AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION TRANSPORTATION PLANNING DIVISION
Approved October 2009 - April 2010
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE 1: NAME
The name of the Division shall be the Transportation Planning Division (hereinafter "Division") of the American Planning Associations (hereinafter "APA").
ARTICLE 2: PURPOSE
The purposes of the Division shall be to:
All purposes and activities of the Division shall be carried out in a manner consistent with the AICP Code of Ethics.
ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the Division shall be open to any individual having a special interest in transportation planning individual, whether or not a member of APA. Individuals become members upon application and payment of division dues to the APA.
ARTICLE 4: OFFICERS
The Division member shall elect a Chair, Vice-Chair for Policy, Vice-Chair for Programs, Vice-Chair for Outreach, Treasurer and Secretary. The term of office for all officers is two years; officers may be re-elected up to two consecutive terms to the same office. Officers of the Division shall all be members of the Division in good standing; the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Division shall also be members of APA. All officers are expected to attend the regular business meetings of the Division and make reasonable attempt to fulfill both regular and assigned duties and act in the on-going best interests of the Division and its membership.
4.1 Duties of the Division Chair
The Division Chair shall act as the executive officer of the Division and is generally responsible for ensuring the on-going vitality and health of the Division. Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
4.2 Duties of the Division Vice-Chair
The Vice-Chairs shall act at the direction of the Chair of the Division and shall generally provide operational back-up for the Division Chair. The Vice-Chairs shall assume the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair and one may be designated as proxy for the Division in votes of Division Council. The Division Vice-Chairs take lead responsibility for developing the Division’s two by-right panel sessions for the Annual Conference of the APA. The Vice-Chairs shall act as the Liaison between their assigned committees and the Executive Committee coordinating planning and administrative efforts, providing materials needed to prepare the Division annual reports, representing the interests of these committees at the regular business meetings of the Division, and generally overseeing the activities of these committees so that the regular and assigned duties are reasonably fulfilled and are in the on-going best interests of the Division.
4.2.a Duties of the Vice-Chair for Policy
The Vice-Chair for Policy shall make the appointments for the committees and subcommittees as assigned by the Executive Committee. The committees assigned to the Vice-Chair for Policy shall included but not be limited to the Legislative and Policy Committee, the Research Committee, and the Planners Advisory Council Committee.
4.2.b Duties of the Vice-Chair for Programs
The Vice-Chair for Programs shall make the appointments for the committees and subcommittees as assigned by the Executive Committee. The committees assigned to the Vice-Chair for Programs shall include but not be limited to the Student Awards Committee, the Airports in the Region Committee and other ad-hoc initiatives.
4.2.c Duties of the Vice-Chair for Outreach
The Vice-Chair for Policy shall make the appointments for the committees and subcommittees as assigned by the Executive Committee. The committees assigned to the Vice-Chair for Policy shall include the Membership Committee, the Elections Committee, and the Mentor Program.
4.3 Duties of the Division Secretary
The Secretary acts at the direction of the Chair of the Division. Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:
4.4 Duties of the Division Treasurer
The Division Treasurer acts at the direction of the Chair of the Division and attend both business meetings of the Division. Specific responsibilities include by are not limited to:
4.5 The Executive Committee
The six elected officers of the Division together with the editor of the newsletter, the appointed chairs of active Division committees, and the immediate past-chair of the Division shall form the Division’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall meet from time to time. A meeting may be called by any of the six elected officers of the Division. The purpose of the Executive Committee is to act as principal advisor to the Chair and elected officers on matters such as preparation of the annual program and budget for the Division, proposals for revision of the by-laws, establishment or discharge of committees, development of Division plans, programs or activities, and development of position statements regarding transportation policy issues for consideration by APA. When required to achieve a majority vote, the actions of the Executive committee shall be by affirmative vote of the majority of current Executive Committee members.
