ARTICLE V. OFFICERS AND TERMS OF OFFICE

Section 1. Officers

The Committee shall have three officers: a Chair, a Vice Chair and a Secretary.

Section 2. Terms of Office

The term of Chair and Vice Chair shall be for one (1) year. The Secretary's position shall be filled the the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) on an ongoing basis.

Section 3. Elections

Annually the Members shall elect a Chair and the Vice Chair for the Committee. At the completion of the term of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall cede to the Chair position. Any Member shall be eligible for these positions. Elections shall be by secret ballot and may either be conducted by mail or at an annual meeting of the Committee.

Section 4. Nominations

Nominations for the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee shall come forth from any member in good standing from the Committee. The offices of Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected at-large from the membership of the Committee.

Upon receipt of nominees for Chair and Vice Chair, the Secretary shall prepare a ballot.

All nominees must agree to serve prior to placement of their names on the ballot.

Section 5. Duties of the Officers

The Chair shall be the principal officer of the Committee, shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and shall be responsible for implementing the decisions and actions taken by the Committee. The Chair shall serve as the Committee's representative on or before other organizations having missions and objectives common with those of the Committee and shall represent the Committee before other bodies and organizations on issues relevant to the Committee's purposes, objectives, and mission. The Chair may authorize or appoint other members to represent the Committee with other organizations upon approval of the Committee. The Chair shall be a member, with right to vote, of the Committee and may serve on all committees created by the Committee other than the nominations and elections committee.

The Vice Chair will assist the Chair in the discharge of the Chair's duties as requested by the Chair or Committee. In the absence or inability of the Chair to perform the duties of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume all duties of the Chair. The Vice Chair shall be a non-voting member of the Committee and may serve on all committees created by the Council other than the nominations and elections committee.

The Secretary position shall be filled by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. The Secretary shall give notice of and attend all meetings of the Council, keep a record of the proceedings, keep a record of the last known address of members, cause the records of proceedings to be distributed to the members, attest to documents of the Council, and perform such other duties that are usual for such office or as may be duly assigned.

Section 6. Legal Advisor

The Council may obtain legal counsel to advise the Committee on issues which may affect the MOA or the Committee. Legal counsel shall be obtained through the good offices of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, or other signatories to the MOA as decided by the Committee.

Section 7. Resignation and Removal

Any member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the policy board of the represented agency, who must then designate a replacement. Such resignation and designation shall take effect at the time specified therein or at the time of acceptance if no such time is specified. Any Member may be recommended for removal for reasonable cause by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Committee at any regular or special meeting at which a quorum is present; that recommendation will be forwarded to the appropriate policy board for action.

Section 8. Vacancies

Any vacancies that may occur on the Committee by reason of death, resignation, removal, or otherwise, may be filled by the relevant policy board, commission, or administrative officer for the unexpired term. In the event that neither the Chair nor the Vice Chair are able to discharge their respective duties, the Committee shall select a Member in good standing to fill the position of Chair for the remaining term of the office.