Fire Department - LEPC

By-Laws

Table of Contents

1. Name
2. Purpose
3. Duties and Functions
4. Membership
5. Voting
6. Officers
7. Committee Meetings
8. Parliamentary Authority
9. Amendment of Bylaws

Article I
NAME

The name of this organization shall be the "Chesapeake Local Emergency Planning Committee", hereinafter referred to as "LEPC".

Article II
PURPOSE

The purpose of the Committee is twofold.  First, the Committee is to ensure that all acts required by SARA Title III, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 are complied with, and that all necessary work is accomplished to develop a comprehensive chemical emergency response plan for the City of Chesapeake.  Secondly, the Committee shall have advisory responsibility for City of Chesapeake, Virginia disaster planning coordination.

Article III
DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS

The function of the Committee shall include, but is not limited to the preparation of an emergency response plan that shall include but is not limited to the requirements of SARA Title III.

Article IV
MEMBERSHIP

1. Committee Composition
   The committee shall be composed of members who are appointed by the Chesapeake City Council and shall include, at a minimum, one representative from each of the following disciplines, with each member serving in only one membership category:
• Broadcast/Print Media
• Community Groups
• Emergency Management
• Emergency Medical Services
• Environmental
• Firefighting
• Health
• Hospital
• Industry
• Law Enforcement
• Local/state government
• Transportation
2. Committee Membership Conditions
   Members must meet the criteria established by the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Response Commission.
3. Terms of Committee Members
   The term of appointments of Committee members shall be for a period of six (6) years not to exceed two (2) terms.
4. Conditions of Membership
   Any member missing three (3) regularly scheduled meetings in one year may have their name submitted by a majority vote of the committee to the Chesapeake City Council for removal from the committee roster and the loss of all voting member privileges, subject to the right of said member to appeal their potential removal in writing to the Committee Chair within fifteen (15) days of certified-mail notice of the member’s removal.
5. Roster of Committee Members
   A roster of the names, business addresses and telephone numbers of the Committee members shall be on file in the Office of the City of Chesapeake Emergency Management Office, 304 Albemarle Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23322 and at other such locations, as the Committee deems necessary or convenient.
6. Subcommittees
   The Chair of the Committee may appoint members and the chairs of subcommittees.  Such subcommittees, consisting at a minimum of Training, Planning, Fiscal, and Communications Subcommittees, shall study and report to the Committee on matters of LEPC business requiring special attention, expertise, or investigation.  The Committee Chair will serve as an ex officio member of each subcommittee, and may assign tasks to each.

Article V
VOTING

Any proposal for an action or position taken by the Committee or one of its Subcommittees must be adopted by a majority vote of more than half the present at a legally posted meeting at which a quorum is present.

Article VI
OFFICERS

1. Election of Officers
   The Committee shall elect from its members a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary.  The officers shall be elected at the first regular meeting of each calendar year at which a quorum is present, and shall serve for a term of two years.  In the event of an officer’s resignation prior to the end of the officer’s term, a new officer shall be elected at the next meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present, and shall serve out the remainder of the resigning officer’s term.
2. Duties of Elected Officers
   1. Chair:  The Chair of the Committee shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Committee, shall appoint all Subcommittee members and their Chairs, shall appoint the Planning and Information Coordinators, shall sign the approved minutes of the Committee and any other documents as designated by the Committee, shall act as spokesperson for the Committee, shall be an ex officio member of each subcommittee, and shall perform such other duties as the Committee may assign.
   2. Vice Chair:  The Vice Chair shall perform all the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s temporary absence or disability, and shall perform any other duties assigned by the Chair.
3. Duties of Appointed Officers
   1. Secretary:  The Secretary may be an appointed position as determined by a majority vote of the committee and will be responsible for maintaining a record of the proceedings of the Committee and prepare the Committee’s meeting minutes, shall post announcements of Committee and Subcommittee meetings, shall send out meeting notices to Committee members prior to Committee meetings, shall mail out meeting minutes and other documents prepared by the Chair, shall annually mail to the local newspaper the annual legal notice of the Committee, and shall perform such other duties as the Chair may assign.

Article VII
COMMITTEE MEETINGS

1. Regular Committee Meetings
   The regular meetings of the Committee shall be held at such times and places as designated by the Committee Chair, and shall be announced to Committee members and the public at least three workings days in advance of the meeting.
2. Subcommittee Meetings
   The Chair of any Subcommittee may call a meeting at their discretion, provided that each subcommittee member, the public, and the Committee are provided notice at least three working days in advance of the meeting.
3. Notice, reasonable under the circumstances, of special or emergency meetings shall be given contemporaneously with the notice provided members of the public body.
4. Quorum
   A majority of the Committee or one of its subcommittees must be present at a meeting of either, in order for official action to be taken by either group.
5. Voting
   1. Any vote by the committee on any issue shall have no force or effect unless or until taken in open session in a manner in which the decision or each member can be publicly observed.
   2. Any motion made by a committee member must receive a second from another member in order for any vote to be taken on such motion.  When a motion is made and receives no second, the motion shall be deemed dismissed from consideration.
   3. Every committee member present at a meeting shall vote on each matter placed before the body for vote, unless the member is disqualified from voting pursuant to the State and Local Government Conflict of Interest Act, Code of Virginia 2.2-3100 et seq., 1950, as amended.  Members shall disclose personal interest as required by the Act.

Article VIII
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current version of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Committee in all cases to which they are applicable and when they are not consistent with these bylaws; provided that, however, in no case shall a breach of parliamentary procedure invalidate an action taken by the committee unless the chairman determines that the breach resulted in a misleading of one or more committee members as to the nature of the action taken.

Article IX
AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be amended during any regular or special meeting of the Committee by an affirmative vote of a majority of the Committee members when a quorum is present, provided any such proposed changes have been submitted in writing to each Committee member at least ten days in advance of the meeting called to amend the Bylaws.

 

Adopted this 24th day of April 2003 by the members of the City of Chesapeake Local Emergency Planning Committee.