I.          TITLE:                EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHARTER

           

II.         COMPOSITION:

 

A.         The Committee will be composed of not less than five (5) nor more than seven (7) members and as many alternate members and/or advisors as requested by the Chair.  Alternate members may be considered voting members when replacing regular members for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum.  A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.  No absentee or proxy voting is allowed.  A member of the Board may serve on the committee as Board Liaison without voting privileges.  A tenant of the community may serve only as an advisor without vote, in accordance with the Association’s bylaws.  No person shall serve on more than one standing committee of the Association reporting directly to the Board of Directors.  Two family members or husband/wife may not serve together on the same standing committee.

 

B.         CHAIR:  To be elected by the Committee members.

 

C.         VICE CHAIR:  To be elected by the Committee members or, in the absence of a vote, may be appointed by the Chair.

 

D.        SECRETARY:  To be elected by the Committee members or, in the absence of a vote, may be appointed by the Chair.

 

E.         The Vice Chair, in the absence of the Chair, shall perform all duties of the Chair.  In the absence of both the Chair and Vice Chair, the Secretary shall act as Chair pro tempore.

 

III.       TENURE: The committee membership shall begin on May 1 and end April 30 of the following year at the discretion of the Board.  No voting member shall serve more than three (3) consecutive years unless a qualified volunteer cannot be found. Vacancies will be filled in accordance with LOWA Bylaws.  A list of recommended members will be submitted to the Vice President of the Board of Directors each April by the Committee Chair.

 

Any members of the Committee who are consistent in their failure to attend Committee meetings may be removed for cause on petition to the LOWA Board of Directors by the Committee Chair.

 

 IV.      AUTHORITY: This committee functions as advisory to the Board of Directors, and has only that specific authority granted to it by the Board to accomplish actions as requested by the Board.  Under no circumstances shall the committee Chair or committee member give direction to any LOWA personnel in dealing with committee matters.  Primary contact for information gathering purposes shall be with the General Manager.  In addition, no personal gain shall accrue from service on a LOWA Committee. Any member violating these guidelines shall be removed from the committee.

 

V          REPORTS TO: The Board of Directors.  The committee shall submit a copy of all of its minutes to the Board of Directors and to the General Manager.  Verbal reports may be made at Board of Directors meetings.  A brief annual report of the committee’s activities during the preceding year shall be submitted to the Board of Directors by August 1 of each year.

 


VII       RELATIONSHIP:

 

A.         Outside Contacts:

 

1.                Counsel or Government Representatives: Contact with LOWA General Counsel, any government representative, or other agency on official LOWA business must have prior approval of the General Manager.

 

2.         Information Gathering: With the approval of the General Manager, the committee members may contact business firms or other organizations as necessary to gather information to carry out committee responsibilities.

 

IV        RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

A.         This Committee shall monitor civic activities external to LOWA with the responsibility of reporting such activities to the Board of Directors.  The committee shall keep abreast of community activities via communication media (newspapers, announcements, publications, public hearings, etc.)  Only with the approval of the President, LOWA or General Manager, will direct contact be made with local public utilities and/or government committees or commissions. The committee, based on findings, shall make recommendations, as considered pertinent, to the Board of Directors and/or the General Manager.

 

B.         The Committee interface with county committees and commissions will be limited to attending public hearings in order to collect information and will be limited to contact with LOWA members of said committees/commissions. 

 

C.         The LOWA President or Board of Directors designee (including Board members and/or committee chairperson or designated committee members) as appointed by the President of LOWA shall be the official spokesperson for LOWA to the outside community.

 

D.        Report findings to the Board of Directors and with approval of the Board, report findings to the LOWA community.

 

E.         On specific issues and with Board approval, the committee will serve as a conduit for information to flow from utility companies, boards, commissions, and/or committees to the LOWA property owners.

 

F.         The Board of Directors shall keep the committee apprised of LOWA activity relevant to committee responsibilities in order that the committee may be aware of Board of Directors specific interests.

 

 

 

THIS CHARTER BECOMES EFFECTIVE UPON APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

APPROVED:                March 2, 1996

Revised:                        February 1, 1997

Revised:                        May 6, 2000

Revised:                        November 2, 2002

Revised:                        October 4, 2003

Revised                         August 7, 2004