CITY OF LAMPASAS
CITY COUNCIL
    GOVERNANCE POLICIES

By 

Statement of Mission
To assure health, safety and well-being of our community and to become a model of efficient, effective and quality service delivery.

Approved March 13, 2017

Amended March 4, 2021 

INTRODUCTION

The Council is responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of   policy to ensure effective and efficient governance. “Governance” includes appropriate and professional communication, operating procedures and delivery of City services that meet the expectations of our residents.

This policy addresses relations between Elected Officials and Elected Officials and staff.  These Governance Policies also outline Council operating procedures, decorum, and public participation. The goal of these Policies is to promote and enhance open and transparent government.

1.	The Council is committed to the fair exchange of ideas and policies.

2.	The Council will endeavor to keep the community informed on municipal affairs; encourage communication between the citizens and the City Council; strive for strong, working relationships among Lampasas, Lampasas ISD, Lampasas County, Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce, and Lampasas Economic Development Corporation as well as other organizations which may impact the city.

3.	In its governance role, the Council will continue to be dedicated to friendly, courteous,
and professional relationships with staff members, other Council members and the public. 

The Council will operate with a style which emphasizes outward vision rather than an internal preoccupation; strategic leadership more than administrative detail; and clear distinction of Council and staff roles. In this spirit, the Council will:

a.	Direct, control and inspire the organization through the careful establishment of the values and perspective (policies) which address ends such as organizational products, impacts, results, benefits, and outcomes. 

b.	Be accountable to the public for competent, conscientious and effective accomplishment of its obligations as a Council. No officer, individual or committee of the Council shall usurp the role of the Council as a whole.

c.	Monitor and regularly evaluate the Council's own process and performance. Ensure the continuity of its governance capability by retraining, redevelopment, and reprioritizing goals and plan of work.

d.	Enforce discipline to govern with excellence, in such matters as policy-making, role clarification, speaking with one voice and self-policing of any tendency to stray from governance as adopted in Council policies.
SECTION I	COUNCIL/STAFF RELATIONS POLICY
Mayor - City Council Relations
Mayoral Responsibilities

The job of the mayor is the integrity of the Governance Process and representation of the council to outside parties.

1.	The Mayor shall preside at Council meetings. The Mayor Pro Tem shall preside in his/her absence.

2.	The Mayor or members of Council shall have no administrative duties. The Mayor or members of the Council shall focus their efforts on governance and not administration or management of the city.

3.	The Mayor may vote on all agenda items requiring Council action.

4.	The Mayor shall preserve order and decorum and shall require Council members engaged in debate to limit discussion to the question or topic at hand.

5.	The Mayor shall notify the City Manager and/or City Secretary of his/her absences from the city and city meetings and the City Manager and/or City Secretary shall then notify the Mayor Pro Tem of his/her responsibilities.

6.	The Mayor will encourage all council members to participate in council discussion and give each member an opportunity to speak before any member can speak again on the same subject.
Mayor Pro Tem Responsibilities

1.	 The Mayor Pro Tem shall act as Mayor during the absence or disability of the Mayor and shall have the power to perform every act the Mayor could perform if present.

Council Responsibilities
	
1.	Each Council member who has been newly elected to a non-contiguous term is required to attend a Council member orientation session, complete mandatory Open Meetings and Public Information Act training, and is encouraged to attend at least one Texas Municipal League sponsored conference each year to stay informed on issues facing municipalities, as funding allows.  All other Council members are encouraged to attend the annual orientation session, as well as, attend a Texas Municipal League sponsored conference each year as funding allows. 

2.	It is the policy of City Council to create a dignified and professional environment for City Council Meetings.  Therefore, all Council members shall dress in a professional manner while attending a City Council meeting or work session, or while representing the City in an official capacity of the City Council. 

3.	Each Council member is responsible for being prepared to discuss and to conduct business of the City and to be informed about previous action taken by the Council in his/her absence. In the case of absence from meeting, the Council member may obtain information by requesting to receive the information from the City Secretary.

4.	When addressing an agenda item, the Council member shall first be recognized by the Chair, shall confine comments to the questions under debate, shall avoid reference to personalities, shall refrain from impugning the integrity or motives of any other Council member or Staff member during the debate or vote, and shall refrain from publicly implying or insinuating wrong-doing by another Council member of Staff member without clear evidence of such behavior.   

5.	While any other person who has been recognized by the Chair is speaking, other members shall not hold private discourse or in any manner interrupt the speaker. In all discussions, disrespectful language and behavior shall be avoided. 

