Member Bylaws: Attendance Ordinance 2013-17 (PDF)
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BROWARD COUNTY HOUSING COUNCIL BYLAWS
Preamble
The Broward Housing Council is established pursuant to Section 11.07, Article XI of the Charter of Broward County, Florida and has as its general purpose to serve in an advisory capacity to the County Commission and to facilitate coordination between the County, municipalities, the business community and not-for-profit groups to address housing issues, including, but not limited to, affordable housing, workforce housing, and homelessness.
Article I. Membership and Term of Office
A. Membership.
At least seventeen (17) and no more than nineteen (19) members; however, there shall be at least seventeen (17) voting members. The County Administrator or designee shall serve as a non-voting member.
The Broward County Commission, at its discretion, may appoint additional members, provided that the Council shall be comprised of no more than nineteen (19) members with an odd number of voting members.
Voting Members.
The Broward County Commission shall appoint seven (7) to nine (9) members as follows:
- One (1) member shall be a member of the Broward County Commission;
- One (1) member shall be the owner of a business that employs at least fifty (50) employees;
- One (1) member shall be the owner of a business that employs fewer than fifty (50) employees;
- One (1) member shall be a recipient of Section 8 housing assistance or another housing assistance program;
- One (1) member shall be the Chief Executive of a recognized, not-for-profit homeless organization;
- One (1) member shall be the Chief Executive of a not-for-profit housing organization;
- One (1) member shall be a banker;
- One (1) optional voting member without a category; and
- One (1) optional non-voting member without a category.
The Broward League of Cities shall appoint three (3) members as follows:
10. One (1) member shall be an officer of the Broward League of Cities;
11. One (1) member shall be the City Manager of a city in Broward County with more than 50,000 residents;
and
12. One (1) member shall be the City Manager of a city in Broward County with less than 50,000 residents.
The following organizations shall appoint seven (7) members as follows:
13. One (1) member shall be a licensed real estate professional appointed by the Florida Association of
Realtors;
14. One (1) member shall be appointed by the Builders Association of South Florida;
15. One (1) member shall be the Director or designee from the Florida Atlantic University Center for Urban
Redevelopment and Education;
16. One (1) member shall be a member of the Broward County School Board chosen by a majority vote of the
School Board;
17. One (1) member shall be appointed by the Broward County Housing Authority;
18. One (1) member shall be a mortgage broker appointed by the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers; and
19. The Broward County Administrator, or his/her designee, shall serve as a permanent, non-voting member.
B. Vacancy of members.
Vacancies of council members shall be filled as soon as is practicable by the appropriate appointing authority, in accordance with the Charter and these bylaws.
Article II. Organization of the Council
A. Election of Officers.
At the first meeting of the Broward County Housing Council, and at each March or April meeting thereafter, the members shall appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall serve for a one (1) year term.
B. Vacancy of Officers.
If a vacancy should occur in one of these offices, the Council shall proceed to elect a council member to fill such vacancy at the next regular or special meeting as determined by the Council.
C. Duties of Officers.
1. The Chair shall:
(a) Preside at all meetings of the Council.
(b) Be an ex-officio member of all committees of the Council.
(c) Perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office of Chair.
2. The Vice Chair shall:
(a) Preside at all meetings of the Council in the absence of the Chair.
(b) Perform all such duties usually pertaining to the office of Vice Chair.
(c) Assume the office and duties of the Chair, in the event that office becomes vacant, until the Council fills
such vacancy through an election as set forth in Article II hereof.
Article III. Meetings
A. Regular Meetings.
The Council shall hold no less than six (6) meetings per year. Meetings may only be cancelled or rescheduled by the Chair or by a majority vote of the Council members present at a regularly scheduled meeting. All Council members shall be notified of such cancellation or rescheduling with as much notice as possible.
B. Place of Meetings.
- Upon provision of due public notice, regular or special meetings of the Council may be held at any appropriate public place in the county.
- For the purpose of this section, due public notice shall consist of (a) publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, or (b) such notice as is generally provided to the public by the Council for its regular meetings, or (c) both.
C. Order of Business.
The order of business for meetings shall be as determined by the Council.
D. Minutes.
Minutes of each meeting of the Council shall be accurately taken, preserved and provided to members at or before the next regular meeting.
- Recorded. Minutes shall be recorded and transcribed for each meeting and after review by the Council, corrected if necessary, and approved at the next regular meeting. The minutes are not required to be a verbatim transcription. However, all motions shall be a verbatim transcription.
- Contents. The minutes shall show the vote of each member present on all matters on which the Council takes action. It shall be the duty of each member to see to it that both the matter and his vote thereon are properly recorded in the minutes. Unless otherwise shown by the minutes, it shall be presumed that the voice of each member present supported any action taken by the Council.
- Notices.
All meeting notices shall be provided in accordance with the Sunshine Law and shall set forth the time, date, and place of any meeting. The notice, if mailed, shall be deemed to have been delivered when deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the member as his or her address appears in the records of the Council. A notice may also be delivered in person, by facsimile or by electronic mail.
Article IV. Voting and Quorum
A. Each member shall have one (1) vote which may only be exercised by the member, not by proxy or by
designee.
B. A quorum must be physically present at any meeting of the Council in order for the Council to take any
formal action or transact business. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting Council members
currently seated on the Council.
C. Action on any proposal shall require an affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members present except
for the following items:
- Action on matters relating to amendment of these Bylaws will require a majority vote of all members then seated on the Council, as set forth in Article IX hereof.
D. Once a quorum is established, the Broward County Housing Council meeting may start without regard to the
absence of any other Council members.
Article V. Board Attendance
A member of the Broward County Housing Council shall be automatically removed as a member if he or she has three (3) consecutive unexcused absences or misses four (4) properly noticed meetings in one (1) calendar year because of unexcused absences in accordance with Chapter 1, Article XXXVII, Section 1-618(a-c) of the Broward County Code of Ordinance. For Broward County Commission appointments, the automatic removal of a member is deemed effective when written notice of the reason for the removal has been sent to the member by the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Professional Standards. For appointments made by other appointing authorities, the automatic removal of a member is deemed effective when written notice of the reason for the removal has been sent to the member by the Council Coordinator.
Attendance Ordinance 2013-17 (PDF)
Article VI. Residency Requirements
Members appointed to positions on the Council shall be residents of Broward County or the primary place of business representing an appointed category must be located in Broward County.
Article VII. Legal Counsel
The Office of the County Attorney shall provide legal counsel to the Council.
Article VIII. Rules
All procedural matters not addressed by these Bylaws shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
Article IX. Amendments
Amendments of these Bylaws may be proposed by any member, and shall become effective upon affirmative vote of a majority of all members then serving on the Council.
ADOPTED: August 26, 2011
