(A) Compliance with Open Meetings Act. The agenda for each meeting of the City Council shall contain such information and be posted in a time and place as is sufficient to comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Tex. Gov't Code §§ 551.001 et seq.
(B) Form and structure of agenda. The agenda for each meeting of the City Council shall be ordered generally as follows:
(1) Call to order;
(2) Invocation;
(3) Pledge of allegiance;
(4) Roll call and quorum report;
(5) Citizen communications;
(6) Approval of consent agenda;
(7) General business and action items; and
(8) Adjournment.
(C) General business and action item requests. Agenda items may be submitted by the Mayor, any City Council member or the City Manager. City staff will submit agenda items for consideration through the City Manager. Citizens may submit agenda items for consideration through the Mayor, their elected Council representative, or the City Manager. All agenda item requests shall be prepared on the forms provided by the city. All the questions on the form shall be answered although it is recognized in some cases that some questions are not applicable. The forms shall be turned in to the City Secretary by noon eight days preceding [Monday] the regular Council meeting [Tuesday of the following week] to allow time for the staff to assemble the data packages so that the Council may receive the packages by Wednesday preceding the regular meeting to allow the Council members to research, investigate and meet with city staff. The City Manager has the authority to reorder the agenda items for efficiency and to facilitate the conduct of the Council meeting. These requests, properly filled out, will comply with posting of the agenda subjects in sufficient detail to determine specifics and action required to meet the Open Meetings Act requirements, Tex. Gov't Code §§ 551.001 et seq.
(D) Preparation of the agenda. The City Secretary shall collect the agenda items and review them with the Mayor to set the order of the agenda items. The City Secretary shall then prepare the notice of the meeting of the City Council for signature by the Mayor, Mayor Pro-tem or City Manager and post to comply with the Open Meetings Act, Tex. Gov't Code §§ 551.001 et seq.
(E) Executive sessions. While there is no state requirement to ever have to go into an executive session, the Open Meetings Act provides certain narrowly drawn exceptions to the requirement that meetings of a governmental body be open to the public. These exceptions are found in Tex. Gov't Code §§ 551.071 et seq. The City Council may go into executive session at any time, when in the judgment of the City Council it is in the best interests of the city, on and properly posted agenda item dealing with subject matter for which the Texas Open Meetings Act authorizes executive sessions. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence and provided that this section shall not create or give rise to any right, cause of action or claim on behalf of any third party, person or citizen other than as exists pursuant to the Texas Open Meetings Act, if any, when it is anticipated at the time the agenda is posted that the City Council will go into executive session with respect to any item of business, the matter will be placed on the agenda as an item for executive session and, in addition to the subject matter, shall specify the section of Tex. Gov't Code §§ 551.001 et seq., that authorizes such executive session. Each agenda item for an executive session shall provide notice that, or provide an additional agenda item providing notice that, the City Council may take action on the subject matter and issue considered in the executive session. Action shall be taken in open session.
(F) Closed meetings. If a closed meeting is to be held then a quorum of the City Council must first convene in an open meeting and the Mayor shall announce a closed meeting will be held, identifying the section of the Open Meetings Act that applies.
(Ord. 495, passed 7-9-96; Am. Ord. 02-005, passed 2-26-02; Am. Ord. O- 2015-002, passed 1-27-15; Am. Ord. O-2021-019, passed 5-25-21)