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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLT-TRT-Bylaws 1-30-18Tourism -Related, Large -Scale, Municipality -Owned Capital Projects Lodging Tax Grant Program Technical Review Team Committee Bylaws Vision Tourism is a vital and growing component of Kittitas County's economy. A healthy tourism industry supports business retention and development and provides jobs for families in our communities. A healthy tourism industry drives investment that expands economic growth. Kittitas County and its citizens benefit in numerous ways from a healthy and growing tourism industry. Kittitas County collects substantial revenue from the sale of transient lodging. The county's tourism industry and the county's citizens will substantially benefit from the reinvestment of lodging tax revenues in tourism -related capital projects. Mission The mission of the Technical Review Team (TRT) is to review the projects which have been placed on the Kittitas County Tourism Infrastructure Plan capital improvement program. The TRT is to evaluate each application as they complete the four -step process outlined in the Tourism -Related, Large -Scale, Municipality -Owned Capital Projects Lodging Tax Grant Program. The TRT will evaluate each project and make recommendations for inclusion in Step 2 Feasibility, Step 3 Design and Permitting, and Step 4 Construction agreements with the project applicants. The TRT is an advisory body only, and all recommendations are subject to review and approval by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The TRT shall limit its review to assuring inclusion of the elements necessary to be included in a particular Step Agreement; its function is considered non -duplicative of other county and city permitting, planning, and project completion requirements and it shall have no authority to make recommendations or decisions with regard to funding. The TRT may also be called upon to review the completeness of a particular project's Step Agreement and submit a recommendation to the Kittitas County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) and the BOCC. ARTICLE I COMMITTEE 1. Composition. The TRT committee shall consist of up to seven voting members and one member of the BOCC who shall not be a voting member. 2. _Appgintnients. Members of the committee shall be appointed by the BOCC. 3. Terms. Members shall be appointed for terms of five years. No member may be appointed for more than two consecutive five-year terms. The anniversary of a term shall be the First of January, each year. 4. Removal. The BOCC reserves the right to remove any member for cause. 5. Vacancies. A vacancy in the committee shall exist in case of death, resignation, expiration of term, or removal of a member. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the BOCC. The successor member appointed to a vacancy with an unexpired term shall serve the balance of the year of the expired term and then be granted a new term beginning the First of January. ARTICLE II OFFICERS 1. Officer Desig ted. The officer of the committee shall be a Chairman. The member of the committee who is also a member of the BOCC shall serve as Chairman. 2. Powers and Duties. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the committee. The chairman may sign and execute, in the name of the committee, all correspondence duly authorized by the committee, and generally shall perform all duties incident to the office of the Chairman and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to such office by the committee. ARTICLE III MEETINGS 1. Regular Meetings. There shall be no designated Regular Meeting dates and/or times for the TRT. Regular meetings shall be scheduled as needed when a new Kittitas County Tourism Infrastructure Plan Capital Improvement Program is authorized by the BOCC for project review and recommendations. Regular meetings shall be held in a location which is convenient to members. 2. Special Mectings. Special Meetings shall be called by the Chairman when necessary to review the progress of a project or projects or to conduct other business as needed. Special meetings shall be held in a location which is convenient to members. 3. Parliamentary Authoriiy. The rules of Robert's Rules of Order (revised) shall govern in all cases in which they are applicable, where they are not inconsistent with the rules set forth in these bylaws. 4. Notice. Notice of each meeting shall be given to each member by email no later than one week in advance of the meeting date, except in instances of emergency as determined by the Chairman. 5. Quorum. A majority of the voting members of the committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The committee must have and maintain a quorum in order to do business and take official action. 6. Official Action. In order to take official action, the committee shall strive to reach a consensus of all voting members present. If a consensus in not reachable, the committee shall take action by majority vote. If a majority vote is necessary, minority opinions shall be included in any recommendations submitted for final approval by the BOCC. 7. Voting. Members which are voting members on the day of the meeting of the committee shall be entitled to vote at the meeting. Every voting member shall have one vote. A majority vote of the voting members in attendance at the meeting is required for any official action. A voting member must be in attendance to vote. 8. Attendance. Official attendance at any meeting of the committee may be in-person or by electronic means including telephone. ARTICLE IV APPEARANCE OF FAIRNESS AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST 1. Disqualification. A committee member shall disqualify himself or herself from a proceeding in which the committee member's impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The fact that a committee member has considered the same or a similar proposal in another proceeding, has made a recommendation adverse to the interests of a party in this or another proceeding, or has previously considered and made recommendations upon the same or a similar issue, is not a basis for disqualification. 2. 1�c(jiiest for Disqualilication. A request for disqualification shall be granted whenever the committee member: a. Has a personal bias or prejudice concerning the applicant; b. Has served in a professional or business relationship with respect to the matter in issue, or is currently associated with a person who is or was so engaged; or c. Has directly, or through a family member or fiduciary relationship, a financial or personal interest in the outcome of the matter or issue. 3. Ex Parfe Contacts. All Technical Review Team committee quasi-judicial proceedings are subject to the appearance of fairness doctrine. No person shall contact a TRT committee member off the record for the purpose of influencing the committee member's decision. Ex parte contacts limited strictly to the clarification of procedural matters (and not to the merits of an application or recommendation) are permitted. A deliberate ex parte contact in violation of this section may be deemed an attempt to interfere with the TRT committee duties. If a substantive ex parte communication is made to or by the committee member, the committee member shall publicly disclose it. ARTICLE V AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS 1. Pro orals to Amend Bylaws. Proposals to amend bylaws may be introduced by any member at any Regular Meeting or Special Meeting. Proposals shall be presented in a format which strikes over material to be deleted and underlines new material. 2. Consideration of Proposed Amendments. If notice of a proposed amendment to the bylaws, and information including the text of the proposed amendment and a statement of its purpose and effect, is provided to members of the committee within fifteen (15) days prior to any Regular Meeting or Special Meeting, then the committee may vote on the proposed amendment at the same meeting. If such notice and information is not so provided, the committee may not vote on the proposed amendment until the next Regular Meeting or Special Meeting. Germane amendments to the proposed amending within the scope of the original amendment will be permitted at the meeting at which the vote is taken. 3. Vote Reggired fyr Amendments to Bylaws. Resolutions of the committee approving proposed amendments to the bylaws require an affirmative vote of 2/3 majority of the voting members then in office. 4. Efii;ctive. Date. Amendment to the bylaws shall be effective immediately upon approval by the BOCC. ARTICLE VI INDEMNIFICATION The Board of County Commissioners elects to defend and indemnify its present and former committee members, their successors, spouses and marital communities to the full extent authorized by law. In addition, the right of indemnification shall inure to each committee member and his/her spouses and marital communities upon his/her appointment to the committee and in the event of his/her death shall extend to his/her heirs, legal representatives and estate. Each person who shall act as committee member shall be deemed to do so in reliance upon such indemnification and such rights shall not be exclusive of any other right which he/she may have.