I. Membership Requirements

1. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 15.315(1)(b), the Interoperability Council (IC) consists of fifteen (15) members as follows.
   1. The following or their designees are permanent members of the IC.
      1. Attorney General
      2. Adjutant General
      3. Secretary of Natural Resources
      4. Secretary of Transportation
      5. A representative from the Department of Administration with knowledge of information technology
   2. The remaining members of the IC consist of individuals holding the following positions appointed by the Governor for staggered 4-year terms:
      1. A Chief of Police
      2. A Sheriff
      3. A Chief of a Fire Department
      4. A Director of Emergency Medical Services
      5. A local government elected official
      6. A Local Emergency Management Director
      7. A representative of a federally recognized American Indian Tribe or band in this state
      8. A Hospital representative
      9. A local Health Department representative
      10. One other person with relevant experience or expertise in interoperable communications
2. The Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) shall serve as a non-voting member of the IC.
3. The Governor designates a member of the IC as the chairperson and a member as the vice-chairperson
   1. Powers and duties of IC chairperson:
      1. Preside over all meetings.
      2. Ensure coordination of IC meetings, including establishing the time and location.
         1. Develop and distribute an agenda in advance of meetings.
         2. Develop and provide read-ahead material in advance of meetings.
   2. Powers and duties of IC vice chairperson:
      1. Assist the chairperson with all other tasks related to the administration of the IC and its activities.
      2. In the absence of the chairperson:
         1. Preside over all meetings.
         2. Ensure coordination of IC meetings, including establishing the time and location.
            1. Develop and distribute an agenda in advance of meetings.
            2. Develop and provide read-ahead material in advance of meetings.
4. Pursuant to Wis. Stats. §323.29(3)(a), the Department of Military Affairs provides staff support for the IC and oversight of the development and operation of a statewide public safety interoperable communication system. The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) may extend limited staff support to subcommittees of the IC for specific activities or initiatives at the Council’s request; staff support, as defined in these Bylaws, is provided directly to the 9-1-1 Subcommittee as a statutorily-created subcommittee of the IC under Wis. Stats. §15.315(2).
5. Staff support provided through the staff of the OEC includes, but is not limited to:
   1. Assistance with the preparation of meeting agendas upon receipt of requested agenda items from the IC and 9-1-1 Subcommittee officers.
   2. Announcement of meetings and circulation of approved agendas in compliance with applicable Wisconsin laws.
   3. Drafting meeting minutes for submission to and approval by the IC and 9-1-1 Subcommittee.
   4. Announcement of vacant subcommittee membership positions for which the IC wishes to seek nominations and collecting such nominations.
   5. Assistance with securing physical and virtual meeting facilities, when possible, upon request of the IC and subcommittee officers.
   6. Maintaining official IC and subcommittee rosters, including appointment dates and term expirations.
   7. Assisting IC and subcommittee officers in liaising with DMA and other stakeholders.
   8. Posting meeting notices, meeting materials, and other relevant information to the OEC website.
6. All members of the IC will be expected to:
   1. Become familiar with the mission, vision, and statutory authority of the IC.
   2. Become familiar with the mission and responsibilities of the IC subcommittees.
   3. Complete training programs required for compliance with applicable rules and regulations, to include, but not limited to State of Wisconsin public records and open meeting laws.
   4. Attend all regular meetings of the IC as called by the chairperson or The Adjutant General.
   5. Review meeting materials, meeting minutes, report drafts, and all other relevant materials in support of the IC’s work.
   6. Prepare and submit feedback, proposals, and other input to the IC, representative of the agency, association, public safety discipline, region, or other population appointed to represent.
   7. Engage actively in open and honest deliberations.
   8. Support the decisions and actions of the IC and seek endorsement from respective agencies, associations, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
   9. Provide relevant updates on IC activities and initiatives to representatives of the agency, association, public safety discipline, or other user group represented by the member.
   10. Maintain a level of technical and/or operational understanding of appropriate systems and technologies to satisfactorily represent the needs and expectations of the represented agencies, associations, and/or disciplines.
   11. Promptly respond to communications or requests from the Chair, Vice Chair, or support staff.
   12. Support the work of the IC through participation in work group assignments at the request of the IC officers.

