Bylaws and Procedures for the
York Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (YAMPO)
I. MPO Objective
A. Name:
York Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (YAMPO).
B. Purpose:
On August 24th, 1964, the York Area Transportation Study (now YAMPO) was established, by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Charter, to conduct a continuing, comprehensive and cooperative process for transportation planning, programming and decision making. The bodies established in this document are meant to serve the YAMPO, which covers the entire political boundary of York County.
The Bylaws and Procedures will serve as the document in identifying current YAMPO policies and procedures, and will be revised annually or per change in federal regulation and/or state policy. YAMPO activities to be undertaken include developing a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), developing a Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), approving a short range Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), carrying out an effective public involvement process, collecting and analyzing data, conducting needs and feasibility studies, and more.
The primary members of the YAMPO are the York County Planning Commission (YCPC), PennDOT, York County Transportation Authority (YCTA), Legislative appointments, City of York, South Central York, Greater York East, Greater York West, Northern York, South Western York & South Eastern York. In addition, the Bylaws identify procedures to follow in completing official MPO business.
C. Committees:
The York Area MPO is required to have a Policy Committee. This is a requirement by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 23, Planning Assistance and Standards, Metropolitan Planning Organization: Designations and Redesignation (23 CFR sec. 450.306), For the YAMPO this committee is called the Coordinating Committee. YAMPO may choose to establish other committees, at its discretion, to enhance its operations. The MPO has, and has declared it the Technical Committee. The Technical Committee is tasked to review the agenda in detail to provide the Policy Committee with a recommendation. Other Committees are thoroughly covered in this document under Section IV, item G.
II. Coordinating Committee Membership:
A. Coordinating Committee Membership
Voting members:
- One (1) Vote - York County, President, York County Board of Commissioners
- One (1) Vote - YCPC, Chairperson
- One (1) Vote - PennDOT Central Office, Program Center - Bureau Director
- One (1) Vote - PennDOT District 8-0, District Executive
- One (1) Vote - YCTA, Chairperson, Board of Directors
- Two (2) Votes - legislative delegation, one elected state official, one appointed citizen by the delegation *
- One (1) Vote - City of York Mayor
* The legislative delegation vote is self selected, and approved by the York County Delegation of Legislators. These are both on a four year term, however for continuity of representation appointments will be staggered two years, between Elected State Official or the Appointed Citizen. For purposes of time frame, July 2012 starts the four year term for Appointed Citizens. If for any reason the Delegation needs to fill these positions before the term is completed, the Delegation’s appointee shall fill out the remaining unexpired term.
All alternates designated to vote on the Coordinating Committee must deliver documentation by the official body which certifies him/her to vote for that body. This is necessary for proof of appointment. All documents will be kept on file by the York County Planning Commission. The documentation must be provided for all alternates. Official bodies shall designate their own alternate vote in the event of an absence. If multiple alternates are chosen, a sequence must be established.
Non-Voting members:
- Advisory -
U.S DOT Federal Highway Administration, U.S. DOT Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. DOT Federal Transit Administration
- Planning Partners -
Genesee & Wyoming Inc, Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee (LCTCC), Harrisburg Metropolitan Planning Organization Coordinating Committee (HATS), Adams County Transportation Planning Organization (ACTPO), Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA), Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB)
B. Coordinating Committee Meetings:
The Coordinating Committee shall hold meetings as necessary. Meetings, unless otherwise noted, shall be held on the fourth Thursday of the month. These meetings will be advertised in the York Daily Record, York Dispatch, Hanover Evening Sun & The Patriot-News (Harrisburg). Meeting notices and related materials shall be provided to all members of the Coordinating Committee no less than five (5) working days prior to all meetings. Draft meeting minutes will be available for review and comment within fifteen (15) working days, as indicated in the current UPWP, on the York County Planning Commission website. Hard copies will also be mailed in conjunction with the next meeting notice.
C. Coordinating Committee Voting:
A quorum shall consist of voting members or their alternate/proxy representation. A simple majority of the entire voting membership (4 votes) is necessary to approve a measure.
III. Technical Committee
A. Technical Committee Membership:
Voting members:
- One (1) Vote- York County, Director, York County Planning Commission
- One (1) Vote- YCPC, Chief, Transportation Planning, YCPC
- One (1) Vote- PennDOT Central Office, Program Center, Transportation Planner
- One (1) Vote- PennDOT District 8-0, Planning and Programming Manager
- One (1) Vote- YCTA, Executive Director
- Two (2) Votes- legislative delegation, one elected state official, one appointed citizen
by the delegation*
- One (1) Vote- City of York Mayor
- Six (6) Planning Regions, designated by the Technical Committee ** +
* The legislative delegation vote is self selected, and approved by the York County Delegation of Legislators. These are both on a four year term, however for continuity of representation appointments will be staggered two years, between Elected State Official or the Appointed Citizen. For purposes of time frame, July 2012 starts the four year term for Appointed Citizens.
