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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 04-13-2010 - 5ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: April 13, 2010 Action Agenda Item No. ~_ SUBJECT: Boards and Commissions-Procedures DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1) List of Decision Points 2) Draft -Guidelines for Quick Reports Donna S. Baker, ext 2130 3) Draft -Quick Report 4) Draft -Annual Work Plan 5) Draft -Advisory Committee Polic PURPOSE: The Board will consider procedural steps in the boards and commissions evaluation process. BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners met for two mini-retreat sessions and one work session to review the boards and commissions ~rocess and to evaluate the options available for restructuring this process. At the March 4t BOCC Work Session, the Board began its discussion of the reorganization of the boards/commissions. This reorganization discussion will resume at the June 10, 2010 BOCC Work Session. However, prior to that discussion, there are some procedural decisions to be made in order to assist staff in moving forward with administrative issues related to boards/commissions. Attached is a list of decision points on some issues that have been discussed but not finalized and direction for staff. FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE RECOMMENDATION(S): The Board will consider procedural steps in the boards and commissions evaluation process. 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: April 13, 2010 Action Agenda Item No. SUBJECT: Boards and Commissions-Procedures DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1) List of Decision Points 2) Draft— Guidelines for Quick Reports Donna S. Baker, ext 2130 3) Draft-- Quick Report 4) Draft—Annual Work Plan 5) Draft --Advisory Committee Polic PURPOSE: The Board will consider procedural steps in the boards and commissions evaluation process. BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners met for two mini-retreat sessions and one work session to review the boards and commissions P rocess and to evaluate the options available for restructuring this process. At the March 4 tBOCC Work Session, the Board began its discussion of the reorganization of the boards/commissions. This reorganization discussion will resume at the June 10, 2010 BOCC Work Session. However, prior to that discussion, there are some procedural decisions to be made in order to assist staff in moving forward with administrative issues related to boards/commissions. Attached is a list of decision points on some issues that have been discussed but not finalized and direction for staff. FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE RECOMMENDATION(S): The Board will consider procedural steps in the boards and commissions evaluation process. z Attachment 1 Decision Pointsfor BOCC 1 BOCC Liaison: At the March 4t work session: A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Yuhasz that the Board of County Commissioners not assign a particular liaison to the internal boards and commissions and that the County Commissioners will attend as they wish and make sure that there are not four County Commissioners at any one meeting. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Decision Points: ■ Suggested process for BOCC attendance notification at committee meetings, to assure no violations of quorum restrictions: BOCC will notify clerk of attending an ABC meeting within 3 working business days of meeting. ■ Implementation Date: 2. Notification from ABC Currently, BOCC members/liaisons are on notification lists for many ABCs. This would potentially include distribution of meeting materials prior to the meeting (emails and hard copies). Recision Point: ■ Should all BOCC members be added to all ABCs distribution or just not engage in emails shared by members of the ABCs? 3. Boards/Commissions the BOCC serves on: The BOCC usually picks the ABCs they y to serve on annually in January/February. Decision Points: ■ When does the BOCC want to choose their ABCs on which to serve? ■ or does the BOCC want to stay with the status quo (stay on current ABCs)until the reorganization of ABCs is completed? 4. Sunsettin of ABCs: Decision Points: ■ Who makes the decision to sunset ABCs? At the Feb. 19th retreat, SOG Consultant said that"ultimately it is the Board of County Commissioners' responsibility to decide to sunset". 3 • If this is the case, who will notify the Clerk's office when an ABC needs to be sunset and put before the BDCC? BDCC (or Support Staff/Department Head) • Implementation Date: 5. Quick SummaEy Report: Attachment 3 is a Quick Summary Report, that a staff and/or member of an ABC could use to report back to the Clerk, who will then forward to the BDCC, as to what occurred at a particular ABC meeting. This would/could take place of minutes and the Clerk's office would also keep a copy as we would do with minutes for public records compliance. This would need to be turned in to the Clerk within two (2) regular working days of an ABC meeting. Decision Points: • Does the Board want to proceed with the Quick Summary Report, which would replace the minutes(with the exception of statutory boards?) • who should take the minutes at the ABCs? Support Staff or member of ABCs? Implementation Date: 6. Annual work Plan: At the March 4th work session: A motion was made by' Commissioner Pelissier, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to ask the internal advisory boards to come up with a work plan every year, and then at the end of the year, to tell the