Section 4.1-20-03 - State soil conservation committee - Elective and appointive members - Records and seal1. The committee shall perform the functions conferred upon it in this chapter within the limits of legislative appropriations. The committee consists of seven voting members. Five members must be elected and two must be appointed by the governor.2. For the purpose of electing the five elective members of the committee, the state is divided into five areas.a.(1) Area I includes Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina, Ramsey, Towner, Walsh, and Wells Counties.(2) Area II includes Barnes, Cass, Dickey, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele, and Traill Counties.(3) Area III includes Bottineau, Burke, Divide, McHenry, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville, Rolette, and Ward Counties.(4) Area IV includes Burleigh, Emmons, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, McLean, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan, Sioux, and Stutsman Counties.(5) Area V includes Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, McKenzie, Mercer, Stark, Slope, and Williams Counties.b. One member of the committee must be elected from each of the five areas by vote of the members of the boards of supervisors of the districts in that area. Every voting member of a board of supervisors of a district organized under this chapter is eligible to vote in the election for a member of the committee in the area in which the district is located.c. Elections must be held under rules adopted by the committee and in cooperation with and at the time of the North Dakota association of soil conservation districts area meetings. If the district does not lie wholly within the boundaries of one of the five areas established under this section, the rules must provide for the assignment of the district by the committee, for the purposes of the elections, to the area within which most of its population resides.d. The committee shall conduct the election of members of the committee. The election need not be held on the same dates or in the same places as the general elections for state or local officers.3. The governor shall appoint two members of the committee. The governor shall appoint individuals who can represent those interests within the state not already represented, or less fully represented, by one or more of the five elected members of the committee. The governor shall attempt, so far as feasible, to make possible suitable representation for all interests in the state in the membership of the committee, including the interests of farmers, livestock growers, rural areas, small and large cities, and industry and business, recognizing that any single member of the committee may sometimes appropriately be regarded as representing more than one of these interests.4. The committee shall invite representatives of the state association of soil conservation districts, North Dakota state university extension service, soil conservation service, state water commission, agriculture commissioner, and game and fish department to serve as advisory, nonvoting members of the committee.5. The term of office of every member of the committee is three years and until a successor is elected or appointed. A member of the committee is eligible for re-election and reappointment, but no member may serve for more than two full, successive terms. The governor may fill a vacancy in either an elective or appointive term for the unexpired term.Added by S.L. 2017, ch. 65 (SB 2029),§ 2, eff. 7/1/2017.