Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTSAC Bylaws Revised 2011 TRAFFIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS Adopted January 5, 2009 Amended October 19, 2009 Amended January 3, 2011 SECTION 100: PURPOSE 101: The purpose of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee bylaws is to provide a set of operating procedures for the C ommittee, and to establish a code of ethics and conduct. 102: The Bylaws shall be reviewed annually by the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, and any changes or amendments agreed to by a majority vote of the Committee shall be recommended to the City Coun cil for adoption at its annual meeting. The City Council conducts is annual meeting as the first meeting in January of each year. SECTION 200: STRUCTURE OF COMMITTEE 201: COMMITTEE CREATED: The Prior Lake Traffic Safety Advisory Committee is created fo r the City, its purpose to be of an advisory nature to the City Council and staff on issues related to traffic safety . 202 : COUNCIL LIASION : Annually the City Council will appoint a Councilmember to serve as a Liaison between the Council and the Traffi c Safety Advisory Committee . The role of the Liaison is to act as a conduit and resource for information by an d between the Council and the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee and the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee and the Council. The Liaison shall make periodic reports to the Council on the activities of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee . The Liaison shall communicate any Council input on a particular issue to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee . The Liaison shall not participate in the discussion or deliberation of any matter pending before the Commi ttee , except where the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee is meeting in a study or work session. The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee , at its discretion, may ask the Liaison whether the Council has di scussed the subject under consideration and the nature of the discussion. The Liaison shall never use this occasion as an opportunity to communicate their personal position regarding the matter under consideration. A Liaison may always testify or submit written comments at a Public Hearing in their capacity as a private citizen so long as they make clear at the beginning of their testimony or their written comments that they are speaking on their own behalf and not on behalf of the Council. 20 3 : DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE: The duties of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee are as follows: 1. Review community traffic safety issues and proposed solutions in accordance with Minnesota statutes. 2. Provide guidance to City staff on traffic safety issues. 3. Advise th e City Council on traffic safety issues. 1 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc 4. Conduct public meetings on traffic safety issues as directed by the City Council. 20 4 : APPOINTMENT: The Committee shall consist of no more than five (5) and no less than three (3) resident members appointed by the Prior Lake City Council , the City Engineer and the Police Chief . One City Council member shall be appointed annually to serve as liaison to the committee . Only residents of the City who are at least 18 years old shall be considered for appointment. The resident members shall serve term s of three (3) years from November 1 to October 31. Committee resident members may serve based upon attendance and participation, continued residence in Prior Lake and in accordance with the term limit policy established by the City Council. The Assistant City Engineer will provide staff support services to the Committee. 205 : VACANCIES: Should a resident member resign, or otherwise vacate a seat on the Committee, Prior Lake City Council shall appoint a replacement to complete the term in the following manner: 1. Applications are solicited. A Notice of the vacancy is made public and individuals may be encouraged to consider the position. 2. The City Manager or his designee, the City Council member who has been appointed as the liaison to the A dvisory Committee , and the City Engineer shall interview all candidates and make a recommendation to the full City Council. No person will sit on any advisory committee charged with the selection of the successor for that person. 3. The r ecommendation of the interview panel shall be presented to the City Council and the Council may accept or reject the recommendation. If the recommendation is rejected, the City Council shall appoint another individual or decide to reopen the vacancy to the public for new candidates. 206 : OFFICERS: The Officers of the Prior Lake Traffic Safety Advisory Committee shall be a Chair, Vice - Chair and a Secretary. The Assistant City Engineer or his/her designee shall serve as Secretary of the Committee. Chair : The City Engineer shall serve as the Chair of the Committee. The duties of the Chair include: (1) Review and approval of meeting agendas ; (2) Presiding at meetings ; (3) Participating with the City Council in the selection of Committee m embers ; and (4) Re presentation of the Committee as appropriate. Vice Chair : The Police Chief shall serve as the Vice - Chair and shall perform the duties of the Chair in his/her absence. The Vice - Chair shall assume such other duties as assigned by the Chair. Secretary : The Assistant City Engineer or his/her designee shall act as the Secretary and shall be responsible for recording and compiling a written summary of all official activities of the Committee. 207 : TERM LIMIT: It is the policy of the Prior Lake City Counc il to impose a three - term ( nine - year) service limitation for all appointed positions within the committees and commission. Partial terms do not count toward the term limitation. The purpose of the term limit policy is to encourage resident participation on City advisory bodies and 2 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc provide community members with the opportunity to participate in their local government. 20 8 : REMOVAL OF MEMBER: Any resident member of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee may be removed from office for just cause by a four - fifths (4/5) vote of the entire City Council. Such member shall be entitled to a public hearing before such a vote is taken. In addition, any member may be removed for nonattendance at Traffic Safety Advisory Committee meetings by action of the City Counc il. SECTION 300: STATEMENT OF ETHICS 301: POLICY STATEMENT: The City of Prior Lake recognizes that our system of democratic representative government is dependent in large measure upon people having trust and confidence in their public officials. The public rightfully expects that governmental officials will conduct City of Prior Lake business in ways which benefit the public generally and that public office will not be used chiefly or improperly to advance personal interest. The City of Prior Lake ha s pledged that the goals of fair, efficient and honest government will be fostered and that it will strive for integrity and objectivity from all of its officials . 