Bylaws affecting committee proceedings List revised March 2, 2020
Port of Seattle Commission Bylaws
Selected Committee Provisions
Audit Committee.
Each commissioner is required to serve at least a single one-year term on the Audit Committee
before completing their fourth year in office [Article II, Section 8].
Committee Membership.
1. No more than two commissioners may serve on any committee [Article V, Section 1].
2. Both commissioner committee members must be present to establish a quorum of the
committee [Article V, Section 1].
3. Non-commissioners may not vote and do not count toward quorum [Article V, Section 1].
4. Merely the receipt of reports, briefings, or testimony constitutes “action” [RCW
42.30.020(3)] and therefore requires the presence of a quorum; i.e., votes are not the
only activity requiring quorum.
5. Policy directives and governance content must be reviewed by an appropriate committee
[Article V, Section 6].
6. Robert’s Rules of Order govern proceedings of the commission, and by extension, its
committees [Article VI, Section 1].
7. Unassigned commissioners are discouraged from attending committee meetings due to
commission quorum considerations [Article V, Section 7].
8. Nevertheless, there is a procedure for providing for the attendance of a third (or more)
commissioner(s) at a committee [Article V, Section 7].
9. Committee membership is determined by consensus by the end of January each year
[Article V, Section 3].
10. The commission president is the tie-breaker in assigning committee membership [Article
V, Section 3].
11. Committees must keep records [Article V, Section 8].
12. Committees must have charters [Article V, Section 2] and their charters may include more
restrictive requirements than the bylaws.
Item Number: 7c_attach
Meeting Date: March 10, 2020
