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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
For the
San Juan Island Community Council
Background
The Community Council’s role is to assess the community’s needs, to solicit proposals from community organizations to address these needs, and to rank the proposals against the need’s assessment. The Council’s ranking of proposals will be given to the Director of the Center for Student Action as an advisory action. The Director shall consider the advised action and finalize the ranking of proposals.
§ 1-1. General.
1.1. Scope. - This rule shall govern the conduct of the council and shall be interpreted to insure fair and open deliberations and decision making.
§ 1-2. Organization.
2.1. The members of the council shall at the first meeting at which there is a quorum elect, by majority vote, a chair, a vice chair and a secretary.
2.2. The members shall also approve, by majority vote, the name of the council.
§ 1-3. Parliamentary rules
While its conduct and business can often be conducted informally, the council shall, as necessary, implement Robert’s Rules of Order to maintain an orderly flow of business. Not withstanding the specification of Robert’s Rules of Order, every effort shall be made by the council to reach consensus on decisions before resorting to a formal vote.
§ 1-4. Matters not covered by these rules.
Any matter, procedure or order not covered by these rules shall be referred to the presiding officer who shall decide the matter in conformity with the purpose of these rules in a fair and expeditious manner. The decision of the presiding officer may be reversed by a majority vote of the council.
§ 1-5. Interpretation.
These rules are intended to supplement and be interpreted to conform to the statutes of the State of Washington.
§ 1-6. Modification of Procedures
These procedures can be modified at any time by a majority vote of the members present, assuming § 1-12 is met.
§ 1-7. Conflicts of interest.
7.1. A member of the council may not decide, evaluate or vote on a recommendation for the award of a grant when the member has a conflict of interest.
7.2. A member who believes that he or she has a conflict of interest shall request in open meeting a ruling from the presiding officer after having fully disclosed the extent of his or her interest.
7.3. The ruling of the presiding officer may be reversed by majority vote of the council.
§ 1-8. New Council members
Additional members and organizations will be seated at the council if approved by the council. Criteria for membership will include a history of community involvement, a commitment to serving a significant number of citizens, and a documented ability to work collaboratively with other community groups.
§ 1-9. Member non-participation
If a member fails to attend three consecutive meetings or six meetings in a twelve-month period, the chair shall place the member organization on notice that its seat on the council is at risk of being lost. If the organization and member fail to participate after such notice, the seat shall be vacated. Reinstatement would require council approval, per § 1-8.
§ 1-11. Time and place of meetings.
11.1. Meetings. - Meetings of the council shall be at the call of the chair, or upon the request of five members of the council. When prudent, discussion of the next meeting of the council shall be the last Agenda item of the then current meeting.
11.2. Time of meetings. – The time for the start of meetings of the council shall be set, in so far as practical, to permit maximum participation by members of the council and to facilitate public participation.
11.3. Location of meetings. - Meetings shall be held at locations and in facilities large enough to comfortably accommodate members of the council and a reasonable number of public observers and participants. The meeting location shall have a sound system so that members of the council and members of the public in the room may hear what is being said.
§ 1-12. Quorum.
Seven members appointed to the council shall constitute a quorum for transaction of all business, except that a quorum shall not be required to hold a public hearing at which no vote is taken of the council.
§ 1-13. Electronic participation by council members.
13.1. To allow more members of the council to participate in public meetings and hearings the council will allow members to participate using the telephone or the Internet provided at least four members of the council are physically present in the room where the public meeting is being held, and the sound system in the room and the electronic equipment is such that the council members participating electronically can hear what is being said by all members of the council participating in the meeting and any person from the public making a presentation or answering questions of the council, and all of the council members and the public physically present in the meeting or hearing room can reasonably hear what is being said by the council member(s) who is participating electronically.
13.2. A member participating electronically in a meeting may vote for or against any motion offered by a member of the council that is seconded by another council member. The moving member and the seconding member may be physically present or be participating electronically or be any combination thereof.
§ 1-21. Agenda.
Prior to each regular meeting, the secretary of the council shall publish an agenda that contains all items the council anticipates acting upon at the meeting. The council may adopt the agenda as presented, or may amend the agenda as provided by these rules and may adopt the agenda as amended.
§ 1-31. Roll call.
Before proceeding with the business of the council, the secretary shall call the roll call of members present, and enter the name in the minutes of the meeting. The secretary shall determine the presence of a quorum as required by these rules.
§ 1-32. Call to order.
The chair or vice chair of the council shall call the meeting to order at the appointed hour. In the absence of the chair or vice chair, the secretary shall call the meeting to order and a temporary presiding officer shall then be selected under Rule 33.
§ 1-33. Presiding officer.
The chair, or in the chair’s absence or incapacity, the vice chair, shall be the presiding officer at the meeting of the council. If both the chair and the vice chair are absent, the secretary shall call the meeting to order and the members present shall select a presiding officer by majority vote. In the absence of a majority vote, the secretary shall remain and continue to be the presiding officer of the meeting.
