Macon Area Transportation Study Bylaws

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POLICY COMMITTEE

ARTICLE 1

Name & Purpose

The name of this organization shall be the Policy Committee for the Macon Area Transportation Study. The Committee shall be responsible for the establishment of policy and overall guidance for the Study. Its purpose is to carry out a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive multimodal transportation planning process that includes the development of the Long Range Transportation Plan and the Transportation Improvement Program which serve to develop a safe and efficient surface transportation system for all modes of travel.

ARTICLE II

Composition

The Policy Committee shall be composed of officials from participating governmental jurisdictions and organizations. Membership shall be determined by organizational position, with the following positions being members:

Voting Members

Macon-Bibb County

      • Mayor
      • Macon-Bibb Commissioner
      • Macon-Bibb Commissioner
      • Macon-Bibb Commissioner

Jones County

      • Chairman, Jones County Commission

Monroe County

      • Chairman, Monroe County Commission

Government Agencies

      • Chairman, Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority
      • Chairman, Middle Georgia Regional Commission
      • Chairman, Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission
      • Chairman, Macon-Bibb County Water Authority
      • Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation
      • Chairman, Citizens’ Advisory Committee
      • Chairman, Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority

Non-Voting Members

      • Eighth District Representative, Georgia State Transportation Board
      • Second District Representative, Georgia State Transportation Board
      • Executive Director, Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission
      • Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration
      • Chairman, Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority
      • County Manager, Macon-Bibb County
      • Macon-Bibb County Engineer
      • Executive Director, Middle Ga. Regional Commission
      • Local State Representative, State of Georgia

ARTICLE III

Duties

    • The Policy Committee is the body responsible for review and approval of the goals, objectives, plans and programs developed by the Macon Area Transportation Study.
    • The Policy Committee has responsibility for insuring that the Macon Area Transportation Study is kept up to date, that timely reports are made to inform the public of the progress of the Plan, that a complete and Unified Work Program is developed for all aspects of MATS, and that the respective agencies, jurisdictions or commissions are kept informed of the progress of the Plan.
    • The Policy Committee has the authority to determine and alter from time to time the membership structure of the Technical Coordinating Committee.
    • The Policy Committee has the authority to determine and alter as required the membership structure of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee with the intended purpose of providing a broad cross section of citizen interest.

ARTICLE IV

Organization

    • The Policy Committee shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among its voting members. Such elections shall be by a majority of the quorum present.
    • Elections shall take place on the first meeting of the calendar year provided there is a quorum of the voting members present.
    • An officer may succeed himself with no limitations to the number of terms, except that such term will not continue in the event an officer becomes ineligible for membership on the Policy Committee.
    • The terms of office shall be one year or until a successor is elected.
    • The Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson may be removed from office by a vote of the majority of all voting members who must be present at a Policy Committee meeting for which notice of the proposed removal has been given.

ARTICLE V

Duties of the Chairperson

    • The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Committee.
    • The Chairperson shall authenticate, by his signature, the minutes and resolutions adopted by the Committee.
    • The Chairperson shall serve as Chief Policy Advocate for the Committee.
    • The Chairperson shall represent the Committee at hearings, conferences, and other events as required or designate another member of the Committee and/or the Project Director to serve in his stead.
    • During the absence or disability of the Chairperson or in the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson shall preside over meetings of the Committee and shall exercise the powers and discharge all of the duties of the Chairperson.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

    • The meeting date of the Committee shall be the first Wednesday of the month for mandatory meetings.
    • The Policy Committee will have mandatory meetings at least once a quarter.
    • In order for business to be transacted there must be a recognized quorum of seven (7) voting members or their designated alternate.
    • At the beginning of each year all voting members shall provide to the MPO staff the name of their designated alternate who shall serve and vote in that members place in the case of an absence. The alternate must be a member of the same body that the policy board member represents. Elected officials named to the Policy Board may name only other elected officers as an alternate. The GDOT Commissioner may appoint a GDOT employee of his choosing to represent GDOT on the MATS Policy Committee. The MPO staff will maintain a record of the designated alternate for each voting member and will updated that information on a yearly basis.
    • Special meetings may be scheduled at the discretion of the MPO Project Director or the Chairman of the Policy Committee.

ARTICLE VII

Amendments to Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of a simple majority of the full voting membership of the Committee. A bylaw change shall be presented for consideration at a regular meeting of the Committee; however, voting shall be deferred until the regular meeting following the meeting at which the bylaw change was proposed. In any event the bylaws and organizational framework are bound to the parameters established in the Memorandum of Understanding.

 

TECHNICAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE [TCC]

ARTICLE I

Name & Purpose

The name of this committee shall be the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) of the Macon Area Transportation Study. The purpose of the Technical Coordinating Committee

shall be to assist the MATS Policy Committee with collecting information, performing technical reviews, formulating recommendations, setting priorities, drafting MPO documents, maintaining MPO processes, and other matters as directed by the MATS Policy

Committee. The TCC shall assist MPO Staff and the Policy Committee in completing the work tasks described in the Unified Planning Work Program.

