[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Concord as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 2-10-1986]
Pursuant to the authority of § 63 of the Town Law, the Town Board of the Town of Concord hereby adopts the following revised rules of procedure for the conduct of Town Board meetings commencing with the next regular meeting of this Town Board following the adoption of this article.
[Amended 9-13-1995 by L.L. No. 3-1995; 6-9-2005 by L.L. No. 2-2005]
Regular meetings of the Town Board of the Town of Concord shall be held at the Town Hall, 86 Franklin Street, Springville, New York.
Special meetings of the Town Board shall be called from time to time as provided for in the Town Law of the State of New York. Special meetings may be called upon written request of at least two members of the Town Board. one of the two members may be the Supervisor. At least two days' notice shall be given for a special meeting. Only business specified in the notice may be transacted at the special meeting.
Items to be placed on the agenda for each regular meeting of the Town Board are to be filed in the office of the Town Supervisor of the Town of Concord not later than 12:00 noon four days preceding the regular meeting. Any matter to be considered or brought before the meeting of the Town Board not filed with the Town Supervisor as above required and not contained on the written agenda shall be considered by the Town Board upon completion of the prefiled public participation items before the Board on the written agenda and upon the consent of three members of the Town Board.
[Amended 6-9-2005 by L.L. No. 2-2005]
The Town Supervisor shall prepare said agenda, and written copies of the agenda shall be available to each member of the Town Board at the office of the Town Supervisor two days prior to the scheduled meeting.
A person desiring to speak on any item on the agenda shall identify himself by name and address, and the person shall be allowed to speak once on each item for a period not exceeding five minutes. All persons speaking in favor of the item shall not exceed 30 minutes. Any individual speaking in opposition to an item shall be limited to five minutes. All persons speaking in opposition to the item shall not consume more than 30 minutes.
Fair and courteous treatment shall be extended to all persons appearing before the Town Board.
At any and every meeting of the Town Board, the vote on all Town Board resolutions, actions or questions determined shall be recorded or called in alphabetical order as to the last names of the members present, excepting the Supervisor, who shall vote last.
All resolutions and amendments thereof shall be in writing.
The Supervisor shall take the Chair promptly at the hour specified for the convening of the Town Board meeting and shall preserve order and decorum. In debate, the Supervisor shall prevent personal reflections and confine members to the question under discussion. The Supervisor shall decide all questions of order. Robert's Rules of Order will prevail in matters of questionable parliamentary procedures.
A majority of the Board constitutes a quorum to carry on a meeting, but a lesser number may adjourn. A majority of all members of the Board must approve each act, motion or resolution in order for such to be adopted. The majority of the Board which constitutes the quorum means the majority of officers constituting the Town Board and not the majority of residuum resulting from vacancies, disqualifications or absences. The inclusion of every act in this rule contemplates executive and appointing functions of the Board as well as legislative functions.
Executive sessions of the Town Board of the Town of Concord may be held for informal discussion only. All official actions of the Town Board must be taken at meetings that are open to the public and in accordance with these rules of order.
The Supervisor may, from time to time, appoint one or more committees, consisting of members of the Board and others, to aid and assist the Board in the performance of its duties.
On roll call, the ayes and noes shall be taken without explanation, and the Town Clerk shall record the names of the members and the way each shall have respectively voted.
These rules may at any time during the session be suspended by a majority of all the members of the Town Board present; however, the member making the application for such suspension must state the purpose for which the same is asked.
Any resolution or motion offered by a member may be withdrawn by the member presenting it at the time before an announcement by the Supervisor of the vote thereon or before an amendment to such resolution or motion has been adopted.
All motions for an adjournment, for a recess, to refer to a committee or department head or to lay on the table shall be neither amended nor debated.
The rules shall not be rescinded, altered or amended, nor any additional rule added thereto, except by a majority vote of the total members of the Town Board and only after at least one day's notice in writing filed with the Town Clerk of the Town of Concord.