Manton Firesafe Council Bylaws
Here is a copy of the bylaws recently drafted by the Manton Firesafe Council board of directors. We are asking that the community take a moment to read and review. If there are concerns, changes, or comments that need to be addressed, we ask that they be sent to chairJanet@mantonfiresafecouncil.org by the Janurary 5th, 2022. All responses will be collected, reviewed and brought to the general community meeting on January 10th, 2022 at 6P at the Manton Volunteer Fire Station, where a vote to pass the bylaws will take place. These bylaws are being created so that there is a transparent structure and process to functions of the Manton Firesafe Council.
BYLAWS OF THE MANTON FIRE SAFE COUNCIL
I.ORGANIZATION’S NAME
The name of this organization is the Manton Fire Safe Council, herein referred to as
the Council.
II. MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to protect the people and property of the Manton community from the
catastrophic effects of fire through prevention, education, cooperation and action.
III. MEMBERSHIP
Membership is automatic for anyone who lives, works or owns property within 96059 zip
code and is at least 18 years of age or an emancipated minor.
No member shall have the authority to commit the Council to any indebtedness or to
raise funds in the name of the Council without prior approval of the Board. No member
shall have the authority to speak for or claim to represent the Council without prior
approval of the Board.
IV. BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
The Board of Directors shall consist of a minimum of five members to include the Chair,
Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The primary purpose of the Board of Directors shall
be the administration of the Council. All actions and inactions of the Board shall be
based on the Council’s Mission Statement.
The Board of Directors shall serve as unpaid volunteers as defined in the California
Corporations Code Section 5239(b) and shall have general supervision of the affairs of
the Council.
At the option of the Chair, other Council members may be assigned to chair a committee
and shall then assume jurisdiction of the activities of said committee. The chairperson of
each committee shall perform the tasks specified in the Article V on Committees.
The Board of Directors shall maintain Council-related files pertaining to the activities of
each office, each committee, and other activities of the Board. All such files shall be a
permanent record of the Council. When there is a change of Board, officers or
committee chairs, files pertinent to the Board, office, and/or committee shall be given to
his or her successors before the next meeting of the Board of Directors, whenever
possible, but no later than the second meeting.
Term of office.
Directors and Officers shall be elected at the December general meeting of the Manton
Fire Safe Council for two (2) year terms.
Special elections shall be held as necessary.
At a minimum, the roster of officers shall include: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer
and Committee Projects Chair.
The Board of Directors may create additional offices as necessary.
There is no limit to the number of terms a Manton Fire Safe Council Member may serve,
either as a Chair or as an officer.
A vacancy may occur by death, infirmity, resignation, or removal by the Board. In the
event of a vacancy in the office of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall assume the office of
the Chair for the remainder of the Council year.
All other vacancies may be filled by appointment as recommended by the Board of
Directors.
The Board may grant a Director a limited leave of absence without necessitating his/her
replacement.
7. The Board Officers shall serve staggered two-year terms.
Officer Responsibilities:
Chair: The Chair shall function as the presiding official of the Council and of the Board
and exercise supervision of the affairs of the Council subject to the approval of the Board
and/or the Council membership and shall serve as the official representative of the
Council, unless he or she appoints an alternative representative.
a. It shall be the duty of the Chair to plan and pursue policies that will promote the
welfare of the Council, to implement directives authorized by the board and/or
the membership, and to keep the Board and the membership fully advised of his
or her activities.
b. The Chair, with the aid of the Board or Committee Chairs shall develop topics,
contact speakers, and prepare the agendas of meetings.
c. The Chair shall be designated as the agent for service of processes and shall
sign all governmental, informational, or other such forms, as required. The
Board may appoint another Director to serve in this capacity, either for all
matters or for a specific single purpose.
Vice Chair: The Vice-Chair shall preside if the Chair is unable to perform his or her
duties and shall have such other duties as directed by the Chair.
