote in the event of a tie. No action is taken if the Chair votes and the tie continues. A
majority vote shall carry, and minority opinions shall be formally registered in the
minutes and report to the City Council.
F. Adjournment/Recess/Continuations
Meetings shall be adjourned by a majority vote of the Commission or by the chair when
it appears that there is no further business.
The Commission may, by majority vote or consensus, recess for a short break. The
proposal to recess may set a time limit or can be until the Chair calls the meeting back
to order.
Continuations of meetings shall be to a definite time and place by the majority vote of
present Commission members.
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Article VII Code of Ethics
Members of the Commission shall fully comply with RCW 42.23 Code of Ethics for Municipal
Officers and with TMC 2.95 Code of Ethics for Employees and Appointed Officials.
Article VIII Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended or repealed, and new Bylaws may be adopted at any regular
meeting or special meeting by a majority of the vote of the membership. A copy of the
proposed Bylaws or amendments thereto, shall be furnished to each member at least three (3)
days prior to the date of the meeting. All amendments to the Bylaws shall be submitted to the
Mayor and City Council for their information.
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