Operating Guide for Village Committees, Commissions and Boards
Operating Guide for Village Committees,
Commissions and Boards
The “Operating Guide for Volunteer Village Committees, Commissions and Boards” represents a general set of parameters that guide the actions and deliberations of the Village’s volunteer committees, commissions and boards. This guide is distributed to each volunteer as part of an overall orientation and materials packet. It provides information of a general nature on matters of rules and practices generic to volunteer service.
Meeting Dates:
The number of meetings as well as a schedule of meeting dates shall be established annually, in advance of any meeting dates. Future meeting dates may be changed at any regularly scheduled meeting. All meetings shall be in compliance with the Illinois Open Meeting Act.
Additional meetings may be held at any time upon the call of the Chair or by a majority of the members of any committee, commission or board with at least 48-hour notice to each member of the volunteer body and the media. The Village Clerk shall also be notified and notice of any special, non-scheduled meeting shall be posted in the Village Hall as well as any other location where the committee, commission or board customarily meets. At a minimum, all committees, commissions and boards shall meet at least quarterly.
Chairman & Secretary:
The Chairman shall be responsible for the following:
Preside at all meetings of the commission, committee or board.
Call special meetings of the commission, committee or board in accordance with this guide and the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Sign any appropriate documents prepared by the commission, committee or board.
See that all actions of the volunteer body are properly taken.
Conduct all meetings in a proper and efficient manner.
The designated Village staff will serve as Secretary whose responsibilities are to:
Keep the minutes of all meetings of the commission, committee or board in an appropriate format.
Shall give or serve all notices required by law or by a particular adopted commission, committee or board by-laws.
Prepare the agenda for all meetings.
If appropriate, be custodian of commission, committee or board records. As necessary, all records shall be transmitted to the Village Clerk for retention.
Sign any appropriate documents prepared by the commission, committee or board.
The Vice-Chair, if appointed, shall be responsible for the following:
During the absence of the Chairman for whatever reason, the Vice-Chair shall exercise or perform all duties and be subject to all responsibilities of the Chairman.
The commission, committee or board shall elect a Vice-Chair, if deemed necessary, from among its members.
A majority of the members of a commission, committee or board then holding office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If there is not a quorum present within fifteen (15) minutes following the scheduled starting time of the commission, committee or board, the meeting shall be adjourned. Generally, when a quorum is not present, the members present will merely assemble and declare no legal meeting. Members of any volunteer body who have the knowledge of the fact that they will not be able to attend a schedule meeting of the commission, committee or board shall notify the staff liaison at the earliest possible opportunity, and in any event prior to 4:00 p.m. on the date of a scheduled meeting. The staff liaison shall notify the Chair in the event that the projected absence(s) will produce a lack of quorum.
Role of Citizens/Public:
The Village encourages residents to attend open sessions of all volunteer committee, commission and board meetings. A formal agenda will always be prepared for each open meeting and where applicable, public notices will be distributed to identified, affected property owners. The Chair of any volunteer body may limit the discussion at any open meeting to the items so specified on the published agenda.
If the agenda shall provide an open forum for general questions, on non-agenda items pertinent to the role of the volunteer body, such discussion shall be permitted but may be limited at the discretion of the Chair, with concurrence with the majority of the members of the volunteer body.
It is suggested that a form of notice be developed for inclusion in a published agenda on how questions and comments from residents will be addressed as part of the meeting structure.
Conflict of Interest:
Any member of a commission, committee or board who has a conflict of interest on any matter that is on the meeting agenda shall recuse him/herself, vacate the seat, and refrain from discussing and voting on said item. Through the staff liaison or Village Manager, the Village Attorney shall be contacted to determine if a conflict exists
Duties & Responsibilities:
A committee, commission or board shall have the duties and responsibilities as set forth in the Village’s Municipal Code, state statute or other procedure or policy. Additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned by the Village Mayor and Board of Trustees.
Roberts Rules of Order:
Roberts Rules of Order have been adopted for the governance of the Village.
Annual Report & Meeting:
On an annual basis, each volunteer commission, committee and board will prepare an Annual Report for submittal to the Village board. The staff liaison assigned will be responsible for the preparation of the report in partnership with the volunteer body. Content of the report will be in a format that is consistent between all groups. A sample format is attached as an exhibit to this guide.
The Chairperson of each volunteer commission, committee and board will provide a written report to the Village Board for presentation annually.
Oath of Office/Ethics:
Every member of a volunteer commission, committee and board shall file an oath of office. In addition, every commissioner and board member will comply with code of ethics of the Village, County and State.
Attendance at Meetings:
It will be the obligation of each member of any volunteer commission, committee or board to attend all meetings. In the event of illness or unavoidable absence, it is the responsibility of the member to notify the Chair or staff liaison. The “benchmark” for meeting attendance will be 75% of those meetings scheduled or called during any 12-month period. Members need to be present at 75% or more of all meetings to remain in good standing.
A member of any volunteer body who misses three consecutive meetings may be required to submit a written explanation to the Chair of the commission, committee or board.
A member may be removed, or not reappointed, if absences are excessive or not justified.
Resignations:
Members of commissions, committees and boards who find it necessary to resign shall notify the Chair of their volunteer body in writing, who will notify the Village Mayor. Appointments will be made as soon as practical from applicants within the Village.
Staff Liaisons:
The Village Manager shall designate a staff liaison for each commission, committee and board. These staff liaison shall advise and provide technical support in addition to other defined duties under the direction of the Village Manager.
Training:
If any member of any volunteer commission, committee or board believes that training should be provided in order to improve the performance and understanding of the obligations of that member or the volunteer board collectively, contact should be made to either the Chair or trustee/staff liaison. The staff liaison from time to time will schedule specific training.
Other:
Other guidelines may be prepared from time to time that are specific to any given commission, committee or board. Requests for clarification of any points raised within these guidelines shall be brought to the attention of either the Chair or staff liaison. Revisions shall be reissued as appropriate. This document should be maintained as a reference with other material generic to the volunteer body served.