6.	Any Council member may ask the Mayor to enforce the rules established by the Council. Should the Mayor fail to do so, a majority vote of the Council members shall require him/her to do so.

7.	When a Council member is appointed to serve as liaison to a board, the Council member is responsible for keeping all Council members informed of significant board activities.

8.	City Council will evaluate the City Manager, City Secretary, City Attorney, and City Judge on an annual basis. 

Council and Staff Relations

No single relationship is as important as that of the Council and their
City Manager in effectively governing the City of Lampasas. It is for
this reason that the City Manager is the primary
link between the Council and the professional staff. The Council's
relationship with the staff shall be through the City Manager.

1.	In order to ensure proper presentation of agenda items by staff, questions arising from Council members after receiving their information packet should be directed to the City Manager for consideration prior to the Council meeting. This allows staff time to address the Council member's concern and provide all Council members with the additional information.

2.	The City Manager may designate the appropriate staff member to address each agenda item and shall see that each presentation is prepared and presented in order to inform and educate the Council on the issues which require Council action. The presentation should be professional, timely, and allow for discussion of options for resolving the issue. The staff member making the presentation shall either make it clear that no Council action is required, present the staff recommendation, or present the specific options for Council consideration.

3.	The City Manager is directly responsible for providing information to all the Council concerning any inquiries by a specific Council member. If the City Manager or his/her staff’s time is being dominated by a Council member, it is his/her responsibility to inform the Mayor. 

4.	The City Manager will be held responsible for the professional and ethical behavior of himself/herself and the discipline of his/her staff as outlined in the City’s Home Rule Charter. 

5.	Any conflicts arising between the city staff and the Council will be addressed by the City Manager.

6.	All staff shall show each other, each Council member, and the public respect and courtesy at all times. Staff is also responsible for making objective, professional presentations to ensure public confidence. 

7.	The City Secretary, after an election, will make sure that the staff has prepared information needed for the orientation of new Council members and inform them of any Texas Municipal League conference and seminars available. The City Secretary will also be responsible for meeting personally with new members and informing them about and touring city facilities and procedures. Prior to an election, the City Secretary shall provide a packet to all candidates containing all pertinent information and forms needed to run for a place on City Council.

8.	It is the responsibility of the Mayor to hold accountable those who violate the principles of the Council Manager plan.

SECTION II	MEETING RULES AND PROCEDURES

Five types of meetings are recognized:
Regular Meetings

Regular meetings will be held on the second and fourth Monday nights of each month. The meeting will be held at in the Council Chambers commencing at 7:00 P.M., unless otherwise posted. The Council may reschedule or cancel meetings in order to avoid conflicts, holidays and vacation periods.
Workshop Meetings

The purpose of such meetings shall be to discuss in depth or explore matters of interest to the City, a meeting with one of the City's appointed committees, or the Council alone may wish to explore a matter in detail. The purpose of workshop meetings is to explore or discuss problems without taking specific action. The general public is invited to attend such meetings if they wish, and may participate in the proceedings if invited to do so.
Special Meetings
Special Meetings may be called at any time upon the request of the Mayor, City Manager, or four Council members. Notice of Special Meetings, as required by law, shall be given to all members of the Council. In the event of a Special Meeting, the City Secretary will make every attempt to contact all Council members.

Emergency Meetings

In case of emergency or urgent public necessity, upon the request of the Mayor, City Manager, or four Council members, the City Secretary may call an Emergency Meeting, which shall be expressed in the notice, it shall be sufficient if notice is posted two hours before the meeting is convened and the person calling such emergency meeting shall, if a request has been filed at the City Hall, give notice by telephone, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail to any news media requesting such notice. The emergency and the reason must be clearly stated. Emergencies are limited to situations of "imminent threats," to public health and safety, or reasonable unforeseeable situations requiring immediate action by the governmental body.

Public Hearings

The purpose of a Public Hearing is to present evidence on both sides of an issue. Some public hearings are required by state law while others are voluntarily conducted by the Council to obtain the full range of citizen opinion on important matters. The Mayor may remind persons giving testimony that all comments should be directed to Council.

AGENDA - PLACING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

The stipulations set forth in this section relate to the agenda for meetings of the Council.

A.	Items to be placed on the agenda for consideration by Council, must be submitted to the City Secretary by noon, Tuesday preceding the Monday Council meeting. The public - must submit their requests in writing while the Mayor and City Council may submit their requests verbally. The City Manager has the final authority for placement of items on the agenda.

