The governing and lawmaking body of the Town shall consist of the Mayor and six (6) Councilmembers and shall be known as the “Town Council.”
(a) 
The members of the Council shall be elected and hold office as herein provided. All members of the Council, and the Mayor, shall be elected under the place system. The Mayor shall hold office for a three (3) year term. Each member of the Council shall hold office for a two (2) year term. Upon expiration of the terms of the current Mayor and Councilmembers, their successors shall be elected for terms as follows:
Place 4, Place 5 and Place 6 shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, beginning with a Town election held in May 2021.
Place 1, Place 2 and Place 3 shall be elected for two (2) year terms, beginning with the regular Town election held in May 2022.
The Mayor shall be elected for three (3) year terms, beginning with the regular Town election held in May 2021.
(b) 
Upon the expiration of the above term of the Mayor, his or her successor shall be elected for terms of three (3) years. Upon the expiration of the above terms for Councilmembers, their successors shall be elected for terms of two (2) years. All places, including Mayor, will be elected at large by a majority vote.
(c) 
The Mayor and each Councilperson, unless sooner removed under the provisions of this Charter, shall hold office until his successor is elected and qualified.
(a) 
A Town councilmember who has served as a councilmember, regardless of place, for three consecutive terms shall not again be eligible to become a candidate for, or to serve as a councilmember until the next general election after the fourth consecutive two (2) year term has expired.
(b) 
A Mayor who has served as mayor for four consecutive terms as mayor shall not again be eligible to become a candidate for or to serve in, that office until the next general election after the fifth consecutive three (3) year term has expired. Terms served as a councilmember shall not be included in the calculation of terms under this subsection.
(c) 
As used in this section, any length of service within a two-year term that exceeds 360 days is a term served, and “councilmember” means Places 1 through 6 and does not mean “mayor.”
Each person who becomes a candidate for mayor or councilmember shall meet the qualifications as set out in Section 141.001 of the Texas Election Code, as may be hereafter amended. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the following additional qualifications shall apply to each person who becomes a candidate for mayor or councilmember:
(1) 
Have resided in the Town for at least 12 months prior to the date of the election;
(2) 
Abide by the nepotism law (Chapter 573, Texas Government Code), and as provided in Section 15.01 of the Charter; and
(3) 
Not be disqualified by reason of any other provision of law.
A member of the Council who ceases to possess any of the qualifications specified in the Texas Election Code or in this section for a period of sixty (60) days following notice from the Town Secretary regarding same, or who is convicted of a felony while in office, shall immediately forfeit the office and the Town Council shall proceed to fill the vacancy in accordance with Section 3.09 of this Charter.
Compensation of the Town councilmembers shall be $75.00 per council meeting for which the councilmember is present, not to exceed $150.00 per month. The compensation of the Mayor shall be $125.00 per council meeting for which the Mayor is present, not to exceed $250.00 per month. For council meetings during which the Mayor Pro-Tem acts as Mayor in the absence of the Mayor, that person shall receive $125.00 per council meeting, not to exceed $250.00 per month. In addition, the Town Council shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in the performance of official duties, and other compensation or tools, including technological devices, as may be authorized by the Town Council at a regular council meeting.
(a) 
The Mayor shall preside over the meetings of the Council, and perform such other duties consistent with the office as may be imposed upon the Mayor by this Charter and by ordinances and resolutions passed in pursuance thereof. The Mayor shall be recognized as the official head of the Town by the courts for the purpose of enforcing military law and for all ceremonial purposes. The Mayor shall vote on all matters coming before the Town Council.
(b) 
The emergency powers of the Mayor shall be set forth by State law and local ordinances.
(c) 
The Mayor or his or her designee shall appoint a chairperson(s) for any special or ad hoc commissions or committees established by the Town Council.
At the first meeting after each general election or general election run-off, if any, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the Council shall appoint one of the Councilmembers as Mayor Pro Tem who shall hold office for one (1) year. The Mayor Pro Tem shall perform the duties of Mayor in case of the absence or disability of the Mayor.
(a) 
Vacancies.
The office of the Mayor or a Councilmember shall become vacant upon the Mayor or Councilmember’s death, resignation, removal from office (in any manner authorized by law), or forfeiture of office.
(b) 
Forfeiture of Office.
The Mayor or a Councilmember shall forfeit his or her office if during a term of office, the Mayor or Councilmember:
(1) 
lacks any qualification for the office prescribed by this Charter or by other law;
(2) 
violates any expressed prohibition of this Charter;
(3) 
is convicted of a felony, whether final for purposes of appeal or not; a crime involving moral turpitude; or violating any state laws regulating conflicts of interest of municipal officers; or
(4) 
fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Council without being excused by the Council.