If for any reason the Delegation needs to fill these positions before the term is completed, the Delegation’s appointee shall fill out the remaining unexpired term.
** The six Planning Region terms are four years, however, the regions will be divided in two groups. Every two years 3 out of six Planning Regions will be open for new members or reappointment of existing members. These appointments will begin with Region’s 3 (Greater York West, 5 (South Western) and 7 (South Eastern) in July 2008 and Region’s 1 (South Central), 2 (Greater York East) and 4 (Northern) in July 2010.
+ Process for Planning Region selections:
Qualifications for Region Representative: Shall be Municipal Staff, Persons appointed to municipal bodies or elected positions within a Municipality. Contracted staff or personnel shall not be eligible for this position.
- Step One: YCPC solicit from municipalities in regions up for appointment, nominations for their region’s representation
- Step Two: YCPC reviews nominations and makes a recommendation to the YAMPO
- Step Three: The YAMPO discusses, nominates and approves the representatives for each region. Should any or all the recommendations not be approved, the YCPC will re-solicit for only those Regions that were approved using the Process for Planning Regions selections.
All alternates designated to vote on the Technical Committee must deliver documentation by the official body which certifies him/her to vote for that body. This is necessary for proof of appointment. All documents will be kept on file by the York County Planning Commission. The documentation must be provided for all alternates. Official bodies shall designate their own alternate vote in the event of an absence. If multiple alternates are chosen, a sequence must be established.
Mid-Term Appointment Procedures for Planning Regions:
- Primary Representative: If a vacancy occurs during the primaries term, the designated alternate would be offered to fill the vacancy. If alternate accepts, the YCPC will proceed to Step Two (nominations will be from the previous municipal submission) in the Process for Planning Region selections to replace the alternate. If alternate declines, the YCPC will follow the process for replacing the primary representative as set forth in Step Two (using the nominations from the previous municipal submissions)Process for Planning Region selections.
- Designated Alternate Representative: If a vacancy occurs during the alternates term, the YCPC shall follow the procedures set forth in Step Two (using the nominations from the previous municipal submissions)Process for Planning Region selections to replace the alternate.
Non-Voting members:
- Advisory -
U.S DOT Federal Highway Administration, U.S. DOT Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. DOT Federal Transit Administration
- Planning Partners -
Genesee & Wyoming Inc, Lancaster Area Transportation Study (LATS), Harrisburg Area Transportation Study (HATS), Adams County Transportation Planning Organization (ACTPO), Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA), Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB)
B. Technical Committee Meetings:
The Technical Committee shall hold meetings as necessary. Meetings, unless otherwise noted, shall be held on the first Thursday of the month. These meetings shall be advertised in the York Daily Record, York Dispatch, Hanover Evening Sun & The Patriot-News (Harrisburg). Meeting notices and related materials shall be provided to all members of the Technical Committee no less than five (5) working days prior to all meetings. Draft meeting minutes will be available for review and comment within fifteen (15) working days, as indicated in the current UPWP, on the York County Planning Commission website. Hard copies will also be mailed in conjunction with the next meeting notice.
C. Technical Committee Voting:
A quorum shall consist of voting members or their alternate/proxy representation. A simple majority of the entire voting membership (8 votes) is necessary to approve a measure.
D. Attendance
Attendance at the Technical Committee meetings is very important. If a committee member misses three consecutive regular scheduled meetings, his or her membership on the Committee will be reevaluated.
IV. Coordinating & Technical Committee
A. Term of Technical and Coordinating Committee Membership:
The term for all non-designated voting members shall be four (4) years, after which, all members wishing to remain on the committee must bring documentation from the Official body reaffirming their appointment.
The legislative delegation which has two votes shall split the appointments into one appointment every two years for a four year term. Appointed Citizen will begin July 2008 and Elected State Official will begin in July 2010.
B. Technical and Coordinating Committee Officers:
At the first meeting of each state fiscal year, the voting membership shall elect a Chairperson and Secretary. The selection process shall follow Roberts Rules of Order.
Voting members may hold only one executive position at a time. A Chairperson may hold the Chair for two consecutive fiscal years only.
The Chairperson of a committee has the duty of administrating the meeting. A Chairperson will open and moderate all discussion that transpires during the meeting. The Secretary has the duty of ensuring records of all proceedings of the organization are kept and that meeting notices are sent to all members, to keep the official membership and alternate roll and to acquire signatures required for any action that the committee may take. Further elaboration of rules for the Chairperson and Secretary of committees may be found in Roberts Rules of Order.
Vacancies in office shall be filled at the next scheduled meeting by regular election procedures.
The order of Meeting Chair is as follows: 1) Chairperson, 2) Secretary, 3) Chairperson alternate, 4) Secretary alternate. Any voting member shall be eligible to hold a Chair. The Secretary shall always be a voting member as well.
