Rhode Island § 2-4-8 - Soil Conservation

§ 2-4-8. District board — Organization — Quorum — Expenses and audit.

(a) The governing body of the districts is be the board of directors consisting of five (5) directors, elected or appointed. The directors shall elect one of their members to be chairperson and may, from time to time, change that designation. The term of office of each director is three (3) years. A director holds office until a successor has been elected or appointed and has qualified. Vacancies shall be filled for any unexpired term. The selection of successors to fill an unexpired term, or for a full term, shall be made in the same manner in which the retiring directors were, respectively, selected. A majority of the board constitutes a quorum and all actions of the board shall be by a majority vote of the members present and voting at a meeting at which a quorum is present.

(b) The directors may employ a secretary and other employees, technical experts, personnel, permanent and temporary, as they may require and shall determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation. The directors shall provide for the execution of surety bonds for all employees and officers who are entrusted with funds or property; shall provide for the keeping of a record of all proceedings and orders issued or adopted; and shall provide for a periodic audit of the accounts of receipts and disbursements in accordance with procedures prescribed by regulations of the state committee.

(c) The directors may call upon the state committee for any legal services that may be available from the attorney general. The directors shall furnish to the state committee, upon request, copies of any rules, regulations, orders, contracts, ordinances, forms and other documents that they shall adopt or employ, and any other information that may be required in the performance of their duties.

(d) Directors shall receive twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per meeting for their services, and are entitled to other expenses at a rate set by the state committee, including per diem and traveling expenses, necessarily incurred in the discharge of their duties. All payments for compensation and expenses are contingent upon availability of funds and at no time shall meeting or travel expenses supersede necessary conservation expenditures.