ARTICLE A: PURPOSE
The Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force, is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the distribution of funds from the Drug Free Communities Fund to organizations that support the mission of the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force, and abide by all the by-laws of the Task Force.
ARTICLE B: MISSION
The mission of the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force is to reduce the abuse of alcohol and other controlled substances in Hendricks County and the associated negative effects on individuals and the community through the coordination, support and promotion of county-wide education/prevention, intervention/treatment, and criminal justice efforts.
ARTICLE C: MEETINGS
All meetings related to the HCSATF are subject to the open door law statutes. See Article VI.
ARTICLE I: EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Section 1. Number of Executive Board Members. As of this date, the number of members of the Executive Board shall be no more than sixteen (16). The Executive Board shall consist of no more than eight (8) elected adult members, six (6) elected student members – who carry only one vote per School Corporation, the President and the Coordinator. Every effort will be made for every category to be represented on the Executive Board.
Section 2. Election. The election of the Executive Board will be held annually or as needed to fill vacancies. Any voting member of the Task Force is eligible for self-nomination. The candidates that are elected to serve on the Executive Board will be installed immediately. Executive Board members will be elected by the voting members of the Task Force by simple majority.
Section 3. Term. Any member of the Executive Board can vacate their position at any time with written notification to the Board. Every member of the Executive Board will be elected to a two (2) year term with a maximum of three (3) consecutive terms or a total of six (6) years served, then mandatory one (1) term off (2 years).
Section 4. Removal of Members of the Executive Board. Should an Executive Board member not attend a minimum of 75% of the meetings during the calendar year, the Executive board will review and make recommendations for continuation of term or removal Nominations to fill any unexpired terms will be taken at the next Task Force meeting.
ARTICLE II: OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force shall be a Chairperson or President, and such other officers as may be necessary.
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President/Chairperson. The Task Force shall elect a President for a term of four (4) years, to serve two (2) terms maximum or eight (8) years total. Their duties will include, but are not limited to, presiding over the Executive Board and General Board meetings and representing the Task Force at special events. The President shall also oversee the work of the Coordinator and be directly responsible to the Executive Board for the Coordinator and all paperwork associated with all employees or contracted personnel of the Task Force. An annual review of the coordinator will be conducted by the President and reported to the Executive Board.
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Secretary
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Treasurer. The Task Force will accept volunteers for the position of Treasurer and the treasurer approved by the Executive Board will be immediately recognized as a voting member of the Executive Board. Responsibilities of the position include providing a monthly report of the status of the Drug Free Communities Fund per the Auditor and a monthly status of the year’s budget to date. In grant months, the treasurer will be responsible for completing the vouchers, and turning them into the auditor’s office for payment. The Treasurer will also maintain the receipts turned in by grantees.
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Other officers will be recommended and approved by the Executive Board as necessary.
ARTICLE III: TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Definition of Membership. Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force, will consist of one type of membership. Upon attending a 2nd meeting, a visitor becomes a Voting Member. Voting Members must attend 6 Task Force meetings in a 12-month period in order to request funding. Voting Members make suggestions or comments when appropriate and serve on any subcommittee. Voting Members are allowed to nominate themselves for any opening on the Executive Board, and are eligible to vote on any subject brought forward during a Task Force meeting. Any Voting Member who does not meet the attendance requirements will be notified by the coordinator and will be temporarily ineligible to participate. Any person suspended from the Voting Membership role is eligible again with regular attendance (2 consecutive meetings).
Section 2. Conflict of Interest. All Board Members will sign Conflict of Interest disclosure statements annually. Having done so, the members are allowed to vote on any grant they have sponsored during that year. Members may be asked to leave the room during a voting procedure if the member benefits from the requested funds. Any members who do not sign a statement will abstain from the voting procedure if they will benefit directly or indirectly from the proposed grant.
ARTICLE IV: MINI-GRANT APPLICATIONS
Section 1. Eligibility. Any Voting Member as defined above, may apply for funding from the Task Force.
