(a) Membership on the Arts and Humanities Council must be open to all private and public agencies, organizations, and individuals who support, participate in, contribute to, and generally enhance and promote the arts and humanities in the County. Membership on the governing board of the Arts and Humanities Council must be nonpartisan.
(b) Directors of the Arts and Humanities Council must represent:
(1) Private citizens, organizations, and groups recognized for their knowledge of or interest in the arts and humanities.
(2) Practicing artists and writers, both professional and amateur; scholars and researchers; civic cultural leaders; members of the professions; and other individuals and groups concerned with the arts and humanities.
(3) The various disciplines in the arts and humanities.
(4) The general public, including ethnic, racial, linguistic, and cultural minorities.
(5) Geographic balance regarding where members live or work in the County.
(c) The Arts and Humanities Council may provide for separate classes of membership for organizations and individuals to recognize and give representative weight to the size and nature of the interests a member represents.
(d) The Arts and Humanities Council must require each officer and director, and the executive director to annually disclose, confidentially and in writing, all activities and interests related to arts and humanities organizations, programs, or funding to the governing board of directors for the Arts and Humanities Council. Each officer and director, and the executive director of the Arts and Humanities Council is a public employee under Sections 19A-11 and 19A-14 for any matter in which the person participates for the Council. The Council must adopt and apply policies and procedures to ensure that its actions are fair, unbiased, and non-partisan.
(e) Before the County may contract with the Arts and Humanities Council, the Council must provide a copy of its current articles of incorporation and bylaws to the County Executive and the County Council. The Council must submit to the County Executive and County Council for review and comment any proposed amendment to the articles of incorporation or bylaws, at least 60 days before the Arts and Humanities Council takes final action on the amendment. The Council must submit a copy of all adopted amendments to the Executive and County Council within 5 working days after adoption. The articles of incorporation and bylaws are subject to all County laws, including those enacted after the County contracts with the organization.
(f) The Arts and Humanities Council must give the County regular and complete financial reports, including an annual independent audit and any accompanying management letter, and any other report required under a contract with the County.
(g) The Arts and Humanities Council is a public body under the State open meetings law. (1976 L.M.C., ch. 15, § 1; 1984 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 9; 1999 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 1; 2018 L.M.C., ch. 7, §1.)