Proposed Bylaws Changes
The SDAO Board of Directors is recommending amendments to the SDAO Bylaws, which will be voted on by members at the Annual Business Meeting during the SDAO Annual Conference on February 8, 2025. All regular SDAO member districts are entitled to appoint one voting delegate to vote on the district’s behalf at the meeting, which will take place at the Riverhouse in Bend, Oregon. This appointment can be made during the conference registration process.
There are three primary amendments the Board is proposing:
(1) Extending board member terms from two years to four years and for board elections to be held on odd-numbered years at the SDAO Annual Conference. This change will align the SDAO board election process and terms with those of our member districts.
· The recommended language calls for a staggered implementation of this change so that elections will be held every other year at the annual conference.
(2) Changing the Past President position to a Board Member Emeritus position, which would allow past presidents to continue serving as board members when their term as President expires. Currently, presidents must step down as voting member of the board after their two-year term ends. This creates a disincentive for board members to volunteer to assume leadership roles.
· This also clarifies that the non-voting Board Member Emeritus position does not count toward the maximum of two directors for each category provision.
(3) Adding language to document the authority and existence of chapters. SDAO currently has three chapters representing ports, water/sanitation, and fire/EMS districts. We have been advised by legal counsel that the authority to establish chapters be added to the Bylaws.
The committee also identified numerous clean-up issues which are highlighted in the draft bylaws document below. Linked below are the proposed amended bylaws and a red-lined version which highlights the proposed changes.