The number of Council persons, their terms, election and qualifications
and the filling of Council vacancies shall be as provided in the Charter.
A.
The day, time and place of the organization meeting of
the Council shall be as provided in the Charter.
B.
The first order of business shall be the election of
a President and a Vice President of the Council and such other officers required
by the Charter or as the Council may deem appropriate.
C.
In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall
exercise the duties of the President. In the absence of both the President
and the Vice President, the Council shall elect a President pro-tem who shall
have all the powers of the President.
A.
If a quorum of Council members is not present at the
organizational meeting, those present shall adjourn the meeting until a quorum
is achieved. If the Council members fail to organize within 10 days from the
time prescribed by the Charter, the Common Pleas Court upon the petition of
10 registered electors, verified by the affidavit of one of the petitioners,
shall issue a rule upon the delinquent member(s) to show cause why their seats
should not be declared vacant. After hearing, the Court may declare the seats
of any delinquent vacant.[1]
B.
Such vacancies shall be filled in accordance with the
Charter provisions of Section 207.2.
A.
Public notice. Provisions governing public notice of
meetings shall be as provided by law.
B.
Regular meetings. It shall be the duty of Council to
meet at least once a month at the Township Building at dates and times which
Council shall establish annually at the reorganization meeting. In the event
Council anticipates public attendance which cannot be accommodated at the
Township Building, Council may hold the meeting in another building located
in the Township. The Council may adjourn to a stated time for general business
or for special business. If no quorum is present at a stated monthly or adjourned
meeting, a majority of those who do meet may agree upon another date for a
meeting and may continue to do so until the meeting is held.[1]
C.
Special meetings. Special meetings may be called by the
President of the Council or upon the written request of 1/3 of the members
of the Council. A written notice shall be delivered to each Council member
at least 24 hours before a special meeting is held. Such notice shall specify
the time and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted.
No other business shall be considered at such meeting by the Council. Presence
at the meeting constitutes waiver of notice.
D.
Emergency meetings. The Council may hold and take action
at an emergency meeting at any time. Such emergency meetings may be called
by the President or by any member of Council, provided that a quorum is present
as provided in the Charter and a majority of the Council determine that the
holding of such meeting and the taking of emergency action at that time is
necessary to protect or promote the public health and safety and welfare of
the Township.
E.
Executive sessions. The Council may work in private sessions
as provided by law. No official action shall be taken by the Council on any
matter in executive session.
All regular, special and emergency meetings of the Council shall be
open to the public as provided by law.
A.
The proposed agenda for any meeting of the Council shall
be prepared by the Manager in consultation with the President or a Councilmanic
committee created for that purpose.
B.
The proposed agenda for any stated meeting shall be forwarded
to all members of the Council and be available to the public at least three
days prior to the stated monthly meeting. In addition, the approved agenda
for stated monthly meetings, adjourned monthly meetings, special meetings,
and, where possible, emergency meetings, shall be posted on the bulletin board
in the Township Building and in other places in the Township of frequent public
use.
C.
The title of any ordinance or resolution to be considered
shall be published as part of the agenda.
A.
At the time appointed for any meeting of the Council,
the President shall take the chair and call the meeting to order. If a quorum
is present, as provided in the Charter, the President shall proceed with the
order of business prescribed for the meeting. If a quorum is not present,
the President may order a recess for a period of up to 30 minutes, and if
a quorum has not developed by that time, the President shall declare the meeting
adjourned.
B.
Unless a majority of the Council votes otherwise, the
order of business for each regular meeting shall be as follows:
C.
The presiding officer shall have the right to place any
item of controversy in any order of the agenda deemed advisable.
A.
The presiding officer shall be responsible for the orderly
conduct of business at each Council meeting and shall preserve order and decorum
at such meetings.
B.
The Council at its organizational meeting may adopt additional
rules governing its procedure. The presiding officer shall announce all decisions
of the Council and shall decide all questions of order without debate, subject,
however, to an appeal by any Council member. Any ruling by the presiding officer
may be overruled by a majority of the members present.
C.
Every member of the Council desiring to speak shall address
the chair and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine remarks
to the question under debate, avoiding all indecorous language or reference
to personalities. A member of the Council, once recognized, shall not be interrupted
when speaking unless it is for the purpose of calling such person to order.
If a member of the Council, while speaking, is called to order, that person
shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined. When two or
more members request the floor at the same time, the presiding officer shall
name the one entitled to the floor.
D.
The roll of members shall be called alphabetically, except
that the President shall be called last.
E.
The President of Council shall have authority to specify
time limit on matters under discussion, subject to confirmation of Council.
A.
A citizen shall be provided the opportunity to address
the Council on any agenda item without written notice. The presiding officer
may limit the time each person shall speak, giving equal time to all. Such
discussion shall occur prior to the vote on the agenda item.[1]
B.
When a group of persons wishes to address the Council
on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to
request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the Council
and to limit the number of persons addressing the Council on the same matter
so as to avoid unnecessary repetition.
C.
Any person making threatening, slanderous or obscene
remarks or who makes threats against any person or against public order and
security while in the Council chamber shall be forthwith barred by the presiding
officer from further audience at the meeting unless permission to continue
be granted by the majority vote of Council members present.
Official actions of the Council shall be taken by ordinance, resolution,
or motion, as provided in the Charter.
Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form
required by the Charter for final adoption. An ordinance may be introduced
by any member of the Council at any stated monthly or special meeting of the
Council.
A.
Codes of technical regulations. The Council may adopt
any standard code of technical regulations by reference thereto in an adopting
ordinance. The procedure and requirements governing such an adopting ordinance
shall be as prescribed for ordinances generally except that:
(1)
The requirements of this section for distribution and
filing of copies of the ordinance shall be construed to include copies of
the code of technical regulations as well as the adopting ordinance; and
(2)
A copy of each adopted code of technical regulations
as well as of the adopting ordinance shall be authenticated and recorded.
Council, at the organizational meeting, shall designate an individual
or firm of certified public accountants to perform an independent post-audit
as provided for in the Charter.
A.
Salary and expense reimbursement shall be as provided
in the Charter. Members of the Council shall be entitled to reimbursement
for actual expenses incurred provided that the expenditure:
B.
Errors and omissions insurance may be purchased by the
Township for officials and employees. The Township may act as self-insured
and provide coverage for officials in the amount of any deductible provision
in the errors and omissions insurance policy from time to time in effect.
Membership in and active participation in county and state associations
and applicable professional societies shall be encouraged for Councilmen,
Township officers, department heads, and other professional employees. The
Township Manager shall prepare, prior to the budget, the general attendance
plan for the year and the total expenditure to be so allocated. After the
budget approval the Manager shall be able to make adjustment in these plans
as necessary providing the overall expenditures are maintained per budget.
A.
The Township Manager shall establish guidelines for reimbursement
of travel and living expenditures. These guidelines shall be applied in uniform
manner to all departments.
B.
Prior to the attendance of any individual at a state
or national conference the Township Manager shall make a specific recommendation
and the Council shall approve in advance the attendance and expenditure for
this conference.
C.
The Council shall designate who shall be the Township's
official delegates to associations of which the Township is a declared participant.
Expense of Township membership in these associations shall be provided for
in the annual budget.
