These rules of order and procedures shall govern the deliberations and meetings of the Council. We, the Town Council of the Town of Winterport, resolve that the following rules of order and procedure shall govern the deliberations and meetings of this Council; and unless this Council shall provide otherwise, each of the Councils, Commissions, and Committees of this municipality shall follow these rules of order. Each Council, Commission, or Committee shall organize promptly after it is established, and annually, as required by the law, or the Town Council. Each shall elect a chairman, vice-chairman, and correspondence clerk or secretary.

1. It is the intent of the Town Council to adopt rules, procedures and policies to conduct meetings and take action in an orderly manner and allow for proper public participation. The clerk shall maintain an agenda of the matters and business taken up by a majority of the members and not concluded. A standard order of business and agenda together with the unfinished business shall be maintained and presented at each meeting. Any citizen may request an addition to the agenda until noon Friday prior to the scheduled meeting. Any new business matters may be added to the agenda upon the request of any members at any time prior to the scheduled meeting.

The standard format for the agenda of the Town Council shall be:

(A) Old Business

  1. Items ready for action

  2. Items pending further action

B) New Business

LEGAL:

APPOINTMENTS:

CORRESPONDENCE:

MINUTES & REPORTS:

COMMUNICATIONS:

A) Town Manager's Report

B) Selectmen's Comments

SIGNATURES:

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

ADJOURNMENT

2. The position of Chairman will rotate every (6) six months. No Town Councilmen will repeat unless all others decline the Chair.

3. The Town Council may call an executive session, at any time, to discuss performance of the Chairman in accordance with the Freedom of Access Statutes.

4. Any proposed changes in the Town Council rules and procedures shall not be acted upon unless all members are present. A majority vote is required to make these changes effective.

5. Any Ad Hoc Citizen Committees authorized by the Council may have a Town Councilman, appointed by the Town Council, as a member.

6. On Call to Order. the secretary will record those present and absent. This roll call will be recorded in the minutes. The Secretary will make a record of the corrections in the previous minutes.

A. The Council may make a motion to read the minutes.

B. The Council may make amendments to these minutes.

C. The Town Council will make a motion to either accept the minutes as presented or accept the minutes as amended.

D. The Council shall establish a regular meeting schedule for the next year at the annual reorganization meeting. The Clerk shall publish the regular meeting schedule in a local newspaper generally circulating in Winterport and post a copy if the schedule on the Town Office bulletinboard. All meetings of the Town Council and Planning Board shall be held in the Town Office, and all other committee meetings will be conducted at the Recreation Building. Unless this Council shall direct otherwise with a notice posted on the Town bulletin board. All canceled meetings shall be posted 24 hours in advance on the bulletin board, and the newspaper notified.

7. Citizens will address and be recognized by the Chairman. Citizens may be required to state their name and address for the record.

8. Citizens will refer all direct questions to and through the Chairman.

9. The Chairman may make announcements at any time. During the Town Council discussions, citizens may be recognized to speak if approved by the Chairman.

10. A legal quorum is necessary to conduct a Town Council's meeting. A legal quorum being three (3) of the five (5) Council members. The Town Council agrees that to approve a question a majority is necessary. A majority being a maj6rity of those voting at a meeting

11. Under INPUT FROM CITIZENS ON UNSCHEDULED ITEMS. Citizens may address the Town Council on any items of interest pertaining to municipal affairs, that are not on the agenda, the intent is to allow citizens to be heard early in the meeting. Generally, the Council or the Manager will respond to questions if the information is available. Otherwise, the matter will be referred to the Manager who will contact the citizen with the information as soon as it is available. In some cases, the request will require action as an agenda item at a later meeting. (e.g. Notice 24 hours prior is required to take action on an any matter.

12. Under GUEST SPEAKERS & COMMITTEE REPORTS. Individuals and town committee members who have previously asked to address the Council on a particular issue, which the Council needs to be informed about, will be offered an opportunity to report any important business. Copies of the committee minutes are given to the Council for their review.

13. Under CORRESPONDENCE. The Town Manager shares with the Council items in written format, such as letters, memos, and notes, sent to the Town, which will keep the Council better informed.

14. Under LEGAL. The Council will review and/or take action on items requiring legal action by the Council or having legal implications for the Town.

15. Under SCHEDULED ITEMS. Items of a general nature will appear. The Council will review each item and take appropriate action.

16. Under APPOINTMENTS. The Council will consider and take action to appoint interested volunteers to serve on the various Town committees.

17. Under ORAL COMMUNICATIONS. The Town Manager's Report is intended to inform the Town Council of his or her activities during the previous weeks and to make status reports on Town activities or projects.

18. Under ORAL COMMUNICATIONS. The Town Council's comments provide the Selectmen an opportunity to question the Town Manager concerning Town Activities or bring items to his or her attention for administrative follow up.

19. Under EXECUTIVE SESSION. Items, which require review and/or possible action, by the Council, of a confidential nature (e.g. general assistance, personnel matters, abatement requests, attorney and client matters), will appear. A. Formal action by the Council will be taken in the open meeting following adjournment of the executive session.

20. Under APPROVAL OF WARRANTS. Payroll and invoice warrants are reviewed and action taken by the Council. The Council Chair, or in the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair on the off meeting week has the authority to sign the payroll warrant. Council members should try to arrive at meetings early to review the warrants in order to save time during the meeting.

21. Under ADJOURNMENT. The Council having acted on all the items on the agenda will formally act to close the meeting.

22. AMENDMENTS. The Clerk shall post this policy and any permanent modifications or amendments to it, conspicuously upon the public bulletin Council in the Town office.

23. RULES OF ORDER. The Chairman shall preserve order, decorum, and customary practices, and decide all questions of order if a parliamentarian is not appointed, and conduct the meeting. The Chairman may invoke and apply such portions of Robert's Rules of Order for parliamentary proceedings as needed, to dispense with all business fairly and expeditiously. A majority of the members present, exclusive of the Chair may require adherence to Robert's Rules, may sustain the appeal of a member to the Chair relating to a point of order, and may temporarily modify the rules of order for the duration of the meeting.

24. CONSENT AGENDA. In order to expedite the routine business upon the agenda that requires no changes from the entire text as proposed and posted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, any member of the Town Council or the Town Manager may ask that such agenda item be marked with an asterisk to identify it as an item for consideration, which the Council and the public consent to have approved by one motion after the following procedure:

1. The Chairman asks the Council and the public if there are objections to approving any matter marked with an asterisk. Any Council member or the public may ask that an item be removed from the consent agenda and be considered separately. Unless the majority of the Council votes otherwise, all such matters requested to be removed from the consent agenda shall be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately.

2. The Chair then declares, "there being no further objections, a motion on the remainder of the consent agenda is in order."

3. It is the policy of the Town Council of the Town of Winterport to approve each agenda item marked with an asterisk by one motion, second1 and majority vote. The following motion is sufficient for this purpose "I move that the consent agenda be approved."

Financial Reports In order to improve communications, accountability and to improve financial reporting conditions, the Town Council hereby provide that the Town Manager, Treasurer and Tax Collector shall monthly present to the Town Council financial reports as follows:

  • At the first regular meeting of the month

  • Expenditures YTD I budget balances

  • Revenues YTD I budget balances

  • General Fund General Ledger Summary

  • Reserves, Trusts and Investments

  • At the second regular meeting of the Month

  • General Fund Cash Reconciliation

  • Fixed Asset Report (once per year inventory, Nov)

  • Current Year Property Tax.

  • Prior year lien I foreclosure status

This is ordered to be effective five (5) days following its posting as required on this day of, 2002, by the Town Council of the Town of Winterport.