Section 2. Application Process. All persons or organizations requesting funding from the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force, are required to file a mini-grant application with the Task Force. Applications can be submitted by any voting Board Member. Only applications received by the Coordinator at least a week prior to meetings scheduled in August, November, February and May will be eligible for discussion. All grant requests must be received prior to the implementation of the named project. No grants will be considered after the fact.
Section 3. Approval Process. All requests for funding are to be received by the Coordinator by the deadline stated above. Each grant request will be discussed by the Task Force (Full Board). Upon recommendation by the Task Force, requests will be passed on to the Executive Board for final approval. The Executive Board will discuss the Task Force’s recommendations and will vote to approve or deny each grant request in accordance with the Task Force’s Comprehensive Community Plan approved by the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana. The Executive Board has the final vote on any other non-mini-grant issues before them in that session. Annually, or upon request, the President will inform the Hendricks County Commissioners of grant distributions.
ARTICLE V: FUNDED PROJECTS
Section 1. Attendance Requirement. Any person or organization receiving approval for a mini-grant is required to assign at least one person to attend the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force meetings. Funded organizations must attend a minimum of 8 meetings in the 12 month period following grant approval. A funded organization that fails to comply will be placed on probation and prohibited from reapplying for funding until two years (24 months) after original grant approval.
Section 2. Accountability. All grantees are required to submit an outcomes report and attachments as needed, on the form provided by the HCSATF to document progress towards goals as outlined in the Comprehensive Community Plan. Any material misrepresentation will also result in forfeiture of rights to apply for funding up to 24 months from confirmation of infraction. It is expected that any funds disbursed related to the infraction will be returned to the task force forthwith. Any modifications to the use of the funding must go back thru the coordinator and exec board for re-approval before the grantee can change the original use of funding.
Article VI: Open Door Policy
COMPLIANCE TO OPEN DOOR POLICY STATEMENT
Local Coordinating Council officers, members, and committees are knowledgeable and aware that as an organization that was established by State Statute and operates under the guidance of the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana established through Indiana Code, they are considered a governing body of a public agency and have a duty to observe the policy of the Open Door Law: that official action be conducted and taken openly. This includes regular, executive, grant review and sub-committee meetings that would be acting in an official capacity. To this end, the following meeting procedures shall be complied with (IC 5-14-1.5)
1. Meeting is a gathering of a majority of the governing body for the purpose of taking official action upon public business. Official action is receiving information, deliberating, making recommendations, establishing policy, making decisions and taking final action (voting). All meetings with the exception of Executive Sessions are open to the public. Any closed Executive Sessions MUST meet the criteria as stated in Indiana Code to be legal (IC 5-14-1.5-6.1).
2. Public notice is a requirement that applies to open meetings, reconvened meetings, rescheduled meetings AND executive sessions. Notice must be posted 48 hours in advance of the meeting, not including Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The notice must be posted at the agency’s principal office or at the meeting place. Also, if there is an agenda, it must be posted as well (IC 5-14-1.5-5). Minutes and memorandum must be kept as the meeting progresses and must contain the following:
a. Date, time and location of meeting;
b. Members present and absent;
c The general substance of all matters proposed, discussed or decided.
d. Record of all votes taken, including by individual members if roll call is used.
Since an LCC is considered a public agency, and since a public agency is subject to the Indiana Open Door Law, all memoranda as it pertains to open meetings must be available to the public for inspection. These By-Laws and all minutes from monthly meetings will be posted on our Website once established.
Date Adopted____12/10/08_______
Name of the Local Coordinating Council:_Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force
County____Hendricks_________
ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS
All recommendations for amendments to the by laws by the General Board will be reviewed and/or approved by the Executive Board. Notice of any proposed amendments will be provided to all voting members at least one (1) month prior to next meeting. All final amendments to by laws will be approved by simple majority vote of the General Board.
Amendment: 3/8/2007
Amendment to Article V, Section 2: Discussed in Executive Board on June 11, 2008 and approved by the General Board on 9/10/08.
Amendment to Article IV, Section 2: Discussed in Executive board 9/10/08. Approved by the General Board on 10/8/08.
Amendment – added Article on Open Door Policy. Approved by General Board and Executive Board on 12/10/08.
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