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BY-LAWS
OF THE COLUMBIA COUNTY CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
Rule 1.
Public Meetings:
All meetings
of the Commission, including all meetings of its committees and
study committees, shall be open to the public. Notice of the date,
time and placed of said meeting shall be made available to the
public in advance of the meetings by written notice to one or more
newspapers of general circulation in the County, by posting the
date, time and place upon the Charter Commission’s Internet site and
by posting a notice on the public bulletin board maintained for such
purposes at the Columbia County Courthouse Annex, at least 48 hours
before the meeting.
Rule 2.
Citizen Participation at Meetings:
The Commission will entertain public comment on all substantive
agenda items. Citizens of Columbia County who attend the meetings of
the Charter Review Commission shall be given the opportunity to
comment before the Commission discusses items on the agenda to be
voted on. In cases of meetings in which an invited speaker is in
attendance, the presenter will speak first, public comment will then
be taken, and then the Commission will discuss and vote if
necessary. The Commission may impose reasonable limitations of time
allotted to any citizen or on the total time to be allotted to
public participation during the meeting.
Each agenda shall include a point during the meeting at which
“Remarks of Interested Citizens” may be made. Under the agenda item
of “Remarks of Interested Citizens”, interested citizens shall be
afforded an opportunity to comment on matters germane to the agenda
or matters to come before the Commission.
Rule 3. Place of
Meetings:
The
regular meetings of the Commission shall be at the Old Welcome
Center, Hall of Fame Drive. The Commission may also resolve to hold
meetings at other locations. The meetings of the Commission,
committees or study committees should be at a meeting place large
enough to accommodate not only the Commission, committee or study
committee, as the case may be, but also interested citizens. The
meeting place chosen shall be open and accessible, free of any
admission charge or restriction, to the commission and public.
Meetings conducted by study committees or committees should be held
at a location selected by the chairman of such study committee or
committee.
Rule 4.
Call and Notice of Meetings:
Date, time and place of each regular
meeting of the Commission shall be announced at the preceding
regular or special meeting of the Commission, and posted on public
bulleting board in accordance with Columbia County policy. The
agenda of each regular or special meeting shall include the fixing
of the date of the next regular meeting. Special meetings may be
called by the Chair of the Commission, or by any eight (8) members
of the Commission requesting such special meeting in writing filed
with the County Manager. The County Manager shall be responsible for
mailing a written notice of the date, time and place of meetings of
the Commission to members of the Commission at their addresses
listed on an appropriate form kept by the County Manager. It shall
be the responsibility of any member of the Commission to notify the
County Manager of any change of address. The Chair of each study
committee or committee shall be responsible through the County
Manager, for giving sufficient written or telephone notice of study
committee or committee meetings to members.
A written notice of special meetings of the entire Commission shall
be give in the same manner as written notices of regular meetings,
except that the written notice of a special meeting shall include
the purpose for the call of such special meeting.
Rule 5.
Agenda for Regular Meetings: The agenda for regular
meetings of the Commission shall be generally as follows, subject to
amendment or revision by the Commission Chair or a majority of the
members present:
I. Call
to Order
II. Pledge
III. Roll
Call
IV.
Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting
V.
Introduction of Invited Guest (if any) and Their Presentations
VI.
Remarks of Interested Citizens
VII.
Report of Chairperson
VIII.
Reports of Committees (if any)
IX.
Unfinished Business
X. New
Business
XI.
Adjournment with Day Fixed for Next Meeting
Rule 6.
Recording of Minutes: Meetings of the Commission shall be recorded on recording machines.
The County Manager shall be responsible for insuring that the
recording apparatus is available at each meeting of the Commission.
The tapes of all such meetings shall be preserved as required by
law. Failure to tape record a meeting shall not affect the validity
of any proceeding. The Commission shall make disposition of the work
of the Commission. The Clerk of Court shall further be responsible
for the safeguarding of the tapes of such meetings. In addition to
the tape recording of the meetings, a representative of the Clerk of
Court shall take down minutes of the proceedings of the Commission.
The chair of each committee or a person designated by the chair
shall take minutes at all proceedings of the committee and shall
transcribe and deliver such minutes to the Clerk of Court. All
records of the Commission, including the tape recordings of minutes,
shall be made available to the public during office hours of the
Clerk of Court or as established by the Commission. Minutes of
committee proceedings shall be filed at least once per month. The
Chair may request that a verbatim record of any proceeding before
the Commission by made. Such a request is in addition to the
requirements of Rule 6.
Rule 7.
Quorum:
A majority of the members
of the Commission, or of any committee shall constitute a quorum for
transaction of business, and a majority of those present shall be
sufficient to agree to any motion except as otherwise set forth in
these bylaws.
Rule 8.
Attendance:
Regular attendance and
attention to the business of the Commission is expected.
The seat of any member who fails to attend three consecutive
regular meetings, without previous notification, shall be presumed
vacant, and the Chair shall report that fact to the County
Commissioner who appointed the member, for confirmation that a
vacancy exists.
Rule 9.
Proxy Voting:
No member of the Commission or any
of its study committees or committees shall have the power to
vote by proxy. Only those members physically present shall be
entitled to vote.
Rule 10.
