ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATION BY MUNICIPALITIES

Representation on the NRPC shall be by Commissioners. Each municipality comprising the Northwest Region shall appoint 2 Commissioners. The term of appointment shall be for 3 years, starting on May 1st in the year of appointment. New appointments to the NRPC should be confirmed, in writing, by municipalities before April 15th of each term.
At meetings of the NRPC, each Commissioner shall have one vote.
Commissioners shall be eligible to hold any office of the NRPC subject to the conditions of Article VII.

ARTICLE V APPROPRIATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Section 501 Funding
Member municipalities appropriate funds to the NRPC as provided in the Act. The NRPC may also receive funds from other sources.

Section 502 Assessment Apportionment
Member municipalities' share of expenses of the NRPC shall be in a ratio similar to the proportion of a municipality's population of the region, as determined by the most recent U.S. Census. Municipal membership assessments shall be fixed by the majority of Commissioners present and voting at a duly constituted meeting to be held on or before December 1st of each year. [Amended 6/26/96].
 

Section 601 Board of Commissioners
The Board of Commissioners, hereinafter called the Board, shall consist of the Commissioners.

Section 602 Officers
The officers of the Board shall include a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary/Treasurer.

Section 603 Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, the standing committee chairpersons, and the Commission's representative to the most prominent statewide planning organization, as determined by vote of the Board of Commissioners annually at the May meeting, who shall be a Commissioner and a non-voting member. [Amended 6/26/96].

Section 604 Standing Committees
There shall be 3 standing committees: Finance/Operations Committee, Personnel Committee, and Program/Project Review Committee. Each committee shall consist of no less than 5 Commissioners, including the committee chairperson. [Amended 6/26/96].

Section 605 Special Committees and Appointments
The Board may appoint, empower, dissolve or remove special committees, task forces, or representatives to/from other boards for purposes of addressing specific problems or fostering cooperative efforts. A time limit for the functioning of a task force or other board appointment shall be set by the Board at the time of appointment. [Amended 6/26/96].

Section 606 Staff
The staff of the NRPC shall include an Executive Director and other necessary administrative and technical staff as shall be authorized by the Board. Personnel management shall be in accordance with the NRPC's duly adopted personnel policy. [Amended 6/26/96].
 

Section 701 Qualifications
The Chairperson shall have been a member of the Board for 2 years, except in the case of a vacancy, when the Vice Chairperson shall become Chairperson (Article VII, Section 705).

The Vice Chairperson shall have been a member of the Board for 1 year.

The Representative to the Council of Regional Commissions shall have served on the Executive Committee.

Section 702 Nominations
Nominations will be taken from the floor for all officers, standing committee chairs and the Commission's Representative to the Council of Regional Commissions at the regular Board meeting one month prior to the annual meeting. A list of eligible candidates will be provided to the members prior to this meeting.

Section 703 Election of Officers, Standing Committee Chairs and Representative to the Council of Regional Commissions
The officers, standing committee chairs and Representative to the Council of Regional Commissions of the NRPC shall be elected by the written ballots of the Commissioners present and voting at the annual meeting. [Amended 6/26/96].

Section 704 Terms of Office
The terms of office for the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, the Secretary/ Treasurer and the standing committee chairs shall be 1 year beginning immediately after the meeting at which they are elected. Officers shall hold office until their successors have been elected and installed.
The term of office for the Commission's Representative to the Council of Regional Commissions shall be 2 years beginning after the meeting at which he/she is declared elected; but he/she shall remain in office until a successor has been elected and installed.
[Amended 6/26/96].

Section 705 Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson shall become the Chairperson until such time as the vacancy is filled.
All vacancies shall be filled by election at the next regular meeting. Persons so elected shall hold office until the next annual election or until their successors are elected and installed. [Amended 6/26/96].
 

Section 801 Commissioners
It shall be the duty of each Commissioner to make annual and periodic reports of the activities of the NRPC to the legislative body by whom he/she was appointed.

Section 802 Chairperson
The Chairperson of the Board shall call meetings of the Board and the Executive Committee, shall preside at these meetings and, except as otherwise provided, create and discharge special committees and serve as a non-voting ex-officio member to all committees, and shall perform such other duties as customary to the office. The Chairperson shall cast his or her vote on all issues voted on at a full Board and/or Executive Committee meeting, unless he or she wishes to abstain.
He/She shall appoint members of standing committees subject to confirmation by the Board at the July meeting.
He/She shall prepare and cause to be distributed to members, a tentative agenda for all Board and Executive Committee meetings.

Section 803 Vice Chairperson
The Vice Chairperson shall act as Chairperson in the absence or incapacity of the Chairperson.

Section 804 Secretary/Treasurer
The Secretary/Treasurer shall perform such duties as are assigned by these bylaws, put into effect the directives of the Board, and be the chair of the Finance/Operations Committee.

Section 805 Representative to the Council of Regional Commissions
He/She represents the Commission on the state-wide Council of Regional Commissions, pursuant to the Act.

Section 806 Executive Committee
The purpose of the Executive Committee shall be long range planning and leadership in order to facilitate management of the NRPC between regular meetings of the Board. In the absence of full Board representation, the Executive Committee may make such decisions as are required to maintain continuous operation of the NRPC. Such authority shall only be granted to the Executive Committee in matters which cannot be deferred until the next regular Board meeting. All such decisions shall be reported for ratification to the Board at the next regular meeting.