Board of County Commissioners what has been accomplished with a summary. Commissioner Jacobs amended the motion that the work plan should be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Board of County Commissioners. Attachment 4: In the past(last time used 2005), this was distributed to all ABCs 2-4 months prior to the annual BDCC retreat(usually held in January); information distributed in Sept/Oct to be returned to the Clerk's office by the end of November. Decision Points: ■ Does the BDCC want to proceed with an annual work plan for the ABCs and to be distributed on this schedule above or another proposed schedule? ■ Does the BDCC want to add/delete/edit the work plan before actual usage? o Does the BDCC want ABC attendees to present an oral report to the full board at their annual retreat? • Implementation Date: 7. Appointment Process: It was decided at the March 41h work session that only statutory board appointments would be filled. Decision Point. ■ Does the Board want other non-statutory board positions to be filled if ABCs are not achieving a quorum? And if so, what criteria is to be met? • Implementation Date: 4 8. Establish criteria for ABA voli c usin g model rwficv: Attachment 5 •-At the February 19 retreat, SOG consultant distributed a draft copy of a model ABC policy that could be implemented for a boards/commissions process. Decision Point: 0 Does the BOCC want staff to proceed to develop a similar policy process (using the attachment as a template) for Orange County ABCs? ■ If so, would the implementation be after the reorganization of the ABC process is completed? DRAFT Attachment 2 5 GUIDELINES FOR QUICK REPORTS The purpose of Quick Reports is to provide timely information to the Board of County Commissioners about Advisory Board meetings. The Clerk to the Board will forward these reports to the Board of Commissioners. These Quick Reports will also serve as the minutes of the advisory boards. Guidelines: - Quick Reports are limited to County appointed advisory boards and other significant meetings as determined by the Commissioners. - The senior staff person ( or designee) present at the meeting is responsible for drafting the memo and getting it to the Clerk for review no later than the day after the meeting. The Clerk will forwardthe Quick Report to the Commissioners upon receipt and review. - Limit report to one page. - Use the Quick Report Template. After saving the template to another Word document, complete the information requested at the top of the report document,(Le., Date, Name, Title, Name of Advisory Board, Date Meeting Held). - The focus of the Quick Report is attendance and action of the Advisory Board. Report on discussion should be limited to those you believe may be of interest to the Commissioners,, using "bullets" whenever practical rather than narrative. - If a vote is not unanimous, record votes of the board members, e.g. The Planning Board voted 7-3 to approve Resolution A, with voting as follows: For Against (Name) (Name) (Name) (Name) (Name) (Name) DRAFT Attachment '� 6 Q� To: P FROM: SUBJECT: Name of Advisory Board DATE: LOCATION: MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Attachment 4 7 MEMORANDUM TO: Chairs, County Advisory Boards and Commissions FROM: , Chair DATE: RE: County Commissioners'Annual Planning Retreat The Orange County Board of Commissioners will hold its annual planning retreat on date and location. We ask that you communicate to us the priorities of your Board or Commission for the next fiscal year beginning . And that these priorities are in line with the Board of Commissioners adopted goals and priorities. We recognize that your top priorities may be continuing functions or needs which have not been addressed or new ones which have come to your attention. Please complete the attached form and return it to Donna S. Baker no later than Your comments will be helpful to the County Commissioners. While the agenda has not been set for the retreat, if you would like to address the County Commissioners please indicate on page one of the form by printing the name of the person who may speak and their contact information. We ask that you keep your comments to less than 10 minutes. The County Commissioners thank you for volunteering your time in service to the citizens of Orange County and we welcome your views in our policy making process. cc: Staff Support DRAFT 8 ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS INPUT FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' ANNUAL PLANNING RETREAT Date and LOCATION- The Board of Commissioners welcomes input from various advisory boards and commissions in preparation for its annual planning retreat. Please complete the following information, limited to the front and back of this form. Other background materials may be provided as a supplement to, but not as a substitute for,this form. Board./Commission Name: Person to address the BOCC at Retreat(if any) and phone number: Chair's Name: Chair's Phone: Chair's E-mail: Chair's Fax: Primary County Staff Contact: Brief Statement of Board/Commission's Assigned Charge and Responsibilities. What are your Board/Commission's most important accomplishments? List of Specific Tasks, Events, or Functions Performed or Sponsored Annually V DRAFT Describe this board/commission's activities/accomplishments in carrying out BOCC goals), if applicable. Identify any activities this board/commission expects to carry out in 2011 as they relate to established BOCC goals and priorities. What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the upcoming fiscal year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners' attention? 