[Adopted as Ch. 1, Art. III, of the Town Code]
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-09]
A. 
Regular meetings of Council shall be held at the Town hall on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Written public notice of regular meetings shall be published at the beginning of each calendar year, which shall contain the dates, times, and place of such meetings. However, the Council may change or cancel scheduled dates and/or times pursuant to a majority vote of members present at any regular or special meeting with public notice of such change or cancellation, provided Council meets at least once each month as required by law.
B. 
Rescheduled regular meetings of Council shall be posted on the Town hall bulletin board or at www.townofpineridgesc.com at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, and shall be sent to available members of the news media by the Town Administrator. The public notice shall include the agenda, date, time, and place of the meeting.
C. 
Special meetings of Council may be held on the call of the Mayor, or by a majority of members of Council upon written notice. Notice of a special meeting shall be posted on the Town hall bulletin board or at www.townofpineridgesc.com at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, and shall be sent to available members of the news media by the Town Administrator. The public notice shall include the agenda, date, time, and place of the meeting.
D. 
Study sessions or work sessions may be held in the same manner and public notification as special meetings. Study sessions are informal sessions for discussion of issues, policies, and items for later official action. No vote or decisions shall be made in study sessions.
E. 
Executive sessions may be called in accordance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. Attendance at executive sessions shall be limited to members of Council and invitees unanimously approved by Council. No vote or formal action may be taken in executive session. It shall be unlawful for any person to disclose to another person or the public the substance of a matter discussed in executive session.
F. 
Emergency meetings may be held on the call of the Mayor, or by a majority of members of Council. They are only held if an unforeseen situation arises which will cause a crisis and Council must act with a sense of urgency (e.g., a natural or man-made disaster). Emergency meetings are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act's public notice and agenda requirements for public bodies. S.C. Code of Law § 5-7-250(d) and § 30-4-80. S.C. Code of Law § 30-4-80 does not relieve a public body from notice requirements regarding any statutorily required public hearing.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-09]
A. 
Matters to be considered by Council at a regular meeting shall be placed on a written agenda prepared by the Town Administrator not later than noon of the seventh day immediately preceding a regular scheduled meeting or 24 hours prior to a rescheduled meeting, special meeting, or study session. The agenda shall be posted on a bulletin board at Town Hall and the Town website at least 24 hours in advance of all meetings, with the exception of an emergency meeting. Persons requesting inclusion on the agenda shall state the topic and any request for special equipment prior to the deadline on an Agenda Request Form submitted to the Town Administrator.
B. 
Once an agenda for a regular, called, special, or rescheduled meeting is posted pursuant to this subsection, no items may be added to the agenda without an additional 24 hours' notice to the public, which must be made in the same manner as the original posting.
C. 
Action items may be added to an agenda after a meeting begins by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting; however, if the item is one upon which final action can be taken at the meeting or if the item is one in which there has not been and will not be an opportunity for public comment with prior public notice given in accordance with this section, it may only be added to the agenda by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting and upon a finding by the Town Council that an emergency or an exigent circumstance exists if the item is not added to the agenda.
A. 
A majority of the Council members serving shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting. In the absence of a quorum, members present may adjourn from time to time and seek attendance of absentees. A member disqualified from voting by state law due to a conflict of interest shall be counted for purposes of a quorum.
B. 
The Mayor, or in his/her absence the Mayor pro tempore, shall preside at all meetings. In the absence of the Mayor and Mayor pro tempore, the members present shall elect a presiding member.
A. 
Except as otherwise required by state law or ordinance, all proceedings of Council shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order. Questions of order shall be decided by the Mayor without debate, subject to appeal to the Council.
B. 
The order of business shall be as set forth on the meeting agenda, unless changed by majority consent.
C. 
A member of Council may not speak until recognized by the presiding officer. No member may speak on any question more than five minutes or more than twice without leave of Council, except to explain a vote.
D. 
Only members of Council may speak on a question. Discussion is not in order unless there is a pending question before the Council.
E. 
Remarks ruled out of order by the presiding officer may not be continued.
F. 
A person disrupting a meeting shall be requested to leave the meeting. Upon failure to leave, the disrupting person shall be subject to prosecution for violation of § 70-20 or disorderly conduct pursuant to § 181-9F of this Code.
A. 
A person placed on the agenda for a regular or special meeting will be recognized to speak for ten minutes, unless time is shortened or extended by the presiding officer.
B. 