Secretary:
a. The Secretary shall have on hand at all board meetings, all minutes of the past
12 months, all lists of committees and committee members, a copy of the
current bylaws, and a copy of the current Roberts Rules of Order.
b. The Secretary is responsible for archiving all correspondence.
c. The Secretary is responsible for posting approved documents including
minutes prior to the next public meeting.
d. The Secretary will keep or be responsible for the secure storage of the original
or a copy of the bylaws as approved, amended or otherwise altered to date.
e. When a motion is made to take a position on an issue, the Secretary shall
accurately record the wording of the motion, the identity of the persons making
and seconding the motion, and the counts of votes in favor and opposed.
f. The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all Board meetings.
g. The Secretary shall distribute the minutes to each board member within 14
days of the next Board meeting.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds of the Council as directed
by the Board.
h. The Treasurer shall maintain accurate records of all receipts and
disbursements of the council and provide a financial report at general and
board meetings.
i. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies in a bank designated by the board.
j. The Treasurer shall be the chair of the finance committee.
V. COMMITTEES
Standing Committees: Standing committees of one or more members shall pursue
outreach activities, work on ongoing projects or goals that are approved by the Board of
Directors and that benefit the community.
Committee chairpersons shall make monthly progress reports at the Board meetings and
shall present as requested at General council meetings.
Permanent Standing Committees: as needed/to be determined.
VI. MEETINGS
Board of Director meetings: The Board of Directors shall hold meetings to prepare an
agenda for the Council meetings and to conduct any other business that may arise. The
Board of Directors shall set the time and place for these meetings.
The Fire Safe Council meeting shall be a general membership meeting and shall be held
at 6 PM local time on the 2nd Monday every month, subject to change dependent upon
vote at Council meeting.
The meeting time and place shall be advertised in advance to the community at large.
The meeting shall be held at a publicly accessible location in the general vicinity of
Manton.
This meeting is open to all Council members and the public.
The annual general membership meeting of the Council shall be held on the 2nd
Monday of December each year.
The purpose of the annual meeting is to elect officers, to receive reports of committees
and officers, and to conduct other business that may arise.
This serves as the annual corporate meeting.
A Quorum for the Board of Directors meetings, for transaction of business shall be a
majority of the number of existing Directors, at least two (2) of whom shall be officers.
Presiding Officer at Meetings:
The presiding officer at a Board meeting shall be the Chair, however, if the chair is
absent then the presiding officer shall be the Vice-Chair. If the Chair and Vice-chair are
absent, the Secretary will preside.
Voting of the Board:
1. Each Board member shall have one vote.
2. Each Board member may vote on any matter, regardless of any office she/he may
hold.
3. A Board member may be recused from voting if a matter benefits or otherwise affect
his/her personally – recusal may be done by the Director or by a vote of the Board
and shall apply only to a single matter; general recusal is not permitted.
4. Board members may vote by email. Said vote will be memorialized by the Secretary
and shall be included in the Motions Log. Any motion and the record of votes so
taken by email shall be incorporated into the minutes of the next Board meeting as
New Business. Each Board member shall retain the right to prevent an email vote
on any subject and to require a formal meeting of the Board with a quorum to
consider the motion.
5. Voting by Proxy:
a. A Board member may, in writing, present to any other Board member his/her
proxy vote for a specific issue on the agenda.
b. All proxy instructions shall be attached to the minutes of that meeting and votes
recorded as proxies.
c. Proxies may not be used at consecutive meetings nor in closed sessions.
6. Meetings by Telephone or by Internet:
a. Any ordinary or special meeting of the Board members may be held by
conference telephone or similar communication equipment as long as all Board
members participating in the meeting acknowledge affirmatively that each can
hear one another.
b. All such electronically connected Board members shall be deemed to be present
at a meeting of the Board.
c. Any electronically conducted meeting shall have minutes recorded in the same
manner as would be required at a physical meeting.
Agenda for Council General Public Meetings:
The primary focus of the Council public meetings shall be to solicit the public opinions
and to report relevant public information or actions taken by the Board on behalf of the
Council pertinent to the well-being and advancement of the community.
The Council shall conduct such business as scheduled by the Board of Directors,
receive reports from officers and Directors and committees, and shall hear from any
attendee who wishes to bring new business to the meeting.
VII. FINANCE
The Fiscal Year shall be the calendar year, from January 1st to December 31st.
The Finance Committee chaired by the Treasurer, shall prepare a budget and submit it in
November to the Board for review, discussion, amendment and approval. Any Director may
submit amendments to the budget for the current fiscal year. Any amendment must be adopted
by a majority vote of the Board.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the filing of all required financial reports including state
and federal documents. The Treasurer may be assisted by the Secretary or another Director.
Grants:
No grant application shall be submitted without consideration by the Board and then only after a
motion has been properly submitted, voted upon, and approved. All grants applied for shall
conform to the Council’s Mission Statement.
