[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of
the Village of Elm Grove 1-8-1962; as amended through 10-8-1990. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
The Village Board of the Village of Elm Grove shall
consist of the President and six Trustees, in whom shall be vested
all the powers of the Village not specifically given some other officer
or statutory commissions or boards, and their duties and responsibilities
are set out as follows, but without limitation by reason of the recitation
of such duties in these rules:
(1)
President. The Village President shall have such powers
as are set out in § 61.24, Wis. Stats., except that the President
shall not be required to countersign drafts, orders, or transfers
of funds.
[Amended 10-27-2009]
(2)
Trustees. The Trustees, together with the President,
shall be vested with all the powers of the Village not specifically
granted by ordinance or otherwise to specified Village officers or
statutory commissions or boards, and the Village Board as such shall
have and exercise all the powers granted pursuant to § 61.34,
Wis. Stats.
B.
Election and terms of office. The terms of office
of the President and Trustees shall be for two years. The President
and three of such Trustees shall be elected in odd-numbered years,
and three of such Trustees shall be elected in even-numbered years.
The terms of office of the President and Trustees shall commence on
the day provided pursuant to § 61.23(2), Wis. Stats.
C.
Vacancies. A vacancy in the office of President or
Trustee shall be filled by appointment pursuant to § 17.24(1),
Wis. Stats.
D.
Removal. Any member of the Village Board may be removed
by a majority vote of all members of such Board because of continuing
physical inability to perform the duties of office or gross neglect
of duty.
A.
Regular meetings. All regular meetings of the Village
Board of the Village of Elm Grove shall be held in the Village Hall
in said Village at the hour of 7:00 in the evening on the fourth Tuesday
of each and every month, except when the day so designated shall fall
on a legal holiday, and in that event such meetings shall be held
on the preceding Tuesday.
[Amended 2-26-2002; 1-28-2014; 4-24-2023]
B.
Special meetings. All special meetings of the Board
shall be held in the Village Hall. Special meetings of the Board may
be called by the President or any two Trustees in writing, filed with
the Village Clerk, who shall notify each member of the Board of the
time and purpose of such special meeting by causing 48 hours' notice
thereof to be given to each member of the Board personally or left
at his or her residence. Special meetings may be held without the
notice specified in this subsection when all members of the Board
are present in person or consent in writing to the holding of said
meeting.
C.
Presiding officer. The President shall, by virtue
of his/her office, preside at all meetings of the Board. In the absence
of the President, the meetings shall be opened by the Village Clerk
and a temporary Chairperson shall then be selected by a majority of
the Board members present.
D.
Preservation of order. If any member transgresses
the rules of the Village Board, the presiding officer shall call him
or her to order, in which case the member called to order shall immediately
be silent, unless permitted by the Board to explain. Such member may
appeal to the full Board to decide the matter, if he or she so desires.
E.
Recognition. When a member is about to speak, he or
she shall address himself or herself to the presiding officer, who
shall recognize him or her as entitled to speak. When more than one
member shall claim the right to speak at the same time, the presiding
officer shall decide which member is entitled to speak. A member shall
confine his or her remarks to the question under discussion and avoid
all personalities.
F.
Quorum. Four Trustees shall constitute a quorum in
order to transact business, but a lesser number may adjourn from time
to time. A majority of all the members of the Board present at the
meeting in favor of any proposed ordinance, resolution or appointment
shall be necessary for passage or approval, unless a greater number
of the full Board is required by statute or Village ordinance.
G.
Question of order. The deliberations of the Board
while in session shall be governed by the manual of parliamentary
practice commonly known as "Robert's Rules of Order," except as otherwise
limited or modified by these rules.
H.
Committees. Each of the standing advisory committees shall consist of not fewer than three Trustee members. The Chairperson and members of such committee shall be nominated by the President and approved by the Board of Trustees. Resident members of such committees may be appointed in the manner provided in § 80-3B of these rules.
I.
