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2.4.1sr – Local Board Bylaws

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be the local Board of Directors of Southern Regional Technical College.

Article II. PURPOSE

Local Boards were created by Georgia State Statute (O.C.G.A. 20-4-11) to support the TCSG State Board in carrying out its mission. The primary purpose of the board and its members is to:

  1. Advise on program direction via their personal subject matter expertise and awareness of area business needs for program decisions and priorities;
  1. Serve as a check and balance for the development and implementation of college goals and objectives as well as operations policies and procedures; and
  1. Advocate within the community and the state on issues of importance in support of the Technical College System of Georgia and Georgia’s workforce development efforts.

Article III. MEMBERS AND MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership.
Each member of the local Board of Directors of Southern Regional Technical College shall be appointed by the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia. The local Board shall have at least seven and not more than fifteen members.

Members shall reside or be employed within Southern Regional Technical College's designated service area and within one of the counties they represent. Overall county representation shall generally reflect the relative populations of the counties in the service area. One member may represent up to two contiguous counties.

Members shall reflect the diversity of business, industry, and economic development interests in the service area. No more than one member shall concurrently serve on any other local board of education.

The Local Board of Directors of Southern Regional Technical College shall reflect the gender, racial, ethnic, cultural diversity of the State of Georgia and Southern Regional Technical College's service area.

Employees of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) shall not serve as members of the local Board of Directors.

Section 2. Terms.
The State Board will appoint or reappoint local board members to fill expiring terms and to serve three-year terms beginning July 1st, provided however, that this shall not prohibit the appointment of local Board members at other designated times during the year.

No member may serve more than three consecutive three-year terms but a former member may be appointed for a term to begin following a one-year break in service. A member whose term is scheduled to expire may continue to occupy his or her seat on the Local Board for a maximum of three meetings into the new fiscal year until their replacement is appointed.

Section 3. Vacancies.
Local Board of Directors of Southern Regional Technical College will notify the State Board immediately of any vacancies that occur in unexpired terms. Based on the recommendation of the college president, the State Board will appoint a new member to serve the remainder of the term as soon as practicable. A new member who fills an unexpired term is eligible to serve three consecutive three-year terms on his/her own.

Section 4. Resignations and Removal

  1. Any local Board member may resign at any time by notifying the college president who serves as the Executive Secretary of the Board. The President will inform the TCSG System Office (via TCDA) of the resignation. Using the local board appointment process, the college president may recommend a replacement to complete the local Board member’s term.
  2. Any local Board member may be removed from office by the State Board after a majority vote of the local board members then in office whenever, in their judgment, the best interests of the college and/or the local Board of Directors is affected. Written requests for removal with a supporting statement of concern will be forwarded to the State Board by the college president for their action. Notice of the date, time, place, and purposes of the meeting at which the removal is to be acted upon shall be given to such local Board member intended to be removed at least ten (10) days prior to the date of such meeting and must state the reason for the proposed removal, consistent with the approved By-Laws. Disciplinary issues shall be conducted in accordance with Georgia’s Open and Public Meeting Statutes O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3 and § 50-14-4.

Section 5. Ethics.
Members of the local boards must safeguard their ability to make objective, fair, and impartial decisions and, therefore, should not accept any benefits of any sort under circumstances in which it could be inferred by a reasonable observer that the benefit was intended to influence a pending or future decision or to reward a past decision. Members of the local board must hold themselves to the ethical standards mandated by O.C.G.A. § 45-10-3. Further, members of the local advisory boards shall electronically file a Public Officer Affidavit with the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission by January 31st of each calendar year and shall be subject to the same general business transaction disclosure requirements as state employees pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 45-10-26.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

Section 1. Officers.
The officers of the local Board of Directors will be the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and the Executive Secretary.

Section 2. Election and Terms of Office.

  1. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will be elected by the local Board of Directors from Southern Regional Technical College from its membership at its last regularly scheduled meeting prior to July 1 of said year. The term of office for the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will be one year. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will assume their respective positions on July 1 following election; no person shall hold more than one of these offices concurrently.
  2. Executive Secretary. The President of Southern Regional Technical College, who shall not be a member of the local Board of Directors, will be the Executive Secretary.

