Mission Statement:

The Hampshire County LEPC will strive to develop, implement, exercise, and update emergency plans to educate, communicate with, and protect the environs of Hampshire County West Virginia in the event of an accidental release of hazardous materials and related emergency events.

Members:

Hampshire County
Local Emergency Planning Committee
By-Laws

Article I

Name: Hampshire County Local Emergency Planning Committee, here after to be referred to as the LEPC.

Address: PO Box 806, Romney WV 26757

Article II

Purpose: The Hampshire County LEPC is established to implement the provisions of Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA); The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know (EPCRA) of Public Law 99-499, dated 1986; supplemented by West Virginia Code, Chapter 15, Article 5A and implemented by local authority.

Article III

Membership: Committee membership shall be comprised of the following representatives:

Officers, Elections and Terms of Office:

Chairperson: The chairperson, who shall be elected, will preside over meetings, notify members either by person, by letter, or by fax of meetings, and present an agenda for meetings.

Vice-Chairperson: In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson, who shall be elected, shall conduct meetings and other duties as requested by the Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson shall help with exercises and coordination of first responder units in the county.

Secretary/Treasurer: The Secretary/Treasurer shall be appointed by the Chairperson to serve for a term of two years. The responsibilities shall include recording of the minutes of LEPC meetings, present a sign in roster at meetings, preparing meeting agendas and public notification of meetings and any other duties assigned by the Chairperson.

Terms of elected office shall be two years upon election of appointment. Terms will initially be staggered to ensure a consistent level of experience within the organization. Officers may succeed themselves and there are no limits on number of terms. A nominating committee, selected by the membership, shall submit the names of candidates for the named offices.

All personnel on the LEPC shall serve without compensation, except for expenses incurred in the performance of duties away from the local area.

Article IV

Meetings: Meetings shall be held monthly or at a minimum of once per calendar year quarter. The secretary shall issue a news release at least five business days preceding each meeting to the local media. The Chairperson, as needed to facilitate the organization’s mission, may call a special meeting.

Quorum: A quorum shall be determined as a minimum of five (5) members present.

Article V

Miscellaneous: The Hampshire County LEPC fiscal year shall be the same as the West Virginia fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of each year.

Amendments: These By-Laws may only be changed by a two-thirds majority vote of the LEPC membership following a minimum one month review of the proposed change(s) by all the members of the LEPC. The procedures may changed by a majority vote of the LEPC members present at a regularly scheduled meeting. Each article, section, and/or sub-section of these By-Laws is to be treated independently. Should a particular article, section, or sub-section be found to be invalid, such invalidity shall not impact upon the remainder of the By-Laws.

Article VI

Effective Date: These By-Laws of the Hampshire County Local Emergency Planning Committee are adopted this 30th day of January, 2003 at its regular meeting in Romney, West Virginia by a majority vote of the members. These by-laws shall replace any and all by-laws under this same name.