NEIGHBORHOOD BOARDS

NEIGHBORHOOD BOARDS The following slides will help give you an understanding of what the Neighborhood Plan expects from its members and their boards. BEWARE! Quiz Questions are scattered throughout the presentation!

Oath of Office: §2-14-101 “I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully support the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, the Constitution and laws of the State of Hawaii, the charter and laws of the City and County of Honolulu, and the provisions of the neighborhood plan, and will conscientiously and impartially discharge my duties, to the best of my ability, as a member of the neighborhood board to which I have been elected (or appointed)” • Newly elected or appointed members may not assume duties of office, participate in the election of officers, or otherwise conduct board business until they subscribe the oath of office • A member should be disqualified and the seat vacated if the member fails to the subscribe to the oath of office within 60 days after the date of the board term (July 1) or if filling a vacancy, the date of appointment by the board or the commission • Exception: Newly elected members who are unable to take the oath of office within the 60 days deadline, due to military service or extraordinary circumstances, may request an extension from the Executive Secretary

Oath of Office Each elected or appointed board member must subscribe to the oath of office in front of: • A current member of the Neighborhood Commission • The Executive Secretary • A current employee of the Neighborhood Commission Office • A notary public. Before being an authorized board member.

QUIZ QUESTION How long until a board member is disqualified for not subscribing to the oath of office after the date of the board’s term (July 1), or if filling a vacancy, the date of appointment by the board or commission? • A. The time between regular meetings • B. 45 days • C. 15 days • D. 60 days • E. 30 days *A member should be disqualified and the seat vacated if the member fails to subscribe to the oath of office within 60 days after the date of the board term (July 1) or if filling a vacancy, the date of appointment by the board or the commission. The member may request an extension from the Executive Secretary in writing with the reasoning for their inability to take the Oath.

QUIZ QUESTION Each elected or appointed board member must subscribe to the oath of office in front of: • A. A current member of the Neighborhood Commission • B. The Executive Secretary • C. A current employee of the Neighborhood Commission Office • D . Notary public. • E. All of the above

Board Term: §2-14-102 • Board members serve two year terms from July 1 of an odd number year to June 30 of the next successive odd number year • All board seats will be up for election at the same time in odd number years • The Neighborhood Commission may extend the term of all Neighborhood Board members by one two-year term.

QUIZ QUESTION The Neighborhood Commission may extend the term of all Neighborhood Board members by ___ two-year term (s). • A. one (1) • B. two (2) • C. three (3) • D. Four (4)

Attendance of Members (§2-14-105/106) • Members are expected to attend all meetings of the board and must notify the chair if unable to attend. • The absence of any member shall be noted as “absent”, regardless of it being excused or unexcused • Boards must keep a record of attendance of all its members • Within a one year period, starting in July 1, board members who are absent for three regular board meetings, will be notified of their absences via mail not less than 7 calendar days prior to the next meeting *Exception: Unless the third absence occurs at the last regularly scheduled meeting for the applicable term • No board can adopt any policy for providing automatic removal based on absences; a board must take specific actions to declare the seat vacant • A motion to ‘retain’ a member’ is never in order • The board shall continue to consider removal of the board member if they accumulate two additional absences during the same one-year period

QUIZ QUESTION Within a one year period, starting in July 1, board members who are absent for _____ regular board meeting(s), will be notified of their absences via mail not less than 7 calendar days prior to the next meeting • A. 1 • B. 2 • C. 3 • D. 4

Membership Vacancy (§ 2-14-104) • Any vacancy can only be filled at a regular meeting. • Individuals seeking appointment shall be nominated by a board member; no second is required. • A majority vote is required for someone to fill the vacancy. • Before the board takes the vote, the nominee must present a government-issued ID, utility bill, or other recognized document establishing residence to the Neighborhood Assistant. • Method of voting shall be roll call with each member stating the name of the nominee they want to vote for. • Change of Residency (§2-14-107) • Board members must notify the Executive Secretary, in writing, whenever changes to their residency occurs. • If the new primary residence is outside the board boundaries or the current members subdistrict, then the member must resign or be disqualified by the Executive Secretary.

