A. The following provisions apply to the Board of Directors:
1. Three of the directors shall constitute a quorum. No vacancy in the Board of Directors shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the Authority.
2. The Board shall hold regular meetings at such times and places as may be established by its bylaws. The Board shall hold its meetings as provided in § 2.2-3707.
3. The Board shall hold its first organizational meeting on July 1, 2010.
4. The Board shall adopt bylaws governing the conduct of business by the Board and the Authority. Proposed bylaws shall be made available before being duly adopted at each annual meeting. The Board is authorized to adopt bylaws governing the amendment of bylaws at any time.
5. The Board shall annually elect a chairman and a vice-chairman from its membership and a secretary of the Board from either its membership or the staff of the Authority at its annual meeting. The terms of such officers shall be for one year.
6. The Board shall deal with Authority employees solely through the president. The Board shall not give orders to any of the subordinates of the president, either publicly or privately.
7. The Board shall not direct the appointment or removal of any Authority contractor or employee other than the president.
8. The Board may appoint committees from among its membership in accordance with its bylaws.
9. No Board member shall receive any financial compensation for service on the Board. The Board may reimburse members for reasonable expenses they incur while serving on the Board. Any member seeking reimbursement shall itemize and document by receipts such expenses pursuant to subsection E of § 15.2-7205.
10. The Board shall adopt a travel and expense policy that applies to Board members and Authority employees and addresses what expenditures are appropriate in furtherance of the activities of the Authority.
11. The Board shall adopt a conflict of interest policy addressing the acceptance by Board members or Authority employees of gifts of travel or entertainment from any vendor that seeks or maintains a contract with the Authority.
12. Each member of the Board shall file with the president a disclosure form containing a statement of economic interests as provided in § 2.2-3117 according to the schedule required by § 2.2-3115.
B. The following provisions apply to the president:
1. The Board shall continue to appoint and contract with a president to manage the operations of the Authority, and the contract with the president that is in effect as of January 1, 2016, shall continue in effect and be binding upon the Authority.
2. The term of the president's employment contract shall not exceed three years. The board may vote to renew the contract of the president for additional terms not to exceed three years each.
3. The president's employment contract shall not contain a severance payout upon termination amounting to more than 12 months of his base salary.
4. The president shall have the sole authority to hire, fire, and manage such staff and contractors as the president deems expedient to the operation of the Authority, subject to the availability of budgeted funds, and to assign such positions, titles, powers, and duties at such salaries as the president deems most effective for the efficient operation of the Authority.
5. The president shall not have the power to enter into an employment contract with any employee of the Authority unless the Board ratifies such contract by a majority vote in an open meeting. Such contract shall be subject to the term and severance payout restrictions applicable to the president's contract as provided in subdivisions 2 and 3.
6. The Board may appoint an employee as acting president during any period of vacancy. The Board shall advertise the vacancy of the presidency and accept applications from candidates interested in filling the vacancy.
C. The Board shall vote annually to retain outside legal counsel to advise the Authority on legal matters. The legal counsel shall be licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth, shall not be an employee of the Authority, and shall be separate from and independent of any legal counsel for the City of Bristol, Virginia, or Washington County. The legal counsel shall provide annual training to the Board on the State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act (§ 2.2-3100 et seq.).
D. The Board may authorize the position of executive vice-president, to be filled and managed by the president.
E. Notwithstanding the quorum requirement in subsection A, any decision of the Board related to the provision, use, operation, or maintenance of water or sewer systems shall be made by a majority vote of the three members of the Board representing the City of Bristol, Virginia, and the director who is a member of the Washington County Board of Supervisors.
2010, cc. 117, 210; 2016, cc. 724, 725.