Bylaws shall be adopted by a simple majority of the Ecosystem
Partnership members and temporary board members designated by the Director
within 9 months after Department designation as an Ecosystem Partnership.
Ecosystem Partnerships previously designated by the Director, as provided in
Section 1523.30, that do not have
formally adopted bylaws meeting the following criteria shall adopt bylaws
consistent with the minimum criteria set forth in this Section after September
1, 2003. A copy of the approved bylaws must be sent to the designated Ecosystem
Administrator and to the Conservation 2000 Administrator. Bylaws shall contain,
but are not limited to, the following:
a) Name of Ecosystem Partnership.
b) Purpose and goals of Ecosystem
Partnership.
c) Mailing address for
the Ecosystem Partnership.
d)
Criteria establishing what constitutes a quorum for official business of either
the LPC, standing committees or special committees.
e) Procedures to amend the bylaws.
f) Procedures to establish or define the role
of standing and special committees.
g) Procedures to ensure that there is not a
conflict of interest on behalf of a member of the LPC during the evaluation and
scoring of Ecosystem Project Grant applications. Any member of the LPC who is
eligible to evaluate and score these grant applications must excuse themselves
from the evaluation or scoring of applications of an entity on which they are a
board member, staff or officer, or in which a member of their immediate family
might directly benefit. Records of all actions and decisions must be kept by
the Ecosystem Partnership and members scoring projects must disclose their
affiliation with any organization submitting an Ecosystem Project Grant
application through the individual LPC. The composite score of each grant
application shall be made available to the public upon request.
h) Eligibility criteria to become a member of
the Ecosystem Partnership.
i)
Eligibility criteria for an individual or member of an organization to serve as
an officer, board member or committee member of the LPC.
j) Procedures for open nomination and
election of board members and officers.
k) Eligibility criteria for an individual or
organization to vote for members and/or officers on the LPC.
l) Term for which elected LPC board members
and officers shall serve.
m)
Procedure to elect LPC board members and officers.
n) Provisions to promote and include
participation by a broad range of interested groups and individuals within the
Ecosystem Partnership Area.
o)
Criteria for board members and officers to maintain good standing within the
LPC.
p) Procedures to record the
minutes of every meeting and to adopt, maintain and distribute those minutes,
including providing copies to the designated Ecosystem Administrator and the
Conservation 2000 Administrator, and making copies available to members of the
public.
q) Criteria for members to
maintain good standing within the Ecosystem Partnership.
r) Procedures to notify the public of
meetings, including insuring that the pertinent details are published no less
than 10 days in advance of meetings in a newspaper with general circulation
within the Ecosystem Partnership Area. Meetings shall be open to the public,
except for the purpose of discussing personnel issues and evaluation and
scoring of Ecosystem Partnership Grant applications. The LPC may elect to
evaluate and score Ecosystem Project Grant applications in a meeting not open
to the public if all grant applicants are notified of the proposed meeting and
the LPC follows all requirements outlined in subsection (g).
s) A schedule of meetings (at least once per
quarter in a calendar year). This schedule must be published in a newspaper
with general circulation within the Ecosystem Partnership Area.
t) Procedures for maintaining and adjusting
the boundaries of the Ecosystem Partnership Area.
u) Procedures to dissolve the Ecosystem
Partnership and to distribute assets. All assets purchased with Department
funds shall be returned to the Department.
v) Procedures to notify the public of the
Ecosystem Project Grant process and deadlines, including insuring that the
pertinent details are published no less than 10 days in advance of deadlines in
a newspaper with general circulation within the Ecosystem Partnership
Area.
w) Criteria to score and rank
Ecosystem Project Grant applications.
x) Procedures to retain and maintain all
records, including financial, of the Ecosystem Partnership.
