[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Town of
Rock Hall as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted 6-20-2013 by Res. No. 2013-07]
Roberts Rules of Order, as revised from time to time, shall
govern the open meetings of the Mayor and Council of the Town of Rock
Hall (the "Mayor and Council"), except as any such rule may conflict
with this article or any state or local law, in which case this article
or the state or local law shall govern.
A.
As President of the Council, the Mayor shall serve as Presiding Officer
at all open meetings of the Mayor and Council. The Vice President
of the Council shall serve as the Presiding Officer in the Mayor's
absence.
B.
The Presiding Officer shall maintain order and decorum and decide
all questions of procedure, subject to appeal by any Councilmember.
If such an appeal is made, a vote shall be required, and the Presiding
Officer's decision may be overruled by a majority vote of the
Councilmembers present.
A.
The general public is invited to attend and observe any open meeting
of the Mayor and Council.
B.
Persons attending any open meeting of the Mayor and Council shall
not participate in or comment during the meeting except when expressly
invited to do so by the Mayor and Council, or when such participation
or comment is otherwise authorized by law.
C.
The "Good of the Town" section of the Mayor and Council's open
meeting agenda provides an opportunity for the public to be heard
in regard to any municipal question.
D.
All persons desiring to participate in or comment during any open
meeting of the Mayor and Council shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity
to do so, subject to the following:
(2)
Upon being recognized by the Presiding Officer, the person speaking
shall keep his or her comments brief and relevant to the matter(s)
under discussion. Unless otherwise authorized by the Presiding Officer,
speaking time shall be limited to three minutes or less.
(3)
No person other than the Mayor and Council and the person having
the floor shall participate in the discussion.
E.
Any conduct during an open meeting of the Mayor and Council that
disrupts the Mayor and Council's deliberations or interferes
with the right of other members of the public to attend and observe
the meeting, including but not limited to the making of personal,
impertinent, or slanderous remarks, speaking without having first
been recognized by the Presiding Officer, or visual demonstrations,
such as the waving of placards, signs, or banners, is expressly prohibited.
F.
The Presiding Officer may order that any person who persists in conduct
prohibited by this article be removed from the meeting and may request
police assistance to restore order.
G.
The Presiding Officer may temporarily adjourn the meeting while order
is restored.
A.
Any member of the public, including any representative of the news
media, may record an open meeting of the Mayor and Council by means
of a tape recorder or any other recording device if the device does
not create an excessive noise that disturbs the Mayor and Council
or other persons attending the meeting.
B.
A member of the public, including any representative of the news
media, may photograph or videotape the Mayor and Council during an
open meeting, provided that the camera or recording device:
C.
A representative of the news media may broadcast or televise an open
meeting of the Mayor and Council if the equipment used:
D.
The Presiding Officer may restrict the movement of a person who is
using a recording device, camera, or broadcasting or television equipment
if such restriction is necessary to maintain the orderly conduct of
the session.
A recording of an open meeting made by a member of the public,
or any transcript derived therefrom, shall not be deemed a part of
the record of any proceeding or hearing conducted by the Mayor and
Council during an open meeting.
