UNA Directors have instructed staff to establish new rules to set out how board vacancies are filled between elections.
During April’s board meeting, directors voted unanimously on a motion that asks UNA staff and the organization’s legal counsel to draft amendments to existing bylaws that will change the way the vacancies will be filled.
According to a report tabled during the meeting, the manner of filling a vacancy would depend on when the board vacancy occurs during the election cycle.
For vacancies that arise in the first year after a general election, it is proposed they would be filled by appointment with the board offering the position to an unsuccessful candidate who received the next highest vote total However, to be selected, an individual would had to have received at least 20 per cent of the vote. In cases where that criteria isn’t met, the board would be required to call a byelection instead.
If a vacancy occurred in the second year, the UNA would call a byelection to fill the vacancy.
For vacancies that arise in the third year, the board would make an appointment following an interview-like process.
Elections to the seven-member board are held every three years.
There are now two vacancies on the UNA board, the following the resignations of Jane Kang and Ali Mojdehi.
With elections scheduled for November this year, under the current rules, the board had previously decided to defer action on filing the vacancies.
Dog park progress
Directors have given the go-ahead to provide funding for the creation of an off-leash dog park in a yet-to-be decided location on the Point Grey campus.
The board is setting aside $20,000 to set up the park once a location has been identified, but directors acknowledged the total cost is expected to come in above that figure.
The proposed dog park was included in a document that lists six projects that have been prioritized by the board for the current fiscal year.
The document says it is up to UBC finalize a location. “Once a location is secured, we will have to set up the necessary structure for the park to ensure that the space is safe to use and be around.”
UNA chief administrative officer Paul Thorkelsson said other sources of capital funding could be made available at the board’s direction in the event of a cost overrun.
Thorkelsson said he hopes the advance work can be done so installation of the park can occur this year.
Other items in the priority list are a mental health program for UNA staff, IT security upgrades, funding for a fitness attendant at the Old Barn Community Centre, and extending the hours of operation for the UNA’s Green Depot.
Money has also been set aside for the UNA’s operations and recreation teams to lease a utility vehicle.
All six projects on the list are expected to cost $103,000, an amount already approved in the UNA’s operating and capital budgets for the 2024–25 fiscal year.
EMMANUEL SAMOGLOU IS MANAGING EDITOR OF THE CAMPUS RESIDENT