4.6 Removal of an elected officer
An elected officer of the Division may be removed for cause or significant lack of performance by either of the following means: 1) Affirmative votes of the majority of the current Executive Committee equal to the size of the committee without the offending officer less one; or 2) Petition to the Executive Committee by members of the Division equal to the number of members that voted in the last election of officers plus one. No action shall be approved by the Executive Committee without four affirmative votes cast.
ARTICLE 5: MEMBER SERVICES
To implement its purposes, the Division shall carry out the following minimum activities for its members:
5.1 Business Meetings
The Chair of the Division shall call at least two business meetings each year. One meeting shall be in conjunction with the annual conference of the Transportation Research Board in Washington DC and one meeting shall be in conjunction with the annual national conference of the APA.
5.1.a The quorum for a business meeting shall be two percent (2%) of the membership of the Division including either the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Division and at least two other members of the Executive Committee.
5.1.b Only members of the Division may vote on official business items.
5.2 Newsletters
The Division shall publish and disseminate at least three newsletters to its membership each year.
5.3 Member Directory
The Division shall publish and disseminate to its members a directory containing the names, professional association, and current contact information of the current Division membership. This directory may be maintained on-line or published as hard-copy at least once every three years.
5.4 Web Site
The Division may develop and maintain a web site for its membership and to describe the activities of the Division for the general public.
5.5 Conference Sessions
The Division shall organize and sponsor at least two panel sessions for the annual APA conference each year. The Division’s program chair, who is also the Vice-Chair of the Division, may also provide assistance to Division members who are proposing panel sessions not to be sponsored by the Division.
5.6 Student Awards
The Division shall organize and maintain a program of student awards and activities to encourage students to consider careers in transportation planning. Depending on availability of funding, these activities may include a student paper competition and a student scholarship program. Activities shall be organized and carried out by the Student Award Committee and shall be available to students in accredited planning programs. Any competitive award shall be managed with high ethical standards and equal opportunity in compliance with the AICP Code of Ethics.
5.7 Membership Committee
The Division shall organize and maintain a membership committee which shall work to increase Division membership and Division visibility.
5.8 Legislation and Policy Committee
The Division shall organize and maintain a legislation and policy committee which will provide support to APA staff, the national LPC, and the APA Policy Advisory Committee with transportation expertise.
5.9 Airports in the Region Committee
The Division shall organize and maintain an airports committee which shall provide planning guidance on how airport commercial districts should be designed, engineered, and managed.
5.10 Research Committee
The Division shall organize and maintain a research committee which shall draft guidelines for Division research, peer review, and how any research grant funds awarded to the Division may be used to maximize the value of any grant.
5.11 Work Program and Budget
The Division shall adopt an annual work-program and self-sustaining budget that meet requirements for APA divisions at the spring business meeting each year. The adopted program and annual budget shall be disseminated to the membership.
ARTICLE 6: COMMITTEES
Committees of the Division may be formed to further the purposes of the Division, carry-out here-in specified member services, and to increase opportunities for members of the Division to actively contribute to and participate in the Division. The Chair of the Division shall appoint all committee chairs and approve all committee members, with advice from the Executive Committee. Committee chairs serve at the will of the Division Chair. The Chair shall provide a committee with a description of the committee’s functions and responsibilities, budget, reporting requirements and times, and, in some cases, a sunset date.
An elected officer of the Division may serve as chair of a committee. All committee chairs and members shall be members in good standing of the Division. In the event an APA Committee exists with a charge similar to that of a proposed division committee, the Chair of the Division shall consult with the Executive Director of APA to resolve any potential conflicts of interest.
Regular committees of the Division include but are not limited to:
ARTICLE 7: DUES
Dues for Division membership are set by the Division and adopted with the annual Division Budget at the April business meeting. The Division may set variable dues for APA members based upon APA member status and may include accommodations for students, and non-APA members. Dues are collected by APA National Headquarters and rebated to the Treasurer of the Division minus service rates determined by the APA Board.
ARTICLE 8: ELECTIONS
Division elections will be held every two years. Officers shall take office on April 1 of even numbered years and be formally installed at the Spring Business Meeting of the Division.
