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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/03/2026 - Meeting Materials (3) Salt Lake City Department of Sustainability 2026 SLC Food Microgrant Program Selection Committee Bylaws Organization 1. Orientation: All new SLC Food Microgrant Selection Committee members are required to have an orientation meeting with Sustainability staff before reviewing grant applications. 2. Required Training: Sustainability staff shall schedule a training for Selection Committee members on compliance with the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA). 3. Selection of Chair and Vice Chair: The Sustainability Department Director or Representative shall designate a Chair and Vice Chair who will be confirmed by a simple majority vote of the Committee. Should the Chair resign from the Committee, the Vice Chair shall serve in the interim until a new Chair and Vice Chair is selected. 4. Duties of the Chair: The Chair is to preside at Selection Committee meetings and shall provide general direction for the meetings. In addition to being the presiding member, the Chair shall have the following duties: a. To call the meeting to order on the day and the hour scheduled and proceed with the order of business in accordance with the posted agenda. The Chair shall announce each item of business in the agenda, in the order in which it is to be acted upon. Upon the completion of consideration of all agenda items, the Chair shall adjourn the meeting. b. To put to vote all questions which are presented by Selection Committee members that require Selection Committee vote. c. To move the agenda along, maintain order, set guidelines for public input, if permitted, and reference handouts and procedures during Selection Committee meetings. d. To recognize speakers prior to receiving comments and presentations. 5. Duties of the Vice Chair: During the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall have and perform all the duties and functions of the Chair. Should the Chair resign from the Selection Committee, the Vice Chair shall serve as Chair until elections are held at the next available meeting. 6. Secretary: A Sustainability staff member shall serve as Secretary of the Selection Committee. 7. Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary is to provide recordkeeping and administrative support for the Selection Committee with the help of additional Sustainability staff members as needed. The Secretary shall have the following duties: a. To post public notices of Selection Committee meetings in accordance with the noticing requirements of OPMA . b. To attend every meeting of the Selection Committee, to take and record the roll, and to advise the Selection Committee of any administrative updates related to the meetings. c. To keep the minutes of the Selection Committee meetings and to record them in accordance with state law. d. To keep and maintain a permanent record of all documents and papers pertaining to the Selection Committee meetings in accordance with state law. e. To ensure Selection Committee members receive materials pertinent to Selection Committee meetings at least four (4) business days following such scheduled meetings. Rights and Duties of Selection Committee Members 1. Membership: The SLC Food Microgrant Selection Committee shall be made up of a total of at least five (5) members. The committee may include members from the following groups: the Sustainability Department, the Mayor's Office, the Salt Lake City Food Policy Council (or former member), the Resident Food Equity Advisors Program (or former participant), or a past recipient of the SLC Food Microgrant Program. Members may also come from relevant community-based organizations, City departments, boards or commissions, or interested and knowledgeable individual residents and community representatives identified by the Department. 2. Meeting Attendance: Every member of the Selection Committee shall make an effort to attend each Selection Committee meeting either in person or virtually (if available), unless unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances. Any member desiring to be excused from the Selection Committee shall notify the Secretary. The Secretary shall inform the Chair and the Vice Chair of the resignation. a. If a Selection Committee member misses three (3) consecutive Selection Committee meetings, the Chair shall confer with the member regarding the ability, interest, and commitment of the member to continue membership on the Selection Committee. b. If the Selection Committee member continues to miss meetings, the Chair shall bring the matter to Sustainability staff and the Sustainability Director. The Chair and the Sustainability Director shall decide whether the Selection Committee member shall be removed. 3. Conflict of Interest: No member of the Selection Committee shall participate in or be present in the determination of any grant application or any other matter in which that member has any conflict of interest prohibited by Chapter 2.44 of the Salt Lake City Code. If a Selection Committee member suspects they may have an actual, apparent, or reasonably foreseeable conflict of interest with any grant applicant or the applicant's partners or owners, the Selection Committee member shall alert the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the potential conflict in writing. A City attorney shall determine as to whether a conflict of interest exists to disqualify such member from participating in the Selection Committee or discussion of the applicant. Upon a determination of a conflict of interest, the Selection Committee member shall not participate in the discussion, evaluation of the application, or attempt to use influence with other Selection Committee members before, during or after the meeting, or during any consideration period. The following are additional guidelines for conduct: a. There may be a conflict of interest if there are personal, familial, or financial ties between a Selection Committee member and any partner, owner, guarantor, or executive of a grant applicant. b. A Selection Committee member must not sell or offer to sell services or solicit prospective