Sec. 1-20. General Regulations

   a.   Definitions.

      1.   Board: A group created by the City Council to serve a particular purpose and with a membership set by the City Council, sometimes referred to as a Commission or Committee.
   
      2.   Regular Board: Boards that have regularly scheduled monthly or bi-monthly meetings, including the following:

Airport Advisory Board
Keep Tyler Beautiful Board
One-Half Cent Sales Tax Corp, Inc. Board
Park Board
Planning and Zoning Commission
Traffic Safety Board
Tyler Historical Preservation Board
Tyler Public Library Board

      3.   Periodic Board: Boards that either meet quarterly, less often, or only "as needed," including the following:

Animal Care Advisory Board
Audit Firm Review Committee
Board of Directors of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1 (TIRZ No. 1)
Board of Directors of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2 (TIRZ No. 2)
Board of Directors of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3 (TIRZ No. 3)
Civil Service Commission
Construction Board of Adjustment & Appeals
Disability Issues Review Board
Industrial Development Corporation of Tyler Board
Main Street Board
Neighborhood Revitalization Board
Reinvestment Zone Committee
Redevelopment Authority Board
Tyler Health Facilities Development Corporation Board
Zoning Board of Adjustment

      4.   Members: All appointees to a board who have voting authority.

      5.   Quorum: A majority of a board's members.

   b.   Eligibility. Except where otherwise authorized by ordinance, members of City Boards shall be City of Tyler residents. Except when otherwise authorized by ordinance, City employees may not serve as members of the City boards established in subsection a. above. (Ord. No. O-2020-44; 4/22/20)(Ord. No. O-2022-106; 11/9/22)

   c.    Appointment Process. The City Manager or designee will solicit applications from eligible citizens through the media and other means. Each appointee shall receive training regarding attendance and the duties and responsibilities of the position. Applications for appointment or re-appointment will be compiled and submitted to the Council. The City Clerk shall be responsible for the applications' completeness, and the City Attorney's Office shall conduct a review of applications for any potential conflicts of interest. The City Clerk shall check each nominee's qualifications and include the completed applications in information sent to the City Council. The Council will be provided an attendance report detailing the number of absences of each current member and a status report on vacancies. All applicants will be considered at a City Council meeting in August or at any other time as designated by the City Council at its discretion, and the Council will jointly select the most qualified individuals for the available positions. (Ord. No. 0-2021-53; 6/9/21)
    
   d.   Orientation. The Board Liaison shall be responsible for ensuring that new members attend an orientation session to overview City government and the functions of the Board.

   e.   Vacancies. Vacancies occurring on the Board shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of the City Council from completed applications.

   f.   Terms of office; selection of presiding officer; other officers

      1.   The terms of office for all boards shall be for two (2) years staggered, and shall expire on the 31st day of August, unless otherwise provided. Members shall continue to serve until a replacement has been appointed and qualified.
   
      2.   The presiding officer of each board shall be appointed annually by the City Council from among the ranks of regular members of the board, unless otherwise provided. The Board shall select a vice-presiding officer annually to serve in the presiding officer's absence.

   g.   Boards may adopt, subject to City Council approval, such rules as the Board considers appropriate.

   h.    Maximum terms of office. No member of any Board shall be appointed to that same Board as a regular member for more than three (3) complete successive terms or six years, unless otherwise provided. This provision shall apply to all future appointments.

   i.   One membership. No member shall serve on more than one board at a time, except where the City Council determines otherwise that such dual membership is necessary or desirable.

   j.   Salary. All members, including ex officio members, shall serve without salary.

   k.   No financial liability. Neither any Board nor any member thereof shall incur any financial liability in the name of the City without proper authorization.

   l.   Attendance.

      1.   Active participation by all appointed members is necessary for proper functioning of boards. Once notice of a City Board meeting has been supplied, it shall be the responsibility of that member to either attend or, prior to the meeting, notify the City department originally providing the notice to the board member of his/her inability to attend.

      2.   For "Regular Boards" as defined herein, failure to attend at least two-thirds (2/3) of the meetings of the Board for which that person was appointed for any six-month period during which the appointee is a member of the board will be considered a voluntary resignation as shown below:

 

Regular Board Required Attendance Chart

 

If the Board Meets:	Required Attendance
One (1) time within a six month period*	1*
Two (2) times within a six month period	1*
Three (3) times within a six month period	2*
Four (4) times within a six month period	3*
Five (5) times within a six month period	3*
Six (6) times within a six month period	4*

               * however, consideration will be given for illness or extenuating circumstances.

      3.   For "Periodic Boards" failure to attend two (2) meetings within any six month period will be considered a voluntary resignation. However, consideration will be given for illness or extenuating circumstances.

      4.     If an appointee fails to attend as required herein and thus voluntarily resigns, the City Council shall appoint a person to the unexpired term. The City Manager or designee is designated to develop a program whereby minutes are taken and distributed timely, attendance taken, and appropriate and necessary action taken.

   m.    Use of position. Appointed members shall not use or refer to their position in writing letters or taking public positions unless approved by a majority of the Board and approved by the City Council.

   n.    Removal of members. The City Council, by majority vote, may remove any member of a Board from office whenever, in its sole discretion, the best interests of the City shall be served thereby.

(Ord. No. O-98-45, 5/27/98) (Ord. No. 0-2004-33, 5/12/04) (0-2008-108, 8/27/08) (Ord. No. 0-2012-71; 9/26/12) (Ord. No. 0-2013-113; 12/11/13) (Ord. No. 0-2017-32; 4/12/17) (Ord. No. 0-2019-61; 7/24/19) (Ord. No. 0-2020-16; 2/12/20) (Ord. No. 0-2020-44; 4/22/20) (Ord. No. 0-2021-53; 6/9/21)(Ord. No. 0-2022-106; 11/9/22)

 

NOTE: The residency requirement amendment to subsection b. above shall not affect the current term of any person that is presently serving on a City Board or Commission at the time of adoption of this ordinance.