8.1 Election Committee
The Chair of the Division shall appoint an election committee by August 1 of the year preceding the April installation of elected officers. The committee shall consist of no fewer than three and no more than five members, including a committee chair. All members of the committee shall be members in good standing of the Division. Each member of the committee shall represent a different APA District. Current officers in the Division may not serve on the Election Committee. No member of the Election Committee may be a candidate for office.
8.2 Duties of the Election Committee
The election committee is responsible for carrying out all activities associated with the election of officers for the Division, from the call for nominations to the announcement of results. The committee shall carry out its duties with the highest ethical standards.
8.3 Identification of candidates
The Election Committee will issue a general "Call for Candidates" to all members of the Division no later than October 1st preceding the installation of elected officers. Candidates may self-nominate or, with permission from a potential candidate, nominate another. The Election Committee members will also actively seek out and encourage Division members who have been active as Division committee chairs, Division committee volunteers, and participants at the Division business meeting to run for office. The committee shall make a reasonable effort to develop a slate of candidates with a minimum of two candidates for each position. Incumbents may pursue re-election to the same office up to two consecutive terms. Each candidate for office shall provide the Election Committee with a brief campaign statement and description of qualifications for office based on guidelines established by the Election Committee.
8.4 Election procedures
The Election Committee will develop and distribute an election ballot to all members of the Division. The ballot shall include statements from the candidates and opportunities for write-in candidates. The actual election may be carried out by any technical means that provides accessibility to the process for all members of the Division, whether mail, fax, e-mail, or internet at the discretion of the Election Committee. Winners shall be selected by affirmative majority of those voting in the election. With approval of the Division Chair, the Chair of the Election Committee may appoint a separate subcommittee of the Division members to act as a Teller Committee to validate the results of the election. The Chair of the Election Committee shall announce the winners of the election to the candidates, the current officers of the Division, and the APA Division’s Council staff program assistant as soon as possible after the election deadline. The Chair of the Election Committee shall keep ballots in her or his possession for two years after the election. The Chair of the Election Committee shall transmit names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of new officers for announcement on the Division’s website and in the newsletter.
8.5 Election Schedule
8.6 Special elections
When an officer of the Division vacates his or her position, the Chair or Vice-Chair for Outreach of the Division shall poll the remaining officers to determine whether to hold a special election, leave the seat empty until the next election, or appoint an existing or past officer of the Division to carry-out the duties of the position until the next election.
ARTICLE 9: RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN APA
The incoming Council Chair shall appoint a liaison to the Chapters President Council, AICP, and other groups as needed. These liaisons shall represent the Divisions Council and report to the Council at all meetings. The liaisons need not be members of the Divisions Council.
9.1 Relationship with National APA and AICP
9.1a The Division will carry out its activities in a manner complying with requirements for Divisions as described by APA National bylaws and guidelines for Divisions.
9.1b Division leadership will participate in activities of the APA Divisions Council and the APA Board of Directors to represent the interests of the Transportation Division and ensure coordination between the Division and APA.
9.1c The Division through its leadership may coordinate Division activities and participate in activities of AICP to carry out purposes of the Division.
9.2 Coordination with Chapters
The Division through its leadership may coordinate Division activities with APA State Chapters, including defining and supporting state-based Division sections. The Division through its leadership may also coordinate and cooperate with other APA Divisions to carry out purposes of the Division and provide service to its members.
ARTICLE 10: PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
The Division may through its officers from time to time from formal or informal partnerships with other organizations for the purposes benefiting Division members. No partnership agreement may supersede any article or activity described in these by-laws or the by-laws of APA. Members of a partner organization may attend business or other meetings of the Division but shall not vote on official business of the Division.
ARTICLE 11: AMENDMENT
Proposed amendment to this bylaws or any bylaw changes shall be distributed to the membership of the Division for comment at least two months before they are presented for a vote at one of the two duly convened business meetings of the Division. Adoption of a change is achieved by a majority vote of the members present at a duly convened business meeting for which a quorum is present.