At the direction of the Chair or the Board, another Committee may be assigned to file, or assist
the Treasurer in filing any grant application or to otherwise seek funds to finance Council
projects.
Prior to submittal of any grant application, the Board shall review, approve the specific grants
application and shall vote on a properly submitted motion to approve or deny submission.
The Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee shall be composed of the Treasurer and at least two other members of
the board.
The purpose of this committee is to provide fiscal oversight for the organization and to report to
the full Board on financial and related issues.
Minutes of the Finance Committee are kept and maintained by the Treasurer; it reports all
activities and presents fiscal information to the full Board at each Board meeting.
The Treasurer and at least one other member of the Financial Committee shall have authority to
sign checks for the organization.
A. Insurance:
1. The Board Members, and Committee Chairs shall be covered by a Directors and
Officers liability policy.
2. The Council shall also be covered by a business general liability policy.
3. The Council may authorize the Board to purchase additional insurance to meet its
obligations under the terms and provisions of this Article.
VIII. NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS.
At the December Annual Meeting nominees for office must be present
Eligibility for Office:
Any member of the Fire Safe Council who is 18 years of age or older is eligible for
nomination.
Election Voting:
Election is by paper ballot at the December annual meeting with majority vote by present
members or submitted proxy vote.
Installation of the incoming Directors shall take place as the first order of business at the
January Board of Directors meeting.
IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the most current issue of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the
Council in all cases in which they are applicable but only where they are consistent with
these bylaws and any special rules of order the Council may adopt.
X. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
These Bylaws may be amended by a minimum 2/3 majority vote of the Board of
Directors.
Directors will be given 30 days’ advance notice to consider any motion to amend the
Bylaws.
All motions to amend the bylaws must be memorialized in writing.
Effective Date: The amended bylaws are effective immediately upon adoption unless
the amendment contains a provision specifying another effective date.
A voting member of the Council may suggest an amendment to the Bylaws by
presenting it in writing to the Board through any Director.
The Director receiving any such suggested change shall present the suggestion for
consideration at the next Board meeting.
The Board is not required to move that the suggestion be submitted for a vote.
The submitting member shall be notified as to the Board’s actions on the suggestion.
DISSOLUTION OF COUNCIL
A motion for the dissolution of the Council may be made by:
A minimum 50% +1 of the voting membership or any motion to bring a vote of dissolution
before the voting membership
Or a motion to bring a vote of dissolution before the voting membership can be
considered by the Board of Directors and must be approved by a unanimous vote of the
Board of Directors, by members present or by proxy.
Upon approval of a motion for dissolution, a general meeting shall be scheduled that is
at least one calendar month in the future.
Prior to holding a vote for dissolution, the Council Secretary shall attempt to notify each
member of the motion of dissolution.
Dissolution shall occur only upon a 2/3 vote in favor by not less than 25% of the voting
membership present at the meeting or by proxy.
After a Council vote approving dissolution, the Board’s officers shall take action to notify
all members of Council, shall wrap up any pending business of the Council, shall not
undertake any new business of the Council, shall take action to preserve the records
and files of the Council for a period of not less than five years, and shall notify the
various government agencies of the dissolution as required by law or rule.
The Council Treasurer shall take action to determine an appropriate nonprofit
organization(s) to receive the Council assets, if any, after dissolution and shall present
her/his recommendations to the Board – the Board shall then vote on the post-
dissolution distribution of assets.
The property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes and no
part of the net income or assets of this non-profit shall ever inure to the benefit of any
Director, officer, or member thereof or to the benefit of any private person. Upon the
dissolution or winding up of the corporation, its assets remaining after payment, or
provision for payment, of all debts and liabilities of this corporation shall be distributed to
a nonprofit fund, foundation or corporation which is organized and operated exclusively
for charitable purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Final dissolution shall take place upon completion of XI.F. and G., or after 60 days
following the vote of dissolution, whichever is later.
________________________________________________________
Manton Roadside Fuel Treatment by Tehama County Resource Conservation- TRCD
The Manton Roadside Fuel Treatments Project (referred to as the Manton Road Fuel Reduction and Community Protection Project in the 2017 Tehama East Community Wildfire Protection Plan) entails roadside vegetation treatments (cutting, chipping and herbicide applications) along 22.01 miles of paved roads (800 acres of treatment area) within and surrounding the Manton urban area which is located 25 miles northeast of Red Bluff and the I-5 corridor and 10 miles due south of Shingletown and the State Route 44 corridor.
