The Mayor and Council shall hold an annual reorganization meeting
on any day during the first week in January, which may be selected
by the governing body, pursuant to the provisions in N.J.S.A. 40:45A-1.
At this meeting, the Council will elect one of its members as Council
President for the calendar year.
The regular meetings shall be held at the Borough Hall or other
location designated by the Mayor on the second and fourth Tuesdays
of each month at 7:00 p.m. Regular meetings shall not be changed except
by a resolution introduced at a regular meeting and acted upon at
a subsequent regular meeting.
The agenda meetings may be held at the Borough Hall or other
location designated by the Mayor on the second and fourth Tuesdays
of each month and will be included at the end of the regular meeting.
The Mayor shall, when necessary, call special meetings of the
Council. In case of his absence, neglect or refusal, any four members
of the Council may call such meeting. The meeting shall be held at
Borough Hall or another designated location at such time designated
by the Mayor or the four members of Council. In all cases of special
meetings, reasonable advance notice, considered to be 48 hours except
in the case of emergency, shall be given, by registered letter only
by the person calling the meeting, to all members of the Council and
Clerk.
These meetings can be called when an urgent and important matter
arises and a delay of the meeting for the purpose of providing adequate
notice would likely result in substantial harm to the public interest.
The following procedural requirements must be complied with:
A. An affirmative vote of 3/4 of the members present to conduct the
meeting.
B. The providing of notice of the meeting as soon as possible following
the calling of such a meeting.
C. The inclusion in the minutes of a detailed statement explaining:
(1) The nature of the urgency and its importance;
(2) The nature of the substantial harm to the public interest likely
to result from a delay in holding the meeting;
(3) That the meeting will be limited to those urgent and important matters;
(4) The time, place and manner in which notice of the meeting was provided;
and
(5) That the need for such a meeting could not have been reasonably foreseen
at a time when adequate notice could have been provided or, if such
need could have been foreseen, the reason(s) why adequate notice was
not provided.
A quorum shall be as provided by the Revised Statutes of New
Jersey, namely: three Councilpersons and the Mayor, and, in the absence
of the Mayor, four Councilpersons.
If no quorum is present at any meeting, those assembled shall
have the power and are hereby authorized to set a new meeting date,
and then adjourn.
The Mayor, in consultation with the Council President, Borough
Administrator, and Borough Clerk, shall set the agenda for any meeting
of the Borough Council. Any member of the Council may place an item
on the agenda for either action or discussion by notifying the Borough
Clerk at least two business days prior to meeting in question. A member
of the Council who intends to propose a new ordinance, amendment to
an existing ordinance, or a resolution for adoption by the Borough
Council, shall cause copies of the proposal to be circulated for review
to the other Council members and the Mayor as far in advance of the
date when the proposals shall be made as may reasonably appropriate
and practical. This section shall not be considered as discouraging
either a proposal resulting from an emergency, or any other proposal
during the course of a Council meeting as the result of matters arising
therein.
The following is the recommended order of business. However,
the format may be changed by the Mayor, Council President in the absence
of the Mayor, or senior member of the Council in the absence of the
Mayor and Council President, if there are no relevant agenda items
to a certain order, to accommodate the audience, or expedite certain
matters before the Council:
A. Open public meetings statement.
G. Ordinances for introduction.
H. Ordinances for public hearing and final adoption.
N. New business/consent agenda/resolutions.
O. Non-consent agenda/resolutions/payment of claims.
Q. Public comment on agenda workshop items.
Except as otherwise required by the statute or specifically
provided in these bylaws, all actions of the Council shall be by a
majority vote of those present.
Upon demand of one member of the Council, or when ordered by
the Mayor or when directed by the statute, a roll call vote shall
be taken and the yeas and nays entered in the minutes of the meeting.
[Added 3-9-2021 by Ord.
No. 2025]
When two or more members of the public shall speak at the same
time during the public comment section of Council meetings, the Mayor
shall name the one entitled to the floor. Speakers shall each initially
be limited to three minutes of speaking time during public comment
portions of meetings. Once all speakers have been heard, they each
may add additional comments thereafter.