ITEM:		ACTION ITEMS
16.	CONSIDER Amendment of MPWMD Meeting Rule 7 Creating A Chair/Vice Chair Committee CHARGE and other Policy PROCEDERAL Matters Related to Board Committees and MPWMD Advisory Committees
Meeting Date:			December 12, 2005	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David A. Berger,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Same	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: Yes
Committee Recommendation: Yes
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: Chair Foy and Vice Chair Markey have developed for the Board’s consideration a proposed “charge” to clarify the purpose and function of the Chair/Vice Chair Committee. They propose that this charge be created as an amendment to Rule 7 (Committees) of the MPWMD Meeting Rules. They also propose that each adopted charge of all other Board committees and MPWMD advisory committees, which are described in a separate item on this evening’s Board agenda, be referenced in and attached to the Meeting Rules. The proposed Rule 7 changes also recite applicable Brown Act requirements and committee meeting notice policy previously adopted by the Board. These proposed amendments to Rule 7 of the existing Meeting Rules are shown in italics on Exhibit 16-A.

RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Board approve by motion the proposed amendment to Rule 7 (Committees) of the MPWMD Meeting Rules (Exhibit 16-A).

BACKGROUND: Chairman Foy requested that an item related to roles and responsibilities of the Board Chair, officers and Board committees be placed on the May 3, 2005 special meeting agenda, to follow the 2005-06 budget workshop. At the April 26, 2005 Chair/Vice Chair meeting, Vice Chair Markey and Director Knight (who was filling in for Chair Foy) reviewed this matter, and recommended that at the May 3 meeting the Board identify the policy and process issues that need to be addressed related to the authority of the Chair, officers and Board committees. They also suggested that the Board schedule a subsequent workshop for purposes of discussing and resolving these policy and process issues. Due to the lack of time available for discussion of this item at that special meeting, the item was added to the agenda for a June 16, 2005 Board workshop for discussion and direction. At that time, the Directors agreed that one role of the Chair and Vice Chair was to review proposed agenda items and assign them to a committee or place them on the Board meeting agenda for consideration. The Directors also expressed an interest in the future development of a charge for each District committee; however, the Board recognized that existing priorities should take precedence over that task. Chair Foy and Vice Chair Markey suggested that further discussion was needed on this item and included it on the Board’s September 8, 2005 Strategic Planning Workshop agenda.

During the September 8 Strategic Planning Workshop the Board Members further discussed the roles and responsibilities of the Board Chair, officers and Board committees. The Board’s direction, as reflected in the adopted 2005-06 Strategic Plan, was that draft charges should be developed by the Chair/Vice Chair Committee and other Board committees, as well as MPWMD advisory committees, for consideration at the December 12, 2005 Board meeting.

At their October 21 and November 22, 2005 meetings Chair Foy and Vice Chair Markey discussed and decided on a proposed charge describing the purpose and function of the Chair/Vice Chair Committee (Exhibit 16-A). At the Board’s request during the September 8 workshop, they also discussed the issue of the Chair’s role and reached consensus that under existing MPWMD Meeting Rules the Chair, as presiding officer of the Board, already has express or implied authority to a) name a third, non-rotating member of the Committee, and b) make final decisions on process issues discussed at Chair/Vice Chair meetings.

EXHIBITS

16-A Proposed Amendment to Section 7 (committees) of MPWMD Meeting Rules

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