Section 3. Removal of Officers.
The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson may be removed at any time by two-thirds vote of the Local Board.

Section 4. Vacancies.
Vacancies in the offices of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be filled by the local Board of Directors of Southern Regional Technical College as soon as practicable.

Section 5. Duties of Chairperson.
The Chairperson shall be a member of the Southern Regional Technical College local Board, shall preside at the meetings of the board with the authority to vote, and shall appoint the members of any and all such committees as necessary for the Local Board to perform its assigned duties.

The Chairperson shall be an ex officio member of all committees with the authority to vote.

Section 6. Duties of Vice Chairperson.
The Vice Chairperson shall be a member of the local Board and shall perform the duties and have the powers of the Chairperson during the absence or disability of the Chairperson.

Section 7. Duties of the Executive Secretary.
As Executive Secretary, the President will schedule and arrange for meetings of the local Board and furnish meeting notices and materials, as needed, to members in advance of such meetings. The Executive Secretary will normally be present at all meetings of the local Board and shall ensure that an accurate record be kept of the proceedings of the meetings of the local Board and its committees.

The President will be responsible for implementing recommendations of the Local Board and for the administrative and operational support of the Local Board.

Section 8. Committees

  1. Local Boards may establish committees to serve as college liaisons in specific areas; the committees’ roles will be to advise and provide support to the college on specific initiatives, events, or activities. Also, the State Board may require Local Boards to form committees to assist in carrying out its mission.
  2. Local Boards may appoint Ad Hoc or special committees to address specific circumstances and dissolve when the task is completed.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS OF THE LOCAL BOARD

Section 1. Place of Meetings.
Meetings shall be held at such places as determined by the local Board. The public shall be made aware of such regular meetings through a public posting stating the time, place and dates of all regular meetings at least one week in advance of the meeting; the notice will be maintained in a conspicuous place available to the public.

Section 2. Teleconferencing.
Members may participate by teleconference or other similar means provided notice of the meetings list each location where any member of the board plans to participate and at least one location where the public can participate in the meeting. Methods used in a teleconference meeting must be such that each participating member can hear and speak to each other board member.

Members who teleconference may be counted as present for the meeting if the presiding officer is assured of the continued presence and participation of such member(s) during the course of the meeting. (Local Board may elect to restrict the number of times individual members may attend via teleconference.) An individual roll call vote of members will be required on board votes.

Section 3. Attendance at all Meetings.
Local Board members shall attend all meetings unless prevented from doing so by disability or other causes beyond their control. Members who are unable to attend at least 75% of the regularly scheduled meetings during a fiscal year should consider resignation from the local Board. No person may attend any meeting of the local Board as a substitute for any local Board member; and no person except a regular member of the local Board shall be entitled to vote in determining the action of the local Board at any time. Teleconferencing devices are to include inter-active video, mobile applications and other social media platforms providing for live voice communications.

Section 4. Regular Meetings.
All meetings of the local Board shall be conducted in compliance with Georgia’s Open and Public Meeting statutes O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1 thru § 50-14-6 and O.C.G.A. § 50-1-5. The local Board will meet at least eight times per year, and schedule one or more future meetings at each meeting. A summary of the subjects acted on and the name of members present at each meeting will be written and made available for public inspection within two (2) business days following the local Board meeting.

Section 5. Special Meetings.
Special meetings of the local Board may be called by the Chairperson. A notice of the special meeting must be made available to the public in accordance with Open and Public Meetings Laws. Business transacted at a special meeting will be confined to the purposes stated in the call for the meeting and shall in all other ways be conducted in conformance with the law. A summary will be prepared and distributed as described in Section 4.

Section 6. Committee Meetings
Committees shall meet at the direction of the Chairperson of the local Board or on call of the committee chairperson. Members participating via teleconference will be counted towards the physical quorum.

Section 7. Quorum.
At all meetings of the local Board, a majority of the full membership of the local Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The action of a majority of the members of the Local Board present at any meeting shall be the action of the local Board, except as may be otherwise provided by these by-laws. Members participating via teleconference are to be counted present and may contribute to the quorum.

Section 8. Public Meetings and Executive Session.
All meetings of the local Board shall be open to the public except as provided for in Section 9 of this Article.

