BOARD MEETING DATE: December 4, 2009
AGENDA NO. 18

PROPOSAL:

Amend Committee Procedures to Allow Temporary Appointments of Board Assistants and Consultants

SYNOPSIS:

Board-adopted committee procedures provide that the Administrative Committee is authorized to appoint Board Member Assistants. This item proposes to amend the procedures to authorize the Chair of the Administrative Committee to appoint Board Member Assistants and Consultants on a temporary basis.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, November 13, 2009, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Amend the Procedures for Standing Committees of the Governing Board to permit the Administrative Committee Chair to temporarily approve Board Assistant and Board Consultant proposal(s) until the full committee has acted on the proposed appointment.
 

William A. Burke, Ed.D.
Administrative Committee Chairman

Background

The Procedures for Standing Committees of the Governing Board presently provide that the Administrative Committee is authorized to approve the hiring of Board Member assistants. On occasion, there is a need to appoint Board Member Assistants and Consultants on a temporary basis. For example, there may be a three-week delay in appointment when the Administrative Committee meets and lacks a quorum, since proposals to appoint Board Member Assistants and Consultants would then need to be taken to the full Board for approval at its next regularly scheduled meeting. This process can create a hardship on both prospective Board Member Assistants and Consultants, and on the Board Members who require their services.

Proposal

Amend the Procedures for Standing Committees of the Governing Board by authorizing the Chair of the Administrative Committee to appoint Board Member Assistants and Consultants on a temporary basis until the full Administrative Committee can consider the proposed appointment. The attachment to this Board letter contains the proposed amendment.

Resource Impacts

None

Attachment

SCAQMD Procedures for Standing Committees
of the Governing Board

SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
PROCEDURES FOR STANDING COMMITTEES
OF THE GOVERNING BOARD

Adopted March 8, 1996, Revised September 12, 1997, Revised December 4, 2009

These procedures shall apply to standing (i.e., permanent) Committees composed solely of members of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Governing Board. Except as otherwise required by law, these procedures may be suspended at any time by order of the Governing Board.

(a) Establishment of Committees.

The Board Chair shall establish Committees with the approval of the Governing Board.

(b) Committee Membership.

(1) Appointment and Removal. The Board Chair shall appoint and may remove the members and the Chair and Vice Chair of each Committee.

(2) Substitute Appointments. The Board Chair, Vice Chair. or Committee Chair may appoint a Board member, including the Board Chair, to temporarily serve on a Committee for a given meeting in the absence of a regular member of a Committee.

(3) Number of Members. No Committee shall have more than six members attending any one meeting unless otherwise publicly noticed as a special board meeting.

(4) Administrative Committee. The Administrative Committee shall include the Chair of each Committee and the Board Chair. The Board Chair may appoint additional members to achieve balance on the Committee.

(c) Authority of Committees.

(1) General. Each Committee shall have authority to make recommendations to the Governing Board for action regarding matters within the scope of the committee’s jurisdiction. A Committee may discuss but may not make recommendations to the Board regarding issues outside of its jurisdiction and shall refer such matters to the appropriate Committee. Except as specified in these procedures, or otherwise specified by the Governing Board, Committees are not delegated decision-making authority.

(2) Administrative Committee. The Administrative Committee shall have authority to approve the hiring of Board Member assistants and consultants. The Chair of the Administrative Committee may temporarily approve hiring Board Member assistants and consultants until the full committee has acted on the proposed appointment.

(3) Legislative Committee. The Legislative Committee shall have authority to adopt an interim position on behalf of the Governing Board regarding pending legislation if there is an urgent need for action prior to the next Board meeting. A position adopted by the Legislative Committee shall not be inconsistent with existing Board policy. The Legislative Committee may not adopt a Board position pursuant to this paragraph unless at least four Committee members are present and a majority of those present vote to adopt the position. Any Board position adopted by the Legislative Committee shall be reviewed by the full Board at its next meeting.

(d) Meeting Procedure.

(1) Quorum. There is no quorum requirement for Committee meetings, except that, for the purpose of making a Committee recommendation to the Board, there is established a quorum of three Committee members.

(2) Committee Communications. In the event of a lack of a Committee quorum, any Committee members present can forward a communication to the Governing Board.

(3) Minority Report. Any Committee member can submit a Minority Report to accompany the Committee recommendation submitted to the Board. The Committee member may not use AQMD staff to prepare a Minority Report.

(4) Committee Chair. The Committee Chair, and in his or her absence, the Committee Vice Chair, shall preside at Committee meetings and shall confer with District staff regarding placement of items on the Committee agenda. In the absence of the Committee Chair and Committee Vice Chair, the Committee member with the longest tenure on the Governing Board shall preside at the Committee meeting. The Board Chair or Vice Chairshall be Chair of the Administrative Committee.

(5) Voting. The affirmative vote of three Committee members shall be required for a Committee to make a recommendation to the Board.

(6) Absence of Procedures. In the absence of Committee procedures, or if an ambiguity in the established procedures arises, the Board Chair shall determine the appropriate procedure until otherwise directed by the Governing Board.