Article II Composition

The Technical Coordinating Committee shall be composed of key staff members from participating governmental jurisdictions. Membership shall be determined by organizational position, with the following positions being members:

Voting Members

      • Macon-Bibb County
      • Traffic Engineer
      • Sheriff’s Department
      • Macon-Bibb County Engineer
      • Macon-Bibb County Attorney
      • Manager of Middle GA Regional Airport
      • Director of Facilities Management
      • Director of Economic and Community Development

Jones County

      • Zoning Enforcement Officer

Monroe County

      • Zoning Enforcement Officer

Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission

      • Project Director, Macon Area Transportation Study
      • Planning Director
      • Transportation Planner

Other Jurisdictions & Government Agencies

      • Transportation Planner, Georgia DOT Planning Office
      • Transportation Planner, Georgia DOT Intermodal Office
      • Pre-Construction Engineer, Thomaston District Office, Georgia DOT
      • Planning Director, Middle Georgia Regional Commission Executive Director, Middle Georgia Regional Commission
      • Director, Macon-Bibb Co. Water Authority Executive Director, Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority
      • Director, Macon Transit Authority
      • Executive Director, Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority
      • Representative, Transportation Committee, Chamber of Commerce
      • Executive Director, Macon-Bibb Co. Business Development Dept.
      • Chief, Macon-Bibb Co. Fire Department

Non-Voting Members

      • Intermodal Planning Engineer, Federal Highway Administration Area Engineer, Georgia DOT
      • Chairman, Citizens Advisory Committee Urban Designer, Georgia DOT
      • Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration

ARTICLE III

Duties

    • The Technical Coordinating Committee shall review all studies related to transportation within the study area and make recommendations to the Policy Committee regarding the work program and studies.
    • The Technical Coordination Committee shall review the status of the several activities necessary to keep the study current and those activities necessary to update the study plan with timely reports made to the Policy Committee regarding such reviews.
    • The Technical Coordinating Committee shall make its reviews on the basis of technical sufficiency, accuracy, and completeness of such studies, plans, and programs.

ARTICLE IV

Organization

    • The Chairperson of the Technical Coordinating Committee shall be the MATS Project Director.
    • The Technical Coordinating Committee shall elect a Vice-Chairperson from among its members. Such election shall be by a majority vote of the quorum present.
    • Election of the Vice-Chairperson shall take place on the first meeting of the calendar year provided there is a quorum of the voting membership present.
    • The Vice-Chairperson may succeed himself with no limitation on the number of terms, except that such term will not continue in the event the Vice-Chairperson becomes ineligible for membership on the Technical Coordinating Committee.
    • A term of office for the Vice-Chairman shall be one year from the date they are elected.
    • The Vice-Chairperson may be removed from office by vote of the majority of all voting members of the Technical Coordinating Committee.
    • The Chairperson of the Technical Coordinating Committee may create subcommittees as needed. The responsibility of each subcommittee is to review and make recommendations to the full TCC committee regarding the subcommittee’s designated expertise and purpose.

ARTICLE V

Duties of the Chairperson

    • The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Technical Coordinating Committee.
    • The Chairperson shall authenticate by his signature the minutes and resolutions adopted by the Technical Coordinating Committee.
    • The Chairperson, as required, shall represent the Technical Coordinating Committee at hearings, conferences, and other events or designate another member of the Committee to serve in his stead.
    • During the absence or disability of the Chairperson or in the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall preside over meetings of the Committee and shall exercise all the powers and discharge all of the duties of the Chairperson.
    • The Chairperson shall designate one member to serve as a liaison to the Citizens’ Advisory Commission.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

    • The regular meeting date of the Technical Coordinating Committee shall be the third Wednesday of the month.
    • There will be four (4) mandatory meetings held quarterly.
    • Special meetings may be scheduled at the discretion of the MPO Project Director or the Chairman of the Policy Committee.
    • In order for official business to be transacted there must be at least a quorum of eight (8) voting members or their representative present.
    • Membership on the Technical Coordinating Committee is by virtue of the expertise concurrent with the position held and as such attendance is of the utmost importance, therefore, more than three unexcused absences by a member during a calendar year shall be reported by the Chairperson to the Policy Committee for review and direction.
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE CAC

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Macon Area Transportation Study.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

The purpose of the CAC shall be to provide a forum for identifying, discussing, and documenting broad-based citizen input and community perspectives regarding local transportation matters and the transportation planning programs of the MPO. The Committee shall be representative of a diverse cross-section of people and interests in the MATS area.

