Bylaws

1. Mission and Scope:
   
   
   1. Mission Statement: To promote the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities within the Indianapolis community, and to advise the Mayor and the City Administration on issues that impact people with disabilities.
   2. Purpose: The Mayor's Advisory Council on Disability has been established for the following purposes:
      
      
      1. To provide a forum for community issues/activities affecting citizens with disabilities;
      2. To react through study and recommendation to issues brought to the attention of the Advisory Council by the Mayor of Indianapolis and the community;
      3. To foster public awareness and education of the needs and abilities of citizens with disabilities;
      4. To support legislation and administrative processes and procedures as approved by the Mayor of Indianapolis; and
      5. To support the endeavors of the Mayor, undertaken on behalf of citizens with disabilities.
         
         
2. Definitions:
   
   
   1. Subcommittee: A committee created by the Advisory Council to investigate and report to the Advisory Council regarding matters related to their assigned area of interest. All subcommittees will continue to exist unless terminated by the Advisory Council.
   2. Ad-hoc committee: A committee created by the Advisory Council Chairperson for the performance of a specific task as directed by the Advisory Council Chairperson. Once that specific purpose is completed, the ad-hoc committee is dissolved.
   3. Quorum: The percentage of active members who must be present in order to call a vote.
   4. By-laws: All rules contained herein, or referenced herein, that have a binding effect on the Advisory Council and or any of its committees.
      
      
3. General Membership of the Advisory Council
   
   
   1. Requirements and Composition:
      
      
      1. Requirements: Members shall be persons with disabilities, advocates for the mission of the council, service providers to persons with disabilities, or representatives from the business community.
      2. Selection: The Mayor shall appoint all members of the Advisory Council. The Mayor shall appoint members from the follow groups:
         
         
         1. The community of people with disabilities.
         2. Members of organizations or representatives from corporations whose business addresses the needs of people with disabilities. (i.e. employment, transportation, health care, education, products and services).
         3. Advocates who support the mission of the council.
         4. Representatives of the business community.
            
            
   2. Term:
      
      
      1. Length of Term on the Advisory Council: Each member shall be appointed for two (2) years.
      2. Effective Dates: All Advisory Council terms begin on the first day of January, and end on the thirty-first day of December. The end date of a term shall not be affected by resignation and replacement of an Advisory Council member.
      3. Resignation and Replacement: Should an advisory council member not complete their term, the Executive Committee will determine if a replacement should be named. The Executive Committee will provide the Mayor with recommendations. These recommendations are nonbinding and shall be made within thirty (30) days after a resignation notice has been received. The Mayor will appoint a replacement to complete the vacated term.
      4. Consecutive Terms: Reappointment is at the sole discretion of the Mayor. There is no limit on the number of terms.
         
         
   3. Roles and Responsibilities:
      
      
      1. Duties:
         
         
         1. Each member of the Advisory Council shall be responsible for furthering the mission and purpose of the Advisory Council.
         2. Each member who does not hold an office must be an active participant of one committee.
            
            
      2. Attendance:
         
         
         1. It shall be the duty of all Advisory Council members to attend all Advisory Council meetings.
         2. If a member cannot attend a meeting he or she shall notify the Chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer, or the appointed city administration liaison.
         3. If any Advisory Council member misses two (2) scheduled Advisory Council meetings without calling to report his or her absence, that member will be contacted in writing by the Chairperson of the council. The Executive Committee will determine the future participation of that member based on their response to the Chairperson. Removal from the Council could result.
         4. If an Advisory Council member is absent from a meeting but sends a proxy, that Advisory Council member shall be counted as present.
            
            
      3. Voting: Each member will have one (1) vote in all matters brought before the Advisory Council or a committee. Absent members may vote by written proxy.
         
         
4. Officers: The Advisory Council shall have Four officers: Chairperson, Vce-Chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer, and Immediate past Chairperson. In addition, two at large members will be elected to the Executive Committee. Each subcommittee shall have a Chairperson and may have other officers.
   
   
   1. Requirements and Composition
      
      
      1. Requirements: All officers shall be chosen from the membership of the Advisory Council.
      2. Selection:
         
         
         1. Advisory Council: The Advisory Council membership shall elect the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer and two at large members to the Executive Committee.
         2. Subcommittees:
            
            
            1. Subcommittees: The Chairperson of each subcommittee shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Advisory Council.
            2. Ad-hoc Committees: The Chairperson of each Ad hoc Committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Advisory Council and shall serve at the discretion of the Advisory Council.
               
