Nomination Process

The Sound Cities Association (SCA) sends out a Call for Nominations for all open seats on Regional Boards and Committees to which the SCA has appointing authority or recommends nominees for appointment. Nominees provide their qualifications and interest in the boards and committees which they would like to be appointed. If there is more than one board or committee of interest, the nominee must rank their choices numerically, with 1 being their first choice.

As the Call for Nominations is circulated, the Chair of the Public Issues Committee (PIC) appoints the members of the PIC Nominating Committee. The PIC Nominating Committee consists of one representative of each SCA Regional Caucus: Snoqualmie Valley Caucus, North Caucus, South Caucus, and South Valley Caucus.

Once all nominations are received, the PIC Nominating Committee reviews the information and makes a recommendation to the PIC. The PIC Nominating Committee takes into consideration equitable geographic distribution and a mix of city sizes when recommending appointments to the PIC. The PIC in turn makes a recommendation to the SCA Board of Directors. The SCA Board of Directors appoints the nominees or recommends the nominees for appointment to Regional Boards and Committees. A letter signed by the President of SCA is sent to the appointee and the board or committee.

As seats become vacant throughout the year, there is a Call for Nominations for the open seat, the PIC Nominating Committee makes a recommendation to the PIC, which, in turn, makes a recommendation to the SCA Board of Directors, and the SCA Board of Directors appoints the nominee or recommends the nominee for appointment. A letter signed by the President of SCA is sent to the appointee and the board or committee.

Board Policy 700 excerpt:

700 APPOINTMENTS TO REGIONAL COMMITTEES AND BOARDS

701         APPOINTMENT POLICY 

A member representing the Sound Cities Association is expected to reflect policy which has been developed by the Sound Cities Association when sitting as a member of any regional committee, board or task force. (8/16/1995)

701.1      Exercise of SCA Appointment Authority

a)  Sound Cities Association (hereafter, SCA) exercises appointment authority on behalf of its member cities for those regional forums in which the municipalities of King County, other than Seattle, share representation and where, by charter, bylaw or interlocal contract, the appointment authority is exercised by the affected jurisdictions.

b) SCA’s appointment authority for shared representation is valid for so long as SCA’s membership comprises over 50% of the suburban municipalities containing over 50% of the suburban population.

c)  SCA may be asked to recommend appointments to regional forums where appointment authority resides in others (state or county executives or legislative bodies).  SCA is not responsible for the appointment subsequently made, staffing scheduling or information distribution.

d)  While SCA attempts to meet the representational requirements of regional bodies, it is the policy of SCA’s board of directors to promote consolidation of regional issues in such a way as to provide for effective decision-making through efficient use of our staff and elected officials’ time.  This policy may be evidenced through the creation of the SCA Public Issues Committee. (9/19/2007)

e)  SCA shall retain discretion in accepting or exercising appointment authority for new forums, based on the perceived value of the forum proposed, availability of elected officials or staff with prerequisite knowledge, and the availability of alternate forums for exercise of the same function.  The Board shall be the final arbiter of acceptance of responsibility for new forums.

f) Board appoints staff representatives. (10/29/1999, 7/28/2005, 9/19/2007)

701.2.     Identification of Appointees

Regional Committee Appointments shall be recommended to the Board of Directors by December 31st each year. (Bylaws 11/17/2004, 9/19/2007, 12/17/2014)

a) SCA shall, in the fall of each year, issue a call for nominations from the cities of King County for all open seats for King County regional boards, committees and task forces.

b)    SCA shall provide for notice to the membership of:

• all regional appointments currently being reviewed,
• the process and timeline for approval of appointments,
• any requirements or criteria for consideration
• appointments which are available due to retirement or resignation

c)     The Public Issues Committee through its Nominating Committee shall review all pertinent information and determine a draft list of appointments for the coming year with regard to the following criteria:

• geographic distribution
• size distribution
• governance distribution
• ability to serve, interest in serving, past participation
• knowledge of the subject matter
• Preference shall be given to current SCA members (12/17/2014)

d)    Appointments may be continued from year to year, upon recommendation of the Public Issues Committee and approval of the Board of Directors, based on:

• past participation and continued interest in serving,
• successful representation of membership interests in past efforts,
• information from the caucus chair, if any,
• comparative need for organizational continuity in any appointment.