ARTICLE III

Composition

The CAC shall be composed of 20 citizen representatives. The structure of the CAC shall be as follows:

    • Nine citizens from Macon-Bibb County shall be appointed to represent each of the nine Macon-Bibb County Commission districts. One citizen from each of the nine districts shall be appointed by the elected Commissioner for each district. The appointee must reside in the district which they are representing;
    • One citizen who resides in the MATS area within Jones County shall be appointed by the governing authority of Jones County;
    • One citizen who resides in the MATS area within Monroe County shall be appointed by the governing authority of Monroe County;
    • Four citizens who reside in the MATS area shall be appointed to represent each of the following organizations. Each organization identified below shall appoint one representative:
      • The American Association of Retired People (AARP)
      • Macon Housing Authority
      • Bibb County Board of Education
      • The League of Women Voters
    • Five citizens, who reside in the MATS area and who represent a special interest or expertise, shall be appointed by the eleven CAC members from the commission districts of Macon-Bibb County, the Monroe County portion of the MATS area, and the Jones County portion of the MATS area. One citizen from each of the following interest areas shall be appointed:
      • Pedestrian /bicycle user
      • Transit user
      • Environmental interest
      • Disabled population
      • Disabled transportation user
    • The term of office for all members shall be for 2 years. Each member may serve 3 consecutive terms if reappointed by the appropriate governing authority or organization. Expired terms or vacant positions shall be filled by the governing authority or organization responsible for the original appointment.
    • At any regular meeting, the chairperson may announce positions that are deemed to be vacant. However, at the first meeting of each calendar year, the chairperson shall announce all positions currently deemed to be vacant. Among the justifications for the chairperson to deem a position vacant are:
      • The incumbent is absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings,
      • The incumbent resigns,
      • The death of the incumbent,
      • The incumbent moves out of the respective area represented,
      • The incumbent is elected to a public office.
    • Subsequent to a position being deemed vacant by the Chairperson, and sanctioned by a quorum of the CAC membership, the vacancy shall be filled as described above.

ARTICLE IV

Duties

The duties of the Committee shall include the following:

    • To review programs, projects, and proposals within the purview of the MATS process; and
    • Issue recommendations and/or comments to the MATS Policy Committee and/or the Technical Committee regarding programs, projects, and proposals.

ARTICLE V

Organization

Section 1
The Committee shall elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson during the first meeting of each calendar year. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by a majority vote of the Committee to serve one year. The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson may be re-elected for a maximum of three consecutive years.

Section 2
The Chairperson shall serve as a voting member of the MATS Policy Committee and a nonvoting member of the MATS Technical Coordinating Committee, and any other duties deemed necessary by the majority of the CAC. The Vice-Chairperson shall be the Chairperson’s designated alternative for the Technical Coordinating Committee and the Policy Committee.

Section 3
CAC members may attend other transportation related meetings and report back to the CAC their observations.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

Section 1
The CAC shall meet one week before regular Technical Coordinating Committee meetings, in addition to any special meetings called by the Chairperson. All meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 6:00 P.M. at the Planning and Zoning Commission Conference Room unless notification is given otherwise.

Section 2
The Chairperson, or if absent, the Vice-Chairperson, shall preside at all meetings and decide all points of order and procedure. In the absence of both the Chairperson and the Vice- Chairperson, an appointed Chair shall be designated by a majority vote of the members present.

Section 3
Each item of the agenda shall be introduced by the Chairperson and then presented by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Presentation of an agenda item need not be exhaustive or substantive. An agenda item may be given a cursory presentation when a more detailed treatment is planned for a later date or when a cursory presentation is otherwise sufficient. The chairperson may suspend the MPO presentation of an agenda item.

Once an agenda item has been introduced by the chairperson and presented by the MPO (unless MPO presentation has been suspended), informal discussion may proceed as long as there is not a motion pending.

A motion may be passed by majority vote only if the motion regards an agenda item of which the Committee has had at least 7 days’ notice. A motion regarding an agenda item that has not been given at least 7 days’ notice may be passed only with a unanimous vote of the Committee members present.

Section 4
Meeting notices shall be mailed at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the meeting outlining the planned agenda. Should there be no business to come before the committee, the meeting will be canceled by written notice at least seven calendar days prior to the planned meeting date.

Section 5.
No action of the Committee will become official unless a quorum is present. Seven (7) members will constitute a quorum.

Amendments

      • Article II of Policy Committee Section amended by MATS Policy on August 5, 2015 to remove Payne City as voting member and in its place adds Chairman of the Industrial Authority.
      • Article VI of the CAC section amended by MATS Policy on March 9, 2016 to:
        • Change the meeting time from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; and
        • Change the quorum requirements from 11 to 7 members.

Prepared By:

MACON-BIBB CO. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION

In Cooperation With

THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION

The opinions, findings, and conclusions in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Dept. of Transportation, State of Georgia, or the Federal Highway Administration.

Bylaws adopted by the MATS Policy Committee: November 5, 2014
Amended: August 5, 2015
Amended: March 9, 2016