The Community Co-Chair shall have responsibility under DoD RAB Implementation Guidelines to assure compliance with the following Operating Policy.
Terms used in this Operating
Policy:
Full RAB – Community and Non-Community Members of the
TCAAP RAB.
RAB Non-Community Members – The Army Co-Chair and
representatives of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and Alliant Techsystems Inc.
RAB Community Members – Community selected members of the
full RAB.
Simple Majority – One-half the specified membership plus
one member.
Public – Invited guests or general public.
1)
All RAB meetings and activities shall be open to the public.
Regular RAB meetings shall be announced in the local media.
2)
A quorum must be present at all RAB meetings.
A quorum shall be the presence of a minimum of three RAB community
members. The quorum was changed at
the October 10, 2000 RAB meeting.
3)
RAB meetings shall be called to order and facilitated by the Community
Co-Chair or his/her designated alternate Co-Chair in the absence of the
Community Co-Chair.
4) All
RAB members and public will be treated courteously and with respect.
RAB Community Members repeatedly failing to abide this policy shall be
considered for dismissal by the RAB.
5) The
RAB will endeavor to balance sources of information.
Where multiple sources of information or opinion exist, preference
will be given to the differing sources rather than multiple presentations from a
single source.
6) Where
divergent opinions, data, or theories exist, all sides shall be provided
opportunity to make uninterrupted presentations followed by opportunity for
questions from other RAB members or public.
7) Unscheduled
public comments and concerns (not to exceed 5 minutes in duration) will be
addressed following each scheduled agenda item.
Exceptions to the 5-minute rule may be made by majority vote of the RAB.
Concerns which cannot properly be addressed in this manner will be
suggested as scheduled agenda items for future meetings.
8) Information
on community or TCAAP subjects beyond the scope of the RAB Mission Statement
will be welcomed but deliberations shall be limited to those subjects within the
RAB Mission Statement.
9) The
RAB may from time-to-time establish sub-committees for purposes not requiring
the attention of the full RAB. Such
sub-committees may be for a specific duration or for a specific ongoing task.
All sub-committee meetings shall be announced to the RAB and meeting
proceedings submitted to the RAB and thus to the public through the information
network. All sub-committee meetings
shall be open to the public.
10) A
meeting schedule shall be published for the calendar year, subject to
modification by majority vote as conditions warrant.
Meeting dates, times, and durations shall be as determined by majority
vote. In fairness to all RAB
members, meetings will commence and end at the appointed times.
Each meeting shall include scheduled agenda items and open time for
introduction of new items by RAB members and the public at large.
11) The
scheduled agenda for the next meeting shall be developed at the end of each
meeting, including time limitations for each discussion item.
Agenda schedules shall be followed other than as modified by majority
vote.
12) RAB
community members shall communicate effectively with Non-Community Members
providing and soliciting information and opinion.
13) The
RAB shall conduct its affairs in a timely manner so as to facilitate timely
rehabilitation activities.
14) The
RAB shall develop and maintain an effective information distribution network for
information on RAB activities and RAB requests for public comment, opinion and
questions. The network may include
the commercial media, libraries, schools, city councils, electronic media,
direct mail and others as determined beneficial.
15) Agency
and other preliminary findings or draft documents shall be handled in a
responsible and complete manner so as to avoid incorrect conclusions by the
public at large. Any communication
of such information must include the fact that the information is not final, and
indeed is subject to future action.
External Affairs
16) As
requested by city or civic organizations, the RAB shall provide representatives
to attend meetings and to address RAB operations in general or specific subjects
requested by the organization. The
External Affairs committee shall present a list to the RAB of individuals
willing to make balanced presentations of issues being considered by the RAB.
Individual RAB members may speak for themselves at any time but shall
make it known that they are speaking as individuals and not for the RAB as a
whole.
17) Minutes
summarizing RAB activities shall be kept for all RAB meetings and shall be
provided by mail to all RAB members and to the distribution network. Review, correction and approval of previous meeting minutes
shall be the first agenda item for each regularly scheduled RAB meeting.
Emphasis shall be placed on minutes as an effective communication tool
rather than as a medium for memorialization of every statement made in a RAB
meeting. RAB meeting minutes,
agenda, and materials for review shall be mailed no later than 12 working days
after a regularly scheduled meeting.
18) Any
RAB member having a conflict of interest with respect to any issue before the
RAB shall immediately make known the nature of the conflict.
A conflict of interest shall preclude the member from voting on the
issue, but the member shall be encouraged to participate in discussions,
presentations, or recommendations.
19) All
members shall sign an attendance log and, as a courtesy to the public and other
citizens, shall have a name plaque displayed.
Any member missing three consecutive meetings without prior notification
to the Co-Chair, or missing more than 25% of meetings within a twelve-month
period, shall be considered to dismissal.
20) Community
Members may serve until RAB termination. The
Community Co-Chair will serve a two-year term and may run for re-election.
21) RAB
Community Members or the Community Co-Chair may be dismissed for cause upon
affirmative vote of two-thirds majority of RAB members.
22) The
RAB shall consist of a maximum of 19 Community Members.
23) RAB
Community Member positions shall be made known to the general public through the
information network as soon as vacated. (See
External Communications.)
24) Initial
adoption of the Operating Policy shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds
of the full RAB. Amendment of the
Operating Policy shall require similar affirmative vote no earlier than the next
scheduled RAB meeting after the amendment is proposed.