10 Attachment 5 Advisory Committee Policy D-R-A-F-T 1. Scope 2. Duties 3. Membership Criteria 4. Roles and Responsibilities 50 Organization 6. Meetings 7. Committees S. Quorum 9. Votin 10. Authorized Spokespersons 11. Conflict of Interest 12. Compensation and Travel Reimbursement 13. Limitation of Powers 1. Scope PURPOSE: To establish policy and procedure whereby the County Board of Commissioners will make appointments to County public advisory boards, committees, commissions and councils (hereinafter referred to as "advisory committees"). The may appoint a committee whose duty is to serve in an advisory capacity to concerning AUTHORITY: The county Board of Commissioners may establish rules and regulations in reference to managing the interest and business of the county. The board of commissioners has the responsibility to appoint citizens to serve as members of advisory committees established by the board. Upshaw/UNC-SOC DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 1 11 All department heads and staff are responsible for support to the county advisory committees. POLICY: This policy establishes the parameters for board appointments to state- mandated and/or county-developed advisory committees. Alternative Structures for Advisory Committees: a. Statutory committees These are boards and committees either mandated by law (such as health, social services, local management entity) or boards and committees that may be voluntarily established, but once established have statutory responsibilities (planning board or ABC board). b. External committees These boards and committees are established by an external authority (such as a Council of Government or transportation authority) and the county is asked to appoint members to serve as representatives of the county. c. Standing committees (advisory to BDCC) a. Standing boards and committees are ones the county commissioners i establish voluntarily. The county commissioners determine the scope of duties for standing boards, membership criteria and reporting responsibilities d. Ad hoc committees (short term) Ad hoc boards and committees are appropriate for short-term issues. The board of commissioners may want public involvement in evaluating options, but once the options have been assessed prefer to dissolve the committee and give formal responsibilities to department heads or standing committees. Periodic Review: Periodic review of this policy will be conducted every years by the board of commissioners. 2. Duties: For purposes of consistency, all appointments to advisory committees will be made by the . In order to qualify for an appointment to a advisory committee, a person must: a. Meet qualifications of the specific advisory board. b. Reside or work in County. c. Be eighteen (18) years of age or older unless applying under a 'Leadership Youth' position. Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 2 12 d. Meet all statutory requirements for the appointed position. Exceptions: The board may waive requirements, with the exception of statutory requirements. a. The advisory committee advises the in the areas of • b. The advisory committee, through its membership and subcommittees, maintains continual contact with representative professional groups, stakeholder groups, and industry organizations. In this manner, the committee is kept apprised of current information related to all matters under the jurisdiction of the department/county. c. The committee serves at the pleasure of the d. All actions of the committee shall be transmitted in writing, on a regular basis, to the county 3. Membership criteria Composition: a. The shall appoint all voting members to the .The voting members shall reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the community. b. The advisory committee shall be composed of#_voting members and # non-voting member. The department's representative shall serve as the non-voting member of the committee. c. Advisory committee members serve the people of . As such, their role includes their commitment for full participation in the advisory committee's meetings and activities. The members of the advisory committee shall consist of: a. All committee members shall either be permanent residents of the county, own real property or work or maintain a place of business in the county, and shall have good reputations for integrity and community service and shall have not been convicted or received a deferred sentence for a felony crime. b. No nominee to the committee, nor any members of the nominee's immediate family, shall be currently employed by the county. c. No nominee may currently be a party nor be a legal representative in litigation against the county. d. Each nominee must be prepared and committed to invest the necessary time in enhancing community relations in a manner that enhances relationships between the county and the community. Upshaw/U NC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 3 13 # members appointed by the shall represent the following (demographic characteristics, geographic regions, professional disciplines, etc.): Up to# Ex officio members appointed by the serve until appointment of their successors by the Selection Criteria: Appointed members, except for the appointed ex officio members, shall be qualified by . They shall be appointed from nominees (recommended by application submitted to , representative of }. Appointment: a. All members of advisory boards serve at the pleasure of the county board of commissioners. b. Appointments to advisory