Affiliations Committee/Rules of Procedure/draft

The Chapters Committee ("committee") was commissioned on 15 January 2006 by the Board of Trustees ("board") of the Wikimedia Foundation, to make strategic plans regarding Wikimedia local chapters. The board's resolution can be found at [1]. The rules and procedures of the committee are as follows:

This is the final draft of a Chapters Committee document. Please see the adopted version.

Membership

The committee will comprise no fewer than five voting "members" and a number of non-voting "advisers," serving at the pleasure of the board and meeting regularly at least once every two months. The presence of three members at a meeting will consititute a quorum to do business.

Additional members and advisers will be appointed by the board at the recommendation of the committee, and removed in the same manner. A member or adviser may resign at any time by notifying the committee of this intent in writing.

Chairperson and vice chair

The committee will be presided over by a chairperson, appointed by resolution, whose responsibility it is to convene and moderate meetings, and to represent the committee before the board. The chairperson's term is to last six months, or until his office is vacated by voluntary resignation or removal by the board.

A vice chairperson will also be appointed by resolution, to stand in the chairperson's stead as required. His term is the same as that of the chairperson.

Resolutions and motions

Actions effected by the committee are to take the form of a resolution. Resolutions may be proposed by a member or adviser, or by a an individual from outside the committee with the support of a member or adviser, and must be seconded by a member before being put to a vote. A resolution will be considered adopted once a majority of members has voted in favor.

The usual manner of proposing a resolution is by motion at a scheduled meeting, but a motion may also be brought forth on the committee mailing list. Once seconded, members have four days to vote either in favor of ("yea") or against ("nay"), after which point they are considered to have abstained. The resolution will then be considered adopted or defeated if a majority of members has so voted; otherwise, the vote will be deferred until the next meeting.