Meetings §2-14-109 • A board must meet at least 9 times in the 12 month span from July 1 to June 30. • Meetings may be recorded by any means of a tape recorder (or sonic reproduction) as long as it does not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. • The board will set its regular monthly meeting time and place at the “Initial Convening” meeting (first meeting of each term) with consideration given to: • The previous established time and place • Availability of desired meeting place • The NCO’s ability to provide support services and, • The meeting schedule of the neighborhood board system as a whole

Agenda §2-14-111 • All board meetings must be duly noticed (agenda) and filed to the City Clerk’s Office. All agendas must have the day, date, time, and location of meeting as well as all items up for discussion and possible action. • The agendas must be prepared by the board chair (or presiding officer) • All agendas MUST be filed to the NCO 7 days prior to the scheduled meeting date (unless otherwise coordinated with NCO staff) • Sunshine Law dictates that all agendas must be filed and mailed 6 days prior to the scheduled meeting date • (“Sunshine Law” to be covered in more detail in a later session) • All items on the agenda must be easily understandable to the general public. • Conduct the “Neighbor Test”. Would any neighbor understand what’s up for discussion just by looking at the agenda?

Agenda §2-14-111: Agenda Item requests • If the board chair receives a written request from a board member to include an item on the agenda they must EITHER: • Place the requested item on the agenda OR • Place the requested item on the agenda for the board to decide whether it should be included on the following meeting’s agenda • All requests should be placed at least 10 days prior to the upcoming meeting date • No items are allowed to be added to the agenda following its filing unless by board motion passed by a 2/3 vote of all board members to which a board is entitled. • NO item SHALL be added to the agenda if it is of reasonable importance and may affect a significant number of people. • “Significant number of people” has been read to mean “more than the number of people who may regularly attend the meeting”.

QUIZ QUESTION When can an item be allowed to be added to an agenda? • A. No items are allowed to be added to the agenda following its filing unless by board motion passed by a 2/3 vote of all board members to which a board is entitled • B. At the Board’s discretion • C. If the majority of the Board wishes to place an item on the agenda

QUIZ QUESTION When should an item NOT be added to an agenda? • A. When it deals with a private entity. • B. When it can be determined to be of reasonable importance and may affect a significant number of people. • C. After the agenda has been filed. • D. All of the above. • E. A and B. • F. B and C.

Agenda §2-14-112: Priority of Business • The Call to Order is first • Honolulu Police Department (HPD) and Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) representatives should be given second priority as they are usually on-duty and set aside time during their work shift to be present at the board meetings. • The board may designate any item of business as “special” and can take precedence over other business. • The priority of business shall be decided by the board without debate. • The Chair, or presiding officer, can jump around items on the agenda if the board allows, but no discussion should take place in regards to this.

Executive Meetings §2-14-110/111/Sunshine Law • All board meetings must be duly noticed (agenda) and filed to the City Clerk’s Office. All agendas must have the day, date, time, and location of meeting as well as all items up for discussion and possible action. • The agendas must be prepared by the board chair (or presiding officer) • All agendas MUST be filed to the NCO 7 days prior to the scheduled meeting date (unless otherwise coordinated with NCO staff) • Sunshine Law dictates that all agendas must be filed and mailed 6 days prior to the scheduled meeting date • (“Sunshine Law” to be covered in more detail in a later session)

QUIZ QUESTION How many days before a meeting should an agenda be filed to the NCO? • A. 6 • B. 7 • C. 5 • D. 10

Minutes §2-14-113 • Boards must keep written minutes of all meetings, including any special meetings and committee meetings • The NCO is directly responsible for the minutes of the regular meetings ONLY. All other meeting minutes should be prepared by the board members involved. • Unless required by law, the minutes are NOT a full transcript or recording of the meeting. The minutes shall give a true reflection of what was discussed at the meeting. • The minutes must include: • Date, day, time, and place of the meeting • The recorded presence or absence of all board members • Time of arrival and/or departure of all members from the direct meeting vicinity • All motions and their resulting recorded vote • Any information that a board member requests be included in the minutes, IF it was discussed/introduced at the applicable meeting.

Minutes §2-14-113 • Minutes shall be publicly available within 30 calendar days of the meeting. • The NCO is not required to publicly provide the minutes but MUST provide any current version of the minutes to any person who requests them 30 calendar days after the meeting. • Minutes for Executive Meetings may be withheld if it would defeat the lawful purpose of the executive meeting. • If quorum is not attained at a meeting, a “Memorandum for the Record” shall be prepared. The board may hear any reports already included in the agenda but CANNOT take any action. • The boards can approve or amend the minutes at a subsequent regular meeting. • No motion is necessary to approve the minutes unless substantial amendments are requested and then should be approved by board motion.