               
   2. Terms:
      
      
      1. Length of Term:
         
         
         1. Chairperson of the Advisory Council: The Chairperson shall hold that office for one (1) year, and if not reelected will serve a subsequent one (1) year term on the Executive Committee as the immediate past Chairperson, if still a member of the Advisory Council.
         2. Vice Chairperson of the Advisory Council: The Vice Chairperson shall hold that office for one (1) year.
         3. Secretary/Treasurer: The Secretary/Treasurer shall hold that office for one (1) year.
         4. Chairpersons of Subcommittees:
            
            
            1. Subcommittees: The Chairpersons of all subcommittees shall serve a one (1) year term.
            2. Ad hoc Committees: The Chairpersons of all ad hoc committees shall serve at the discretion of the chairperson.
               
               
      2. Effective Dates:
         
         
         1. All terms are to begin on January 1st and end on December 31st.
         2. If an officer or member resigns or a new subcommittee is formed after January 1st, the term shall end on December 31st.
            
            
      3. Resignation and Replacement:
         
         
         1. Advisory Council: If the chairperson resigns, the Vice chairperson becomes Chairperson.
         2. Subcommittees: If the Chairperson of a subcommittee resigns, the Advisory, Council Chairperson shall appoint a new subcommittee chair.
         3. Ad-hoc committees: If any officer resigns the chairperson of the Advisory Council shall appoint a council member as a replacement.
            
            
      4. Consecutive Terms: No office shall have a term limitation. However, it is recommended that the Chairperson of the council and the Vice Chairperson of the council serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms.
         
         
   3. Roles and Responsibilities:
      
      
      1. Duties of Advisory Council Officers:
         
         
         1. Chairperson:
            
            
            1. Shall coordinate and preside over all Advisory Council and Executive Committee meetings.
            2. Shall create ad-hoc committees as needed.
            3. Shall delegate tasks to all subcommittees as deemed appropriate.
               
               
         2. Vice-Chairperson:
            
            
            1. Shall coordinate and preside over meetings of the Executive Committee and Advisory Council in the Chairperson's absence.
            2. If the Chairperson resigns or is unable to fulfill the assigned duties, the Vice-Chairperson shall become Chairperson of the Council for the remainder of the vacated term.
               
               
         3. Secretary/Treasurer:
            
            
            1. Shall be presented at all meetings of the Advisory Council and the Executive Committee.
            2. Shall record the following information: Advisory Council attendance including which members have reported that they will be absent, whether a quorum exists, the issues voted on, the number of yes and not on each tallied vote, and shall keep general written notes of the meeting.
            3. Shall report to the Chairperson whenever an Advisory Council Member has missed two (2) consecutive meetings without calling in advance.
            4. Shall prepare and distribute meeting minutes.
            5. Shall work with Advisory Council liaison to open an appropriate bank account for Advisory Council funds and report the status of the account regularly to the Council.
            6. Shall be responsible for paying all bills and fees approved by the Executive Committee from Advisory Council funds.
            7. Shall work with the Chairperson and other members of the Advisory Council in preparing the annual report to the Mayor.
               
               
      2. Duties of Subcommittee Chairperson:
         
         
         1. Shall coordinate and preside over all committee meetings.
         2. Shall report to the Executive Committee and or the Advisory Council on findings and recommendations of the committee.
         3. Shall request approval from either the Executive Committee of the Advisory Council for proposed actions.
            
            
      3. Voting:
         
         
         1. Member: No person who has authority to vote may have more than (1) one vote. The following persons have authority to vote in the following circumstances:
            
            
            1. Advisory Council Members may vote in Advisory Council Meetings and Executive Committee meetings if they are members of the Executive Committee.
            2. Subcommittee members may vote in subcommittee meetings, but may only vote at Advisory Council meetings if they are Advisory Council members.
               
               
         2. Chairperson: Chairperson shall have one (1) vote may only vote to break a tie.
         3. Quorum: No vote may be taken without a quorum
            
            
5. Structure of the Advisory Council:
   
   
   1. General Composition: The Advisory Council shall be composed of a maximum of (40) forty members.
   2. Executive Committee:
      
      
      1. Membership: The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson, the immediate past Chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer, the chairperson of each subcommittee and two at large members.
      2. Roles and Responsibilities: The Executive Committee may act on behalf of Advisory Council. The Executive Committee shall meet a minimum of (6) six times each year. Additional meetings can be scheduled as necessary. All actions of the Executive Committee shall be reported at the next Advisory Council meeting.
         
