§4015 Termination of a Council

Summary

A council can be ended if at least three participants from the same sector file a written petition with the Secretary explaining why. The Secretary will check that those petitioners include at least three people whose signatures or corporate certifications represent at least 20 percent of the value of the fish or fish products handled by that sector in the 12 months before the month the petition was filed. If that is true, the Secretary must hold a secret vote (a referendum) within 90 days. The Secretary must publish a notice at least 30 days before the vote that includes the petitioners’ reasons. The council is ended if more than half of the votes cast are for termination and those voters together represent at least 66 percent of the value of the fish handled in that 12-month period. The Secretary will pay the referendum costs at first, but petitioners must post a bond or other security beforehand to cover expected expenses. If the vote fails, the Secretary keeps the bond right away. If the vote succeeds, the Secretary recovers costs from the council’s account, and if that account does not have enough money, the rest comes from the petitioners’ bond. After paying those costs, any money left in the council’s account must be returned on a prorated basis to the participants who paid into it.