(c) 
Council to be Judge.
The Council shall, by an affirmative 3/4 vote of the entire membership, be the final judge in matters involving forfeiture of office by a Council member or the Mayor.
(d) 
Filling of Vacancies.
(1) 
If there is a vacancy in the office of Mayor, a new Mayor shall be elected by special election within one hundred twenty (120) days after such vacancy occurs, in accordance with the Texas Constitution and the Texas Election Code, as amended. If the vacancy occurs with less than 12 months remaining in the term, Council, by majority vote, shall appoint a qualified person to fill the unexpired term.
(2) 
If a vacancy occurs in the office of Place 1, Place 2, Place 3, Place 4, Place 5, or Place 6 and there is more than six months remaining in the term of office so vacated, then in that event the Council may call a special election to elect a person to serve the remainder of the unexpired term or appoint a qualified person to serve until the next regular municipal election. If there is less than six months remaining, then the Council, by majority vote, shall appoint a qualified person to fill the unexpired term. If the vacated office is that of Mayor Pro-Tem the Council shall elect a new Mayor Pro- Tem at the next regular meeting.
(a) 
Holding other office:
Except where authorized by law, no Mayor or Councilmember shall hold any other compensated Town office or employment by the Town during the term for which they are elected to the Council, and no former Mayor or Councilmember shall hold any compensated appointive Town office or employment until one (1) year after the expiration of the term for which they were elected to the Council.
(b) 
Appointment and Removals:
Neither the Council nor any of its members shall in any way dictate the appointment or removal of any Town administrative officer or employees whom the Town Manager or any of the Town Manager’s subordinates are empowered to appoint, unless otherwise provided in this Charter. The Council may express its views and fully and freely discuss with the Town Manager anything pertaining to appointment and removal of such officers and employees.
(c) 
Interference with Administration:
Except for the purpose of inquiries and investigations by the direction of the Council, unless provided otherwise in this Charter, the Council or its members shall deal with Town officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the Town Manager solely through the Town Manager, and neither the Council nor its members shall give orders to any such officer or employee, either publicly or privately.
(d) 
Admission of Liability:
Neither the Mayor or Councilmembers shall accept or admit liability or pay any claim for damages asserted against the Town without first obtaining a written opinion from the Town Attorney regarding the Town’s liability therein.
The Council shall hold at least two (2) regular meetings each month at a time to be fixed by ordinance, unless the date falls on a regularly observed Town holiday, provided that the Council may establish as many additional regular meetings during the month as may be necessary for the transaction of the business of the Town and its citizens. Prescribed meeting dates may be cancelled by a vote of the Council at a regular scheduled meeting or in accordance with Town policies and procedures. All meetings of the Council shall be open in accordance with and except as provided by the Texas Open Meetings Act, and shall be held at the Town Hall, except that the Council may designate another place for the meetings.
Special meetings of the Town Council shall be held at the call of the Mayor or three (3) councilmembers upon provision of public notice in accordance with state law.
(a) 
Council shall determine its own rules of procedure and may compel the attendance of its members. Minutes of the proceedings of the Council shall be kept, to which any citizen may have access at all reasonable times and which shall constitute one of the archives of the Town.
(b) 
The vote upon the passage of all ordinances and resolutions shall be taken by any method to indicate the vote of each member and entered into the minutes, and every ordinance or resolution upon its final passage, shall be authenticated by the signature of the presiding officer and the person performing the duties of the Town Secretary, and kept as required by law.
(c) 
Any item requested by the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem, two (2) councilmembers, or the Town Manager shall be placed on the agenda by the Town Secretary. The Mayor will establish the order of the agenda for each Council meeting. The Town Secretary shall prepare the agenda, which shall be publicly posted at Town Hall in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act.
Four (4) Councilmembers, including the Mayor, shall constitute a quorum to do business. No action of the Town Council, except as specifically provided in this Charter, shall be valid or binding unless adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Council present, and qualified to act. A number less than a quorum may adjourn from time to time and compel the attendance of absent members. If the Council is reduced to less than four (4) members on account of vacancies or other disqualifications, the remaining members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transaction of business.
Council shall adopt by ordinance a code of ethics and conduct that is consistent with the provisions of this Charter and state and federal law applicable to elected officers, appointed board, commission, and committee members, and employees of the Town.