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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-2024 Bylaws for the City of Fairhope Junior City CouncilBYLAWS FOR THE CITY OF FAIRHOPE JUNIOR CITY COUNCIL ARTICLE 1. NAME The name of the Council is the City of Fairhope Junior City Council. ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE AND DUTIES The Fairhope Junior City Council, "FJCC," exists to provide youth outreach and serve as the youth's voice in the City of Fairhope. ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP The Junior City Council is composed of eleven (11) members appointed by an anonymous committee from City Hall. Fairhope High School Student Government Association President and Vice-President will be an ex-officio member of the Junior City Council and will attend monthly meetings. Ex-officio members do not have voting privileges. Junior City Council members serve for a term of two (2) years beginning September 1st on the year of appointment. An individual Council member may not act in an official capacity except through the action of the Junior City Council. Junior City Council member who is absent for three (3) consecutive meetings or one-third (1/3) of all regular meetings on a 'rolling' twelve-month period automatically vacates the member's position. This does not apply to an absence due to illness or injury of the Junior City Council member or an illness or injury of a Junior City Council member's immediate family. The Junior City Council member must notify the Junior City Council president of the reason for the absence no later than the date of the next regular meeting of the board. Failure to notify the president before the next regular meeting of the Junior City Council will result in an unexcused absence. A member who seeks to resign from the Junior City Council shall submit a written resignation to the president of the Junior City Council. If possible, the resignation should allow for a thirty (30)day notice so the Junior City Council can have a replacement appointed. ARTICLE 4. OFFICERS The officers of the Junior City Council shall consist of a president, president pro tempore, a secretary, a media manager, and a programs manager. Officers shall be elected annually by a majority vote of the Junior City Council members at the first regular meeting after August 1st. In the event a current officer becomes ineligible to serve as an officer, the Junior City Council may hold an emergency election as needed. The term of office shall be one (1) year beginning September 1st and ending August 30th. An officer may continue to serve until a successor is elected. A person may not serve as an officer in a designated position of the Junior City Council for more than two (2) consecutive one­ year terms. A member may not hold more than one office at a time. ARTICLE 5. DUTIES OF OFFICERS The president shall preside at Junior City Council meetings. In the absence of the president, the president pro tempore shall perform all duties of the president. The secretary shall take minutes at all regularly scheduled meetings of the Junior City Council as well as any special called meetings of the Junior City Council. The media manager shall preside over the Junior City Council's social media. The programs manager shall preside over all Junior City Council events and programs. ARTICLE 6. AGENDAS Two or more Junior City Council members may place an item on the agenda by oral or written request to the secretary at least five days before the meeting. After first consulting with and receiving approval from the president, the agenda shall be approved by the president as the final meeting agenda. The secretary shall send the agenda to all Junior City Council members via email. The secretary shall publicly announce the meeting and post the agenda in accordance with Alabama Open Meetings Act. ARTICLE 7. MEETINGS Junior City Council meetings shall be goyerned by Robert's Rules of Order. The Junior City Council may not conduct a closed meeting. The Junior City Council shall meet monthly. In September of each year, the Junior City Council shall adopt a schedule of the meetings for the upcoming year, including makeup meeting dates for holidays and canceled meetings. The president may call a special meeting, and the president shall call a special meeting if requested by four (4) or more members. The call shall state the purpose of the meeting. Six (6) members constitute a quorum. If a quorum for a meeting does not convene within one-half hour of the posted time for the meeting, then the meeting may not be held. To be effective, a Junior City Council must be adopted by an affirmative vote of the number of members necessary to provide a quorum (6). If only a quorum is present at a meeting, a Junior City Council action is adopted by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the quorum present. The president does not vote except to break a tie. The Junior City Council shall allow citizens to address the Junior City Council on agenda items and during a period of time set aside for citizen communications. The president may limit the speaker to three minutes. The secretary shall prepare the board minutes. The minutes of each board meeting must include the vote of each member on each item before the board and indicate whether a member is absent or failed to vote on an item. The secretary shall retain agendas, approved minutes, internal review reports and bylaws. The secretary shall send copies of agendas, approved minutes, internal reviews and reports and bylaws to the office of the Mayor of the City of Fairhope. ARTICLE 8. WORKING GROUPS The Junior Council may form working groups to achieve a goal established by majority vote of the Junior City Council. A working group may designate a chair, with the members' consent, but is not required to do so. Quorum requirements do not apply to working groups. Each working group shall make a Junior City Council liaison. Each working group shall make a report to the Junior City Council at its regularly scheduled meetings. ARTICLE 9. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Junior City Council in all cases to which they are applicable. ARTICLE 10. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS A bylaw amendment is not effective unless approved by the majority members of the Junior City Council. These bylaws were approved by the Fairhope Junior City Council at their meeting held on September 16th 2024.