Miami Lakes committee clarifies new attendance rules for advisory members

The Miami Lakes Cultural Affairs Committee spent a substantive portion of its May 14 meeting reviewing newly adopted attendance rules for town advisory committees and clarifying how those rules will be applied going forward.

Committee members and staff emphasized that the rules take effect from the May 14 meeting forward and are not retroactive. The committee chair and members said the rules use a rolling 12-month calendar to count absences.

Committee discussion clarified the removal thresholds that will apply: a committee member will be automatically removed for any of the following in the same 12-month rolling period: three consecutive regularly scheduled meeting absences; three unexcused absences from regularly scheduled meetings; or five total regularly scheduled meeting absences whether excused or unexcused. Committee members described the standard for excused absences to include medical reasons, bereavement, military service and other reasons at the chair's discretion.

Members also discussed remote attendance rules. The committee recorded that the committee chair may participate by Zoom but may not preside ("you can't act as chair if you're doing that"). Committee members said there is a maximum of two Zoom attendances for committee members without special arrangement and that remote participation must be coordinated with the liaison at least 24 hours in advance.

The committee said town legal staff and council members will be invited to future committee meetings to explain the rules and answer procedural questions. Committee members also discussed enforcement and attendance monitoring and said the policy would be applied prospectively beginning with the May 14 meeting.

No removals were taken at the May 14 meeting; committee members said they will work with town staff to track attendance going forward and to notify any members who approach the thresholds.