Conduct of standing advisory committees. Every paper,
writing and every manner of proceeding submitted to the Board for
the first time for action thereon may be referred by the President
to the appropriate committee for attention and report. Each such committee
shall hold whatever meetings are necessary to consider the matters
referred to it for study and investigation. In no event shall any
committee be permitted more than three months within which to report
on any matter assigned to it, unless a longer time is permitted such
committee by Board action. Minority reports may be submitted. Any
committee may require any Village officer to confer with it and supply
information needed in connection with any matter pending before such
committee.
J.
Order of business. The business of the Board shall
be conducted in the following manner:
(1)
Roll call.
(2)
Joint public hearings with committees or commissions.
(3)
Opening of meeting to public requests and discussions.
During such discussions, no member of the public shall be entitled
to speak unless recognized by the presiding officer.
(4)
Consideration of minutes of previous meetings and
approval of submitted agenda.
(5)
Report of the Village President.
(6)
Report of Village officers.
(7)
Reports of committees.
(8)
Approval of vouchers.
(9)
Unfinished and miscellaneous business.
(10)
New business.
K.
Submission of questions. Every motion or proposition
submitted to the Board for consideration shall be reduced to writing
if the President or a majority of the members of the Board so require.
Any ordinance submitted to the Board shall be in writing.
L.
Action on questions. When a motion is made and seconded,
it shall be deemed to be before the Board and shall be stated by the
President or, if in writing, read by the Clerk previous to debate.
Any proposed ordinance, order or resolution, after reference to a
committee and a report had thereon, may be recommitted to such committee
by the Board at any time previous to its final passage. It shall be
in order for any member voting with the majority to move for reconsideration
of the vote on any question no later than the next succeeding regular
meeting. A motion to reconsider being made and lost shall not be renewed.
M.
Participation of public in debate. After preliminary
discussion by any of the members of the Board on any question before
it for consideration, any member of the public present at a meeting
of the Board may rise and request recognition from the presiding officer
to make a statement with regard to the matter under discussion. The
presiding officer may, in his or her discretion, recognize such member
of the public and, upon recognition, he or she shall be permitted
to make a statement with regard to the question before the Board.
Such statement shall be limited specifically to the matter at issue.
N.
Debate of questions. Any member desirous of terminating
the debate may call for the question, and the question announced by
the presiding officer shall then be "Shall we close debate?" If 2/3
of the members present vote in the affirmative, debate shall terminate
and the Board shall then vote, first upon pending amendments and then
upon the main question.
O.
Voting. The president votes as a member of the Board.
All questions shall be decided by roll call of the members, if a demand
for such roll call is made. A Trustee may not change his or her vote
on any question after the result has been announced.
P.
Suspension of rules. Any of the provisions of these
rules, except quorum and voting requirements, may be suspended temporarily
by a unanimous vote of the Board members in attendance.
Q.
Amendments. These rules of procedure may be amended
at any meeting of the Village Board, in which action a majority of
the full Village Board shall concur.
R.
Organizational meeting. In each calendar year during
which a regular spring election is held for the election of Trustees
and/or President of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees shall,
on or about the third Tuesday in April of said year, hold an organizational
meeting for the purpose of creating committees and/or filling vacancies
in such other offices and boards as are then appropriate.
S.
Audio and/or video conferencing devices.
[Added 4-22-2003]
(1)
Legislative findings. The Village Board hereby finds
that:
(a)
Modern communication technology enables people to
interact without restrictions of geography or distance; and
(b)
Local elected officials, who are part-time and not
compensated, often have commitments outside of government, or other
government commitments, that prevent them from being physically present
at all official meetings; and
(c)
The use of communication technology has the potential
to increase the efficiency of government by allowing participation
by those unable to be physically present.
(2)
Village Board meeting.
(a)
Any Village Board member who, for good cause, is unable
to be physically present at a meeting of the Board may request, prior
to the meeting, the consent of the Village President to participate
in the meeting by audio and/or video conferencing devices. Upon a
showing of good cause, as determined by the President at his/her sole
discretion, such a request may be granted subject to authorization
at the time of participation. If the requesting member is unable to
contact the President, the next most senior member of the Board may
consent to the request in his/her place. When a member participates
by audio and/or video conferencing devices, the device(s) shall be
placed in the meeting room so that the member not physically present
can hear and be heard by all those who are physically present, including
all members of the public in attendance.
