Article I: NameThe name of this Commission shall be “Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission: a division of the Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation” as established by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners on January 9, 1969.Article II: MissionThe Commission adopted the following updated mission statement on February 21, 2006: By encouraging creative and cultural expressions through inclusiveness and education, the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission promotes public interest in the arts and preservation of culture and heritage.
The County Cultural and Heritage Commission shall be responsible for the development of county programs to promote public interest in local county history and to undertake the restoration, operation, maintenance, and preservation of real property acquired by the county pursuant to Revise Statutes 40:32-G (Assembly Bill No. 120).
The Commissioners are also authorized to explicitly promote ‘The Arts and Cultural values, goals and traditions of the community, the state and the nation, as well as local and county history’ (Assembly Bill No. A2084).
The Commission is enabled to apply for and accept grants or donations from public and private sources other than counties (Assembly Bill No. A2084).Article III: The Commission- The Ocean County Board of Commissioners will appoint nine full members of the Commission. Full members will have a term of service of five years and the terms will be staggered to balance the appointments between years. The dates of appointments may be adjusted to create consistency and balance between terms of appointment. Commissioner will serve until reappointed or replaced.
- The Ocean County Board of Commissioners may appoint up to two alternate members who shall fully participate in meetings but will only vote or count towards a quorum of the meeting when one or more of the full members are absent or must recuse themselves.
Alternate members will have a term of service of two years and the terms will be staggered to balance the appointments between years.
The Ocean County Board of Commissioners may make shorter appointments from time to time to provide the staggered terms. - Members of the Commission shall be selected regionally so that diverse areas of the county will be represented.
- Membership will be balanced among a selection of professional artists, historians, business and civic leaders.
- Three (3) successive excused absences due to illness, business or other personal matters is allowed. Three (3) successive unexcused absences shall cause consideration for vacating a Commissioner from a seat on the board. A Commissioner who seeks excused absence for conflicts to other organizations will similarly be considered for replacement after three (3) such absences. This type of absence, which affects our quorum for official business meetings, is an indication that the Commissioner has interests other than those of the Commission.
- The Commissioners may recommend to the Board of Commissioners the appointment of a prospective member to the Commission for any vacancy. Said prospective member shall represent the region in the county in which the vacancy was created.
Article IV: OfficersThe elected officers of the Commission shall be Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.- Chairperson:The Chairperson shall preside at all officially constituted meetings of the Commission.
- Vice Chairperson:The Vice-Chairperson shall, in the absence of the Chairperson, have the power to perform all the duties of the Chairperson.
Article V: Meetings and Elections- At the beginning of each calendar year, the Commission shall schedule regular meetings. All meetings shall be, as advertised under the Open Public Meetings Act (State Sunshine Law) or current governing legislation, at a time and place designated by the Commission.
- In the month of November, the chairperson shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of two members.
The report of the nominating committee shall be presented to the full commission at the Annual Reorganization meeting in January of each year. - The officers, the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, shall be elected annually.
- Commission meetings are officially constituted when a quorum of members are present. A quorum is a majority of the commission members (or at least five members).
- Professional administrative staff of the Commission shall be official non-voting members of the commission.
Article VI: AmendmentsThese By-Laws may be amended at any officially constituted meeting of the Commission by a majority vote of the members present. All members must receive a copy of the proposed changes at least twenty (20) days prior to the meeting at which the amended By-Laws will be presented for adoption.Article VII: Roberts RulesThe Roberts Rules of Order shall be the authority for parliamentary procedure.
Approved May 15, 1990
Amended March 18, 1997
Amended November 21, 2000
Amended November 20, 2001
Amended May 17, 2005
Amended April 20, 2009
Amended October 20, 2009
Amended March 15, 2011
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