2.75.040 Membership—Term of office.

(1)    Members of the commission shall be appointed by the county manager and confirmed by the vote of a majority of the members of the council.

(2)    The commission shall consist of thirteen (13) voting members. To ensure a diverse representation of various aspects of farming and the agriculture industry when appointing the members, consideration and preference should be given to the following:

(a)    One (1) member from the Clark conservation district;

(b)    One (1) member from the Cowlitz Tribe;

(c)    One (1) member from the agricultural processing industry;

(d)    One (1) member representing the consumers of agricultural products;

(e)    One (1) member who has expertise in agricultural programs; and

(f)    The remaining eight (8) voting members are to include agricultural producers representing both large-scale and small-scale producers of a variety of agricultural products produced in Clark County.

(3)    The commission shall annually elect a chair and a vice chair from among its voting members.

(4)    In addition to the voting members, a representative from each of Washington State University Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and agriculturally involved youth, such as 4-H or Future Farmers of America, may serve on the commission in an ex officio, nonvoting capacity.

(5)    The first terms of the commission’s voting members shall be staggered as follows:

(a)    Six (6) shall be appointed for two (2) years to expire [from appointment date]; and

(b)    Seven (7) shall be appointed for four (4) years, to expire [from appointment date].

Following the first terms, each successive commissioner shall be appointed to a four (4) year term. No member of the commission shall be eligible to serve more than two (2) full terms consecutively.

(6)    Vacancies occurring for any reason shall be filled by appointment for the remainder of an unexpired term.

(7)    The county manager may remove any member of the commission for neglect of duty or malfeasance.

(8)    Each voting member of the commission shall be entitled to one (1) vote on any matter of business before the body.

(9)    Members of the commission shall recuse from voting on matters that create a conflict of interest with their professional role or with the organization they represent. (Sec. 4 of Ord. 2024-11-19)