§ 1-34. Control of discussion.
The presiding officer shall control the discussion of the council on each Agenda item to assure full participation in accordance with these rules.
§ 1-35. Order of consideration of agenda items.
Except as otherwise provided in these rules, each Agenda item shall be considered in the numerical order assigned by the secretary. Each Agenda item shall be separately announced by the presiding officer, or the secretary, for purposes of discussion and consideration. To announce an item it shall be sufficient to identify the item by the number assigned and summary provided by the secretary.
§ 1-36. Discussion.
36.1. A council member shall speak only after being recognized by the presiding officer. A council member recognized for a specific purpose shall limit his or her remarks to that purpose. A council member, after being recognized, shall not be interrupted except by the presiding officer to enforce these rules.
36.2. Each council member shall limit his or her remarks to a reasonable length.
§ 1-37. Presiding officer’s right to enter into discussion and speak last.
37.1. The presiding officer as a member of the council may enter into any discussion.
37.2. The presiding officer has the right to close debate and speak last on any item.
§ 1-38. Closing debate.
Discussion shall be closed on any item by the presiding officer with concurrence of a majority of the council. Except as provided by Rule 75, the presiding officer’s call for the vote shall not close discussion if any member of the council still wishes to be heard or the presiding officer determines the continued participation of citizens will be helpful to the council.
§ 1-39. Written ballots and proxy votes prohibited.
No member of the council may vote by secret or written ballot and no member may cast the vote of another member.
§ 1-51. Citizen’s right to address council.
51.1. Persons other than council members shall be permitted to address the council only upon specific Agenda items, which may include an Agenda item called “General Public Comment Period.”
51.2. Persons desiring to address the council shall register to speak prior to the start of the council meeting. The form for registration shall require the following information: (1) name of the person, (2) mailing address, (3) telephone number where the person may be reached during the day, (4) the person’s group affiliation, if any, and (4) the Agenda item to which the person desires to speak. If the person does not desire to speak to a particular Agenda item, the person shall identify the subject matter about which he or she wishes to speak.
§ 1-52. Manner of addressing council; registration.
A person desiring to address the council shall, after being recognized, step to the podium, state his or her name, address, and group affiliation (if any), and speak clearly into the microphone.
§ 1-53. Time limits on citizen’s remarks.
53.1. Citizens shall be limited to five minutes speaking time per item, unless additional time is granted by the presiding officer. Total citizen input on any subject under council consideration can be limited to a fixed period by the presiding officer. A majority vote of the council may extend the time limitations of this rule.
53.2. This rule shall not apply to persons whom the council has asked to come and address the council. They shall have such time as the presiding officer or the council allows for the presentation, including any question and answer period.
§ 1-54. Remarks of citizens to be germane.
54.1. Citizen comments must be directed to a specific item on the Agenda, unless the comments are offered during a general public comment period when the public may comment on any aspect of the work of the council.
54.2. The presiding officer shall rule on the germaneness of citizen remarks. The ruling may be initiated by the presiding officer or pursuant to a point of order raised by a member of the council.
54.3. Citizens making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks shall be barred by the presiding officer from further comment before the council during that meeting.
§ 1-55. Matters not on Agenda.
The council may, in its discretion, allow citizens who wish to raise a matter not on the Agenda to speak.
§ 1-56. Written comments after public meeting.
56.1. Any person, whether in attendance or not in attendance at a public meeting of the council, may within ten days after the public meeting submit written comments to the secretary of the council on any item in the Agenda for the public meeting.
56.2. Depositing the comments in the United States mail, postage prepaid, in an envelope addressed to the secretary of the council, on the 10th day shall be deemed compliance with this rule. If the 10th day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in this State, compliance shall be timely if the postmark bears the date of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in this State.
§ 1-57. When room is too small.
57.1. When the meeting room is too small to safely hold the number of people who want to attend the public meeting, based upon applicable guidelines of the State fire marshal or local fire chief, the presiding member of the council, or the council as a whole, shall take such action as may be appropriate under the circumstances to allow the meeting to be safely held. This may include, but is not limited to:
57.1.a. Determining whether a larger room is available.
57.1.b. Determine whether or not the number of persons in the room are present for the same Agenda item or for different Agenda items and whether an additional room or space is available where members of the public could wait until the Agenda item in which they have an interest is ready to be considered by the council.
57.1.c. Determining whether persons in attendance represent the same or different groups and allocating the allowable space for the public among those groups.
§ 1-58. Press, radio and television.
58.1. Any radio or television station is allowed to broadcast or record for later broadcast all or any part of a public meeting that is required to be open to the public or any public hearing authorized by the council.
