Committee Member Guidelines

WELCOME

Our committees are crucial to improving the Town of Dewey Beach. We are always looking for qualified individuals who want to help make real change here in Dewey. No matter your expertise, we likely have a committee that would be a great fit for you! All committees are volunteer-based. We greatly appreciate the willingness of our residents to volunteer their time and skillset to the town that so many have come to love and enjoy. 


GETTING STARTED

To participate as a voting member of a committee, you must meet similar requirements as a registered voter in town elections (owner of real property, a bonafide resident, longterm leaseholder, or trustee of a valid trust that is the owner of real property). A list of our current committees can be found on the homepage of the town website under the Government tab. Click on a committee for more information and to view the focus of each group. You'll also see each committee has their own calendar. You can watch a past meeting on our YouTube channel, or check out the Meeting Minutes Archives to get a better idea of how each committee operates. A staff directory button is located on the left hand menu for each committee page. This will provide a full list of members and contact information. 


HOW TO JOIN

We highly recommend contacting the committee chairperson or commissioner liaison if you're interested in joining - they'll be able to provide the most current information for you regarding meeting schedules and pending projects the committee may be working on. In order to formally join a committee, a recommendation will need to be made on your behalf to the Town Commissioners, and voted on at an upcoming Town Commissioners meeting. A brief bio should be provided with the recommendation. The committee chairperson or liaison can help you with this process. Prior to joining a committee, it is crucial to know how often the group has meetings. Some meet regularly each month, others biannually, and some on an as-needed basis. Please do not join a committee if you can't make the commitment to attend meetings.


AGENDAS

Agenda items may be referred to your committee by the Town Commissioners, or a committee member may make a request to the chairperson to place an item on the agenda (certain committees will need to discuss specific items on a quarterly, annually, or as-needed basis, such as Investment, Audit, Board of Elections, Planning & Zoning, or Board of Adjustment). We respect the skillset and talents of our committee members, and encourage them to brainstorm and discuss topics in public meetings that pertain to the focus of the committee. If a committee has an idea that they wish to bring to fruition, they may vote on a recommendation to send that item to the Town Commissioners for approval. In general, votes carried out by a committee are only recommendations that must be approved by the Town Commissioners before they are acted upon (there are exceptions to this, such as decisions made by the Board of Adjustment). 


QUORUMS

Chairpersons should be aware that the larger the committee, the larger the quorum, or majority, needed to carry out a vote. For example, a committee of 5 members will require at least 3 members present at a properly noticed meeting to carry out any vote. It is important to ensure you have a quorum prior to scheduling a meeting date with town staff. We understand emergencies happen, but this is also why it's so important for committee members to attend meetings. If we do not have a quorum, we can not vote, and this means the meeting needs to be rescheduled. If we do not have a quorum, typically the meeting moderator will wait a maximum of 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. If at that point we still do not have a quorum, we must notify the public that the meeting is cancelled. 


CHAIRPERSON KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Most importantly, the chairperson is responsible for leading committee meetings. This means that this person should be aware of the basic protocols of running a meeting. The best way to get familiar with this is to watch a Town Commissioners meeting, and familiarize yourself with the actions of the mayor. A chairperson must be very familiar with the order of the agenda, and know when to call for a motion, a second, and a vote. Another key resource is Roberts Rules of Order. If you'd like a copy of Roberts Rules of Order in Brief, please contact townclerk@townofdeweybeach.com. 
  • Part of leading meetings is ensuring ample time for public input. It is mandatory to allow time for public comment at each public meeting. In general, a committee chair should ask for any general public comment at the start of the meeting, and allow for public comment with each agenda item. The meeting moderator will assist with notifying the chairperson if anyone is joining virtually for public comment. It is at the discretion of the chairperson if they'd like to limit the amount of time each person has for their comments. If you do set a time limit, it is important that each member of the public is held to the same amount of time.
  • All committee members should be familiar with state and town legislation as it relates to open meetings, including the Freedom of Information Act and virtual meeting policies. It is crucial that as a leader, the chairperson knows and understands the basics of FOIA. The Policy Manual for FOIA Coordinators is also a great resource for chairpersons and committee members.
  • Chairpersons will coordinate with committee members to arrange a meeting date and time, ensuring there will be a quorum for an upcoming meeting. Once a date is chosen and the chairperson is sure there will be a quorum, they will email townclerk@townofdeweybeach.com to pass this information along. Most meetings legally require a 7-day notice to the public (public hearings will require a 15-day notice - this may apply to meetings of the Town Commissioners, Board of Election, Board of Adjustment, or Planning & Zoning Commission). We recommend scheduling your meetings as far in advance as possible to accommodate for any necessary notices.
  • Along with the meeting date and time, the chairperson should submit an agenda to townclerk@townofdeweybeach.com. The agenda does not need to be in perfect format - town staff will be sure to correct any formatting issues prior to posting. Again, the agenda must be posted at least 7 days in advance. Please avoid submitting agendas last minute whenever possible. Additionally, if there are any supporting documents for the meeting (reports to be discussed, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) you must submit these with your agenda. It is important that any documents to be discussed at the meeting are made public as early as possible.
  • During most meetings, committees will need to approve minutes from the previous meeting. After approval of draft minutes, please submit a copy to townclerk@townofdeweybeach.com as soon as possible.


