Associated Students Legislative Council spent the bulk of Wednesday’s meeting discussing the shifting sands of committee positions and the shifting salaries of elected officers.

The resignation of Off-Campus Representative Scott McDowell from the Isla Vista Project Area Committee (IVPAC) and the possible appointment of A.S. President Chrystine Lawson to replace McDowell dominated the discussions, along with the introduction of a bill to remove honoraria from all elected officers.

The Santa Barbara County IVPAC oversees the Isla Vista Master Plan and is currently responsible for the development of the Isla Vista Community Center. The proposed appointment of Lawson to replace McDowell as UCSB’s sole undergraduate representative to IVPAC meetings was due to McDowell’s inadequate representation of students, said Deanna Kavanaugh-Jones, external vice president of local affairs (EVPLA).

Kavanaugh-Jones defended her proposal to pick Lawson for the position by calling McDowell an “eleventh-hour” appointment by the previous A.S. president, Brian Hampton.

“There are some seriously critical issues coming up that will affect students,” Kavanaugh-Jones said. “I feel that at this point, we need an active voice … to work for the best interests of the students.”

Several Leg Council members said the Council is not responsible for approving McDowell’s resignation and Lawson’s appointment.

“IVPAC is not an A.S. committee,” Ginger Gonzaga, representative-at-large, said.

IVPAC is not specifically addressed in the A.S. constitution or its by-laws, but the constitution states that the EVPLA is to “serve as the official representative of [A.S.] on all Isla Vista and Santa Barbara County affairs.”

Off-Campus Representative Sarah Hooper said that Leg Council should still be able to review appointments when they concern students and went on to argue against the choice of Lawson as IVPAC representative. Hooper cited Lawson’s “very busy schedule” as the chief reason.

However, approval of either the resignation of McDowell or the appointment of Lawson did not happen. Leg Council voted to strike both action items from the agenda.

After ending discussion on committees, Leg Council moved on to cash. University-Owned Housing Representative Alex Gossage introduced a bill that would eliminate the current system of awarding honoraria to elected and appointed A.S. officials for serving on committees as required by the A.S. constitution.

Unfortunately, due to A.S.’ omnipresent budget crisis, there are no funds available to allocate honoraria for this year or next year.

The bill was tabled until next week because it must pass through the scrutiny of A.S. Constitution & By-Laws Committee before coming to a vote.