The Virginia Center for Onsite Wastewater Training (VCOWT) was established by a collaborative effort between Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) to provide instruction and training in wastewater-related topics to regulators, administrators and the regulated community. A Steering Committee was formed to manage the operations of VCOWT. The Bylaws of the Steering Committee follow:
1.) Authority of the Steering Committee
a.) The Steering Committee’s authority derives from VDH and SVCC.
b.) The Steering Committee shall operate in accordance with the Bylaws listed below unless otherwise directed by VDH and SVCC.
2.) Steering Committee Seats
a.) Steering Committee seats shall be of two kinds – Individual-Entity (IE) and Multiple-Entity (ME) seats. ME seats need not be filled by a
single individual but may be filled by any designated representative of a corporation or other organization.
3.) Organization
a.) The Steering Committee shall consist of a Core Group (CG) and an Associates Group (AG).
b.) Core Group:
i.) The CG shall have a maximum of 16 members
ii.) Eight CG seats shall be reserved for representatives appointed by VDH.
iii.) One CG seat shall be reserved for a representative appointed by Southside Virginia Community College.
iv.) One CG seat shall be reserved for a representative of the Virginia Tech Soil Scientists.
v.) Six CG seats shall be reserved for Stakeholder representatives.
vi.) VDH seats shall be considered IE seats.
vii.) The SVCC seat shall be considered an ME seat.
viii.) The Soil Scientists seat shall be considered an ME seat.
ix.) Stakeholder seats may be either IE or ME seats.
x.) VDH and SVCC CG members shall serve without specific term limits at the pleasure of their respective organizations.
xi.) Stakeholder CG members shall serve for two-year terms. The terms of the initial stakeholders shall be deemed to begin on the date these bylaws are adopted. Three of the initial six Stakeholder members shall be chosen at random or by some other agreeable method to serve first terms of three years. Thereafter, all Stakeholder members shall serve two year terms.
xii.) A CG member whose term has expired may immediately apply to be placed on the list of AG applicants.
xiii.) The CG shall meet in Core Group Meetings (CGM) on scheduled dates throughout the year. At the final CGM of each year, the CGM schedule for the next year shall be determined. The schedule shall include the locations, dates and times of the next year’s CGMs and shall be approved by a majority of the CG members present voting by a show of hands.
xiv.) Quarterly meetings of the CG will be held in the months of February, May, August and November.
xv.) If a CG member misses three consecutive CGMs without an acceptable excuse as determined by a majority of the other CG members, that member may be removed from the CG. The vacated seat shall be filled by a VDH or SVCC appointment, if a space exists, or by a member of the AG chosen from among AG applicants.
c.) Associates Group:
i.) The AG shall have a maximum of 20 members.
ii.) Any entity desiring AG membership shall submit an application as an IE or ME to be placed on the AG applicant list to a CG officer at any meeting. Open AG seats shall be filled in succession from the list.
iii.) Applications for AG membership shall be published in the minutes and shall be voted upon by the CG at the following CGM. A simple majority vote of CG members shall be required for approval.
iv.) AG members shall serve two-year terms. A member whose term has expired may apply for two-year extension. Members who lose their seats in the AG may immediately apply to be placed on the list of AG applicants.
v.) AG members in good standing who have attended at least three QMs in the previous twelve months shall be eligible to apply to the Chair to be placed on the list of applicants for an open CG seat.
vi.) Vacancies in the CG Stakeholder member seats shall be filled in succession from the list of applicants
vii.) In the event that an AG member shall miss two consecutive QMs without an acceptable excuse as determined by a majority of the CG members, that member shall be removed from the AG by a majority vote of the CG members. The vacated seat may be filled by a VDH or SVCC appointment, or by the first applicant on the AG applicant list.
4.) SVCC VCOWT Advisory Committee
a.) CG members shall constitute the Southside Virginia Community College’s Virginia Center for Onsite Wastewater Training Advisory Committee (SVCC VCOWT AC).
b.) A newly elected CG member shall become a member of the SVCC VCOWT AC upon acceptance of a written invitation from SVCC.
5.) Officers
a.) The Steering Committee shall have the following officers:
i.) Chair
ii.) Vice-Chair
iii.) Recorder
b.) Chair:
i.) The Chair shall be a VDH member of the CG and shall be elected by a majority vote of the full Steering Committee membership.
ii.) The Chair shall interface with VDH and SVCC, officiate at CGMs, set beginning and ending dates for the terms of CG and AG members, coordinate the Steering Committee’s activities and in general facilitate the accomplishment of the Steering Committee’s agenda.
iii.) In the event that that the Chair is unable to perform, the Vice-Chair shall assume the Chair’s duties until the Chair returns or is replaced.
c.) Vice-Chair:
i.) Vice-Chair shall be elected by a majority vote of the full CG membership from among the IE members of the CG.
ii.) The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair, assume the duties of the Chair as needed, coordinate with the heads of standing and ad hoc committees, and review and edit the minutes of each CGM before they are disseminated to the Steering Committee membership.
d.) Recorder:
i.) The Recorder shall be elected by a majority vote of the full Steering Committee membership from among all Steering Committee members.
ii.) The Recorder shall record the minutes of each CGM and shall submit them to the Vice-Chair for review and editing before disseminating them to the Steering Committee membership within the week following the CGM which they describe.
6.) Standing and Ad Hoc Committees
a.) Standing and ad hoc committees shall be established by the Chair with approval of the CG as the need arises.
b.) Chairpersons and other members of standing and ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the Chair from the full Steering Committee membership.
7.) Changes to Bylaws
a.) A proposal to alter the Bylaws in any way shall be made at a CGM
b.) A new bylaw or an amendment to an existing bylaw may be proposed by any member of the Steering Committee.
c.) The proposed change shall be published in the minutes.
d.) A new bylaw or an amendment to an existing bylaw shall require approval by a vote of at least three-quarters of the full Steering Committee membership for acceptance. Voting shall occur at the CGM following the meeting at which the new bylaw or amendment to an existing bylaw was proposed.
e.) Voting for bylaw or amendment acceptance shall be by show of hands
8.) Meeting Policy
a.) All Steering Committee meetings shall be open to any individual who wishes to attend unless the meeting is specifically designated as a closed meeting.
b.) All Steering Committee members and all Non-Steering Committee members are encouraged to make their views known at meetings.