         
   3. Subcommittee Structure:
      
      
      1. Subcommittees: The Advisory Council shall establish subcommittees as needed.
         
         
         1. Any officer of any subcommittee must be an appointed member of the Advisory Council.
         2. Otherwise, membership of a subcommittee is not restricted to Advisory Council members.
            
            
      2. Ad-hoc Committees: Shall be established as the Advisory Council Chairperson deems necessary. Membership on these committees is at the discretion of the Advisory Council Chairperson.
         
         
   4. Nominating Committee:
      
      
      1. The Nominating Committee shall be established each year, prior to the election of officers.
      2. The Nominating Committee shall consist of (5) five council members who have been approved by the Mayor or his designee.
      3. The Committee shall recommend to the Advisory Council (1) one person for council Chairperson, (1) one person for council Vice Chairperson, (1) one person for council Secretary/Treasurer, and (2) two members at large for the Executive Committee.
         
         
   5. Subcommittees: The Advisory Council shall establish or eliminate subcommittees as needed by a simple majority vote.
      
      
6. Rules and Procedures:
   
   
   1. Quorum: The presence of one third (1/3) of the enrolled membership shall constitute a quorum. A nonmember with a written proxy that conforms to these rules shall count as (1) one member for the purposes of determining whether or note there is a quorum.
   2. Amending these By-laws:
      
      
      1. These by-laws may be changed by a majority vote of the Advisory Council membership. The Secretary/Treasurer shall count and report the number of votes in favor of and opposed to any changes.
      2. Written notice of proposed changes must be distributed to the membership (1) one month prior to the voting meeting.
         
         
   3. Rules of Order: To the extend that they do not conflict with these by-laws, the Advisory Council and all subcommittees and ad-hoc committees shall function in accordance with the Robert's Rules of Order. These rules may be amended by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
   4. Support: The staff of the Mayor's office shall provide:
      
      
      1. Administrative support and serve as Parliamentarian to the council.
      2. Shall provide reasonable accommodations as necessary.
         
         
   5. Reporting: The Advisory Council shall provide the Mayor with:
      
      
      1. Minutes: a copy of the minutes of each meeting:
      2. Yearly report: by the 30th of January an annual report of its activities and recommendations from the preceding calendar year.
         
         
   6. Membership: The Executive Committee shall screen potential members prior to submission tot he Mayor for appointment. The Executive Committee will also refer to the Mayor all current advisory council members who are recommended for reappointment.
   7. Meetings: The Advisory Council shall meet at least (6) six times per year. Additional meetings can be scheduled if necessary. When possible, the Secretary/Treasurer will announce meetings dates (6) six weeks in advance.
   8. Proxy:
      
      
      1. Contents: The proxy must state:
         
         
         1. The name of the person to whom the permission to vote is given. This person need not be qualified to be an advisory council member in order to represent a council member by proxy.
         2. The date of the meeting where the note will be called. The proxy will only be valid for that meeting.
         3. If the proxy is transmitted by Fax or e-mail that will be noted as well.
            
            
      2. Validity: The proxy will not be valid if the bearer of the proxy is not the person named.
         
         
   9. Motions:
      
      
      1. Advisory Council: Only an Advisory Council member may make or second a motion in an Advisory Council meeting.
      2. Executive Committee: Only a member of the Executive Committee may make or second a motion in an Executive Committee meeting.
      3. Subcommittee: Only a member of a subcommittee holding the meeting may make or second a motion in that subcommittee meeting.
      4. Ad-hoc committee: Only a member of the Ad-hoc Committee holding the meeting may make or second a motion in that Ad-hoc Committee meeting.
         
         
   10. Conflict of Interest: Any Advisory Council or subcommittee member shall recuse him or herself from any activity of the Advisory Council where that member has a conflict of interest.
       
       
       1. Defined: A conflict of interest is when a member:
          
          
          1. Has a financial interest adverse to a proposed action of the Advisory Council or,
          2. The participation of the member would create the appearance of a conflict of interest, as defined above.
             
             
       2. Notice:
          
          
          1. If one member believes that another member has a conflict of interest, the perceived conflict shall be stated openly and shall be recorded by the Secretary/Treasurer.
          2. If the member in question contests the allegation, he or she shall have an opportunity to prove that no conflict of interest exists. His or her proof shall be recorded by the Secretary/Treasurer.
          3. Determination:
             
             
             1. If a majority of the Advisory Council votes that no conflict of interest exists, the member may continue to participate fully.
             2. If a majority of the Advisory Council votes that a conflict of interest exists, the member is barred from any further participation on the issue in question.
             3. If such a vote occurs, the vote of each member shall be specifically recorded.

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