ARTICLE I - PURPOSE

SECTION 1. The Helena Citizens' Council (hereinafter called the HCC), operating independently from the City Commission or City staff, shall review and advise the City Commission of the various problems relating to the annual budget and make recommendations relating to the future development of the City.

SECTION 2. For federal and state programs requiring citizen participation, the HCC may contract with the City for the provisions of citizen participation.

SECTION 3. It is the obligation of the HCC to work closely with and to establish cooperative effort with the City Commission and City staff. It is the responsibility of the HCC to increase its own knowledge and capability in carrying out its duties and to inform the general public of the activities of the HCC. ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. The HCC shall be composed of twenty-eight (28) members, four (4) to be elected from each of seven (7) geographic neighborhoods in the City.

SECTION 2. The City Commission shall, by ordinance, divide the City of Helena into seven (7) Neighborhood Council Districts.

SECTION 3. All HCC members shall serve a term of two (2) years.

SECTION 4. A member's position is deemed to be vacant before the expiration of the term if so declared by the HCC on the occurrence of any one of the following:

 

1. The member fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings of the HCC without good cause.
2. The death of a member.
3. The resignation of a member.
4. A member moves from a neighborhood.

SECTION 5. If a vacancy occurs on a Neighborhood Council, the remaining members of that Neighborhood Council shall appoint a person eligible to hold the position to fill the vacancy until the next city general election.

SECTION 6. If there are no remaining members of a Neighborhood Council, the HCC may appoint a person eligible to hold the position to fill the vacancy until the next city general election.

SECTION 7. The Neighborhood Councils shall give public notification of all vacancies.

ARTICLE III - OFFICERS, NOMINATING COMMITTEE AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1. The officers of the HCC shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.

SECTION 2. After the second Tuesday of each November, but no later than its final regular meeting of the year, the HCC shall appoint a Nominating Committee charged with nominating members and/or members-elect of the HCC as candidates for election as HCC officers. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of a minimum of three HCC members appointed by the Chair and approved by the HCC membership. The Nominating Committee shall receive suggested nominees from HCC members and members-elect and develope a slate of candidates for consideration. No member of the Nominating Committee shall nominate himself or herself to the slate of candidates. The slate of candidates will be mailed to HCC members and members-elect no later than 15 days prior to the HCC's January meeting. Election of officers shall take place in January of each year at the regular HCC meeting. In addition to the slate of nominees submitted by the Nominating Committee pursuant to this section, nominations for candidates for HCC officers may be made by HCC members during the January meeting. The Chair shall open the HCC meeting for any such nominations prior to the election of officers.

SECTION 3. All elected officers shall be members of the HCC and shall serve for a term of one (1) year until their successors have been elected. Elected officers are eligible to succeedd themselves no more than once. The HCC shall fill any unexpired term at a regular monthly meeting next following the vacancy.

ARTICLE IV - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1. The Chair of the HCC shall preside at meetings of the HCC and is eligible to vote. The Chair shall appoint the chairs of the standing committees. The Chair shall appoint special ad hoc committees as may be necessary. The Chair shall be responsible for the preparation of the agenda and conducting all meetings in an orderly manner. The Chair shall cause periodic reports to be made to the City Commission regarding the progress and recommendations of the HCC. Neighborhood Council chairs shall report to the HCC and shall preside at Neighborhood Council meetings and forums. The Neighborhood Council secretary shall keep records of the Neighborhood Council meetings.

SECTION 2. The Vice Chair of the HCC shall perform all duties and assume all the responsibilities of the Chair should the Chair be absent or unable to serve. The Vice Chair shall succeed to the Chair in the event therein. The Vice Chair then shall be declared vacant. In such an event. the Nominating Committee shall develop a slate of candidates as provided for in Article III, Section 2. The Vice Chair shall in conjuction with the HCC Treasurer approve budget expenditures outside of the HCC approved annual budget if the request can not be acted upon by the HCC in a timely manner.

SECTION 3. The Secretary of the HCC shall supervise the keeping of accurate records on all proceedings of the HCC, supervise the issuance of all necessary notices and reports, and keep attendance records. In the absence of both the Chair and Vice-Chair, the Secretary shall conduct the regular meetings.

SECTION 4. The Treasurer of the HCC shall account for funds entrusted to the HCC and shall report on the status of the budget and expenditures at the HCC meetings. The Treasurer will chair the Committee of the Budget, attend all city budget work sessions and other related meetings. The Treasurer shall meet on a regular basis with other members of the Committee of the Budget to formulate HCC budget recommendations and present them to the HCC for a final vote of approval. The Treasurer shall present the HCC budget recommendations to the Helena City Commission during the public hearing for the City of Helena annual budget. The Treasurer, as chair of the Committee of the Budget, will present Committee goals as needed at the HCC meetings.

ARTICLE V - MEETINGS

SECTION 1. Regular meetings of the HCC shall be held every month unless canceled by a majority vote of members present at a regular HCC meeting. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair or by a majority vote of the current membership of the HCC. Notices and agendas of meetings shall be given in advance and no later than two days prior to a meeting.

SECTION 2. A quorum consists of seven (7) members of the HCC from at least four (4) neighborhood councils' duly elected and appointed HCC members. A quorum shall be necessary for the transaction of any official business of the HCC.

SECTION 3. Parliamentary conduct of the meetings shall be in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, unless otherwise specifically stated herein.

