TITLE: Title
Discussion of Board of Aldermen Meeting Schedule
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is to allow the Board of Aldermen to review their current meeting schedule and possibly discuss revisions.
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DEPARTMENT: Town Clerk, Town Manager
CONTACT INFORMATION: Cathy Dorando, David Andrews
INFORMATION: The last time that the Board of Aldermen discussed their current meeting makeup schedule was April 21, 2009. At that time, the following was adopted:
1. Designate the first and third Tuesdays of each month as regular Board of Aldermen meetings.
2. Designate the second Tuesday of each month for work sessions for discussion only with a three-hour time frame and discussion limited to the Mayor, Aldermen, and appropriate staff.
3. Designate the fourth Tuesday for public hearings and allow public comment on items scheduled for public hearings only; carryover of a continued public hearing until the fourth Tuesday of the following month unless it is determined that the hearing should be continued to a non-public hearing meeting because of scheduling conflicts. Avoid scheduling more than one conditional use permit hearing per meeting if possible.
4. Allow the Town Manager to use discretion in scheduling public hearings at one of the regular meetings when it will avoid an undue number of public hearings on the fourth Tuesday and it will not create an unreasonable number of agenda items for the regular meeting.
5. Inform the Manager of matters needing staff attention prior to meetings.
6. Agree to cancel public hearings and worksessions when there are no items scheduled
At this time, all Board of Aldermen meetings are held on Tuesdays and begin at 7:30 P.M. The Board has recently had several meetings that have run past the 10:00 P.M. requested end time for meetings and this has caused some frustration.
To address this, staff would like to allow the Board to discuss everything that they would like for their future meetings. This could include: offering flexible public hearing days by not focusing on the 4th Tuesday; beginning the meetings at an earlier time (food could be provided); having meetings on a day other than Tuesday; etc. Simply put, the Board’s meeting schedule is open to any changes that the Board would like to make. The General Statute guiding meetings is provided below for reference:
NCGA 160A-71 Regular and special meetings; recessed and adjourned meetings; procedure.
(a) The council shall fix the time and place for its regular meetings. If no action has been taken fixing the time and place for regular meetings, a regular meeting shall be held at least once a month at 10:00 A.M. on the first Monday of the month.
(b) (1) The mayor, the mayor pro tempore, or any two members of the council may at any time call a special council meeting by signing a written notice stating the time and place of the meeting and the subjects to be considered. The notice shall be delivered to the mayor and each councilman or left at his usual dwelling place at least six hours before the meeting. Only those items of business specified in the notice may be transacted at a special meeting, unless all members are present or have signed a written waiver of notice. In addition to the procedures set out in this subsection or any city charter, a person or persons calling a special meeting of a city council shall comply with the notice requirements of Article 33C of General Statutes Chapter 143.
(2) Special meetings may be held at any time when the mayor and all members of the council are present and consent thereto, or when those not present have signed a written waiver of notice.
(3) During any regular meeting, or any duly called special meeting, the council may call or schedule a special meeting, provided that the motion or resolution calling or scheduling any such special meeting shall specify the time, place and purpose or purposes of such meeting and shall be adopted during an open session.
(b1) Any regular or duly called special meeting may be recessed to reconvene at a time and place certain, or may be adjourned to reconvene at a time and place certain, by the council.
(c) The council may adopt its own rules of procedure, not inconsistent with the city charter, general law, or generally accepted principles of parliamentary procedure. (1917, c. 136, subch. 13, s. 1; C.S., s. 2822; 1971, c. 698, s. 1; 1973, c. 426, s. 14; 1977, 2nd Sess., c. 1191, s. 7; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1247, s. 5; 1989, c. 770, s. 37.)
The Board will adopt their annual meeting calendar on December 4, 2018.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: Discussion of the meeting schedule does not have a fiscal impact.
RECOMMENDATION:r If the Board of Aldermen requests changes to the current schedule, staff requests that clear direction is provided so that resolution can be brought back to the Board making those changes.