Section 807 Committee Chairpersons
Committee Chairpersons shall call meetings of their committees as needed and report recommendations and actions to the Board.

Section 808 Finance/Operations Committee
This committee shall develop, review and recommend changes to the NRPC's municipal assessment policy, and recommend an annual budget and municipal assessment rate, for Board consideration. It shall advise the Board on major equipment purchases, leases, contracts, etc.

Section 809 Personnel Committee
This committee shall develop, administer, review and recommend changes to the NRPC's personnel policy.

Section 810 Program/Project Review Committee
This committee shall develop, administer, review and recommend changes to the NRPC's annual work program and project review policy.

Section 811 Executive Director
The Executive Director takes direction from, and is responsible to the Board and its Executive Committee. It is the responsibility of the Executive Director to assist in the development, administration and implementation of policies and programs adopted by the Board.

Section 901 NRPC Board Meetings
The Board shall meet on the last Wednesday of each month. Meetings will be held at a time and place to be determined by the Chairperson. Changes from this procedure may be made when necessary by the Chairperson.

Section 902 Special Board Meetings
Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Chairperson. Special meetings shall be called if requested in writing by 5 or more Commissioners.

Section 903 Annual Meeting
The annual meeting shall be the regularly scheduled meeting in the month of June.

Section 904 Notice of Meetings
Seven days written notice of all regular meetings of the Board shall be distributed with a tentative agenda by the Chairperson or Executive Director to all Commissioners and local media.

Section 905 Minutes of Meetings
Minutes of all meetings of the Board and of the Executive Committee shall be the responsibility of the Secretary.
Minutes shall be filed at the NRPC office and be available within 5 days of the meeting, and a copy shall be mailed to all Commissioners prior to or with the tentative agenda of the next scheduled meeting. [Amended 6/26/96].

Section 906 Quorum
A quorum of the Board shall consist of one Commissioner from a simple majority of the member municipalities.
[amended 1/28/98]
 

Upon the authorization of the Executive Committee, or upon petition by 10 or more Commissioners, an amendment to these bylaws shall be presented to the Board. Any proposed amendment to these bylaws shall first be sent to the Commissioners in preliminary form for consideration and comment for a period of not less than 21 days. Not later than 21 days after this period, the Executive Committee shall submit to the Commission a report summarizing the comments received and the recommendations of the Executive Committee.

Adoption of any amendment(s) shall require the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Commissioners present and voting at a duly constituted regular meeting.
 

The NRPC shall apply the current Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, and so be governed by them in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws and rules of order of the NRPC.
 

In the event any Commissioner, officer or employee has a personal or financial interest with any individual, partnership, firm or corporation seeking to contract with the NRPC, or to provide materials or labor thereto, or has a personal or financial interest in a project, or a project before Act 250 or other regulatory board where the NRPC is a party, such person shall state on the record the nature of his or her interest, refrain from exercising undo influence with respect to such contract or project, and shall not vote on related motions.

In the event a Commissioner is uncertain whether he or she has a conflict of interest in or is challenged in any matter, the Board shall state, for the record, its position as determined by roll call vote.
 

Section 1301 Commissioners
The Chairperson will notify the appropriate legislative body when any Commissioner fails to attend more than two consecutive meetings and recommend that the Commissioner be replaced.

Section 1302 Elected Incumbents
Any incumbent in any elected position of the NRPC may be removed from office, for cause, at any duly constituted regular or special meeting, called for that purpose, by a two-thirds vote of the Commissioners present and voting by written ballot. The results of the ballot shall be ascertained and announced at such meeting.

Section 1401 Fiscal Year
The fiscal year for the NRPC shall be from July 1st through June 30th.

Section 1402 Bonding
All positions with fiduciary responsibilities assigned by the Board shall be bonded for the faithful performance of duties in an amount to be approved by the Board. The premiums for such a bond shall be paid for from NRPC funds.
 
 
 

Amendment History
June 26, 1996:
V. 501, 502. Section headings added. "The NRPC may also receive funds from other sources," added to 501 and deleted from 502 for consistency.
VI. 603. Changed Executive Committee membership to include "representative to most prominent statewide planning organization" (e.g., VT Association of Planning & Development Agencies, Council of Regional Commissions, etc.) as determined by annual vote, in lieu of representative to Council of Regional Commissions, as non-voting member. Clarified that representative to statewide planning organization is a Commissioner.
VI. 604. Added word "Committee" following named standing committees for clarification.
VI. 605. Amended wording for clarification; no substantive change.
VI. 606. Changed "Staffing" to "Personnel management" for clarification.
VII. 703. Deleted "affirmative" preceding "written ballots."
VII. 704. Changed term of office for standing committee chairs from 2 to 1 year. Eliminated 2 year term limit for positions of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.
VII. 705. Changed succession of Vice Chair to Chair in the event of a vacancy to election at next regular meeting, rather than annual meeting.
IX. 905. Clarified that the Secretary (Secretary/Treasurer) is responsible for Board and Executive Committee meeting minutes with regard to timely release and availability, regardless of who takes or prepares them.

January 28, 1998
XI. 906 A quorum of the Board shall consist of a simple majority of the Commissioners appointed and confirmed, except as otherwise required by the Act or other specific articles of these bylaws. Amended to read " a quorum of the board shall consist of one Commissioner from a simple majority of member municipalities.

Commission Bylaw History:
Bylaws first adopted May 17, 1966
Amended: December 10, 1969
February 21, 1971
April 14, 1971
October 13, 1971
Repealed: June 1973