The governing and lawmaking body of the City of Euless shall
consist of a Mayor and six (6) Council Members, and said body shall
be known as the “City Council of the City of Euless.”
The members of the City Council of the City of Euless shall be the
only elective officers of the City and shall be elected from the City
at large in the manner provided in Article III. The Mayor and members
of the Council shall draw no compensation as such for their duties,
but shall be reimbursed for any lawful expenditures made in behalf
of the City or expenses incurred in the performance of their official
duties, when approved by the Council.
Each Council Member shall occupy a specific place. The office
of Mayor and Council places two (2) and four (4) shall be filled by
regular City election in 1993 and thereafter for terms of three (3)
years or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Council
places one (1) and three (3) shall be filled by regular City election
in 1992 and thereafter for terms of three (3) years, or until their
successors are duly elected and qualified. Council places five (5)
and six (6) shall be filled by regular City election in 1992 for terms
of two (2) years, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified,
and shall be filled by regular City election in 1994 and thereafter
for terms of three (3) years, or until their successors are duly elected
and qualified.
(Amended, 2-18-69; amended, 11-5-91; amended, 5-6-95)
Each of the six Council Members and Mayor shall, at the time
of filing of their application for a place upon the ballot, be a resident
of the City and shall have resided at least one (1) year next preceding
the election at which they are candidates within the corporate limits
of the City of Euless, and additionally at the time of filing of their
application for a place upon the ballot and thereafter for and during
their term of office, shall be a registered voter of the State of
Texas; shall not have been finally convicted of a felony criminal
offense; shall continue to be a resident of the City; and shall not
be in violation of any other provision of this Charter. The Mayor
or any member of the Council ceasing to possess any of the qualifications
specified in this section or any other provision of this Charter shall
immediately forfeit office. Neither the Mayor nor any member of the
Council shall hold any other public office except that of notary public
or member of the armed forces of the United States or of the National
Guard or naval or military reserve or as a retired member of the armed
forces of the United States.
(Amended, 11-5-91)
The City Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications
of its own members and of the Mayor, and for such purpose shall have
power to subpoena witnesses and require the production of records,
but the Council shall, as soon as practicable after a regular or special
election, either at a called meeting of said Council, called for that
purpose, or at the next regular meeting, within the period provided
by law, canvass the returns and declare the results of such election.
(Amended, 11-5-91)
In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of Mayor or in the
City Council from any cause whatsoever, a special election shall be
held on the first election date authorized by law for the purpose
of filling such position for the remainder of the unexpired term thereof;
provided, however, if such vacancy occurs less than ninety (90) days
and more than thirty (30) days prior to a general City election, then
such special election shall be held and such vacancy shall be filled
by special election called for such purpose concurrent with the City’s
general election, unless election for such office would otherwise
occur at such general election.
(Amended, 11-5-91)
All powers and authority which are expressly or explicitly conferred
on or possessed by the City shall be vested in and exercised by the
City Council; provided, however, that the Council shall have no power
to exercise those powers which are expressly conferred upon other
City officers by this Charter.
The Mayor of the City of Euless shall preside over the meetings
of the City Council and perform such other duties consistent with
the office as may be imposed upon the Mayor by this Charter and the
ordinances and resolutions passed in pursuance hereof. The Mayor is
a voting member of the Council, but shall have no veto power. The
Mayor shall sign all conveyances made or entered into by the City
and all bonds issued under the provisions of this Charter, and shall
be the chief executive officer of the City. The Mayor shall sign all
contracts entered into by the City except as may be exempted from
such requirement by ordinance or resolution adopted by the City Council.
The Mayor shall be recognized as the official head of the City by
the court for the purpose of serving civil process, by the governor
for the purpose of enforcing military law, and for all ceremonial
purposes. In time of danger or emergency, the Mayor may with the consent
of the City Council take command of the police and govern the City
by proclamation and maintain order and enforce all laws.
The Mayor Pro Tem shall be selected from among the six (6) Council
Members; shall be selected each year at the first regular meeting
following the regular City election or any run-off elections required,
whichever shall last occur, and shall in the absence or disability
of the Mayor perform all the Mayor’s duties.
(Amended, 11-5-91)
The City Council shall appoint an officer of the City, who shall
have the title of city secretary and who shall give notice of the
Council meetings, shall keep minutes of its proceedings, shall authenticate
by signature and record in full in a book kept for that purpose all
ordinances and resolutions, shall preserve and keep in order all books,
papers, records and files of the City Council, shall have custody
of the seal of the City and shall affix same to such documents and
obligations only of the City as legally authorized and shall perform
such other duties as shall be required by this Charter or by the City
Council.
