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RESO 26-002 - Approving Updates to Environmental Commission BylawsRESOLUTION NO. 26-002 RESOLUTION APPROVING UPDATES TO ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION BYLAWS WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission Bylaws provides a list of duties and specific direction for the Environmental Commission to carry out their work as required in City Code Section 2-131; and WHEREAS, the Commission must review the Bylaws no less than every three years and may review the Bylaws more frequently as needed; and WHEREAS, the Bylaws may be amended at any regular Environmental Commission meeting with a majority of members present; and WHEREAS, on November 24, 2025, the Environmental Commission recommended approval to amendments to the Bylaws as shown in Exhibit A; and WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed the revised bylaws as shown in Exhibit A. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY, MINNESOTA that this Council hereby approves the revised Bylaws of the Environmental Commission attached hereto as Exhibit A. Adopted by the City Council this 6th day of January, 2026. Roslyn Harmon, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ Theresa Schyma, City Clerk Docusign Envelope ID: 1AAA82D6-B2D9-4968-80F0-398038DEF80E BYLAWS Environmental Commission Article I: Purpose, Mission, and Duties The Environmental Commission shall be an advisory commission to the City Council on matters relating to the environment and human health. The Commission shall: •develop and make recommendations to educate the public on environmental regulations, policies, practices and tools •develop and make recommendations as an advisory review body for amendments to or revisions of the City’s Surface Water Management Plan and provide advice as requested by the Council on other city programs and initiatives •review and make recommendations regarding the city’s existing environmental ordinances, policies, and guidelines •develop and make recommendations on management practices for the City’s nature areas, public and private ponding areas, and other such city-owned properties as directed by the City Council •develop and make recommendations regarding waste reduction, recycling, and organics/composting •review and make recommendations on the City's resilience and sustainability policies and actions to address climate variations •participate, as directed by the City Council, in local activities initiated by other public and quasi-public agencies regarding environmental issues •advise and recommend such other functions or procedures as may be assigned to them by the City Code or the Council Article II: Membership, Appointments, Terms, and Officers A.Membership The Commission shall consist of seven regular members, and two voting youth members. Regular members shall be residents of the City. Youth members shall live or attend school within Golden Valley, the Robbinsdale Area District or Hopkins School District and be enrolled in school grades 9 through 12. A vacancy shall be deemed to exist if a member ceases to meet the residency requirements. B.Appointments and Terms Appointments are made effective May 1 of each year. The Council shall appoint regular members of the Commission for three-year staggering terms. Youth members shall be appointed for a one-year term. The terms of Commission members shall be fixed and determined at the time of appointment by the governing ordinance. Emphasis in appointments will be made based on knowledge of environmental issues and their relationships to the natural environment and the quality of life in the City. The City Council shall appoint the members of the Commission and to fill vacancies for unexpired terms. C.Officers The Commission shall elect officers of Chair and Vice-Chair from the Commission membership by its voting members at its regular annual meeting, (no later than the second meeting after May 1 in each year). The Chair and Vice Chair positions rotate, and members may only serve two consecutive years as the Chair or Vice-Chair. Should the office of Chair or Vice-Chair become vacant, the Commission shall elect a successor from its membership at the next regular meeting and such election shall be for the unexpired term of said office. Officers may also delegate the duties of their position to other Commissioners as deemed appropriate by the Commission. Resolution No. 26-002 (Exhibit A) Docusign Envelope ID: 1AAA82D6-B2D9-4968-80F0-398038DEF80E BYLAWS – Environmental Commission 2 Amended November 26, 2025 Chair responsibilities include: •work with staff liaison to develop meeting agendas •conduct and preside at all meetings in a productive and time-efficient manner •ensure the Commission conducts its activities within the stated mission and bylaws of the Commission •appoint Commissioners to subcommittees •monitor and ensure the progress of the Commission •report to the City Council Vice-Chair responsibilities: •perform the duties of the Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair •perform all other duties as prescribed by the Commission