[HISTORY: Adopted Grand Island Board 1-20-1964 (Appendix,
Part III, of the 1963 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Continuity of Town government — See Ch.
43.
Adoption of local laws — See Ch.
63.
Regular meetings of the Grand Island Town Board
shall be held at 8:00 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each
month unless said first or third Monday is a legal holiday, in which
event such regular meeting shall be held at 8:00 p.m. on the following
day. Each regular meeting and all adjourned sessions shall be open
for the consideration of any matter which, in accordance with the
law and these rules, may be properly brought before the Town Board.
Special meetings of the Grand Island Town Board
shall be held as permitted by law.
A majority of the duly constituted membership
of the Grand Island Town Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction
of business, but a less number may adjourn.
In the absence of a quorum during a session
of the Grand Island Town Board, the Supervisor may take such measures
as provided by law and as he may deem necessary to secure the presence
of a quorum.
At every session of the Grand Island Town Board,
upon being called to order by the Supervisor, the roll of members
shall be called by the Town Clerk, and the names of those absent shall
be inserted in the minutes. The minutes of the preceding meeting shall
then be offered, to the end that any corrections, alterations or additions
may be made. In all cases where an order, resolution, motion or other
item of business shall be entered in the minutes, the name of the
member presenting or moving the same shall be entered.
[Amended 5-19-1997]
A. The order of business of each regular meeting shall
be:
(1) Calling of the roll of members by the Clerk.
(2) Persons wishing to address the Board concerning current
meeting agenda items only.
(3) Public
hearings (as applicable).
(4) Offer of the minutes of the proceedings of the previous
meeting or meetings.
(5) Presentation of communications from members of the
Board.
(6) Presentation of communications from other public officials.
(7) Presentation of other communications.
(8) Submission
of claims for audit.
(10)
Persons wishing to address the Board.
(11)
Announcements from the Board.
(12)
Memorial resolutions for adjournment.
B. Such incidental business as an invocation, Pledge
of Allegiance to the American Flag and acknowledgements or introductions
may be transacted at any appropriate time during the meeting, at the
discretion of the Chair.
All petitions, resolutions, offers, reports,
motions (except incidental ones) and other items of business or communications
of whatever nature shall be submitted to the Town Clerk before 11:00
a.m. on Thursday for presentation at the regular meeting on the following
Monday unless said Thursday is a legal holiday, in which event all
matters shall be presented to the Town Clerk before 11:00 a.m. on
Wednesday. All matters presented to the Clerk in accordance with this
rule shall be included on the agenda for the ensuing meeting. The
agenda for the ensuing meeting shall be prepared and deposited in
the Board members' mailboxes in the Town Hall not later than 5:00
p.m. Thursday or Wednesday as aforesaid. The Town Board shall not
consider nor act upon any matters which are not timely or scheduled
on the agenda delivered to the Town Board members as aforesaid, except
by unanimous consent by all members of the Board. This rule need not
apply to special meetings.
The Supervisor shall take the chair promptly
at the hour specified for the convening of each session of the Town
Board and shall preserve order and decorum. In debate, he shall prevent
personal reflections and shall confine members to the question under
discussion. He shall decide all questions of order, which decisions
shall be final unless an appeal is taken to the members of the Board
and sustained.
In the absence of the Supervisor from any meeting
of the Grand Island Town Board, the Deputy Supervisor shall act as
chairman for the purposes of each Board meeting, as provided by law.
In the absence of the Supervisor and the Deputy Supervisor, an acting
chairman shall be selected as provided by law.
Anyone wishing to address the Board may have
the privilege of the floor during the portion of the agenda set aside
for that purpose. No person shall have the privilege of the floor
at other times during Town Board meetings unless unanimous consent
of all Board members be given therefor.
The Supervisor may refer any petition, resolution
or other matter to a committee of the Town Board which he may appoint
under the law, and he may similarly refer to the Town Attorney any
legal proceeding brought against the Town.
While the Supervisor is putting a question or
while the roll is being called on any question, no member shall speak
or leave his place. The Supervisor shall allow opportunity for debate
before the roll is called.
At least three affirmative votes shall be necessary
to pass any matter, and at least three negative votes shall be necessary
to defeat any matter, as provided by law. Thus, a tie vote shall result
in the matter remaining on the table.
All questions relative to priority of business
shall be decided by the Supervisor without debate, and his decision
shall be final unless reversed by a majority of the Board.
As provided by law, a majority vote of the entire
membership of the Board shall be necessary to carry any question,
proposition, resolution, motion or any other matter, except where
it is otherwise provided herein or by law that a 2/3 vote or other
vote larger than a majority is required.
As provided by law, the yeas and nays shall
be called on each question. Each member's vote shall be recorded and
entered upon the minutes.
If the question in debate contains several distinct
propositions, the same shall be divided by the Supervisor on his own
motion or at the request of any member, to the end that a vote may
be taken on each proposition, but a motion to strike out and insert
shall be deemed inadvisable.
Every member who shall be in the Town Hall when
a question is stated by the Supervisor shall vote. A member may be
excused if he be directly, or indirectly, interested in the question.
No member wishing to speak shall proceed until
he shall have addressed the Supervisor and shall have been recognized
by him.
These rules may be suspended at any time during
a session by unanimous consent of all members of the Town Board; however,
the member requesting such suspension must state the purpose for which
the suspension is asked. A separate suspension shall be necessary
for each separate question to be discussed or acted upon.
Any resolution or motion offered by a member
may be withdrawn by the member presenting it at any time before an
announcement by the Supervisor of the vote thereon or before an amendment
to such resolution or motion has been adopted. Any matter offered
by a person who is not a member of the Town Board may be withdrawn
only by the person who offered it, and it must be withdrawn in writing.
A motion for reconsideration shall not be in
order unless made on the same day or on the session day next succeeding
that on which the action proposed to be reconsidered took place. A
motion to reconsider must be made by a member who voted with the prevailing
side on the action proposed to be reconsidered. When a motion to reconsider
has been decided, it shall not again be submitted to the Town Board
without unanimous consent of the five members.
A motion to rescind shall be entertained only
when moved by a member who voted with the majority in the action which
it is proposed to rescind, and adoption of such motion to rescind
shall require the affirmative vote of at least four members.
On all points of order not governed by these
rules, the revised edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail.
The rules of the Town Board shall apply to all meetings of committees
of the Board.
As provided by law, the Supervisor may appoint
such committees of the Town Board as he desires. The Supervisor shall
be an ex officio member of all such committees, with a vote thereon.
All committee reports shall be filed in writing.
All committees shall act promptly on all matters
referred to them.
No solicitation of funds shall be had, and no
subscription paper shall be circulated during a Town Board session.
These rules shall not be rescinded, altered
nor amended, nor any additional rules added thereto, except by a 4/5
vote of all members of the Board, and only after at least two weeks'
notice being given of the motion therefor, which notice shall contain
the text of the change.