[Amended 3-16-1993 by Res. No. 137-1993]
In accordance with § C2-9 of the Monroe County Charter, the organizational meeting of the Monroe County Legislature shall be held on the first business day following January 1 of each year following the general election of County Legislators.
A. 
The Clerk of the County Legislature or, in the Clerk's absence, the Deputy Clerk last elected shall act as Chairperson Pro Tem of the Legislature. The Clerk shall call the legislators to order and call the roll, and shall then proceed to the election of a Temporary Chairperson. The Clerk shall receive nominations from the floor for such Chairperson, and when there are no further nominations, the Clerk shall call the roll of Legislators, each of whom shall answer by declaring the name of the nominated candidate of his/her choice. The Legislator receiving the most votes shall serve as Temporary Chairperson of the Legislature.
B. 
The Temporary Chairperson shall proceed with the invocation or prayer and a pledge of allegiance to the flag. In accordance with § C2-4 of the Monroe County Charter, the Temporary Chairperson shall next proceed with the business of electing the President of the Legislature, from among the members of the Legislature, to serve at the pleasure of the Legislature. The Temporary Chairperson shall direct the Clerk to call the roll of Legislators, each of whom shall answer by declaring the name of the nominated candidate of his/her choice. Voting shall continue until a candidate receives the vote of a majority of all Legislators (i.e., 15).
C. 
The President shall proceed with the election of a permanent Clerk, Deputy Clerk and Assistant Deputy Clerks, and the President shall then proceed with the regular order of business.
[Amended 5-15-1990 by Res. No. 296-1990]
[Amended 3-2-1994 by Res. No. 69-1994; 12-13-1994 by Res. No. 594-1994]
A. 
In accordance with § C2-9 of the Monroe County Charter, the Legislature shall meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. If the second Tuesday falls on a county holiday, the Legislature shall meet at 6:00 p.m. on the following business day. The Legislature may, by majority vote, reschedule a regular meeting if said meeting conflicts with an important community/government event or religious holiday. In any case, the Legislature shall not meet less than once a month. The President shall notify members of the Legislature concerning the schedule of regular meetings no later than January 1 of each year.
B. 
If at any meeting the Legislature has not completed all of the business by midnight, the Legislature may finish work on any item of business that is being considered at that time until deliberation on that item has been completed, at which time the President of the Legislature shall immediately and without motion from the floor recess the Legislature until 8:00 a.m. on the following calendar day.
[Amended 3-2-1994 by Res. No. 69-1994]
In accordance with § C2-9 of the Monroe County Charter, special meetings shall be called by the Clerk at the direction of the President or at the written direction of a majority of all legislators (i.e., 15). If at any meeting the Legislature has not completed all of its business by midnight, the Legislature may finish work on any item of business that is being considered at that time until deliberation on that item has been completed, at which time the President of the Legislature shall immediately and without motion from the floor recess the Legislature until 8:00 a.m. the following calendar day.
In accordance with the State Open Meetings Law,[1] all meetings of the Legislature and its committees shall be open to the public, except when the Legislature or its committees shall meet in executive session, at which time all persons not authorized to attend such executive session shall be excluded. Adequate accommodations shall be made for the County Executive and other county officials and for representation of the news media.
[1]
Editor's Note: See the Public Officers Law § 100 et seq.
A quorum for all meetings shall consist of a majority of all Legislators (i.e., 15), but a lesser number may adjourn a meeting.
In the absence of a quorum during a session of the Legislature, the presiding officer or a majority of members present may take all necessary measures to secure the presence of a quorum, and may direct the Sheriff of the County to compel the attendance of any absent member. Upon a finding by the presiding officer that a member was willfully absent without sufficient excuse, the Legislator may be censured or fined in an amount not exceeding $50.
A. 
For purposes of considering matters introduced at previous meetings of the Legislature, all meetings held during each two-year period, consisting of an even-numbered year and the consecutive odd-numbered year following each general election at which County Legislators are regularly elected, shall be deemed to be part of one continuous session.
B. 
Notwithstanding the first subsection of this section, all meetings held during the years 1993, 1994 and 1995 shall be deemed to be part of one continuous session.
[Added 2-23-1993 by Res. No. 124-1993]
A. 
The Clerk of the Legislature shall record the attendance of each Legislator at every official meeting of the Legislature and its committees. The chairperson of each standing committee of the Legislature, as prescribed in Article V, § 545-20, shall be empowered to determine if any meeting of such chairperson's committee shall constitute an official meeting of such committee.
B. 
The President of the Legislature shall excuse any Legislator being absent from any official meeting of the Legislature or its committees by reason of a death in the immediate family of such Legislator or any absence caused by any Legislator being ordered to active military service where such Legislator is a member of an authorized military reserve unit of the United States or the State of New York. The President of the Legislature is empowered, at his/her sole discretion, to grant excused absences to any Legislator who, upon a showing of good cause to such President, was absent from a meeting of the Legislature or any of its committees.
C. 
The Clerk of the Legislature shall annually certify the attendance record of each Legislator to the President of the Legislature. Excused absences shall be recorded by such Clerk as being "excused" and all other absences shall be recorded as "unexcused."
D. 
Hybrid remote meeting attendance. In accordance with Local Law No. 4 of 2022, the President of the Legislature is empowered, in his/her sole discretion, to permit members to participate in meetings of the Legislature or any of its committees via videoconference upon a showing to and determination by the President that such member is unable to be physically present at one of the designated public meeting locations due to extraordinary circumstances. For purposes of this section, the term “extraordinary circumstances” includes disability, illness, caregiving responsibilities, or any other significant or unexpected factor or event which precludes the member’s physical attendance at such meeting.
[Added 9-13-2022 by Res. No. 266-2022]