B.	Any member of the city staff wishing to have an item placed on the agenda shall submit that item to the City Manager's office for approval. The city manager may establish procedures for submission of routine items without his approval.

AGENDA - CONSENT AGENDA

Routine matters may be placed on a consent agenda which will be treated as one agenda item. Each item included on the consent agenda must be numbered separately and reasonably explained. Questions and explanation of consent agenda items will be permitted, but there will be no general discussion or debate. Council will vote on the consent agenda as one item; passage of the consent agenda will not defeat each item included thereon, in such event, each item will be considered individually. Before the consent is voted upon, any item included may be removed upon the request of any one Council member. Any item removed from the consent agenda upon request will be handled separately in the same manner as a regular agenda item.

AGENDA - EXECUTIVE SESSION

The Executive Session is a closed session. The City Manager, City Attorney, and the City Secretary may be allowed into this session if requested by City Council.  Items discussed in Executive Session shall be in strict compliance with Chapter 551, Texas Government Code.

AGENDA - AGENDA PACKETS

The agenda packets for all regular meetings will be provided by staff on the Friday afternoon preceding the meetings. This should afford ample time for all Council members to inquire into the nature of each matter to be discussed or to personally investigate the matter so as to better inform himself/herself before a Council meeting. A tentative Agenda will be sent via e-mail to Council on the Tuesday prior to the Monday meeting.

AGENDA - NOTICE OF MEETINGS

The agenda for all meetings shall be posted by the City Secretary or his/her designee on the City's official bulletin board, the City’s official website and notice of all meetings shall be given by the City Secretary pursuant to the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Law. (Article 6252-17, V.T.C.S.)

AGENDA - PUBLIC NOTICES

The City Secretary's office will assume responsibility for issuing a copy of the agenda to media outlets. The City Secretary's office will assume the responsibility for compliance with the Open Meeting Law.

CHAIRPERSON

The Mayor shall preside at Council meetings and be recognized as head of the City Government for all ceremonial purposes. (i.e. receiving services of civil process, for emergency purposes, and for military purposes).

The Council elects, at its first meeting following each regular election of Council members, the position of Mayor Pro Tem. Mayor Pro Tem shall act as Mayor during the absence or disability of the Mayor, and shall have the power to perform every act the Mayor would perform if present. (Charter Sec. 2.07).

CALL ORDER

	Council meetings shall be called to order by the Mayor, or in his/her absence, by the Mayor Pro Tem. In the absence of both the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem, the meeting shall be called to order by the City Manager or City Secretary, and a temporary Chairperson shall be elected by Council members present.

GENERAL RULES – QUORUM

Four members of the Council, qualified and serving, shall constitute a quorum for meetings for the transaction of business, but no action of the Council shall be of any force or effect unless it is adopted by the favorable votes of not less than four members of the Council. (Charter Sec. 2.10)

GENERAL RULES - COMPELLING ATTENDANCE

Notification should be made to Mayor, City Manager or City Secretary if a Council member is unable to attend.

GENERAL RULES - RIGHT TO FLOOR

Any member desiring to speak shall be recognized by the Chairperson, and shall confine his or her remarks to the subject under consideration or to be considered. No member shall be allowed to speak more than once on any one subject until every member wishing to speak has spoken

SECTION III. CODE OF CONDUCT

MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS

1.	During the Council meetings, Council members shall preserve order and decorum, shall not interrupt or delay proceedings, and shall not refuse to obey the orders of the Mayor or the rules of the Council. Council members shall demonstrate respect and courtesy to each other, to city staff members, and to members of the public appearing before the Council. Council members shall refrain from rude and derogatory remarks and shall not belittle staff members, other Council members, or members of the public. They should not use their position to secure special privileges and should avoid situations that could cause any person to believe that they may have brought bias or partiality to a question before the Council.

2.	Members of the Council will not condone any unethical or illegal activity. All members of the Council agree to uphold the intent of this policy and to govern their actions accordingly.

CITIZENS

A.	Citizens are welcome and invited to attend all meetings of the Council, and will be admitted to the Council Chamber up to the fire safety capacity of the room.

B.	Any citizen wishing to address Council may do so under the agenda item CITIZENS WISHING TO ADDRESS COUNCIL. Before recognition by the Mayor, citizens must sign a sheet of order with the City Secretary prior to the Council meeting. Comments are limited to three minutes or less.

