GENERAL REFERENCES
Council generally — See Charter, Art. III.
Council meetings — See Ch. 210.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
(a)
A Chairman and Vice Chairman shall be chosen by a majority vote of
all members of the Council, and such vote shall be recorded in the
minutes.
(b)
In the event of illness or other incapacity of the Chairman which
necessitates absence for three or more consecutive regular monthly
meetings, the Council may, by resolution, declare the position open
and the Vice Chairman shall be declared Chairman. A new Vice Chairman
shall be elected by a majority vote.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
(a)
The minutes of regular and special meetings of the Council shall
contain, at the minimum, the date, time and place of convening; a
listing of Council members present and absent; an identification of
all matters brought before the Council for discussion or action; the
resulting vote of all members present on all motions, resolutions
or ordinances; and a roll call record of votes cast "aye" or "nay"
on all ordinances upon which action was taken.
(b)
By motion of the Council, tape recordings or other verbatim transcriptions
of the proceedings of any meeting may be taken and be made available
and preserved in the same manner as prescribed for minutes.
(c)
Copies of the minutes of each meeting shall be provided to each Council
member and/or read aloud at the next regular or special meeting, and,
following any corrections by the Council, action for approval shall
be considered.
(d)
Individuals may make arrangements to obtain copies of pages of the
minutes, and the Township shall charge for copying cost.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
(a)
By resolution at a public meeting the Council may authorize any of
its members to attend meetings of municipal organizations and associations
or study or training sessions related to the responsibilities of the
office of Councilman, or to attend other meetings on official business
which are not business meetings of the Township, and may authorize
payment of all or any specified portion of the necessary and reasonable
expenses incidental to the attendance of such meetings.
(b)
Every member of the Council attending any authorized meeting shall
submit to the Council an itemized account of the expenses which were
incurred.
(c)
Verification of expenses shall be in accordance with the current
United States Internal Revenue Service regulations for a profit-making
organization.
(d)
Air travel reimbursement shall be restricted to the cost of a non-first-class
rate.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
The proposed agenda for any stated meeting shall be forwarded
to all members of the Council and be available to the public three
days prior to the stated monthly meeting, if possible, and no less
than 36 hours prior to the monthly meetings. In addition, the agenda
for stated monthly meetings, adjourned monthly meetings, special meetings
and, where possible, emergency meetings, shall be posted for public
view in the Municipal Building and copies made available at the meeting.
The agenda shall be prepared by the Chairman of Council or his or
her designate.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
(a)
At the time appointed for any meeting of the Council, the Chairman
shall take the Chair and call the meeting to order. If a quorum is
present, as provided in the Charter, the Chairman shall proceed with
the order of business prescribed for the meeting. If, upon the call
of the roll, a quorum is not present, the Chairman shall order a recess
for a period of 30 minutes, and if a quorum has not developed by that
time, the Chairman shall declare the meeting void.
(b)
If the Chairman is not present, then the Vice Chairman shall call
the meeting to order.
(c)
If the Chairman and Vice Chairman are not present, then the remaining
members may select a temporary Chairman.
(d)
The Councilman who calls the meeting to order is referred to hereinafter
as the "presiding officer."
(e)
Unless a majority of the Council votes otherwise, the order of business
for each regular meeting shall be as follows:
(f)
Before a vote is taken on any item, the general public shall have
the opportunity to address the Council on the matter to be voted upon.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
(a)
The presiding officer shall be responsible for the orderly conduct
of business at each Council meeting and shall preserve order and decorum
at such meetings.
(b)
The Council, at its organizational meeting, shall adopt rules governing
its procedure. The presiding officer shall announce all decisions
of the Council and shall decide all questions of order without debate,
subject, however, to an appeal by any Council member. Any ruling by
the presiding officer may be overruled by a majority of the members
present.
(c)
Every member of the Council desiring to speak shall address the Chair
and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine remarks
to the question under debate. A member of the Council, once recognized,
shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it is for the purpose
of calling such person to order. If a member of the Council, while
speaking, is called to order, that person shall cease speaking until
the question of order is determined. When two or more members request
the floor at the same time, the presiding officer shall name the one
entitled to the floor.
(d)
The roll of members shall be called alphabetically, except that the
presiding officer shall be called last.
(e)
When further clarification is required on rules of order adopted
by Council, simplified parliamentary procedure, based on Robert's
Rules of Order will apply.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977]
(a)
A person shall be provided the opportunity to address the Council
on any agenda item. The presiding officer may limit the time each
person shall speak, giving equal time to all. Such discussion shall
occur prior to the vote on the agenda item.
(b)
When a group of persons wishes to address the Council on the same
subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to request
that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the Council
and to limit the number of persons addressing the Council on the same
matter so as to avoid unnecessary repetition.
[Ord. No. 175,
passed 12-17-1987]
The annual compensation for a Council member shall be $2,500.
[Ord. No. 114,
passed 12-6-1977; Ord. No. 142, passed 2-7-1985; 1974 Code Sec. 2-13; 1974 Code Sec. 2-14; amended 2-13-2020 by Ord. No. 524]
(a)
Appointment. Council shall be responsible for the appointment of
administrative committees. Council shall appoint the administrative
committees which shall be responsible for the activities of Township
departments. Administrative committees shall be accountable to the
Council.
(b)
Composition. Except in regard to the Fiscal Committee, each administrative
committee shall be comprised of three members of Council, one of whom
shall be designated Chairman of the committee of Council. The Fiscal
Committee shall be comprised of five members of Council, one of whom
shall be designated Chairman of the committee of Council. Each Council
member shall serve on at least one committee. The Council Chairman
may serve as Chairman of any one, but no more than one, of the administrative
committees.
(c)
Responsibilities. The following is an enumeration of the administrative
committees and their respective responsibilities:
(1)
The Public Safety Committee shall be responsible for the administration
of the Police Department. This Committee shall also serve as liaison
with the Volunteer Fire Company with regard to its activities.
(2)
The Public Works Committee shall be responsible for the administration
of the Highway Department, the Sewer Department and the Recreation
Department.
(3)
The Community Development Committee shall be responsible for
development of planning, zoning and environmental matters and related
activities.
(4)
The Administration Committee shall be responsible for the administration
of an Administration Department, comprising the Administration Office,
the Code Administration Department, the Building Inspector, the Plumbing
Inspector, the Code Enforcement and Zoning Officer, the Sewage Enforcement
Officer, the Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Township Secretary.
The Committee shall also be responsible for the administration of
the Township Solicitor, the Township Engineer and the Township Tax
Collector. The Committee shall define the responsibilities and accountabilities
of all the aforementioned persons and agencies of government.
(5)
The Fiscal Committee shall be responsible for all matters pertaining
to the budget and financial matters. The Fiscal Committee shall be
responsible for the development and application of the personnel system.
(d)
Department heads and appointed officers. Department heads and appointed
officers shall report to appropriate Councilmanic administrative committees,
which shall establish the duties of department heads and appointed
officers, at such times and in such manner as designated by that committee.
Each committee shall undertake and administer any rating system prescribed
by Council for determining the efficiency and productivity of departments,
department heads and responsible appointed officers.
