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Adopted by Community Forum 10/23/2008 Adopted by City Council 11/3/2008 BYLAWS OF THE COMMUITY FORUM 1. AME. 1.1. The name of this organization shall be the Community Forum of the City of Missoula 1.2. The Community Forum is established to implement the “Community Council” provisions of the City of Missoula Charter, approved by the voters on June 4, 1996, with the intent of increasing citizen participation in City governance. 2. PURPOSE. 2.1. The purpose of the Community Forum is to provide an arena for designated representatives of Neighborhood Councils to come together, share information and make recommendations to the City government on City-wide issues. 2.2. Some of the functions shall be 1. to share skills and resources in order to increase the capabilities of individual Neighborhood Councils; 2. to identify and discuss issues of concern brought forth by any Neighborhood Council; 3. to provide coordinated support for issues to be presented to City government agencies; 4. to increase citizen participation in City government, thus decreasing frustration and the sense of powerlessness; 5. to serve as a training ground for leadership; 6. to serve as an educational and communication forum to increase knowledge of activities and issues in individual neighborhoods; and 7. to provide two-way communication between neighborhoods and City Council. 3. MEMBERS. The Community Forum consists of one voting member selected by and representing each Neighborhood Council, according to the bylaws of that Council. The one voting member is the elected Community Forum Representative, or if absent the elected Community Forum Alternate. If the Representative and the Alternate for any Neighborhood are in attendance at a Forum meeting, the Neighborhood’s vote shall rest with the Representative. 4. DUTIES OF THE COMMUITY FORUM. 4.1. The Community Forum will provide a report back to City Council at its next regularly scheduled meeting. This report will foster communications between City Council and the Community Forum, while keeping City Council members current on issues before the Community Forum. 4.2. The Community Forum will submit a budget for review by the Mayor and the City Council as part of the annual budget review process. 4.3. The Community Forum will have review authority for requests to change geographic boundaries by Neighborhood Councils. 4.4. The Community Forum may call meetings if requested by at least 20 members of Neighborhood Council, who have made a written request to the affected Neighborhood Council Leadership Team and if the Leadership Team has not responded within 15 working days (Monday through Friday. ---PAGE BREAK--- 5. LEADERSHIP TEAM. 5.1. The Community Forum Leadership Team shall consist of three to seven members. Members of the Leadership Team shall be elected members of the Community Forum and shall serve a two-year term with no limit on the number of terms served. 5.2. Candidates for the Leadership Team may nominate themselves or be nominated by a Community Forum member. Votes shall be cast at the next meeting following nominations. 5.3. The duties of the Leadership Team shall be 1. to meet two weeks (will make every effort to meet two weeks) prior to set agendas for the next regular meeting. Agendas will be mailed to the Community Forum membership to allow members to come prepared to discuss the agenda items. The agenda will be filed with the City Clerk. 2. to approve all expenditures of Community Forum funds by at least two members of the Leadership Team. All expenditures will follow City Purchasing policy. 3. to be responsible for the drafting of language in recommendations to City Council. The final draft of recommendations shall be approved by the Leadership Team prior to submission to the Community Forum for Community Forum discussion and vote on the agenda. The Community Forum must allow a reasonable amount of time for a minority report to be prepared prior to the Community Forum submitting the approved Community Forum recommendation to City Council or City Clerk. If a minority report is prepared it shall be submitted with the Community Forum recommendations. 4. to be responsible for establishing an annual work plan and goals for the leadership team and presenting them to Community forum for adoption by resolution. The additional duties resolution serves as a guide for the leadership team to engage in new activities and roles on an annual basis without updating the Community Forum bylaws regularly. 6. MEETIGS 6.1. The Community Forum will make every effort to meet each month on the fourth Thursday of each month in City Council Chambers. Members shall be notified of agenda items in advance. If the time or place changes from that regularly scheduled, each Forum representative shall be notified at least one week in advance of the meeting. 6.2. Before a meeting of the Community Forum is convened to transact business, a quorum of fifty per cent of the duly-selected Representatives of Neighborhood Councils of the City of Missoula (or their Alternates) must be present. 6.3. Decisions shall be made by a majority vote of those designated representatives present and voting. 6.4. The Community Forum encourages Alternates to attend meetings as observers in the audience, unless the Community Forum Representative is absent in which case the elected Alternate would be a voting member at the conference table. 7. COMMITTEES 7.1. Committees of the Community Forum shall be formed at a regular meeting or by the Leadership Team as needed. These may take the form of permanent standing committees or ad hoc committees focused on specific issues. 7.2. Interested persons who are not members of the Community Forum may attend committee meetings and participate in committee discussions but may not vote. 7.3. Committee recommendations must be submitted to the Community Forum for approval. ---PAGE BREAK--- 8. PARLIAMETARY AUTHORITY The rules contained in the Modern Edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the Forum in event of a deliberative impasse. When necessary, a three-minute per speaker rule limiting debate may be initiated to expedite Forum proceedings. 9. AMEDMET Any proposed amendment to these bylaws shall be presented in writing at a meeting of the Community Forum, shall be scheduled for initial discussion at the next regular Community Forum meeting, and shall be scheduled for final discussion and vote two meetings after initial presentation. A two-thirds majority of those present and voting is required to adopt a bylaw amendment.