C.	Citizens wishing to comment on agenda items may do so when recognized by the Mayor. Comments are limited to three minutes or less.

D.	All cell phones, tablets, laptops or other such communication devices must be “set to silent or vibrate mode” while in the Council Chambers to avoid disruption of the meeting.  

E.	Right to Record. Citizens, attendees and media representatives may take audio and video recordings of any open meeting, however; City Council may designate an area for recording to minimize disruption to Council and other attendees. 

EMPLOYEES

A.	Employees are prohibited from using cell phones, tablets, laptops or other such communication devices while in the Council Chambers other than to conduct City business that is pertinent to the meeting being held.  City employees who work in an emergency field (e.g. police and fire department personnel) may have their work-related cell phones on, so long as they are in the “silent/vibrate mode” or are kept at the lowest possible volume.  Such phones shall not cause a disruption to the meeting.  If a call is received during a Council meeting, the employee shall excuse him/herself from the Council Chambers to respond to the call.  

COUNCIL DECORUM AND DEBATE

A.	No member shall speak more than the time limits provided in this section on any subject or amendment, and such member may use his/her time in any combination, in separate speech or comments totaling the number of minutes permitted. The Mayor shall not be obligated to recognize any Council member wishing to speak who has been allowed a first comment. Council members shall also have the right to yield a portion of time to another member.

B.	Any member deciding to speak more than five minutes on any question or more than five minutes on any amendment to the question shall be accorded the privilege without objection upon motion supported by majority. No member shall be permitted to interrupt while another member is speaking.

C.	No member shall use cell phones, tablets, laptops or other such communication devices while in the Council Chambers, other than to conduct City business that is pertinent to the meeting being held. No discussion of the items and issues before the Council may be conducted by the Council via such electronic devices during a meeting, whether with staff, fellow Council members or the public in general. All such devices shall be in “silent/vibrate mode” during Council meetings.

D.	No Council member shall be permitted to indulge in personalities, use offensive language, arraign motives of members, charge deliberate misrepresentation or use language tending to hold a member of the City Council in contempt.

E.	If a member is speaking or otherwise transgressing the rules of the Council, the presiding officer shall or any Council member may call him/her to order in which case he/she immediately must be quiet unless permitted to explain. The Council shall, if appealed to, decide the case without debate. If the decision is in favor of the member called to order, he/she shall be at liberty to proceed, but not otherwise.

CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND MOTIONS - MAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED

An affirmative vote of a majority of the Council is necessary to repeal any ordinance or take any official action in the name of the City except as otherwise provided in the Charter or by the laws of the State of Texas.

CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND MOTIONS - VOTING REQUIRED

A.	No member shall be excused from voting except on matters involving the consideration of his own official conduct, or where his personal interests are involved, and in these instances, he shall abstain. Any member prohibited from voting by personal interest shall announce at the commencement of consideration of the matter and shall not enter into discussion or debate on any such matter. The member having briefly stated the reason for his request, the excuse from voting shall be made without debate.

B.	Any member who reasonably believes that his/her voting on a matter would create an appearance of impropriety shall be excused from voting. That member shall state publicly the reason(s) he/she believes voting would be improper.

GUIDELINES FOR COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEES, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

The Council may establish sub-committees, boards and commissions to provide advisory responsibilities. To preserve council unity, sub-committees will be used sparingly, only when other methods have been deemed inadequate.
All sub-committees, boards and commissions appointed by the Council exist so that council decisions
(a)	will be made from an informed position, or
(b)	will be made in a public forum consistent with council policy
1.	Council sub-committees, boards and commissions may not speak or act for the council.
2.	Council sub-committees, boards and commissions are to help the council do its job. These entities ordinarily will assist the council by preparing action alternatives and implications for council deliberation. They are not created by the council to advise staff.
3.	Council sub-committees, boards and commissions cannot exercise authority over staff. In keeping with the council's broader focus, these entities will normally not have direct dealings with current staff operations. Because the city manager works for the full council, he or she will not be required to obtain approval of a council sub-committee before an executive action.

4.	The authority and responsibility of any sub-committee, board or commission will not duplicate the responsibility of the city council, city staff, staff advisory committee, or other board or commission.

5.	To encourage broad citizen participation, no person may be appointed to serve more than six consecutive years, excluding unexpired terms, on a particular board, commission or committee at the discretion of City Council.  This limitation does not apply if a particular position requires specialized knowledge, licenses, or certifications and no other qualified and interested person is available, or for other good cause found by the City Council and specified in the appointment.