Bylaws of the Clackamas County Emergency Preparedness Council

Ratified 09.26.2023 by EPC Members at the Fall Meeting

ARTICLE I

NAME. 
The name of the organization shall be the Emergency Preparedness Council.

ARTICLE II

BOUNDARIES. 
The boundaries of the Emergency Preparedness Council shall be the same as those established by Clackamas County. These boundaries take into account natural boundaries, commercial patterns, community organizations and historic factors.

ARTICLE III

PURPOSE.
The purpose of the Emergency Preparedness Council is to review and offer advice in all matters relating to emergency management and disaster preparedness. This Council shall submit its observations and recommendations for improvements to the Disaster Management Department and the County Board of Commissioners. During and after an incident, Disaster Management leadership may ask the Emergency Preparedness Council to aid as necessary.

GOALS.
The goals of the Emergency Preparedness Council are as follows:

1. Advise the Disaster Management Department and Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners in the development of activities, strategies, and priorities to achieve disaster preparedness within the boundaries of Clackamas County.
2. Promote disaster management initiatives and activities, including organizing and participating in community education and engagement, promoting neighborhood level preparedness, and, as directed, engaging in incident response efforts.
3. Advocate for policy and system changes that improve the disaster preparedness in Clackamas County. Optional activities could include providing oral or written testimony on behalf of the Emergency Preparedness Council to the appropriate government level, helping to identify partners of support for preparedness, and participating in legislative activities.
4. Develop strategies to enhance collaboration among governmental bodies and the general public.
5. Inform each other and community members on incident information, active alerts, evacuations, and orders, consistent with information from and in coordination with Disaster Management and the Emergency Operations Center.

ARTICLE IV

MEMBERSHIP.
Voting membership shall consist of at least 7 members, with the possibility of no more than nine members, and shall be as representative as possible of the geographic, demographic and philosophical entities of the county. All five members of the Board of County Commissioners will serve as ex officio non voting members. Subject matter experts may be called upon to advise on specific topics as needed. The voting members shall be as follows:

• At least 5 members, broadly distributed across all areas of the county, rural, urban and suburban, and as diverse as possible.
• One representative from a Community Based Non-profit organization;
• One Community Planning Organization or Hamlet/Village representative;

Members of the Emergency Preparedness Council shall be selected from a pool of applicants solicited, received and appointed by the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners. Membership shall be open to anyone 18 years of age or older who is a resident of the county, a property owner within the county, or a designated representative of a business, non-profit, corporation, or trust within the county.

Membership shall not be limited by race, creed, color, sex, age, heritage, national origin or income.

Members shall have an appointment term of three years which shall expire on June 30. Members may seek reappointment for a maximum of two consecutive terms. Current members seeking a new term on the Emergency Preparedness Council shall submit an application at least 90 days prior to the expiration of their current term.

Vacancies shall be filled through the process established by the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners for Advisory Boards and Commissions.

Three or more consecutive unexcused absences from regularly scheduled Council meetings will be grounds for removal of any Council member. Irregular attendance, failure to accept adequate functional membership responsibility, or consistently counterproductive behavior toward specified goals of the Council may also be considered as a basis for release from membership on the Council.

Before any member is considered for release for any reason, they will be given the opportunity to present their appeal for retention. The Board of County Commissioners and the Emergency Preparedness Council officers , working with the staff liaison, will decide whether to retain a member.

ARTICLE V

OFFICERS. 
The officers of the Emergency Preparedness Council shall include the following:

1. Chairperson. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings of the council and shall act as a point of contact between County officials and the Council.
2. Vice-Chairperson: The Vice-Chairperson shall aid the Chairperson and perform the duties of the Chairperson in his/her absence or disability.

The Emergency Preparedness Council shall provide the County Public and Government Affairs Department with a current list of officers.

SELECTION OF OFFICERS. 
The election of officers shall be held annually at the last regular meeting of the fiscal year. For the initial year, all officers are elected by majority of voting members. Annual elections shall be for the Vice-Chairperson. The current Vice-Chairperson will be the Chairperson-elect for the next year. The current chair shall announce the matter of the upcoming election no later than at the penultimate meeting of the fiscal year. Nominations for the offices may be made at that time through the elective meeting. If no person receives a majority vote for election on the first ballot, the two receiving the highest number of votes will be considered on a second ballot.

Members shall assume their duties at the beginning of the fiscal year, except for those elected to vacant positions, who should assume their duties immediately upon election. All voting members are eligible for election to officer positions. The Chairperson shall not vote for an officer except in the event of a tie when the Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote. Proxy votes shall not be allowed.

TERM OF OFFICE. 
The term of office for all officers shall be one year, however, the officer is requested to continue to serve until a successor is elected or appointed to that office.

VACANCIES. 
A vacancy occurs when an officer dies, resigns, is removed, is no longer eligible to serve, or has more than three unexcused absences from meetings during a calendar year. A vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Board of County Commissioners. The person appointed to fill the vacancy shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term and until a successor is elected or appointed to that office.

ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS. 
Meetings of the Emergency Preparedness Council shall be held in accordance with the

Oregon Public Meetings Laws. Meetings shall be held no less than twice per year, usually in the Central Utility Plant in Oregon City, at a time and place designated by the chair of the Council. County staff shall ensure that appropriate notice is provided to all interested persons and agencies.

