The legislative and governing body of the city shall consist of seven (7) councilmembers, and shall be known as “The City Council of the City of El Campo.”
(a) 
The members of the City Council shall be elected from the city by positions, in accordance with the election procedure set out in Article 5 of the Charter.
(b) 
The City Council of the City of El Campo shall be composed of seven (7) councilmembers whereby four (4) positions shall be by district and three (3) positions shall be “at large” positions. The candidates for the district positions shall reside in said voting district and shall be elected only of voters by majority vote residing within such district.
The candidates for the “at large” positions shall be elected by the voters of the entire city with three (3) such “at large” positions being elected by plurality vote. The initial procedure to implement this plan shall be determined by ordinance to be passed by the City Council in the year 1987, prior to the city election to be held the following year in 1988.
The City Council of the City of El Campo, Texas, shall by ordinance, to be passed in the year 1987, divide the city into four (4) separate voting districts, such voting districts to be composed of equal population density as near as possible in all four voting districts. Commencing in the year 1988, all seven (7) council positions shall be declared vacant and seven (7) councilmembers shall be elected, four (4) from district positions and three (3) councilmembers from “at large” positions. The council at its first meeting in January of 1988 shall by a toss of a coin determine the length of term of the district positions and the “at large” positions. One (1) of the two (2) to be one (1) year terms and the other to be two (2) year terms. Thereafter, and commencing with the city election in the year 1988, newly elected councilmembers terms of subsequent duly elected City Councilmembers shall be two (2) years. The district positions and “at large” positions to be in alternate years. Such term of office shall be for a period of two (2) years and until their successor is elected and qualified, unless their place is declared vacant under any of the provisions of this Charter. No councilmember shall be eligible to serve more than five (5) full consecutive terms. A person having served five (5) full consecutive terms shall again be eligible for election to the position of councilmember in the next general election that occurs after the expiration of the (5th) full consecutive term.
(c) 
The City Council, at its first meeting after each at-large election and qualification of members, shall install as Mayor the at-large member who received the most votes in said election. At the same meeting the at-large member who received the second most votes shall be installed as Mayor Pro-Tem. Should the member to be installed as Mayor or Mayor Pro-Tem choose not to serve in their respective offices, then the at-large member receiving the most votes following the declining member shall be installed in the vacant office and so forth for each vacant office. The Mayor being the at-large member with the most votes that is willing to serve in that office and the Mayor Pro-Tem being the at-large member with the second most votes that is willing to serve in that office. If none of the at-large members wish to serve as Mayor or Mayor Pro-Tem, City Council shall elect one of the district members to fill the vacant office(s).
Editor’s note–As determined by a coin flip and Ordinance No. 1988-03, adopted January 26, 1988, the terms for the office of the “at large” City Councilmembers were two years and the “district” positions were one year for the election held on May 7, 1988.
(Ordinance 2020-24, prop. H, adopted 11/9/20)
Each member of the City Council shall have and maintain the following qualifications: Shall be a resident citizen of the City of El Campo, shall be a registered and qualified voter of the State of Texas, shall have been such resident citizen of the City of El Campo for a period of not less than six (6) months immediately preceding the date of filing for their election, provided, however, that any person with the above qualifications, except as to residence, who shall have been a resident for a period of not less than one (1) year immediately preceding their election, of any of the territory not formerly within the corporate limits of said city, but which is annexed under the provisions of Section 1.03 of this Charter, shall be eligible for said office. If any councilmember fails to maintain the foregoing qualifications, or shall be absent from three (3) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings without valid excuse, the City Council must, at its next regular meeting, declare a vacancy to exist and shall fill said vacancy as set forth in Section 3.04 of this Charter.
The City Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications of its own members.
The City Council shall fix the compensation to be received by its members for attendance at its meeting; provided, however, that no member shall receive more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) in any one (1) month for attendance at such meetings. Councilmembers shall also be entitled to reasonable expenses while out of the city on city business.
When a vacancy occurs in the City Council after the filing deadline has expired for the election date for council members in the next May election but prior to February 1st of any year, the remaining members of the City Council must, within twenty (20) days after declaring a vacancy, appoint a person who possesses the qualifications required by this Charter of a council member, to serve as a successor council member for such vacated position until the immediate following May when such position shall be open to election for the then remaining term of such position, if any, or a new term if the regular term for such vacated position has expired. A vote of at least four (4) council members shall be required for the appointment of a qualified person to fill a vacancy. If a vacancy occurs after February 1st of any year but prior to the deadline for filing for election, the vacated position shall remain vacant until a successor council member is elected in the immediate following May election and the City Council shall not have the authority to appoint a successor to such vacated position.
(Ordinance 2020-24, prop. B, adopted 11/9/20)
All powers of the city and the determination of all matters of policy shall be vested in the City Council. Within limitation of the foregoing and among the other powers that may be exercised by the City Council, the following are hereby enumerated for greater certainty:
(a) 
Remove from office or position of employment in the city government, the city manager and any member of any board or commission.
(b) 
Establish, consolidate or abolish administrative departments and distribute the work of divisions.
(c) 
Adopt the budget of the city.
(d) 
Authorize the issuance of bonds by a bond ordinance.
(e) 
Inquire into the conduct of any office, department or agency of the city and make investigations as to municipal affairs.