II. Operating Principles

1. While working to fulfill the responsibilities defined in the Interoperability Council Charter, the IC shall:
   1. Consider the unique needs of public safety first responders throughout the State of Wisconsin.
      1. Recognize and respect stakeholder concerns.
      2. Address those concerns that could negatively impact Wisconsin’s communications interoperability capabilities.
   2. Solicit and consider feedback from all public safety disciplines, related organizations, and served populations.
   3. Establish appropriate timelines for implementation of programs and initiatives, recognizing that incremental changes through a phased approach may best meet stakeholder needs.
   4. Ensure all strategic initiatives support future goals and strategies as set forth in the Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan (SCIP).
   5. Identify issues within the IC’s control and apply resources to address them.
   6. Seek to balance infrastructure and responder needs.
   7. Exercise the IC’s responsibility for managing communications interoperability, making sure it does not rest on any single individual, agency, or technology.
   8. Promote a collaborative approach in dealing with issues.
   9. Ensure alignment with other interoperability initiatives.
   10. Ensure the issue of communications interoperability is brought to the attention of elected officials, particularly as administrations change.
   11. Focus on achieving interoperability solutions across disparate systems.
   12. Consider physical and cybersecurity needs when planning for interoperability.

III. Meetings

1. All meetings of the IC shall be conducted in accordance with Wis. Stat. §§ 19.81 to 19.98.
   1. Guidance may be available from the Department of Justice regarding compliance with the above referenced statutes; the IC shall abide by current guidance when available.
2. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern meetings in all cases to which the rules are applicable and when such rules are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.
3. The IC shall hold meetings as directed in Wis. Stat. § 15.09(3):
   1. The IC shall meet at least annually.
   2. The IC shall meet on the call of The Adjutant General.
   3. The IC may meet at other times on the call of the chairperson or a majority of the members.
4. To the extent possible, the IC should determine an advance schedule of anticipated regular meetings for the next calendar year no later than November 1 of the current year to facilitate the advanced planning of each IC subcommittee’s meetings for the next calendar year as recommended in the subcommittees’ bylaws.
5. Meetings of the IC shall be held at a location determined by the chairperson unless The Adjutant General determines a specific meeting place.
6. All meetings of the IC shall be made virtually accessible to all by telephone and/or online conference.
   1. Members’ attendance by remote means shall constitute presence as required to achieve quorum and to vote on any motions brought before the IC.
   2. The Chairperson may request in-person attendance of all IC members for specific meetings with advanced notice; when such a request is made, IC members are expected to attend in-person or provide advanced notice to the Chairperson if in-person attendance is not possible.
7. Members of the IC shall be eligible for reimbursement of eligible travel expenses to facilitate in-person attendance in accordance with Wis. Stat. § 15.09(6). Reimbursement shall be requested through the OEC in accordance with current policy.
8. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with provisions and requirements of all laws and regulations of the State of Wisconsin.

IV. Decision-Making Procedures

1. The presence of a simple majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not present, the IC may not act on any matter.
2. A simple majority of the present quorum is required for approval of IC actions, except as specified in section VI of these Bylaws.

V. Notice of Meetings

1. All meetings of the IC shall be properly noticed in accordance with Wis. Stat. § 19.84.
2. Under normal circumstances, notice for meetings of the IC should be given at least thirty days prior to the scheduled meeting, and shall be given at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting, except as noted below.
   1. In rare instances, the IC may need to meet with significantly less notice when time-sensitive matters require the Council’s action or deliberation. When deemed necessary, the Chairperson may request a meeting of the IC with no less than twenty-four hours of notice.

VI. Amendment of Bylaws

1. These Bylaws shall be reviewed on at least a biennial basis.
2. Any member of the IC may propose changes to these Bylaws for consideration by the Council.
3. Amendments or revisions to these Bylaws must be approved by a 2/3 vote of all current members of the IC.
4. To effectively handle any unforeseen or unique circumstances that may arise, the IC may deviate from these Bylaws as noted below.
   1. All deviations must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the IC quorum present and voting at a properly noticed meeting.
   2. Deviations made under this section shall be limited in scope and shall not set precedent.
   3. Permanent deviations shall be enacted through amendment and approval of these Bylaws by the IC.

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These Bylaws have been adopted by the Wisconsin Interoperability Council.
Adopted: May 27, 2021
Published: May 27, 2021
Reaffirmed: November 30, 2023