ByLaws

(Approved February 18, 2018)

 

 

Section 1. Name. 

This organization shall be known as the Broward Data Collaborative (BDC).
 

The purpose of the BDC is to provide data to improve outcomes for Broward County, FL’s children and families, provide data for program and service system evaluation, reduce racial disparities, conduct relevant and timely research to improve cost-effective service delivery. 

 

 

The members of the BDC Governing Body include the Executive Officers of agencies with current data sharing agreements and community members who have completed the research capacity building requirements. Members are required to complete the racial equity workshop before the end of their first term. Members are required to attend 75% of meetings to maintain voting rights.

 

The elected officers of the BDC Governing Body include Chair and Co-chair, each elected every 2 years. The Chair will run the meeting including the approval of agenda items. The Co-chair will fill in for the Chair when absent. CSC staff will provide administrative support.

The BDC Governing Body members will provide names from the body for consideration of elected positions at the October quarterly meeting.

 

Section 3. Vision, Mission, Values, Guiding Principles.

 

Vision:  Broward’s Data Collaborative (BDC) integrates state and local data to contribute to the well-being of Broward’s children, families and communities.

Values:   Transparency,  Equity & Justice.

 

In order to conduct business, a quorum of governing members must be present in person or virtually. A quorum consists of a majority of members present (ie., if there are 6 members, 4 must be present). Decisions are made by a majority vote.

 

Section 5. Committees.
The BDC will have committees comprised of staff designated by the Executive Officer from each agency with the appropriate expertise. 
1. Standing Research. The Standing Research Committee will provide research requests to be approved and prioritized as well as findings from completed research. 

 

The below committees will be convened by the BDC Governing Body as needed to address concerns, questions and tasks that need to be completed.
2. Ad Hoc Legal
3. Ad Hoc Technology
4. Ad Hoc Financial Sustainability

 

Article III. General, special, and annual meetings.
 

The BDC governing body will convene quarterly.  An Annual Meeting will be held at the October meeting to include a summary of theprevious’ year’s activity and the identification of initial priorities for the coming year and elections as needed. The governing year will be from October 1st to September 30th. Meeting notification will be via email. Robert’s Rules of Order will guide meeting procedures. Meetings shall be held at such hour and place convenient to BDC Governing members,
 

Special meetings of the members of the Board shall be held whenever called by the Board of Directors, and such special meetings shall also be held within thirty days after being so requested in writing including email by at least 20% of the members in good standing, which request shall specify the purpose of such meeting and shall be addressed to the Chair of the Board. If upon receipt of any such request the Chair shall fail to call and give notice of a special meeting, the members requesting shall have the right to fix a time and place for such meeting and give notice thereof in the manner hereinafter specified.
 

Notice of the time and place of meetings of the members, whether regular meetings or special meetings, shall be sent to each member of the Board not less than seven, nor more than fourteen days before the date of said meeting. All such notices shall be addressed to the members at the last address registered with the Board, and shall be given by personal delivery, telegraph or mail, telegraph or postage charges prepaid.
 

Any members' meetings, regular or special, may be adjourned from time to time by a vote of the majority of the members present, in person or in proxy, and when any members' meeting is so adjourned no notice of adjournment need be given unless the adjournment shall be for a period in excess of thirty (30) days 

 

A conflict of interest is a situation in which one of the BDC Governing Board Members is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity. Members have a duty to disclose conflict of interests. If the Board, with legal determination as needed, determines a conflict exists, the Member with the conflict is not eligible to vote on the issue.  If the Board has reasonable cause to believe an interested person has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the interested person of the basis for such belief and afford the interested person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If, after hearing the interested person’s response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the Board determines the interested person has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action. The actions shall be recorded.
 
Article V. Indemnification. 
Each party, except CSC which has sovereign immunity as a government entity, will fully indemnify and hold harmless other parties and  their officers, employees, agents, representatives, contactors or subcontractors, including, without limitation, defending each party and its officers and employees against any debts, complaint, administrative or judicial proceeding, payment of any penalty, costs, attorney’s fees, damages, judgments or losses incurred by or imposed upon each party arising out of a breach of these bylaws unless they were caused by the illegal actions of one or more particular officers.

 

Bylaws will be reviewed every three years unless the BDC Governing Board votes to approve a review prior to the end of the three-year period. Legal Council will review bylaws as requested by the BDC Governing Board.