Section 1-12. Agenda.
- All reports, communications, ordinances, resolutions, contract documents, and other matters submitted to the Board shall, at least five (5) days prior to each Board Meeting, be delivered to the Town Clerk whereupon he or she shall arrange a list of such matters according to the order of business and furnish each Board member, the Town Attorney, and any other entities the Board determines necessary, a copy of the same prior to the Board meeting and as far in advance of the meeting as is practical.
- For special meetings all reports, communications, ordinances, resolutions, contract documents and other such matters to be submitted to the Board shall be given to the town Clerk as far in advance of the special board meeting as possible whereupon he shall arrange a list of such matters according to the order of business and furnish each Board member, the Town Attorney and any other entities the Board determines necessary, a copy of the same forty-eight (48) hours prior to the special meeting.
Section 1-13. Quorum
Before processing the business of the Board, the Clerk or Deputy shall take the role of the members and those present shall be entered in the minutes. A majority of the Board shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.
Section 1-14. Minutes.
Unless a reading of the minutes of a board meeting is requested by a member of the Board, such minutes may be approved without reading.
Section 1-15. Order of Business.
All meetings of the Town Board shall be open to the public pursuant to the Statutes of the State of Oklahoma. Promptly at the hour set by law on the day of each regular meeting, the members of the Board, the Town Clerk, the Town Attorney, and the Town Treasurer shall take their regular stations in the board chambers and the business of the Board shall be taken up for consideration and disposition in the following order unless changed by the majority of the Board:
- Roll Call
- Consideration of Consent Agenda
- Consideration of items removed from the Consent Agenda
- Opening bids
- Awarding of Contracts
- Resolutions
- Ordinances
- Miscellaneous
- Reports of Officers and Boards
- Appointments
- Public Hearings
- Public Appearances, petitions, demonstrance, communications and personal appearances
- Adjournment
Section 1-16. Voting
All votes shall be by roll call vote and listed by the Board in accordance with the Statutes of the State of Oklahoma. The Mayor, Vice-Mayor or designate shall call the roll commencing with the first member of the Board continuing with the remaining Board members. The Mayor shall be called last. All members shall vote “yes” or “no” or “aye” or “nay” in accordance with the provisions of the Oklahoma State Statutes, and the records of such roll call vote shall be incorporated in the minutes of the meeting.
Section 1-17. Rules of Debate.
- Presiding officer not deprived of rights as board. The Mayor or Vice-mayor, or such other member of the Board as may be presiding, may move, second and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations of debate as are by these rules imposed on all members and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a board member by reason of his acting as the presiding officer.
- Privilege of closing debate. The Board member moving the adoption of an ordinance or resolution shall have the privilege of closing the debate on said ordinance or resolution.
Section 1-18. Addressing The Board.
Any person desiring to address the Board shall first secure the permission of the presiding Officer to do so.
- Taxpayers or residents of the Town, or their authorized legal representatives, may address the Board by oral communication on any matter or any matters over then under discussion. Preference shall be given to those persons who have notified the Town Clerk in advance of their desire to speak in order that the same may appear on the agenda of the Board. All remarks shall be addressed to the Board. All remarks shall be addressed to the Board as a body and not any member thereof. No person other than the Board and the person having the floor shall be permitted to enter into any discussion, either directly or through a Member of the Board without permission of the presiding officer.
- Presentation to Board after Motion, After a motion is made and seconded and pending before the Board, no person shall address the Board without first securing the permission of the presiding officer.
Section 1-19. Public Hearings.
- The Board of Trustees shall hold a public hearing open to all interested citizens when required to do so by the provisions of the Tryon Town Code, Oklahoma State Statutes or the United States of America. The Board of Trustees may order the holding of such other public hearings as they find to be necessary and in the best interests of the citizens of the Town of Tryon, Oklahoma. When. said Board shall direct that a special hearing be held at their order, they shall give at least five (5) days’ notice of the time and place of such hearing in an official paper of circulation within the municipality, and said hearing shall have the same effects, requirements, and be the same as those hearings held under the provisions of the Oklahoma State Statutes and the Tryon Town Code. All hearings shall be proceedings of the relative formality, open to the public, with definite issues of the facts or of law to be heard, and shall be much the same as trials in that a public hearing may terminate with the issuance of final order. All public hearings shall be held consistent with the issuance of final order. All public hearings shall be held consistent with the fundamental principles of justice embraced with the concept of due process of law and all authority exercised at said hearings shall be fairly exercised.