(b)
A Board member who is not physically present at a
Village Board meeting, but participates by audio and/or video conferencing
devices, shall be counted towards a quorum and shall be entitled to
fully participate at the meeting. However, such Board member shall
abstain from voting on matters that require the visual assessment
of a witness' demeanor, or matters that require the visual assessment
of physical evidence or exhibits that have not been directly observed
or reviewed by the member.
(3)
Village Board committee meeting.
(a)
Any member of any committee of the Board who, for
good cause, is unable to be physically present at a meeting of the
committee may request, prior to the meeting, the consent of the committee
chairperson to participate in the meeting by audio and/or video conferencing
devices. Upon a showing of good cause, as determined by the chairperson
at his/her sole discretion, such a request may be granted. If the
requesting member is unable to contact the chairperson, the next most
senior member of the committee may consent to the request in his/her
place. When a committee member is allowed to participate by audio
and/or video conferencing devices, the devices shall be placed in
the meeting room in a way that the committee member not physically
present can hear and be heard by all those who are physically present,
including all individuals of the public in attendance.
(b)
A committee member who is not physically present at
a committee meeting, but participates by audio and/or video conferencing
devices, shall be counted towards a quorum and shall be entitled to
fully participate at the meeting. However, such committee member shall
abstain from voting on matters that require the visual assessment
of a witness' demeanor, or matters that require the visual assessment
of physical evidence or exhibits that have not been directly observed
or reviewed by the committee member.
[Amended 3-8-1999; 6-14-1999; 12-11-2000; 3-23-2004; 2-27-2023]
A.
The following shall constitute the standing advisory committees of
the Village Board to which there shall be referred, when deemed advisable,
questions pertaining to the subject matter appearing under the designation
of such committees, as follows, and such other subjects as may be
referred to such committees by action of the Village Board. Except
as otherwise indicated, the terms of such committees shall be for
a period of one year and shall extend to the third Tuesday of April
of each year.
(5)
Public Works/Utilities Committee.
(6)
Sustainability Subcommittee.
(a)
Jurisdiction of this Subcommittee shall entail providing guidance
on and supporting projects as approved by the Public Works/Utilities
Committee and the Village Board in an attempt to achieve balance in
the Village of Elm Grove between economic, social and ecological needs
of its residents and businesses. Any recommendation advanced by the
Sustainability Subcommittee needs to be supported by the Public Works/Utilities
Committee before advancing to the Board of Trustees for consideration.
(b)
Shall consist of up to eight members plus a Trustee member of the Public Works/Utilities Committee who has been designated to serve on this Subcommittee pursuant to § 80-2H who shall serve as the representative of the Subcommittee to the Public Works/Utilities Committee.
(c)
May be led by a Chair or Co-Chairs elected by the entire membership
of the Subcommittee.
(e)
Except for the Trustee member per § 80-2H all members of this Subcommittee may self-nominate themselves to the Village President and be appointed by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees, notwithstanding § 80-2(H), for a term commencing on May 1 of each year and ending on the Monday before the third Tuesday in April of the following year. The initial term of each nontrustee Subcommittee member shall commence upon appointment by a majority of the Board of Trustees and shall end on the Monday before the third Tuesday in April of the following year.
(f)
No social media page independent of the one maintained officially
by the Village of Elm Grove may be established on behalf of the Sustainability
Subcommittee.
B.
Nontrustee members.
(1)
The Chairperson of any standing advisory committee of the Village
Board may recommend to the Board of Trustees for approval the appointment
of nontrustee members to such committee, whether residents or persons
engaged in business in the Village, not to exceed two in number per
committee except as follows:
(a)
The Finance and Licensing Committee may, upon recommendation
of its Chairperson, include not more than three nontrustee members;
and
(b)
The Public Safety Committee, Public Works/Utilities Committee,
and Recreation and Park Committee may each, upon recommendation of
their respective Chairpersons, include not more than five nontrustee
members.
(c)
The Sustainability Subcommittee may include not more than eight
nontrustee members, including one nonresident business owner.
(2)
Nontrustee members shall participate in all discussions of such committees
and shall be voting members thereof.
(3)
The number of nontrustee members not residents of the Village shall
not exceed one in number per committee.
