The Members of the Tree Board shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Maumelle City Council.
The Tree Board shall consist of 5 members who shall be citizens and residents of the City of Maumelle. The Tree Board shall organize and elect its own officers; Chairman, Vice-Chaiman, Secretary and Treasurer.
The term of the Members of the Tree Board shall be 3 years. However, the initial terms shall be 1 year for two of the initial members and 2 years for the remaining three members. Thereafter, as vacancies occur in the Board, they shall be filled by appointment by the Mayor and approval of the City Council. All members whose terms may expire shall serve until their successors in office have been appointed and confirmed.
The chairman shall preside at all meetings of the City Tree Board and shall decide all points of order or procedures; and shall also certify plans and transmit reports and recommendations of the Tree Board on to the Mayor and/or the Maumelle City Council.
The vice-chairman shall assume the duties of the chairman in his absence. The secretary shall assume the duties when both the chairman and vice-chairman are absent. If all officers are absent, the Members shall elect an acting Chairman by simple majority vote.
Article II - Meetings
The meetings of the Maumelle Tree Board will be held as necessary and scheduled by the Tree Board.
Special meetings may be requested by the Mayor and City Council as necessary to consider, investigate, make findings of, report and recommend any special matter of question within the scope of its work.
A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
All plans, reports, ordinances, regulations, variances, waivers and recommendations of the Tree Board must be approved by a majority of the members.
Every Tree Board Member present, when a motion or question is put to vote, shall vote either “yes” or “no,” except that a member may abstain from voting if he or she has not participated in the preceding discussion of the item(s) in question and if that Member briefly states the reason for the abstention prior to the discussion. However, an abstention will be counted as a non-vote.
Article III - Duties & Responsibilities
Members of the Tree Board are responsible for organizing an annual Arbor Day event, developing educational materials, organizing training for the public, city employees and volunteers.
The Tree Board will study, investigate, council and develop and/or update and administer a written plan for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal or disposition of trees and shrubs in parks, along streets and in other public areas. This plan will be presented to the City Council annually.
The Tree Board shall serve as a support service for, offer opinions to or assist in rendering decisions for the Maumelle City Council when requested.
Article IV - Attendance
Members of the Tree Board may not miss more than 25% of all regularly scheduled meetings in any 12 month period, nor more than 3 consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, except in the case of an emergency.
If a Member expects to be absent for more than 3 consecutive meetings, or if a Member has an emergency situation which prevents attendance at the scheduled meetings in accordance with this Section, the said Member may advise the Chairman of the Tree Board of his or her absence and the reason therefore, and request a waiver of the attendance policy.
If a Member does not request a waiver of the attendance policy and fails to meet the attendance requirement of this Section, then his or her appointment shall be terminated and his or her seat on the Tree Board declared vacant. The Chairman or Secretary of the Tree Board shall certify to the Mayor that the member has missed the requisite number of meetings and that his or her seat on the Tree Board should be vacated. The Mayor shall immediately notify the City Council, and the person whose seat is being vacated, that the Tree Board has declared the seat vacated and that the City Council will be requested to appoint a new Member to serve the unexpired term of the person whose seat is being vacated.
The City Council may declare the seat to be vacant and may appoint a new Tree Board Member within a reasonable time after it receives notification by the Mayor.
Article V - Records
The Tree Board shall keep record of the official minutes of its proceedings and file them with the City Clerk once they are approved by the Tree Board members.
All records of the Tree Board shall be made public.
Article VII - Rules of Order
The Tree Board shall follow the procedures and rules set forth in these bylaws. In the event a matter is not covered by the bylaws, the most recent edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall apply.
No change shall be made to the Bylaws of the Maumelle City Tree Board without the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Tree Board.