boards will be. initiated (with an application process, recommendations from , nominations by professional organizations. All appointments to advisory boards will be made by c. No person appointed to a county advisory committee shall serve on that board for more than terms or more than a period of years, whichever is longer. d. Extension of a member's term may be approved by the board of commissioners if it is determined that it is in the best interest of the county to allow an individual to continue to serve. Terms: a. Each appointed advisory committee member shall serve a term of years and hold office until the qualification and appointment of their successor or until one year has elapsed since the expiration of the term for which they were appointed, whichever first occurs. No person shall serve as an appointed member of the committee for more than two consecutive terms. b. In order to establish staggered terms, three of the original voting members of the committee shall be appointed for a one-year term, three for a two-year term and three for a three-year term. Thereafter, each new voting member shall serve for a three-year term. No voting member will serve more than one term. c. Advisory committee members whose terms are due to expire may request or be asked to accept reappointment to the position. Resignation: Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 4 14 a. A member of an advisory board shall submit his or her resignation in writing to the chair of the advisory board on which he or she serves noting the effective date of the resignation. b. The chair will forward a copy of the resignation to the director of the department and to the board of commissioners. .c.The board of commissioners shall recognize the individual's service via a letter or certificate. Vacancies: Upon expiration of the term of service of members or should a vacancy otherwise occur, the shall have the responsibility to select and appoint new members to the committee. Removal: a. Members of the committee are expected to exhibit the highest ethical and professional standards. The County Manager or designee will remove a member upon a majority vote of the board. b. The may remove any member of the committee for neglect of duty, non-participation or other just cause. Release from Service: a. When it may be deemed.necessary to release a member from his or her term of appointment on an advisory board, the affected individual shall be notified by letter. b. When an advisory board or committee has completed its function, the members shall be informed of the termination of the advisory board by letter from the board of commissioners and/or the responsible department. Orientation and Training: The county will make available periodic training for advisory board members and department staff on state and county statutes and policies; including public meetings, public records and ethics. 4. Roles and Responsibilities Members: a. Members shall attend meetings of the advisory committee, serve on subcommittees and perform other functions as assigned by the advisory committee Chair. For Quorum considerations, if a committee member is unable to attend committee U pshaw/U NG-50G DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 5 15 meetings, the member shall contact the or designated staff as soon as possible, and at least 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. b. Committee members that are non--board members may be appointed by the for the purpose of meeting subject-matter expert needs. When appointing, criteria identified in section should be used. c. Upon review of the above matters,the committee shall address recommendations and concerns, if any, to in writing. I. The will consider the advisory committee's recommendations or concerns. 2. Should any concerns remain unresolved after receiving a response from the , the board may request the matter be referred to the County Manager. d. To enhance trust between the department and the community, members of the Advisory Committee will: 1. Assist staff of the department in achieving a greater understanding of the nature and causes of community problems, with an emphasis on improving relations between the department and the citizens. 2. Recommend methods to encourage and develop I Work to strengthen and ensure, throughout the community, the application of 4. Promote public awareness of contemporary issues the department must react to. Chair and Vice Chair Selection and Responsibilities: The Chair.of the advisory committee is (nominated,appointed, elected) by the county . Advisory committee Chair and Vice Chair shall be appointed members with at least two years remaining of their four-year terms. The Chair and Vice Chair shall serve no more than consecutive terms. The Chair and the Vice Chair shall assume office on . At the first advisory committee meeting upon assuming office, the advisory committee Chair shall present members with a copy of the committee charge, scope and membership. a. The Committee Chair has the following duties: 1. Calls all meetings Upshaw/UNC-50C DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 5 I 16 2. Serves as presiding officer 3. Assists staff to develop the committee meeting agenda 4. Designates subcommittees 5. Dissolves or appoints additional subcommittees (subject to committee and/or I approval) 6. Appoints subcommittee chairs and membership 7. works in consultation with the g. Carry out Committee assignments from the 9. Designate a Vice Chair for the committee. 10. Conduct committee meetings and present a report of the committee's proceedings and resulting motions for approval at County Board meetings. 