Article III: Meetings and Attendance A.Meetings All meetings of the Commission shall be conducted in accordance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law and City Code. This means all business and discussion occurs at a meeting which has been posted and is open to the public. The presence of a majority of all regular members currently appointed to the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes. In the event a quorum is not reached, a smaller number of members may meet to have informal discussion, however, formal action shall not be taken and must be reserved for such time as when a quorum of the Commission is reached. A quorum of the members should not discuss Commission business by email, forms of social media, telephone, or informal meetings. Commission meetings may be cancelled by the staff liaison if there are no items on the agenda for discussion. The proceedings of meeting should be conducted using standard parliamentary procedure. i.Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Commission shall be held on the third Monday of the month at City Hall at 6:30 pm. The Commission may, by a majority vote, change its regular meeting dates for any reason provided proper public notice of the changed meeting is provided. ii.Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting of the commission shall be a regular meeting, typically the first meeting after May 1 of each year, at which time elections will be held. iii.Special Meetings A special meeting may be called by the Chair or whenever three members request the same in writing. Staff shall give notice to each commissioner, at least three days prior to any special meeting, of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. Resolution No. 26-002 (Exhibit A) Docusign Envelope ID: 1AAA82D6-B2D9-4968-80F0-398038DEF80E BYLAWS – Environmental Commission 3 Amended November 26, 2025 B.Attendance Members are expected to attend all meetings. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, they should contact the staff liaison, who will inform the chair. If a quorum cannot be attained, the meeting will be canceled. Staff liaisons will track attendance at each meeting. Each April, the City Manager’s office will review attendance records for the preceding calendar year (April-March) and send a standardized letter of warning to any member that has missed: •two consecutive or three total meetings for groups that meet once a month; or •two consecutive or five total meetings for groups that meet twice a month. Because attendance is so important to the work of the City’s boards and commissions, the City Manager may ask the member to explain the reasons for their absences. If circumstances (other than health circumstances) prevent the member from committing to consistently attend future meetings, the member may be asked to step down. If the member’s attendance does not improve after receiving a warning, the Council may take action to remove the member. Article IV: Rules A.Recordkeeping All minutes and resolutions shall be in writing and shall be kept in accordance with City procedures, Minnesota Statute and Rules regarding preservation of public records and the Minnesota Data Privacy Act. B.Work Plan The Commission will draft an annual work plan that details activities and projected timelines for the upcoming year. •The Chair may appoint Commissioners to be primarily responsible for each work plan activity. •The Commission may establish subcommittees to oversee work plan activities. The subcommittees will be chaired by Commissioners appointed by the Chair. •The Commission’s work plan will be submitted to the City Council, typically during the first quarter of the calendar year. The Chair and/or Commissioners will attend a Council/Manager meeting to discuss the annual work plan with the City Council. •The Commission’s work plan must be agreed upon by the City Council. C.Annual Report The Commission shall submit an annual report to the City Council summarizing the past year's activities. The report may highlight information the Commission feels appropriate to convey to the City Council. D.Performance of Duties Commissioners are expected to adequately prepare for meetings. Commissioners unable to complete an assigned task should notify the commission chair or subcommittee chair as soon as possible. The Commission staff liaison may ask the City Council to review a Commissioner’s appointment based upon its assessment of significant non-performance of duties. Article V: Amendments and Revisions The Commission will review these bylaws no later than the second meeting after May 1 every three years. Members may present recommendations for changes and amendments. These bylaws can be altered or amended at any regular monthly Commission meeting with a majority of members present, provided that notice of the proposed changes and amendments is provided to each member at least 10 business days before the meeting. The Council must review and approve any changes to, and has final authority regarding, these bylaws. Resolution No. 26-002 (Exhibit A) Docusign Envelope ID: 1AAA82D6-B2D9-4968-80F0-398038DEF80E