Structure: City-County
Food Policy Council

This structure expands the Food Policy Council of the City of Knoxville (FPC) to a City-County Food Policy Council. The new group is advisory to the Mayor and the County Executive and to the City Council and County Commission, as well as to the community at large.

Food Policy Council; Membership; Appointment; Terms The Council will consist of eleven (11) members. Six (6) members shall be appointed by the Knox County Executive. Five (5) members shall be appointed by the Mayor of the City of Knoxville. Council members should be chosen for interest in food-related issues, wisdom, breadth of vision and experience with civic and governmental affairs. The Council as a whole should have a mix of food industry, nutrition and health, consumer and neighborhood advocates and governmental interests. All members shall serve without compensation or remuneration.

The Council's members shall serve for a term of three (3) years. The initial appointees shall serve for the following terms: (a) one (1) appointee of the Mayor of the City of Knoxville and two (2) appointees of the Knox County Executive shall serve for a period of one (1) year, to be succeeded by appointees serving full three (3) year terms; (b) two (2) of the initial appointees by the Mayor of the City of Knoxville and two (2) of the initial appointees of the Knox County Executive shall serve for a term of two (2) years, to be succeeded by appointees serving full three (3) year terms; and (c) two (2) of the initial appointees of the Mayor of the City of Knoxville and two of the initial appointees of the Knox County Executive shall serve for a full term of three (3) years, to be succeeded by appointees serving full three (3) year terms.

Associate Members From time to time the FPC may select "Associate Members" who will participate fully in the deliberations of the Council, although they will not have voting privileges. Associates will be selected because of their special interest in food-related issues and/or professional and organizational connections.

Officers A Chairperson, Vice-chairperson, and Secretary will be elected by the Council each year to serve for a one-year term. These people will be the official spokespersons for the Council, will preside at meetings and carry out the usual functions of those offices.

Executive Committee: A four person group consisting of the current Chair and Vice-Chair, the Secretary, and an "at large" member elected by the Council, will assist in developing the FPC program, provide regular consultation to staff, and generally assist in formulating materials to be acted upon at monthly meetings.

Nominating Committee: The FPC Chair will appoint from among FPC members, at an appropriate time each year, a four person nominating committee that will have two functions:
(1) Developing a slate of officers to serve for the coming year;
(2) Developing a list of recommended new members for the FPC as needed.

Special Committees: The Chair will from time to time designate special committees selected from among FPC Members, Associate Members and Staff, assigning responsibility to pursue specific issues or carry out special projects.

External Advisory Committees: From time to time the FPC has assembled advisory committees. These groups provide access to an additional spectrum of interest, which may not be represented on the Council itself. They also enable the Council to tap in to areas of expertise related to subject matter under consideration by the Council.

Powers and Authority: The FPC is an advisory body. It has no regulatory authority. Unless legislative bodies or executives grant administrative or regulatory authority, the FPC's influence is through coordination, information exchange and networking, and advocacy through reports and recommendations.

Administrative Assistance: The Council will need basic administrative assistance to facilitate its meetings and normal business., such as keeping minutes, sending out meeting announcements, helping with logistics, etc. It is also necessary to manage records of Council proceedings and documents related to its activities. Representatives of the County and City governments will work together to allocate responsibilities for administrative assistance to be provided by relevant City and County resources.