The Goddard Senior Citizens Advisory Board (the “Advisory Board”) is hereby continued for the City of Goddard. The purpose of the Advisory Board is to support the mission of the Goddard Senior Center by providing community input, programming ideas, volunteer leadership, fundraising assistance, and liaison services between the senior community and the City. The Advisory Board plays an important supporting role in helping the Senior Center thrive, while day-to-day administration and personnel supervision remain with City staff through the City’s administrative structure.
(Ord. 986; Ord. 1038)
The Advisory Board shall consist of seven (7) members appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the Governing Body of the City of Goddard. No less than four (4) of the seven (7) members shall be residents of the City of Goddard. Members shall demonstrate a commitment to advocating for and supporting older adults in the community.
The first board shall be appointed as follows: two (2) members shall be appointed for a term expiring after one (1) year, two (2) members shall be appointed for a term expiring after two (2) years, and three (3) members shall be appointed for a term expiring after three (3) years. Upon the expiration of the terms of members first appointed, succeeding members shall be appointed in a like manner for terms of three (3) years. Vacancies by resignation or otherwise shall be filled in a like manner for the remainder of the unexpired term. Members may serve up to two (2) consecutive terms. A member appointed to fill a vacancy serving less than half of an unexpired term shall not have that partial term counted toward the two-consecutive-term limit. Upon completion of two consecutive terms, a member is eligible for reappointment after a one-year absence from the Advisory Board.
The Senior Center Director shall serve as a non-voting ex officio member of the Advisory Board.
(Ord. 986; Ord. 1038)
The Advisory Board shall have the following officers: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary. The Chairperson is responsible for leading the board and facilitating meetings. The Vice Chairperson takes on the role of the Chairperson in his or her absence. The Secretary is responsible for official communications with board members and recording meetings, along with maintaining other board records. The board shall elect from its members these officers during the January board meeting to serve one (1) year terms.
(Ord. 986; Ord. 1038)
The Advisory Board shall meet monthly or more frequently at the call of the Chairperson or a majority of the board members. All meetings shall be open to the public and conducted in compliance with the Kansas Open Meetings Act, K.S.A. § 75-4317 et seq. Meetings upon call shall be initiated by notice to the City Clerk. A quorum shall consist of four (4) members. Actions shall require a simple majority vote of members present.
(Ord. 986; Ord. 1038)
The Goddard Senior Center and its employees shall be administered through the City’s administrative structure. The Senior Center Director shall report to the Deputy City Manager (or City Manager designee). All employment decisions, supervision of City employees assigned to the Senior Center, and operational oversight of Senior Center programs shall be carried out through the City’s established administrative chain of command, consistent with the City’s personnel policies and the direction of the City Manager. The specific duties, reporting relationships, and organizational structure of the Senior Center shall be established and may be modified from time to time by administrative action of the City Manager without the need for further ordinance amendment.
(Ord. 986; Ord. 1038)
The mission of the Advisory Board shall be to promote the social, health, educational, nutritional, physical, recreational, and intellectual well-being of the senior citizens of the community. The Advisory Board will be advisory to the City Council and will forward its suggestions and recommendations to the City Council through the City Manager or his or her designee.
(Ord. 986; Ord. 1038)
The main objectives of the Advisory Board are as follows:
(a) Provide community input and recommendations regarding Senior Center programming, services, and the needs of the senior community.
(b) Assist with community outreach, volunteer recruitment and coordination, and fundraising efforts in support of the Senior Center.
(c) Encourage and provide hands-on volunteer support for the Senior Center, including hospitality, activity support, outreach, and program promotion, provided such efforts are coordinated with the Senior Center Director or designated City staff to ensure consistency with Center operations.
(d) Maintain open communication with the senior citizen community through multiple modes of communication.
(e) Serve as a liaison between the senior community, local organizations, and the City with respect to matters affecting older adults in Goddard.