11. Review the all committee minutes or assigns another member of the committee to do so. 12. Review as directed by the 13. Recommend to the 14. Provide to the 15. Convene . for the purpose of b. The Committee Vice Chair has the following duties: Shall preside at Committee meetings in the absence of the Committee Chair. 5. organization rr ■n rrrn� The members shall adopt rules and procedures relating to the operation of the committee.The committee shall determine the date, time, and place for each meeting. Training: a. Each member shall attend an orientation presented by the department to familiarize the board with the operation of county government,the department and the rules and operating procedures of the committee. b. Each voting member will be encouraged to complete the and participate in at least one (ride-along, site visit,training session.... c. Members will be issued a manual and should become familiar with its contents. Operating Expenses: a. Voting members of the advisory committee are not employees of the county. b. Voting members serve in a voluntary capacity and shall receive (no, amount) monetary compensation or any other financial or employee benefit from the county. U pshaw/U NC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 7 17 c. The county will provide office supplies and assume responsibility for other expenses necessary for the operation of the committee. Confidentiality: The chairperson shall serve as the spokesperson for the advisory committee. Except for the chairperson, no member of the advisory committee shall make any written or oral statement of any committee activity to any individual or body. A violation will result in immediate removal from the committee. Members of the committee may receive information regarding personnel matters and other information of-a sensitive or confidential nature. It shall be the duty and responsibility of each member to respect and maintain the confidentiality of all matters presented before the board. Neither the committee, nor any individual member, shall disseminate confidential information received during board meetings. Board members are required to sign confidentiality statements and will be removed from the board upon violation of the confidentiality agreement. b. Meetlnits In accordance with NCGS all meetings are open to the public as required by the open Meeting Act. Unless otherwise specified, public meeting procedures will follow the latest edition of Roberts Rules of order. a. Regular committee and Subcommittee Meetings The committees convene upon call of the Chair and usually meet on a quarterly basis. The meetings may be held in various locations within the county. Subcommittee meeting dates shall be set by committee chairs and shall be scheduled in conjunction with committee meetings. b. Special Meetings The Committee Chair may call special meetings at any time for any specific business. Special meetings, such as appeals, are convened at a location selected by the Chair. c. Meetings Held via Teleconference Teleconference for meetings shall only be applied in unusual circumstances and shall not replace a regularly scheduled Committee meeting. No Quarterly meeting or appeal hearing shall be conducted via teleconference. Under no circumstances should a teleconference meeting exceed one hour. d. Emergency Meetings The Chair may call a meeting in emergency circumstances by providing telephone notice to media outlets at least one hour prior to the meeting. An "emergency" situation includes a disaster which severely impairs the public's health or safety. In Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 8 18 the event telephone services are not working, notice must be given as soon as possible after the meeting. e. Meeting Notices Notice of any public Committee's meetings (including appeal hearings) and their agendas shall be made available to all members, interested parties and to any person who so requests, at least ten days in advance of the meeting by e-mail and by posting on the Internet site. f. Agendas 1. Committee Chairs should submit agenda items to the at least# days prior to a scheduled meeting. 2. The agenda must provide a description.of each item of business to be transacted or discussed so that interested members of the public will be capable of understanding the nature of each agenda item. 3. As a general rule, only those items appearing on the agenda will be discussed or voted on. However, if an item is raised by a member of the public, the Committee may accept testimony and discuss the item so long as no action is taken until a subsequent Committee meeting. 4. With the Chair's concurrence,the designated staff will develop and distribute to each member an agenda listing the matters to be considered at upcoming committee meetings. Also, so far as practical, copies of all written reports which are to be presented to the Committee for member's review will be included in this package at least ten (10) days before the meeting. g. Minutes Minutes shall be taken of all Committee meetings and submitted to the for consideration and approval. 