I TITLE: LAKE USERS COMMITTEE CHARTER
II COMPOSITION:
A. The Committee will be composed of not less than five (5) nor more than seven (7) voting members and as many alternates and/or advisors as requested by the Chair. Alternates may be considered voting members when replacing voting 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. The Water Resources Manager will serve on the Committee as General Manager 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 General Manager. 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 on 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 the 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: The Committee functions as advisory to the General Manager, and has only that specific authority granted to it by the Board to accomplish action on projects requested by the General Manager. Under no circumstances shall the committee Chair or any 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: To the General Manager. The Committee shall submit a copy of all its minutes to the Board of Directors and the General Manager. A verbal report shall be given quarterly at Board of Director’s 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.
VI RELATIONSHIP:
A. The committee shall work with the cost center manager or as directed by the General Manager in developing a five-year Master Plan for the amenity or cost center. The plan will be reviewed and revised annually on a schedule and in a format published by the General Manager and Planning Committee. The plan will contain new and replacement capital requests and projected changes in the operational budget for the upcoming five years. Historic and projected usage and revenue data, alternatives, and cost/benefit analysis will be included. No new or replacement capital requests will be approved by the BOD until they are in the Master Plan.
B. Finance and Planning Committees: The Committee shall coordinate with the Finance and Planning Committees:
1. Committee shall annually submit recommendations for New Capital expenditures in its area of responsibility to the Planning Committee on the schedule established by that committee. A copy will be provided to the appropriate Cost Center Manager.
2. The Committee shall annually submit recommendations for Replacement Capital expenditures in its area of responsibility to the General Manager on the schedule established by the GM. A copy will be provided to the appropriate Cost Center Manager.
3. The Committee shall review the budget prepared by the Water Resources Manager for submission to the General Manager. The Committee may submit an alternative budget or concerns about the Water Resources Manager’s Budget directly to the General Manager. A copy will be provided to the Water Resources Manager.
4. The Committee shall review the General Manager’s Budget. The Committee may submit an alternative budget or concerns about the General Manager’s Budget directly to the Finance Committee. A copy will be provided to the General Manager.
5. A committee representative will attend the Finance Committee budget review and may comment as appropriate.
C. Other Committees:
1. The Committee shall coordinate with the Maintenance and Ecology Committee on recommendations regarding the physical condition of the lakes and lake facilities and other matters of interest to lake users.
D. Outside Contacts:
1. Information Gathering: With the approval of the General Manager, the Committee members may contact business firms or other non-governmental organizations as necessary to gather information to carry out committee responsibilities.
2. Sponsorship: With approval of the General Manager of plans to do so, business firms and interested persons may be contacted for sponsorship of special events.
3. Press: With approval of the General Manager, local news media may be informed of scheduled events and results as well as LOW participation in outside events. Other contacts with the media on LOWA matters will be conducted through the General Manager.
4. 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.
VII RESPONSIBILITIES: