Township of Manchester, NJ Article III Township Council; Committees; Meetings

§ 2-6 Organization meeting.

[Amended 2-9-2015 by Ord. No. 15-001]

The Township Council for the Township of Manchester shall organize during the first week of January of each year.

§ 2-7 President of Council.

A. Appointment. Pursuant to the provision of N.J.S.A. 40:69A-180(c), the Township Council at its organization meeting shall elect a President of Council from among its members.

B. Term. The President of Council shall hold office for a term of one year or until his successor is appointed and qualified.

C. Duties and powers.

(1) Presiding officer. The President of Council shall preside at all meetings of the Township Council.

(2) Parliamentary questions. The President of Council, as the Council's presiding officer, shall be the chief parliamentary officer of Council. The President of Council shall have the responsibility to state every question coming before the Council, announce the decisions of Council and determine the order of the matters to be considered by Council.

(3) Appointment of Council committees. The President of Council shall appoint all standing and special committees within the Township Council.

(4) Execution of documents. The President of Council, or Vice President, in his absence, shall sign all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the Council.

(5) Decorum. The President of Council shall be responsible for the preservation of order and decorum at all meetings.

§ 2-8 Vice President of Council.

A. The Township Council at its organization meeting shall elect a Vice President of Council from among its members, who shall, in the absence of the President, perform the duties and responsibilities of the President.

B. Term. The Vice President of Council shall hold office for a term of one year or until a successor is appointed and qualified.

§ 2-9 Temporary presiding officer.

In the absence of both the President and Vice President of Council, the Council shall elect a temporary presiding officer, who shall fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the President during his absence.

§ 2-10 Township Council committees.

[Amended by Ord. No. 90-113aa]

A. Organization, membership and term.

(1) Committees of the Township Council shall be composed of two members of the Township Council appointed by the President of Council.

(2) Chairman designated. The President of Council shall choose one of the two members appointed to the Committee as Chairman of such Committee who shall be responsible for its operation in carrying out its functions.

B. Finance Committee. In addition to other matters assigned to it, the Finance Committee shall have the responsibility of reviewing all bills required to be submitted to the Township Council. The Chairman of the Committee shall sign the voucher for all approved bills prior to submission to the Township Council for final approval. The Chairman of the Committee shall report to the Township Council on any bills which have been submitted but not approved by the Committee, indicating the reasons for disapproval. Subsequent to said report, the Township Council may, nonetheless, cause such bill to be approved by a majority vote of the whole Council.

C. Legislative Committee. In addition to other matters assigned to it, the Legislative Committee shall have the responsibility of reviewing ordinances seeking to amend the Township Code. The Committee shall review proposed amendments in consultation with the Township Attorney and any other professionals and employees deemed necessary by the Chairman.

[Added 2-13-2023 by Ord. No. 23-01]

§ 2-11 Meetings; rules of procedure.

A. Regular meetings. All Township Council meetings shall be held pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 at the Municipal Building or at the direction of the Council President at a location within the Township. The exception to the foregoing shall be in the event that such date falls on a holiday; in that circumstance, the regular meeting shall be scheduled on the next available day following such holiday or such other time as may be determined by a majority vote of the Council. The Township Council, by majority vote, may dispense with or change the date of a regularly scheduled meeting.

[Amended 6-26-1997 by Ord. No. 97-010[1]]

[1] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).

B. Special meetings. The Council President, on his own initiative, or by the affirmative vote of the Council, may call a special meeting of the Council. In the call, the Council President shall designate the purpose of the meeting, and no further business shall be considered, except where the majority of members of the Council shall so determine, consistent with the Open Public Meetings Act.

C. Executive caucus. Caucus meetings shall be held at the Municipal Building. All reports, communications, ordinances, resolutions, contract documents or other matters to be submitted to the Council shall be delivered to the Clerk at a reasonable time in advance of the public agenda conference meeting. The Clerk shall, as far in advance of such meeting as circumstances will permit, furnish a copy thereof to each member of the Council, the Mayor, and the Business Administrator.

D. Rules of procedure.

(1) Robert's Rules adopted. Except as may be otherwise provided by the provisions of this chapter or other appropriate law, the rules of procedure to be followed by the Township Council in the conduct of its affairs shall be in accordance with the latest revised editions of Robert's Rules of Order. Amendment to the rules of procedure not required to be made by ordinance shall require the majority vote of the whole number of the members of the Township Council.

(2) Roll call votes. The vote upon every motion, resolution or ordinance shall be taken by the roll call, and shall be entered on the minutes by the Township Clerk. The voting order on a roll call shall be based upon the seating arrangement established by the Council President. The Township Clerk shall call the roll from right to left, starting with the Council member sitting to the extreme right of the Council President, except that the Council President shall be called last.

(3) Minutes. The Township Clerk shall keep a journal of all Council proceedings and record the minutes of every meeting. All minutes shall be reduced to written form and be submitted to the Township Council at a regularly scheduled meeting following the meeting for which the minutes are made for approval by the Township Council. In the event that the minutes have been supplied to the Council members in advance, the minutes may be approved without a reading. Subsequent to approval by the Township Council, the minutes shall be signed by the President of Council or the Vice President and by the Township Clerk.

(4) Agenda. The agenda for each meeting of the Township Council shall be prepared by the Council President with the advice and assistance of the Township Clerk.

(5) Rules of debate.

(a) The presiding officer may debate and vote. The President or such other member of the Council as may be presiding may move, second and debate from the chair, subject 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 membership on the Council by reason of his acting as a presiding officer.

(b) Obtaining the floor. Every member desiring to speak shall address the chair and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine himself to the question under debate.

(c) Motion to adjourn. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and shall be decided without debate.

(d) Motions to close or continue debate. A motion to close or continue debate shall be a privileged motion which shall be voted on immediately when raised and seconded. Neither motion shall be debatable. A motion to continue debate which is defeated closes debate; a motion to close debate which is defeated continues debate. The affirmative majority of the entire Council present shall be required for either motion to succeed.