Bylaws

1. Name: Sonoma County Veterans Memorial Buildings Advisory Committee (“Advisory Committee”)
2. Principle Office: The principle office is hereby fixed and located at the offices of the General Services Department, 2300 County Center Dr. Suite A200 Santa Rosa, CA 95403
3. Established: Established April 29, 1980.
4. Purpose: To advise the Board of Supervisors on the condition of the Veterans Memorial Buildings: including but not limited to rental rates, rental rate structure, usage, marketing, and capital improvements.
5. Membership:
   1. Advisory Committee members shall be composed of eight veterans one from each of the seven Veterans Memorial Buildings listed below, as well as one member of the United Veterans Council.
      1. Cloverdale
      2. Cotati
      3. Guerneville
      4. Petaluma
      5. Santa Rosa
      6. Sebastopol
      7. Sonoma
   2. The Board of Supervisors shall appoint all members of the Advisory Committee, in the Board’s sole discretion, and the Advisory Committee members shall serve as and when determined by the Board and at the Board’s sole pleasure. (Res 18-0225).
   3. Each member shall be furnished with a copy of the “Policy and Guidelines for Advisory Bodies Roles and Relationships” adopted by the Board of Supervisors, and the Advisory Committee Bylaws, and Advisory Committee Guidelines.
   4. No compensation shall be given to the members.
   5. Travel mileage shall be allowed for attendance at Advisory Committee meetings.
   6. Members shall not be required to file a Form 700 Conflict of Interest Statement, but shall be required to take AB 1234 training.
   7. Should a vacancy occur on the Advisory Committee, the Board of Supervisors shall appoint a Veteran from that buildings community to fill the vacancy and represent that building.
6. Officers
   1. Advisory Committee shall have a Chair, Vice Chair, and a 2nd Vice Chair.
   2. The above officers shall be elected pursuant to Paragraphs 8 and 9 below. The term of office for each officer shall be one year, commencing upon the adjournment of the meeting at which the incoming officers are elected.
   3. Officers may serve consecutive terms, with no limit to number of terms.
   4. The duties of Officers shall be as follows:
      1. Chair
         • Calls all meetings to order and call attendance.
         • Presides over meetings.
         • Approves minutes from previous meeting.
         • Calls for votes.
         • Calls for election of officers.
         • Calls for special meetings.
      2. Vice Chair
         • Performs duties of Chair in the absence of the Chair.
         • Assists the Chair in the performance of duties as appropriately assigned.
      3. 2nd Vice Chair
         • Performs the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair and the Vice Chair.
7. County Staff Support
   1. County Staff Support shall be assigned by the Director of General Services or their designee. Staff members assigned to provide support to the Committee shall perform the duties listed below.
      1. Create, distribute and post the agenda and all supporting documents in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act (including all electronic postings) no less than 72 hours prior to each scheduled meeting.
      2. Take accurate meeting minutes.
      3. Verify accurate attendance records for each committee meeting.
      4. Ensure and verify electronic posting of approved minutes.
      5. Track membership rotation and report to the committee chair prior to the 4th quarter meeting each year.
      6. Create, submit, and present all items to the Board of Supervisors requiring their attention (such as: annual work plan, annual summary of accomplishments, and appointing/reappointing of committee members).
8. Voting
   1. The Chair shall call for the vote of any item before the Advisory Committee.
   2. A quorum (defined in Section 11) of the appointed members shall be required to take action on any agenda item.
   3. All votes before the Advisory Committee will require a simple majority vote to pass.
   4. Advisory Committee members shall abstain from voting where a conflict of interest exists.
9. Election of Officers
   1. During the regular quarterly meeting held in November prior to the end of the term for current Officers, the Chair will read the duties of the Chair from the By-Laws, and nominations will be accepted from the floor. Any appointed Advisory Committee member is eligible to be nominated (or to nominate themselves). The same process shall then be followed for accepting Vice Chair nominations and subsequently for accepting 2nd Vice Chair nominations.
   2. Elections can be held following the close of nominations, and Officers shall be elected by a vote of a quorum. If an Advisory Committee member is unable to attend the regular quarterly meeting they can be nominated and elected, based on prior written statement that, if elected, they will accept the position and fulfill the duties of the office.
10. Meetings
    1. Frequency
       1. Meetings will be held quarterly on the first Tuesday in February, May, August and November.
    2. Location
       1. Meetings will be held at the each of the seven Veterans Memorial Buildings on a rotating basis. Meeting locations and dates for the following year will be established during the fourth (4th) quarter meeting.
    3. Open Meetings
       1. Meetings will be open and public, as required by the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code section 54950 et seq.). Records of the Advisory Committee shall be retained at its principle office, and shall be available to the public for inspection and copying as required by the Public Records Act (Government Code section 6250 et seq.).
    4. Work Plans
       1. The Advisory Committee shall adopt an annual work plan/schedule stating their goals and objectives, and completion dates for each task during the November meeting and submit it to the Board of Supervisors no later than December 1st.
    5. Special Meetings
       1. A majority of the members may call for special meetings.
       2. Special Meetings are subject to all Brown Act requirements.
    6. Public Comment
       1. At each meeting, members of the public will be given the opportunity to directly address the Advisory Committee on agenda matters before being voted on, and on matters within the jurisdiction of the Advisory Committee during public comment.
11. Quorum
    1. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. No action shall be taken except by a majority of the members.
12. Attendance
    1. Attendance at regular quarterly meetings is essential. Since a quorum (as defined in Section 11) is required to conduct Advisory Committee business, members are expected to attend at least three of the four quarterly meetings held during any twelve (12) month period.
13. Sub-Committees
    1. The Advisory Committee may create and dissolve sub-committees as it deems advisable in carrying out its responsibilities. All members of such sub-committees shall serve at the will and pleasure of the Advisory Committee. Committees may be “ad hoc” or “standing committees.”
    2. Ad-Hoc and standing meetings fall under the Ralph M. Brown Act unless made up of less than a majority of members.
14. Amendments to By-Laws
    1. The Advisory Committee may amend its by-laws by majority vote at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted to the Committee and made available to the public at least twenty eight days in advance of the meeting. These by-laws and any amendments thereto shall be effective upon majority vote by the Advisory Committee.
15. Parliamentary Authority
    1. On items not covered by these by-laws, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the final authority.
       
       

These By-Laws were duly adopted on [date], 2015.
[signed] Robert Safreno, Chair, Veterans Memorial Buildings Advisory Committee

Actions:

• August 4, 2015: Adoption of these by-laws by the Veterans Advisory Committee.