• The Board meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month as needed. Call (410) 313-6420 for meeting information.

• The Board meets at 7:30 p.m. Meetings last between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.

• The meetings take place at:

The Bain Senior Center
5470 Ruth Keeton Way
Columbia, MD 21044

• The advisory board on consumer affairs shall carry out all duties and responsibilities assigned to it by law.
• The board may annually review the programs of the office and make recommendations to the administrator prior to the submitting of the budget.
• The board shall submit an annual report to the County Executive and the County Council.
• The board may advise the office of consumer affairs in carrying out its duties.
• The board may hold public hearings as deemed necessary, including hearings for the purpose of forming recommendations on inclusion or exclusion of persons or organizations from applications of the provisions of this subtitle.
• At the directive of the county executive or by resolution of the county council, the advisory board of consumer affairs shall review and make recommendations on any matter related to consumer protection.

• Pursuant to the provisions of Section 404 of the Howard County Charter, members of the boards and commissions shall be appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council.
• Members shall serve overlapping terms of 5 years or until a successor is confirmed.
• Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment or for the unexpired term.
• A member who has served 8 or more consecutive years on a board and whose term expires is not eligible for immediate reappointment to that board.

• Pursuant to the provisions of Section 903 of the Howard County Charter, the county executive with the approval of a majority of the council, may remove a member of a board or commission from the office for cause.
• The member shall first be presented with a written statement of the reasons for the removal.
• The member shall have the opportunity for a public hearing before the county council if requested within 10 days of receiving the statement of reasons for removal.

• Pursuant to the provisions of section 903 of the Howard County Charter a member of a board or commission is deemed to have resigned if absent from 3 consecutive regular meetings of the board or commission and not excused by resolution of the board or commission.
• The chairman of the board or commission shall notify the county executive in writing when this occurs.

All meetings of Howard County boards and commissions shall be public meetings and open to the public at all times, except under circumstances in which a closed meeting is permitted by law.

Boards and Commissions shall adopt rules of procedure. The rules of procedure shall be subject to section 2.102 of Title 2 "Administrative Procedure" of the Howard County Code.

• If you are a resident of the county and would like to apply to be on the Consumer Affairs Advisory Board, submit your resume and a letter stating why you would like to be on the Board to:

Office of Consumer Affairs
6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Box 220
Columbia, MD 21046