High traffic volumes along all the roads proposed for treatments create a significant risk of roadside ignition and fire spread into numerous privately owned and developed homesites and ranchettes, commercial buildings, public facilities, ranches, vineyards and farms as well as adjacent healthy mature oak woodlands that contain such structures. Once proposed treatments are completed, not only will ignition and fire risk be reduced, these treatment areas will create fire breaks or where appropriate, sites for backfire operations during wildfire events.
In uninhabited portions of the project area, roadside treatments can become linear control points from which future prescribed fire or other vegetation treatments not associated with this project can be conducted. Importantly, the use of herbicides within both newly created and newly maintained fuel break areas will both extend the life of this fire management infrastructure and reduce the cost of future maintenance.
Manton Firesafe Council Community Meeting Notes from November 29, 2021 at MVFD
Manton Fire Safe Council Meeting Notes
Nov. 29, 2021, 6:00 p.m.
Manton Volunteer Fire Station
Meeting was called to order by Janet Jensen.
I. Round table introductions of all in room- there were 15 community members in
attendance, including Bob Cords (Manton Assistant Fire Chief).
II. Establishment of norms/guidelines:
!. Be on time
2. Respect other people’s views
3. Be brief/mindful of time
4. Stay on subject/on point
5. Active listening, not talking over others
6. No cell phones
7. Commitment
III. Discussion:
~Discussion about committees- what types of committees.
~Michelle Heino brought up having committee chairs: elected/defined
~Discussion about projects being clear
~Education-Marlo Meyer talked about Resource Development District and oral
histories
~Discussion about communications and outreach
~Jadian Fredricks brought up definition of “community” - where fire travels
~Bob Cords talked about definition of our split down county lines
~Question of being in “96059”?
~Bob Cords brought up it is an inclusive as we want it to be.
~Michelle Heino- ~discussion of communication, outreach and education, led
to
~Projects
~Fundraising
IV. Board of Directors and Committee Members
~Members’ discussion of officers positions:
-Chairperson
-Co-chair (Vice)
-Secretary
-Treasurer
Members vote on positions:
-Chair- Janet Jensen
-Vice Chair- Joanne Paquin Sproul
- Secretary- Heather Boone
-Treasurer- Renee Timmons
Addition after discussion to encompass one Chair as Committee Projects Chair:
Members vote- Elliott Proffitt
V. Mission Statement
Members discussion and vote:
Our mission is “to protect the people and property of the Manton
Community from the catastrophic effects of fire through preventive, education,
cooperation, innovation, and action.”.
VI. Discussion about legal structure/ 501c3
-Pat Dwyer brought up direction with regards to funding & organization
- lead into to Powerpoint from Janet Jensen about the differences in 501c3,
Association and non-profit pros and cons:
- Also lead to discussion about need for insurance and costs
-Bob Cords spoke about Fuel Reduction and Education (big items)
-Associaton not way to go
-Discussion about volunteers and requirements (remember #4 of norms!)
-Vote called: Majority vote to go 501c3
-Vote called: Majority vote to go non-profit
VII. Action Items
-Janet to invite BCWC to next meeting to ask them what they have done so far
towards Manton Fire Safe Council and about “residual funds”
- Suggestions that we start our own gmail account- “.org”
-Elliott will set up .org account
- Michelle Heino assed that a page can be accessed without having an
account (i.e. Facebook)
- Board members to have a special meeting to work on Bylaws- Dec. 13,
10:00am at Fire Station.
- Next Community meeting- January 10, agreed and voted on to have meetings
aver 2nd Monday of the month at 6:00 pm.
-Two missions for Board before next meeting: Bylaws & domain name
Meeting adjourned at approx. 7:40p.m.
Manton Firesafe Council Agenda November 29, 2021 At MVFD
Welcome and Introductions
Elect Board of Directors and Committee Members
Develop a Mission Statement
Develop Bylaws
Determine next steps for financial means
Action Items
Close Meeting
Manton Firesafe Council Community Meeting Notes from November 15, 2021 at MVFD
Manton Fire Safe Council
Meeting Notes
Nov. 15, 2021, 6:00 p.m.
Manton Volunteer Fire Station
Meeting was called to order by Janet Jensen.