58.2. The placement and use of equipment necessary to broadcast, record or photograph a meeting or public hearing may not unduly interfere with the meeting or hearing. The council must allow equipment to be placed within the room in such a way as to permit its intended use, and the ordinary use of the equipment may not be declared to constitute undue interference with the council. When the room is too small to accommodate all of the media equipment and a reasonable number individuals desiring to attend the public meeting or hearing, and adequate alternative meeting room is not readily available, the council, acting in good faith and consistent with the purposes of the government open meetings law, may require the pooling of equipment and the personnel operating it.
§ 1-71. Motion require.
All action requiring a vote shall be moved by a member of the council and seconded by a different member of the council.
§ 1-72. Majority rule.
72.1. The vote of the majority of council members present at the time the vote is taken shall be determinative of the action of the council except as otherwise provided in these rules, unless a quorum is absent at the time the vote is taken.
72.2. A vote to adjourn shall not require presence of a quorum.
§ 1-73. Motion to reconsider.
A motion to reconsider must be made by a council member who was on the prevailing side in the original action, or by a council member absent at the time of the original action. The sponsoring of the reconsideration of a matter by the chair of the council, or other presiding officer, has the effect of a motion to reconsider.
§ 1-74. Motions when less than seven members present.
74.1. Notwithstanding Rule 72, when less than seven members of the council are in attendance at a meeting and an Agenda item fails to receive at least five affirmative or negative votes, the Agenda item shall, upon request of any council member in attendance at the meeting, be placed by the secretary on the Agenda for the next council meeting, and continued thereafter upon the Agenda for subsequent meetings until it shall receive five affirmative or negative votes.
74.2. This rule does not apply to a motion to adjourn.
§ 1-75. Call for vote.
At the conclusion of debate, the presiding officer shall call for a vote: Provided, That a majority of the council members present may require a vote at any time.
§ 1-76. Separate consideration.
Except as otherwise required by these rules, each Agenda item shall be voted upon separately.
§ 1-77. Consideration of Agenda items out of order.
Without objection, any Agenda item may be considered out of order at the request of a council member. If an objection is heard, the request shall be voted upon by the council.
§ 1-78. Recording names of moving members.
The secretary shall record the name of the council member moving and seconding each motion.
§ 1-79. Consideration of items not on Agenda.
Any member of the council may, at the close of the regular Agenda, bring a matter not on the Agenda to the council’s attention. The council may act on such matters or direct that such matter be included in an Agenda for a later meeting of the council.
§ 1-80. Motion to act on matters.
At any appropriate place on the Agenda, any member of the council may make a motion for the council to act upon any matter if the motion is germane to the matter then under consideration.
§ 1-81. Minutes.
81.1. The secretary of the council shall prepare written minutes of each meeting within 10 days after date of adjournment of the meeting, or by the next meeting of the council, whichever is the shorter period of time. Minutes for a meeting that is recessed to another day need not be prepared until after the day the meeting reconvenes and then is adjourned.
81.2. The minutes shall include at least the following information:
81.2.1. The date, time and place of the meeting;
81.2.2. The name of each member of the council present and absent;
81.2.3. All motions, proposals, resolutions, certifications and other measures proposed, the name of the council member proposing the same, the name of the council member seconding the motion, if any, and the disposition of the motion, proposal, resolution, certification or other measure; and
81.2.4. The results of all votes and, upon the request of a member, the roll call votes of each member, by name.
81.3. Minutes of each meeting shall be prepared after the meeting and approved, or corrected and approved, at the next meeting of the council.
§ 1-82. Public records of the council; inspection and copying.
82.1. All written recommendations for possible projects, all applications for project funding, all attachments, exhibits and maps, by whatever name called, submitted to the council during a public meeting or hearing or by mail or hand delivery to a council member and all minutes of meetings and transcripts of public meetings and hearings are public records that shall be available for public inspection in the office of the Secretary of the San Juan Island Community Council, c/o Larry Wight, Friday Harbor High School, during normal business hours.
82.2. Members of the public, including the media, may purchase copies of some, all or any portion of the records described in subsection 82.1 of this rule upon paying or agreeing to pay a copying charge of 25 cents per page plus the cost of postage if the item is to be mailed to the person requesting the copy.
82.3. Notwithstanding subsection 82.1 and 82.2 of this rule, minutes of and transcripts of matters discussed in executive session are not available for inspection and no copies shall be made without an affirmative vote of the council.
§ 1-83. Written protest to council.
83.1. In the event the custodian of public records of the council denies, in whole or in part, any written request made to the custodian to inspect or copy any public record of the council, and the person making the request is not satisfied with the response, he or she shall file a written protest with the council requesting that the matter be taken up by the council the next time the council meets. The protest shall be mailed or hand delivered to chair or secretary of the council.
83.2. For purposes of this rule, the custodian of public records of the council shall be the secretary.
83.3. Subsection 83.1 shall be of no effect after the council completes its work and disbands.
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