Bylaws of the Poland Community and Economic Development Committee
Article I: Authority and Name
By authority of the Poland Board of Selectpersons there shall be formed an entity named “Poland Community and Economic Development Committee (CEDC).”
Article II: Purposes
To promote the development of Poland’s community and economic resources by advising and recommending to the Board of Selectpersons appropriate strategies to build a stronger economy, tax base and employment base; to assist local businesses in locating and expanding their commerce in Poland, to advise and assist in the management and utilization of TIF districts and other economic development tools, to assist the Town Manager in the management of grants and other funding as may become available for community and economic development.
Article III: Offices
The public records of the CEDC 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 ten members on the CEDC, all appointed by the Board of Selectpersons for staggered three year terms. Seven of those members shall be from registered Poland voters at large, and three shall be liaison positions, representing a Poland member of the RSU Committee, a Planning Board member and a member of the Board of Selectpersons. All members have the right to vote. All members are required to sign a confidentiality agreement. There are no inherent term limits for CEDC members, except as may be determined through the Board of Selectpersons’ appointment process.
If a vacancy occurs on the CEDC before a member’s term is complete, it may be filled by the Board of Selectpersons. The new appointee shall complete the term that is vacant.
Article V: Officers
Each July, the CEDC shall elect officers from among their members to serve for one fiscal year. Any member of the CEDC, including the liaison positions, may hold any office. The officers of the Board shall be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. There are no inherent term limits for these officer positions.
Chairperson: It shall be the duty of the Chairperson of the CEDC to establish the agenda and to conduct orderly meetings, to ensure minutes are kept and properly distributed and stored, and to ensure that the CEDC budgets and funding are properly accounted.
Vice Chairperson: It shall be the duty of the Vice Chairperson of the CEDC to fulfill the duties of the Chairperson in his or her absence. The vice Chairperson will also chair sub-committees of the CEDC as delegated by the Chairperson.
Treasurer: It shall be the duty of the Treasurer of the CEDC to ensure that the CEDC budgets and funding are properly accounted and reported to the CEDC.
Secretary: It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the CEDC to ensure that attendance is taken and that minutes of the proceedings are kept and properly distributed and stored, and to demarcate said minutes and notes into those that are “public records” and those that are “confidential.”
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 CEDC. The secretary shall give notice of removal to the officer not more than ten (10) days subsequent to the action. A vacancy in the officers of the CEDC may be filled by a majority of the members of the CEDC.
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 CEDC shall reference the section of Maine State Law that provides for discussions in executive session.
Quorum: 50% of the number of filled positions (5 needed at 9) constitutes a quorum. A quorum is required for conducting any business of the CEDC.
The meetings of the CEDC are intended to be informal. When voting, if a procedural question should occur, the CEDC will use Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article VII: Contracts, Checks, Deposits and Funds
The CEDC may not enter into legally binding contracts; only the Board of Selectpersons may do so.
The CEDC may authorize such expenditures as they deem appropriate and within their budget and scope of purpose without limitation by the Board of Selectpersons. The CEDC 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 CEDC shall be July 1 through June 30th annually. The CEDC 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.
Article IX: Amendment to Bylaws of Community and Economic Development Committee (CEDC)
These by-laws may be altered, amended or repealed by the Board of Selectpersons with at least thirty (30) days written notice to the full membership of the CEDC at such meeting of an intention to alter, amend, or repeal these by-laws.
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