The composition, powers, terms, election, eligibility, authority, prohibitions and other matters of the elected Borough Council are set forth in Article III of the Home Rule Charter for the Borough of Chalfont, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The following sections cover certain Borough Council matters in a way not specified in the Charter.
To protect the Borough Council members from personal liability
in the performance of their duties, indemnification and personal liability
insurance will be provided by the Borough. The amounts and limits
of said insurance will be determined in the annually approved insurance
contracts.
A.
The President, at the stated hour, shall call the meeting to order.
He shall preserve order and decorum, decide all questions of order
and conduct the proceedings of the meeting in accordance with parliamentary
rules contained herein and in Robert's Rules of Order, unless
otherwise provided by statute. Any member shall have the right to
appeal from the decision of the presiding officer. No appeal shall
be debated, and the appeal may be sustained by the majority vote of
the members present.
B.
In the absence of the President and the Vice President, the Council
members, in order of seniority of service, shall serve as President
Pro Tem and shall have all the powers of the President.
A.
All rules and procedure shall be in accordance with the current edition
of Robert's Rules of Order.
B.
No Council member shall address the Council until he has been recognized
by the presiding officer. He shall thereupon address himself to the
President and confine his remarks to the question under discussion.
C.
When two or more Council members simultaneously seek recognition,
the presiding officer shall name the member who is to speak first.
D.
When a question is under discussion, no action shall be in order
except to adjourn, to lay it on the table, to call the previous question,
to postpone to a certain day, to refer to a committee, to amend or
to postpone indefinitely. These motions shall have precedence in the
order listed.
E.
Any member desirous of terminating the debate may move the previous
question, in which event the President shall announce the question
as, "Shall the main question now be put?" If the majority of the members
present vote in the affirmative, the main question shall be taken
without further debate, its effect being to put an end to all debate
and bring the Council to a direct vote, first upon any pending amendments
and then upon the main question.
F.
A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and a motion to adjourn,
to lay it on the table and a call for the previous question shall
be decided without debate.
[Amended 12-18-2001 by Ord. No. 326]
A time period for public comments shall be provided in each
regular meeting of the Borough Council. Other times for public comment
may be provided during regular meetings, at special meetings or at
other times so designated by the Borough Council. A member of the
public who wishes to be heard will address the chair, stating his
name and address for the record and confining himself to the question
under debate. A member of the public may be asked by the President,
should the orderly procedure of the meeting so require, to limit his
remarks to no longer than five minutes. A citizen's right to
be heard under this section shall be in compliance with and satisfy
the requirements of § 710.1, "Public Participation," of
the Sunshine Act, 65 Pa.C.S.A. § 710.1.
The Council shall have the power, by resolution, to conduct
or to authorize the conducting of any investigation by the entire
body or any committee of the Council or by any other employee or agent
of the Borough with respect to the performance of the duties of any
member of the Council or any employee or agent of the Borough or with
respect to any other proper subject matter in aid of its legislative
functions.
In connection with any proper investigation authorized by the
previous section, the Council may issue subpoenas to compel the attendance
of any member of the Council or any employee or agent of the Borough
at any meeting of the Council or of a committee thereof and/or the
production for inspection and copying of any records or other documents
in the possession of such persons which constitute public documents
of the Borough or which otherwise may be reasonably relevant to the
performance of the duties of such person as a member of the Council
or as an employee or agent of the Borough. Such subpoenas may be signed
and issued by the President or Vice President of the Council or by
the Chairperson of any committee of the Council authorized to conduct
the investigation, and they may be served in any part of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
The President of the Council or the presiding officer at any
meeting of the Council or of any committee thereof in connection with
an investigation, duly authorized in accordance with previous sections,
shall have the power to administer oaths to witnesses.
Each resolution adopted by the Council shall be numbered and
shall contain the date of its enactment. Each such resolution shall
be set forth verbatim or briefly summarized in the minutes of the
meeting at which it is finally adopted, but any resolution may be
adopted without compliance with any of the other notice requirements
and other formalities specified for the enactment of an ordinance
under the provisions of the Charter and of this Administrative Code.
The full text of all resolutions shall be set forth in a separate
and official resolution book maintained by the Borough Secretary.
