The Town Council shall meet in a stated or regular
meeting in the Council chamber in Town Hall on the second Wednesday
of each month at 7:30 p.m., provided that if any such second Wednesday
falls upon a holiday, the meeting shall be held on the next succeeding
business day.
The Mayor or any three Councilmen may call special
meetings of the Town Council at any time upon at least 12 hours'
written notice, with the purpose of such meeting stated therein, to
each other member, served personally or left at his usual place of
business or residence; or such meeting may be held at any time without
notice, provided that all members of the Council are present and agree.
At the regular meeting in April, annually, the
Town Council shall determine the sum total necessary to be appropriated
for defraying expenses of the Town during the ensuing fiscal year
and to cover the deficiency in the current fiscal year, on which as
a premise the Council shall proceed to lay a levy on the real and
personal property in the Town and assess any business for which by
law a license may be required, for raising a revenue sufficient to
meet the several appropriations decided to be requisite for the ensuing
fiscal year.
Three members of the Council, which number shall
include the Mayor, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business. If for any reason the office of Mayor shall be vacant or
the Mayor shall not be present for a meeting, three members of the
Council constitute a quorum.
If a quorum fails to attend any regular or special
meeting of the Town Council within 20 minutes following the hour fixed
for convening of the Council, those members present may direct any
police officer of the Town to apprehend the absent members, if they
can be found within the Town or at any place within one mile beyond
the Town limits, and bring them to the Council chamber forthwith;
or those members present may adjourn to another day, in which case
the Clerk of the Council shall give notice of such adjournment to
the absent members at least 12 hours prior to the time fixed for such
adjourned meeting, and in either case the Clerk of the Council shall
enter in the minute book the proceedings taken.
A.
At all meetings of the Town Council, the presiding
officer shall preserve order and decorum and shall discharge all duties
prescribed by state law for presiding officers of Town Council meetings
and such other duties usually pertaining to presiding officers.
B.
If any person behaves in a riotous or disorderly manner
in any public meeting of the Town Council or any division, committee,
agency or authority thereof, or causes any unnecessary disturbance
therein by force, shouting or any other action calculated to disrupt
such meeting, or shall refuse to obey any ruling of the presiding
officer of such meeting relative to the orderly process thereof, he
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished
by a fine not exceeding $2,500 or confinement in jail not exceeding
12 months, or both, in the discretion of the jury or court trying
the case without a jury.
A.
In all matters pending before the Town Council, a
majority shall govern, except in cases where it is otherwise specially
provided. Every member who shall be present when any question is put
or ballot taken shall vote or ballot, as the case may be, unless personally
interested or excused by the Council.
B.
On the call of any member of the Town Council, the
vote on any question shall be taken by yeas and nays and recorded.
C.
Any member of the Town Council shall have the liberty
to dissent from or protest against any ordinance, resolution or order
of the Council and have the reason of his dissent entered upon the
record.
A.
Biennially, as soon as may be practicable following
the election and qualification of new Town Councilmen, the Town Council
shall, by ordinance, designate one or more places of deposit for all
Town funds, which shall be kept by the Town Treasurer separate and
apart from his personal funds.
B.
Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to
prevent the designation of such a depository at any other time or
to prevent any change being made at any other time.
Every proposed franchise asked for from the
Town Council shall be presented in printed or typewritten form at
the expense of the petitioner and a copy thereof provided for each
member of the Council at the meeting when such franchise is so presented,
and no requests shall be considered as having been presented to the
Council until so presented.
No ordinance shall be adopted, amended or repealed
except by an ordinance legally introduced and adopted, provided that
the rules of Council may be suspended in the manner therein provided.
Every ordinance shall take effect from the date of its passing unless
otherwise provided.
Each ordinance amendatory of this Code shall
be so drafted as to indicate clearly the chapter, article, division,
section, subsection or paragraph added, deleted or altered thereby,
and, where feasible, chapter or article headings or section or subsection
catchlines shall be supplied. It shall be the duty of the Clerk of
the Council to maintain in his office one volume of this Code in current
status at all times, with deleted portions omitted therefrom, amended
portions included therein so as to replace the portions superseded
by such amendments, and new portions included therein, each at its
proper place; and he shall amend the index accordingly. In making
each insertion in or removal from such volume, the Clerk of the Council
shall make an appropriate note in the margin as to the number and
date of passage of the amendatory ordinance and the effective date
thereof and, if publication or a public hearing was required, the
date and manner of such publication and the date of such public hearing.
The Clerk of the Council shall preserve the
original copies of all ordinances and resolutions of the Town Council
in appropriate files in his office and shall maintain a record thereof
in the form of an index so as to facilitate ready access to each ordinance
and resolution. He shall transcribe such originals in the minutes
of the meetings at which they were adopted or, if the Town Council
so orders, in appropriate ordinance and resolution books, in which
case the Council minutes shall clearly indicate the book and page
number where each ordinance or resolution is transcribed.
The Town Council may from time to time adopt
and amend resolutions for the transaction of its business; the procedure
and order of business at its meetings; the appointment and jurisdiction,
powers and duties of standing and special committees; the official
conduct of its members; the manner of calling and conducting hearings
and investigations and the issuance of subpoenas for the attendance
of witnesses and the production of books and papers; the presentation
of petitions and other communications to the Council and recognition
of nonmembers to address the Council thereon; and such other matters
not inconsistent with state law, this Code or other ordinance as may
be deemed appropriate to facilitate the execution of the powers and
the performance of the duties of the Town Council as provided by state
law and the Town Charter.
