Sierra County Youth and Education Council BYLAWS

Article I. Purpose

To identify the concerns and needs of youth in Sierra County through a coordinated approach with the youth service agencies in the county.

Article II. Meetings (Regular, Special, Quorum)

§         Meetings will be held the third Wednesday of the month and at other times as deemed necessary. Meetings may be canceled or rescheduled by a majority vote of all Partners present in a quorum at a given meeting.

§         Time of meeting shall be from 10am to noon. (Meeting dates/times will be renegotiated when youth partners are brought on to the council.

§         In the month of January, the Annual Meeting shall be held in conjunction with the regular business meeting, at which time new officers will be elected.

§         Special meetings may be called at any time by the Presiding Partner. Also, any 2 Partners may request a special meeting through the Presiding Partner, in writing. In all cases, special meetings shall be limited to the stated purpose, which must be communicated in advance to all Partners.

§         A quorum of 4 Partners shall be present at any regular or special meeting in order for Partnership business to be conducted.

§         A majority of Partners shall be present at any regular, special, or Annual Meeting before the election of officers or amendments to the Partnership Agreement or Partnership Bylaws can commence. A majority vote of the Partners present is needed to approve amendments to the Bylaws, or to elect officers.

§         Meeting protocol will follow Robert’s Rules of Order.

§         Each Partner shall have one vote in all matters.

§         Any Partner who fails to attend 3 consecutive regular meetings without being excused by the Presiding Partner from attending, or who fails to attend 4 in any twelve (12) month period, will be considered for termination.

§         The use of written proxies is hereby permitted for those Partners unable to attend any regular, special, or Annual Meeting. A proxy vote will be counted when it pertains to a specific issue previously discussed by the Partners, not to issues brought up and decided at the missed monthly meeting.

§         Each partner agency will have one adult and one youth representative who commit serve for a term of one year as youth council partners.

Article III. Partner Positions and Duties

Initially on the meeting date when the Partnership is agreed to, and thereafter annually at the meeting to be known as the Annual Meeting, or as needed to fill any vacancy, Partners shall be elected by a majority vote of the Partners present, or by appropriate proxy, to the following positions and duties:

§         Presiding Partner:  Sets meeting dates and locations, appoints committees, presides over meetings, sees that the resolutions passed by the Partnership are carried out, and develops the educational program for the Partners.

§         Assistant Presiding Partner:  Takes the place of the Presiding Partner when he is absent or incapacitated.

§         Recording Partner:  Keeps a record of the actions authorized by the Partners, and notifies members of meetings and activities.

Nominations for officer positions will take place in December of each year.

Article IV. Removal of an Officer

If an officer of the Partnership (Presiding Partner, Assistant Presiding Partner, or Recording Partner) does not fulfill duties required as described in Article III, that Partner will be notified in writing of the meeting at which removal from office will be discussed and voted upon. At that meeting, the Partner may present statements to the Partnership in an effort to retain the position.

Removal will occur if so voted by majority of the Partners present at the meeting or voting by appropriate proxy.

Article V. Guests

Partners may invite guests to any meeting of the Council.

In Witness thereof, the Partners have set their hands, the year, and the date below:

SIERRA COUNTY YOUTH AND EDUCATION COUNCIL

CODE OF ETHICS

1.      Youth Council partners shall serve as model stewards of SCYEC resources and act in a fiscally responsible manner in determining use and in management of all SCYEC resources acquired.

2.    Youth Council partners shall consider the best interests of the youth of Sierra County with respect to all decisions made by the council.

3.     Youth Council partners shall recognize and respect the personal integrity of each youth council partner.

4.    Youth Council partners shall treat all members with respect and allow for diverse opinions to be shared without interruption.

5.     Youth Council partners shall encourage a positive environment in which individual contributions are encouraged and valued.

6.    Youth Council partners shall acknowledge democratic principles and accept the consensus of the council.

7.     Youth Council partners shall not disclose any confidential information.

8.    Youth Council partners shall limit discussion at meetings to matters of concern to the youth council as a whole.

9.    Youth Council partners shall use established communication channels when questions or concerns arise.

10.   Youth Council partners shall declare any conflict of interest.