QUIZ QUESTION Minutes shall be made public within _____ days of the meeting. • A. 10 • B. 15 • C. 30 • D. 45

Voting §2-14-114/115 • Quorum/Majority vote is necessary for any official board action (unless specified by law or the Plan) *all other votes require 2/3 votes or more • Each board member may vote on all actions before the board unless they choose to recuse themselves. • A board member may recuse themselves from any matter, as long as the reason is disclosed and announced to the board. *Board members must be present to take a vote. No proxy is allowed. • Only 4 voting methods are recognized for the boards: • Roll Call (officer/staff responsible calls for each commissioner’s vote) • Show of Hands (raising hands) • Voice Vote (commissioners verbally announce their Ayes/Nays/Abstains) • Unanimous Consent (everyone agrees)

QUIZ QUESTION What are the four (4) voting methods recognized by the Neighborhood Plan? • A. Roll call, show of hands, voice vote, unanimous consent • B. Roll call, ballot vote, show of hands, unanimous consent • C. Roll call, show of hands, voice vote, ballot vote

QUIZ QUESTION When May a board member recuse themselves from any matter? • A. A board member may recuse themselves from any matter, as long as the reason is disclosed and announced to the board. • B. A board member may recuse themselves from any matter, and they cannot vote on the matter at hand • C. A board member may recuse themselves from any matter, without disclosing the reason for doing so.

Disclosure §2-14-116 • Any board members who know they have a personal or private interest in a proposal before the board shall disclose the interest to the board (either orally or in writing). • The disclosure shall be made public before the board can take action. • Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a board member from discussion or voting • Board members may choose to be recused. This means that they willnot participate in the discussion or vote.

QUIZ QUESTION Does disclosure of a personal or private interest automatically disqualify a board member from discussion or voting? • A. Yes • B. No

Order/Decorum/Discussion §2-14-117/118 • The entire board is responsible for promoting order and decorum of the meeting. The presiding officer may remove any individual whose actions are “disruptive, disorderly, contemptuous, or improper for the conduct of the business of the board” This may also be done by a majority vote of the board. The presiding officer may request the assistance of the NCO and the Honolulu Police Department in expelling the individual. • Remarks that include “profanity, are disrespectful, disparaging, or abusive are considered violations of order and decorum”. • Any person wishing to speak must be recognized by the chair before speaking and must address their comments to the chair. Board members as well. • All comments must be confined to the subject currently under discussion. • Any person is allowed to speak on any agendized item, BUT must follow the rules of speaking set by the board.

QUIZ QUESTION Any person wishing to speak must be recognized by _______ and must address their comments to the _______. • A: Neighborhood Assistant, Chair • B. Chair, Neighborhood Assistant • C. Chair, Chair

Officers §2-14-120 • The board shall elect a chair, one or more vice chairs, secretary, treasurer, and any other officer the board determines as necessary • All officers are elected annually at its first meeting held on or after July 1 • All officers are elected by majority vote • The term of office is for one year, beginning in July and ending in June, or until the election of a successor Officer Removal/Vacancy §2-14-121/122 • An officer may be removed from office at a meeting of a board by majority vote • The meeting may be a regular meeting or special meeting • If the chair’s seat becomes vacant before term of office ends, the vice chair shall serve as the chair pro tem until a successor is elected to fill the remainder of the term • If a vacancy in any officer position occurs, the board shall elect, at a board meeting, a successor to serve for the remainder of the term

QUIZ QUESTION All Officers are elected for a ________ year term by ______ vote. • A. two (2) , 2/3 • B. one (1) , majority • C. two (2), majority • D. one (1), 2/3

Duties Officers §2-14-123:Chair Duties of the chair: • Serve as the spokesperson and representative of the board • Prepare the agenda/review draft minutes • Receive/present all communications to the board • Appoint/remove committee chairs • Maintain order and decorum In absence or disability of the chair the Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer or chair pro tem as elected by the board takes on the responsibilities above.

Vice Chair • Serve as the presiding officer and perform all duties of the chair in the absence or disability of the chair • Assist the chair in presiding over the meeting such as when the chair wishes to enter into debate Secretary • Serve as the presiding officer and perform all duties and exercise all powers of the chair and vice chair in their absence or disability • Ensure accurate minutes are taken • Write minutes if the Neighborhood Assistant is not present at the meeting Treasurer • Serve as the presiding officer and perform all duties and exercise all powers of the chair, vice chair, and secretary in their absence or disability • Perform other duties as assigned by the board

Contact • For more review, in-depth consultation, or any questions please feel free to contact the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO) at • Email: nco@honolulu.gov • Phone: 768-3710 • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeighborhoodCommission/ • An online version of the Neighborhood Plan can be found online at https://www.honolulu.gov/nco/resources.html

MAHALO EVERYONE!

NEIGHBORHOOD BOARDS

NEIGHBORHOOD BOARDS

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