Advisory Commission Bylaws

Ratified on Nov. 16, 1987
Amended Jan. 11, 1988
Amended May 13, 1996
Amended August 5, 1996

ARTICLE I - NAME
The official designation of the commission is the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission, established by Public Law 99-420, Section 103.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE
The purpose of the commission is to advise the Secretary of the Interior through his designee, the superintendent, Acadia National Park. The superintendent shall conduct with and request the advice of the commission on matters relating to the management and development of the park including, but not limited to, each of the following:

1. The acquisition of lands and interests in lands (including conservation easements on islands).
   
2. Termination of rights of use and occupancy

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
The commission shall be composed of sixteen members appointed by the Secretary as follows:

1. three members at large as selected by the Secretary;
   
2. three members appointed from among individuals recommended by the Governor of Maine;
   
3. four members appointed from among individuals recommended by each of the four towns on the Island of Mount Desert;
   
4. three members appointed from among individuals recommended by each of the three Hancock County mainland towns of Gouldsboro, Winter Harbor, and Trenton; and
   
5. three members appointed from among individuals recommended by each of the three island towns of Cranberry Isles, Swans Island, and Frenchboro.

The terms of the commission members shall be three years except for that for the initial appointments under each paragraph, one member shall serve for a term of one year, and one member shall serve for a term of two years.

Members may serve beyond the termination date of their appointment and may continue to serve until they are reappointed or replaced. Any vacancy on the commission shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.

The commission will elect a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary by a majority vote. The term of each officer will be for twelve months or until elections can be held. Should any officer not be able to continue to serve a full term, an election shall be held at the next meeting to select a replacement.

Members of the commission shall serve without compensation as such, except that the National Park Service is authorized to pay the expenses reasonably incurred by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities.

The superintendent, Acadia National Park, will provide staff support to the commission.

ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS
All meetings of the commission will be held in accordance with properly constituted notice and will be open to the public. The commission will meet at least three times a year. All meetings shall be called by the chairman, and additional meetings may be called at the request of a majority of the commissioners.

Seven commissioners shall constitute a quorum for a commission meeting. In the event a quorum fails, those present may constitute themselves as a committee and make recommendations to the full commission. Any municipal member may defer for one meeting any motion or recommendation affecting that municipality.

The agenda for meetings shall be developed by the chairman and superintendent, Acadia National Park, and be included in the published notice of meetings. Commissioners with proposals for inclusion in the agenda shall notify the chairman in sufficient time for them to be included in the public notice of the meeting. The chairman is responsible for the approval of the commission meeting agenda. Matters not on the agenda set forth in the notice may be added to the agenda at the meeting by unanimous vote of those present.

Any private individuals interested in addressing the commission may avail themselves of the procedures provided in the public notice of the meeting or request their town/state/federal representatives to include their interests in the formal agenda. The purpose of these provisions is to provide an avenue for individual public input within the parameters of an orderly meeting.

The proceedings of the commission will be recorded by a court reporter. The transcript of these proceedings will be submitted to the secretary of the commission for review and acceptance. The secretary will prepare a summary report on each of the commission meetings based on the transcript and supply copies of the summary to the commissioners at least seven days prior to the succeeding meeting. The commission, by resolution, will approve the report. Copies of the transcript will be available to commissioners upon request.

ARTICLE V - ABSENCE FROM MEETINGS
Any commissioner who shall be absent from three consecutive meetings of the commission, unless excused by resolution of the commission, shall be deemed to have vacated his or her office, and the appropriate official will be requested to appoint a new member to the commission.

After two absences a commissioner shall be notified of this possibility by the chairman. In advance of any meeting, commissioners shall notify the chairman or secretary if they are unable to attend and the reason for the absence.

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES
Committees will be established by the commission for specific purposes and will report to the commission. Wherever possible, committee meetings will be held on the same day as the commission meetings. All committees will have a minimum of three members and a maximum of five, including one federal, one state and one to three municipal representatives. Exceptions to this general rule of committee composition may be altered by resolution of the commission. Committee chairmen, with the concurrence of the commission chairman, may call meetings or workshops to develop information on the subject matter assigned to the committee. The National Park Service will supply staff support to these committees.

ARTICLE VII - MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
All media contacts regarding commission actions or reports shall come from the commission chairman, vice-chairman or secretary.

ARTICLE VIII - ANNUAL REPORT
The commission will submit to the Secretary of the Interior an annual report on the actions of the commission beginning with the first report for the year ending December 1987.

ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS
These Bylaws may be amended or added to by a majority vote of the commission at a meeting notified in part for that purpose.

ARTICLE X - TERMINATION
The commission will terminate on September 25, 2006.