The City Council, referred to herein as the Council consists of the Mayor and six Councilmembers.
(a) 
The Mayor and the Councilmembers will be elected from the City at large.
(b) 
Term of office for all members will be two (2) years. Office term will commence at the first regular Council meeting after a member of the Council has been declared elected.
(c) 
No person shall serve as Mayor for more than six (6) successive years and no person shall serve as Councilmember for more than six (6) successive years.
(Amnd. by Ordinance 2014-08-18-01 at an election held on November 4, 2014, prop. 1; Amnd. by Ordinance 2018-01-16-03 at an election held on May 5, 2018, prop. A; Amnd. by Ordinance 2020-07-20-01, at an election held on November 3, 2020, props. B–C)
All office holders for city elective office shall possess the following qualifications:
(a) 
Meet all the requirements for public office prescribed by State and Federal laws.
(b) 
Be a registered voter residing in the City for at least one year prior to the election.
(c) 
Be at least twenty one years of age by the date of the election.
(d) 
Shall not hold any other compensated public office if elected.
(e) 
Shall not be a city employee, contractor or supplier.
(f) 
If a member of the Council shall cease to possess any of the qualifications prescribed, the person shall forfeit the office.
(Amnd. by Ordinance 2014-08-18-01 at an election held on November 4, 2014, prop. 2; Amnd. by Ordinance 2014-08-18-01 at an election held on November 4, 2014, prop. 3)
Each candidate for an elective City office shall make application to have their name listed on the ballot in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas.
Members of the Council shall serve without pay or compensation; provided, however, that they shall be entitled to reimbursement for all expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties as approved by the Council.
The Mayor’s duties include recommending issues for the agenda and presiding over City Council meetings.
The Mayor shall vote on all issues brought before the Council and sign all written actions authorized by the City Council.
The Mayor may not veto or modify any action approved by the City Council.
The Mayor is recognized as the head of City government. The Mayor will also perform all other duties required by order of the Council.
The Council shall appoint one of its members for a period of one year as Mayor Pro Tem. The Mayor Pro Tem shall act, and have the rights and duties, as the Mayor whenever the Mayor is absent or incapacitated or the office of Mayor becomes vacant.
Any elective office shall become vacant upon death, resignation, or forfeiture as authorized by law or this Charter. The Council, at the first regular Council meeting after the vacancy, shall declare the office vacant and initiate action to fill the vacancy in accordance with this charter.
Any elected official will forfeit office for any of the following reasons:
(a) 
Failing to maintain any qualification of this Charter.
(b) 
Violating any provision of this Charter.
(c) 
Conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude.
(d) 
Fails to attend one-half of the regularly scheduled Council meetings during any consecutive six-month period.
The City Council shall fill any vacancy that occurs on the City Council unless an election to fill the vacancy is required by Article XI, Section 11, of the Texas Constitution, or unless a majority of the City Council votes to call a special election for the next uniform election date to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term only. For purposes of applying term limits, any term filled by election or appointment of one year or less shall not count towards the limit on successive years of service in Section 3.01(c), but service in a partial term of more than one year shall count towards the limit on successive years of service.
A person serving as a member of the City Council is not, because of that service, ineligible to be appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of mayor, but the person may not vote on the person’s own appointment.
If a number of vacancies exist on the Council causing the remaining members to number less than four, those remaining members shall constitute a quorum for the limited purpose of meeting to fill enough of the vacancies so that a quorum of four exists.
(Amnd. by Ordinance 2014-08-18-01 at an election held on November 4, 2004, prop. 4; Amnd. by Ordinance 2018-01-16-03 at an election held on May 5, 2018, prop. C; Amnd. by Ordinance 2020-07-20-01, at an election held on November 3, 2020, prop. C; Amnd. by Ordinance 2010-04-19-03 at an election held on May 2010, props. 2–3)
Neither the Mayor nor any Councilmember shall hold another City office or City employment. Former Mayors and Councilmembers shall not receive any compensation from the City or hold any compensated appointive City office within one year after their elective office terminates.
