By Laws of the Poland Conservation Commission
Adopted: November 4, 2009
Article I: Authority and Name
By authority of the Poland Board of Selectpersons there shall be formed an entity named “Poland Conservation Commission (PCC).”
Article II:~ Purpose
The purpose of the PCC is to study the value of lands in Poland that may be important for outdoor recreation, as water resources, as wildlife habitats, for timber harvesting, farming, historic or scenic value with a goal of implementing stewardship and preservation where appropriate.
Article III:~ Offices
The public records of the PCC shall be maintained at the Poland Town Office, 1231 Maine Street, Poland ME 04274. Confidential records shall be so marked and shall also be kept at the aforementioned location.
Article IV:~~ Members
There shall be six voting members on the PCC, all appointed by the Board of Selectpersons for staggered three terms. They shall also appoint one non-voting Selectperson to be their liaison each year. There are no inherent term limits for PCC members, except as may be determined through the Board of Selectpersons’ appointment process. A quorum is required to conduct business, and a minimum quorum shall be defined as four (4) of the six (6) voting members being in attendance.
Article V: ~ Officers
Each July, the PCC shall elect officers from among their members to serve for one fiscal year. Any member of the PCC, including the liaison position, may hold any office. The officers of the Board shall be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson / Treasurer, and Secretary. There are no term limits for these officer positions.
Chairperson: It shall be the duty of the Chairperson of the PCC to establish the agenda and to conduct orderly meetings, to ensure minutes are kept and properly distributed and stored, and to ensure that the PCC budgets and funding are properly accounted.
Vice Chairperson / Treasurer: It shall be the duty of the Vice Chairperson of the PCC to fulfill the duties of the Chairperson in his or her absence. The vice Chairperson will also chair sub-committees of the PCC as delegated by the Chairperson. It shall be the duty of the Vice Chairperson / Treasurer of the PCC to ensure that the PCC budgets and funding are properly accounted and reported to the PCC.
Secretary: It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the PCC to ensure that attendance is taken and that minutes of the proceedings are kept and properly distributed and stored.
Paid consultants or Town staff may be called upon to assist in the fulfillment of any of the above duties.
Any officer may be removed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of a quorum of the Commission. The secretary shall give notice of removal to the officer not less than ten (10) days subsequent to the action.
A vacancy in any office may be filled by a vote of the Board of Selectpersons.
Article VI:~~ Meetings
Meetings shall be held monthly at a time and place to be determined annually each July 1. Meetings shall be open to the general public, except where a discussion item is of a confidential nature, in which case the PCC shall reference the section of Maine State Law that provides for discussions in executive session.
Article VII:~~~ Contracts, Checks, Deposits and Funds
The PCC may not enter into legally binding contracts; only the Board of Selectpersons or their approved designees may do so.
The PCC is empowered to authorize such expenditures as they deem appropriate and within their budget and scope of purpose up to a maximum of $250.00 without limitation by the Board of Selectpersons. Expenditures in excess of that figure shall be recommended to the BOS for their approval. The PCC must have all financial transactions (deposits and expenditures) conducted through the Town’s staff, accounting software and bank funds.
Article VIII:~ Books and Records
The fiscal year of the PCC shall be July 1 through June 30th annually. The PCC shall ensure that an annual reporting of attendance, activities and fund utilization is filed with the Board of Selectpersons upon conclusion of the fiscal year. The PCC shall submit financial update reports to the Selectpersons no less than quarterly.
Article IX~~ Amendment to Bylaws of Corporation
These by-laws may be altered, amended or repealed by the Board of Selectpersons with at least ten (10) days written notice to the full membership of the PCC at such meeting of an intention to alter, amend, or repeal these by-laws
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