Montana Geographic Information Council (MGIC)

Operating Procedures, Revised 12/06/01

  1. Purpose and Duties: The purpose and duties of the Council are described in Executive Order 1-00 and unless amended shall govern the actions of the Council. Council may recommend amendments to the Executive Order by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all members and submit them to the Governor for review.


  2. Membership: The membership of the Council is defined in Executive Order 1-00 and unless amended shall govern the make up of the Council. Nine members constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting business.
    3. 2A. Voting Membership: Each Council Member shall have one vote. Members may send a delegate to attend and participate in meetings; however, those delegates shall not have voting rights. A Member may delegate a proxy vote on a pre-announced agenda item by notifying the Council Chair in writing twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the scheduled meeting. Mail or electronic votes shall be permitted if postmarked or dated prior to the call for vote and addressed to the Chair. In case of a tie vote, the Chair will reopen discussion and a second vote will be called. If a subsequent tie vote occurs the Chair will table the issue until the next Council meeting.
    2B. Membership Replacement: If a Council member resigns his/her position the Chair will direct staff to work with the GIS community to develop recommendations for a replacement candidate representing the same constituent group as the resigned member. Within three months of resignation the Chair will submit the name (or names) of a qualified replacement(s) to the Governor for appointment.
    2C. Member Participation: If a Council Member misses two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings the Chair will contact that member to assess that Member’s commitment to MGIC and may suggest that Member step down.
  3. Meetings: At its first meeting each year, the Council shall schedule three additional meetings, at roughly three-month intervals. The Council may schedule other meetings at their convenience if needed.


  4. Procedures: The Chair shall act as the presiding officer of all meetings. In the case of incapacity or inability to attend a meeting, the Chair shall appoint another Council Member as temporary Chair and they shall preside. The usual parliamentary rules as laid down in “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern all deliberations, unless in conflict with Executive Order 1-00 or these operating procedures. The order of business may be altered or suspended at any meeting by a majority vote of the Members present.


  5. Agendas/Order of Business: The order of business will follow an agenda prepared by the Chair and distributed to members at least two weeks preceding each meeting. Items requiring Council action will be noted on the agenda. Members are encouraged to contact the Chair with suggested agenda items.


  6. Process: Issues requiring Council action will be brought forward using the issue action form and procedure adopted at the 9/06/01 Council meeting, and posted on the MGIC web site with instructions. All issue action forms, agendas, documents and minutes will be posted promptly to the Council web site and distributed to other GIS governance councils such as ITWG and MLGGC.


  7. Affiliation/Points of Contact: The Council may affiliate with one or more other organizations or institutions in furtherance of the purposes of the Council. Any such affiliation must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the votes cast by the Members present when brought to vote. Withdrawal of affiliation or de-certification of affiliation must also be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the votes cast by the Members present when brought to vote. Council will appoint points of contact to provide two-way communication between Council and other local, regional and national coordination and data development efforts.


  8. Amendments: Initial adoption of these operating procedures requires a two-thirds vote of the votes cast by the Members present when brought to vote. Upon proposal to the Council, these operating procedures may be amended, repealed, or altered, in whole or in part, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the votes cast by the Members present when brought to vote. These operating procedures may be amended at any meeting of the Council, provided that a copy of any proposed amendment shall be mailed to the last recorded address of each Member at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting and posted on the Council’s web-site at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting.