A.
The Town Council shall consist of five Council members
elected from the Town at large.
B.
The Town Clerk shall be the presiding officer of the
Council until a President of the Council is elected.
C.
The Town Council shall elect from within its own membership
a President and Vice President at its first meeting after all five
Council members have been certified by the Board of Canvassers.
D.
The Council President shall preside at meetings of
the Council and shall be recognized as head of Town government for
all ceremonial purposes and by the Governor of the state for purpose
of military law, but he or she has no regular administrative duties.
E.
The Council Vice President shall assume the duties
of the Council President in the absence or disability of the Council
President.
F.
Each Council member has one vote. The presiding officer,
with the exception of the Town Clerk, shall not be deprived of his
or her right to vote on any question.
[Amended 11-7-1978; 11-4-1986]
A.
Members of the Town Council shall be qualified electors
of the Town and shall not hold other public office or appointive positions
in the service of the Town of East Greenwich, unless authorized by
law or this Charter.
B.
If a member of the Town Council shall cease to posses
any of these qualifications or shall be convicted of a felony or a
crime involving malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office,
his or her office shall immediately become vacant.
C.
The Town Council shall be the judge of the qualifications
of its own members and for such purpose has the power to subpoena
witnesses and compel the production of records.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
No Council member shall be appointed to any
paid town office, position or employment during the current term of
his or her office and for a period of one year after the expiration
of the term for which he or she was elected or appointed to the Town
Council.
[Amended 11-7-2000]
A.
The first meeting of each elected Town Council shall
be held on the second Monday following the certification of all five
duly elected members. Thereafter, the Town Council will meet not less
than twice each month.
B.
A special meeting of the Town Council shall be called
by the Town Clerk at the request of the Council President or a majority
of the members of the Town Council. Written notice of a special meeting
shall be delivered to each member at least 48 hours prior to the time
of such meeting. The Town Council may meet upon shorter notice by
unanimous consent of its members, which shall be entered in the records
of proceedings. The purpose of a special meeting shall be stated in
the notice of the meeting, and no business shall be transacted at
any special meeting other than that which has been stated.
A Town Council quorum shall be a majority of
its members. A majority of the members present at any legal meeting
may determine any matter legally before them, provided that final
passage of ordinances or amendments to ordinances shall require the
affirmative vote of the majority of its members. No official vote
on any matter shall be taken at any meeting which is not open to the
public.
[Amended 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 871]
Each member of the Town Council shall receive such individual
compensation for the performance of his or her duties or for the expenses
of his or her office as may be fixed from time to time by the Town
Council and in accordance with the Charter.
A.
Any vacancy in the membership of the Town Council
which occurs one year or less prior to the time for holding of a regular
Town election shall be filled by the Town Council for the unexpired
term within 15 days from the date on which the vacancy occurred. If
for any reason a majority vote of the remaining members cannot be
obtained or if an appointment is not made within 15 days, the Council
President shall make the appointment to fill the unexpired term.
B.
If a vacancy in the Town Council shall occur more
than one year prior to the time for holding a regular Town election,
the Town Council shall within 30 days after the vacancy occurs call
a special election for the purpose of filling such vacancy.
[Amended 11-4-1986; 11-7-2000; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 871]
All legislative powers of the Town shall be
vested in the Town Council except those delegated within this Charter.
The Town Council may enact, repeal or amend ordinances relating to
the Town's property, affairs and government subject to the provisions
of the State Constitution and laws enacted by the General Assembly
in conformity with the powers reserved to the General Assembly. The
Town Council may exercise all additional powers and authority that
are consistent with this Charter and have been granted to it by this
Charter, the Constitution or laws of the state. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, the Town Council has and exercises the
following specific powers:
A.
To enact, amend or repeal ordinances for the preservation
of the public peace, the health, safety, comfort and welfare of the
inhabitants of the Town and for the protection of persons and property.
B.
To provide reasonable penalties for the violation
of any ordinance in accordance with state law.
D.
To adopt rules governing the conduct of its meetings
and to appoint regular, standing or special committees.
E.
To appoint the Town Manager for an indefinite term.
F.
In the event that the Town Manager is at any time
absent or unable to perform the duties of his or her office for a
period in excess of 35 consecutive days or in the event that the Town
Manager resigns or is removed from office or if for any other reason
a vacancy exists, to designate an officer of the Town, other than
a Town Council member, to serve as Town Manager with all the powers
and duties of the Town Manager until his or her absence or disability
terminates or until a successor to the Town Manager has assumed the
duties of the office.
G.
To fill such offices and choose such officials, members
of boards and the like as may be required under the terms of this
Charter, ordinances of the Town or the laws of the state.
H.
To provide by ordinance for a personnel classification
system consistent with applicable general or special laws or the provisions
of this Charter.
I.
To determine the salary of the Town Manager and the
compensation of all officers and employees of the Town except the
employees of the School Department.
J.
To provide rules and regulations with respect to vacations
of the Town Manager, department heads and employees except those of
the School Department.
K.
To fix the amount of the official bonds of all officers
of the Town as required by law and this Charter, the premiums of such
bonds to be paid by the Town.
L.
To elect Constables to serve civil process and to
charge and collect for licenses issued to such constables such fees
as determined by ordinance.
M.
To
take any action necessary authorizing the issuance of bonds for any
purpose, including borrowing in anticipation of taxes, and to complete
all the details of the bond transaction in accordance with the laws
of the state.
N.
To have the power to inquire into the conduct of any
officer, department or agency of the Town and to make an investigation
relating to Town affairs. For such purposes the Town Council may subpoena
witnesses, administer oaths or affirmations, and compel books, records,
papers and other evidence be produced relative to such investigation.
O.
To administer the Town through the Town Manager.
P.
To accept gifts of any property, real or personal,
on behalf of the Town if the Town Council deems it for the best interests
of the Town, and all monies given for a particular purpose and accepted
on behalf of the Town by the Town Council may, by resolution, be deposited
to the general fund or a special fund and be appropriated for such
purposes by the Town Council without the necessity of being included
in the annual budget.
Q.
To grant, revoke or suspend such licenses or permits
as the Town Council may require by ordinance or resolution or as may
be required or permitted by the laws of the state and this Charter
or any amendment thereof.
R.
To act as the Board of License Commissioners.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