(Amended, 11-5-91)
The City Council shall appoint a city attorney who shall be
a competent attorney, duly licensed and admitted to the practice of
law by the State of Texas. The city attorney shall be legal advisor
of and attorney for all officers of the City and shall represent the
City in all litigation and legal proceedings. The city attorney shall
approve every ordinance before it is acted upon by the Council.
(Amended, 11-5-91)
The City Council shall hold at least two (2) regular meetings
in each month at a time to be fixed by it for such regular meetings,
to be designated by ordinance or resolution, which ordinance or resolution
shall be published at least one (1) time in the official newspaper
of the City. The City Council may hold as many additional meetings
during the month as may be necessary for the transaction of the business
of the City and its citizens.
The Mayor and any member of the City Council remaining absent
for three (3) regular, consecutive meetings of the City Council, unless
prevented by sickness, without first having obtained leave of absence
at a regular meeting of the Euless City Council, shall be deemed to
have vacated his office and such vacancy shall be filled in accordance
with the provisions of the Charter for the filling of vacancies.
(Amended, 4-19-75; Amended, 11-5-91)
The City Council shall determine its own rules of procedure
and order of business and may compel the attendance of the Mayor and
its members. Five (5) members of the City Council, or four (4) members
thereof and the Mayor, shall constitute a quorum to do business, and
the affirmative vote of at least four (4) of those attending any meeting
at which there is a quorum present shall be necessary to adopt any
ordinance or resolution. All meetings of the City Council, except
for executive sessions authorized by law, shall be open to the public,
and minutes of all proceedings of such open meetings shall be kept,
to which any citizen may have access at all reasonable times and which
shall constitute one of the archives of the City. The vote upon the
passage of all ordinances and resolutions shall be taken by ayes and
nays and entered upon the minutes, and every ordinance or resolution,
upon its final passage, shall be recorded in a book kept for that
purpose and shall be authenticated by the signature of the presiding
officer and the city secretary.
The City Council shall legislate by ordinance and the enacting
clause of every ordinance shall be: “Be it ordained by the City
Council of the City of Euless.”
The city attorney shall approve all ordinances adopted by the
Council as to the legality thereof. Every ordinance enacted by the
Council shall be signed by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem and shall be
filed with and recorded by the city secretary. All ordinances enacted
by the Council shall be considered and the descriptive caption of
such ordinance read in open meeting of the Council at two (2) regular
Council meetings unless at such first regular Council meeting such
ordinance shall have been approved by five (5) or more aye votes;
then, in such event, the second consideration and second reading of
the descriptive caption thereof shall not be necessary and such ordinance
shall be considered finally adopted. All ordinances, unless otherwise
provided by law or by the terms of such ordinance, shall take effect
immediately on final consideration and the reading of the descriptive
caption thereof as hereinabove provided.
The requirement for considering ordinances and reading the descriptive
caption thereof at two (2) regular Council meetings may be dispensed
with where an ordinance relating to the immediate preservation of
the public peace, health or safety is adopted as an emergency measure
by the favorable vote of four (4) or more of the Council Members and
such emergency ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its adoption
and execution without a second consideration and second reading of
the descriptive caption thereof.
(Amended, 4-19-75; amended, 11-5-91; amended, 5-6-95)
Except as otherwise provided by law, or by this Charter, the
city secretary shall give notice of the enactment of every ordinance
imposing any penalty, fine or forfeiture for any violation of any
of its provisions, and of every other ordinance required by law, or
this Charter, to the public, by causing the said ordinance, or its
caption and penalty, to be published at least two (2) times after
final passage thereof in the official newspaper of the City. The affidavit
of such publication by the publisher of such newspaper, taken before
any officer authorized to administer oaths, and filed with the city
secretary shall be conclusive proof of the legal publication and promulgation
of such ordinance in all courts. Such ordinance shall take effect
after the date of final publication, provided that any penal ordinance
passed as an emergency measure under Section 11 of this article shall
take effect immediately upon its publication as herein provided.
All ordinances of the City of Euless adopted prior to the adoption
of this Charter and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter
shall remain in full force and effect until altered, amended or repealed
by the City Council.
(Amended, 5-6-95)
The City Council, as soon as practicable after the adoption
of this Charter, shall cause to be codified and properly entered and
published in pamphlet form for public distribution or for anyone desiring
same, the ordinances of the City of Euless, and shall annually thereafter
revise and keep the same up-to-date.