The person elected Mayor shall be the presiding officer of all meetings of the City Council and shall be the official head of the City government. The Mayor shall participate in the discussion of all matters coming before the City Council but shall not have a vote on matters before the City Council, except in the event of a tie.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
The City Council shall elect one of its members as Mayor Pro Tem for a one (1) year term. The Mayor Pro Tem shall perform the duties of Mayor in the case of the absence or inability of the Mayor to perform the duties of such office, and shall, during that time, be vested with all the powers belonging to the Mayor. In the absence of the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem, the Councilmember of greatest seniority shall preside over the meeting.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
A. 
Each candidate for election to the City Council or office of Mayor shall be a qualified voter of the City, shall be not less than twenty-one (21) years of age, shall have resided in the City not less than twelve (12) months immediately preceding Election Day and shall meet the requirements of the Texas Election Code. Each Councilmember and the Mayor must continually reside within the City during his or her term of office, and any removal of his or her residence from the City during his or her term of office shall constitute a vacation of his or her office, and such vacancy shall be filled as provided in Section 3.05.
B. 
The office of an incumbent elected City official shall become vacant when the person holding such office files an application to have his or her name placed on an official ballot as a candidate for any elective public office other than the one such person holds, unless otherwise prohibited by law.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
The Mayor and Councilmembers shall be entitled to reimbursement of all necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official Mayoral and City Council duties, upon approval of such expenses by the City Council.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
A. 
The office of a Councilmember or office of the Mayor shall become vacant upon his or her death, resignation, removal from office in any manner authorized by law, removal of his or her residence from the City, or other forfeiture of office.
B. 
A Councilmember or the Mayor shall forfeit his or her office if he or she (i) lacks at any time during his or her term of office any qualification for the office prescribed by this Charter or by State law, (ii) violates any express prohibition of this Section or any other provision of this Charter, (iv) [iii] fails to attend three (3) consecutive regular City Council meetings without being excused by the City Council, or (iv) is convicted of a felony, a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, or for violating any State laws regulating conflicts of interests of municipal officers. The foregoing list is not exclusive. Every forfeiture shall be declared and enforced by the City Council. The City Council shall convene a public hearing before exercising its authority under this Section, and permit the Councilmember to be heard regarding such forfeiture, if requested by such Councilmember.
C. 
If for any reason a single vacancy exists on the City Council, a majority of the remaining members, including the Mayor, may fill the vacancy by appointment unless an election to fill the vacancy is required by Article XI, Section 11, of the Texas Constitution. The person appointed to fill the vacancy serves until the next regular municipal election. In lieu of appointing a person to fill a vacancy on the City Council, a special election may be ordered to elect a person to fill the vacancy. If two or more vacancies on the City Council exist at the same time, a special election shall be ordered to fill the vacancies. If a vacancy exists in any other municipal office, the Mayor or acting Mayor shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy, subject to confirmation by the City Council.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held at City Hall at such times as may be prescribed from time-to-time by resolution of the City Council. Special meetings shall be called by the City Secretary upon request of the Mayor, City Manager, or three (3) or more Councilmembers. Notice of any regular or special meetings of the City Council shall state the subject to be considered at the meeting. Except as provided by State law, all official meetings of the City Council and of all committees thereof shall be open to the public. A majority of the City Council shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transaction of business. The City Council shall determine its own rules of procedure, may censure its members for misconduct, and may compel the attendance of absent members.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
All powers of the City 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 the powers authorized to be exercised by the Constitution and laws of the United States and the State of Texas and the acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, or hereafter enacted. Without 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:
(1) 
Appoint and remove the City Manager, Municipal Court Judge, and City Attorney, and confirm the appointment or removal of City Secretary;
(2) 
Designate items to appear on a future agenda of a City Council meeting for consideration and/or discussion;
(3) 
Establish administrative departments;
(4) 
Adopt the budget of the City;
(5) 
Collectively inquire into the conduct of any office, department, or agency of the City and make investigations as to municipal affairs;
(6) 
Provide for and appoint such boards, commissions, committees, task forces, and other appointed groups to assist the City Council in the performance of its duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary, each of which shall have all powers and duties now or hereafter conferred by City ordinance or by applicable law;
(7) 
Adopt and modify the official map of the City;
(8) 
Adopt, modify, and carry out plans in conjunction with the Planning & Zoning Commission for the planning, improvement, and redevelopment of specific areas of the City, or for the planning, reconstruction, or redevelopment of any area or district which may have been destroyed in whole or part by disaster;
(9) 
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 on the public streets and alleys of the City, in accordance with applicable State law;
(10) 
Provide for the establishment and designation of fire safety codes and prescribe the kind and character of buildings, structures, or improvements to be erected therein; provide for the erection of fireproof buildings within certain limits; and provide for the condemnation of dangerous structures, dilapidated buildings, or buildings calculated to increase the fire hazard, and the manner of their removal or destruction;
(11) 
Fix and regulate rates and charges of all utilities and public services, except as otherwise provided by State law;
(12) 
Adopt plats, unless otherwise provided by the City Council;
(13) 
Individually make inquiries of the City Manager regarding items and issues before the City Council in preparation for City Council or other meetings.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)
The City Council shall adopt and maintain, by ordinance or resolution, a Code of Ethics for the purpose of, among other things, establishing and defining the bounds of reasonable ethical behavior by the City Council and all appointed City officials.
(Ordinance 2022-12-02 adopted 12/6/2022)