HomeMy WebLinkAbout127071 RESOLUTION NO. 12,707
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3 A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE AMENDED BYLAWS OF THE LITTLE ROCK
4 SISTER CITIES COMMISSION; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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6 WHEREAS, the City of Little Rock created the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission (the
7 "Commission ") with the enactment of Little Rock Ordinance No. 16,306 on November 17, 1992, and
8 WHEREAS, the Commission is authorized to draft bylaws which shall be effective upon approval by
9 the Board of Directors, and
10 WHEREAS, the Commission has recently amended its bylaws and requires the approval of the Board
11 before they are effective.
12 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF LITTLE
13 ROCK, ARKANSAS:
14 Section 1. The Board of Directors hereby approves the amended bylaws of the Little Rock Sister
15 Cities Commission's, a copy of which is attached to this resolution.
16 Section 2. Severability. In the event any title, section, paragraph, item, sentence, clause,
17 phrase, or word of this resolution is declared or adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional, such
18 declaration or adjudication shall not affect the remaining portions of the resolution which shall remain
19 in full force and effect as if the portion so declared or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional were not
20 originally a part of the resolution.
21 Section 3. Repealer. All laws, ordinances, resolutions, or parts of the same, that are inconsistent
22 with the provisions of this resolution, are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.
23 ADOPTED: June 3, 2008
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25 ATTEST: APPROVED:
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28 Nan Wood, ty Clerk Mark Stodola, Mayor
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30 APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM:
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32 R--�
33 Thomas M. Carpenter, City Att ney
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[PAGE 1 OF 11
Resolution
Approving the Amended Bylaws of the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission
BYLAWS FOR THE LITTLE ROCK
SISTER CITIES COMMISSION
CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
ARTICLE I.
NAME: The name of this organization shall be the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission
(hereafter referred to as the Commission).
ARTICLE II.
PURPOSE: The purpose of the Commission shall be to encourage public awareness and participation in
Sister City activities.
ARTICLE III.
MEMBERSHIP: Section 1. The Commission shall consist of thirteen (13) members who shall be
qualified electors of the City of Little Rock, appointed by the City of Little Rock Board of Directors upon
recommendation of the Commission.
Section 2. The initial appointments to the Commission shall be for one, two, three, four, and five
year terms, and thereafter all appointments shall be for a term of five years or until a successor is
qualified; provided no person shall be appointed for more than two consecutive full terms.
Section 3. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original
appointment.
Section 4. As per Little Rock City Ordinance number 14,492, when a member of a board or
commission has missed more than 25% of all regular meetings of that particular board or commission in
one (1) calendar year or more than three (3) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, then such person
is automatically removed from such position. Unless, prior to the next scheduled meetings of the City
Board of Directors, the member submits in writing his desire to remain on the board of commission, then
the City board of directors, by a majority vote, shall allow the member to continue to serve.
ARTICLE IV.
MEETINGS. Section 1. Official meetings of the Commission shall be held on the first
Wednesday of every month at 11:30 a.m., in the Sister Cities Commission Conference Room, 2nd floor,
City Hall or such other place as designated by the Chair of the Commission. The Commission may
conduct official meetings by telephone or videoconferences.
Section 2. Special meetings of the Commission may be called by the Chair, or in the absence of the
Chair, by the Vice - Chair, or upon written request of six or more Commissioners. Notice of a special
meeting shall be given as prescribed by the Freedom of Information Act.
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Section 3. All meetings of the Commission shall be conducted according to the latest revision of
Roberts' Rules of Order, but it shall be necessary in any event for a quorum to be present for the
Commission to act. A quorum shall be defined as a simple majority of the existing members of the
Commission.
Section 4. An agenda for each regularly scheduled meeting and the minutes of the last meeting shall
be sent to each Commission member in advance of the meeting. The Chair shall approve the agenda for
each meeting and additional items may be proposed by any member of the Commission.
Section 5. The Commission shall act as a body in making its decisions and announcing them. No
Member other than the Chair shall speak or act for the Commission without prior authorization.
Section 6. All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public, and notice of these meetings
shall be provided in compliance with FOIA
Section 7. Provided there is a quorum present, a majority of those present shall be required to adopt
any item of business.
ARTICLE V.
OFFICERS. Section 1. The officers of the Commission shall consist of a Chair, Vice - Chair,
Secretary, and Treasurer, each of whom shall be elected by the Commission.
Section 2. Terms of officers shall be for one (1) year and officers may succeed themselves.
Section 3. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
CHAIR. The Chair shall preside over all meetings. The Chair shall appoint all standing and ad
hoc committees. The Chair shall have the authority to call special meetings provided the proper notices
are given. The Chair shall be responsible for establishing the monthly meeting agenda. The Chair shall
be considered an ex- officio member of all committees.
VICE - CHAIR. In the event of the absences of the Chair, the Vice -Chair shall assume the duties of the
Chair.
SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep accurate records of all proceedings of the Commission. Minutes
of all Commission meetings shall be promptly recorded and maintained and shall be open for public
inspection. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of attendance. The Secretary may be assisted in
the execution of these duties by a member of the City Manager's Staff.
TREASURER. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all monies received and disbursed by the
Commission and make a monthly written financial report to the Commission.
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ARTICLE VI.
DUTIES AND POWERS. Section 1. As per Little Rock Ordinance number 16,306,
the Commission shall have the following duties and powers.
a. To draft a set of bylaws for such a Commission and to periodically review said bylaws for any
necessary changes;
b. To develop guidelines and a program for a Sister City relationship with other cities throughout
the world;
c. To prepare an annual report of the activities of the Commission for the City of Little Rock and to
compare the Commission's activities to those similar commissions in comparable cities
throughout the Country;
d. To develop a budget as necessary for Commission projects to be considered by the Little Rock
Board of Directors;
e. To initiate, sponsor, or conduct, alone or in conjunction with other cities or agencies, public
programs to further public awareness of and interest in communities throughout the world
emphasizing such things as the cultural, historical, and economic aspects of the City's adopted
sister cities;
f. To advise and assist the City in connection with such other activities as many be referred to the
Commission by the Little Rock Board of Directors;
g. To generally stimulate, facilitate, coordinate, and cooperate with existing organizations
throughout the Country for the promotion and development of Sister City relationships.
Section 2. Fundraising Activities. To generally stimulate, facilitate and coordinate fund - raising
activities as needed.
ARTICLE VII.
COMMITTEES. The Commission may include the following standing committees and other
committees as deemed necessary and appropriate:
A. Communications
B. Economic Development
C. Youth Leadership Committee
Special committees or task forces may be created by the Chair of the Commission. All Committees
or task forces are advisory in nature and do not have the authority to make final decisions on
Commission policy regarding any Commission business. Such decisions are reserved for the
Commission itself and must be considered at a regular or special meeting as defined above.
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ARTICLE VIII.
INDEMNIFICATION. In the course of carrying out their responsibilities, Members of the
Commission are immune from liability and suit for damages pursuant to the Arkansas tort immunity law
which covers the City of Little Rock and its employees except to the extent the conduct of a
Commissioner is adjudged to be an intentional act rather than negligence. Members of the Commission
are also subject to the terms and conditions of the Arkansas Municipal League Legal Defense Program, as
may be amended from time to time.
ARTICLE IX.
AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS. These bylaws may be amended at any regular business meeting
of the Commission by a two- thirds vote of the entire membership, provided the amendment has been
submitted in writing at the previous regular business meeting, and shall become effective when approved
by the Little Rock Board of Directors.
Approved this 3rd day of June 2008, by the Little Rock Board of Directors.
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