Proposed 2021 International Code Council bylaw amendments considered, approved by membership at Annual Business Meeting

In the fall of 2020, International Code Council Board then-President Greg Wheeler tasked the 2020–2021 Bylaws Committee with evaluating potential amendments that would be prudent and in the best interests of the organization. Serving with Bylaws Committee Chair Jim Brown were Committee Vice Chair David Spencer, then Immediate Past President William Bryant, and Board Directors Alan Boswell, Ron Hampton and Michael Savage. Ex-officio committee members from the Emerging Leaders Membership Council were Elizabeth Arrington, Ben Breadmore and Andre Jaen.

The Bylaws Committee held nine productive meetings, during which it conducted a holistic review of the bylaws, developed a “parking lot” of issues to prioritize and address, and drafted amendments with the future success of the organization in mind. The Bylaws Committee provided a recommendation to the Code Council Board of Directors to propose two amendments to the bylaws.

The first proposed amendment, Bylaw Amendment 2021-1: Editorial Amendments, provides editorial changes and establishes consistency of terms throughout the ICC Bylaws.

The second proposed amendment, Bylaw Amendment 2021-2: Various Amendments, consists of four parts, which eliminate the requirement that the Immediate Past President maintain governmental member voting representative status, increase the signatory threshold for bylaw amendment proposals, condense the Order of Business for the Annual Business Meeting to create more flexibility, and expressly list the Immediate Past President as an officer.

The Code Council Board of Directors, at its March and June meetings, unanimously approved these committee-recommended amendments, which were then presented to the membership for consideration during the Annual Business Meeting on Sept. 20, 2021, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Members eligible to vote on proposed amendments to the bylaws are governmental member voting representatives and honorary members.

Proposed Bylaw Amendment 2021-1 and Bylaw Amendment 2021-2 both passed with the required two-thirds vote of present eligible voters. In accordance with Section 18.2 of the bylaws, the proposed amendments will now be sent by ballot to all eligible governmental member voting representatives and honorary members for ratification. A two-thirds majority of ballots in favor of the proposed amendment is required for adoption.

In the coming weeks, all eligible governmental voting representatives and honorary members should expect to receive an electronic ballot soliciting their vote on the two bylaw amendments approved by eligible voters present at this year’s Annual Business Meeting.

Should you have any questions about these proposed amendments or the Code Council bylaws as a whole, please reach out to memberinput@iccsafe.org.