[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of
the Town of Louisa 5-28-1981 as Ch. 2, Art. II, Div. 1, 2 and 3,
of the 1981 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
The regular meeting of the Town Council shall
be held on the third Tuesday of each month at a time directed by the
Town Council and with proper notice provided to the public in accord
with the requirements of the Code of Virginia. When any regular meeting
falls on a legal holiday, such regular meeting may then be held upon
the next Tuesday following.
The Town Council of the Town may be convened
at any time for a special meeting upon the reasonable call of the
Mayor or any three Council members. The call in such case shall state
the purpose for which it is to be held, and no business shall be transacted
at a special meeting except the business for which the meeting was
called, except by the unanimous consent of all members of the Council
present.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
A person is guilty of disorderly conduct if,
with the intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm
or recklessly creating a risk thereof, he willfully or being intoxicated,
whether willfully or not, disrupts any public or closed meeting of
the Town Council or any division, committee, agency or authority thereof,
if such disruption prevents or interferes with the orderly conduct
of such meeting or has a direct tendency to cause acts of violence
by the person or persons at whom, individually, such disruption is
directed, and, upon conviction of this offense, shall be punished
by a fine not exceeding $2,500 or confinement in jail not exceeding
12 months, or both, in the discretion of the jury or court trying
the case without a jury.
[Amended 6-18-1991 by Ord. No. 1991-1]
A. The Mayor shall, at the first regular meeting of the
Town Council at the beginning of each fiscal year, appoint the following
standing committees:
(1) Committee on Streets and Sidewalks.
(2) Committee on Police Matters.
(3) Committee on Water and Sewer.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
(5) Committee on Finance.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
(7) Committee on Refuse Collection, Recycling, and Litter
Control.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
(8) Committee on Legal Matters.
B. The Mayor and Town Manager are ex officio members
of all committees.
It shall be the duty of each of the committees referred to in §
31-4 to exercise a general supervision of those matters and things which belong to, affect or pertain to its department of the public affairs and to report thereon to the Town Council at each regular meeting or whenever such report is called for by the Mayor or Town Council. Each committee shall have authority, with approval of the Mayor, to cause repairs to be made and disruptions to be remedied affecting those things belonging to its department where such repairs or remedies are too urgent to be delayed and the cost thereof does not exceed $250. A detailed report of such expenditure shall be made to the Town Council at the next regular meeting after such expenditure.
The Mayor shall also from time to time appoint
special committees as shall be deemed advisable by him or by the Town
Council for such period of time as may be necessary, provided that
the term of any such committee shall expire at the end of the term
of the Council during which appointed, if not sooner ended.
Three members of the Town Council shall constitute
a quorum. If a quorum of the Town Council fails to attend within half
an hour after the appointed time of a meeting, those present may adjourn
to such time as they may deem proper, and the Town Clerk shall enter
the names of those present and those absent on the journal.
After a member of the Town Council, at any meeting,
has been recorded as present, he shall not, without the permission
of the presiding officer, absent himself from such meeting until the
adjournment.
[Amended 6-18-1991 by Ord. No. 1991-1]
The order of business of the Town Council at
a regular meeting shall be according to an agenda prepared by the
Town Manager.
Any member of the Council desiring to offer
a motion or speak in debate shall address the presiding officer and
be recognized before proceeding.
No person who is not a member of the Council
shall orally address the Council without leave having first been granted
by the Mayor on motion of some member thereof.
While a question is under debate, no motion
shall be entertained except to amend, commit, postpone, for the previous
question, lay on the table or adjourn. The previous question shall
be called at any time by three members of the Council. A motion to
adjourn shall always be in order and shall be decided without debate.
While the presiding officer is putting any motion
or reporting any measure, no one shall entertain private discourse.
[Amended 6-18-1991 by Ord. No. 1991-1]
The actual vote of each Council member present
shall be recorded in the minutes.
Upon any ordinance or resolution, every member
present shall, unless prohibited by the Virginia Conflict of Interests
Act, § 2.2-3100A et seq. of the Code of Virginia, vote yea
or nay or abstain from voting by so stating.
Every appointment to office by the Council shall
be viva voce vote, and the votes of a majority of the members present
shall be requisite for a choice.
No rule of the Council shall be suspended without
the concurrence of a majority of the members present.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
All unfinished business shall be listed and
reported to the Council at the next regular meeting by the Town Manager.