e)     Appointments are valid for one year unless specified by the governing authority (9/19/2007)

f)     Alternates will be appointed for boards, committees and task forces, according to the same criteria as full members. (10/29/1999, 7/28/2005)

g)    For vacancies and new appointment opportunities, SCA shall issue a call for nominations from the cities of King County and follow the procedure as outlined in b) through f) above.  Any vacancies occurring after August 1st shall be filled at the discretion of the Board of Directors. (7/19/2006)

h)    Appointment of electeds for terms less than 6 months or interim workgroups and task forces shall be made directly by the Board of Directors (7/19/2006)

i)    Each city may have no more than one representative serving at a time on any individual regional board, committee, advisory council, or task force. Further, cities are asked to not submit multiple applicants for the same committee. The process for deciding which applicant’s name to submit is left to the discretion of each individual city. (12/17/2014)

701.3      Roles and Responsibilities of Appointees

a)    Appointees and alternates to regional forums are expected to attend meetings of the forum and of the SCA caucus.  At the beginning of each appointment year, caucus chairs, in coordination with the executive director, shall establish steps to be taken in confirming attendance, notifying of absences or other procedural matters concerning the forum. (9/19/2007)

b)    Appointees and alternates should be knowledgeable of the subject matter of the forum, reviewing materials and participating in discussion on behalf of the interests of the affected jurisdictions.  Appointees shall observe any protocols or procedures of the forum in which they participate.

c)     Alternates should participate in all caucus meetings and in materials distribution on a par with full members, including the discussion of any caucus consensus position

d)    Alternates will be considered by the Board to succeed to full participation in any forum on the resignation or illness of the principal appointee, for the duration of the current term. (9/19/2007)

e)     Appointees and alternates should regularly report activities and pending issues of their forum to SCA’s membership, through attendance and participation in SCA meetings of the Public Issues Committee and/or membership meetings, written reports or electronic communication, as is appropriate.

f)     Appointees and alternates shall, in all matters for which they are a delegate of SCA, represent the common interests of all member cities.  Appointees shall notify the caucus lead and the Executive Director of SCA in the event that the interests of the city for which they are an elected official prevents them from or interferes with their representation of the interests of all member cities.

g)    A representative designated as caucus chair by SCA’s appointees shall be individually responsible for reporting forum issues and activities to the Public Issues Committee, and for working with and being available to any assigned staff in support of that forum.  (9/19/2007)

h)    The caucus members should be responsible for identification of cross-forum issues and the caucus chair should be responsible for communicating cross-forum or conflicting issues to the Board. (Board 10/29/1999, 7/28/2005, 9/19/2007)

701.4.     ANNUAL PREPARATION FOR APPOINTMENTS PROCESS

a      SCA will provide for a joint seminar to provide training and orientation for regional appointees, alternates and any affected staff in January.  This training will be scheduled to provide an orientation vehicle for newly elected officials. Newly elected officials will also be invited to attend.

• Caucus chairs and vice-chairs will be selected with consideration being given to geographic balance. (9/19/2007, 10/19/2011)
• Process for action will be identified
• Member staff will be assigned and duties identified

b      SCA, in consultation with caucus chairs for the various forums, will provide for an annual review of existing forums, which may include external or internal assessments of the forum’s utility to the member cities, effectiveness of the forum in meeting the needs of regional decision making, and potential future value to the member cities.  In consultation with the Board, SCA’s president will provide for dissemination or communication of the annual review to member cities and regional governments. (Board 10/29/1999, 7/28/2005, 9/19/2007)

701.5      SCA Caucuses – Manner of Acting

a.     Caucus Chair Responsibilities

• Determine if caucus meeting is needed
• Set SCA Caucus meeting agenda with the assistance of lead staff
• Have identified technical staff to provide technical briefing, as necessary
• Attend and chair SCA Caucus meeting.
• Confirm attendance of an SCA Caucus alternate in case of an absence
• Absent an SCA position, poll Caucus and develop a majority position of those present or available prior to regional forum meeting. Absent a majority position, ask for a delay in action. (9/19/2007)
• Attend regional forum meetings
• Seventy-five percent attendance at both caucus and regional committee meetings is expected
• Serve as liaison to SCA Public Issues Committee; communicate SCA Board positions on issues
• Brief Public Issues Committee and solicit ideas and discussion when appropriate
• Present agreed-to motions to regional forum or designate this responsibility to other Caucus member
• Coordinate political and policy issues with other regional forum members from Seattle and King County as appropriate
• After an SCA appointee misses 30% of the caucus and/or committee meetings SCA shall inquire about the intent of the appointee to fulfill his/her responsibilities.  At 50% absence, the Board of Directors may ask for the resignation of the appointee (7/22/2009)
• Make every attempt to generate a caucus recommendation to SCA for the development of a timely position statement (10/20/2010)

