Only items listed in the published Board Meeting Agenda may be acted on. A minimum of three Board Members or Alternates must be in attendance at a FCGMA Board meeting to satisfy a quorum.
Normal voting procedures allow any Board member in attendance at a duly noticed meeting to make a motion concerning the issue or item being discussed as long as the item was on the published agenda prior to the meeting. The Chair will usually ask for a second to the motion if none has been offered. Once a motion has been seconded, the Chair may simply announce that barring any objections or further comments, the motion is adopted or denied as the case may warrant.
For adoption of agreements, contracts, resolutions and ordinances, a roll call vote will be requested by the Chair, and each member will be asked to cast a verbal vote when the Clerk of the Board reads their name aloud.
A minimum of three Board members must vote with the same result to carry or reject an item listed in the official agenda. If only three Board members are present and one member votes to abstain due to a potential conflict of interest, the quorum is not completed and the matter cannot be decided at that time. At a minimum, three of the five Directors must be present for a quorum, and three like votes are necessary to decide an issue or topic in order to render a final majority decision.
If the member who wishes to abstain believes that the issue is a conflict of interest or might cause an impropriety, that member may opt to have the Alternate occupy his/her seat before the agenda item is discussed.
Since the Alternate heard the testimony as the seated member, and the Board member was merely acting as an observer in the audience, the Alternate may cast a vote in the normal manner allowed by State law. Any question about Board meeting protocols should be directed to the Agency Counsel for legal advice and opinion.
Officially adopted Ordinances, Resolutions, or contracts are signed by the Chair. Certain special Resolutions may be signed by all the Board members, and the Vice-Chair signs documents when the Chair is absent or when two signatures are required.
A motion to reconsider must be made at the meeting where the item was first voted upon or at the very next regular meeting of the FCGMA. Further, the motion to reconsider may only be made by a member who voted in the majority on the original motion. If the motion to reconsider passes, then the item will be placed on a future agenda when it can be properly noticed.
All Board meetings are recorded to provide a record of transactions, findings, and determinations. Video recordings of Board meetings dating back to January 2000 are available to view 24/7 on the Agency website. Recordings are only required to be kept for three years based on Agency Counsel’s opinion; however, the FCGMA has archived audio, audiovisual, or paper copies detailing the proceedings of almost every meeting. Paper copies of meeting minutes are kept indefinitely in the FCGMA files as official historical reference. An original of all official documents – from monthly meeting agendas, to Ordinances, Resolutions, and contracts – is kept on file with the FCGMA Clerk of the Board.
Any mail or correspondence involving the FCGMA should be addressed to the Chair and Members of the Board, the Executive Officer, or the Clerk of the Board, as appropriate, to 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, CA 93009-1610. Items that should, or must be dealt with at Board meetings, can be addressed to the Executive Officer with a request to place the item on the agenda for a future Board meeting.