SECTION 4. The four members elected from each Neighborhood Council District shall endeavor to call periodic meetings in their neighborhood to address issues as they arise; to seek opinion relating to questions before the City Commission or for other neighborhood business as appropriate.

SECTION 5. All full council, committee and neighborhood council meetings of the HCC shall be open to the public. Said meeting shall be publicized in advance. Notice shall be at least 5 days prior to the public meeting. Notice of meetings is the responsibility of HCC Secretary, committee chairs and Neighborhood District Council chairs, respectively.

SECTION 6. Neighborhood Council meetings shall be open to the public.

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. The HCC shall designate standing and ad hoc committees to faciliate its work in reviewing and advising the City Commission of the various problems relating to the annual budget and make recommendations relating to the future development of the city. The HCC shall designate the purposes and practices of said committees, their membership and reporting requirements, as well as their duration. Committee Chairs shall submit an estimated annual budget to the HCC Treasurer by February 15th for approval. If a situation arises when a committee anticipates expenses above their budget, or if a non-budget item expense arises, the HCC Treasures must be notified. Final approval will be made by the HCC Treasure and Vice Chairperson. The mandate of a standing committee shall be established by a majority vote of the HCC and shall continue until terminated by same. Ad hoc committees are formed for specific purposes and duration as determined by a majority vote of the HCC.

SECTION 2. The HCC Chairperson shall appoint the chair of each standing and ad hoc committee from its membership. A standing committee chair shall have full voting privileges. Each committee chair may appoint a vicechair from the membership of the committee.

SECTION 3. HCC Standing Committees are as follows:

 
A. Committee on Transportation (COT) to cooperate with city/county entities to facilitate the collection, collation, interpretation and distribution of information and comment on transportation issues within the Helena urban area. In particular, the COT will work closely with the Transportation Coordination Committee and the Transportation Demand Management Committee to promote the flow of information and comment on transportation issues. Such activities could include but not be limited to surveys of public opinion on specific transportation issues, newspaper articles explaining issues and concerns, information fairs, and town meetings. The COT will seek HCC review and approval of its efforts as required. The chairperson shall determine committee membership, striving to reflect a cross section of HCC members.

B. Committee on the Budget (COB) to carry out ongoing reviews of annual budgets of the City of Helena, particularly during the drafting and review process, and make specific recommendations as concurred in a majority vote of the HCC to the City Commission and City Manager. COB members are encourage to attend city budget work sessions, coordinating closely with appropriate city staff to better understand budgetary methodology and issues so as to facilitate the flow of information and ideas between the citizenry and city government entities. The chairperson shall determine committee membership, striving to reflect a cross section of HCC members.

C. Committee on Surveys (COS) to enhance the dialogue between the City Government and the citizenry regards the free flow of information, views and policies necessary for an efficient partnership of government and governed. The COS shall identify possible survey topics for examination and coordination. Survey plans and questionnaires shall presented to the HCC and the City Commission for review and approval prior to distribution. The COS information-gathering activitities shall include but not limited to survey questionnaires included in the city water bills. The survey information thus collected shall be presented in a written report to the HCC for review and approval prior to distribution. The chairperson shall determine committee membership, striving to reflect a cross section of HCC members.

D. Committee on Nomination (CON) after the second Tuesday of each November, but no later than its final regular meeting of the year, the HCC shall appoint a Nominating Committee charged with nominating members and/or members-elect of the HCC as candidates for election as HCC officers. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of a minimum of three HCC members appointed by the Chair and approved by the HCC membership. The Nominating Committee shall receive suggested nominees from HCC members and members-elect and develope a slate of candidates for consideration. No member of the Nominating Committee shall nominate himself or herself to the slate of candidates. The slate of candidates will be mailed to HCC members and members-elect no later than 15 days prior to the HCC's January meeting. Election of officers shall take place in January of each year at the regular HCC meeting. In addition to the slate of nominees submitted by the Nominating Committee pursuant to this section, nominations for candidates for HCC officers may be made by HCC members during the January meeting. The Chair shall open the HCC meeting for any such nominations prior to the election of officers.

SECTION 4. Standing committee chairs may appoint subcommittees to study specific problems. Reports and recommendations from subcommittees must be submitted to and acted upon by standing committees.

SECTION 5. The mode of operation of ad hoc committees shall be identical to that of the standing committees unlees otherwise specified by the HCC.

ARTICLE VII - EXPENDITURES

SECTION 1. All expenditures by the HCC, its committees, or the Neighborhood Councils shall be made only in accordance with the budget and be approved by the Treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1. Proposed amendments to the bylaws shall presented at a regular meeting, with two-thirds of the members voting in favor the amendments in order for it to be adopted. Proposed amendments must be provided to every member in written form at least 10 days prior to the meeting at which a vote is taken.

Originally adopted - August 18, 1977

Amended Article III, Section 2 - November 17, 1977

Amended Article III, Section 5 and Article IV, Section 5 - February 25, 1982

Amended Article II, Section 4 - January 24, 1984

Amended Article III, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - March 25, 1998

Amended Article III, Sections 4, 5 and Article IV, Section 4 and

Article V, Sections 4, 5 and Article VI, Sections 1, 2, 3, 6 and

Article VIII, Sections 1, 2 - May 26, 1999

Amended Article II, Sections 4, 5, 6 & 7 - March 28, 2001

City County Building; room 320
316 N. Park Helena, Mt 59623