Round table introductions of all in room- there were 29 community members in
attendance, 3 Cal Fire fire fighters, Brian Desmet (Red Bluff CalFire Battalion Chief),
Bob Cords (Manton Assistant Fire Chief), Dennis Garton (District 3 Supervisor).
Michelle Heino updated us on our Fire Chief, Marion Rocksvold’s, condition after the
devastating hit and run accident on Nov. 12. Joanne Sproul made an announcement
regarding a fundraiser being organized for Dec. 3 and Silent Auction items being
requested by Judy Ramos.
Joanne Sproul gave a brief history of the origination of the MFSC, the 2005 fire, the
Red Cross donation and the connection between the Battle Creek Watershed
Conservancy which was created for as an umbrella for donations.
Dennis Garton gave an overview from his involvement then. He said that after the 2005
fire when the Red Cross gave the first donation, MFSC had “no checking account” and
through the coordination with Sharon Paquin Gilmore and the BCWC, a sponsorship
was set up under their 501c3 to “park” the monies donated.
He went on to say that various projects were organized working with MVFD, mapping
being an important one. He also mentioned the MFSC should get in touch with Brin
Greer from the Tehama County Resource Conservation District. Janet Jensen
mentioned that we have, and Joanne added that we will be working with Seronica Biggs
as she is the Fire Safe Council lead.
Bob Cords spoke about the Red Cross trailer that is at the Manton School. He said that
the bulk of the Red Cross funds went into the creation of the shelter operation. He
added that the Red Cross donation is very directed in the ways that it can be used,
unfortunately not for fire breaks or clearing.
Bob stated that the Fire Safe Council can bring a lot to the community as a “group” itself
and that there are many projects that can be worked on.
Brian Desmet, Bob and Dennis Garton talked about the insurance industry and the ISO
ratings that are set by insurance- 2 criteria used are response time and equipment. He
spoke about fuel maps: the slope, fuel type, accessibility and wind components.
Brian Desmet mentioned how Fire Wise opens up opportunities for grants and that
MFSC should utilize that.
Tom Twist, from the Shingletown Fire safe Council, was on the agenda but was not able
to attend, so Janet gave an overview of what they have done. Their FSC had also
languished, but is revitalized. They recently qualified for a $9 million dollar grant. Their
programs include chipping, SLASH and SNAP.
Someone in the audience asked about applying for grants and Patti Nolan mentioned
that the BCWC group had already begun working on them. Another person asked who
was in attendance from the Conservancy and 4 people raised their hands. A question
was asked about why Trey Hiller or Bob Nolan was not there and Patti said that they
were not there because they did not want the separation between the two groups and
that they did not want to get involved in a “dog pile”.
Dennis Garton again gave history that the two groups had been separate. He also
suggested that the two groups get together and talk about what plans they each had for
the MFSC.
Bob Cords mentioned that the connection between the two had been in name only, that
the MFSC had operated as a separate entity. He said that we should use the handbook,
California Fire Safe Council Handbook, to decide what kind of group we want to be.
https://cafiresafecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FINALFINAL2020-
CFSC_FSC-Handbook_FINAL-revised.pdf
The group talked about the choices:
~501c3- a a non-profit standalone group, uses for tax deductions, etc.
~Or as a group under the umbrella of another group with a 5013c.
Bob Cords brought up how we should look at the guidelines in the FSC handbook to
define what a fiscal sponsor looks like. Discussion took place about the difference in the
BCWC when it became the fiscal umbrella for the MFSC and now. The BCWC is just
getting its legs under it and isn’t what it used to be, as the projects are different.
Renee Timmons brought up how the focus is different now, there are common goals
between the two, but not the same as in the past.
Pat Dwyer gave a good picture of the what a Fire Safe Council has before it and what
the watershed conservancy has to focus on.
The discussion turned to what are the pros and cons of separating form the BCWC and
Janet Jensen called for a vote vote- simple “Yes” if community member wanted to
separate from the BCWC and become a standalone group or a “No” if you didn’t want to
separate and to continue the agreement between the two groups.
After a vote and a small break, the votes were counted- The votes were unanimous
“Yes”, with one “No”.
The group decided that next meeting is Nov. 29, 6:00p.m. at the Fire Station.
A sign-up sheet was passed around for people to sign if they were interested in being
on the board or as a committee member.
Meeting ended at approx. 7:30p.m.