The Chairperson may call special meetings as deemed necessary.

Notice of all meetings shall be provided as required by ORS 192.640 of the Oregon Public Meetings Law.

Minutes of all meetings shall be kept and shall be available for public inspection as required by ORS 192.650 of the Oregon Public Meetings Law. A copy of all meeting agendas and minutes shall be provided to the County Public and Government Relations Office.

QUORUM and VOTING. 
A quorum shall be present at a meeting in order for the Council to transact business. A quorum of the membership shall consist of a majority of the voting membership. Members must be present, either in-person or virtually, to form a quorum and conduct official business. A vacancy on the board does not affect the quorum requirements. A simple majority of the Council members present shall provide the deciding vote on any subject brought before the Council. The chair or presiding officer shall only vote in the case of a tie vote.

Any member who anticipates in advance an absence from a regularly scheduled Council meeting should report that possibility to the staff liaison of the Council and the Council officers.

RECORDS. 
All records of the Emergency Preparedness Council shall be subject to disclosure except as allowed by exemptions of the Oregon Public Records Law.

ARTICLE VII

HEARING PROCESS AND PROCEDURE. 
Robert's Rules of Order shall govern proceedings at any meeting of the Emergency Preparedness Council. The Chair shall be guided by these principles in deciding any procedural questions. The Chair's decision on procedural matters may be overruled by a majority of the members voting on the question.

MEETING CONDUCT. 
The rules contained in the most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Council in all matters in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the Council may adopt. The chair of the Council shall establish the agenda with the assistance of the vice-chair and staff liaison. The Council shall attempt to complete all agenda business at each meeting. If the time for conducting required business exceeds a reasonable hour, the chair or any member may propose a carry-over of remaining business to a special meeting date to be designated, or to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

MEETING MINUTES. 
Minutes of each meeting shall record the presence and absence of each member.

They shall also document the business conducted at the meeting and a summary of the discussions and recorded decisions including proposed motions, seconds to the motion and discussions, dissentions, and abstentions. Completed minutes shall be electronically conveyed to members prior to the next meeting.

County staff will support the drafting of the meeting minutes.

COUNTY DEPARTMENT PARTICIPATION. 
The Council will be aided in the conduct of its functions by

designated County staff or their representatives. These designated representatives will be ex-officio members of the Council and will be nonvoting. They will be designated by the Disaster Management

Director or his/her designee. The Chair of the Council may request additional appointees to be designated representatives if it appears there is a need. These representatives will provide the Council with consulting services and assistance in their respective technical areas.

NON-COUNTY GOVERNMENTAL PARTICIPATION. 
Representatives from other governmental agencies

may be asked by the Council to participate on a case-by-case basis if their input can assist the Council.

These representatives will not become members of the Council.

Other governmental and non-governmental agencies and representatives may also be asked to provide input for specific subject matter expertise, on an as needed basis.

ARTICLE VIII

SUB-COMMITTEES. 
The Emergency Preparedness Council may create and modify subcommittees as required to promote the purposes and objectives of the Council. A chairperson for each sub-committee shall be selected by the Chair. Subcommittee participation may include non-Council members, particularly to provide subject matter expertise beyond a single meeting. Requests should be made in coordination with the Council Chair and Disaster Management staff. Subcommittees should be considered ad hoc, with terms to be determined by the Council. In order to maintain a focus and a manageable workload, the Council should review the need for any serving subcommittees at least every six months.

ARTICLE IX

DISSOLUTION. 
The Emergency Preparedness Council shall be considered inactive if it fails to meet the requirements of these bylaws. An inactive Council shall be dissolved and will no longer be recognized by the Board of County Commissioners.

ARTICLE X

AMENDMENTS. 
Any member on any appropriate subject may propose bylaw modifications. Such proposals will be submitted in writing to the chair of the Council. The submitted proposals shall be read during the meeting at which they are first presented. Discussion of the proposals will be limited to clarification of intent and verbiage at that meeting.

The staff liaison shall ensure that the proposal, as modified by the limited discussion in the meeting, be forwarded to each Council member, the County Public and Government Affairs Department, and County Counsel, along with a copy of the recorded minutes of the meeting. The proposed bylaw modifications shall be voted on at the next official meeting of the Council. If a majority of the quorum present approves the proposal, and no objection is received from County Counsel, the proposed changes shall be incorporated into the Bylaws.

The amended bylaws shall supersede all previous bylaws and become the governing rules for the Emergency Preparedness Council.

ARTICLE XI

POLICIES. 
The Council shall adopt and follow the general operating policies recommended by the Board of County Commissioners. Primary among these policies and key guidelines to the Council are the following:

1. a) Operate in the general public interest serving the County as a whole. It shall serve no special Interest.
2. Do not endorse any commercial products or enterprise.
3. Understand that all communications related to council work are subject to public records requests.

ARTICLE XII

AUTHORITY TO BIND. 
The Clackamas County Emergency Preparedness Council, its members individually or collectively cannot commit Clackamas County, its officers or agents to financial obligation unless approved beforehand in writing for the express amount and purpose. Such approval must have the funding account and citation number approved.