All legislative powers of the Town are vested in a Council consisting
of a Mayor and five Councilmembers who shall be elected as hereinafter
provided and who shall hold office for a term of four years or until
the succeeding Council takes office. The regular term of the members
of the Council shall expire on the date of the next regular Town Council
meeting following the election of their successors. Members of the
Council holding office at the time this Charter becomes effective
shall continue to hold office for the term for which they were elected
and until the new Council takes office under the provisions of this
Charter.
The Mayor and Councilmembers shall be residents of the Town
and shall be registered to vote in the Town elections.
The Council shall meet regularly at such times as may be prescribed
by its rules but not less frequently than once each month. Special
meetings shall be called by the Town Clerk upon the request of the
Mayor or a majority of the members of the Council. All meetings of
the Council shall be open to the public, unless closed in accordance
with state law, and the rules of the Council shall provide that residents
of the Town shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard at any
meeting in regard to any municipal question.
The Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications
of its members.
The Mayor shall serve as president of the Council. The Mayor
may take part in all discussions. The Mayor shall not be eligible
to vote unless a vote is necessary to break a tie in the vote of the
Council. The Council shall elect a vice-president of the Council from
among its members who shall act as president of the Council in the
absence of the president of the Council.
A majority of the members of the Council shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business, but no ordinance shall be
approved nor any other action taken without the favorable votes of
a majority of the whole number of members elected to the Council.
The Council shall determine its own rules and order of business.
It shall keep a journal of its proceedings and enter therein the yeas
and nays upon final action on any question, resolution or ordinance.
The journal shall be open to public inspection.
No ordinance shall be passed at the meeting at which it is introduced.
At any regular or special meeting of the Council held not less than
six nor more than 60 days after the meeting at which an ordinance
was introduced, it shall be passed, or passed as amended, or rejected,
or its consideration deferred to some specified future date. In cases
of emergency, the above requirement may be suspended by the affirmative
votes of five members of the Council. Every ordinance, unless it be
passed as an emergency ordinance, shall become effective at the expiration
of 20 calendar days following approval by the Council. A fair summary
of each ordinance shall be posted in some public place or places for
at least 30 days after its passage. An emergency ordinance shall become
effective on the date specified in the ordinance.
Ordinances shall be permanently filed by the Town Clerk and
shall be kept available for public inspection.