KEY COMPONENTS OF FOIA

As stated above, all committee members should be familiar with FOIA, especially as it pertains to open meetings. There are certain rules that are easy to violate unintentionally! It is crucial that committee members understand the following:

  • A "meeting", as defined by FOIA, is any formal, or informal gathering of a quorum of the members of any public body for the purpose of discussing or taking action on public business. This means that any gathering of the majority of your committee where public business is discussed is considered a meeting - and every meeting of a committee must be properly noticed, and open to the public (unless it meets strict criteria for an executive session, which is a rare occasion among most committees). In short - an informal meetup for happy hour where you discuss as a group anything pertaining to your committee goals is a violation of FOIA! Additionally, group emails and text messages also can be considered a "meeting," and in violation of FOIA. Avoid using the "reply all" button on emails. Clarify any information directly with your committee chairperson, and avoid group conversations regarding town business.
  • A "public record", as defined by FOIA, is any information of any kind, owned, made, used, retained, received, produced, composed, drafted or otherwise compiled or collected by any public body relating in any way to public business, or in any way of public interest, or in any way related to public purposes, regardless of how it is stored, recorded or reproduced (while there are exceptions to this rule, those exceptions are extremely specific, and usually do not apply in most cases). This means that you should assume that any record of information, relating in any way to town business, that you may create or possess is a public document, and therefore open to inspection and copying for any citizen who requests such information. This includes, but is not limited to, hard copies, digital files, emails, and text messages.
  • It is crucial that committees do not deviate from the meeting agenda. Discuss only what was properly noticed on the agenda. Committees can not vote on any item unless the term "possibly vote" was clearly stated in reference to that item. Keep your agenda close at hand and be sure to follow it exactly.


LIVESTREAMING

All public meetings are both recorded, and livestreamed to the town YouTube channel for the public to view in real time, or at a later date. We can not alter meeting recordings or video. Be aware that during recording and livestreaming, you are seen and heard by the public.


VIRTUAL MEETINGS

Each committee meeting will have the option for committee members and the public to join via Zoom. Links and instructions to join are always available on the homepage of the town website under the Meeting Calendar. As stated above, if you are participating virtually in your committee's meeting, everything you say and do is recorded and livestreamed just as if you were present in the anchor location. We highly recommend preparing ahead of time by joining from a quiet area away from disruptions, where you have a reliable internet connection. The anchor location is equipped with high-end commercial audio/visual equipment. In most cases, if you are having difficulty joining via Zoom, it is either an internet connection, or hardware problem on your end. The virtual meeting room will open approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. We recommend joining early to ensure you are able to connect successfully. If you are having difficulty, check out the Troubleshooting page to remedy the problem.

Other important tips to be aware of regarding virtual meetings:

  • When joining virtually, if you wish to present a document, you should be the one sharing your screen. Do not ask the moderator to share a document. The job of the moderator is to run the A/V, recording, and livestreaming controls for the meeting. This is difficult to do when they are sharing their screen and presenting documents. Your presentation will also go much smoother when you can pan through it at your own pace!
  • Unless the meeting is held fully virtual (under an emergency order), chairpersons should attend meetings at the anchor location. It is difficult to lead a meeting efficiently when you are remote, but your committee is not. Whenever possible, schedule your meetings when you can be present at the anchor location.

Both the state, and the Town of Dewey Beach maintain strict policies regarding virtual meetings that are outlined below. Committees should be aware that under any state-issued emergency order, state regulations will supersede the Dewey Beach Virtual Meeting Policy (details outlined in Title 29 §10006A(e) of the Delaware Code found here).

STATE REGULATIONS

Recent enactment of Senate Bill 94 amending the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provisions of Title 29 permits virtual meetings of public bodies under certain conditions. The amendments provide that:

A public body may hold a virtual meeting if all of the following occur:

  1. The meeting notice includes information regarding how the public can monitor or participate in the meeting.
  2. The meeting has an anchor location.
  3. The identity of a member or witness is verified, and the actions of a member are authenticated, in a manner satisfactory to the presiding officer or chair.
  4. All participating members and witnesses can simultaneously do 1 of the following regarding each member or witness who is recognized by the presiding officer or chair:
    • Hear the comments of each member or witness.
    • Hear the comments of and view each member or witness.
  5. A document used during the meeting by a member or witness, and that is accepted by the presiding officer or chair, is immediately provided to each member or witness participating in the meeting and made available to the public.
  6. Except during an executive session, the public is able to do all of the following through an electronic means of communication:
    • Monitor the meeting.
    • Provide public comment, if the public body is required to accept, or provides an opportunity for, public comment.
  7. Minutes of the virtual meeting are maintained.

DEWEY BEACH VIRTUAL MEETING POLICY

If all of the above requirements can be satisfied, meetings of the Town Council or any commission, board, or committee established by the Town Charter or Code, including Planning and Zoning, Board of Adjustment, and Audit Committee may include virtual participation under the following conditions:

  • For meetings of the Town Council or the Board of Adjustment, a quorum of the Commissioners or members must be present at the anchor location where members of the public can attend and electronic means of communication are available.
  • For meetings of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Audit Committee, or any new board or committee that may be established by the Town Charter or Code, a majority of the number of members constituting a quorum must be present at the anchor location where members of the public can attend and electronic means of communication are available.
  • Each Town Commissioner may participate virtually in no more than three regularly scheduled monthly Town Council meetings in a calendar year.
  • Each member of a commission, board, or committee established by the Town Charter or Code may participate virtually in no more than half of the meetings during a calendar year.
  • Any Commissioner or member of a board or committee who wishes to participate virtually must notify the Mayor, or Chair, and the Town Manager no later than 10 calendar days before the scheduled meeting.

Virtual meetings of all other Town committees or groups subject to FOIA requirements are permitted under the following conditions:

  • At least two members must be present at the anchor location where members of the public can attend and electronic means of communication are available.
  • Any member wishing to participate virtually must notify the committee or group chair and the Town Manager no later than 10 calendar days before the scheduled meeting.