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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEquity and Social Justice Commission Bylaws (January 2018)Equity and Social Justice Commission Bylaws Article I Purpose Per Tukwila Municipal Code ("TMC") 2.29.010, the Equity and Social Justice Commission ("Commission") is hereby established to serve in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and City Council for the City of Tukwila. The objective of the Commission shall be: 1. To promote understanding that accepts, celebrates, and appreciates diversity within the community. 2. To serve as a resource for the community by providing information and educational forums that will facilitate a better understanding and awareness of social justice and human rights. 3. To provide recommendations to the Mayor and City Council regarding opportunities to increase equity and social justice awareness and promote social justice programs. Article II Membership Per TMC 2.29.020, the Commission shall be comprised of nine members who shall be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Tukwila City Council. To the extent possible, membership shall be representative of the diversity of the community and should include: 1. Two City employees and one Tukwila City Councilmember (Positions 1, 4 and 7). If the City is unable to fill one of its two positions, a community member may fill one City position. 2. Three community members that meet the resident or business criteria as stated in TMC Section 2.29.020.A (Positions 3, 6 and 9). 3. Three members representing the education field in Tukwila (Positions 2, 5 and 8). If needed, a community member may fill one education field position. 4. In addition to the appointed positions, the Commission shall seek to recruit one non- voting student representative to participate on the Commission. The student representative shall be a high school student who resides in the City of Tukwila, OR enrolled in McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Services at a Tukwila school. A. Length of Appointment The term of membership for the members of the Tukwila Equity and Social Justice Commission shall be two 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. Absences and Removal Absence from more than three (3) consecutive Commission meetings, or six (6) regular meetings in a calendar year, may be cause for removal. Members shall communicate with the Chair, the Vice -Chair or the City Admin staff person with requests for an excused absence in the event they will miss three (3) or more consecutive meetings, or six (6) regular meetings in a calendar year. Emergency requests may be considered. The Chair may approve the absence. Page 1 of 7 ESJ By -Laws D. Compensation Members will receive no monetary compensation for serving on the Commission. Article III Duties of the Commission, Officers, Commissioners and Support Staff A. Duties of Commission As stated in TMC 2.29 the Commission shall undertake the duties and responsibilities defined in TMC 2.29.010. B. Officers Officers shall be a Chair and a Vice -Chair; both appointed members of the Commission and voted into office by the Commission. In absence of both the Chair and the Vice - Chair members shall elect a Chair pro tem. 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 responsibilities of the chair include: • Providing group direction and options for setting goals; • Setting meeting agendas; • Coordinating meeting preparation with City staff; and • Representing the Commission in the community. The term of office shall be one year. A Commissioner may serve as Chair for no more than two consecutive terms. 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. 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. A Commissioner may serve as Vice -Chair for no more than two consecutive terms. D. Duties of Commissioners It is the responsibility of all Commission members to: • Arrange adequate time to carry out responsibility as a Commission member; Page 2 of 7 ESJ By -Laws • Come to meetings prepared: Read all reports, proposals and documents distributed prior to meetings; • Listen to other Commission members and communicate with respect and courtesy; and • Participate in group discussion and decision making. In addition, Commissioners must comply with the following requirements: 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. Reporting Requirement The Commission shall submit an annual report of its activities and recommendations by January 315t each year, summarizing the activities for the previous year. Any reports or recommendations shall be provided to the Council and the public in electronic format and posted on the City website. Hard copies shall be made available upon request at City Hall. E. Duties of the Sister Cities Committee The Tukwila Sister Cities and Civic Awareness Committee is made up of members of the Equity and social Justice Commission chosen by the Commission Chair, and operates Page 3 of 7 ESJ By -Laws under the procedures set foth for the Equity and social Justice Commission. All interested Equity and social Justice Commission members are eligible. The Committee will meet at least two times per year. The Committee will provide recommendations to the Commission for funding, and strategic advice for sister city and civic awareness issues and activities. F. 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 that meeting notifications and recordkeeping are consistent with applicable state laws; • 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, forwarding recommendations and/or implementing actions. Article IV Elections The Commission shall elect a Chair and a Vice Chair each year. Generally officers shall be elected and take office annually at the first regular public meeting of the Commission in January. The election will take place as the first item of new business and the elected officers will assume their duties at the close of elections. The election of the Chair will be conducted by the Administrative City support staff (Admin). No one Commissioner shall nominate more than one person for an office. Nominations do not require a second. The Admin will repeat each nomination, ask for further nominations, and when there are none the Admin will declare the nominations closed. A motion to close nominations is not necessary. After nominations have been closed, voting for the Chair takes place in the order nominations were made. Commissioners will be asked to vote by a raise of hands. As soon as one of the nominees receives a majority vote of the seated members the Admin will declare that Commissioner elected as the Chair. No votes will be taken on any remaining nominees. A tie vote results in a failed nomination. If none of the nominees receive a majority vote the Admin will call for nominations again and repeat the process until a single candidate receives a majority vote. Upon election the Chair will conduct the election for Vice -Chair following the same process. 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 Chair will then conduct elections for a new Vice -Chair. Page 4 of 7 ESJ By -Laws Should the Vice -Chair be vacated prior to the completion of the Term, the Chair will conduct elections for a new Vice -Chair to serve out the remainder of the Term. Time spent fulfilling a vacated Term shall not count towards the two consecutive Term limit for Chair and Vice -Chair. 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 first Thursday of each month. The meetings shall begin at 5:15 p.m. unless modified. Should a regular meeting day be a legal holiday, the scheduled meeting shall be postponed to the succeeding Thursday, 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. 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 15' 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 and Staff/Announcements 8. Agenda for Next Meeting 9. Adjournment D. Notices Page 5 of 7 ESJ By -Laws 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. 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. B. 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. C. 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 a large number of people who wish to speak at a meeting the Chair may limit each speaker to 3-5 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 5:15 p.m. or as indicated on the public notice. Meetings will continue until the agenda items have been completed or until 7:00 p.m. whichever comes first. Continuation of a meeting beyond 7:00 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. D. Voting In instances where a vote is called for or required, the present majority is sufficient 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 may be formally included in the minutes. Page 6 of 7 ESJ By -Laws E. 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. 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. Page 7 of 7 ESJ By -Laws