Section 9. Closed Sessions.

  1. When any meeting is closed to the public based on majority vote of a quorum present for the meeting, the specific reasons for such closure shall be entered upon the official minutes. The minutes shall reflect the names of the members present and the names of those voting for closure, and that part of the minutes shall be made available to the public as any other minutes. Where a meeting of an agency is devoted in part to matters within the exceptions provided by law, any portion of the meeting not subject to any such exception, privilege, or confidentiality will be open to the public, and the minutes of such portions not subject to any such exception will be taken, recorded, and open to public inspection as provided in subsection (e) of Code Section 50-14-1.
  2. When any meeting of an agency is closed to the public pursuant to subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 50-14-4, the person presiding over such meeting and each member of the Local Board in attendance will execute and file with the official minutes of the meeting a notarized affidavit stating under oath that the subject matter of the meeting or the closed portion thereof was devoted to matters within the exceptions provided by law and identifying the specific relevant exception.
  3. Executive sessions may be called by the board respecting confidential information, such as authorization of a settlement; authorization of the purchase, disposal or lease of property; personnel matters and other exceptions as defined in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3 and O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72.

ARTICLE VI. OPERATION OF THE BOARD

Section 1. Rules.
The rules contained in Roberts' Rules of Order (Latest Revised edition) shall govern in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the by-laws or any special rule of the local Board.

Section 2. Agenda.
A prepared agenda with appropriate information will be sent to each member of the local Board by the Executive Secretary in advance of any regular meeting of the local Board and will be posted at the meeting site no later than five days prior to the meeting. This agenda, as approved or amended will govern the order of business for the meeting. Additions, deletions, or reordering of agenda items shall be by majority vote.

Section 3. Minutes.
The Executive Secretary is responsible for the preparation and distribution of the minutes of the local Board meetings. A copy of the minutes of each meeting shall be sent to each Local Board member for review prior to approval at the succeeding meeting. The minutes will not be considered official unless and until approved by the local Board. Minutes must be made available for public inspection after official approval. Minutes must include the names of the members present at the meeting, a description of each motion or other proposal made, the identity of the persons making and seconding the motion or other proposal, and a record of all votes. The name of each person voting for or against a proposal shall be recorded also.

Minutes of executive sessions will be recorded but shall not be open to the public as defined by lawful exceptions stated in O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72. Such minutes shall specify each issue discussed in executive session by the board and comply in all aspects with subsection (e) of O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1.

Section 4. Local Board Actions.
The Local Board will generally consider action on matters brought to its attention only after referring such matters to technical college staff for appropriate analysis and recommendations. Such staff analyses should be brief, with supporting information appended as necessary. The staff analyses shall include a statement of the issue and its implications, a description of the practical alternatives with associated advantages and disadvantages, and a recommendation. Whenever possible, such staff analyses will accompany the agenda for the meeting at which the matter is to be considered.

ARTICLE VII. APPEARANCE BEFORE THE LOCAL BOARD

Individuals or groups wishing to appear before the local Board must make their request in writing to the President at least ten (10) days in advance of the meeting. The Chairperson at his or her discretion may approve the request and allot a reasonable time for presentation. However, the Chairperson, without opposition, or the local Board, by majority vote, may recognize unscheduled appearances before the local Board by individuals or groups. The Chairperson will limit the time for presentations as necessary to maintain the timely and efficient conducting of business by the Local Board.

ARTICLE VIII. METHOD OF AMENDING THE BY-LAWS

Section 1. Method.
These bylaws may be amended by the local Board with the approval of the State Board. Proposed amendments will be distributed to each member of the local Board and to the TCSG System Office no later than the meeting immediately preceding the one at which the amendment will be considered.

Amendments to the Local Board bylaws shall require approval by at least a two-thirds vote of the Board’s members. The adopted amendment will then be forwarded to the State Board, which will normally consider the proposed amendment at its next regularly scheduled meeting. State Board approvals will require a majority vote of its members.

Section 2. Effective Date.
Amendments will be effective immediately upon approval by the State Board unless otherwise indicated.

Responsibility:
The President has the overall responsibility for ensuring this procedure is implemented.

Status:
Implemented: 07-01-2015
Revised: 09-24-2015