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San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ARTICLE I - NAMESection 1. The name of this council shall be the "San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Taxi Advisory Council," henceforth referred to in these rules as "the Council.” ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIPSection 1. The Council is composed of fifteen members appointed by, and serving at the pleasure of, the Director of Transportation in accordance with the City and County of San Francisco Transportation Code Section 1109(e)(11). Section 2. Members shall serve a term of two years. Section 3. When a vacancy on the Council occurs during a member's term, the Council Secretary shall notify the Director of Transportation, who shall appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the member's unexpired term. ARTICLE III - OFFICERS AND STAFFSection 1. Council Chair. The officers of this Council shall be a Chair and a Vice-chair. The members of the Council shall elect officers from among their number. The officers shall take office immediately upon their election. The term of the office of Chair and Vice-chair shall be for a period of six months. The role of the Chair is to preside over meetings of the Council, preserve order and decorum, and to decide all questions of order subject to appeal to the Council by any member. The Chair shall have the right to participate in the proceedings of the Council, including the right to make or second any resolution or other motion. The Chair shall represent the Council before the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-chair shall preside at Council meetings. In the absence of both the Chair and the Vice-chair, the members of the Council shall select by motion a member to preside over that meeting. Section 2. Vacancy in the Office of Chair or Vice-chair. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the Vice-chair shall become Chair for the remainder of the Chair’s term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice-chair, the Council shall, at the first regular meeting occurring after the vacancy, elect one of its numbers to serve out the remainder of the Vice-Chair’s term. Section 3. Council Liaison. The SFMTA shall appoint a staff person to serve as Liaison to the Council. The Liaison will not be a member of the Council and will not be permitted to vote on items under consideration by the Council. The Liaison will function as a liaison between Council members and the SFMTA staff, provide the Council with a monthly staff report for the Council meetings, act as a resource person on questions of SFMTA policy, practices and organizational history, and perform other functions at the request of the Council with the approval of the Director of the Taxi Services Section. Section 4. Secretary. The SFMTA shall provide an additional staff person to serve as Secretary to the Council. The Secretary will not be a member of the Council and will not be permitted to vote on items under consideration by the Council. The duties of the Secretary are to act as custodian of the records of the Council, prepare agendas for Council meetings, make a complete record of the proceedings of the Council, and perform other functions as directed by the Council Liaison. The Secretary shall report to the Council Liaison. ARTICLE IV - MEETINGSSection 1. Open and Public Meetings. All meetings of the Council shall be open and public in accordance with the provisions of state and local law. Section 2. Regular Meetings. The Council shall hold its regular meeting at One South Van Ness Avenue, Second Floor Atrium Conference Room, at 1:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of every month. Section 3. Special Meetings of the Council. Special meetings of the Council may be called at any time by the Council Liaison by delivering written notice to each member of the Council and to the local media who have requested such notice in writing. Such notice must be delivered at least 72 hours before the time of such meeting as specified in the notice. The call and notice shall specify the time and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted. The Council shall consider no other business at such meetings. Each Special meeting shall be held at the regular meeting place of the Council, except that the Council Liaison may designate an alternate meeting place provided that such alternate location is specified in the notice of the special meeting; further provided that the notice of the special meeting shall be given at least 15 days prior to said special meeting being held at an alternate location. This provision shall not apply where the alternative meeting location is located within the same building as the regular meeting place. Section 4. Quorum. Eight members constitute a quorum of the Council. In the absence of a quorum, the Council may adjourn or may reschedule the meeting to a specific date and time. Section 5. Cancellation of Meetings. The Council Liaison may cancel an upcoming regular or special meeting of the Council. In the event of a meeting cancellation, the Council Secretary shall provide notice in accordance with applicable law. Section 6. Public Comment. Every agenda for a regular or special meeting shall provide an opportunity for members of the public to address the Council on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council. Section 7. Agenda. At least 72 hours prior to the meeting, the Secretary shall send a copy of the agenda of the meeting to each Council member and to each member of the public who has requested in writing to receive the agendas of such meetings. Council members shall also receive the printed materials referenced in the agenda, and these materials shall be available for public review at the