Rhode Island § 2-4-9 - Soil Conservation

§ 2-4-9. Designation of district directors — Appointments — Elections.

(a) Three (3) directors will be appointed by the state conservation committee and shall be persons who are by training and experience qualified to perform the services which will be required of them in the performance of their duties. In appointing directors, the state committee shall take into consideration the recommendations of the representative of the state committee from the area in which the district is located, as well as representation of the various interests of the district such as agricultural, woodland, wildlife, recreation, community and conservation groups.

(b) The committee shall receive nomination petitions for directors, whose terms have expired, by or before January 15 of the year following their expiration and shall take action to approve or reject the nominees within thirty (30) days of receipt. The committee has the authority to extend the time within which nominating petitions may be filed.

(c) No nomination petition shall be accepted by the committee unless it is subscribed to by twenty-five (25) or more occupiers of lands lying within the boundaries of the district. Land occupiers may sign more than one nominating petition to nominate more than one candidate for director.

(d) The conservation districts shall give notice and hold elections for the two (2) directors for each district on or before January 15 of the year following the expiration of these elected directors’ terms. All occupiers of lands lying within the district shall be eligible to vote in the election. The two (2) candidates who shall receive the largest number, respectively, of the votes cast in the election shall be the elected directors for the district.

(e) All elections of directors shall be supervised and conducted by the district directors of the districts involved. The elections shall be held during a period prescribed or approved by the state conservation committee and in that manner and under any rules and regulations that the state committee prescribes. The cost of conducting elections shall be borne by the district involved. The board of directors shall certify to the state committee the names of the elected directors. The state committee shall issue certificates of election to each certified director, and shall publish the results of the election in some newspaper of general circulation in the area.

(f) The board of directors may appoint associate directors, as deemed necessary, to advise and consult with the board and to broaden representation from the communities within the district.