The BPAC By-Laws [PDF] were adopted on September 20, 2018.

1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSE
   The BPAC is governed by the purpose and principles in Oakland Ordinance 13125 C.M.S and the Oakland Handbook for Board and Commission Members. The Ordinance and Handbook will prevail in the event of conflict with these bylaws. References here are to the 2013 version of the handbook, but the most current version of the Handbook shall always prevail.
2. OFFICERS, MEMBERSHIP, AND ATTENDANCE
   • The BPAC will have two officers: the Chair and the Vice Chair. The duties of the Chair are to set agenda with staff, lead meetings, represent the BPAC to the City, and write correspondence on behalf of the group. The Vice Chair will act as Chair in the absence or at the request of the chair.
   • The Chair and Vice Chair shall act as liaisons to the Oakland Public Works committee on matters concerning the BPAC. This role can be delegated by the Chair or Vice Chair to other commissioners as necessary.
   • The Chair and Vice Chair (or designee) are responsible for tracking and sharing the ongoing creation, work, and dissolution of Committees (#3 below).
   • Officers are nominated and elected by commissioners for one-year terms at the January BPAC meeting. The nominations and election for the chair will be held first, followed by the nominations and election of the Vice Chair. In the event that no candidate receives a majority, a second round will be held immediately between the top two vote getters. Commissioners do not need to be present to be elected.
   • If the commissioner appointment of an officer ends, an officer resigns, or an officer leaves the BPAC prior to the January elections, the BPAC shall elect interim officers until new officers are elected in January.
   • BPAC members are appointed following the procedures in Ordinance 13125 and can resign or be removed following the guidelines in the Oakland Handbook for Board and Commission Members. For an absence to be excused, commissioners must provide 48 hour notice to the Chair or city staff.
3. COMMITTEES AND LIAISONS
   • Committees can be formed by an action of the BPAC selecting two to four commissioners to serve on the committee. The appointed commissioners can select up to three additional non-commissioners as members of the committee. The action forming the committee shall specify the charge and duration of the committee.
   • For a committee to meet, at least one of the commissioners appointed to the committee must be present.
   • Committees will report their actions to the BPAC at the BPAC’s regularly scheduled monthly meetings. If the committee was not active in the preceding month, a report does not need to be made. Committee reports will include the date, location, and attendees for each committee meeting, and the actions taken by the committee at that meeting.
   • The BPAC may designate an individual commissioner as a liaison to another body, including committees, task forces, boards, and commissions. To be a liaison, a commissioner does not need to be a formal member of the other body. In the action designating the liaison, the BPAC will specify the charge of the liaison, which may include representing the BPAC to another body, or monitoring the activities of another body of behalf of the BPAC.
4. MEETING TIME AND PLACE
   • The BPAC shall hold regular meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Oakland City Hall or, upon proper notice, another location that meets the “No Barriers to Attendance” guidelines in the Oakland Handbook for Board and Commission Members.
   • A special meeting may be called by the Chair or the Vice Chair or by a majority of the BPAC at a date, time, or place that deviates from the regular meeting schedule. Special meetings will follow the guidelines set forth in the Oakland Handbook for Board and Commission Members and do not count for purposes of attendance, as noted in the Ordinance.
5. PROCEDURES
   • BPAC meetings will follow accepted rules of parliamentary procedure; Robert’s Rules of Order will be consulted in the event of a question or dispute on process.
   • Quorum is defined by Ordinance: “Five commissioners shall constitute a quorum and votes shall carry by a majority of the nine commissioners.”
   • “Open Forum” public comment on non-agenda items will be scheduled for ten minutes at the beginning of every regular and special meeting.
   • The Chair will determine the time allotted for public comment at the outset of each agenda item. Speakers will be acknowledged by the Chair. These procedures on public comment can be revised by a majority vote of the Commission. As stated in the Oakland Handbook for Board and Commission Members (2013), “Any constraints that are imposed on public testimony must be adopted at the outset and uniformly applied.”
6. AGENDA AND MINUTES
   • City staff will create the monthly agenda in coordination with the Chair and Vice‐Chair.
   • Suggestions for agenda items may be submitted to staff no later than two weeks prior to the meeting.
   • Staff will post the agenda at least 72 hours prior to the meeting (no later than 5:30pm on the Monday prior to the meeting day) on the City of Oakland website.
   • The agenda shall include a section where future agenda items may be suggested, and items tentatively scheduled for the subsequent meeting be reviewed.
   • Minutes will be handled by City Staff.