At public hearings on zoning matters, proponents shall speak first for a maximum of five minutes per person and 30 minutes for all speakers. No person may speak more than once without permission of the presiding officer. Upon conclusion of proponents' presentation, opponents may speak under the same conditions. Thereafter, written comments from proponents, then from opponents, received prior to the hearing will be read in full or in summary by the presiding officer. Then, proponents will have two minutes for rebuttal, followed by two minutes for response by opponents.
C. 
At public hearing, other than zoning, each person addressing Council may speak once for a maximum of five minutes, unless shortened or extended by the presiding officer.
A. 
All actions of Council shall be by majority vote of members present and qualified to vote. Each member, including the Mayor, shall have one vote. No proxy or absentee vote may be cast.
B. 
The Mayor and each member of Council shall vote on every question by signifying "yes" or "no" except when required to refrain from voting by state law.
C. 
A roll call vote may be required by any member of Council.
D. 
The vote on every question shall be recorded in the minutes by the Town Administrator.
[Amended 9-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-10]
E. 
A member may have a position or reasons for voting for or against a measure recorded in the minutes by presenting the reasons in writing to Council at the next regular meeting.
A. 
A motion may be made orally or in writing; however, a motion shall be reduced to writing at the request of any member of Council.
B. 
A motion to reconsider must be made by a member who voted with the majority, and it must be made at the same or next succeeding meeting.
[Amended 9-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-10]
The Town Administrator shall keep minutes of all public meetings of the Council as permanent public records. At each regular Council meeting the minutes of the previous meetings shall be presented for approval. Unless a reading of minutes is requested by a member of Council, minutes distributed to each member prior to a meeting shall be approved or corrected and approved without a reading. Minutes shall not be considered the official record of a meeting until approved by the Council by vote at a public meeting. Minutes of executive sessions will not be taken.
[Amended 4-12-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-05]
A. 
The Mayor shall at the beginning of each fiscal year appoint or reappoint members to the following standing committees of Council, to serve at the pleasure of the Mayor:
(1) 
Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for the preparation and administration of a balanced budget, planning for and recommending methods to meet financial needs of the Town, monitoring revenues and expenditures, making financial reports to Council when requested, and such other fiscal duties as may be assigned by Council.
(2) 
Property and Recreation Committee. The Property and Recreation Committee shall be responsible for all planning, competitive bidding of construction projects, construction monitoring and progress reporting, regular and updating maintenance activities, and makes recommendations related to insuring named public structures, grounds and parking areas of the Town. The Committee shall have administrative responsibility over repairs, maintenance, excavation, planting and cutting of trees or vegetation on all public rights-of-ways, and public property in the Town. The Committee shall make recommendations to Town Council for programs of street or traffic flow improvements, beautification, and recreation opportunities that would improve the quality of life in the Town.
(3) 
Employee Grievance Committee. The Employee Grievance Committee shall be responsible for the hearing of all employee grievances. The Committee shall make recommendations to Town Council on employee grievance hearings. The Committee shall be comprised of three members with one acting as Administrative Liaison.
B. 
All standing committees shall study and report on such matters as may be referred to the committees by Council from time to time. Reports of standing committees shall be called for at Council meetings in the order listed above.
Council may create a committee, with members appointed by the Mayor, to assist Council or to hold a public hearing at any time upon a matter pending before it.
[Amended 9-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-10]
A. 
All meetings of committees shall be held in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.
B. 
Committee reports may be in writing. Reports involving expenditure of money shall include the amount to be expended, or an estimate thereof, and the proposed sources of funding.
C. 
All minutes and reports of committees shall be maintained by the Town Administrator as public records.
[Amended 9-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-10]
The Town Administrator shall attend all meetings of Council unless excused. He/she shall keep Council advised of the status of matters pending for Council consideration, make recommendations, present ordinances and resolutions for Council action, participate in the discussion of any matter involving the welfare of the Town including give notices of meetings, prepare and post the agenda, record votes of Council, keep minutes of Council meetings, and perform such other duties as may be assigned.
[Amended 7-11-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-07]
The Town Attorney shall attend meetings of Council when requested to do so. He/she may act as parliamentarian, propose ordinances and resolutions, review all ordinances, resolutions and legal documents presented to Council, and give opinions upon questions of procedure, form and law to any member of Council.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 1-314, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 7-11-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-07.
It shall be unlawful for any person to disrupt, interrupt, or interfere with the proceedings of Council, a committee of Council, a Town board or commission, municipal court, or any other official body while it is in session.