These rules, any applicable city ordinance, statute or other legal requirement, and “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised” shall govern the proceedings of the boards.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
(a) 
Subject to appeal to the full board, the board chair shall have the authority to prevent the misuse of motions, the abuse of any privilege, or the observation of the business of the board by ruling any such matter out of order. In so ruling, the board chair shall be courteous and presume that the moving party is acting in good faith.
(b) 
Any member of the board may move to require enforcement of the rules, and the affirmative vote of a majority of the board shall require the presiding officer to act.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
In the role of facilitator, the board chair will assist the board in focusing agenda discussions and deliberations.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
The board chair has been delegated the responsibility to control the debate and the order of speakers. Speakers will generally be called upon in the order of the request to speak. With the concurrence of the board chair, a board member holding the floor may address a question to another board member and that board member may respond while the floor is still held by the board member asking the question. A board member may opt not to answer a question while another board member has the floor.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
Board members will limit their comments to the subject matter, time or motion being currently considered by the board.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
Board members will govern themselves as to the length of their comments or presentation. As a courtesy, the board chair will signal by hand to a board member who has been speaking for over five (5) minutes. This procedure is not meant to limit debate or to cut comments short but rather to assist board members in their efforts to communicate concisely.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
Any member of the board wishing to speak must first obtain the floor by being recognized by the board chair. The board chair must recognize any board member who seeks the floor when appropriately entitled to do so. When two (2) or more members wish to speak, the presiding officer shall name the member who is to speak first. No member of the board shall interrupt another while speaking except to make a point of order or to make a point of personal privilege.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
Motions may be made by any member of the board who may vote on the motion. Any member of the board who may vote on the motion, other than the person offering the motion, may second a motion.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
The following is the general procedure for making motions:
(1) 
A board member who wishes to make a motion should do so through a verbal request to the board chair.
(2) 
A board member who wishes to second a motion should do so through a verbal request to the board chair. Before a motion can be considered or debated it must be seconded.
(3) 
Once the motion has been properly made and seconded, the board chair shall open the matter for discussion offering the first opportunity to the moving party and, thereafter, to any board member recognized by the board chair.
(4) 
Once the matter has been fully discussed, the board chair calls for a vote, thus no further discussion will be allowed.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
(a) 
Voting shall be by roll call and the ayes, nays and abstentions shall be recorded in the minutes.
(b) 
Abstention.
(1) 
A board member of an advisory board shall disqualify himself from voting whenever he finds that he has a personal or monetary interest in the item, or he will be directly affected by the decision of the board. He/she shall do so by stating their conflict and recusing themselves from all discussion or action on such items.
(2) 
When a board member subject to chapter 171 of the Local Government Code abstains or excuses himself/herself from a portion of a board discussion or vote because of a legal conflict of interest, the board member must briefly state the nature of the conflict in an affidavit. State law requires the inclusion of this information in the record. He/she shall do so by also recusing themselves from all discussion or action on such items.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)
Rules adopted to expedite and facilitate the transaction of the business of the board in an orderly fashion shall be deemed to be procedural only, and the failure to strictly observe any such rules shall not affect the jurisdiction of, or invalidate any action taken by the board.
(Ordinance 2019-23 adopted 12/12/19)