clients or employment by stating an ability to influence the Selection Committee's decisions. c. A Selection Committee member must not use the power of membership to seek or obtain a special advantage that is not in the public interest, nor any special advantage that is not a matter of public knowledge. d. A Selection Committee member shall not have any ex parte discussions regarding a grant application to be heard by or in consideration with the Selection Committee. For the purpose of these bylaws, ex parte discussions include any communication regarding an applicant with interested parties of the SLC Food Microgrant application prior to issuance of the final decision. e. An applicant or a member of the public may raise a question of a conflict of interest, after first obtaining the Chair's permission to speak. Meetings 1. Place: All meetings of the Selection Committee shall be held in a room as determined appropriate in the City and County Building, located at 451 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, or at such other place, or by means of an electronic meeting held in accordance with OPMA. Proper notice of the meeting location, including any publicly accessible electronic link in the event of an electronic meeting, shall be posted for the general public. 2. Electronic Meetings: Selection Committee meetings will be accessible electronically in accordance with OPMA and State Code Title 52-4-207. Board members, staff, guests, and the public may choose to attend the meetings electronically if they so wish. 3. Notice and Agenda: The Secretary shall publicly notice the time and purpose of every meeting of the Selection Committee at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to such meeting. Such notice shall be delivered to each member of the Selection Committee via email. The Secretary shall publicly post a written agenda for each meeting and send it to the Selection Committee via email in conjunction with notice of each meeting. a. Where written minutes of a prior meeting are ready for Committee approval, the agenda shall include an item to review and vote for approval of the prior meeting minutes. 4. Frequency: The Selection Committee will convene at least three times or until funding recommendations have been submitted for each grant category, after which time the Selection Committee will meet on an as-needed basis to review program implementation for applicants awarded funding or to review program process adjustments. The first meeting will be used as the orientation and training session for the Selection Committee. Meetings may be canceled by the Chair if it is determined there is no new business to bring before the Selection Committee. 5. Closed Meetings: The Selection Committee does not hold closed meetings at this time. The Committee retains the option to hold closed meetings in the future in accordance with OPMA and any other applicable State and City laws regarding when closed meetings are allowed and appropriate. 6. Quorum: A quorum of the Selection Committee must be present to call a meeting to session and vote on applications. A quorum shall be a simple majority of the Selection Committee, or at least three (3) Selection Committee members. Any member disqualified because of a conflict of interest shall not be considered when determining whether a quorum is constituted. 7. Voting: Where a vote is required of the Selection Committee, such action set to a vote shall pass upon a simple majority of the quorum present at the meeting. Those disqualified for conflict of interest do not count towards the voting quorum requirements. Any member attending a meeting electronically may still vote on actions as if they were attending in-person. All votes will be taken by roll call. 8. Grant Application Evaluation: Selection Committee approvals or denials can only be made when a minimum of three (3) Selection Committee members submit evaluations/scores to Sustainability staff. 9. Public Comment Guidelines: Public comments may be allowed at the discretion of the Chair. Public comments are expected to comply with Committee Decorum rules as outlined in Section 11. 10. Committee Discussion: Committee Members may discuss applications, evaluations/scores, or other items related to the review and consideration of the grant applications. The Committee may ask questions of applicants at the discretion of the Chair. 11. Decorum Rules: Please observe the following rules of civility to maintain the decorum of the Selection Committee meetings. Meetings are a place for people to feel safe and comfortable in participating in this grant process. A respectful and safe environment allows a meeting to be conducted in an orderly, efficient, effective, and dignified fashion, free from distraction, intimidation, and threats to safety. We welcome everyone so please be mindful and keep comments free of discriminatory language referring to a person or group based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age or other identity factor. Items or comments that disrupt the meeting, intimidate Committee members or other participants or that may cause safety concerns are not allowed. Notification of Decision 1. After the Selection Committee submits its scores on the SLC Food Microgrant application, Sustainability staff shall compile the results and take actions to finalize the determination. Sustainability staff shall communicate with applicant identifying the determination and outlining any subsequent action the applicant must take. 2. The SLC Food Microgrant Selection application results shall be a noticed agenda item to be announced at a future Selection Committee meeting. Approval and Amendment of Bylaws 1. These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Selection Committee held upon a vote of a simple majority of the quorum present at the Selection Committee meeting. Recording of Bylaws 1. These bylaws and all subsequent amendments shall be recorded by the Selection Committee Secretary and copies shall be furnished to each member of the Selection Committee in electronic form. Approved by the SLC Food Microgrant Selection Committee on March 3, 2026 Committee Chair Signature: Ual-l6 LGhWal-L Maria Schwarz(Mar 3,2026 16'.03.21 MST)