- Whenever a public hearing is held, the presiding officer shall first recess the board meeting and declare, “This is a pubic hearing“, naming the subject of such public hearing. Upon the presiding officer declaring the public hearing open, any interested person, or their authorized representatives may address the Board in regard to the matter then under consideration. During the public hearing, there shall be no debate by the board although questions may be asked of the persons advocating or wishing to speak in favor of the matter before the Board shall be heard first, then those persons desiring to speak against the matter shall be allowed to speak; whereupon those persons advocating or speaking in favor of said matter shall have the right of rebuttal. Those persons speaking against the matter shall not at that time be extended the right for rebuttal comments. After having conducted said public hearing and having reached the conclusion of the presentation of all views by the public, the presiding officer shall then declare the public hearing closed and shall recall the meeting to order.
Section 1-20. Decorum.
- By the public. Any person making personal, impertinent or slanderous remarks or who shall become boisterous while addressing the Board, shall be forthwith by the presiding officer barred and removed from further audience before the Board unless permission to continue be granted by a majority vote of the Board.
- Enforcement of decorum. The Chief of Police, or such member or members of the Police Department as he may so designate shall be sergeant-at-arms of the board meeting. He, or they, shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the board meeting. Upon instructions of the presiding officer, unless overruled by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees, it shall be the duty of the sergeant-at-arms, or any of them present, to place any person who violated the order and decorum of the meeting under arrest and cause him to be prosecuted under the provisions of the Tryon Town Code. The complaint so prosecuted shall be signed by the presiding officer of the Board of Trustees.
Section 1-21. Basis For Determining Voting Result.
All matters coming before the Board of Trustees of the Town of Tryon, Oklahoma, whether they be ordinances, contracts, resolutions, or matters of parliamentary procedure, and on which a vote is taken, shall require a majority vote of all duly elected, appointed and acting board before said matter shall pass.
Section 1-22. Ordinances, Resolutions and Contracts.
- Preparation of Ordinances. All ordinances and resolutions shall be prepared by and approved as to form by the Town Attorney.
- Introduction. Any ordinance or resolution may be introduced and sponsored by a member of the board or Town Attorney, and any member of the board may assume the sponsorship thereof by moving same on first reading, Every ordinance shall be introduced in writing and shall be made available for examination by any and all parties in the office of the Town Clerk.
- Passage and approval of ordinances.
- No ordinance shall relate to more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title, and no ordinance, or section thereof, shall be amended or repealed unless the new ordinance contains the title of the ordinance or section amended or repealed.
- Any board member may request a public hearing on any ordinance presented to the Board prior to its consideration for final adoption.
- Emergency ordinance; public hearing. An emergency ordinance may be adopted by a unanimous vote of 4/5ths of the members of the Tryon Board of Trustees on the grounds that it is immediately necessary for the preservation of peace, health, and safety.
- Introduction and passage of resolutions. A resolution may be adopted at the meeting at which it is introduced. It may be introduced orally, and following adoption, may be reduced to writing in a form approved by the Town Attorney.
- Approval of contracts or agreements. Contracts or agreements which seek to bind the Town may be approved by resolution or by simple motion which shall be adopted by a majority vote of the Board.
- Execution or ordinances, resolutions and agreements. Upon the final passage and adoption of any ordinance, resolutions, contracts and agreements adopted by the Board in his Presence, and the Town Clerk, or Deputy Town Clerk, shall attest to his signature. In the event of the absence of the Mayor, the Vice Mayor shall sign such ordinances, resolutions, contracts or agreements as then adopted.
Section 1-23. Motion to Table.
A motion to table any matter then under consideration, except during a public hearing, shall always be in order and decided without debate.
Section 1-24. Adjournment.
A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and decided without debate.