Deliberations:
A.Issues
Agenda.
Members of the Charter Review Commission
and the public may identify issues to be placed upon the list of
issues which the review commission may subsequently deliberate. A
deadline shall be established for accepting issues.
The Commission shall approve, by majority vote, an initial agenda of
issues to be considered, and a schedule of meetings at which the
several approved issues shall be discussed. Prior to completion of
the discussion meetings, additional issues shall be added and
scheduled upon the request of four or more members.
After completion of the scheduled discussion meetings, additional
issues may be scheduled with the concurrence of a majority of the
Commission.
Any issue may be stricken from further consideration at discussion
meetings with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present,
but not less than eight (8) members.
B.Decision
Agenda. The Commission shall approve,
by majority of the whole commission, a schedule and agenda of
meetings at which approved issues and approved sample text shall be
considered for inclusion in proposed Charter Amendment(s).
After an issue has been discussed, the Commission may instruct the
appropriate staff to prepare sample text for its review at a
scheduled meeting.
A proposal and text may be approved for tentative inclusion as
proposed Charter amendment(s), or the tentative proposed Charter
amendment(s) may be amended, with the concurrence of two-thirds of
the members present, but not less than eight (8) members.
C.Final
adoption and transmittal.
After all public hearings, the Commission shall amend if necessary,
approve and transmit the proposed Charter Amendments, if any, for
Columbia County, and a proposed ballot title and summary of the
substance and chief purpose of the measure, with the concurrence of
two-thirds of the members present, but not less than eight (8)
members.
Rule 11.
Voting Generally:
Each member present shall vote, unless a conflict of interest
exists, in which case said conflict shall be publicly stated prior
to the vote and filed in writing with the County Manager, as
approved by law.
Rule 12.
Official Rules of Order:
Except as otherwise provided in these rules of procedure,
Robert’s Rules of Order Revised (75th Anniversary Edition) shall
apply in matters of procedural conflict for the Commission,
committees, and study committees. However, Robert’s Rules of
Order is superseded by Florida Statute 286.012 with respect to
the chairman voting.
Rule 13.
Duties of the Chair:
The Chair shall:
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a. Preside at all
regular and special meetings of the Commission; |
| b. Represent the
Commission at all functions and activities so requiring (but
without authority to state any position of the Commission not
previously approved); |
| c. Serve as
ex-officio (non-voting) member of all committees; |
| d. Be charged with
the responsibility of making all committee assignments and
appointment of all chairs of committees; |
| e. Call special
meetings where necessary; |
| f. Coordinate
publicity; |
| g. Approve all
disbursement requests, certifying that the disbursement has been
duly approved by the entire Commission. |
Rule 14.
Duties of the Vice-Chair:
The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the chairman in the
absence or inability to serve of the latter.
Rule 15.
Duties of the County Manager:
The County Manager shall:
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a.
Prepare, dispatch, file and otherwise process all
correspondence for the Commission as a whole; |
| b. Provide for the
reproduction or copying of such records as may be requested by
the public in a reasonable period of time and at a rate
consistent with Columbia County policy. |
| c. Maintain accurate
records showing the nature, purpose and amount of all
expenditures made on behalf of the Commission; |
| d. Coordinate with
the Office of the Clerk of Court in connection with the proof
and filing of all disbursement requests and other administrative
requirements. |
| e.
Perform other duties as prescribed by the Chairman. |
Rule 16.
Duties of the Clerk of Court:
The Clerk of Court shall:
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a. Be custodian of
all records of the Commission; |
| b. Keep an address
and attendance roster; |
| c.The Clerk of Court
shall make all minutes available to the public and open for
inspection at all reasonable times.
The attendance roster shall likewise be open for
inspection by any member and by the public at any reasonable
time. |
| d. Provide for the
reproduction or copying of such records as may be requested by
the public in a reasonable period of time and at a rate
consistent with Columbia County policy. |
| e.
Perform other duties as prescribed by the Chairman. |
Rule 17.
Committees:
The Commission may authorize the appointment of Committees as it
sees fit to plan and administer ministerial functions of the
Commission, or to investigate and report to the full Commission on
studies of special departments or functions of the existing or
proposed government, or for any other lawful purpose; provided that
no Committee shall have any final authority vested by law in the
full Commission.
Rule 18. Policy
on Publicity:
Every effort shall be made to insure that the proceedings of the
Commission are made available to the news media. No attempt shall be
made to inhibit the normal processes of the news media. Public
statements by the Commission or by study committees shall be
coordinated through the Chair and the Executive Assistant. Members
of the Commission may make public or private statements of their
personal feelings, attitudes or beliefs at any time. In making such
statements, however, members of the Commission shall on every
occasion make an affirmative statement that their views are not
represented as the views of the Commission as a whole. The Chair of
the Commission shall be responsible for announcing the adopted
positions of the Commission.
Rule 19.
Amendment:
These rules and policies shall be the by-laws of the Commission and
may be amended by an advance notice and an affirmative vote of
two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Commission present and
voting. To satisfy the advance notice the amendment itself, or
“notice of such amendment,” shall be submitted at the previous
regular meeting. The advance notice and vote cannot take place
during the same regular meeting.
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