1. The City of Prior Lake finds that the proper operation of democratic representative governm ent requires that:  Elected and appointed officials b e independent, impartial and responsible to the people;  Governmental decisions and policy be made in the proper channels of the governmental structure;  Public office not be used for personal gain;  The p ublic have confidence in the integrity of its government. 2. The City of Prior Lake shall adhere to the high est ethical standards that enhance the public trust in its local government by:  Creating transparency in its actions through honest and open communica tion; and  Basing decisions and adopting public policies on what is in the best interests of the public and the overall community;  Supporting the public’s right to know the public’s business  Exercising fairness, optimism, responsiveness and respect in commu nicating with the public.  Providing a forum and p eriodic training for public officials and staff to discuss organizational values that reflect high standards and current conditions and concerns. 3. Th e City’s Statement of Ethics shall be liberally construed in favor o f protecting the public’s interest in full disclosure of conflicts of interest and promoting ethical standards of conduct. 302: GIFTS AND FAVORS: No public official shall accept any valuable gift, favor or thing of value, regardless of amount w hether in the form of money, service, loan, thing or promise from any person which to the official's knowledge is concerned, directly or 3 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc indirectly in any manner whatsoever in business dealings with the City. 303: USE OF EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES: No publ ic official shall request or permit the unauthorized use of City - owned vehicles, equipment, materials, property, labor or services for personal convenience or profit. 304: CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Except as authorized in Minn. Stat. 471.88, a public officer who is authorized to take part in any manner in making any sale, lease, or contract in official capacity shall not voluntarily have a personal financial interest in that sale, lease, or contract or personally benefit financially therefrom. (Minn. Stat. Se ction 471.87) 305: A public official or local official elected to or appointed by a metropolitan governmental unit who in the discharge of official duties would be required to take an action or make a decision that would substantially affect the official' s financial interests or those of an associated business, unless the effect on the official is no greater than on other members of the official's business classification, profession or occupation, must take the following actions: 1. Advise the City Attorney of the potential conflict of interest as soon as possible, preferably before the meeting; and 2. The City Attorney shall determine whether a disqualifying conflict of interest exists. 3. Orally inform the committee of the potential conflict and abstain from any participation in that agenda item. 306: The purpose behind the creation of a rule, which would d isqualify public officials from participating in proceedings in a decision - making capacity when they have a direct conflict of interest in its outcome, is to i nsure that their decision will not be an arbitrary reflection of their own selfish interests. There is no settled general rule as to whether such an interest will disqualify an official. Each case must be decided on the basis o f the particular facts presen t. Among the relevant factors that should be considered in mak ing this determination are: (1) nature of the decision being made; (2) the nature of the pecuniar y interest; (3) the number of officials making the decision who are interested; (4) the n eed, if any, to have interested persons make the decision; and (5) the other means available, if any, such as the opportunity for review, that serve to insure that the officials will not act arbit rarily to further their selfish interests. 307: MISUSE OF OFFICIAL POSITION: No elected or appointed official may use his or her official position for a purpose that is, or would to a reasonable person appear to be primarily for the private benefit of the official. SECTION 400: CONDUCTING MEETINGS 401: REGULAR MEETIN GS : In conformance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law all meetings of the committee are open to the public. Regular meetings shall be held as needed at Prior Lake City Hall, 4646 Dakota Street SE, Prior Lake, Minnesota. 402: NOTIFICATION : All regula r meetings of the Committee shall be noticed by: 1. Posting at city hall for at least two (2) days prior to the meeting. 4 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc 2. A copy of the notice, agenda and accompanying materials shall be received by the Committee, City Council, staff and others designated by the City Council, no later than two (2) days prior to a meeting. 403: SPECIAL MEETINGS : Special Meetings of the Committee may be called by the Chair for the purpose of transacting any business designated in the call. The call for a special meeting may b e delivered prior to the time of the proposed meeting to each Committee member of the Committee at least two (2) days prior to the special meeting. At such meetings, no business shall be considered other than as designated in the call. The notification p rovisions of Section B of the article shall be followed. 404: QUORUM FOR REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETINGS : A majority of Committee members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to tim e until a quorum is obtained. When a quorum is in attendance, action may be taken by the Committee upon a vote of a majority of the Committee present. 405: CONDUCT OF BUSINESS AT MEETINGS : The agenda for a regularly scheduled meeting shall include the f ollowing in order of business: 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of minutes of previous meeting(s) 3. Old Business 4. Other Business 5. Staff Update 6. New Business 7. Adjournment 406: PUBLIC HEARING FORMA T : Public hearings shall be conducted in the following manner: 1 The pre siding officer announces the agenda item that is the subject of the public hearing. 