(A) Established. The City Council hereby creates a Traffic Safety Committee for the city.
(B) Powers and duties.
(1) Generally.
(a) The Committee is an advisory body to the City Council. It has no authority to spend or approve the expenditure of any city funds. Its recommendations are made to the City Council through its minutes and such recommendations for action by the City Council shall be made in the form “The Traffic Safety Committee recommends to the City Council....”
(b) Members shall serve at the pleasure of the City Council.
(c) Membership on the Committee is honorary and without compensation.
(d) All meetings of the Committee shall be open to the public, shall be properly noticed and shall be held in a place which is open to the public and handicapped accessible.
(e) All matters pertaining to traffic safety shall only be acted upon by the City Council following review by the Committee and upon recommendation by the Committee.
(f) This Committee may be assigned other duties by adoption of other legislation of the city.
(2) Specifically. The City Traffic Safety Committee shall be responsible for the following:
(a) To promote traffic safety practices in the community, which shall include pedestrian safety, bicycle safety and motor vehicle safety;
(b) To develop educational programs to encourage traffic safety;
(c) To consider, research, evaluate and recommend changes in traffic control signs and devices, such as stop signs, crosswalks, parking requirements, traffic lanes, truck lanes, safety corridors and zones, pavement markings, signals and all similar devices;
(d) To hear concerns of citizens about traffic issues; and
(e) To interact with other boards, committees and commissions of the city which may have related or overlapping duties and authorities, e.g., the Planning Commission.
(C) Organization.
(1) Membership. The Committee shall consist of five members selected as follows.
(a) One member shall be nominated by the Superintendent of the City School District to represent School District concerns on the Committee and who shall serve a two-year term of office. The Mayor will appoint this nominee.
(b) One member shall be nominated by the President of the City Chamber of Commerce, who can represent the business community’s interests and concerns related to traffic and parking issues and who shall serve a term of two years. The Mayor will appoint this nominee.
(c) Three members shall be at-large members and shall serve for initial terms of office of varying lengths for the initial appointments. The Mayor shall specifically appoint the first members to a specific term of office: one shall be appointed for a one-year term; one for a two-year term; and one for a three-year term. Thereafter, all terms shall be for three years.
(d) The Police Chief, or his or her designee, shall be the Secretary of the Committee and shall take minutes, give notice of meetings and support the efforts of this Committee in all manners. The Police Chief shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee and shall be entitled to discuss all matters with the Committee but shall have no vote. As Committee staff, the Chief will accurately report the determinations of the City Council on previous Committee recommendations back to the Committee.
(2) Officers. The Committee shall elect from its membership a Chair and a Vice Chair at its first meeting and, thereafter, at its first meeting in every odd-numbered year. In the event of resignation or other vacation of the office, the Committee shall elect a new Chair to serve the balance of the unexpired term. The Chair shall preside over the Committee’s deliberations, preserve order and determine the order of business. The Vice Chair shall carry out these duties in the absence of the Chair. Officers may make motions, second motions and vote on all matters before the Committee.
(3) Quorum. A quorum of the Committee shall be three members.
(4) Meetings.
(a) The Committee shall meet not less than four times per year and otherwise as it determines. All regular and special meetings must be properly noticed including timely notice to all members of the press.
(b) Special meetings may be called by the Chair for any purpose subject to the provisions of the Open Meetings Law, being ORS 192.610 et seq. and notice requirements.
(5) Rules of procedure. The Committee shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
(6) Minutes. The Commission minutes shall be prepared by staff and approved, with or without amendments, additions or corrections, by an affirmative action of the Committee at its next meeting. Commission minutes as prepared by staff shall be transmitted to the City Council on its next agenda as either an “Action Item” (if recommendations are made in those minutes) or as an “Information Item” (if no recommendations are included.).
(Ord. 1202, passed 3-16-1999)