(f) 
Appoint the members of all such boards and commissions as may be established by Charter, ordinance or otherwise and provide for the appointment of all vacancies to such boards and commissions and to further provide for such additional boards and commissions not otherwise provided for in this Charter, as may be deemed necessary and expand or reduce the number of members to any existing board and/or commission.
(g) 
Adopt and modify the zoning plan and all codes of the City. Adopt and modify the official map of the city.
(h) 
Adopt and modify the official map of the city.
(i) 
Regulate, license and fix the charges or fares made by any person, firm or corporation owning, operating or controlling any vehicle of any character used for the carrying of passengers for hire or the transportation of freight for hire on the public streets and alleys of the city.
(j) 
Fix the salaries and compensation of the city officers and employees, not otherwise provided for in this Charter.
(k) 
Provide for a sanitary sewer and water system and require property owners to connect their premises with such sewer system, and provide for penalties for failure to make sanitary sewer connections.
(l) 
Provide for sanitary garbage disposal and set fees and charges therefor, and provide penalties for failure to pay such fees and charges.
(m) 
Exercise exclusive dominion, control and jurisdiction in, upon, over and under the public streets, avenues, sidewalks, alleys, highways, boulevards and public grounds of the city and provide for the improvement of same as provided in Article 1105b, Chapter 9, Title 28 of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas of 1925, as now or hereafter amended.
(n) 
Compromise and settle any and all claims and lawsuits of every kind and character in favor of or against the City of El Campo.
Editor’s note–The statute cited above in subsection (m) is now located in V.T.C.A., Transportation Code, ch. 313.
The City Council shall hold at least two (2) regular meetings in each month at times to be fixed by it for such regular meetings, and 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 City Council may, at its discretion, decide to cancel one regular meeting in any one month, however, only two regular City Council meetings may be canceled in a calendar year. All meetings of the City Council shall be public and shall be held at the city hall, except that the City Council may designate another place for such meetings after publishing due notice thereof in one (1) issue of a newspaper in general circulation in the City of El Campo. The Mayor or any two (2) members of the City Council may call special meetings of the City Council at any time.
The City Council shall determine its own rules of procedure and may compel the attendance of its members. Four (4) of the qualified members of the City Council shall constitute a quorum to do business and the affirmative vote of a majority of those present shall be necessary to adopt any ordinance or resolution, except as otherwise provided for in this Charter. Provided however, that the criteria contained within Section 3C-5 of the Zoning Ordinance, as it relates to 75%, or 6 members, of City Council necessary to overrule certain Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations is applicable. Minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of the City 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 city. The vote upon the passage of all ordinances and resolutions shall be taken by a hand vote 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 person performing the duties of the City Secretary. Permanent recording of all ordinances shall be made within three (3) days after final passage.
Editor’s note–The cite to the zoning ordinance is now section 10.02.036 of the Code of Ordinances.
Every ordinance shall be introduced in written or printed form and, upon passage, shall take effect at the time indicated therein; provided that any ordinance imposing a penalty, fine or forfeiture for a violation of its provisions shall become effective not less than ten (10) days from the date of its passage; subject to the provisions of Article 7 of this Charter. The City Secretary shall give notice of the passage of every ordinance imposing a penalty, fine or forfeiture for a violation of the provisions thereof, by causing the caption or title, including the penalty, of any such ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation, published in the City of El Campo, at least twice within ten (10) days after the passage of said ordinance. The City Secretary shall note on every ordinance, the caption of which is hereby required to be published, and on the record thereof, the fact that same has been published as required by the Charter, and the date of such publication, which shall be prima facie evidence of the legal publication and promulgation of such ordinance; provided, that the provisions of this Section shall not apply to the correction, amendment, revision and codification of the ordinances of the city for publication in book or pamphlet form. Except as otherwise provided by Article 13 of this Charter, it shall not be necessary to the validity of any ordinance that it shall be read more than one time or considered at more than one session of the City Council. Every ordinance shall be authenticated by the signature of the Mayor and City Secretary and shall be systematically recorded and indexed in an ordinance book in a manner approved by the City Council. It shall only be necessary to record the caption or title of ordinances in the minutes or journal of council meetings. The City Council shall have power to cause the ordinances of the city to be corrected, amended, revised, codified and printed in code form as often as the City Council deems advisable, and such printed code, when adopted by the City Council shall be in full force and effect without the necessity of publishing the same or any part thereof in a newspaper. Such printed code shall be admitted in evidence in all courts and places without further proof. The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be: “Be it Ordained by the City Council of the City of El Campo.”
The City Council shall have power to inquire into the conduct of any office, department, agency, officer or employee of the city and to make investigations as to municipal affairs, and for that purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and compel the production of books, papers and other evidence. Failure to obey such subpoena or to produce books, papers or other evidence as ordered under the provisions of this Section shall constitute a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by fine not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00).
The City Council shall cause a continuous audit to be made of the books and accounts of each and every department of the city. At the close of each fiscal year a complete audit shall be made by a certified public accountant or licensed public accountant to be selected by the City Council, and such audit shall include a recapitulation of all audits made during the course of each fiscal year, and all audit reports shall be filed with the City Council, shall be available for public inspection, and shall be made a part of the archives of the city. Such accountant, so selected, shall not maintain or keep any of the city’s accounts or records.