b.     Caucus Member/Alternate Responsibilities

• Represent SCA Board position on issues
• Review material in advance of meetings; participate in discussion and help develop Caucus consensus
• Attend Caucus meetings and briefings.
• Attend regional committee meetings
• Seventy-five percent attendance at both caucus and regional committee meeting is expected
• Alternates participate as members in all activities except voting (7/28/2005)
• Absent an SCA position, the caucus chair shall poll Caucus and develop a majority position of those present or available prior to regional forum meeting. Absent a majority position, the caucus chair shall ask for a delay in action. Absent a delay in action, delegates represent their perception of the position of the membership. In the event of the latter, SCA appointees may not further lobby their individual position as a representative of SCA. Absent an SCA position or consensus by the caucus, appointees may lobby as a representative of their city unless the issue has been identified as a divisive issue by the SCA Board of Directors. If the issue is a divisive issue the appointees shall abstain from voting. (10/20/2010)
• After an SCA appointee misses 30% of the caucus and/or committee meetings SCA shall inquire about the intent of the appointee to fulfill his/her responsibilities.  At 50% absence, the Board of Directors may ask for the resignation of the appointee.(7/22/2009)
  • Caucus staff will be appointed by the Executive Director when possible and appropriate. (6/16/2010)
  • Caucus staff should represent balanced geographic distribution
  • The purpose of the caucus staff lead is to:

3. Caucus Staff Lead

1. Support the public policy positions of SCA and the work of the electeds assigned to the board/committee;
2. Support the caucus chair in planning agendas for SCA caucus meetings;
3. Advise the caucus on issues and concerns of the member jurisdictions, to assist in drafting the background and recommended policy positions for the SCA Public issues Committee; and
4. Assist in drafting the background and recommended policy positions for the SCA Public Issues Committee. (9/19/2007)

702         REGIONAL PROJECT EVALUATION COMMITTEE FOR PSRC

702.1      Background

The Regional Project Evaluation Committee is a standing committee of the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), established for the purpose of ranking projects consistent with the policy framework adopted by the PSRC’s Executive Board.  The Committee is made up of staff members from participating general governments and agencies, currently identified and authorized by a process administered by the Sound Cities Association.

Staff who are designated as representing ‘other cities and towns’ in all four participating counties are the only staff who must represent the interests of more than one unit of general government.  Thus, it is important that these staff are mindful of their role and responsibilities to ‘other cities and towns’. (4-1-2004, 7-28-2005)

702.2  Process and administration

SCA’s process for identifying and naming staff shall be designed to

• distribute representation from all geographic regions represented by these SCA cities as equally as possible, by communicating with all cities in a geographic region on the occasion of a vacancy ;
• provide for notice to all SCA cities through the mayor or chief executive officer, when a vacancy occurs on the committee due to resignation or retirement of an existing staff member;
• ensure that no city or individual staff person shall serve more than three funding cycles (six years, the current ‘life’ of federal transportation enabling statutes) as a voting member of the RPEC, without other cities in the geographic region having an opportunity to identify a staff member to serve on the committee;
• open a call for nominations at the conclusion of each funding cycle (typically 3 years), to ensure appropriate Participation (7/19/2006)
• provide staff members to serve as alternates to the full members of the RPEC.  The alternates shall be afforded preference in appointment when a member vacancy occurs;
• ensure that the King County-wide forum chair is a member of the RPEC, if that forum chair is an employee of a city which is classified as one of the ‘other cities and towns’ of King County, within the meaning of the Puget Sound Regional Council’s representational scheme.

The Board of SCA shall have final authority on appointments to the RPEC. (4/1/2004, 7/28/2005)

702.3  Roles and responsibilities

Staff members serving on behalf of ‘other cities and towns’ in King County shall endeavor to

• exercise judgment in the application of project ranking criteria in a manner that represents ‘other cities and towns’ in King County equally, without undue preference to projects within their city;
• arrange regular communication with the group of cities represented on matters coming before the RPEC, through electronic written reports or meetings;
• make themselves known to and available for consultation with elected officials serving on the Transportation Policy Board or the Executive Board of Puget Sound Regional Council, to ensure appropriate linkage among all parties representing ‘other cities and towns’ at the Puget Sound Regional Council. (4-1-2004)