offices of the Council and at the meeting. Section 8. Vote Required. Except as otherwise herein provided, an affirmative vote of at least eight members of the Council shall be required for the passage of any resolution, or for the passage of any other motion. Procedural motions shall only require an affirmative vote of a majority of members present. Absent a conflict of interest that requires a member to refrain from voting on an item, all members of the Council present at a meeting shall vote yes or no on all questions put before the Council for a vote. Members of the Council may not abstain, vote “present,” or decline to vote. Section 9. Adjournment of Meetings. The Council may adjourn any regular or special meeting to a time and place specified in the order of adjournment. Section 10. Minutes of Proceedings. The Secretary shall record the vote on all resolutions and prepare minutes on all matters discussed. A draft of the minutes shall be available for inspection and copying no later than ten working days after each meeting. The officially adopted minutes shall be available for inspection and copying no later than two working days after the meeting at which the minutes are adopted. Section 11. Formation of Committees. The Council may vote to form Committees of its members. Upon forming a Committee, the Council shall also establish the regular meeting times and days of the Committee. Officers of Committees shall be elected by a quorum of the Committee at the first regular meeting of the Committee and they shall take office immediately upon their election. The term of the office of Chair and Vice-chair of a Committee shall be for a period of six months, and replacement of Committee officers shall be governed by the same procedures as replacement of Council officers set forth in Article III, Sections 1-2 of these Rules of Order. Section 12. Pro Tem Committee Appointments. If, at the scheduled time and place for a duly noticed meeting of a Committee of the Council, a quorum of the Committee is not present, Pro Tem Committee Members may be appointed by the Committee Chair to serve in the place of absent members. Such appointments shall expire at the adjournment of the Committee meeting, or upon the arrival of the replaced member, whichever comes first. In the absence of the Committee Chair, the Council Chair may make such pro tem appointments. If the Council Chair is not present or cannot be reached, the Council Vice-chair may make such pro tem appointments. An appointment letter signed by the presiding officer making the appointment shall be appended to the minutes before approval. (Such pro tem appointments shall also be noted in the committee minutes.) Only current members of the Council present at the meeting may be appointed as a pro tem member of the committee. In the absence of a Committee Chair, a quorum of the committee may appoint a pro tem Chair from one of their number to serve until such time as the Committee Chair arrives. Section 13. Requests Regarding Disciplinary Citations. The Council shall not take an official position on, or otherwise try to influence the outcome of, any pending or potential disciplinary action related to permits issued by the SFMTA. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Council, or its members, acting within the scope of their advisory role under Transportation Code Section 1109(e)(11)(A), from recommending changes to policy or policy implementation with respect to disciplinary matters, including, but not limited to, recommendations that pertain to inconsistencies in enforcement observed by members of the Council or by member(s) of the public who report such incidents to the Council or one or more of its members. ARTICLE V - PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURESection 1. Parliamentary Authority: The rules of parliamentary practice, as set forth in Robert's Rules of Order, shall govern all meetings of the Council, except as provided for in these rules. Section 2. Rules of Debate. When a member desires to address the Council, the member shall seek recognition by addressing the Chair and, when recognized, shall proceed to speak, confining his or her comments to the question before the Council. No discussion shall take place until a resolution or a calendared item has been introduced. Section 3. Privilege of Floor and Public Participation. The privilege of the floor shall be granted to any member of the public or officer of the City and County of San Francisco for the purpose of commenting on any question before the Council. Each person wishing to speak on an item at a regular or special meeting shall be permitted to be heard once per item for up to three minutes. The Chair shall be the judge of the pertinence of such comments to the item before the Council, and the Chair may require a speaker to address his or her comments to the matter under consideration by the Council. Section 4. Agenda Changes or Continuances. The agenda for a subsequent council meeting shall be established by vote of the Council. Any change to the agenda or continuance of an item on the agenda shall be announced at the beginning of the Council meeting, or as soon thereafter as the need for the change or continuance becomes known to the Chair. ARTICLE VI - ADOPTION AND AMENDMENTSection 1. Adoption of Rules of Order. The adoption of the Rules of Order shall be by motion and shall require an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Council. When adopted, such Rules of Order shall remain in effect unless suspended or amended as provided herein. Section 3. Amendments to Rules of Order. An amendment to the Rules of Order may, after 15 days' notice, be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Council. ADOPTED: August 30, 2010 |
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