C. Proof of Proxy for Coordinating and Technical Committees
Proof of proxy shall be provided in writing from the official body and signed by the primary to the Chairperson before the meeting if the individual is not an official alternate. Proxies have the same voting privileges as their primary.
D. Meetings:
All regular and special meetings of the YAMPO shall be open to the public, in accordance with The Federal Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b, Open Meetings). The minutes and all materials presented to the YAMPO at such meetings shall be public record and shall be available for review on the YCPC website (http://www.ycpc.org/) and in the YCPC offices (100 West Market Street, Suite 201, York, Pa 17401). All meetings will be advertised in the York Daily Record, York Dispatch, Hanover Evening Sun & The Patriot-News (Harrisburg) with at least one week notice. Meetings shall be open and accessible to the general public, including persons with disabilities. The YAMPO shall conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1991. Meetings shall also conform to the tenth edition of Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RRONR). A copy of RRONR shall be available at all regularly scheduled meetings and special meetings upon request.
Joint Meetings: During joint meetings, a quorum will be met by the Coordinating Committee members. When a vote is called for at these meetings only Coordinating Voting members shall vote. Discussion before a vote will allow Technical members the chance to express their opinions before a vote commences.
E. Special Meetings:
These may be called by the chairperson or any voting member may petition the chairperson for a special meeting when formal action is required. A minimum ten (10) day notice shall be provided to all voting members of the MPO and member alternates.
F. Telephone/E-mail Balloting:
The York County Planning Commission (YCPC) staff shall conduct all telephone/e-mail balloting for the YAMPO Committees. This balloting process shall be conducted only for regular YAMPO business items.
The YCPC staff shall first contact (via telephone or e-mail service) voting members of the appropriate committee(s) to determine what day and time they are available to vote on an MPO issue. A meeting quorum shall be recorded by the YCPC staff for a vote to be held on a particular day. Once a quorum is established, the committee members shall be notified of the specific date and time of the ballot.
Ballots may be cast via Electronic Mail (e-mail) or telephone service. Information on which to be voted shall be submitted to the voting members ninety-six (96) hours in advance of the telephonic balloting. Information on which to be voted shall be submitted through either the U. S. Postal Service, electronic mail, or facsimile transmission (Fax). If, for some reason, a quorum is not available that day, then the telephone balloting shall be postponed until such time is suitable for such action to occur.
The balloting will conclude at 4:30 P.M. If voting members have not cast a vote by 3:00 P.M., the YCPC staff will attempt to contact those individuals between the hours of 3:00 P.M. and 4:30 P.M..
If action is to be taken on an issue by both YAMPO Committees, then the following procedure shall be undertaken:
- Step One: Coordinating Secretary will determine if an telephone/email ballot is allowed for that action;
- Step Two: Information on which to be voted will be submitted to the Technical Committee ninety-six (96) hours in advance of the balloting;
- Step Three: The YCPC staff holds the balloting and records the results;
- Step Four: If the matter is defeated by the Technical Committee, then the item will not be advanced for consideration by the Coordinating Committee. If the Technical Committee approved the item by quorum vote, then the YCPC staff shall repeat Step Two and Step Three with the Coordinating Committee. This action shall occur twenty-four (24) hours after the Technical Committee balloting.
The results of the telephonic balloting shall be affirmed at the next regularly-scheduled YAMPO Committee meeting or meetings. Ballots shall be affirmed by committee quorum.
At the request of non-voting members, carbon copies of all telephone/email ballot correspondences will be delivered to the appropriate parties.
G. Special Study Committees:
Additional committees (i.e. working group, taskforce, study group) may be formed when the use of the Technical Committee for specific projects is not suitable. The Coordinating Committee shall approve any additional committees. The YCPC shall recommend the membership of committees for approval to the MPO. The MPO will then discuss, if necessary and approval a membership. These committees shall be formed through approval at regularly scheduled meetings. Special study committees are for projects or studies which have MPO funding and will remain in existence through the length of the study or project. The committees will give progress reports to the YAMPO at regularly scheduled meetings.
H. Updating the Bylaws and Procedures:
The YAMPO shall review and adopt the bylaws on an annual basis. This shall coincide with the adoption of the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed at any meeting of the YAMPO Coordinating meeting after they have been submitted in writing to the Chairperson or his/her empowered designee of the YAMPO. The Secretary of the YAMPO Coordinating Committee and his/her assigned staff shall mail to each YAMPO Coordinating Committee member a copy of the proposed amendment to the Bylaws at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting where a vote of approval is taken. Amendments must be approved by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the voting members of the YAMPO Coordinating Committee. At the discretion of the YAMPO Coordinating Committee Chairperson, the YAMPO Technical Committee may evaluate and provide recommendations to the proposed amendment(s).
I. Bylaw document availability:
This legal document shall be present for immediate review at all regularly scheduled meetings and special meetings upon request.
V. Signatures of Officers -
(See pdf link, last page, for signatures.)
LINK to PDF of By-Laws
