The council shall consist of a mayor and five (5) councilmember who shall be elected in the manner provided by this Charter to serve for a term of two (2) years or until their successors have been elected and have qualified. The terms of office of three (3) council positions shall be staggered one (1) year from those of the mayor and the other two (2) positions.
At the time of his/her election, the mayor and each councilperson shall be a qualified voter of the city, shall have resided in the city and in his/her district at least one (1) year immediately preceding his/her election, and shall hold no other elective public office, appointive city office, nor be an employee of the city. Members of the council must resign before seeking another public office unless the election is held at the expiration of his/her term. If the mayor or any councilperson shall cease to possess any of the above-mentioned qualifications or be convicted of a felony, his/her office shall immediately become vacant.
(Amnd. by referendum 2/6/86)
Vacancies in the council, including the office of mayor, shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members of the council, provided, however, that in the event two (2) or more vacancies occur at the same time, such vacancies shall be filled at a special election to be called by the remaining members of the council.
Where only one (1) vacancy in the city council, including the office of mayor is filled, the appointee filling the vacancy shall hold the office for the unexpired term of his/her predecessor.
(Amnd. by referendum 4/4/72)
All powers of the City of Edna, and the determination of all matters of policy shall be vested in the city council. Except where in conflict with and otherwise expressly provided by this Charter, the city council shall have all powers authorized to be exercised by the city council by Chapter 4 of Title 28, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes, and acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, now or hereafter enacted, without limitation of the foregoing and among the other powers that may be exercised by the council, the following are hereby enumerated for greater certainty:
(1) 
Appoint and remove the city manager.
(2) 
Establish other administrative departments and distribute the work of the divisions.
(3) 
Adopt the budget of the city.
(4) 
Authorize the issuance of bonds by a bond ordinance.
(5) 
Inquire into the conduct of an office, department or agency of the city and make investigations as to municipal affairs.
(6) 
Provide for a planning commission, a zoning commission and board of adjustment, and appoint the members of such commissions and boards. The planning and zoning commissions may be combined. Such boards and commissions shall have all powers and duties now or hereafter conferred and created by this Charter, by city ordinance or by law.
(7) 
Adopt plats.
(8) 
Adopt and modify the official map of the city.
(9) 
Adopt, modify and carry out plans proposed by the planning commission for the replanning, improvement and redevelopment of neighborhoods and for the replanning, reconstruction or redevelopment of any area or district which may have been destroyed in whole or in part by disaster.
(10) 
Adopt, modify and carry out plans proposed by the planning commission for the clearance of slum districts and rehabilitation of blighted areas.
(11) 
Regulate, license and fix the charges or fares made by any person 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.
(12) 
Provide for the establishment and designation of fire limits and to prescribe the kind and character of buildings or structures or improvements to be erected therein, and to provide for the erection of fireproof buildings within certain limits, and to provide for the condemnation of dangerous structures or buildings or dilapidated buildings calculated to increase the fire hazard, and the manner of their removal or destruction.
(Amnd. by referendum 4/2/68)
The council shall have the power to inquire into the official conduct of any department, agency, office, officer, or employee of the city, and into any other matters of proper concern to the Municipal Government. For this purpose the council shall have the power to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, and to compel the production of books, papers, and other evidence material to the inquiry. The council shall provide by ordinance, penalties for contempt in failing or refusing to obey any such subpoena or to produce any such books, papers, or other evidence, and shall have the power to punish any such contempt in the manner provided by that ordinance.
Neither the council nor any of its members shall direct the city manager or any of his/her subordinates to appoint or to remove from office or employment any person except a person whose office is filled by appointment of the council under the provisions of this Charter. Except for the purpose of inquiry and investigation, the council and its members shall deal with the administrative services of the city solely through the city manager; and neither the council nor any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinate of the city manager, either publicly or privately.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of city manager, the mayor shall act as city manager until such time as the city council can meet and appoint a temporary or acting manager.
(Amnd. by referendum 4/1/78; Ordinance 84-02 adopted 2/15/84)
The mayor shall be elected in the manner provided by this Charter to serve for a term of two (2) years or until his/her successor has been elected and qualified. The mayor shall preside at all meetings of the council and shall be recognized as head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes, for the purpose of receiving service or civil process, for emergency purposes, and for military purposes, but he/she shall have no regular administrative duties. The mayor, as a member of the council, shall be entitled to vote only in case of a tie and shall have no veto power. At its first regular meeting following each regular election of council members, the mayor shall appoint one of its members as mayor pro-tem, subject to approval by the council.
The mayor pro-tem shall serve for one (1) year and shall act as mayor during the absence or disability of the mayor, and shall have power to perform every act the mayor could perform if present.
There shall be regular meetings of the council which shall be held at such times and places as shall be prescribed by ordinance or resolution. Special meetings which shall be for a specific purposes (or purposes) may be called at any time by the city manager upon request of the mayor or three (3) councilmember and no action shall be taken on other matters. Notice of special meetings shall be given to each member of the council at his/her regular address. Such notice shall include statement of the purpose of the special meeting.
a) 
Minutes of all meetings of the council shall be promptly entered within seventy-two (72) hours on the minute book of the council, and the city secretary shall provide a permanent and adequate index showing the action of the council in regard to all matters submitted to it at both regular and special meetings. Minutes shall be kept in written or recorded form.
b) 
The city council shall fix the compensation, if any, to be received by its members for attendance at its meetings. They shall be entitled to reimbursement of and for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties, when approved by the council.
c) 
All meetings of the city council shall be held in accordance with the legal requirements of the Texas Open Meeting Law.
(Amnd. 4/7/70; Amnd. 4/1/78; Amnd. at an election held May 1, 2021)
The council shall by ordinance determine its own rules and order of business. A quorum of the council, which shall consist of three (3) councilmember and the presiding officer, shall be necessary for the transaction of business, but no ordinance shall, be of any force or effect unless it is adopted by the favorable votes of a majority of the council. A majority of the council shall consist of three (3) councilmember or two (2) councilmember and the presiding officer. If a member of the council is absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings without explanation acceptable to a majority of the council, he/she may be removed from office at the next regular meeting. The council may adopt such rules and prescribe such penalties as it may see fit to enforce the attendance of its members at all regular and called meetings of the council or its committees. Minutes of all meetings of the council shall be taken and recorded by the city secretary or one of his/her assistants, and such minutes shall constitute a public record.
(Amnd. by referendum 4/5/80)
The council shall legislate by ordinance only, and the enacting clause of every ordinance shall be “Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Edna.” All ordinances, unless otherwise provided by law or this charter or by the terms of such ordinance, shall take effect immediately upon the final passage thereof.
Each proposed ordinance or resolution shall be introduced in written or printed form and shall not contain more than one (1) subject which shall clearly be expressed in the title, except ordinances or resolutions making appropriations or authorizing the contracting of indebtedness or issuance of bonds. No ordinance, unless it be declared an emergency measure, shall take effect until it has been passed, read and voted upon at two (2) regular meetings of the city council and the caption thereof printed once in the official newspaper. No ordinance imposing any fine, penalty or forfeiture shall take effect until ten (10) days after the caption thereof has been published.
The Code of Ordinances adopted on January 10, 1962, shall continue in effect and council shall revise, expand or recodify as may be required by law or the needs of the city. A printed copy of the city’s Code of Ordinances shall be admitted in evidence in all courts of the existence and regular enactment of all ordinances herein set forth.
(Amnd. by referendum 4/2/68; amnd. by referendum 4/2/74)