2 It is the intent of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee to open all public hearings at the time indicated in the public hearing notice, or as soon as possible thereaft er. From a practical standpoint, not all hearings can be opened at their designated time The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee may delay the start of a hearing until the pending business is acted upon. However under no circumstances may a public hearing be opened prior to the time specified in the notice and published in the official newspaper. 3 Staff and/or a consultant make a presentation or report on the subject matter of the public hearing. 4 At the conclusion of any presentation or remarks by Staf f and/or a consultant, the presiding officer asks the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee members if they have questions of the Staff or consultant. 5 The presiding officer requests a motion and second from a member of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee to open the public hearing and calls for a vote. 5 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc 6 The presiding officer declares the public hearing opened, announces the time and then proceeds to ask for citizen input, comments and questions. 6.1 Members of the public, interested parties or their a uthorized representatives may address the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee orally. If the speaker intends to present written or hard copy materials to support their presentation to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, they must provide the Staff, at th e time of their presentation or before, copies of the original for distribution to Committee Members, City Staff and the Recording Secretary. The materials will be included in the public record. If the speaker intends to present audio or video materials to support their presentation to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, such materials must be in an electronic format that is compatible with the City’s existing equipment. An audio or video presentation may not introduce testimony from any person other than the author. The electronic materials must be submitted to the Staff by 12:00 noon of the day of the meeting. 6.2 If unable to attend the meeting, members of the public, interested parties or their authorized representatives may submit written commen ts and supporting materials. Nine (9) copies of the comments and materials must be submitted to the City Staff prior to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee meeting. The comments and materials will be distributed to Committee members, City Staff, and th e Recording Secretary. The written comments and materials will become part of the record, but will not be read aloud at the meeting 6.3 Recorded testimony if unable to attend a meeting. Members of the public, interested parties or their authorized repre sentatives may submit testimony to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee using a prerecorded audio or video communication . An audio or video communication must be in an electronic format that is compatible with the City’s existing equipment. An audio or video presentation may not introduce testimony from any person other than the author. The author of the recorded testimony must provide nine (9) copies to the City Staff at least seven calendar days prior to the meeting in order to allow Staff an opportuni ty to view the presentation on the City’s equipment to make certain there are no technical difficulties with the equipment. It is the responsibility of the individual using an audio or video format to consult with the City to determine compatibility. The City Department responsible for the agenda item will also prepare a brief summary of the audio or video presentation. The presentation and the summary will be provided to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee as part of the agenda package. The presentat ion and the summary will become a part of the public record. Generally, agenda packages are distributed to members of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee on the Wednesday preceding the meeting. 7 After all persons have been heard, the presiding offi cer will ask twice whether there are any other persons in attendance who want to be heard on the matter pending. If there is no other testimony, the presiding officer requests a motion. There are two possible motions, seconds and votes: 6 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc  A motion and se cond to close the public hearing. Once the vote is taken, the public hearing is closed. The presiding officer announces, for the record, the time the public hearing is closed: or  A motion and second to continue the public hearing to a date certain. The presiding officer, in consultation with the City Staff and Commissioners, shall select and announce a time and date certain for the continued public hearing. No additional publication or notice requirements are needed if a hearing is continued to a later s pecified date. No public hearing may be continued more than once without re - notice, publishing the time, date, location and subject of the public hearing. 8 The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee addresses the subject matter through deliberation. The Tra ffic Safety Advisory Committee may ask questions of the Staff. If the public hearing has been closed Commissioners should refrain from calling upon a member of the public except for the sole purpose of asking a question that can be answered by a “yes” or “no” response. The presiding officer will call upon each member of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee for their comments and reaction to information received from the Staff presentation or public hearing comments. 9 If the public hearing has been closed, rather than continued until a date certain, the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee may take action on the subject matter. 407 : VOTING : All members of the Committee have equal voting authority. SECTION 500: SCOPE OF POWERS AND DUTIES 501: POWERS AND DUTIES: The Committee shall act in an advisory capacity to the Prior Lake City Council and shall advise the City Council on traffic safety matters identified in Section 200 or as assigned to the committee. T he Committee Chair shall give an accountin g of the Committee’s activities with respect to its goals and objectives before the City Council. Additionally, specific powers, duties and responsibilities may be assigned to the Committee upon approval of the City Council. 502: SUBCOMMITTEES : The Comm ittee may divide its membership into Subcommittees as it deems necessary to implement its goals and objectives. SECTION 600: AMENDMENTS 601: These bylaws shall be reviewed by the Committee annually. The Committee may recommend revised bylaws to the Cit y Council for final approval. 7 C: \ DOCUME~1 \ cgreen \ LOCALS~1 \ Temp \ ELF20110114_091856 \ Bylaws TSAC Jan 2011.doc