Committees
The business of the Council as it involves research, fact-finding, and establishing background information, will mainly be carried on in the Council’s committees, especially the standing committees.
The importance of effective committee performance cannot be underestimated, and the responsibility rests primarily on the committee Chairs.
- Council Bylaws, Revised December 2014
Committees are essential to the work Council does. Find more information about these committees, including attendance, on their own pages:
Additional information on committees can be found in the bylaws, also copied below:
A. General Rules of Operation:
1. The committee members will be selected by the Moderator during the spring transition period with the exception of the Executive Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
2. The committee members will elect a chair and a recorder for their committee. At Fall Retreat a regular meeting time that is convenient to all will be established.
3. The Council Leadership may set up a time for committee meetings during the Council meetings as needed. The committees will be responsible for meeting regularly outside of Council and will report back to the Moderator.
4. Each committee will establish goals for itself to be publicly communicated to the full Council at the first meeting after the fall retreat.
5. The committees will have the power to make decisions. After the full Council has referred a matter to a committee, the recommendation for action by that committee will be reported out as a motion at the next regular Council meeting. It will become a Council decision unless it is overridden by a 2/3 vote of the quorum present or the majority of the Council, whichever is less. When a committee brings any matter to Council, the respective committee must report on
1) The results of a committee vote regarding the action of the committee. The committee must have a majority of its members present to conduct a vote.
2) The reasons for the committee taking such action.
3) The opinion of the minority or minorities in the committee and why they voted against the majority in the committee.
The report will be made by the chair of the committee or another informed representative of the committee. The opinion of the minority will be reported by one or more representatives of the minority, if applicable.
6. All Council members, who are either elected by the Council or appointed by the Moderator to serve on any committee outside of the Council, are responsible for contacting the chair of that committee following the appointment. Each committee member must obtain all meeting times, locations, and agendas from that chair.
7. Each committee must keep a record of motions, separate from Council meeting minutes, in hard copy and online-posted on Council web page. This record must include motion, date, maker of motion, and any amendments as well as whether or not the amendments passed. Context for the original motion and following amendments are also important to record.
8. At each meeting, the committee chair will take down the attendance of each member with one of the following classifications: AE, AUE, TE, TEU, or P. At the end of each quarter, and a month before the council elections the committee chair will give these attendance records to the chair of OEC.
9. At the close of the Council year, new chairs of committees must meet with the former chair of their committee in order to discuss:
- Accomplishments of the past year
- Goals of the coming year
- Challenges faced and solutions found
These three points should also be written in a letter and archived in that committee's binder. In addition, that same letter should be posted on the Council blog under the section of said committee so as to be preserved.