(f) Support the Senior Center’s grant compliance obligations and assist with grant development efforts, provided that any grant applications submitted on behalf of the City shall be reviewed and approved by the City Manager prior to submission.
(g) Preserve and utilize the institutional knowledge, community relationships, traditions, and member preferences developed through the Advisory Board’s longstanding involvement with the Senior Center.
(Ord. 1038)
The Advisory Board shall serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council, Deputy City Manager (or City Manager designee), and the Senior Center Director.
In keeping with this supporting role, the Advisory Board does not hire, supervise, or discipline City employees (including Senior Center staff), enter contracts on behalf of the City, authorize expenditures outside the City’s normal budget process, or direct day-to-day operations of the Senior Center.
The Advisory Board may engage in fundraising efforts to provide additional support to the Senior Center. Any funds raised shall be administered in accordance with City financial policies and procedures.
The City administration shall solicit input from the Advisory Board as part of the Senior Center Director’s annual performance evaluation process. Such input shall be advisory only. The City administration shall retain sole authority to conduct, finalize, and act upon the Director’s annual performance evaluation. The Advisory Board’s input shall not create any right of appeal, reconsideration, or further review by the Advisory Board.
The Senior Center Director shall work collaboratively with the Advisory Board and shall keep the Advisory Board reasonably informed about Senior Center programs, activities, and operations. The Director shall give good-faith consideration to input and recommendations provided by the Advisory Board. The City intends for the Advisory Board to remain a meaningful partner in shaping the Senior Center’s activities, traditions, and member experience. For routine programming, event, outreach, hospitality, and service matters, the Director should ordinarily work toward consensus with the Advisory Board whenever reasonably possible. The Director’s obligation to consider Advisory Board input shall not be construed to require the Director to implement Advisory Board recommendations or to seek Advisory Board approval prior to making operational decisions.
The City administration shall solicit input from the Advisory Board during recruitment of the Senior Center Director. Final hiring authority shall remain with the City.
The Senior Center Director shall provide regular reports to the Advisory Board regarding expenditures, fundraising, grants, and budget status, in coordination with City finance staff as appropriate.
In the event of a vacancy in the Senior Center Director position, the Advisory Board may serve in an enhanced collaborative support role, in coordination with the Deputy City Manager or City Manager designee, to assist with continuity of programming, volunteer coordination, community engagement, and communication during the vacancy. This interim role shall not be interpreted as granting the Advisory Board authority to supervise City employees, make personnel decisions, enter contracts, approve expenditures outside the City’s normal budget process, or otherwise alter its advisory status under this Article.
Nothing in this Article is intended to discourage good-faith advocacy, candid feedback, or active volunteer leadership by Advisory Board members when expressed respectfully, constructively, and through appropriate channels consistent with law and City policy.
(Ord. 1038)
The Advisory Board shall operate under bylaws adopted by the City Council. The Advisory Board may propose amendments to its bylaws by submitting proposed revisions to the Deputy City Manager (or City Manager designee) and City Attorney for review and then to the City Council for approval. No bylaw provision or amendment shall take effect without City Council approval. The bylaws shall not expand the Advisory Board’s authority beyond that provided in this Article. In the event of any conflict between the bylaws and this Article, this Article shall control.
(Ord. 1038)
A member who misses three (3) consecutive regular meetings, or fifty percent (50%) of all regular meetings within any twelve-month period, without excuse approved by the Chairperson, may be removed from the Advisory Board by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council.
A member may also be removed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council for material misconduct, repeated violation of the Code of Conduct or City policy, unaddressed conflict of interest, conduct materially detrimental to the Advisory Board’s mission, or other substantial cause related to the member’s service on the Advisory Board. Prior to removal, the member shall be provided written notice of the grounds for removal and an opportunity to be heard before the City Council.
(Ord. 1038)
Advisory Board members shall receive no compensation for their services as members of the board..
(Ord. 1038)