7. Committees a. Committees are formed to research and make recommendation on special issues or areas to carry out the identified duties of the advisory committee. All subcommittees shall be reviewed on an annual basis to determine continued need and realignment to priorities of the county b. Except as approved by action, the majority of members of a subcommittee shall be residents. c. Subcommittees are ad hoc if they are temporary in nature. Approved ad hoc subcommittees must have documented goals, deliverables, a timeline, and will cease meeting when these are satisfied. d. Advisory Committee Chairs may request of the full Board of County Commissioners changes in the structure and/or operating procedures of their advisory committee if they deem it is essential for its effectiveness. e. All recommendations of advisory committees, in the form of motions, shall be conveyed exclusively to the Board of Commissioners for action. Approved motions Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 9 19 are forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration, approval, or denial. outcomes are reported back to the committee. Subcommittee Formation and operation: a. Formation A subcommittee can be formed following criteria. b. operation Subcommittees shall operate as specified. 1. A member of the subcommittee shall take responsibility for assigning a note taker and reporting to the full Committee on the progress toward its stated objectives, including dissenting view points. 2. Subcommittees shall operate by consensus or 3. Subcommittees shall have a technical representative assigned by 4. will support accommodations for other-than convenience, such as teleconferencing for someone who cannot physically attend due to disability. (Members can submit their contributions in writing by mail or e-mail to staff. c. Membership Membership shall be voluntary (other than the discretion of the Committee Chair, and the }. 8. Quorum A quorum for a meeting of Committees will consist of one more than half the voting members. 9. VoU n Decisions are reached by a simple majority vote. All voting will be conducted in open meetings, except when in closed session as defined in the open Meeting law. No issues can be voted upon unless a quorum is present. a. Advisory Committee Meetings Only appointed members can vote at advisory committee meetings. Appointed members shall not delegate their vote entitlement. Advisory committee members, and other members appointed by the County Board Chair may vote at Committee meetings. b. Voting by Chairs The Chairs of the Advisory Committees may participate and vote on all issues. Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 10 20 c. Proxy Voting by proxy is not allowed. 10. Authorized Spokespersons The Advisory Committee Chair and Executive Director are authorized spokespersons for the advisory committee. other committee members may speak on behalf of the advisory committee only upon authorization by the Chair or Director. 11. Conflict of Interest During committee meetings, members shall abstain from voting when they believe they have a conflict of interest. During review proceedings, the applicant has the right to question conflicts of interest of any voting member.The advisory committee Chair shall rule on any potential conflict in.appeal matters. 12. Compensation and Travel Reimbursement a. Appointed advisory committee members shall receive no compensation for their services. b. Eligibility for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses The Chair shall,to the extent practical, schedule hearings and meetings to minimize travel and per diem costs. Payment of expenses to Advisory Committee members shall only occur when travel has been approved prior to the time the expenses are incurred. shall reimburse reasonable and necessary travel and incidental business expenses to individuals who perform services as appointed members of Committees, and consultants appointed by the Chair. only Committee members who attend meetings as part of their Committee duties shall have their expenses reimbursed. Advisory committee members shall be reimbursed in accordance with current State rules and regulations. Expense claims shall be submitted as required in travel procedures. Transportation expense claims shall include charges essential for transportation to and from the meeting place. Reimbursement shall be made only for the method of transportation which is in the best interest of the rate.Travel should be via the shortest, usually traveled route. 13. Limitation of powers Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 11 21 Compliance with Statutes and ordinances: Nothing contained in this statement of policy and procedures shall be construed to be in conflict with any state law or County ordinance. Should there be an appearance of conflict, the appropriate state law or county ordinance shall prevail. Neither the committee nor any member thereof, shall: 1. Incur county expense or obligate the county in any manner. 2. Release any written or oral report of any board activity to any individual or body other than to the or the office of the County Manager. The committee Chairman may issue a press release after consultation with the department head or County Manager. 3. Independently investigate citizen complaints against the department or an employee of the department. 4. Conduct any activity, which might constitute or be construed as an official governmental review of departmental or employee actions. 5. Conduct any activity, which might constitute or be construed as establishment of county or department policy. 6. Violate the confidentiality of any information related to matters involving pending or forthcoming civil o-r criminal litigation. Matters pertaining to discipline will be the sole responsibility of the and not the advisory committee. The activities of the advisory committee shall, at all times, be conducted in accordance with all federal, state and local laws. Upshaw/UNC-SOG DRAFT Advisory Committee Policy 12