The Council shall define by ordinance how and when the Council shall meet, and the manner in which meetings are conducted. The Council shall meet at a regular time at least once a month. All notification prior to meetings shall be in accordance with state law as enacted or hereafter amended.
Four members of the City Council shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transaction of business, and no action of the City Council, except as provided in Section 3.09 shall be valid or binding unless adopted by the affirmative vote of the majority of the Members of the Council present.
The Council shall establish by ordinances its procedures for conducting City Council meetings, however, such ordinances shall provide the City’s citizens, or their representatives, an opportunity to comment on any matter on the agenda of any regular or special meeting of the Council prior to the Council voting on the matter. The City Secretary will maintain all minutes of all proceedings of the Council and make these available to citizens of the City.
Members of the Council present will vote, and have their votes recorded in the minutes, upon every action requiring a vote. Only in the event the vote involves the member’s conduct, or a conflict of interest, will the member recuse and the reasons for the recusal shall be noted in the minutes. The rules set forth elsewhere in this Charter will control conflict of interest issues.
The Council may adopt or amend any ordinance that is for the good of the City, as well as provide for the enforcement and punishment of ordinance violations in accordance with state law. All expenditure of City funds and contracting of City indebtedness shall be by Council ordinance. All actions will state; “BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKEWAY”.
Every ordinance or resolution shall be introduced in written or printed form, and shall have a clearly summarized and fully descriptive title or caption. The reading aloud of the title or caption of the ordinance shall suffice as a reading of the ordinance or resolution in its entirety provided that a written or printed copy thereof has been furnished to each member of the Council prior to such meeting, and that a reasonable number of additional copies are available to interested citizens present at the Council meeting.
A majority of the Council present may require an ordinance to be read in its entirety. The affirmative vote of the majority of the Members of the Council present, except as otherwise required by statute, shall be necessary to adopt any ordinance or resolution.
The vote upon the passage of all ordinances and resolutions shall be recorded in a book kept for that purpose by the City Secretary. Every ordinance enacted shall be authenticated by the signature of the Mayor, or in the Mayor’s absence by the Mayor Pro Tem, and the City Secretary, and shall be systematically recorded and indexed in an ordinance book in a manner approved by the Council. It shall only be necessary to record the caption or title of ordinances in the minutes of the Council meetings.
Except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Texas or this Charter, the City secretary shall give notice of the enactment of every ordinance imposing any penalty, fine or forfeiture for any violation of its provisions, and of every ordinance relating to the budget, franchises, taxes or public utilities or the setting of the amounts or rates thereof, by causing the ordinance in full or its caption, including the penalty, to be published at least one time on the City website and in a newspaper of general circulation. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the correction, amendment, revision or codification of the ordinances of the City in book or pamphlet form.
(Amnd. by Ordinance 2014-08-18-01 at an election held on November 4, 2014, prop. 5; Amnd. by Ordinance 2018-01-16-03 at an election held on May 5, 2018, prop. G)
The Council may adopt emergency ordinances to protect life, property or the public peace in accordance with the applicable provisions of state and federal law. The ordinance shall plainly designate it as an emergency ordinance and shall contain a declaration stating that an emergency exists and describing it in clear and specific terms. The emergency will be effective for a maximum period of sixty days from enactment, except as noted below. It may be renewed if necessary by the procedures necessary for the enactment of a new ordinance.
Emergency ordinances may not levy taxes; grant, renew or extend a franchise, or regulate rates charged by any public utility.
Emergency ordinances may not authorize the borrowing of money except as otherwise provided for in this charter. Emergency ordinances authorizing the borrowing of money can stay in effect longer than sixty days.
The City may, by ordinance, adopt a codification of its ordinances, together with appropriate penalties for their violation, in accordance with and as authorized by the laws of the State of Texas.
The Council shall have the power to inquire into the conduct of any City office, department or agency and into the conduct or qualifications of any officer or employee of the City and to make investigations as to municipal affairs, and for these purposes may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and compel the production of books, papers and other evidence material to a specific inquiry. The Council shall establish by ordinance the procedures applicable to the investigations authorized herein, and shall set penalties for failure to comply therewith.